#rooster Christmas fanfic

[rebelliousstories]

Cranberry

25 Days of Ficmas

Relationship: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x Reader

Fandom: Top Gun

Request: No

Warnings: Fluff, Mentions of Death, Light Angst

Word Count: 2,100

Masterlist: Here

Summary: A certain unusual flavor that has held a special spot in the Mitchell and Bradshaw family every Christmas.

Christmas 1985

“Alright! I’m here! I’m here! I’ve got the goods!” Pete’s loud voice rang out into the government issued housing known as, the Bradshaw abode. A two foot tall blur came barreling towards his knees, and it was only a split second decision that still kept them in tack. He grabbed the youngest Bradshaw and hoisted him hip on to his hip.

“Uncle Pete!” Bradley exclaimed, hugging his favorite uncle. The man hugged him close, never once letting go of the boy or the bags in his hand.

“Hey bud! Oh, I missed you.” His words were music to the woman’s ears as a certain blonde haired lady rounded the corner.

“Pete!” Carol exclaimed, piling on to the hug that was started without her. Maverick took one arm and wrapped it around her, while pressing a brotherly kiss to her cheek.

“Hey Carol.” Pete took a deep breath in, finally enjoying being able to relax a bit with his closest friends.

“Oh, so this is where everyone went.” One more set of arms piled on to the group hug and encompassed them all.

“Hi sweetie.” Pete teased at his taller friend.

“Hiya hun.” Nick threw back at him. The one great thing about their friendship, is that each one could give as good as they got. But they were there to enjoy time as a family. Slowly but surely, each layer peeled away to reveal the bags that were still in Pete’s hands.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Should’ve taken these first, Pete. Here let me get those.” Carol tried to reach for the bags, but Maverick went head and stepped towards the kitchen to set them down. As he did, he felt Bradley being pulled from his arms by Goose, allowing him to move freely.

“I got it, Carol. Just tell me where you want stuff.” He offered, watching the woman fight every bone in her body not to take over.

“I just… well, alright.” While Carol and Maverick were busy in the kitchen, Bradley and Goose were busy playing with each other in the living room. A huge tree sat in the corner, complete with lights, ornaments, garland and other pretty decorations. It provided endless hours of entertainment as Bradley was still so little. He was amazed by the lights and colors coming from the tree.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Pete and Carol were having a blast doing the last minute preparations for their big Christmas dinner. Turning the giant turkey in the oven and basting it, toasting up some Hawaiian rolls, making the side dishes, and most importantly making the cranberry sauce. It was the one thing that Carol always insisted on making from scratch herself. An old family recipe that had been passed down for generations. It had become a staple of any holiday meal, or even one made on special occasions.

The family sat down for their meal, and Carol set the cranberry sauce delicately down on their table. For the rest of the night, there was conversation, laughter and entertainment in general. The cranberry sauce was always the highlight of the meal. No one was allowed to know exactly what or how much of anything was put into the sauce, but none of them cared. No one cared what she put in the sauce, only that it was delicious and a staple of their table.

//

Christmas 2020

“Babe! I’m back from the store. I got everything you needed.” A feminine voice rang out, carrying bags into the home. Pete wiped his hands down on a rag before stepping out into the foyer to help her with them.

“Thank you for getting these, dear. It really helped.” Maverick grabbed majority of the bags and pressed a loving kiss to his partners lips, before moving to the kitchen to prepare the very last thing they had to make. An old, and worn recipe card laid on the counter amongst all the ingredients that they needed for this particular dish.

“You’re welcome, Mav. Do you need or want any help?” She wrapped her arms around his body and pressed another kiss in between his shoulder blades. Maverick pressed his hands to her arms, yet shook his head.

“No, I got this. You go ahead and get ready for company. I’ll take care of this.” And with that, Maverick stayed in the kitchen while his lover went off to go get ready. He tried to follow the recipe as closely as he could, but these were written in not quite so accurate measurements. Finally, he understood when she used to say, “southern measurements.” It confused him to no end. A pinch, a smidge, a helping; these did not make sense. How much were each of them? By the time he finished the batch, his lover appeared from their bedroom, looking refreshed and festive in her brilliant red sweater.

“Mav, you okay honey?” Her hands trailed up his arms while he was standing over the pot on the stove.

“Will you taste this?” Pete gave the spoon with a small helping of the sauce to her lips. When she tasted it though, her face scrunched up in displeasure.

“How is it both too sweet and too salty?” She questioned, staring at the offensive cranberry sauce.

“I don’t know. I can’t understand these measurements so it didn’t turn out like I had hoped.” Maverick admitted, thrusting the card in front of her eyes. They scanned over the card and turned to her partner with a certain mischievous grin.

“Would you like me to help?” She teased, already getting to work on restarting their work station.

“If you think you can do better, be my guest.” He waved his arm to the mess he had made. She worked to first clean and dispose of the cranberries that had been used already, before setting up to try again.

As she read the recipe card, and followed the corresponding instructions, Pete was suddenly thrust back to all those years ago. Every Christmas and Thanksgiving where he watched Carol move around the kitchen to make this simple dish. He had a hard time shaking the memories of Carol and her loud, obnoxious singing that would inevitably bring him and Goose into. The way she would dance with Nick in the kitchen as she finished up their meals, or after them.

His mind blended them together, unable to discern one from the next. It brought him a sense of comfort that he had not felt since her untimely death. She seemed to understand the writings on the small piece of paper, as her movements never slowed preparing the dish. Turning off the stove, she set the pot off to the side to cool and grabbed a new spoon to scoop out a bit of the sauce to try. She blew on it to cool it down even faster and after several attempts to eat it, it was finally the perfect temperature for her to sample. Letting out a pleased hum, she grabbed another spoon and gave it to Maverick. He, too, stuck it in the cooling pot, and blew on it a few times before bringing it to his lips to enjoy. But he could not enjoy it. All that he could do was keep tears at bay. Noticing her lover bent over the counter with the heels of his palms in his eyes, she set her spoon down and wrapped her arms around the pilot.

“Mav, what’s wrong?” She asked, and he heard, but he could not bring any words to his lips.

“Pete?” She pried once more, and got an embrace in return. The man had turned around and brought her into his arms, while placing his head into the crook of her neck. There was no noise from the man, but there was a wet spot slowly forming on her sweater from where his head laid. She did not try to get him to talk anymore, just stroked a hand through his hair and over his back as he worked through whatever he was feeling at the moment. His tears slowed, as did the shake in his shoulders, to a point where he felt comfortable enough to pull his head from her neck. Pete wiped his hands across his face, trying desperately to remove the evidence of tears, however her hands caught the few stragglers that were still falling.

“I’m sorry. That just… that tastes exactly like how Carol made it every year. And your mannerisms are so similar in the kitchen. I’m sorry.” Tears welled up in Maverick’s eyes, but none dared fall. That was until she returned her hands to his face to cup it so gingerly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Mav. It’s okay to miss her. It’s okay to still hurt when you think about her.” She assured him, stroking gently over his cheeks. Pete grabbed her hands in his, and turned to place a soft kiss to each palm, before taking the hands from his face and holding her close.

“Thank you.” He whispered, leaning in to steal a kiss straight from the source. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, and enjoyed the feeling of closeness with her lover before they both were drawn away by the sound of a door opening. Turning in his arms, the couple watched a young mustachioed pilot walk through the door, taking off his boots, and removing his sunglasses.

“Mav?” He called out. The couple turned back to each other, and disengaged to go greet the man. Bradley stood in a Christmas patterned Hawaiian shirt, which Maverick was shocked he could even find but he guessed anything was possible with the internet now. Once the couple came into view, the woman ran up and greeted him.

“Bradley! So good to have you here.” She hugged him close, and he allowed himself the small bit of affection.

“Good to be here, Mrs. M.” He responded, only drawing back when she did.

“Bradley.” Pete now greeted, with a handshake, but that quite got drawn into a hug as well.

“Uncle Pete.” Both men knew what he said, but neither dwelled on it for too long. They pulled away as well, and went to the table. Both men grabbed plates of food, and set them down on the table. However, Bradley was stunned to notice the homemade cranberry sauce on the table. It looked so similar to-

“Alright, boys. Dig in.” Everyone went to work plating and serving themselves the bountiful feast before them. The couple placed a little bit of cranberry sauce on their plates, but when Pete passed the dish to Bradley, he refused.

“Sorry. I don’t like cranberry sauce.” He dismissed the plate that was still in the older pilot’s grip.

“Just try it, Bradley. Trust me.” Thy stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, before the younger pilot took the dish from Maverick, and dished some onto his plate. The couple watched Rooster as he tore off a chunk of bread and reluctantly ate the cranberry sauce on his plate; wanting to get it out of the way to hopefully wash down the store bought taste with the rest of his food. But this did not taste store bought. This tasted homemade. This tasted exactly like the cranberry sauce he ate growing up when his mom was still alive.

He could not believe what was in front of him now. In disbelief, he stared at Pete, who simply nodded his head with a wide grin plastered on his face. Turning, Pete’s lover was staring nervously at the man, hoping she did it justice.

“Did you make this?” Rooster whispered, fearing if he raised his voice even a little bit, that he would break whatever spell this one little dish had over him.

“Mav found an old recipe card that your mom had when she would make this. He tried to make it but he can’t read southern measurements like a woman can.” She joked, jabbing her eyes towards said man teasingly. Bradley vaguely heard a, “they’re so confusing,” and “not real measurements,” from the man, but his ears were rushing, drowning out all sound. Eventually, he took another bite, and another, and another, till there was no more sauce on his plate. It tasted like home. A home he had lost and never found his way back to yet.

“Thank you.” Bradley looked the woman in the eyes, hoping that his sincerity came across as much as he felt it. She rubbed his shoulder from here she sat, and everyone turned back to their meal.

[callsigndragon]

The Christmas Date | Chapter 4: Santa Tell Me

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Fem!Kerner!Reader

(Ron Kerner is Slider, Iceman’s backseater)

Wordcount: 2.8k

Summary: Y/n “Athena” Kerner and Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw hate each other. Everybody knows. What happens when they have to fake date for a whole week to avoid Iceman and Slider’s matchmaking plans?

(there won't be smut in this series)

Warnings: OKAY SO. If there is any transphobic person reading this, i’m sorry but it’s time to LEAVE. Iceman’s grandSON is trans, Rooster/Thena being supportive godparents, Rooster’s ex-gf still being a bitch, body dismorphia, mentions of alcohol, CAR ACCIDENT (everyone's okay don't worry), driving under the influence, mentions of death, mentions of Carole's death... you know the deal.

A/N: Yeah, I know. I should be taking some time to rest. I got bad news today, my heart is getting worse again and I have to go through surgery BUT writing is my coping mechanism so expect more works soon.

Tag list:@ducks118 @milestellerwife @craftymoonchaos @littlebadariell @xoxabs88xox @alexxavicry @tayrae515 @shrimping-for-all @mak-32 @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @harper1666 @purplevortexx @abaker74 @ssprayberrythings @melllinaa @loveless-simp @k-k0129

(If you want to be tagged comment or sent an ask <3)

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The room is amazing. If you hadn’t seen it before, you could never tell that it had been filled to the core with princess things. You can’t wait to see your nephew and Rebecca, talk to both, and learn more about this new part of your lives that has just begun. 

“You went all extra with the Christmas tree.” says Nick looking at the 7 ft tree that Rooster bought. 

“Christmas this year is special. Let’s make it a one to remember” Bradley admits, looking at you. “Can I talk to you?” 

“Oh, am, sure!” 

You two move to the kitchen, Rooster seems to be a bit agitated. “What’s wrong?” 

“I don’t think we should lie to Jes- well, to him” 

You sigh, knowing that he’s right. How can you lie to that poor kid? You clearly haven’t thought about all the aspects of this ruse. 

“Rooster, I know what you mean but… If we tell him, everyone will know. And my father will bring that girl over for you to meet her” 

“Yeah, I know. I don’t think we have a choice” 

Then, as if that little kid knew you were talking about him, you hear a car park “That’s not Iceman’s car” you adduce, going to open the front door. They shouldn’t be here yet.  

Parked in front of the garage is Rebecca’s car. She is opening the door to your five-year-old nephew. Rebecca has a worried expression, and the kid climbs out of the vehicle, a black beanie on his head, and pulls the hoodie up to hide his face from the world. 

Rooster, who is beside you, gets closer to the kid, opening his arms to give the younger one a hug. “Hey, buddy! Long time no see” 

However, the kid enters the house, ignoring both of you, and runs upstairs. 

“He’s been like this all the way back home. I’m sorry, guys. He was excited about his new name but well… He wants it all and he wants it now. I'm happy to see you” Rebecca says, giving each a quick hug. 

“Is he okay?” 

“He’s been begging me to cut off his hair” Rebecca confesses, making the two of you nod. “I told him to wait to get home, so we could look up for some haircuts and see which one he likes best but…” 

“He’s still a five-year-old, Becca. It’s not gonna be easy” you tell her. 

Nick joins you outside to hug his sister. “Your son has gone straight to the bathroom. He didn’t even say hi” 

You look at Rooster before running all the way to the bathroom with him behind you. Everyone knows that Sarah’s special scissors for cutting Iceman’s hair are in the second drawer. And he knows too. You try to open the door, but it is closed. “Hey buddy, it’s Uncle Roos. Can you open for me?” 

“No!” yells a muffled, hurt voice from the other side of the door. 

“Y/n, he can hurt himself” Rooster mutters, as if you haven’t thought about it. 

“I know, shut up” you knock on the door softly. “Hey bud, can you tell me your name? Mom says you got a new one.”

There’s a silence that prolongs itself for a few seconds. You hold your breath trying to hear what is happening on the other side of the door but all you can hear is the quick, pounding sound of your own heart. 

“...Jesse” 

“Jesse, huh? That’s such a cool name” you sit on the floor, legs crossed, waiting for this to be a long conversation. 

“Thank you. I chose it myself” 

“You did? Woah, Jesse. That’s amazing. Much cooler than mine” 

“I’m not going to open the door” Jesse’s voice is calmer now, but still full of sadness. It breaks your heart. 

“It’s okay, pal. I just wanna talk. It’s been so long since we saw each other, I think you are a lot different now” 

“I’m different. But mom doesn’t want me to be different” 

You look at Becca over your shoulder. She’s biting her nails off. You need Jesse to open the door. And fast.

“You sure? 'Cause your mom called us this morning and told us to change your room. She wants you to be yourself, sweetheart.” 

“It’s that true?” you can hear him pout and it’s so painful to see him like that. 

“We got rid of all the princesses and now your room has a lot of Paw Patrol things. And we even found Marshall’s fire truck!” 

“Mom, did you do that?” the door is still closed, but he seems to be closer to it now. It's working. 

“Uncle Roos and Aunt Thena helped me, but yes. I told them to do it” 

“Hey, Jesse” Rooster speaks for the first time in a while. “I know what it is to hate what you see in the mirror. If you open this door, Aunt Thena and I will take you to the hairdresser, so they can get you a good haircut” 

“Promise?” Jesse asks, opening the door for you to see him. 

“I promise, buddy” 

Jesse hugs you and Rooster and then goes to his mom. “I’m sorry, mom… I just wanted to be like the rest” 

“I know, baby, I know. But you have to understand that you can’t get everything at the moment. Mom’s not a hairdresser. How was I supposed to cut your hair?” 

“I’m sorry… Can I see my room?” 

You all laugh at the sudden change in his tone. From being sorrowful to excited. Jesse can be a lot different now, but he’s still a kid, and he will do what a five-year-old does. Be loud, happy, get angry when he doesn’t get what he wants… Normal things for a kid. 

“Let’s go see it!” 

Nick, Rebecca, and Jesse go to see the room, and you stay sitting on the floor with Roos. It’s been a tiring day. And it’s not even noon. 

“I’ll go get the car ready” you say, getting up from the floor and leaving Rooster alone. 

I know what it is to hate what you see in the mirror

His words echo in your head, and several questions on the tip of your tongue are trying to make you turn around and find out the meaning behind his words. 

You have to remind yourself for a second that you hate him, that he took everything away from you, and that if he has a problem, he has a lot of people he can talk to. He doesn’t need you.

Rooster and Jesse stay at the beauty saloon, and you decide to go to a tactical gear shop nearby, hoping to find the perfect Christmas gift for your nephew. You, luckily, haven’t bought anything yet. And you hope to find a leather flight jacket for Jesse and maybe even get him his own name tag. You thought ‘Marshall’ would be cute as a call sign. 

You’re going out of the shop, gift secured in your bag, when your phone begins to ring. You pull it out of your jacket, smiling at the name appearing on the screen. 

“Natasha Trace, I love when you call me” 

“Are you dating Rooster and you didn’t tell me?! I’M YOUR BEST FRIEND” she yells angrily in your ear. You move the phone away from your ear, but even like that you can hear her. 

“Hello to you too, Nat” you roll your eyes. 

“Don’t roll your eyes, you little bitch” she says, as if she could see you. 

"We're not dating" 

"What? Hold on, let me FaceTime you" 

She hangs up and calls you again, this time you can see her face frown in a confused expression. "Spill" 

"Iceman and my dad were playing matchmakers, and we didn’t want random people at our table on Christmas Eve so… we lied,” you confess, sitting on a bench outside the beauty saloon. Rooster and Jesse are still waiting. 

“And here I thought you were finally getting laid” 

“Natasha!” you whine, covering your face with your free hand. 

“What? Facts only” 

“Oh wait, you know who we met this morning?” you say, trying to change the subject.  “Mandy” 

“Mandy as in Mandy the whore?” she questions. 

“That one. She was with Solo. They’re dating” you reveal to your friend. Her eyes are widening more by the second. 

“WHAT?! Oh my God do you think that’s why-” 

“Y/N? We see each other again!” 

You raise your head from the phone and see Mandy in the flesh. Gosh, you hate that stupid face she has. 

“Mandy! Nat, wait a second, don’t hang up” you say while getting up “Two times in the same day, what a coincidence!” 

She gives you the fakest smile ever, one that seems to be the result of years of practicing. “Yeah, it is a coincidence. Hey, Solo said that the four of us should go out one day, talk about the old times and all” 

“Oh, I’d love to, but we have only this week to be with the family, and then we have to go back to the base for months and-” 

“What about tomorrow?” she interrupts you, not being interested in anything you have to say. “There’s this pub in the center-” 

“O’Malley’s, yeah. I know where it is. Owner’s a friend” 

“See you tomorrow at 6, okay?” she insists, and you don’t have any other choice than accepting. 

Jesse comes running out of the establishment and grabs your hand. “C’mon auntie, it's my turn!”

“Oh, what a beautiful baby girl! What’s your name, princess?”  Mandy says, kneeling down to Jesse’s height. 

“I’m not a girl, you old bat” he says, pushing her and running away. You see how Mandy falls and slap your hand against your mouth to not laugh. From any other person, it would seem like you're embarrassed by your nephew’s actions. Those who know you well enough, however… They know you're enjoying every second of this. 

“I’m sorry, Mandy. My nephew Jesse is a bit… hot-headed. I’m gonna go with him and give him an earful. We’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Bye!” you move from her quickly, almost running, and when you’re far away, Natasha laughs hysterically. 

“Jesus, I love your niece” she says. 

“Nephew. It’s Jesse now. I’ll tell you later, okay? Gotta go” 

“Take care, Thena” 

You hang up and go with the two boys. “Jesse, what you did…” 

“Auntie, I know it’s wrong. I just don’t like her” 

“What did you do, young man?” Rooster says, walking with him to one of the chairs. 

“This old woman who was talking to Aunt Thena called me a ‘girl’. So I pushed her” 

“Jess-” 

“It was Mandy” you clarify. 

Rooster looks at you, then at Jesse, and then at you again. He opens his hand and high-fives the five-year-old. “Don’t tell your Mom” 

“What are you going to wear for the party?” Sarah asks you during dinner, hours later, with a happy short-haired Jesse sitting beside you. 

“What party?” you look at Rooster, but he shrugs, not having any idea what she is talking about. 

“The Christmas Party! Didn’t your father tell you about it?” 

You look at your father, who is very interested in the food on his plate. "He didn't tell me anything, as usual." 

"Well, the town is holding a Christmas party on the 25th. A formal party. You have to wear a dress." She points at you with her fork. "You're not wearing your uniform, only a dress. Is that clear?" 

"Yes ma'am. And what about Bradley?" 

"I'll wear a suit, obviously. Have to match with you," he smiles and then leans to whisper something in your ear. "Please, don't choose the dress yourself. You have horrible fashion sense," 

"Says the one that is always wearing Hawaiian shirts" 

"They're cool" Bradley defends himself. 

"No, they're not" you laugh, and he kicks your leg under the table. "Ouch!" 

"Sarah, darling, we need to do the Secret Santa sorting" Tom remembers his wife, helping her clean the table. 

"Oh I have it all prepared!" She goes to the living room and comes back with a red Santa Claus hat. "All the names are in here, just pull one. Y/n, dear, you first!" 

You smile at her, grabbing a paper from inside the bag and reading it. 'Rooster'. 

Is this a joke or what?

You're getting ready to sleep, Rooster refusing for the second night in a row to sleep in the same bed with you, when you remember that you're supposed to meet Mandy tomorrow. 

"Bradley" 

"No, I'm not sleeping on the bed. If you want to be that close to me, you're gonna need to beg a little more" he says. 

"You wish. Anyway, Mandy said to meet tomorrow. She wasn't accepting a no for an answer." 

He sits and looks at you. "Are you kidding me?" 

“I don’t like the idea either, you know.” you let out. 

“Is Solo coming too?” you nod, and he sighs. “You know how to say ‘no’ or do I have to teach you? It’s not that hard, look: ‘something has come up, and I can’t’, ‘We already have plans’. Oh, and this is the simplest one: ‘No.’” 

“I know how to say no, Bradshaw” 

He laughs dryly. “If you knew how, I wouldn't have to be in the same room with my ex and her new boyfriend. Again” 

He turns off the lights and lies down. He tosses around, trying to find the most comfortable position to sleep on the hard floor. 

“I’m sorry” you whisper. But you know he can hear you. 

“Don’t worry, Thena. Go to sleep” 

A few minutes pass, and you can’t sleep. There’s something you need to find out. Something that you can’t stop thinking about, and you know that it will keep you up all night. 

“Rooster” 

“Jesus, Thena, go to sleep” he complains, but after a few seconds, he gives in with a sigh of defeat. “What?” 

“What you said to Jesse… about hating what you see in the mirror… Is that how you feel?” 

“Like you care” 

“I don’t. I’m just curious. You’re usually proud of that stupid face of yours. So… it doesn’t make sense” 

He sits on the floor, his back against the bed, and his head pressed against the mattress. “It’s the scars” 

“Really?” you move closer to him, your hand a few inches away from his hair. 

“Yeah… It’s a constant reminder of how I almost killed us” he admits, his sorrowful voice almost a whisper. 

Your hand moves automatically to your belly, your fingers finding the scarred skin. You had your own scars, too. And you wish you could tell him that it wasn’t his fault but… it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve tried. He still blames himself. 

“If it makes you feel better, lots of girls at base are obsessed with those scars. And even some boys.” 

“Why are you trying to make me feel better?” he questions, and you also want to know why. 

“Because I don’t want to see you broody all day. That wouldn’t make me look like a good girlfriend” you scoff. 

“Aw, it’s little Y/n worried about me?” he mocks, lying down again. 

“Good night, Bradshaw” you say,  pulling the blankets over your head. 

You dream about the accident. You dream about a young Rooster parking at the front of your house, ringing your doorbell repeatedly and yelling for you to open the door. It’s been years but it feels like yesterday. 

Bradley’s coping mechanism when Carole died was alcohol. That same night, he got really drunk and drove to your house. It was late. When you opened the door, the emptiness in his eyes was the only explanation you needed. She was gone. And Bradley didn’t know how to live in a world without her. 

You managed to get Rooster into his car, snatching the keys away from him and driving him to his home. You knew Maverick would be very worried about him. 

But, you never made it to Rooster’s house. A truck driver fell asleep and swatched lanes, forcing you to swerve. The car crashed against a tree. You don’t remember a thing, just waking up with a big stomach wound and a body full of scratches. 

Rooster took the worst part. People thought he wouldn’t make it, that he didn’t want to make it. He was giving up. 

He opened his eyes again three days after the accident. 

It wasn’t your fault. Or his. Well, he shouldn’t have driven to your house under the influence. He knows that and you, too. But nobody could have expected the truck. And he wasn’t driving when you crashed. You were driving. If someone was to take fault here, it should be you. 

But it didn’t matter how much you tried to make Rooster understand that he wasn’t the one to blame. He never listened. And you know he never will.

[hangmansvandalizinggoose]

Merry Christmas Darling

Rooster x Y/N - Story below the Gif

Summary: Rooster is missing you at Christmas. Some Angst/Fluffy Ending

Warning: While this is Y/N  it is implied y/n comes from somewhere where it snows on Christmas and is from a larger family. (sorry)

Music Inspired

Title comes from Merry Christmas Darling - The Carpenters 

Other songs mentioned: I’ll be Home for Christmas, All I Want for Christmas is You and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

“Merry Christmas, darling We're apart, that's true But I can dream and in my dreams I'm Christmasing with you”

‘We always get together at the ranch, Christmas Day is bigger for us presents in the morning then church  and a big turkey  dinner.”  Hangman stated,a wistful expression on his face, “What about you, yote?”

Coyote grinned “ Christmas Eve for us. Christmas Eve all the levees are lit up and then there’s bonfires and gumbo. And sometimes we have 13 desserts after midnight and before sunrise. You walk around the next day so full you might burst.” He chuckled. “Bob?”

Rooster found himself not listening to his teammates. He was in a sour mood. They’d been given a last minute deployment that was due to last well into January. He knew every one was in the same boat. Literally. They’d all be away from their loved ones at Christmas.  They were trying to lighten the mood by listening to Christmas music, I'll Be Home For Christmas was currently playing and talking about their holiday traditions.  

He’d been lucky enough to decorate the tree with you and your oldest son Nick before having to leave. You’d  agreed to a fake tree this year as a real one wouldn’t make it through till Christmas. He’d pulled his one he had when you two met, he hadn’t really cared to celebrate  Christmas after his mom's death and the fall out with Mav. You’d  sworn it was nearly a deal breaker, a fake tree, you were horrified. You loved everything about Christmas and would have him a Christmas convert by the end of your first Christmas together. That was 7 years ago, you two were married, 14  Dec - he’d missed your anniversary too, had a house and three kids. He day dreamed back to the first week in December trimming the tree. 

The twins, Pete and Tom, drooled as they stared mesmerized by the lights, baubles and tinsel. His current Home Screen on his phone was Mav and Penny holding the 14 month year olds on the decorating day. You had the house all decorated, though you gave him a heart attack when he came home and you were on the ladder putting up the outdoor lights. He hated being away from his family so much it made his stomach hurt. You’d made last minute plans to take the kids to your family’s house this Christmas so he took solace in the fact that you wouldn’t be alone. 

“ Earth to Rooster, what about you?” Phoenix asked, kicking his boot hard. Hangman was looking at him funny, candy cane dangling from his lips in place of his normal toothpick. 

“Y/n is taking the kids to the in-laws this Christmas.” he began. He had been to your family's house for several Christmases. If he closed his eyes, he could almost picture the house, when he concentrated a little harder, he  could hear the chaos and smell everything cooking. Y/n was one of 5, and they all descended on their parents home at Christmas.  There’d be cousins galore ranging from 3 to 18, aunts and uncles as well , to be honest when he first came on Christmas, the house reminded him of the opening scene in Home Alone, when Harry is dressed as a police officer and the McAllister house is in total chaos. 

“They were super excited about taking Nick to experience the first white Christmas he’ll remember.” Rooster was disappointed he’d miss the excitement on the 5 year olds  face when he saw the white stuff falling from the sky. Nick had been to Y/ns parents house  when he was younger, but this time he’d actually understand what was happening. 

“ On Christmas Eve they go to the children’s mass, and then they have a big dinner, which could be anything from Chinese food or  pizzas or roast beef. It's really weird. I’m going to call them and read to the boys but if something goes wrong, y/n has me reading The Night Before Christmas as a video for them. Then in the morning they light the fire and open up the presents. Then to y/n's aunt's house for a honey baked ham dinner with fresh pineapple.” He answered, the strain in his voice made his longing clear. He  could see you getting ready for church ,  and smell your perfume. He was picturing you playing with the boys holding them on your hip as you pointed out special decorations around your family home.  “What about you Fanboy?” He asked to distract himself 

Before Mikey could start, there was a knock on the common area door. 

“ I’m afraid we’re unable to provide Christmas dinner at least for another couple of hours.” One of the canteen staff called from the opening and the pilots grumbled. They didn’t have time to wait around for dinner, they had only a few hours before they were expected to be back in the air. 

“Come on, let’s see if we can find anywhere in this city that does anything that might pass.” Hangman called, getting to his feet, the others nearly leapt up at the suggestion, had Rooster not been wrapped up in his own head, he might have noticed.

“No man, I think I’m gonna try and call, I can always just get a sandwich.” He tried to deny his wingman.

“Come on Ebenezer.” Phoenix teased. It was clear he wouldn’t be left behind on Christmas.

Reluctantly, Rooster followed aviators off the ship and into the town. They struck out at the first three restaurants they went to. Rooster waited  outside the fourth. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the piano version of all I want for Christmas is you,  he nearly cried. It was  the song he had played in July on the piano at the hard deck, when you were furious at him and threatening to break things off. It was the song you had surprised him with when you  walked down the aisle to it. It was enough to break him. 

He was ready to get out his phone and call you when the aviators returned again, unsuccessful.  His stomach growled loudly and he,  just like all of his coworkers,  was starving.

“ Should we just go back to the ship? Maybe something, anything can be made now?” He asked.

Phoenix and Payback shared a glance. “Let’s try one more place. I think I’ve heard of this place. It’s like a pop up. It’s supposed to be amazing, really exclusive.” Payback pleaded.

“I’ll get you back in time to call your girl and your boys don’t worry.” Hangman promised clapping him on the shoulder.

Pay back lead the way off the beaten path to a … house. This couldn’t be the Place. The shades were pulled but he could see the Christmas lights in the windows and wrapping up the banisters on the stairs leading to the front door. A rather sad looking wreath hung  on the front door.

“ This place looks creepy as shit,” Bradley declared, worried about what they might find if they approached, let alone ate in it. 

“None of us have had any luck, so far Roose, why don't you knock on the door and see if they can take us that stash of yours might persuade them.” Phoenix responded. 

“You just want me to get killed first.” He asserted jokingly, though he didn’t  move.

“Go on you big chicken.”  Hangman demanded giving him a shove. 

Cautiously, Rooster moved up the stairs to the door. He could hear voices inside, so he couldn’t make out what they were saying. The rest of the aviators followed him up the steps. Rooster reached out and knocked the heavy brass door knocker on the door.

The door swung open and bathed them in warm light. When Rooster’s eyes adjusted, he could barely believe them standing before him was Mav, holding Pete, Penny holding Tom and Amelia holding Nick.

You peeled your head around from the door you’d just opened “ MerryChristmas Darling.” You whispered in that voice of yours.

“What the fu..”: he began till you cut him off with a kiss. 

When we found out you’re being deployed here I put the plan into motion, Mav pulled some strings and we  will be here till just after New Year’s. 

“What about the white Christmas?” He asked still dumb founded 

“I think he’d  rather see his dad at Christmas” you replied with a laugh.

Later on as things settled, and everyone had  eaten  their honeybaked ham and turkey,and gumbo, Bob switched the radio in the living room on to a local station as the Daggers and his Family laughed and played together.  On the radio Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas began to play and   Rooster sat back and looked  at the scene. His wife who had moved to heaven and earth to be with him, his godfather and his wife, who sacrificed their Christmas to make his special, his friends who tricked him, but for good reason.  He didn’t even notice Mav sinking into the couch next to him.  

“You OK kid? ” Mav asked 

“You remember that Christmas after dad died?” Rooster asked quietly

Mav nodded softly, not knowing where this was going

“You told me everything will be OK. You were right. I’m the luckiest man alive.”

[auroracalisto]

ugly christmas sweaters

platonic!top gun crew x gn!reader, 337 words tw: christmas a/n: i love ugly christmas sweaters. don't at me on this.

"Merry Christmas!"

Your voice was loud and jovial as you welcomed in your party guests, smiling all the while. You wore the ugliest Christmas sweater you could find, fit with a light-up necklace with Christmas bulbs and bright red socks to match.

Hangman grumbled something under his breath, wondering why he agreed to even come. He had been forced into a striped sweater, courtesy of your incessant begging. Drunk Santa was stitched into the front, pulling a giggle from you. He held a small gift bag in his right hand, his left hand balled into a fist.

Bob came in after, followed by Phoenix. The two chose to wear similar sweaters—the only difference was that Bob's was bright green and Phoenix's was bright red. A reindeer with a big red, glowing nose glared at anyone who would look. Both of them held a wrapped gift—Bob's was wrapped neatly while Phoenix's was wrapped haphazardly.

Rooster came in right after, a bright grin on his face. He seemed far more excited than the rest of them. He wore a bright green sweater, with a gingerbread man at the bottom. In bold lettering read, 'Not the gumdrop buttons!' He held the biggest gift.

The others would come later, still caught up at the base. Maverick was already there, his arms crossed over his chest. He was in the same boat as Hangman—how he ended up here, he would never know. His sweater, however, was the worst one. It was bright red—so bright to the point it almost hurt to look at. Reflective material sat right in the middle—a mirror. Whoever looked into it would see themselves.

"You all look amazing," you said, excitement settling deep within your bones. "Food's in the kitchen! Booze is in the fridge. And Secret Santa gifts go over by the tree," you said. "Payback brought his earlier, so just put it somewhere near his."

Maverick looked from sweater to sweater, sighing.

This was going to be a long, itchy night.

[khaylin27]

Blurb: Merry Christmas from the Tellers.

Blurb of DODGERS VS PHILLIES BABY!!!

Warnings: mentions of sex but overall fluff

"Merry Christmas, Sugar!" Miles kisses you to wake you up.

"Merry Christmas babe. Now let's go back to sleep." you grumble in your pillow.

"Come on Sugar. I have a special gift for you." He looks at you.

"If your special present is having sex again, then I don't want it. We stayed all night doing that and I'm a bit sore." You look up at Miles and see him laughing.

" No Sugar that's for later. You're going to like the gift I got you."

You guys get off your bed and head to the living room where the Christmas tree is. This year for Christmas, you guys decided to spend Christmas morning together in your new house and then have your family come over for dinner. Miles's family couldn't come this year because you guys were living in LA but you'll be spending New Years there.

"Here's your present, Sugar." Miles hands you the present while you were sitting on the couch. " I think you'll like it."

" It better not be Phillies," You laugh as you open your present. " Oh my goodness babe!"

"Told you. You would like it." He smirks at you.

The present Miles got you was a custom Dodger jersey that had "Mrs Teller" on the back. You already had a custom Dodger jersey but it had your maiden name. This present was perfect.

" I love it babe! Thank you." You give him a kiss as a way of saying thank you. "This goes perfectly with the present I got you."

You go to the Christmas tree to find Miles's present, "Here you go Hot Stuff." you give him the present.

The gift you got him was a custom Phillies jersey that said Mr. Teller. "Sugar!!! We can be matched at the Games now! Thank you Sugar." He gives you a big fat kiss as a thank you.

Here are the custom jerseys

Here's to be added to the taglist

Taglist: (crossed out means I couldn't tag you) @eternalsams @angiem219 @mizzysx @xlynnx07 @withakindheartx @lethalbeautiful @atarmychick007 @shanimallina87 @adoringsebstan @mak-32 @nograce-nomercy @brittancqs

[diecast-aircraft]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Top Gun (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Original Male Character(s), Ron "Slider" Kerner, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell Additional Tags: Christmas, Airplanes, Air travel, Airports, Panic Attacks, Prescription Drugs, evan Bradshaws wretched Christmas road trip, A little bit of hurt/comfort I guess?, Alternate Universe - Twins, I'm Bad At Tagging, Military Inaccuracies, Movie: Top Gun Maverick (2022), Post-Movie: Top Gun Maverick, Rated teen for language, no beta we die like goose Series: Part 2 of Double Trouble Summary:

It’s the first Christmas since the Bradshaw-Mitchell reconciliation. Consequently, it’s also the first Christmas in a long while that Evan is devastated to have not been able to get leave for.

Don’t let anyone tell you the Bradshaws aren’t stubborn though, and Evan won’t give up without a fight. He’s going to spend this Christmas with his family no matter what, even if it means facing his worst fears to do it.

[novastories]

Hopefully getting out the next chapter this week!

While the vibes are high this time of month, don’t forget to read the Christmas chapter to get in the Christmas spirit! 🎄

[marie-swriting]

Need More Fanfics ? Part.2

Marvel

Killer (Kate Bishop x reader) by @upat4amwiththemoon

Vigilante Shit | Part two (Kate Bishop x BlackHill!reader) by @upat4amwiththemoon

Clint's Stray (Kate Bishop x reader) by @maximoffsmuse

Never Let Go (Kate Bishop x reader) by @lightupthemoon

Frost Covered Window (Kate Bishop x reader) by @mayfieldss

The Scrapbook of You and I (Kate Bishop x reader) by deactivated account

Unpacking (Carol Danvers x reader) by @yelenasdiary

Care Bear (Carol Danvers x reader) by @captains-simp

Home For Christmas (Bucky Barnes x reader) by @onceuponastory

In Every Lifetime (Bucky Barnes x reader) by @wkemeup

Bi (Bucky Barnes x daughter!reader) by @alyswritings

I've Got You (Bucky Barnes x reader) by @onceuponastory

Lessons In Chemistry (TASM!Peter Parker x reader) by @mayfieldss

Black Velvet (Natasha Romanoff x reader) by @imtryingbuck

Society Says (Steve Rogers x Tall!reader) by @invisibleanonymousmonsters

Nice To Be Kneaded (Steve Rogers x reader) [serie masterlist] by @rogersideup

Thirty-Two Years (Sam Wilson x reader) by @thepokyone

Criminal Minds

Starry Night (Emily Prentiss x reader) by @criminalmindswhore

Secret Santa (Emily Prentiss x reader) by @max-the-d0g

I Guess Sometimes We All Get Just What We Wanted (Emily Prentiss x reader) by @bi-bard

Untitled (Emily Prentiss x reader) by @reidsdaisies

My Favorite Medicine Is You (Emily Prentiss x reader) by @ssa-sugar-tits

Leave It At The Door (Emily Prentiss x plus size!reader) by @hannibals-favourite-meal (Minors do not interact as the author wishes!)

Wandering Hands (Emily Prentiss x reader) by @emilys-bangs

Showing The Bird (Spencer Reid x daughter!reader) by @letarasstuff

Sneaking Out (Derek Morgan x daughter!reader) by @rachaelswrites

Top Gun

My Heart Will Go On (Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x reader), Titanic AU by @averagewriter-inthedark (⚠️TW : deaths and light smut, Minors do not interact as the author wishes!)

Driving Home From Christmas (Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x reader) by @callsign-phoenix

Sweetest Devotion (Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x reader) by @sometimesanalice

Don't Mess With The Storm (Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x reader) by @mamsieur

G-Lock Too Far (Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x reader) by @frost-queen

Let Your Senses Guide You (Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x reader) by @topguncortez (⚠️TW : panic attack)

Untitled (Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x reader) by @callsign-phoenix

Making You Proud (Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x daughter!reader) by @justabigassnerd

Nice Guys Always Finish Last (Jake "Hangman" Seresin x reader) [serie masterlist] by deactivated account

Outer Banks

Thunder = Luke (JJ Maybanks x sister!reader) by @alyswritings (⚠️TW : mention of abuse)

Supernatural

Those Christmas Lights (Light Up The Street) (Dean Winchester x child!reader) by @yourmomxx

I'll Always Cath You (Dean Winchester x sister!reader) by @winchesters-favorite-girl

Stranger Things

Fall For You (Chrissy Cunningham x reader) by @tommiruewrites

Say You Want Me Too (Robin Buckley x reader) by @sparklingsin

Come Into The Water (Robin Buckley x reader) by deactivated account

Kissing Lessons (Robin Buckley x reader) by @jellyfishbeansontoast

Favorite Song (Steve Harrington x sister!reader) by @alyswritings

Bridgerton

Angel In The Sky (Benedict Bridgerton x reader) by @inkedobsidian

Enchantment (Benedict Bridgerton x reader) by deactivated account

Joy (Benedict Bridgerton x reader) by @redheadspark

Pinkish Clouds (Anthony Bridgerton x reader) by @d-targaryenshoe

[hangmansgbaby]

Birdie's Masterlist

Likes are great but reblogs are better!

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

Join my taglists

(*) indicates 18+ content. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. 18+ is not just smut but delicate topics as well. Read at your own will.

If you spam like everything in less than 30 secs I will block you!

To read other works or to not read on this hellsite, everything is cross posted on (or actively moved to) wattpad!

| A Stark in the Wind | Bradley Bradshaw | Marvel Au

| Friend's Don't | Jake Seresin

| Meet the Family |  Bradley Bradshaw

Thanksgiving | Christmas | Goodbye

| Three’s a Crowd, Unless its You* | Hangman/Rooster/Bob

| H_NGM_N  | Jake Seresin

H_NGM_N* | MIAMI*

| Songbird | Bradley Bradshaw & Delilah Mitchell

| Always Darling | Jake & Willow Seresin

| Everybody Wants You* | Jake Seresin & Locklyn James

| Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince | Jake Seresin & Meredith Mitchell

| You Burn With Us | Jake Seresin & Birdie Abernathy

| Gunpowder & Lead | Jake & Emory Seresin feat Bob & Birdie Floyd

| Puck Around and Find Out | Top Gun Hockey AU

| PUCKING FINALLY | Javy Machado x Natasha Trace | ROYALLY PUCKED | Jake Seresin x OC!Layne Thomas | WHAT THE PUCK | Bradley Bradshaw x OC!Riley St. James | PUCKING SHOTS | Bob Floyd x OC!Beatrice St. James | BEYOND PUCKED | Mickey Garcia x OC!Mia Floyd | SOCIAL PUCKS | Reuben Fitch x OC!Jessica Monroe

| 300 Follower Celebration | Hangman/Rooster/Bob

| What if...? TGM Fanfic Edition |

[callmemana]

Jake Hangman Seresin Fanfic: 1

Key: smut - 🌸/ fluff - 🦋 / angst - ☂️/ personal favorite - 👓/

A glimpse of Us @call-sign-jinx ☂️👓

Better Man Universe @sweetlittlegingy 🌸🦋☂️👓

Conveniently Yours Series @thesluttyarchivist 🌸👓

Country Girl, Shake It For Me @nomtterwhere 🦋

Church Encounters @barbiewritesstuff & @lgg5989 🌸🦋☂️👓

Do Not Disturb @callsignvalley 🌸🦋

Does The Father Know? @topguncortez ☂️👓

First and Second @seresinhangmanjake 🦋👓

Flyboy Universe @kryptonitejelly 🦋☂️👓

Gravedigger’s Daughter @honeypiehotchner 🌸🦋☂️👓

How Do You Live Somebody Else @softspiderling 👓

How They Met: Hangman @mrsjaderogers 🌸☂️👓

Imagine Hangman Caught Leaving Your Room @write4tomorrow 🦋👓

In Too Deep @sunlightmurdock 🌸🦋☂️👓

Jukebox War @roosterforme 🦋👓

Just A Little Weak @seresinhangmanjake 🌸🦋

More Heart Than Mine Universe @fandomxpreferences 🦋☂️👓

Never Knew @softspiderling 🌸

Not My Jake @roosterscock 🦋👓

Office Christmas Party @footprintsinthesxnd 🌸🦋☂️

One Night Stand @topguncortez 🦋👓

Operation Apollo @sunlightmurdock 🌸☂️👓

Opposites Attract Universe @topguncortez 🌸🦋☂️👓

Paint It Black @eternalsams 🦋👓

Parking Spots and Mocha lattes 2 @withahappyrefrain 🌸🦋👓

Pink Stripes @heartsofminds 🦋☂️👓

Professor Seresin Series @topguncortez 🌸☂️👓

Safe Zone (+Rooster) @sunlightmurdock 🌸☂️👓

Scrapes and Bruises @seresinhangmanjake 🦋☂️

Signed Away Series @seresinhangmanjake 🌸🦋☂️👓

Sun-kissed @ddejavvu 🦋👓

Strike Out @jupitercomet 🌸🦋☂️👓

Sweet Nothings @sweetlittlegingy 🌸🦋☂️👓

The Douche Bag Jar @jupitercomet 🌸🦋☂️👓

The One Who Got Away @fandomxpreferences ☂️👓

The One Who Came Back @fandomxpreferences ☂️👓

The One Piece @siempre-bucky 🌸👓

There’s a Honey @bussyslayer333 🌸🦋👓

To Have And To Hold @ohtobeleah 🌸☂️

Touch and Go @seresinhangmanjake 🌸🦋☂️

Wants and Needs @seresinhangmanjake 🌸🦋☂️

Wanting It All @seresinhangmanjake 🌸🦋☂️👓

Warning: Do Not Engage @clints-lucky-arrow 🌸

We Used To Be In Love Series @honeypiehotchner ☂️

Were You Ever Gonna Tell Me @bradshawsbitch 🌸🦋👓

We’re Expecting A Baby, But It Could Be A Dinosaur @gennyanydots 🦋👓

Winter 1 @demxters ☂️👓

Witching Hour @constillatedchaos 🦋

Who Did This To You? @justfandomwritings ☂️👓m

[bearsinpotatosacks]

Thinking of a The Bear fanfic where Nat sees that Richie’s parents have booked a table at the restaurant. She calls Carmy over and they discuss what to do, whether to tell him or just cancel it because he hasn't spoken to them since he was in his 20s.

They agree to tell him eventually but work on them as general guests, getting to know them, Carmy decides to ask Marcus to make some kind of special dessert. This is when Syd finds out, because they're trying to source authentic Ukrainian ingredients (going with Ebon's idea that Richie’s ethnically Ukrainian after Ebon's wife).

Richie knows something’s going on. Syd gets angry on the phone and shouts out, "Does anyone understand fucking Ukrainian?" Before realising that Richie’s in the kitchen. Richie sees Marcus and Carmy stressing about a dish but they won't tell him what it is, he puts it down to this new menu every day idea that Carmy’s got.

But when he sees them all in the office, and hears his name, he gets them to tell him. He doesn't react how they think, doesn't shout or blame anyone. He just says "okay" and immediately works out for a cigarette.

Carmy, and Syd, meet him out there as he talks about his childhood. Parents were both immigrants, they had him young, his Dad joined the Army because he thought it was the proper thing for a man to do. They moved around, his mother was kinder than his father but still not very expressive in her way. His father was stern, there was no room for argument.

His dad got injured and they moved to Chicago permanently. Richie met Mickey, they didn’t get along at first, Mickey was so charismatic while Richie tended to blend into the background. But they eventually hit it off after ending up in detention together.

Richie was fascinated by the Berzattos and how loud they were, the highs were high and the lows were low. Donna was the polar opposite of his mother and he was entranced by it all. He spent more time there, attending their Christmas Eve dinners with the excuse that the Jerimovich's didn’t celebrate Christmas until later (being eastern orthodox and all) but he really couldn't stand to be in his own home, which was so much quieter as a result.

His dad tried to get him to join the Army like he did, ending up in a massive argument when Richie’s 18. They don't talk much and eventually lose contact all together. Richie started saying he was Italian at this point because he was closer to the Berzattos than his own family so why couldn't he be?

Richie tells them to carry on with what they were doing, and tells them what dessert to make. He still hides from them on the night, runs Expo so he doesn't have to face them until the surprise dessert.

He brings out the dessert, they meet eyes and his dad nods, barely smiling. Syd invites them in for a tour and Richie gets talking to his dad about how he’s a father now, how he’s divorced, how Mickey died. He says he understands what he meant when he was a kid. He wanted him to have honour and purpose, which the Army would bring. Richie also says he’s glad he didn't join the Army but knows what he meant now.

This is when his dad tells him he's dying and Richie flips a switch. Suddenly he's shouting and he doesn't know why, it doesn't even feel like a conscious decision as he digs into him for not being there, for only trying to find him when it suits him. Because if he can find him now, why couldn't he try when he wasn’t dying, why does he only mean something to him when he's a loose end!

He stops and says to his dad that he should go. His mother's showing everyone baby photos of Richie when they come back in. He escorts them out, when his mother, having heard everything, simply says "We didn't know you worked here" ending by calling him Rooster in Ukrainian (her endearment to him because he was always the loudest in their coup), and leaves, putting their phone numbers in his pocket.

[callsigndragon]

The Christmas Date | Chapter 11: Christmas makes me cry

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Fem!Kerner!Reader

(Ron Kerner is Slider, Iceman’s backseater)

Wordcount: 2.3k

Summary: Y/n “Athena” Kerner and Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw hate each other. Everybody knows. What happens when they have to fake date for a whole week to avoid Iceman and Slider’s matchmaking plans?

(there won’t be smut in this series)

Warnings: maJOR ANGST. Thena has a panic attack. anxiety. you know the deal. major fluff to compensate at the end. partial nudity (there's underwear on in the characters involved so don't worry)

A/N: Okay so this came to me randomly a few hours ago and i just...had to write it. This episode was supposed to be completely different but my heart wasn't having it so I changed it. Pros: Solo won't be doing anything more to thena (you're welcome). Cons: you're not gonna get rid of the other part of the angst that's is coming in the next chapters. FINAL ANGST I SWEAR. maybe.ALSO this chapter is a bit weird, you'll notice a song in the middle of the text, IF YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT WHILE READING THAT PART. You'll thank me later.

Taglist: @ducks118 @milestellerwife @craftymoonchaos @littlebadariell   @xoxabs88xox  @alexxavicry @tayrae515 @shrimping-for-all  @mak-32 @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @harper1666 @purplevortexx @abaker74 @ssprayberrythings @melllinaa @loveless-simp  @k-k0129 @mygyn @castle-bookworms-world @chaoticversion @one-sweet-gubler @loveforaugust

@taytaylala12 @benhardysdrumstick @green-intervention @waatermelon-sugaar @smells-like-perfect-senses @interstellarloneliness @tay-bluey @diggorycullen @dhwanishah09 @inky-sun @luckyladycreator2 @nograce-nomercy @witchybabel

(If you want to be added, write in the comments!)

Previous | Next | Masterlist

His lips wake you up, as if he were a prince wanting to rescue his princess from an eternal slumber. 

“Not now, I want to sleep more,” you whine, pulling up the covers and hiding underneath them. 

“I woke up early and went to get you some nice French toast from that place you like. I got you one of those fancy coffees with unpronounceable names and arranged it all in front of the fireplace, where my dad’s Polaroid album is waiting. You’re getting out of bed now, please?”  

Oh, shit. The album! You kick the covers away from you, hugging Rooster and covering his face in kisses. His giggles make you smile. “Morning, handsome nugget.” 

“Morning, beautiful grouchy.” 

You move back a bit to look in his eyes, sighing at what you see in them: pure love and adoration. “Why did you go all the way out for me?” 

“First of all, you deserve it, so shut up. Second,” he sighs, getting up from the bed, “I wanted to make this morning a bit easier for you before going to the station to report… the monster.” 

You swallow, looking at the floor. “I’m not gonna report him” 

“What?” 

“We’re leaving in two days, I don’t think it’s necessary. We won’t see him again after this” you shrug. 

“Sweetheart, this is not how things work. You know it.” He kneels in front of you, opening his hands and waiting for you to grab them. You don’t.

“I-I know but I can’t go to the station and talk about it. I’m doing my best to block those memories, but they’re so recent, a-and I…” Someone knocks at the door and you begin to tremble, tears welling up in your eyes. 

Are the walls moving closer? Why does it look like the room is getting smaller? You can’t breathe. Run. You can’t. You can’t move. 

“Oh no, no, no. Grouchy, look at me.” 

You can’t. Your eyes are closed, protecting you from the outside world and the white, menacing walls that keep getting closer and closer as if trying to crush you between them. 

“Thena. Thena, please. Look at me. Only at me.” 

Someone is touching you. The monster has finally gotten what he wanted. He’s carrying you around, maybe looking for a bed to lay you down. You need to get out of his arms. You hit him everywhere you can, but it’s not working. He’s stronger than you. 

The soft knock is now an insistent banging against the wooden door. Erratic and incessant sounds that echo in your ears. Is he here again? Has he come to finish what he couldn’t yesterday? 

Make it stop.

Make it stop. 

Make. 

It. 

Stop. 

Rooster looks at the trembling girl in front of him, not knowing exactly what to do. He can’t touch her, not like this. He can’t get consent from Thena, he’s not going to touch her. But if he can’t ground her back to reality soon, she’s going to get worse. 

I’m sorry, Y/n. I’m sorry for this.

Rooster carries her to the bathroom, bridal style. She screams, hits him, and tries to escape, too immersed in her own nightmare to realize that the monster is not there. The person knocking on the door is becoming impatient. Probably Slider, worried about her daughter’s screams. Rooster can’t open the door now. He needs to take care of Thena first. 

The world can wait five fucking minutes. 

He goes straight to the shower, opening the faucet and standing in the freezing water with Thena in his arms. He doesn’t know if this is going to work, but it does for him when he has panic attacks. He’s getting soaked, but it doesn’t matter. She matters. His star is agonizing, and he needs to bring her back. 

The bedroom door bursts open, and Thena screams, tossing around in his arms and crying even more. Slider walks in the bathroom with a worried expression, followed by Iceman and Mav. 

“What the fuck is happening?” he asks with a mixture of anger and fear. 

“At this point, I think she’s hallucinating.” Rooster responds, his voice breaking down at the thought of Thena going through something he can’t help her with. “It’s Becca here?” 

She appears from behind his father, tears in her eyes. “I’m here” 

“I need you to come here and talk to her. Maybe hearing a female voice would calm her down.” 

Becca nods, stepping into the tiny shower and talking with her in that motherly tone she always uses with Jesse. Oh, Jesse. Rooster hopes he’s not seeing this. Nobody should see Thena like this. But poor Jesse might be so scared if he saw her favorite auntie in such a state. 

“Hey, sweetheart. It’s me, Becca. You’re here with me. You’re safe. Listen to my voice, please. You’re safe.” 

Becca keeps talking with her for a few minutes, with Thena’s body slowly relaxing between his arms and her eyes, which have been closed the entire time, opening slowly. She looks around, confusion spreading over her face. The trembling doesn’t stop, however. 

“Grouchy, can you hear me?” 

“N-nugget?” she mumbles, her voice hoarse for all the screaming. 

“Yes, my love, it’s nugget. I’m gonna ask you a few questions, okay? Answer if you can," she nods slowly, and Rooster employs a technique taught to him by his therapist years ago. “Tell me five things you see” 

She doesn’t move her gaze from him, as if she were scared that if she looked around, she would see the monster’s face in front of her. “You. Your scars. Y-your stache. Your wet hair. The faucet” 

“Now, four things you can feel” 

“My wet clothes. The water on my skin. Your body is trembling… are you cold?” 

“Focus now, fly girl. One more” 

“My feet on the ground” 

He nods; she's returning slowly but safely. “Three things you can hear”

“Your voice, your breathing, water running” 

Her breath slows down to a normal rhythm.

“Two things you can smell” 

“You. And soap” he looks at one of the shampoo bottles Thena had kicked when he got her in the shower, now opened and oozing. 

“One thing you can taste” 

She stops shaking. 

“Nothing. I didn’t have breakfast. Oh god, Rooster…” 

"There you are," Rooster exhales, relieved. “Please don’t go to places where I can’t follow you.” 

She hugs him harder than she's ever done before. Becca turns off the faucet, being careful not to touch Thena by accident, and steps out of the shower, getting wrapped in a towel by her dad. 

“I’m sorry,” Thena whispers. 

“Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for. Let’s take you out of these cold clothes. I’ll run you a bath and wait for you downstairs with a warm cup of chocolate.” Rooster offers, knowing that if he doesn’t warm Thena’s body, she will get a cold. 

“Don’t leave me,” she pleads. 

“Never” 

“Once you two are ready,” Becca says, talking for all, “we would like to know as much as you can tell us of what has happened here” 

Rooster looks at Thena, she looks at the ground, considering her choices, and then nods slowly. “He’ll tell you. I can’t think or hear about it. Not yet” 

The family nods, slowly leaving the bathroom and the room. “I don’t know if I can be alone with my thoughts in a bath…” 

“I can keep my underwear on and join you,” he offers. 

She nods, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. “He broke me, Roos.” 

“You’re not broken.” 

She opens her mouth to say something else but closes it quickly, as if she wasn't sure how to express her thoughts. “I’m cold” 

“I’ll get the bath started.” 

You look at Rooster getting inside the tub, leaning against the white end. You take off your clothes, you’re only wearing Rooster’s hoodie that he gave you last night, black yoga shorts, and your underwear. You’re not ready to take off your underwear yet. “Can I keep this?” you ask him, signaling to the mismatched bra and panties you’re wearing. 

“Sweetheart, you’re the one that decides, not me.” 

You nod slowly, getting closer to the tub. “This may sound contradictory because ten minutes ago I was trying to escape from your arms, but... can I sit with you?” 

“You mean, your back on my chest?” 

“If it’s okay,” you insist, asking for permission. 

He doesn’t answer, just opens his arms as a nonverbal confirmation. You smile a bit, getting inside and sitting in the middle of the tub, leaning slowly against Rooster’s body. You don’t really understand how, but he’s the only touch you can tolerate right now. Whenever he isn’t there, you miss it. Crave it, even. It’s completely illogical. 

The hot water pierces your cold skin, warming it slowly. He moves his arms to rest on each side of the tub, avoiding any more contact between you and his body. He doesn’t want you to be overwhelmed. 

“Thank you, Bradley,” you whisper. 

“Don’t need to thank me, little star” 

“Star? That's a new one," you say as you lift your hand from the warm water and grab Rooster's large one. He turns his hand, his palm facing up, and your fingers slowly trace the lines. 

“I said once that you were my Polaris. You’re my little star” 

“What if this star doesn’t shine anymore?” you question with tears in your eyes. 

He kisses your head. “You don’t need to shine to be my star” 

“Do you still want to be with me after all this?” 

And there it is, the question you have been afraid to ask. 

“Y/n look at me” 

You turn around to see his calm and comforting expression. “The only way you’re getting rid of me is when you say you don’t love me anymore” 

“I think I love you more than yesterday,” you admit shyly, his hand moving to caress your cheek. 

“And I think I love you less than tomorrow.” 

Rooster stated that he will inform your family about the monster and everything that happened not only yesterday, but years ago as well. He asked for Ice’s help, because both of you knew that once Slider learns that his best friend hid something so important from him for years, things will get uncomfortable. 

You can’t stand being in a room alone, so he hands you his headphones, looks for a playlist that he has on Spotify named ‘the brightest star’, and presses play. You want to ask him why the playlist is called like that, but you see the family entering the room, and you know that it’s the moment to tune out the world. In your hands, you have Goose’s album. It’s old, and some pages seem to be, quite literally, hanging from a thread. You should get a new album, too. 

You look at all the pictures, finally finding that picture of baby you and a 4-year-old Rooster. He’s wearing his dad's glasses. It is truly a beautiful picture. Maybe you can get a copy and have it in your cockpit. 

Rooster playlist changes from a silly and happy Paramore song to a song you haven’t heard before but it has the most beautiful lyrics. 

Let your arms be a place she feels safe in. 

Wait, what’s this song about? You unlock Rooster’s phone, quickly opening the music app to read the lyrics. 

She always has trouble 

Falling asleep 

And she likes to cuddle 

While under the sheets

She loves Pop songs

And dancing, and bad trash TV

It's as if this song was talking about you. 

Has a hard time accepting 

A good compliment 

She loves her whole family

And all of her friends

It’s this playlist about you? Does he have a special selection of songs that remind him of you? 

So if you’re the one she lets in

Take it

If she gives you her heart

Don’t you break it

Let your arms be a place 

She feels safe in

This might be the most beautiful song you’ve ever heard. And you wish he would sing it to you. He has a beautiful voice. 

She’ll love you 

If you love her 

On days when

It feels like the whole 

World might cave in

Stand side by side 

And you’ll make it

She’s the best thing you’ll ever have

She’ll love you

If you love her like that

When you raise your head to look at Rooster, you notice the room is empty. It looks like he finished his story, and all of them left the room to leave you some space. 

He takes off your headphones. “What are you listening to, grouchy?” He stays silent for a few seconds until he registers the song and smiles. “Oh, is this one?”

“Roos is this-”

“Is the playlist about you? Yes. Absolutely. At first, it only had one song. When I see you smile”

"80s song, how typical of you," you say with a smile. 

“Well, the lyrics fit, don’t you think? Anyway, then I kept hearing songs on the radio that reminded me of you, or had a very deep meaning or… just like this one, it was made for you” 

“If it helps… your arms are the safest place on Earth for me” 

“And when I see you smile, I can face the world,” he admits, leaning close to your face to kiss you. 

“Agh, you’re literally DISGUSTINGLY CUTE,” Nick says, covering his eyes while walking towards the sofa, where his phone is. 

“Get lost,” you both say before closing the distance and kissing each other with so much love you feel goosebumps on your skin and tears in your eyes. 

Feeling loved has to be the best feeling in the world.

A/N: Anyone interested in hearing the playlist? Is small but cute, i swear. I'll leave it here.

[hangmansvandalizinggoose]

Christmas with You

Rooster x OC

Christmas with You

Summary: A Secret Santa gift shows there might be more than just friendship between Rooster and Clover.

As always songs that were the inspiration Santa Tell Me, Together at Christmas The Bells of Dublin/Christmas Eve

Warnings: none

“All I want for Christmas is you In one more sleep, that's when my dreams come true So let it snow, I'm driving home to get to you I know tonight Santa's on his way Though it's been said many times, I just can't wait to be Together at Christmas”

December 21st – Dagger Christmas Party – The Hard Deck (where else?)

Niamh ‘Clover’ McGinn grinned at Phoenix as the other woman danced around to Santa Tell Me while getting ready.

“You’ll put your eye out.” Halo warned laughing as the dancing got wilder.

They were getting ready for the first annual Dagger Christmas Party. It was supposed to be casual, but the female aviators so very rarely got the chance to dress up that they were going all out, nails, eyelashes, heels, and jewel toned sparkly dresses. Halo in blue, Phoenix in red and Clover in green. Once happy with their glam, they grabbed their secret Santa presents and headed for The Hard Deck, the boys had gotten there earlier. Payback had sent the girls a video of Rooster already on piano playing various Christmas favorites.

“You going to try and kiss him under the mistletoe?” Phoenix asked as the video ended

.

“I don’t think Mrs. Payback would like that very much do you?” Clover teased avoiding the question leading to the other two rolling their eyes

“Come on, it could be a Christmas movie moment.” Halo proded as Niamh opened the door rolling her eyes at them both

“Or it could be a horror movie moment. Happy Christmas Pen!” She shouted at their favorite bar tender, who waved and then gestured to the three glasses of champagne sitting on the bar waiting for them.

“Fantastic.” Tasha declared clapping her hands together before lacing arms with Clover and Halo and dragging them to the bar.

“Where’s Harvard?” Halo asked looking around the crowded

“Oh?” Phoenix and Clover teased, before knocking their glasses together in cheers.

“Not like that, I’m his Santa.” Halo scoffed at them.

“I’m Hangman’s.” Phoenix groaned as she spotted the cocky blonde in his usual hang out near the pool table.

“I’m yours” Clover stated, slipping a small parcel out of her bag and handing it to her friend.

“Ah Clov, you are too much.” Phoenix exclaimed as she opened the gift to see a gorgeous phoenix pendant sparkling back at her. “Who’s that other gift for then?” She asked noticing the other larger lumpy parcel Niamh had with her.

“Uh, Roose.” Niamh confessed ducking her head and blushing, while Phoenix smiled kindly at her friend.

“What’s up honey?” Rooster asked from behind her causing her to squeak and jump and causing him to laugh loudly. When Niamh turned and faced him his laughter died in his throat.  He’d always thought Clover was a good-looking girl, but all dolled up like this in a color that suited her down to the ground, she was drop dead gorgeous. Niamh was admiring him as well, the twinkling lights cast warm glow on him, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with bright red hibiscuses on it and those sinful jeans he seemed to fancy.

“You alright Clov? Sorry for startlingly you darlin’” He rasped, ginning at her when he found his voice again. Niamh blushed and downed her champagne quickly before responding.

“Yeah, just was looking for you actually, I’m your Santa!” She lied pressing the gift into his hands

“Aw no way, thanks Niamh.” Rooster exclaimed setting his beer on the bar and tearing into the gift with the excitement of a little kid. The paper torn away revealed a Hawaiian shirt that had surfing Santas and sunbathing reindeer on it.

“HA HA! I love it! My dad had one like this, but we lost it in one of the moves. Niamh this is amazing.” He stated, already shirking his current shirt for the new one, giving Niamh a fantastic show of his ripping chest, stomach, and arm muscles. She suddenly felt very warm, must have drank that Champagne too quickly.  Once he had it on, he pulled her in to a tight embrace, rocking side to side with delight.

“Thank you honey, honestly you have no idea.” He said pulling away and placing a whiskery kiss on her cheek.

“Bradshaw lets go! Time for me to whoop your ass in darts!” Hangman called from across the bar.  Rooster gave Niamh one more smile before shouting something back at Hangman, retrieving his beer and strutting over to the dart board.  

Clover was still frozen in place until out of the corner of her eye she saw Penny looking at her.

The brunette arched a brow at her.

“Not a word. Pen, please.” She pleaded with the older woman.

“Of course, sweetheart, I’ve been where you are.” She confided with a wink, before refilling Clover’s champagne.

The night rolled on with drinking games, shameless flirting, singing and dancing,  and longing looks when they thought others weren’t looking. When the clock struck 23:00 Niamh slowly began to gather her things.

“Where are you going McGinn?” Hangman demanded having just arrived with shots.

“I have a plane to catch tomorrow and then an obnoxiously long flight. I’m going to Ireland for Christmas and then my cousin Mairead is getting married on the 30th.”

“You know what helps with Jet Lag?” Hangman asked slightly sloppy grin on his face. “Not sleeping the night before. Take a shot.”

“Aye, I will.” Niamh teased rolling her eyes and nudging his shoulder, so he faced the other direction.

“Pheeeeeeeeeeeeonix, Shots!” Hangman called setting his sights on the dark-haired woman.

Niamh laughed and turned to head out only to walk into a solid wall of Bradley. He smiled as he steadied her, hands lingering on her hips, leaving fireworks as they anchored her. 

“So I won’t see you until the new year?” He asked, giving her the puppy dog eyes.

“’Fraid not.” She replied, champagne telling her to grab him and kiss him tell he begged for mercy.

“Miss ya, don’t fall in love out there.” He tried to say it in teasing tone, but he knew he’d be crushed if she came back with some Christmas love.

Niamh gapped at him like a fish for a moment, not really sure what to say.

“Roooooooooooooster, Clooooooooover Shots!” Jake called slowly making his way back to them

“I won’t if you won’t.” She muttered, dodging Hangman and slipping out the door she wasn’t sure if he heard her as she rushed to her taxi. Rooster wanted to go after her, but Jake had his head in a headlock as he dragged him back into the fold.

Rooster was going to kill whoever was banging on his door so early in the morning.

“What are you doing here Harvard?” Rooster groused at the blonde.

“I’m your secret Santa, I was out with my girl, so I missed the Christmas party. Here you go.” Harvard pressed a crudely wrapped gift into a baffled Roosters hands

“No, clover was my secret Santa ..” he stated

Harvard frowned “No I’m your secret Santa Clover got Phoenix anyway Merry Christmas man” Harvard said backing off the from the door

“Who is that” Jakegrumbled

��Harvard, he said he was my secret Santa, but Clover said she was my secret santa she gave me that shirt I was wearing last night.”

“No clover was Phoenix’s secret Santa she was showing everyone the necklace, that Clover got her . She probably got you that shirt is probably because she’s in love with you.” Jake rumbled

“ she’s not. “ Rooster denied, was she? 

“She is. everyone except for you knows. Obviously” Jake shuffled back to his bedroom

 Rooster pulled out his phone and confirmed with Phoenix everything Hangman said.

 Rooster found himself feeling lost, he’d had a major crush on Clover when they’d first met, especially when she stressed her first generation accent and said his name in those lilting tones.

It still seemed to good to be true that she’d like him.

He decided to go for a walk to think on things. Workplace relationships were frowned on and besides that the dynamics could be difficult. On the other hand, he might be in love with her. He could wait till she got back. That way he could shake this hangover and take time to reflect if he actually really liked her or not. Oh God, what if he was in love with her and she didn’t know and she found some Irish guy while she was in Ireland. Irish accents were rated as really attractive, weren’t they? And then she’d be dating him and have his kids, when she should be dating Me and maybe having my kids, or no kids but she should be with me.

He thought he was wandering aimlessly until he looked up and saw he was at Penny’s house

He tried the door, but was locked, so he rang the bell.

After a few minutes Mav opened the door, looking rumbled. Rooster immediately began confessing his feeling about Clover and told him all about the shirt.

Mav chuckled and shook his head. “You really are your dad’s kid, could you seriously not tell she was in to you? “

“What do I do?” Rooster asked his god father, feeling very much like he did when he went to Mav about his first crush so many years ago.

“Don’t wait like I did.” Maverick advised as Penny came to stand under his arm.

“Don’t wait like he did.” She echoed, laughing when Mav gave her an affronted look.

 The plane landed late afternoon in Dublin airport, Rooster was never so glad to get out of an aircraft, it was nearly 12 hours from San Francisco to Dublin. His long legs helped him race past the rest of the passengers to get to immigration. He remembered Clover telling him it was a bit like running with the bulls once the plane landed. A warm welcome from the immigration officer and he was on his way to find a bus to take him to Dundalk.

“Where are you trying to go fella?” The old ticket seller asked him kindly squinting at Rooster, clearly he’d not pronounced the town name correctly, a few more tries and he was told the last direct bus had gone for the day, but he could get a bus into Dublin Centre, get a train at the station and be dropped nearly in the heart of Dundalk in about two hours’ time.

“Planes, trains and automobiles.” Rooster muttered after thanking the man and getting on the bus to Dublin’s city Centre. At least he had adrenaline and seeing Ireland for the first time to distract him from what he was there to do.

The sun setting on the Irish coastline was gorgeous he had to admit, like Clover always said it was. The train announced each stop, and for most Rooster had to admit that is not how he thought the words were pronounced like Howth, Malahide and Drogheda. Drogheda was the last stop before Dundalk and he scurried off the train checking his watch. You’d said your Christmas eve plans were dinner at your Aunt Brid’s house near in Carlingford. Dundalk train station was pretty amazing looking, it looked like a movie set from the 30s save the vending machines, and yet everything was still in amazing shape. He raced up the ramp to get up to street level and find a taxi.

“Merry Christmas lad, where you for?” The cabbie asked he pulled open the back door.

“Merry Christmas,” Rooster replied reaching for his phone to get the address he’d taken a picture off “I need to go to Carlingford, I’ll get you the address….” Groaned as his phone did the gray spinny wheel of death. “Sorry my phone just died; do you have a charger?”

The cabbie nodded and passed it back while pulling away from the curb “You visiting family?” He asked

“No, a friend, at her aunts Brid O’Neill.”

“Ah I know Brid! You don’t need to worry about that address, I’ll take you right there! A friend your visiting eh?”

Rooster breathed a sigh of relief before answering “Yes, a good friend of mine.”

“And your American. Must be Niamh McGinn? She’s a lovely girl now, spent most her summers with my two, Michelle and Seanna Magee.”

Rooster finally felt slightly at ease as the he and the taxi man spoke, Clover often bragged about the friendliness of the town her parents were from, and she was right about that. 30 minutes later the cabbie was pulling up in front of a well decorated house.

“Good luck lad, and Happy Christmas and New Year.” He said letting Rooster out of the car. 

Once the cab was out of sight, and Rooster stood alone in the darkening street, cold wind blowing in off the lough did the gravity of his plan set in. What if Mav, Jake and Tash were wrong. What if Niamh was just being nice because she  felt bad for him or something. Maybe if he ran down the road, he could catch the cabbie and spend Christmas in a pub in Ireland. That’d be a story.

“Talk to me Dad.” He muttered, knowing he only had so long out here before someone called the garda on him for lingering creepily in the street.  

The wind picked up again and it almost felt to Rooster like it was all on his back pushing him forward toward the house.  He walked past the candy canes lining the driveway and glanced down at Frosty before knocking on the door.

The knock stopped the conversation at the table, the family all looked around at each other doing a silent head count.

“Who on Earth could that be?” Brid wondering out loud “Eoghan, go check.” She ordered her husband who sighed and put down his knife and fork and left the table without a word. 

The family waited on bated breath, straining to hear the conversation at the door.  They didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“Niamh, some American boy here for you!” Her uncle Eoghan called as he made his way back to the table.

Confused Niamh scrambled from her seat and made her way to the front room, ignoring the gossip coming from behind her as her family pestered her uncle for details.

“Rooster?” She questioned when she set eyes upon the tall figure standing nervously next the Christmas tree. The cheery lights making him look even more handsome. 

He spun around to face her, his cheeks rosier than usual. “Hi Clover.” He said giving a little wave, drawing a smile from her. As gorgeous as she’d looked in The Hard Deck she looked even better here, her make up light, a silly Christmas jumper on and bright red converse.

“How’d you find me? Is everything ok? What are you doing here?” She peppered him with questions as she moved to hug him. She could smell the cold on him as he squeezed her tight. 

The clearing of a throat from the doorway had them pulling apart. Niamh turned and looked over her shoulder to see her aunties, mom and cousins blatantly staring at them.

“Wanna go outside?” She asked, already pushing him toward the door, shaking her head at the eavesdroppers.

“Yeah” He chuckled, gulping at the amount of people stuffed into the house, if this went south, soooo many people would witness his humiliation.

They moved into the front garden, it was already dark out, but the warm amber glow from the streetlights and the estates many twinkling Christmas lights made the freezing windy garden romantic.

“Now, answer me Bradshaw, what’s happening, are you ok? She pestered him again.

“Brigham spilled the beans; he was my secret Santa.” Rooster started shoving his hands into his pockets to avoid twisting them nervously. Even in the dim light he could see Clover blush.

“Yeah and?” She bit out, going on the defensive.

“So, why’d you say it was you, why’d you get me a gift. You didn’t even get Halo or Phoenix gifts.”

“We did a girls day instead.” She muttered, taking her turn to be nervous, unsure how this was going to end.

“Mav thinks you like me. That’s why he never let us fly together. Phoenix said I was a moron for not seeing it sooner.” Rooster stated feeling bolder.

“So what if I do?” She questioned back, annoyed that Mav and Phoenix sold her out.

“Well, its not fair then that you got me a gift for Christmas, and I didn’t get you anything.” He replied seeming almost to switch topics.

“Wha?” Niamh started, looking at him like he had three heads.

“So, I guess this will have to do.” He continued ignoring her interruption and pulling an ornate bow out of his bag and tying it around his head, grinning cheekily at her.

“Oh my God.” Niamh matched his smile shaking her head at the tall brunette.

“Niamh McGinn, all I ever wanted for Christmas was you.” Rooster stated, his honey eyes boring into hers, his statement making her heart flutter.

“If you don’t kiss him I will!” Her cousin Mairead shouted from the doorway

“Aye, dead on!” Niamh shouted back, before standing on her tip toes and pulling Bradley in by his bow straps to kiss him, sighing as he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss.

Whistles and claps from the house caused them to break apart.

“Niamh Marie McGinn! Did I not teach you any manners? Bring that boy in from the cold this instant!” Mrs. McGinn called from the doorway, before ushering everyone else inside.

“Wanna meet my family?” Niamh asked grinning at him, sliding her hands down his arms to grasp his hands

“As long as I’m having Christmas with you, I’ll do anything.” Bradley replied, kissing her head, and letting her lead him inside.

[thebirdandthebee]

Imagine Me & You

A Jake “Hangman” Seresin fic.

First time writing TGM fanfic - please be gentle.

Jake stumbles across a woman on base that seems to enjoy the finer things in life... just like the future he’d like to build - with her in it.

Thanks so much to all for the likes and comments, I’m having a blast writing this! Tonight’s chapter is over twice as long as all the rest and I think just what we’ve been looking for... It is, however, unedited, so apologies for any glaring mistakes.

Chapter 5: Come Back, Be Here

“And so what is this one supposed to do?” Mia asked, adjusting the small piece of cloth that was meant to cover the tip of her nose.

“Uh, I think yours is brighten and firm,” Tina called from the bathroom where she was affixing her own facemask between sips of wine.

Mia shrugged thoughtfully, taking out her phone.

“What about mine?” Bob asked, frowning at the packaging that he was having a hard time reading without his glasses on.

“Yours is moisturizing, baby!” Tina replied, strutting back into the TV room in their basement.  She had invited Mia over for cocktails and appetizers after a long week on base. She was working her first court hearing starting next week and though she was confident working under Lt. Gen. Bozek, she wanted things to be perfect, a victim of her own Type-A personality.

The prep had kept her up past one in the morning nearly every night.

Bobbi was out of town for the weekend visiting her new situationship in LeMoore.

“Once you go military….” Tina raised an eyebrow, causing Bob to roll his eyes. She really enjoyed their company – they seemed like people she’d eventually befriend at any point in her life, but she was especially glad to have them now.

“Mia, when does Jack come back out again?” Bob asked, having gotten to chop it up with the younger Thomas when he was in town last.

“Not until after New Year’s unfortunately,” she explained. “I’ll head out to Indiana to visit him for Christmas, it’s hard for him to get out here between winter semester and baseball practices.”

“It’ll come sooner than you think,” Bob smiled warmly. “We’ll head back to Oregon to Tina’s Mom’s for Christmas,” he added.

“Oh I love Oregon,” Mia gushed.

“It’s the best,” Tina agreed, joining them on the big sectional sofa, popping a cheese cube into her mouth. “So Mimi,” she grinned in a way that Mia had learned was trouble. “You and our Hangman were looking awfully cozy at the Fourth party…” She trailed off.

“Were we?” Mia asked, acting as though she couldn’t remember the party from a little over two weeks earlier.

“Babe?” Tina asked, looking at her husband.

“Cozy,” Bob confirmed.

“Not any more cozy than with Rooster,” Mia tried to level.

“Oh please,” Tina snorted. “He took his shirt off and your tongue rolled down to the ground like a cartoon.”

“It did not!” Mia honked out an unladylike laugh, caught by surprise.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, we all looked,” Tina insisted.

“Hate to disappoint you both, but Jake and I are just friends,” Mia replied coyly. Friends who ate breakfast on the beach and nearly kissed on base – but she’d keep that to herself. “Speaking of, I haven’t heard from too many others in a while, what gives?” Mia asked, taking a sip of her wine as she thumbed through a magazine on her lap. When she received no response, she looked up to catch the tail end of a look between Bob and Tina.

“They’re out on assignment,” Tina said.

“Like at a different base?” Mia asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Something like that,” Tina replied. Mia didn’t love her answer.

“Wait what does that mean?” The blonde frowned, “is everyone okay?” She asked.

“No reason to think they’re not,” Bob said calmly.

“Explain,” Mia insisted. As someone who professionally lived in the black and white, she didn’t understand the grey they were offering.

“Sorry Mia, it’s confidential,” Bob gave her a sad smile.

“But you’re not there?” Mia asked.

“I didn’t draw the short straw,” he said, not sure how else to explain.

“Well when do they come home?” Mia asked, a little knot forming between her brows.

“Can’t say,” Bob replied.

“Well this is bullshit!” She frowned even deeper.

“It is,” Tina agreed, causing Bob to give her a sidelong glance. “More wine?” She offered.

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

“I think the eighteen by twenty-four goes to the left of that window, and then the small gallery to the right,” Bobbi said, standing back from the window.

“Okay, but then where does the mirror go?” Mia asked, looking around the room at her options.

“Bedroom for sure,” Bobbi replied.

“Yeah, I think you’re right, but I’ve got to get my new desk in first,” Mia sighed. After living in her apartment for the past 11 months, she decided to upgrade to a slightly larger unit on the south side of the building. It was the nicest apartment available and she was pleased with herself for pulling the trigger on something she knew she’d appreciate. The new apartment would give Jack some more space when he came to visit and now they each had their own respective bathrooms, along with a den she could carve into an office.

“And when does everything else get moved up?” Bobbi asked, taking a sip of her water glass on the counter.

“Well, I decided I could do most of it myself, so Tina and Bob are coming by this afternoon to help with a few things,” Mia grinned, “I think I may have bit off more than I can chew.”

“You really strike me as a hire-the-movers kind of person,” Bobbi laughed.

“Normally I am!” Mia insisted, “but I’ve become such a control freak lately that I just decided I wanted to do it myself – besides, it’s only down the hall, it can’t be that hard.”

“Fair,” Bobbi nodded. “Well I’m going to order some salads for lunch and we’ll see what else we can hang up?” She suggested, grabbing her phone from her purse.

“Perfect,” Mia smiled.

The pair worked diligently hanging picture frames, mindful of the tape markers on the floor that would signify where certain furniture pieces would live. Mia was grateful for a friend like Bobbi – and by extension, Lt. Gen. Bozek for introducing the two. She had returned from Lemoore last week, a big hickey on her neck that she was mortally embarrassed about, but a big smile nonetheless. Mia loved to see her happy.

“Hey you haven’t heard from like Rooster or Hangman, have you?” Mia tried to ask casually, taking a bite of her salad as they sat around her kitchen island an hour later. Bobbi glanced up at the blonde with a small frown.

“Sorry, no,” she shook her head.

“It’s been like a really long time, right?” Mia asked. At this point, it had been over three and a half weeks since she saw Jake. Or Bradley.

She was new to this world – was being this long a good or bad thing? It couldn’t be good, right? Were they in danger? Had something already happened and no one had said anything yet?

“You’ll get used to it,” Bobbi gave her hand a squeeze. “I haven’t heard anything, but that doesn’t mean much. I could as my uncle if he knows anything?” She offered.

“No, it’s okay,” Mia felt silly for bringing it up, stabbing her fork down into her salad.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Bobbi offered a reassuring smile.

That night as Mia laid in her bed, she stared at the ceiling, still plagued with thoughts of Jake. And Bradley. What if something had happened? What if he was hurt, or worse? Would it take this long for them to find out?

Oddly enough, the first thing that flashed through Mia’s mind was all the times Jake had held her hand. Dismounting from chairs at The Hard Deck, stepping out of her golf cart, helping her up from the beach blanket after their beach morning. She wanted more of it. She wanted his hands on her in the way he lifted her to his shoulders in the pool or as he reached for something beyond her grasp on the grocery store shelf.

She wanted more sunsets in a patio lounger and darts at the bar, ignoring the boundaries of personal space. She wanted more rides in the Jag and maybe they could even start running in the morning together.

Mostly, she wanted to kiss his gorgeous face. She wanted him to hold her in those strong arms so she knew exactly where he was. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she had fallen deep for Jake Seresin. So where the hell was he?

Wiping away a tear of frustration, she turned to her side and tried to get some sleep.

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

Another week had passed and Mia’s court case proceedings were going well, but it was still quite a bit of stress on the young attorney. Following the morning’s hearing, she headed back to her office to unwind when she got the call.

“Your grandmother had a fall, she’s okay, but she’s asking for you.” The orderly explained.  

Lt. Gen. Bozek had barely told her to pack up and leave before she was flying down the highway in the convertible. She hated driving in heels, but she was thankful for the short drive. She had called Jack on the way to give him an update and talked him down from missing class to come out and see Dorothea.

“It’s okay, they said she’s okay,” Mia reassured. “Don’t miss class – I will give you an update as soon as I get eyes on her. We’ll FaceTime.” She insisted on the phone, pulling into the parking lot for the care facility.

“Give her a kiss for me,” Jack insisted sadly.

“Of course I will – call you soon, Jack Jack.” She hung up. Putting on a brave face, she walked into the facility and was greeted by the medical director, who walked alongside Mia as they headed up to Dorothea’s suite.

“She’s okay, she’s stable. She does have a fractured wrist and some bruising on her leg,” the doctor explained. “We’ve completed a full evaluation and we don’t think this is a cause for concern, but simply that she’s an 88-year-old woman and these things happen.”

Mia knew he was only trying to be reassuring, but the fact remained, Dorothea was 88 and things like this would only become more commonplace.

“What was the response time between the fall and someone attending to her?” Mia asked.

“Less than two minutes,” The doctor explained. “Dorothea has an alert buddy, which senses if she’s had a fall and alerts us immediately.” Mia could exhale at that news.

“Thank you,” she said softly, pushing open the door to her grandmother’s room.

Stepping in quietly, she slipped out of her heels and padded towards the recliner her grandmother was napping in, facing out toward the ocean with the sea breeze coming in through the open patio door. Mia said dutifully beside her, gently resting her hand on Dorothea’s and feeling like she could breathe again.

It was one thing to be told someone was okay, but another to get hands on them and know for yourself.

“Hi sweetheart,” Dorothea smiled softly. Mia held back a sob.

“Hi there,” she replied, giving Dorothea’s hand a small squeeze.

“Why so sad?” Her grandmother asked, seeing the trouble behind her mirrored brown eyes.

“Oh, I was just worried about you,” Mia said gently.

Moving was stressful, the need to win her first court case was looming over her shoulders and wondering every 10 minutes if Jake was okay was taking a toll on her. Throw in an ailing grandmother on top of that and Mia felt a little bit like her world was caving in on top of her.

“You don’t need to worry about me, my darling girl,” Dorothea insisted. “I’m doing quite well – I won’t be dancing anytime soon, but that’s just fine.” Mia let a single tear slip with her soft laugh. “Come on, there must be more?” Her grandmother pressed.

Mia sucked in a small breath, running her free hand through her hair.

“I’m worried about my friend,” She explained. “He’s an aviator on base and he’s been gone for a long time. We don’t really get to know any details or when he’ll be back.” She added.

Dorothea patted Mia’s hand gently.

“I’m sorry, Mimi,” Dorothea sympathized. “Does he know how you feel about him?” She asked. Mia’s eyes cut over to her grandmother, who gave her a serene look but just a corner of her mouth was upturned.

“No,” Mia gave her a sad smile. “I mean, I only just figured it out for myself the other day, but I do care about him a lot.”

“Is he handsome?” Dorothea asked, causing Mia to giggle, breaking the tension in her brows.

“So handsome,” she agreed. “You’d love him.” She insisted. “His name is Jake and he’s a total gentleman – from Texas.”

“Cowboy,” Dorothea winked, making Mia laugh again. She was so glad her grandmother was okay – but it didn’t change the fact that she was becoming more and more fragile.

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

Mia was back at work three days later, hair a little out of place and a hint of darkness under her eyes. It was piling on – the pressure. Jack was stressed about school and calling her every night, during the day, she was pounding away at work while devoting as much time as she could talking to Dorothea.

Her move was going slower than she could believe and was living between two apartments – getting ready in one unit before walking down the hall to get the rest of her things. Her complex was being gracious with her move-out period.

That, and still nothing from the Lieutenant Commander.

As the day wound down, she could see the light in Lt. Gen. Bozek’s office click on. Neither of them had designs to leave anytime soon.

After going over two hours of deposition with Bozek, it was nearing eight o’clock and her vision was getting more and more blurry by the minute. She was tired, getting cranky, and was hoping she could see a sliver of sunlight before it went dark for the evening. That was clearly out of the question at this point, as she could see the stars winking through thin clouds.

The full moon, however, was her saving grace, and she admired its beauty through the window of her office.

“Mia, it’s late, and we’ve got a Noon call time tomorrow,” Bozek sighed, standing in the doorway. “Why don’t you head home and try to get a few extra hours of sleep?” He suggested.

“Normally I would fight you on this, but yes, I will take your advice,” she smiled pitifully. Lt. Gen. Bozek liked the young attorney and he saw an incredibly bright future for her – this first win would mean a lot.

“Let’s head out, there’s a bus arriving shortly and it’s going to get a bit busy on base,” he explained. “Actually we might already be S-O-L.” He said, craning his neck to see cars already leaving with their loved ones.

“A bus?” She asked, tossing her laptop down into her tote and switching from her heels into a pair of sensible flats that made her drive home much more bearable.

“There’s a small team returning tonight from assignment,” blood rushed her ears. “Families that live nearby can come pick them up from the base, it’s actually pretty sweet.” He explained.

“Jake?” She whispered, not intending for Bozek to hear her.

“You might find… a familiar face or two out there… if they haven’t left yet,” Lt. Gen. Bozek trailed.

“I’ll see you at Noon!” She called, taking off like a bat into the night as she escaped from the building, feet pounding down the stairs. She jumped the last two, throwing her briefcase haphazardly over the car door and into the passenger seat as she nearly leapt into the car. She prayed Jake hadn’t already left. She never saw his car on base, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have gotten a ride with someone else.

With no real sense of where to go, she simply drove toward the commotion that neared a hangar she had passed by a hundred times. Ten or so cars remained with a few lights on to illuminate the airfield. Parking like an absolute jackass, she hopped out of the car and began scanning the crowd. Forty or so base members and their families were milling about with big hugs and happy smiles.

She didn’t care if she looked like a lunatic, so she began to weave through groups, doing her best to identify anyone in the harsh, angled lighting.

It began to feel hopeless. There weren’t that many people that she’d lose Jake. She felt like if he was there, she’d know it, and she felt utterly lost in a sea of strangers.

Cutting her losses, she figured if she headed back to her apartment now, she could shimmy some of her kitchen boxes down the hall to her new place. She turned to walk down the parking area behind the row of cars.

Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, she composed a text to Bobbi and Tina in their group chat, a pitiful frown on her face.

“We’ve got to stop running into each other like this, Thomas.” Mia’s head popped up at the familiar voice and her face crumpled upon seeing Lieutenant Commander Seresin leaning against her driver’s side door, his duffel bag sitting on the trunk of her car.

“Jake!” She let the floodgates open, running a full sprint at the tall blonde, who was more than ready to catch her as she jumped into him. He held her tightly against him, reveling in the feeling as she buried her face into his neck, giving him a reason to inhale the scent of her shampoo and that damned perfume.

He gently rocked them back and forth as she squeezed him tight, and he could feel the tiny, telltale shakes of her shoulders.

“It’s okay, I’m here, darlin’,” he murmured pressing his lips to her temple. “Everything’s okay,” he cooed, “I’m here.”

“Why didn’t you call?” She cried, “why didn’t you let me know you were okay?” She asked. He leaned against her car a little further when he realized she wasn’t ready to let go yet.

“If I could have, I would have, sweetheart,” he explained gently. “I wanted to every day.” He could feel the tears catch on the fabric of his cotton tee.

“Stay with me tonight?” She asked, pulling back and looking up at him with those bleary, honey-gold eyes. Even in the dark of the evening, they seemed to glow.

“There is nothing else I’d rather do.”

The two drove in comfortable silence back to Mia’s apartment, her crowding him as much as possible – him, glad to maneuver the two-seater with one hand as the other arm draped across her shoulders, holding her into his side.

“I got it, Mia, you go on ahead,” he said, tossing his duffel over his shoulder and grabbing her work tote as well. In the elevator to the fifteenth floor, she crowded him yet again, pressing her face into his chest. She didn’t like the smell that clung to his Navy-issued clothing. It didn’t smell like him. “Darlin’, why’s your mattress on the ground?” He said after she led him through the halfway-furnished apartment to her bedroom.

“I’m moving,” she said quietly. “Just down the hall, but I can’t move my bed frame on my own and Tina and Bob had to cancel on me because Bob’s got the flu and Bobbi’s back in Lemoore this weekend, and I’ve been in Del Mar with my grandmother since she fell and I’ve got this court hearing tomorrow and –” She began to wind herself up again.

“Okay, okay, let’s get you changed out of your work clothes,” he said, scooting her over to her closet. “Do you have some pajamas here?” She nodded, rubbing her hands across her face. “You get changed and I’ll grab us a drink, okay?” He offered, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. She paused, taking him in in the warm light of her apartment. He’d never been here, but something about his presence made it feel like home.

He, too, looked like he’d been missing some sleep, and his skin was irritated across his forehead and by his ears. He’d never looked so handsome.

He knew what she was thinking, and before she could fully grasp his jaw in her hands, his lips were on hers.

She was soft and warm and everything he had dreamed of the past four weeks in his twin cot on the carrier. His arms wound around her waist as she rocked forward on her toes, stretching to reach him as she slanted her mouth over his.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked,” she said after softly pulling away. He knew he would always enjoy his downward view of her eyelashes before she looked up at him – a dazed expression on her face.

“Please never apologize,” he murmured, cupping her face in his hand, itching to run his fingers through her hair. “Change, meet me back here in two,” he instructed, pressing another firm kiss to her lips.

As soon as he stepped out of the bedroom, she flew through the closet, flinging her clothes off and stepping into a soft, matching set of shorts and tee.

Jake reappeared as she crawled into the elevated mattress – grateful she had made the bed that morning before work. He held two glasses in his hands, ice waters and a slice of lemon in hers. He was good with details.

“Drink,” he said softly, handing over her glass. And she did, as she watched him step out of his Navy-issued pants, folding them and tossing them over the back of her reading chair before pulling his white tee over his head. “Is this okay?” He asked, tossing the t-shirt on top of his pants before doing the same with his dog tags. He was left standing in his white boxers. She nodded intently.

The sight of Mia holding back the corner of the bed covers for him made a warm tingling surface near the base of his spine and behind his ears. He knew for months they’d get here, but now it was real.

Mia wasted no time crowding his space once again. He managed not to jump at her cold fingertips, but made himself comfortable in her bed as she came to relax on his chest. He tucked one arm behind his head and stroked the other up and down her back.

“Don’t leave again,” she said, propping her chin up against his chest. “Everything fell apart when you did.” She pressed a kiss to the warm skin of his collarbone. “Tell me about it, darlin,’” he insisted.

“Dorothea fell and broke her wrist,” she began. “She’s going to be fine but it scared the hell out of me,” she added. “I’ve been spending as much time as I can with her, but I’m working my first court case and we have another proceeding tomorrow at Noon that I’ve been killing myself on.” Jake listened carefully she continued. “Jack is freaking out at school about one of his senior capstone classes and is now doubting his whole major, and we talk every day, but I’m running out of hours.”

Jake paused his ministrations and simply held her to him.

“And I’ve been living between two apartments because I didn’t just hire the damn movers, I had to do it myself,” she rolled her eyes. “Turns out I can’t move all this furniture on my own.” She pressed the broad of her face into his chest. “And I just missed you a lot,” she confessed, her words muffled by his skin.

“Gonna have to speak up on that last one,” he said, rubbing her back again, very aware of what she said.

“I missed you so much – more than I thought I would,” she said, looking up at him once again. “I was talking to my grandmother about you and I just realized that… I have feelings for you.” She said, feeling incredibly vulnerable.

“Glad we’re on the same page, sweetheart,” he said, pushing her hair back out of her face. “Been waiting for you to catch up,” he added.

“Tina tried tipping me off… but I don’t know, I didn’t want to jump to anything I wasn’t sure about,” she explained.

“Tina’s a menace,” he grinned, kissing the top of her head. “Wanted to give you time to come around.”

“I’m here,” she said, her gaze dropping to his lips. He was eager to gather her up against him, her hands once again delving into his soft hair as his mouth claimed hers.

“Missed you,” he breathed between kissing, chasing her lips.

“I thought about you every day,” she confessed. “Just wanted you home,” she added, gathering her legs underneath her and swinging one over to straddle his hard body. Jake groaned as she pushed down against him, going cross-eyed beneath his lids for a moment.

“Alright cowgirl, just – give me a minute,” he grit. She didn’t. She pressed open-mouth, lazy kisses against his jaw, nipping his earlobe with her teeth in a way that sent a metallic zing right down to his cock. She reveled in the feeling of him hardening beneath her, feeling incredibly powerful in that moment.

“I know I’m going to regret this,” he murmured, chasing her lips yet again for a firm kiss. “But you’ve got court in the morning,” he added, pecking her softly. “And I’ve got some furniture to move.” He continued. “Then, when you’re out of court, we can drive some dinner over to Del Mar.” Mia withheld a whimper. She knew Jake would fix everything. “And I want to do this right.” He said pressing his face into her cheek and enjoying the warmth of her skin. “Because I’m crazy about you, Mia Thomas,” he said, catching her attention with his intent.

“Glad we’re on the same page, Lieutenant Commander.”

[greenorangevioletgrass]

Last weekend, my boyfriend and i spent the day at the park, walking around, eating focaccia, going from cafe to cafe, talking abt what??

a whole fanfic universe for our TGM faves 😭😭

HEAR ME OUT.

so rooster ends up with houdini that’s for sure, and we like the idea of him eventually leaving the Navy to work at Hollywood with her and be an aerial stunt supervisor, or hell, work at DOD to supervise the military image in pop culture lol

hangman runs into an old college buddy who works at NASA and they trade fuck stories and it’s a bit of a playful dick-measuring contest between them before they… do more fun things with his dick than measuring it 😜

phoenix meets ice’s daughter (he lives in this universe. who cares if i wrote his death in a fic) completely by chance and live their dream sapphic domesticity not knowing their degrees of separation is much closer. they finally find out on a christmas dinner party at the kazansky household, when an accidental slipup turns the table into 12 Angry Men.

and lastly (and my bf’s personal fave) bob… my dear sweet bob meets a badass private military contractor—a mercenary, basically lol— with a chip on her shoulder. idek where to start without dumping the whole fic in here, but they’re gonna bring the best out of each other. it’s gonna be great.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: This Is Halloween

So obviously I'm not the only one who loves talking about Voiceplay and analysing their content, but I wanted to do something a bit different from the kinds of analyses/reactions that other people do, both on here and on Youtube (and music theory isn't really my forte anyway). So I'm planning on making some posts just focusing on the videos (and Geoff's as well, eventually), rather than the music arrangement or vocals or anything like that. My credentials are being a Drama Kid during my high school years, and experience with this sort of analysis from my time in other fandoms. I'm not planning on doing every single video, and though I'm gonna go chronologically from mid-2017 onwards (why not earlier? Because Reasons). However, since I yesterday finished a fanfic based on Voiceplay's cover of This Is Halloween, (which I studied a fair bit to get details right), I might as well start there!

Oogie Boogie pumpkin just outside the front door! (And a Jack Skellington one on the other side I believe?) These pumpkin also shows up in the spooky Halloween realm the group are transported to after eating the candy.

Credit to one of the comments which said that Earl is wearing a cow onesie and Eli is wearing a rooster onesie, which more likely than not is a callback to their (extremely hilarious) Chicken Song performance. (J is wearing a CatDog onesie, I think Geoff is wearing a giraffe onesie? And I'm not sure what Layne's onesie is meant to be)

Again credit to a commenter (different one), pointing out that Eli deadpan elbows Layne in the back, pushing him down after he eats the candy (likely a not-so-subtle acting cue or something like that, but still very funny once you notice it)

The return of the Jack and Oogie Boogie pumpkins, along with some other creatively-designed Jack-O-Lanterns! Peep the one on the far right, a little more towards the back; its 'eyes' say VP, and its mouth is the Voiceplay logo!

Also a little bit of foreshadowing, whether intentional or not: when Layne wakes up, one of the first things in his line of sight is the axe resting on the hay bales...

First of all, how many pumpkins were carved just for this video? Because a lot of effort went into making all those different designs for sure (and no, I'm not part of Voiceplay's Patreon, as the tier that lets you see behind-the-scenes stuff is like $8.50 AUD per month, rip). And second of all, this is a decent shot of how the group starts out upon waking up. J None is wearing a yellow plaid flannel quite similar to The Wolfman in Nightmare Before Christmas, and Earl is wearing denim overalls, like the behemoth character. Eli's outfit is of course representative of the Mayor of Halloweentown, but no spider bowtie or "Mayor" rosette (would've loved to see it, but eh no biggie). Layne I will get to in a moment, and Geoff a little bit after that.

I can't be bothered getting a better picture of it but Eli's half-concerned half-weirded-out face after J's helium-like vocal line is very amusing to me

On the "eyes glowing red" line, Earl's eyes (which are white at this point) flash red for a very brief moment, basically blink-and-you-miss-it.

The colour-change on Eli's left eye is so subtle that at first I didn't notice it at all, and then I only noticed it later on in the video, and only now, doing this analysis and taking a dozen screencaps, do I realize that it happens way earlier than I first thought (which explains why he takes his glasses off at this point I guess) (so uh, that's a minor inconsistency in my fanfic but it's fine)

Shoutout to the makeup/SFX people who helped with this video honestly, they did a super good job, genuinely!

(In which the frame-by-frame scrubbing technique comes in real handy)

An interesting choice to have Layne go through a sort of "half-transformation" stage, where he has a horn and red eye on one side of the face, while the other side of the face is normal. I like it though!

People have said that Layne is meant to be the devil (who is in fact another Halloweentown resident, but honestly I think he's meant to be Lock, or at least a combination of the two, because this what the two characters look like:

See how Layne resembles Lock more? In the outfit choice if nothing else (Also he's kinda sorta got the right face shape for Lock imo). Also, Lock wears a red trick-or-treating mask with horns on top!

Earl is really distressed about his hair falling out (not that I can blame him, really)

This shot/moment is probably one of the ones that stands out to me the most (other than Certain Other Ones for Other Reasons that I will get to in a moment), because J comes across as pretty mournful here, like he knows what's happening but he's feeling really sad/regretful about it? (Also I only just noticed Eli's face in the background and I'm not sure what to make of it 😅)

"pog" is not a word in my vocabulary 95% of the time, but this is basically just Pog faces right? (Geoff and Layne probably have the most fun of the group in this video ngl)

(Also I haven't yet touched on Geoff's transformations but I love the contouring work on his face!)

My god this video is comedy gold when it comes to pausing/taking screenshots

I daresay Eli ends up one of the least recognizable of the group by the end of it (other than J), and I wanna know how long that took to do

Geoff is the only one in the video who gets an outfit upgrade (Good For Him)

They didn't bother being movie-accurate with Geoff's vampire appearance, and honestly I'm definitely not complaining. (they made him hotter)

Layne did the music arrangement, but Geoff was in charge of the video production. How much say did he have over his own costume/appearance I wonder?

Visually speaking at least, nobody is even paying attention to him, they're just like "yeah that's just Geoff, normal behaviour, nothing new" 😆

I can't get a decent picture of it but shoutout to Layne doing a silly little run around the pumpkin stack, love that for him

Another small moment that a screencap wouldn't do justice: even as a vampire, Geoff still does his little self-conducting hand motions, which you might notice as he walks around the pumpkin stack, in the shot right after his "filling your dreams to the brim with fright" line

Also love Geoff's little almost-Elvis-like moves in the background for a brief scene. I know multiple commenters have mentioned it, but I'm yet to see a reactor notice it

Suddenly Layne is Concerned(tm) about Geoff's vampireness it seems?

Also for someone who very much adores this guy, it took me an embarassingly long time to realise that Geoff's face at this point had become paler and his hairline had changed (and actually now that I type it up here, I think that might even be a wig? Oh dear)

I don't really have anything to say about J's full transformation, but it would be unfair of me to not include him as well, and it's definitely a *very* impressive costume. Almost like one of those rubbery fully-covering-the-head costume mask things, but like it's his actual face?

Is that tattoo real or fake, because I literally have never noticed it in any other Voiceplay video, but it's very realistic! (For that matter, what aobut Earl's upper-arm tattoo that kind of looks like a ring of barbed wire?)

I basically watch the This Is Halloween opening scene from The Nightmare Before Christmas every October, and same with the What's This scene in December, but I had never actually watched the movie in full until December last year. So basically when they had the axe-in-the-head moment in the movie I was like ohhhhhhh so that wasn't just a random moment that Voiceplay dreamed up for the video! (I had a similar moment with the Mr Hyde character and his Mini Mr Hydes in his hat in the movie, but in relation to Voiceplay's Kidnap The Sandy Claws video)

When Elizabeth Zharoff/The Charismatic Voice reacted to this video, she said that the kid at the end (Layne's nephew, apparently), was "adorable". Meanwhile Mortius' reaction to the end scene was "oh I didn't like that! It makes me feel like I'm next!" 😂

Also suddenly just realized that the "real world" scenes are in a different aspect ratio to the "spooky dream realm" scenes? Possibly intentional, but also possibly just due to them using two different types of cameras for the shots.

And that's a wrap! I was hoping to get this done and posted last night but it took longer than expected. Hope you enjoyed it, as I'm thinking of writing up at least one or two more now, and scheduling them for daily releases. See ya!