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the-authoress-writes · 3 months

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Wherever You Go Chapter Two

Tom “Iceman” Kazansky x Aviator!reader (Callsign: Thorn)

Moodboard by @bradshawsbaby

Written for @roosterforme’s Top Gun Rocktober Playlist Fic Challenge

Synopsis: Tom Kazansky made a mistake.

Or rather, a series of mistakes.

1. He chose to take the assignment as an instructor at TOPGUN.

2. He fell in love with one of his students.

3. He broke her heart.

4. He chose to leave TOPGUN, and redeploy.

Now, he was stuck onboard the USS Nimitz with the woman whose heart he broke, with no way out.

Unbelievably, that’s not the problem.

Problem is, he still loves her.

Series Warnings: Teacher/Student relationship (but you already knew that), warnings will be updated as the series progresses.

Chapter Warnings: Navy-level cursing, slight sexual humor, sexual harassment, assault, a sort-of bar fight, and period-typical sexism.

Author’s Note: I am quite happy with this chapter, because once I forced myself to write it, it sort of came together fairly easily.

We have more tidbits of Thorn’s backstory, and a whole lot more Ice/Thorn interaction.

I can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction to this chapter!

Thank you so, so very much to @roosterforme for hosting the Top Gun Rocktober Fic Challenge, and for allowing me to use one of my favorite 80s rock ballads, “The Flame” by Cheap Trick.

Lyrics from the song will be peppered in throughout this series, because it’s too good not to, and the song is the reason this story exists, as it is what birthed the plotline.

A huge thank you and shout out to @thatsrightice, who helped me so much with the hop maneuvers last chapter, by researching the F-14 and A-4 high and low for me.

Special thanks also to @valmare, the fact that I am writing Top Gun/Top Gun: Maverick reader fic is all your fault; but thank you so much for dragging me down with you, it’s been an absolute joy!

Previously on “Wherever You Go”…

It took a beat, but then, several people in the crowd moved, and he saw her—her hair cascaded down her shoulders, as sharp eyes surveyed The O like it was the skies, dressed, unlike everyone else in the Navy who occupied this space, in civvies; a loose, white blouse tucked into jeans, cinched with a thick brown leather belt at her waist.

And everything seemed to fade into the background, the sight of her drowning out the sound of the bar, and Mav’s howling laughter.

Eventually, Mav’s boisterous laughter, no—cackling—could not be ignored, the shorter man practically screeching into his ear. “I called it—I fucking called it!!!” In an undertone, he continued, “Hell of a woman, isn’t she?”

Tom was sincerely regretting not wearing his Shooters, perceived dickishness be damned, as he fought the widening of his eyes, and directed his attention to protesting, “What are you talking about?” in a last ditch effort to divert, divert, divert.

“You’re into her, you asshole,” the other man hissed, leaning in, having at least some delicacy.

“I—it’s not like that,” he stammered, foundering for words, knowing there was blood in the water, and Mav was the proverbial shark. “I find her… interesting,” he awkwardly finished.

Mav rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh, I’m sure you do; you’re lucky Sli’s not here to see your pining ass.

He’d probably say something stupid, like,” here, Mav deepened his voice in imitation of Slider, “‘I bet you’d like to invite her to study your NATOPS.’”

Tom cut his wingman a glare, before, as if magnetically pulled, his gaze slid back to Thorn as she moved through the bar. “I’m not pining, it’s—it’s purely a… a pilot-to-pilot professional interest, you know.”

He inwardly cringed at that, but knew that regardless of the word choice, this would definitely still be humiliating as hell, whether he admitted anything or not.

The smaller man scoffed so loudly, he idly wondered if the other side of the bar could hear it. “If that’s a purely professional interest, I’m a damn mermaid princess.

‘Cause you see, Ice, your mouth says no, but your eyes say yes.

They’re screaming it, actually.”

“Shut up, or I’ll tip you off your barstool,” Tom threatened without much heat.

“Like I’ll believe that, you love me too much.”

“And your flat ass is fucking lucky.”

Mav sighed, tapping the bottom edge of his bottle on the counter. “Insult to my magnificent ass aside, I don’t blame you, Ice, like I said, she is a hell of a woman.”

“I…” he paused, looking around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation, “—purely hypothetically; if I did have a… less-than professional interest in her—would you believe me if I denied it?”

His wingman looked at him as if he’d just randomly declared to everyone in The O that Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was the better pilot. “No.”

Exhale. “So, again—purely hypothetically—it’d be useless to keep deny—”

“—Yes.”

He rolled his eyes at the adamant interruption, but the silence quickly drew on as a viridian gaze looked at him expectantly.

Tom wrestled with himself, debating the implications and consequences of admitting, even to himself and one of his closest brothers, that he had a… decidedly un-professional interest in one of his students.

God, he felt like a creep even thinking it.

“I—as her instructor, there is a burden of responsibility upon me—”

Mav groaned, “Fuck’s sake, Tom, be honest with yourself and me, for crying out loud.

You don’t have to be “Ice-cold, no mistakes”, rulebook shoved so far up your ass you can taste each subsection, with me, of all people, the same guy who dated an Admiral’s daughter.

A fellow aviator is nothing.”

Tom sighed, “I don’t—I’ve never—” he frustratedly cut himself off, staring into the distance, attempting to collect the fragments of his dignity, Mav waiting patiently beside him, stalwart.

After a highly pregnant pause, he finally blurted, “It’s wrong, Mav, it’s so wrong.

How can I—she’s my student,” he desperately said.

“The heart wants what it wants,” his wingman replied, surprisingly gentle.

He buried his head in his hands, “Why couldn’t I have met her while I was deployed, Pete?”

A warm hand pat his shoulder. “Come on, Ice, it’s not that bad.

After graduation, when she’s no longer in your chain of command, you’re free to ask her out.

Until then, you’re bound by the no fraternization rule, but—”

“Are you trying to comfort me, or remind me of how pathetic I am?” he growled into his hands.

Tom could see the responding shit-eating grin even in the darkness of his palms. “Awww, you’re not pathetic, wingman mine, just a little lame—and I wasn’t done—no one ever said you can’t talk to her, Tommy boy.”

He lifted his head from his hands. “Talk.

To her.”

“No, to Ro,” the sarcasm dripped from Mav’s tone, “—yes, to her!

I mean, other than your repeated use of the word ‘what’ lately, you seem to be mostly capable of stringing together a sentence in front of her, so talk to her.”

“Well, fuck me, then,” he sarcastically moaned, the import of his confession hitting him like a 2x4.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’d like her to,” the raven-haired aviator grinned.

Tom retorted, “Oh, fuck you t—” he stopped himself too late, realizing the plethora of jokes to be had with that retort.

And evidently, Mav had the same train of thought, judging from his chortle. “Didn’t think you were a—ménage kind of guy, Ice.”

After a quick glance around, he muttered, “Khuy.”

“Testa di cazzo.

Two can play that game, Thomas,” Mav smirked, making him snort.

(It wasn’t often his wingman whipped out the Italian, but it did come out every so often—it wasn’t really useful anyway; the only Italian the younger man remembered from his late Nonna were the curse words.)

Soon growing serious, he questioned, “How do I talk to her, Mav?”

“Generally, words work.”

“Pete!” Tom cried, lightly slapping his palm on the bar. “I’m serious here!

I’ve never met anyone like her—I—I don’t understand how—I mean—thank God you didn’t make a pass at her, or she’d probably never talk to me by sheer dint of being your friend.”

“Hey,” Mav pointed, “like I said, I don’t flirt with every woman with a pulse—I am capable of wanting relationships with the opposite sex that are not sexual.

And even if I was inclined to try and screw up a good friendship, I’d have less than a snowball’s chance in hell—not you, though, apparently.

Which; good for you!”

He froze. “What makes you think that I have a chance?”

The younger man took a relaxed sip of beer. “Believe me, you have a chance, and unless you want to remain a sad schmuck sitting at the bar with only his wingman for company, you have to talk to her.”

He sighed, gray eyes staring stubbornly ahead.

“Listen, do you need me to be your wingman here?

Because I’ll do it, Ice.”

“I’ll talk to her, okay?” Tom snapped, “Just… at least let me finish my drink?”

Mav sighed, and nodded, glancing over Tom’s shoulder, “Well, get sipping, Kazansky, because you’re not the only one who’s tallied her.”

One glance in the direction his wingman was looking made a furious, burning feeling rise in his chest; the eyes of quite a few men were tracking Thorn as she moved through the room.

She and Romeo were making a beeline for one of the tables near the back which seated most of their other students; Warlock and Shogun; Babe and Priest; and Belter and Elvis, which made the burning in his chest ease a little.

“She’s sitting with our students,” he observed.

“And?”

He smacked his lips, “That gives me some time, because one, I know they’re probably too scared of her, two, her RIO’s there, and three, no one’s going to try coming on to a woman sitting with seven other navy men.”

Mav’s gaze was incredulous. “I cannot believe you.

If I were you, I’d be over there right now.”

Evenly, he replied, “But I’m me and you’re you.

Are you on my wing or not?”

His wingman chugged the remainder of his beer, slamming the bottle down. “Fuck you, you know I am.

But let the record state that I am very much against this.”

Tom easily sipped the watering vodka on the rocks, confident he had time, while the other man frustratedly drank another bottle of beer.

He’d just signaled the bartender for another vodka on the rocks when he heard Thorn’s raised voice. “I told you, I’m not interested.”

His gaze snapped to the other end of the bar, where Thorn was standing, an enlisted navy man behind her.

The man said something into her ear, to which Thorn loudly insisted “No,” moving the slight distance from him the crowded bar area afforded her, and the next moment, when the man grabbed her arm, Tom rose from his barstool, Mav not far behind him, obviously having heard it too.

He began pushing through the incomprehensibly still-thick crowd, even as she wrenched her arm free, the action only sending the sailor into a fury.

“Bitch!” the man slurred, brutally yanking her back by her hair, causing Thorn to rightfully viciously elbow him in the gut, but unluckily, it only sent him staggering back slightly, his grip on her hair unrelenting.

The fury in Tom’s blood, which had surged back to the surface ever since he rose from his seat, froze into icy, deadly calm—he’d see this man arrested and dishonorably discharged by the end of the week, hook or by crook, he resolved.

Suddenly, his nebulously murderous thoughts and movement through the frozen crowd were interrupted by a loud, barked “Hey!!”

Romeo ran in, long legs eating up the distance, fury blazing in his eyes and emanating from his being, people parting for him like he carried the staff of Moses. “Get your hands off her!!” he said, pulling the sailor off of Thorn.

The enlisted man’s eyes widened, some of the drunken haze in his gaze clearing. “Easy, man, I didn’t know she was yours—”

“No one touches my pilot,” Romeo finished, snarling into his face.

“I—wait—pilot?” The asshole had the gall to frown. “You’re telling me the chick’s a—”

A dark hand smacked onto the enlisted’s shoulder, gripping tightly. “You just assaulted a TOPGUN student.

Meet Lieutenant __, also known as Thorn,” Warlock finished sternly, while Shogun also clamped a tight grip on the now-terrified enlisted man’s other shoulder.

“Congratulations, genius, you just attacked a superior officer—I’m sure the court martial’s going to love your suave charm,” Priest smarmily declared, a sarcastic smile on his face.

“C—court martial?” Seaman Dead Man, as Tom mentally dubbed him, stammered.

“Yeah,” Priest affirmed, “I’d say what you just literally pulled is some serious Conduct Unbecoming, am I right?” He turned to a serious Babe, who had his arms crossed.

“Yep,” his pilot replied.

“I—“ the sailor weakly protested.

“Save it for the MA, sailor,” Warlock warned, sharing a look with Shogun, before the two of them began to drag the enlisted man out of The O.

Behind him, Mav called out, “Hey Brian,” addressing one of the bartenders, which brought Tom back to reality.

As he made a beeline for Thorn, who had been rather forgotten in the ruckus, Tom faintly heard a man reply, “Already called the Masters-at-Arms, Mav,” which ever-so-slightly thawed the icy fire within him, knowing that the man who dared to touch Thorn was going to be arrested.

“Hey,” he softly said, carefully approaching, maintaining a polite distance, mindful of the dozens of eyes in the bar, “you okay?”

She looked up, face calm. “Yeah,” she breathed, but he could see that she was a little bit shaken—he didn’t blame her. “Nothing I’m not used to,” she smiled sharply.

Anything else was halted by the arrival of Romeo, whose uniform shirt seemed slightly more untucked than it had been moments ago, and whose knuckles, upon a swift glance, seemed a little redder than usual.

He looked into the placid face of the backseater, whose eyes held a challenge, daring Tom to call him out.

He nearly laughed at the surprise in Romeo’s eyes when all he gave was a minute nod, but the man seamlessly leaned down, hand on her shoulder, showing the concern he had the luxury of displaying as her RIO, “Thorn, I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, I should’ve been faster in the bathroom.”

“It’s fine,” she waved off, “it’s not your fault, Ro.

Blame that dickwad.

Or fuck, blame me—if I’d just worn my whites—”

“No,” he interjected, drawing the gaze of both pilot and RIO. “Whites or not, no means no.

Anyone with half a brain knows that.”

“Not him, apparently,” she smirked.

Another voice interrupted, “Lieutenant __ and Lieutenant Kinford?”

“Yes,” they replied in sync.

To his credit, the MA froze for only the minutest moment once he realized that Lieutenant __ was a woman. “Uh, I understand there was a disagreement?”

Tom stepped forward. “Yes.

The seaman Lieutenants Bates and Han were holding outside assaulted Lieutenant __, and her RIO, Lieutenant Kinford, defended her appropriately.

I can testify to that.”

The MA nodded. “And you are?”

“Lieutenant Tom Kazansky.

I’m Lieutenants __ and Kinford’s Junior Instructor at TOPGUN.

My co-instructor, Lieutenant Mitchell, and four more of our students can attest to the same story, as well as anyone in this bar; we all saw what happened.”

“TOPGUN, huh?

I’ll have to make a call to your CO, and you, Lieutenant Mitchell, Lieutenants __ and Kinford, and all your students will have to come with me back to base.

But if everything played out like you said it did, you should be free to go before it gets too late.”

“Thank you, I’ll let them know.”

“Be outside in five,” and with another professional nod, the MA made his way out.

“I’ll help round them all up,” murmured a Mav who had suddenly appeared at his elbow.

“Thanks.” Turning to Thorn and Romeo, he continued, “Thorn, if you’re physically alright, the two of you should get outside immediately—let’s not keep the MA waiting.”

She nodded, running a hand through her hair. “Yes, sir.”

He returned the nod, and went in search of the rest of their students.

In no time, Tom and Mav had gathered their students outside, and the MA scanned the row of naval officers, eyes landing on Thorn and Romeo at the end. “Lieutenant Kinford, you’ll be riding with me.”

His pilot immediately spoke up. “Sir, I don’t think that’s a wise decision.”

“Relax, Lieutenant, he’ll be in the front seat.” Addressing the whole group, he continued, “Due to regulations, you’ll all have to ride back to base as separately as you can.

Pilots and RIOs can ride together, but no more.”

Thorn’s face fell almost imperceptibly. “Sir, my RIO and I walked here from our housing, we came here straight from a deployment, neither of us have a car here at Miramar.”

“You can ride with me,” Tom spoke up.

She and the MA turned their gaze on him, the MA breaking the sudden silence. “It’s not ideal since you’re her superior officer… but I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you, sir,” she nodded.

“I’ll see you all on base.” The Master-at-Arms’ tone held a slight note of warning, promising repercussions if anyone decided to skip out on reporting tonight.

The group quickly dispersed, as Mav approached Thorn to give her a gentle shoulder punch, murmuring, “You okay, Acey?”

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, you don’t have to baby me, Mav.”

“I know.

But we all promised, remember?

We’d look out for each other.”

Her eyes softened, “I know.

Sorry.”

“No problem.

And… you’re in safe hands with Ice; he’s one of a very few I’d trust to have my back and my wing.”

Fraternal warmth rushed through him at hearing the level of trust the other man had in him, a trust which was impossible a year ago.

“Thanks, Mav,” she breathed. “I’ll see you on base.”

Mav grinned crookedly at her, softly tapping her arm and walking to his bike, but not before sending Tom a smirk as he passed.

Tom decided to ignore the smirk, tilting his head in the direction of his car. “I’m over here.”

When he reached the driver’s side door of the Chevelle, he heard an incredulous, “This is yours?

I thought the truck was your car.”

He chuckled, “They both are.

I don’t usually take the Chevelle out, but… I felt she needed a drive today.”

Thorn ran a careful finger over the passenger’s side door, reverently breathing, “She’s gorgeous.

Is this the original paint?”

His smile widened, “Yeah, it is—my grandfather had it custom painted.

This was his; he left it to me in his will.”

“Wow, you’re lucky.” She paused, “That didn’t come out right—I mean—I’m sorry your grandfather died, I—”

“I know what you mean, it’s okay,” he laughed. “Come on, get in, you can admire Mally more later, I’d be happy to tell you about her.”

They both slid into the driver’s side and passenger’s side respectively, Thorn scanning the interior in awe. “The interior’s original too, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, my grandfather did the hard work, he kept her pristine, and all I had to do was keep it up.” He turned the key with a smile, knowing that Mally’s engine was in perfect condition, and if Thorn held the paint and interior in such reverence, the engine would elicit the same, if not a greater reaction.

Mally’s engine roared to life, evening out to her familiar purr, making Thorn’s jaw drop as she met his eyes, and he revved the engine with a smirk.

“Wow,” she breathed, “she sounds amazing.”

“I know,” he grinned, and cautiously reversed out of the spot, turning out to the main road back onto base.

There was a pause before she inquired, “If I may ask, why is she named Mally?

It’s an unusual name.”

Tom hesitated.

Very few people knew he could speak Russian, and even fewer had heard him speak it.

It was something that could be received negatively in this time of Cold War, but… something told him this secret of sorts was safe with her. “Malysh.”

“I’m sorry?”

“My Dedushka, my grandfather, was the one who named her.

Malysh is Russian for baby, but he shortened it to Mally.”

“Oh.”

For a moment, he feared that he was wrong about her, but then she huffed a laugh. “That completely tracks.

I actually should have seen that coming—I mean, it’s right there, for God’s sake: Kazansky.

That’s a big Eastern European neon sign,” she gestured grandly.

He waited for the question he expected, but was surprised when it didn’t come. “…That’s it?

You’re not going to ask me if I’m a Russian spy?”

Thorn sent him a wry glance. “Even if you were, would you really tell me?”

That startled a laugh from him. “I’m not, but good point.”

“Here’s the thing, I believe you, but…” she leaned towards him, making her perfume overpower the scent of his cologne and the leather polish he used on Mally’s interior, “let me just say that that’s exactly what a spy would say.”

He fought the urge to swallow thickly at her proximity, and instead coolly replied, “I plead the fifth.”

She laughed again, and leaned back, allowing him to relax into his own seat, and a comfortable silence filled the car.

Soon, however, he registered her fidgeting. “So, uh…” she began, “the other guys kind of got a head start on us… do you think we’ll be the last to get onto base?”

Tom frowned, “They didn’t get that much of a head start on us, I think we’ll be fine.”

She inhaled evenly, and he could practically hear the gears turning in her head, which made him glance at her.

A moment later, it clicked. “…But, just to be sure… maybe a little afterburner won’t hurt anything.”

Thorn looked at him with pure joy and excitement, and warmth rushed through him at the fact that it was him who had put that joy and excitement in her gaze.

In that moment, he knew he’d do anything to keep that light in her eyes.

And as he gunned the engine down the road to her jubilant whoop, he knew.

He was really fucked.

When they arrived at Viper’s office, they saw that Mav was already there—not surprising, given the unholy speeds at which the other pilot rode his motorcycle.

“Hey,” Mav greeted, “you beat everyone else here.”

“Yeah,” Tom replied, “we took a shortcut.”

His wingman sent him a mildly skeptical look, but he refused to budge.

“Lieutenant __.”

A look down the hall showed a determined Jester striding towards them, sending all of them to attention, the three of them chorusing a “Sir.”

“At ease.”

“Would you like us to report to you now, sir?” Tom asked.

“No, they called Viper in, you’ll be reporting to him, I just thought I’d—check on you—all of you.”

“I’m alright, sir, nothing I can’t handle,” Thorn replied.

“Lieutenant Kinford… defused the situation, sir,” Mav interjected, sending Tom a glance as if to say, “See—I can say things diplomatically.”

“I see.”

The doors opening halted anything further, and they all turned to see the MA flanked by the seaman and Romeo, the rest of their students taking up the rear.

Everyone stood at attention upon stopping in front of Jester, who repeated the command of “At ease,” before addressing the MA. “Captain Metcalf will be here momentarily.”

As if the statement had summoned said man, the doors opened yet again, admitting Viper, whose ever-so-slightly rumpled khakis were the only indicator of the late hour call-in.

After getting the bare bones from the MA, Viper directed him and the seaman to one of the unoccupied offices, calling Warlock and Shogun to his office first.

Pair by pair, the students reported to Viper, each one taking no more than a few minutes.

Romeo was eventually called in, Thorn sending him a supportive look, and after a slightly longer duration of time than the others, the RIO stepped out with a warm smile. “You’re up next, Thorn.”

She inhaled, and rose, spine straight, carrying herself as if she were in whites like everyone else, and he admired the confident way she walked into Viper’s office, nerves for her sake bubbling up as the door shut behind her.

Against his will, his knee began bouncing, and he forced himself to breathe evenly, trying to keep his composure.

“Speed it up a little, Ice, why don’t you,” Mav muttered, dropping into the seat next to him, which Thorn had vacated.

“Like you’re not worried,” he muttered back.

“I am worried, but Viper’s fair.

And if everyone told the truth, which I think they did, Acey’s gonna get off without too much trouble.”

“She didn’t do anything wrong, Mav, she defended herself,” he indignantly murmured.

A heavy sigh. “I know, but… I know from experience that she’ll still be punished to some extent.

Viper can’t let her off the hook completely.

It’s just how it is for people like me and her.”

“It’s not right,” Tom grit out.

“It’s not.

But you can’t do anything about it right now.”

“I will, one day,” he promised.

Mav chuckled, “I can easily see you as CO of Miramar one day.”

He pulled a face, knowing his hopes went higher than CO of an Air Station.

“Higher, huh?” The other pilot read him like a book. “What, you aiming for COMPACFLT or something?”

“I’d settle for that,” he grinned.

His wingman burst into laughter. “I can see you as an Admiral, Ice.” Sobering, Mav continued, “I know you’ll get there.

But I’m still going to be the better pilot.”

The well-tread argument was stopped by Viper himself opening his door. “Kazansky, Mitchell.”

The two of them sent each other uneasy glances before rising and entering the Captain’s office, flanking Thorn out of instinct, and snapping off crisp salutes.

“Lieutenant Kazansky reporting, sir.”

“Lieutenant Mitchell reporting, sir.”

The salute having been returned, the Captain declared, “At ease.” Viper pinched the bridge of his nose. “Everyone’s stories lined up; Lieutenant __ was assaulted by a drunk seaman, and she used appropriate force to defend herself until her RIO… defused the situation.

And I’m assuming your stories would be the same.”

“Yes, sir,” the two wingmen chorused.

“Now, I have a dilemma.

As I’m sure you all understand, Lieutenant __ here is in a unique position, as the first female naval aviator selected for TOPGUN.

I will make it very clear; I believe that Lieutenant __ was perfectly in the right to elbow that seaman, and I will ensure that he is demoted and reassigned at the least, and dishonorably discharged, if I can help it.

However, there are those who will not see things the same way, and they will believe that doing what is right is wrong.

So… I have no choice but to discipline you, Lieutenant __.”

Tom’s indignant, “Sir!” rang out at the same time as Thorn’s resigned, “Yes, sir.” and determined to be heard, he continued, “Sir, this isn’t right; you can’t kick her out of TOPGUN—”

“I was not done yet, Lieutenant Kazansky,” Viper warned, not unkindly. “I am not kicking Lieutenant __ out of the program, that would be a waste of talent.

But she will be disciplined.

Because if I do not, with the scrutiny that she is naturally under, due to her gender, it will be called into question why she was not disciplined for assaulting a seaman.”

“Sir, he attacked her—we all saw it!” he replied, ire building, earning a glance from Mav.

“I understand that, Kazansky, but interrupt me or raise your voice again, you leave me no choice but to discipline you as well,” Viper evenly stated, warning in his tone.

Tom swallowed thickly, clenching his jaw tightly.

His CO leaned forward in his seat, folding his arms on his desk. “Now, the only reason I am doing this is because should I not discipline her, some asshole Admiral—of which there are many, believe me—could decide to question my judgment upon hearing of this event, due to the report that I must file, and he could choose to take Lieutenant __’s discipline into his own hands; and his punishment would be much harsher than mine.

Her being stripped of her wings is a possibility, depending on which asshole sees.

I am not going to allow even the possibility of that.

Again, you understand why I am doing this, Lieutenant __?”

“I understand, sir,” Thorn evenly replied.

“Good.” The venerable aviator opened a drawer in his desk, and pulled out a file, Thorn’s service file, Tom realized, when he saw her service photo on the top page. “I see you have a degree in aeronautics and are a certified mechanic in both motor vehicles and aircraft, Lieutenant __?”

“Yes, sir.”

Well—no wonder Thorn and Mav got along like a house on fire.

The Captain nodded, having reached a decision. “Lieutenant __, this is your punishment: you will assist the aircraft maintenance technicians after hours, with any work they assign you, for four weeks, to be supervised by Lieutenants Kazansky or Mitchell.” Viper shifted to look both Tom and Mav in the eye. “You two will organize a suitable schedule depending on your respective classwork.”

“Yes, sir,” they replied.

Despite the fact that Thorn didn’t move, Tom could feel the relief course through her. “Thank you, sir.”

Viper smiled slightly, nodding at her. “You’re all dismissed.”

And trailing Thorn and Mav, as Tom walked out of the office, just as he was also about to relax, he realized just what Thorn’s punishment entailed: he would be spending time after hours, alone—

With her.

God, he was really fucked.

To be continued…

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Faceclaims

Russian and Italian glossary

Disclaimer: translations are from the interwebs.

Please don’t kill me.

Khuy: this is both a prayer and a word that inexplicably means dick or dickhead.

Testa di cazzo: again, dickhead.

I headcanon Mav as having Italian heritage, because… well, all that fire and passion—I don’t know, I just get Italian vibes from him.

Masters-at-Arms are the US Navy equivalent of the Army’s Military Police.

Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman is Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

(Technically, enlisted personnel cannot be prosecuted under this law, but let’s just say that Babe was just trying to scare the seaman.)

However, a clause of Article 134 makes punishable conduct which has a tendency to bring the service into disrepute or which tends to lower it in public esteem, and I’d say what that seaman did counts.

Special thanks again to @valmare for the Ice has a Chevelle headcanon!

Upon a little research, I couldn’t find any evidence of black metal flake paint being a factory paint option for the Chevelle, so… custom paint job it is!

Cold War

What “I plead the fifth” means.

Service Whites

Taglist

@valmare

@callsign-skydancer

@permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88

@tadomikiku

@malindacath

@aviatorobsessed

@lynnevanss

@djs8891

If you’d like to join my taglist, just send me an ask!

#top gun rocktober #top gun #top gun fanfiction #top gun fanfic #tom iceman kazansky x reader #tom kazansky x reader #tom iceman kazansky #tom kazansky #val kilmer

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oldworldwidgets · 4 months

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DELILAH TIME DELILAH TIME

here she is. officially. my beloved fallout 4 oc delilah !!!! first piece done by @zetobii and the second by @leavingautumn13

i dont draw so all art of delilah comes from my dear friends who draw her for me/with their ocs and tell me i can post it OR from commissions. what i can do, however, is write <3 and make playlists and pinterest boards for visuals <3 so prepare urself <3

speaking of which, you can find her playlist here and her pinterest board here!! theyre chronological, so listening/scrolling in order should more or less tell her story too

ok so: her appearance, personality, stats, story, and some fun facts are here under the cut (its a lot fyi ok i just love her so much) pls enjoy

delilah lore (delilore?) be upon ye:

appearance:

24 years old, 5’10”

very fair skinned with bright green eyes and jet black hair

her hair is wavy and flows down to the middle of her back. she has one small braid behind her right ear

covered in freckles, from her nose to her knees. she has a tiny scar above her mouth from a past split lip and a slit in her opposite eyebrow from a past black eye

midriff is heavily discolored from past bruises - the pigmentation never fully went away - and marred with keloid scars from deep cuts from things she refuses to talk about. if her dress has a high enough slit, bruises can peek out near the very tops of her legs

large black kingsnake tattoo wrapping up a her left arm with its head near her shoulder and its tail near/on her hand

she can almost always be found in her wine-colored silk dress that reaches only about mid-thigh, nails manicured and lips painted to match. it has spaghetti straps and is loosely bodycon.

she wears stacks of gold rings (as many as possible, really) and dangly gold snake earrings

the only things she keeps on her person are the dagger and the gun strapped to her thighs under her dress. her gun was a gift from KL-E-0. it is a custom gold-plated, silenced 10mm. lilah named it "Mine"

stats:

if fo4 had a karma slider, lilah would land pretty firmly on evil. on a dnd alignment chart, think chaotic neutral or neutral evil

SPECIAL: 2, 8, 2, 10, 7, 4, 3

she's not strong nor has much endurance, but when you're as smart, perceptive, and charismatic as she is, you can charm people into carrying your stuff for you anyway.

her perks are party girl (alcohol/chem resistance), black widow (damage/persuasion against men), night person (higher int at night), and intimidation (pacify, instruct, and force opponents to attack). and deacon's cloak and dagger, of course.

personality:

cold, calculated, distant

cares about very, very few people (and even fewer things) but is fiercely loyal to those people. she's a railroad agent, but only because deacon cares about the cause and she begrudgingly cares about deacon

she and deacon clash. he refused to even vouch for her admission to the railroad. she gets along much better with glory, but she still gets assigned to run jobs with deacon because they keep each other in check and are deadly efficient as a pair (theyre also in love but they keep it a secret from everyone including each other)

she cares about very very few people but it fiercely loyal to those people. she is a railroad agent, but only because deacon cares about the cause and she "begrudgingly" cares about deacon (she cares literally so much do not let her fool u)

her moral compass is not magnetic. right and wrong is whatever she wants it to be. she takes no issue killing people if they wrong her. sexual harassment or subterfuge/targeted deception send marks to the top of her hit list.

her story:

her birth name is allie eden

she is not a sole survivor; she was born into the capital wasteland chapter of the brotherhood of steel. despite sentinel lyons' best efforts, delilah responded far better to scribe training than to combat training

she and arthur maxson were the only two kids in the citadel, and they became fast friends, even after the lyons pride crumbled and maxson was appointed elder.

he appointed her his sentinel, second in command, which she embraced until she saw how terribly the wasteland was faring under his leadership.

she promptly absconded and, because she had been so sheltered until that day, quickly lost herself to chems and alcohol.

months passed in, thanks to all the blackouts, what felt like hours. one night, allie woke up in a warm bed that she did not fall asleep in. a man named dante deangelo had pulled her body from a D.C. gutter and made sure she was safe.

in no time, they fell in love and decided to escape to the commonwealth. they found a small, basement apartment in goodneighbor and allie began tending bar at the third rail.

dante, slowly but surely, became more abusive. he left bruises and deep cuts on her body anywhere her third rail uniform would cover. she stayed, though, because she'd been raised by the brotherhood to believe that love was harsh and painful. to obey without question. to submit to authority.

eventually, she tired of that life and snapped, killing dante before he could leave any more marks on her. something... shifted. maybe it was allie eden who entered their apartment that morning, but it was delilah who left it that night.

KL-E-0, who was quite fond of allie and is far fonder of delilah, fitted her with pistol, Mine.

instead of hiding behind the bar like she had when she was with dante, she began to use it to her advantage. every dusty drifter with full pockets full of caps left her bar empty handed. but it wasnt enough.

she began targeting triggermen, who she knew were peddling chems for... someone in goodneighbor. the moment a man started flirting with her (which she hated), it was like a red dot sight appeared on their foreheads. she'd seduce them, take them back to her apartment, get her caps and chems and information, and the men would never be seen again.

morowski, goodneighbor kingpin, eventually approached her at work about his shrinking pool of chem peddlers. they struck a deal: he would slip her into his operation as his newest arm candy, and she would peddle his chems at her bar.

it worked flawlessly until morowski actually fell in love with her. go figure. unless, of course, that was lilah's plan all along...

while she's still participating in this farce with morowski, she meets drummer boy, who she ends up truly enjoying the company of even despite her general distaste for men. eventually, he convinces her to join the railroad with him

because morowski is in love with delilah, she has no issue squeezing information out of him when deacon asks her to: morowski is an institute informant. lilah quickly, uh, deals with that problem, and the next days, morowski is found dead in his office at the rexford. cause of death: self inflicted gunshot wound. what a tragedy.

because delilah was his "other half," his unofficial widow, she inherited morowski's whole chem operation

now, she happily spends her days directing the triggermen and tending her bar - for fun and for information, at this point, because she certainly doesnt need the caps. when she needs to run for the railroad or her beloved friends need her professional black widow skills, whitechapel charlie is "happy" to cover for her. as happy as he can manage, anyway.

fun facts:

she is terrified of storms, heights, and violent outbursts from people she trusts

her name comes from the bible story of sampson and delilah, where delilah is paid by the government to seduce sampson (a man of god) and tempt him to sin by telling her what gives him his inhuman strength. after three attempts, she is successful. sampson tells her that god gives him his strength through his hair. she then cuts his hair, which ultimately leads to his death. i mean what a bad bitch

she is still deeply unhappy even after she wraps goodneighbor around her finger because she still doesnt know who she is

she's skeptical of maxson's move to the commonwealth. she is very much on the run from him (and the bortherhood as a whole), and ham happily vets drifters for her to ensure theyre not undercover brotherhood before letting them into the bar.

she and maccready arent exactly "friends" but they harbor mutual respect for each other since they spend so much time together. mac had to call her off like a guard dog when winlock and barnes paid him a visit, so shes confident he would do the same if the brotherhood ever came knocking.

#WHEW LORE DUMP #mutuals and followers u r gonna MEET DELILAH and u r gonna LIKE IT ‼️‼️#shes not very nice but she would LOVE to be friends or frenemies or rivals with ur ocs!!!!!#she wont bite i prommy!!!!! (voice of a guy who is lying)#its taken so long for me to dump about any of my ocs bc being a writer on The Art Website is not ideal #nevertheless i persist #and my ask box/comments are SO open for questions or ask game suggestions or marriage proposals idk whatever :P #anyway bring on the tags #oc: delilah #oldworld.ocs #fallout 4 #fallout 4 oc #fo4 oc #fallout oc #fo4

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wibblywobblytumblywumbly · 5 months

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Sim Request by @invisiblequeen - Sim inspired by the song Angels in Tibet by Amaarae Riaan Angel - Google Drive

Hair - Clumsyalien . Eyelashes - bellassims .Earrings - 202001 SClub. Sweat - Saruin . Top + Necklace - Saruin . Skirt/sarong - Magnetic. Nose ring - Pralinesims . Boots - Evellsims . Headband - Pralinesims . Lipstick - SM sims . Lip Preset - Northern Siberia Winds . Skin overlay - Simbience . Ears - Luumia . Hairline - G3 Goppolsme . Eyeliner - N93 Praline . Eyeshadow - Bobur 14 . Nose overlay - KismetSims . Eyes - 201914 SClub . bracelets and nails - basegame

Sliders: Eyebrow length + Eye width and depths sliders - Obscurus Lip Slider - Teanmoon Ear Slider - Luumia Eye size + Head size sliders - Marsosims Feet (default) - Magicbot Teeth - Magicbot

#sims 4 #custom sim #the sims 4 #custom sims #ts4 #simblr #sims #the sims #sim #sim requests #invisiblequeen

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rose-pearls · 11 months

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Sparks Fly

Summary: you meet Ron 'Slider' Kerner at Top Gun and fall for him but maybe he doesn't feel the same, or does he?

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 (open for every fandom)

Part 2

Having a father in the Navy was something that other people could relate to, but your father being Viper was something else. Your mother and father had gotten married quite young and after a little boy you came two years later making your father swear that he would protect you from every single stupid boy.

Much to your mother despair and fondness your father had made you sign a contract, saying that you wouldn’t date anyone until you were at least forty. You had smiled at him with chubby cheeks, only three years old, while your dad helped you sign the document before putting it away as if it was the uttermost important document.

You had kept that promise over the years, never dating anyone in high school and going to prom with your friends. At some point you believed you would never meet anyone that would make your heart speed up and your cheeks burn red.

That was until you met Ron ‘Slider’ Kerner at Top Gun in 1986.

Your father had forgotten his lunch, again as your mother would say, and here you were walking around the Top Gun hallway towards his office. Everything had been going according to plan until you crashed against a hard chest, barely able to stay upright and holding the lunchbox.

An arm went around your waist to hold you stable and as you looked up your eyes met mischievous blue eyes, the man was tall, extremely tall and handsome. You had always wondered how the Navy managed to get every single handsome man on this planet.

“I am so sorry.”, you whisper shily, and the man smiles turns into a smirk.

“No worries sweetheart, I’m glad you are alright.”, you couldn’t help but blush at the way the handsome man was still holding you and seemed to be giving you his whole attention.

“Slider! We need to go!”, you hear someone yell and the man, Slider apparently, turns around to nod at the man before turning back towards you with a charming smile.

“Well, duty calls. Maybe I’ll run into you again.”, he says, and you try not to blush at his smirk before he squeezes your waist and let’s go of you. Your legs feel like jelly, but you manage to stay upright as you see him walking away towards the deck and joining a blond man that was looking at you slightly confused.

“There you are.”, you hear your father say as he comes behind you and you try not to jump out of your skin at his sudden appearance, hoping that he didn’t saw that.

“What do you say about eating lunch with me and Jester?”, your father asks, seemingly obvious to what train of thought you are going to.

“Sure.”, you manage to say, still looking at the spot where Slider had been.

Your father leads you towards his office but as you walk there you can only think of one thing, you couldn’t wait to meet that man again.

You weren’t necessarily proud of trying to get Slider’s attention but it’s like you were addicted to it, the man was like a magnet, and you couldn’t stay away. This led you to being more often at Top Gun, leaving the house while ignoring your mother’s knowing gaze. The man itself was still as handsome as when you met him, always a smirk on his lips when he saw you.

He had seemed surprised when he had asked your name during one of your talks and you told him you were Viper’s daughter, but he quickly shook it off and continued talking to you. You had met his pilot, Tom ‘iceman’ Kazansky, who at first glance seemed cold just like his call sign but once you got to know him, he was an absolute sweetheart.

The rest of the Top Gun class had gotten to meet you too, and you couldn’t help but laugh when Wolf and Hollywood tried to hit on you before starting to argue with each other. Goose was probably the sweetest, always a kind smile and a honking laughter while showing you pictures of Bradley and Carole. The woman in question had immediately started talking with you and you couldn’t help but enjoy her company, talking about everything that was happening.

“Be careful.”, she tells you once when she catches you looking at Slider a bit longer than you thought.

“What do you mean?”, you ask, feeling confused at her warning.

“Men in the Navy they aren’t all good men, some go from one woman to another.”, she says softly, and you want to tell her that she is wrong, however you know that she is right. Men like Goose were often an exception.

“I will, however I don’t think there will be something happening.”, you tell her, a sad smile on your lips as you see Slider talking with a beautiful blond woman.

“I’m not saying it won’t ever happen, just protect your heart.”, she tells you and she squeezes your hand making you smile at her.

“Ladies! What do you say of a volleyball game tomorrow at the beach?”, Goose says as he arrives, wrapping an arm across Carole’s shoulder and bringing her close.

A bright smile appears on Carole’s face at Goose’s words, and she looks at you with a hopeful glance.

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”, you try to say but Goose and Carole scoff at your words.

“Nonsense! You are coming with Bradley and me, and we are going to enjoy our day at the beach looking at handsome men.”, she says before shooting you a wink. You can’t help but smile at Carole’s words, before Goose let’s out a dramatic gasp.

“You look at other men?”, he says loudly, and you can’t help but laugh at his antics, Carole rolling her eyes before bringing him into a loving kiss.

“Me? Never!”, she says, and Goose pretends to look at her doubtful before turning towards you and telling you what happened today.

The next day you had been ready to go to the beach before Carole called you to tell you that she would be arriving a bit later as Bradley had been a bit difficult that morning. You had tried to tell her you would wait on her or come pick her up, but she had quickly told you that you should already go and enjoy the sun.

You didn’t know why you felt nervous, there was a sense of dread that you just couldn’t place but you ignored it and told yourself that everything would be fine. The boys had welcomed you with open arms and you had been getting closer with Slider, maybe today would bring out something good.

There weren’t a lot of people at the beach when you arrived, families leaving to most likely find something for lunch and avoiding the hottest part of the day. You decide to go and buy some water when you realize you had forgotten it, but just as you get around the corner to buy it you hear some voices.

“And is your girlfriend coming today, Slider?”, you hear someone say teasingly, and judging by the voice it’s Wolf.

“She is not my girlfriend.”, Slider says, and you can already see him rolling his eyes.

“Common, she comes practically every day to see you and if she doesn’t, she comes at the club. I’m pretty sure you have a fangirl Kerner.”, the words make your stomach turn and you feel slightly sick at the words coming from Hollywood’s mouth.

“It isn’t my fault if she is obsessed with me, I mean could you blame her?”, Slider says cockily, and you feel disgusted at the words.

“What are you going to do then?”, a voice says, calmer than the others and you recognize Iceman’s voice.

“What do you mean?”, you can hear the confusion in Slider’s voice.

“The girl has clearly feelings for you, so are you going to do something about it?”, there is a silence after Ice’s question, and you feel your heart beating faster at the question.

“Listen, she is a sweet girl, but she is quite clingy. If she is already like this when we are not in a relationship, imagine what would happen if we got together. Plus, I prefer to be single and do anything I want, I haven’t gotten to see every option out there.”, Slider says, and you can hear the boasting, Hollywood and Wolf laughing at his words and agreeing with him.

“I understand you, wouldn’t want to get stuck with that type of girl, always clinging to you and never letting you breathe. She also seems a bit desperate.”, you don’t even know who says it, you just feel sick like you are going to throw up.

It feels like someone has punched you in the face, you aren’t able to breathe as the words turn around and around in your head.

‘Clingy, desperate.’

You don’t know how you manage to get to your car, but you do and try to calm down your ragged breathing but instead tears well up in your eyes.

Maybe you had been delusional, believing that Slider could be interested in you, believing that the pilots appreciated you. You feel stupid, Carole’s words coming back to bite you in the ass, and you try to stop the tears from falling down before starting your car and going home.

You can see your mother already preparing lunch, you knew that you had to find some stupid excuse as to why you weren’t at the beach. Taking a deep breath, you look at yourself in the small mirror of your car, there are tear streaks on your cheeks, but you quickly wipe them away and take a deep breath. You deserved better than this and you weren’t going to continue talking to people that thought that low of you or made fun of you behind your back.

There is a smell of fresh bread when you enter the house and you try to keep your head cool, knowing that your mother was going to ask some questions.

“Sweetheart? I thought you were at the beach what happened?”, you hear your mother say and as you arrive in the kitchen, seeing her there with a worried frown you can’t help but burst into tears.

In an instant you are in her arms, holding you tight as she whispers comforting words. You hold her tight, just like you did when you were little, after a nightmare.

“Am I clingy?”, you whisper after a moment, the tears have stopped, and you are just left feeling tired.

“You aren’t, you care about people. That is what makes you an incredible woman.”, she says before looking at you with eyes filled with honesty.

“Why?”, she asks after a moment and you shake your head, you couldn’t tell her what happened.

“I’m sorry I just – I can’t talk about it right now.”, you whisper, and she nods softly, a knowing smile on her lips.

“You know what always helps? Ice cream and Dirty Dancing.”, she says with a mischievous grin, and you can’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Isn’t it nearly lunch time?”, you ask her, and she scoffs, rolling her eyes.

“Rules are made to be broken! Now, let’s put on our pajamas, put on dirty dancing and eat some of that Ben & Jerry ice cream that your dad pretends to hide.”, she urges you upstairs and you can’t help but smile at her actions and quickly you find yourself side by side mouthing the words to the film and music while eating the whole tube of ice cream.

Your father comes from work a couple of hours later and looks at the both of you surprised, before his eyes narrow at the sight of the empty Ben & Jerry container on the table.

“Was that my ice cream?”, he asks, hands on his hips and you can’t help but laugh softly as your mother tries to look innocent.

“We needed a bit of girls time.”, she says, like it answers all of his questions, and your father rolls his eyes before a soft smile appear.

“What do you say of some pizza?”, the both of you yell in excitement and Viper laughs in answer before going to find the takeout brochure but your mother stops him.

“Why don’t we go to our little Italian restaurant, it has been a long time since we’ve been there.”, she looks at you with raised eyebrows, looking unsure but you nod in agreement.

“Let’s get dressed up fam!”, you say before getting up towards your bedroom, ignoring your father’s muttering under his breath.

Half an hour later you find yourself with your parents at the small Italian restaurant you have been going to since you were a little child. It was exactly what you needed, spending time with the both of them and forgetting about everything that happened. You couldn’t really forget it, deep down you knew it but at this moment you just enjoyed the time with them.

“Could you bring this to your father? He forgot it this morning.”, your mother says, his lunch in her hands. Although a week ago you would’ve jumped at the idea of going to bring your father his lunch, you now felt dread.

Carole had called you the next day, wondering where you had been, and you had just told her that there was something that came up. She had seemed unsure but had let it go before telling you about Maverick leaving to join their instructor, Charlie. She was now leaving to go back home, and you hoped that you would be able to stay in contact with her, without seeing the flyboys.

“Can’t you bring it to him?”, you ask, unsure at the question and your mother looks at you like you have grown a second head.

“I thought you liked to bring him his lunch, the past weeks you were jumping at every opportunity to bring him his lunch.”, you try to avoid her gaze and look at your pancakes, but you knew she wouldn’t let it go.

“Does this have to do with why you were crying last week?”, she says after a moment of silence, and you let out a sigh.

“Forget it mum, I’ll bring dad his lunch.”, you say quickly before finishing your pancakes and taking the lunch box, ignoring your mother’s worried gaze.

Top Gun hadn’t really changed much since the last time you came and after a pep talk in your car you tell yourself everything will be fine.

You seemed to be lucky as you arrived at your father’s office without meeting anyone.

“Thank you for bringing it to me.”, he says with a happy smile, and you smile fondly at him.

“You know I’m starting to think you are forgetting them just so I bring them.”, you say teasingly and your father smiles at the words.

“I wouldn’t dare to do that.”, he says but you know that he does it, if only to be able to see you when he has a long night of work.

“Well, I better get going, I’ll see you at home?”, you ask and your father nods in answer before turning back towards his papers.

The hallway is desert when you leave the office, and you think for a moment that you will get away without meeting anyone before someone calls your name and you mutter a few curses under your breath before turning around.

And there is Ron ‘Slider’ Kerner running towards you.

“Hi.”, he says slightly breathless, and you try to smile as you usually did but the smile is forced, even you know it.

“Slider, hi.”, you say, not knowing what to do as the RIO seems to be looking at you with worried eyes but you ignore it, knowing that you are just imagining it.

“How have you been? I haven’t seen you around this past week.”, he says, looking unsure and you look at the wall next to him before turning back towards him.

“I’ve been well, a lot of things to do. Plus, wouldn’t want to be clingy, right?”, you ask sarcastically but Slider looks at you in surprise, like you have stricken him.

“I- I”, he tries to say something, but you ignore it.

“Anyway, I need to go, good luck on your hop today.”, you tell him before turning back and walking back towards the parking, leaving the stuttering pilot behind.

You manage to nearly get to your car before a hand on your arm makes you turn around.

“Let me explain.”, he says, slightly breathless from running after you.

“I don’t think there is anything to explain, you find me clingy, and you want to explore your options. That is completely normal, it’s not like we are together.”, you tell him, and he staggers back a bit at your harsh words, but he seems to recover quickly much to your dismay.

“I was just frustrated after a long hop and drank a bit too much, but I shouldn’t have said that.”, he tries to say but you cut him off.

“Yet you said it without thinking them through, words have an effect, and you can’t take them back just as easily as you said them.”, you tell him, pushing your finger against his chest as you talk, and Slider closes his eyes.

“Please just give me a chance to explain myself and to show you that I didn’t meant them.”, he whispers, and you shake your head.

“I don’t think I want to ever see you again Slider, not after how this all made me feel and because I know that I deserve better then to be treated like this.”, you tell him, and Slider looks at you with pleading eyes before coming closer to you.

“Please.”, he whispers softly but you shake your head in response.

“It’s done, not like we were ever anything to begin with.”, you say sarcastically, trying to keep your emotions at bay but you could feel the tears coming up at his glassy eyes.

“Please, just let me make it up to you.”, he begs under his breath, and you shake your head.

“It has only been a week and it has been hell without you, I can’t concentrate, I’m thinking of you all the time, wondering when I’ll see you next. I know I fucked up, but I don’t want to know a life where you aren’t there, these past few weeks have shown me how much you mean to me.”, he tells you and you close your eyes, willing the tears to go away but you know they aren’t going to.

“Stop. Please.”, you tell him, and you open your eyes to turn towards your car, he doesn’t try to stop you this time and you miss his touch just as you close the car. The only thing you see is Slider’s glassy eyes and a heartbroken expression, but you ignore it and leave, tears streaming down your face.

There is a knock on the door, and you feel confused as you look at the clock, your mother was out with some friends and your father wasn’t home yet.

You get yourself ready to tell the person that you aren’t interested in buying whatever they are selling but as you open your eyes you come face to face with Slider.

He looks like he has gone through hell and back, his eyes bloodshot and his hair sticking out in different directions. His hand is trembling, and he is completely wet due to the rain pouring outside. You wonder what has happened to put him in such a state.

“Slider?”, you ask softly, and he burst into tears at your voice.

You immediately take him into your arms, and he sobs loudly, holding you tightly, not caring if the whole neighborhood could see you.

After an hour or so you manage to calm him down, but he is still holding you tightly to his chest.

“What happened?”, you whisper, and Slider holds you even tighter, his head on your shoulder as you brush your fingers through his hair.

“There was an accident, Goose died.”, he says, stuttering over the words and you feel like someone had thrown ice cold water in your face.

“What?”, you can’t help but say and Slider tells you the story while you hold him tight in your arms.

“It’s our fault he died.”, Slider whispers and you shake your head in disagreement.

“That’s not true, you couldn’t have done anything.”, you whisper, and Slider is silent for a moment before looking at you with bloodshot eyes.

“I’m sorry I know you never wanted to see me again, but I didn’t know where to go.”, he whispers shily, and you smile softly at his words.

“We’ll talk about that later. Let’s get you something to eat and a shower.”, you whisper before bringing him into the kitchen.

You had a lot of things to talk about but as you hold him close that night on the couch you can’t help but think that maybe things could be solved.

Drop everything now Meet me in the pouring rain Kiss me on the sidewalk Take away the pain 'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile

#top gun x reader #top gun imagine #top gun fanfiction #slider x reader #slider #ron kerner #ron slider kerner #top gun 1986 #tom iceman kazansky

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gummi-stims · 2 months

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Some silent stims from the collection of sensorycal on tiktok!

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kollector-of-stims · 4 months

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does your five below have these sliders yet? they are made of thin matte plastic and the magnet rattles lightly inside each piece. theres one magnet per slider half and 3 other designs i saw— a deck of playing cards, tarot cards and a donut :)

-autistictadpole

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Idk how long this ask was here but...I STILL have NOT seen these in five below or ANYWHERE...which is kind of a shame since these look heckin neat??

#submission #the rattle sounds nice!#this is a neat one...thank you for showing me your neat sliders!!#ask answered #not my stuff #fidget toys #stim toys #magnetic sliders

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cal-kestis · 10 months

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Hi, Nik! I hope you are doing well! If it's okay with you, I have a question about your Pedro birthday edit.How did you get pictures to overlay with the gifs? I'm familiar with gif overlay efect, but this is the first time I've seen an image and gif overlay. It looks so cool. Best wishes.

hi there! getting this effect is super easy! you're simply adding an image layer above your gif and its adjustment layers. since you're familiar with gif overlays, I'm going to assume you're asking how to create a cutout (aka erase the image's background) in order to make that image appear as though it's on top of the gif like this:

there are a few methods for creating an image cutout (click and zoom for a better view). more info below the cut:

in the tool bar, the lasso and selection tools are the 3rd and 4th, and they're nested (so you have to right click the tools to see the other options):

first, let me say: the image you choose will greatly determine how simple or annoying it is to cut the subject. if you find a high-quality image with a solid, high-contrast background, making a cutout will be a breeze. if the background is busy and the edges are fuzzy, it'll be a bit more challenging.

my personal fav tool in most cases is the Quick Selection tool because I find it's, well, quick. you just click a bunch of times until everything you want is outlined by the dotted line. and it works well for both images with solid backgrounds and busy backgrounds. but here's a short explanation of each tool:

Magic Wand: automatically detects a portion of your image using "machine learning" to approximate a selection (a bit too finicky for detailed images or ones with low contrast between the subject and background for me)

Object Selection: allows you to draw a rectangle or ellipse around the subject and automatically detects the selection (I've only used this once, but you can see in the image above, it did a pretty good job! that was just one click)

Quick Selection: my fav! you can adjust the brush size and continually click your subject until the dotted line is outlining it fully

Magnetic Lasso: haphazardly draw a line around your subject and this tool will smart-detect the edges and "snap" anchor points around your subject like a magnet. it's relatively accurate except around finer details like hair

Polygonal Lasso: the most manual and, therefore, my least favorite of the options (hence why I didn't finish it in the example above lol). you have to click all around the subject to connect the dots. not fun for subjects with lots of curves and crevices (at least not for me)

whatever option you choose, the most important part for perfecting the selection is the "Select and Mask..." tool in the upper toolbar:

this tool opens a new panel where you can refine the selection and see the effects in real time. I don't have any go-to numbers for this, it's all about tinkering with the sliders until you're happy with it. but I usually play with everything except Feather because I want sharp edges.

in the gif below, I used the Refine Hair tool (which refines the selection around the hair automatically), moved the sliders very minimally because my selection using Quick Selection was already pretty decent. then, I'm showing you the effects of Shift Edge. increasing it pushes the selection outward, creating a sort of buffer. this could be good if you want to go in later with a layer mask and manually erase some parts yourself. decreasing Shift Edge pulls the selection in tighter. I wouldn't recommend decreasing too much as this can cut off too much of your subject:

once you're happy, click OK and you'll come back to your normal screen with the dotted lines. simply use the Command+J shortcut to duplicate your selection — leaving you with the original image and a layer with only the cutout. from there, you can add a black and white background to check if you missed any bits, and then use a layer mask and black brush to erase them:

then, just like you would if you were overlaying a gif, add the image layer ABOVE your gif and adjustment layers, and color the image separately if needed. you can also choose to add the image above or below your text layers if you have any. in my case, the image is above the text:

sorry this isn't as organized as my usual tutorials, but I hope it answers your question and helps nonetheless! :)

#nik.help #resource*#photoshop help #gif tutorial #tutorial #ask #anonymous

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pollyna · 1 year

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It starts with "I don't like sex that much" and evolves, in the next two years and half, in "I'd like to have a child, would you like that?", in the same way that starts with "it's just for tonight Sli', don't get your hopes up" and evolves in "we're going to be dads!" the day Carole's first sonogram shows a little human who's growing in Carole's belly.

it goes all the way of Carole and Goose being twenty years old and in love to the point the elope the morning after Goose proposes. Mav is their only witness and the chapel they get married is so pretty Carole cries because it's absolutely perfect;

and it's not like Goose doesn't know Carole doesn't really like sex but loves kissing him and sometimes, when the mood strikes and she is giggling because her lips are puffy and a little red for all the kisses they exchanged, her hand finds her way under his pants and boxers and it's embarrassing how fast Goose cums the first time that happens. She may not like sex but Goose has always the face and the expression of a person who got laid for hours and everyone is every squadron Goose is, is envious because nobody has a wife who's better than Carole;

They talked about kids in the two years they were dating because they were already thinking about building a future so they talked almost about everything. "We could adopt" Goose has suggested to which Carole had answered "if we're going to have a kid I think I'd like to carry them. We're going to find the way Goosie, but now take my out to dance!" And the conversation pretty much died there. Until two years and half later and Carole gets down for breakfast and "it's time" to a still half asleep Goose. "Honey I get it, I really do, but we can't just throw him out!", "throw who out?", "Maverick! You said it time, but you should at least give the guy a warning!", to Carole laughing because "you silly Goose, I'm talking about having a baby, not throwing Mav out of here." The coffee stain on the floor is still visible, if one looks at the floor really carefully;

Slider is there before everything, before Carole's too and it's not like he's going to put himself in the middle or anything but when she invites him to a nice diner how can he say no? He misses spending time with Goose without all the deployment bullshit and the way Ice is a step away from snapping and biting (or kissing) Maverick. He chooses his best shirt, of a nice orange and Ice lends him his car. He pats him on the back and "see you in the morning" with the knowing look of who already knows it all, even when Slider is sure he knows nothing. But that's Iceman Kazansky for you, seven steps in front of everyone;

The dinner is chatty and Carole puts herself in the middle of the two of them when they change scenery to get a drink. "We need to ask you a favoure" Carole says, against his ear after ordering their drinks. Slider finds himself humming back because Carole is a magnetic presence and he would probably give her the moon, if they could spend enough time together for her to actually convince him to. "I need you to fuck Goose for a little while because he's a little out of practice and we want to have a baby". Now, rationally, Slider knows that's not what Carole said, word by word, but that's most of what his brain gets because Carole is sweet talking to him and Goose's fingers are playing with the hair his neck and the bastard knows that's his weak point. And so it's starts;

The first time they have the house just for them Goose says "it's just for tonight, don't get your hopes up" and Slider is a second away to leave because isn't it exactly what Goose said the first time they kissed, back in high school, when they were fourteen and scared shitless to be seen? But Slider stays, move towards Goose, cups his face and kisses him hello, goodbye and I missed you, all together. Goose kisses him back in the same way. Slider doesn't asks what's the deal between him and Carole and him being "out of pratice" because who gives a fuck when Goose's hands are under his shirt and the bed is soft under is back?;

It's not a one time thing, but Slider never stays after until he does and he wakes up with Carole cuddling between them, he face mushed against his neck and Goose arms around her and trying to touch him at the same time. It's the first time he stays over for breakfast and the first time Carole kisses him before going to work;

Ice asks if he should find somebody else, considering he's never around and Slider flips him the bird before nagging him to admit the house isn't as quiet or empty as he wants Slider to believe;

Then Carole throws her arms around Slider, a random night in a civil bar where nobodies knows she is married to Goose or who they are, and "Hey stud" and kisses him. She kisses him in the same way she kisses Goose and in which Goose kisses him. That night Slider discovers that sex has so many different forms and sometimes isn't as conventional as he thought it would be but plastered between Goose and Carole he doesn't really care;

They talk, the morning after and for most of the afternoon, about where they are going, what they want, about how they will fit and about so many other things they tire each other out to the point they falls asleep in a sort of cuddle pile and Ice and Mav find them on the couch, hour after, because they're late for they weekly dinner. Ice kisses Mav's cheek before closing the door behind him because "it's better if we let them sleep, but they will pay for the next one". Mav laughs because "next time we are going out for burgers and milkshake, the fancy shit doesn't really cut with me, even if it's only once a week."

It takes a while because after that it seems like life is trying to pull them in seven different direction all the same and they already almost sure it's going to take time because that's what all her friends tell to Carole and so they start trying, then they stop and start again and after six months is getting frustrating because it doesn't seem to work in anyway they try. Then they are going to separate deployment, half of Slider and Goose's stuff isn't ready yet, somebody passed Carole off that day and there's dinner to make, laundry to fold and they as ready to snap as ever will and it's probably when it happens or not. But the morning after they're still in bed, both Slider and Goose's back are stretch red and Carole is sporting two almost identical hitches on both side of her neck. Slider and Goose are shipped out and two months later Carole is calling them both, different hours and different carriers, to tell them she is pregnant. And then is Goose calling Slider to tell him "we're going to be dads" and Ice swears he never used so many tissues to calm Slider down. They all celebrate, in their own way, in different parts of the world. They don't know anything about this baby and they are already the more loved creature off the globe.

#polyamourous with an asexual partner #nick goose bradshaw #carole bradshaw #ron slider kerner #ace!carole #goosecarole #slooserole #past!sloose #icemav #i'm going around with this since this morning

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