#top gum maverick

[maggiedanikka]

Superstar (Part 1)

Pairing: Rooster x f!reader, (blink and you'll miss it, unrequited) Hangman x f!reader

Warnings: ANGST, good ending promise

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 19.7k (holy sh*t)

Summary:  “I’m no one special, just another wide eyed girl, who's desperately in love with you.”

OR 

Rooster is sure he's in love with this girl. Only problem is, he's never seen or face or know her name

No use of y/n

Based of off Superstar (Taylor's version) by Taylor Swift

Author's Note: It's me, Hi. This one shot is so freaking late y'all. In all honesty I started writing this August around the time I finished writing Naked, but life and school happened and now here we are. It felt amazing getting to stretch my writing skills again for anything other than research papers, and I'm on winter break so it seems as good a time as any. I'm not going to give anymore excuses, but I promise this is worth a read. This is the longest single piece of work I have ever written. It ended at 65 pages and almost 20k words in my drafts. Its so long that Tumblr won't let post the entire one shot in one post so im splitting it in two, but dw send part will be posted immediately after this is posted. I also didn't have anyone edit this, so I apologize for any grammatical errors (most likely tense consistency bcs i suck at those) I hope you all enjoy reading it as I did writing it and I hope it tide y'all over until I can write the next chapter of Let Me Go. Here is Superstar.

Bradley Bradshaw’s voice was an enigma to you. How could anyone's voice be so hoarse and yet so strong?

As an air traffic controller for the Navy, you’ve heard every type of voice imaginable. The gruff demanding ones from the Air Boss, the shrill screams of pilots having to eject due to a bird strike, the quiet dulcet tones of a shy WSO, and everything in between. 

The first time you heard his voice through the comms, you weren’t exactly starstruck per se, just a bit thrown off.

“This is Dagger 2, asking for clearance for take off.” 

It’s not like you didn’t know who the pilots flying this mission were. Everyone in the goddamn Navy knew who they were, they were the best of the best. 

You even saw their pictures. And thought some of them were cute (especially the one rocking the Miami Vice Stache). But hearing their voices was different from reading their files.

Though most of the details of the mission were classified, you had a basic idea and knew that there was a good chance that someone wasn’t coming home. 

“This is Dagger 2, asking for clearance for take off”

The voice repeated. You snapped out of your thoughts, the voice was smooth as honey and it had just a hint of fear but yet so heavily determined. Your heart really went out to the poor pilot. 

“Dagger 2, you’re clear for take off.” You said, trying to convey as much sympathy as you could in those words. 

The actual mission itself didn’t last longer than 3 minutes. Working for the navy, you should’ve been used to the high stakes situations that often go hand in hand with these kinds of assignments. But you couldn’t help but sit on the edge of your seat during the duration of the mission.

There were a few initial hiccups, you felt like you were watching a movie as you listened to the daggers communicate with one another. Their nervousness (and to be honest your own) upon seeing the SAMs and your both concern and irritation at Lieutenant Bradshaw’s cautiousness. 

Yes, his by the book and precise flying is part of the reason why he was considered one of the best, but if he didn’t throw that shit out of the window and speed up he will end up getting himself killed. And even though you didn’t necessarily know him, this possibility filled your body with so much dread.

You felt relieved (well only slightly, they hadn’t made it out of the woods just yet) when Rooster finally got out of his own head and sped up. The two miracles were successfully pulled off and the 4 jets had made it past Coffin Corner. Now it was a dogfight all the way home.

You commended just how level headed and pragmatic the pilots were as they evaded the SAMs and attacks that were thrusted upon them. You knew if you were in the same situation you would’ve panicked and blown up by now. Your admiration was interrupted by the mayday call of Captain Mitchell.

A heavy tension set in the control room, everyone was shocked at what just transpired. It was interrupted by the voices of the other daggers. Notably Lieutenant Bradshaw and Lieutenant Trace. 

Phoenix had announced that she and Lieutenant Floyd were heading back to home base, along with Payback and Fanboy. However, you were yet to hear confirmation from Rooster, with the last thing he said went along the lines of going after Maverick. 

You held your breath as you heard Admiral Simpson demanded his return. The control room was met with silence, and you knew exactly what he was going to do. 

It was less than 5 minutes when it was confirmed that Lieutenant Bradshaw’s plane had been shot down after attacking an enemy plane. His beacon went dark. 

Lieutenant Seresin requested clearance for take off but was rebuffed by the Air Boss. You had to take everything in you to not shed a tear.

A thick silence fell over the entire ship. The mission was technically a success but you wouldn’t be able to tell based on the solemn look on everyone’s faces. 

Even after the remaining daggers returned on the ship, no one wanted to leave the control room. The entire ship was at a standstill. 

That was until a beacon marked “Rooster” started beeping on the screen. 

No it couldn’t be.

“Sir, Rooster has gone supersonic.” You told Admiral Simpson with a gulp, trying to contain your hope. 

“An F-14 tomcat has been spotted sir.” Another ATC announced. 

“Maverick.” You heard someone say, not sure who but you did not care at that point. What’s important is that they were alive!

But it was not time to celebrate just yet. Two bogies were spotted alongside the F-14 Tomcat. And everyone knew this meant a dogfight was about to commence. 

The situation looked more and more grim. An ancient F-14 against Fifth Gens? It was unlikely for the two pilots to make it out unscathed yet alone alive.

But by some grace of God (or possibly Maverick’s unbeatable skill, probably both) they managed to take down two bogies. 

Rooster managed to turn on the plane’s radio to contact the ship. You felt relief which was instantly thwarted by the news that there was still one Fifth Gen, directly in front of the plane. 

You knew they needed help. You looked at Admiral Simpson desperately, hoping that he would allow the Reserve Dagger to go assist. But Cyclone seemed frozen and you knew you had to take matters into your own hands.

“Dagger Reserve, are you ready for liftoff?” You spoke into the mic, the other people in the control room looked at you in shock.

“Finally!” The elated voice of Hangman came through the comms.

Admiral Simpson shot you a hard glare, if only looks could kill, you’d probably be as screwed as Maverick and Rooster. But you knew you had to do something. 

“Yes this is Dagger Reserve asking clearance for takeoff.” 

“Dagger Reserve, you are clear for takeoff. Bring our boys home.” You said with a small smile, if you get fired and discharged, possibly thrown into the ocean it’ll be worth it knowing what you did to save the aviators.

Hangman shot down the Fifth Gen with ease, earning him his second confirmed air combat kill. You knew that the other pilots would never hear the end of it. But all you cared about is he saved HIM.

Rooster’s laugh and banter with Hangman might’ve been the most wonderful sound you’ve ever heard. 

Seeing him on the tarmac reunited with the rest of his team had to be one of the highlights of your career with the Navy, if this was the last moment you had in the branch then you were perfectly content. 

“What you did was reckless insubordination! If there was another fifth Gen out there, we would’ve lost 3 of our best pilots and 2 planes worth millions of dollars!” Admiral Simpson had chastised you. 

“I have half a mind to dishonorably discharge you!” You 're ready to accept your punishment with grace. You were however surprised at his next words 

“But your actions saved 2 of our men.” He added with a gulp.

“You are clear from punishment, but DO NOT make this a habit!”

“Yes sir.” You told him with a steady voice.

“Thank you sir.”

“You are dismissed, go join the rest of the fleet.” He told you.

You ran down to celebrate the returning pilots, but so was everyone else. You could only see a glimpse of Captain Mitchell and Lieutenant Bradshaw past the dozens of bodies approaching to greet them. 

But even from where you were standing you could see the beaming smile and bright eyes of the mustached pilot. And from that exact moment you knew you were a goner. 

———————————————————————-

Next time you heard his voice was a few weeks post mission. Apparently he accepted a post to teach at Top Gun. 

You were decently shocked to learn that the team assembled for the mission decided to stay in Miramar. Especially since they basically got their pick of post anywhere in the world. 

But you figured Lieutenant Bradshaw, or rather Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw (remembering his promotion), decided to stay because of his recent reconciliation with Captain Mitchell. 

“This is Rooster asking for clearance for takeoff.” He said through the comms.

“You’re still here?” Shit. You did not mean to say that out loud. 

You heard back a chuckle from the pilot.

“Yes, I decided to stick around Fightertown for a little while.”

“Sorry sir.” You replied grateful that he couldn’t see the blush that was forming on your cheeks. 

“You are clear for takeoff.”

“Thanks sweetheart. Roger that.” You felt your cheeks grow hotter as he took off into the air. 

“ATC you still there?” He asked you once he was at cruising altitude. 

“Yes Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw, I am still here.” Hoping that he forgot your earlier words and needed something official. 

“Any reason why you were shocked at my staying?” He asked you.

You gulped at his question. Was this allowed? You’ve never had a pilot ask you a question before that didn’t pertain to instructions, both on the ground and in the air. 

After a breath you answered his question.

“I heard about your promotion, and the offer to be posted anywhere in the world. Just surprised you chose to stay here.”

“Sometimes a family is worth more than any accolade or prestigious post.” He told you. You could tell he really cared about Maverick, but was not sure about the history of that. 

Would asking him be crossing a line?

“Why do you stay in fightertown?” He asks you.

“Not for anything as noble as your reason Lieutenant Commander, just an assigned post.” 

“Well I hope you’re liking Miramar. Actually grew up here.” You were surprised that he was still speaking to you, considering he was in the sky for a reason, and normally pilots didn’t maintain this much conversation with Air Traffic Control.

“I really like it so far, having some trouble with making friends though.” You don’t know why you admitted this to him, especially through comms that other people are definitely listening in to. And especially to a Naval hero who definitely would have no interest in the life of a lowly ATC. 

“Well, consider me your first friend sweetheart.” He responded and he actually sounded genuine. You couldn’t help but smile at the aviator's words.

You were about to respond when you were interrupted by Hangman through the comms. 

“Usually I would encourage this, but you can flirt later, Rooster, we gotta shoot down Mav.”

Your little bubble had been burst as you remembered why you had to clear him for takeoff earlier.

“That’s my cue, talk to you later, friend.”

“Have a good exercise Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw.” You respond with a smile you know he’d never see. 

Your shift ended before they finished their exercise, so you didn’t get to give Rooster clearance to land (or maybe you just hoped to speak to him again). But from what you heard, it was the closest the team got to finally shooting down the infamous Captain. 

You knew that one day they could surpass the pilot, but you were glad that they were able to learn and grow (and stay) a little longer at Top Gun.

In an effort to make more friends you agreed to go out with some of your fellow ATCs that night. Which is how you ended up in a bar on the beach called ‘the Hard Deck’.

Your co-workers were nice enough, and you were honestly glad that you weren’t spending another night with a plate of pad Thai watching yet another crappy Netflix rom-com. 

Imagine your surprise when Rooster and his crew of pilots walked into the very same bar. They went straight to the pool tables and were currently arguing over who got to play first. 

“God definitely has favorites, because they are so fine.” Your co-worker Laura sighs. 

“I wanna climb Seresin like a tree.” She adds.

“I’m more of a Coyote and Payback kind of gal.” Your other co-worker Sara remarked. 

“But I wouldn’t kick Fanboy or Bob out of bed, they look like they know some tricks.” 

She said as she took another drink of her martini. You agreed with their judgements but couldn’t help but only have eyes for one of the pilots.

“Good choice.” Your other co-worker Lia tells you after following your gaze. 

“Bradshaw definitely takes the cake.” 

You blush upon being caught staring at Rooster. 

All your co-workers nodded in agreement with Lia. 

“He’s not as pretty as Hangman but he’s somehow more fuckable.” Laura comments. 

You couldn’t help but feel possessive as the other women also stared at Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw with hungry eyes. 

But it’s not like you had any right to that feeling, he wasn’t yours, he didn’t even know who you were. 

The conversation moved on to other topics, it could’ve been anything from the weather or the latest Naval gossip but you were only half paying attention. You were honestly just glad that they were done ogling a certain pilot. 

You really liked the Hard Deck. It was now clear that it was a Navy spot and it was really cool to see the usually serious people from work loosened up in civilian clothes. 

The night was bustling and while you were glad for some company, you couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. All these women knew each other and had all these little jokes with one another, and you were an outsider that had a bit of a neurotic streak.

You were wondering if this was a pity invite, and you were slowly leaning to a yes but you were already here, might as well make the best of it.

You prepared yourself to jump back into the conversation, when the music from the jukebox had abruptly stopped. And while the men booed, you saw that the women all stopped and stared at the piano. Or rather the person at the piano. 

Lo and behold, Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was seated at the decades old instrument, his fingers expertly playing an old Elton John hit. Of course he would have an affinity for the 80s, as shown by his mustache.

If you thought his speaking voice was beautiful, his singing voice was downright heavenly. He had this low tenor that was so strong and made “I’m still standing” sound sensual. How is that even possible?

Obviously you weren’t the only person that thought so, you saw women dancing in front of him, singing along and obviously trying to get his attention. 

For the other women (and some men) that weren’t, were singing along and staring, were all bewitched at the pilot’s skill. And really, who could blame them?

He had this air of confidence that even the cockiest of pilots could never compete with, he was a superstar. In the air and the ground. 

When he (sadly) finished his song, the entire bar cheered and chanted his name. He did a silly dance and seemed to have no care in the world.

You couldn’t help but fall for him a little more. 

——-——————————————————————

“This is Rooster, in the air calling for Air Traffic Control.”

You just started your shift less than 2 minutes ago and did not know that Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was already in the air.

“This is Air Traffic Control, what do you need, Lieutenant Commander?” You ansered, trying to keep your voice calm, hoping your little crush on the aviator wouldn’t show in your voice. 

“It’s you!” Rooster exclaimed.

“I’m not sure what you mean sir?”

“You’re the ATC from the other day? The one that agreed to be my friend.”

A blush crept onto your face, you were surprised he remembered your interaction. 

“Um yes sir.” 

“You got off the comm lines so quickly the other day. I didn’t get to invite you to hang out with me and meet some other new friends at the Hard Deck.” 

Your heart grew warm. He was serious? He wasn’t just trying to be polite?

“I was at the Hard Deck sir. Saw you there with your squadron.”

“Oh shit, really? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Seemed rude to just insert myself, sir.”

“Plus you seemed preoccupied with your adoring fans.” You said with a giggle. 

“It was an amazing performance.”

“Oh yeah? Are you a fan?” You heard him ask, already seeing his smirk in your mind. 

“Oh yeah definitely! Consider me the president of the fan club sir.” You quipped. 

“So what does the role of “president” entail?” 

“You know, make t-shirts, teach the Rooster 101 class, and of course host the weekly meeting where we talk about how hot and talented Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw is.”

“So you think I’m hot?”

Your face grew warm in response, and cursed yourself for accidentally flirting nonsensically. And prayed to whatever higher power that no one was currently listening to the comm line. 

“Oh um-.” You began to respond.

“No! Sir-…um I just…”

“You know it’s frowned upon to lie to your superiors.” He said in a serious tone.

“Oh no I’m so sorry sir, I didn’t mean to-“

“ATC….”He interrupts, with an inflection at the end of the last letter 

“Yes I think you’re hot Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw” You confessed with a gulp.

He let out a hearty chuckle.

You were completely mortified and you don’t think your face has ever been this hot before. If you thought you didn’t have a chance before, more so now. You were debating whether you should disconnect now and go back to your job (I mean this is technically your job, but not the flirting part). 

You were broken out of your inner debate by Rooster

“Thanks sweetheart.”

“You know you don’t have to keep calling me Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw right?”

“You can call me Rooster.”

You were thankful for the subject change. 

“Okay Lieutenant Comma-“

“Sorry, okay….Rooster.”

“Now that’s better.” He said with a slight laugh, you could already see his dazzling smile now.

“How about you ATC? What should I call you?”

“Oh you can call me-“ you began to say.

“This is Lieutenant Finch asking for clearance for takeoff.” You were cut off by the comm.

You sighed, back to real life. 

“I’m sorry Rooster, I got to go back to duty.”

You cut off the comm lines before he could respond.

————————————————————————

Next time you saw him, he was walking down a hallway with Lieutenant Commander Trace by his side. He was talking so animatedly, his hands waving around as he delivered his point.

It sounded like he was gushing about a tail spin maneuver that Maverick pulled off, and god he’s so beautiful. When he speaks it’s like you couldn’t help but listen. Hell! you bet a reading of the F-18 NATOPS would sound like absolute sin coming from his mouth. 

You were so caught up in his voice that you didn’t notice how close you were to passing him.

You felt your breath get caught in your throat as your shoulders brushed against his as you walked in the opposite direction. Even through your thick khakis, you can feel how muscular his shoulders were. Damn this man works out.

“Oops sorry ma’am” he stopped and turned to you. His eyes were concerned that he hurt you from a measly bump. This man could not be real.

“I didn't mean to bump you. And as put together as I seem to be, I am actually a huge klutz and a hazard to pretty girls.” He said with a chuckle and a wink.

You tried to respond to him, but only a squeak managed to leave your mouth. Starstruck that he’s speaking to you for the first time, not through a comm line. 

Wait and he called you pretty! You were now fighting a blush creeping on your cheeks. But to the two aviators it looked like you were not amused 

“Stop bothering her Rooster, she obviously has places to be.” Phoenix chastises him.

“I apologize for my bothersome friend.” She turned to say to you. And all your pathetic shy ass can do is nod.

“See you around! And sorry again!” Rooster says once more as Lieutenant Trace pulls him away and down the hallway. 

———————————-—————————————

Okay, you were not doing this on purpose, well sorta. Sometimes in the midst of your constant daydreaming, your subconscious kinda just takes the reins and dictates your actions. 

Which is how you found yourself coincidentally choosing a work schedule that lined up the most perfectly with Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw’s flying times.

You hoped for another conversation with Rooster, hoping to redeem yourself from your words (or rather lack thereof) during the hallway debacle.

 But the Lieutenant Commander seemed very focused on the exercise that they’ve been working on for the past week and has not been speaking to you as much as of late.

You were of course sad, and you felt a pit in your stomach grow larger and larger each passing day that your conversations started and ended with “you’re cleared for takeoff”.

You almost wish that your stupid infatuation would go away so that you didn’t feel yourself crushed at the end of every single work day. 

But you would catch a glimpse of his smile on the tarmac and your heart would fill with so much longing once again. 

It had been almost a week since your last true interaction with the aviator, you were beyond pathetic at this point. 

At last, he finally called in after he was in the sky. 

“Is the president of my fan club there?” He called into the comms. 

Was he talking about you? I mean who else would he be talking about considering the topic of your conversation last time. 

Unless he talks to all the ATCs like this, flirting with them until they become flustered and red as a tomato. He’s probably done this with Sara, or Laura or even both! The thought filled your stomach with dread. Should you stay silent and pretend you didn’t hear him? Or maybe he actually needs something, it would be unprofessional of you to not help your superior or maybe-

“I know you’re there, I can hear you thinking”  

Rooster has a habit of breaking you out of your anxiety induced thoughts.

“Are you calling for me Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw?”

You heard him clear his throat, expectant.

“Oh I’m sorry, Rooster.” You corrected yourself.

“That’s better” He said with a chuckle. 

“Sorry I’ve been radio silent the past week sweetheart, have had a lot on my mind.” 

“You don’t have to apologize to me! You’re one of the greatest pilots in the world, no need to worry about me.” You assured him, and maybe you were a bit self-deprecating but it was true. 

“No need for all of that ATC, I’m just a guy in a plane. And were friends, remember?  It’s not fair of me to leave you in the dark.” 

Damn. AND he's humble? How can this man be anymore perfect?

“ Thank you Rooster.” You replied with a small smile.

“Sorry again for going ghost, this is a bit of a hard week for me” He continued.

In any normal circumstance, asking for elaboration would seem like prying, but your conversations with the Lieutenant commander have been less than normal as of late. You still had no clue where you got the courage to ask.

“Oh, why is that?”

“Wanna know all my secrets already sweetheart?” 

He somehow managed to avoid the question AND make you flustered. He’s good.

“How about I let you know my stories over dinner?”

You just felt your heart jump out of your chest and into another dimension. There’s no way THE Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was asking you out. 

This had to be some kind of game, one that he’s no doubt played a million times before. Rooster had no shortage of women who wanted him and the fact that he’s asking you out of all people was unbelievable. There was no way. 

“Um like a date?” You ask him nervously.

He chuckles at your response, amused at your edginess. But to you it sounded like the thunderclap before the lightning strike of rejection. 

You just wished he’d get on with it. Hoping he lets you down easy so you can move on from this crush and actually do your job.

“What else would I mean?” He finally responded.

Your entire body felt like a cracked glow stick. You felt bright and overheated, but also cold as ice as you’ve somehow lost feeling in your extremities.

So he was asking you out! You were determined to apologize for every time you’ve said God’s name in vain because if Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was asking you on a date, then there is no doubt that the higher power was real. 

But the reality of the situation had set in. If he was this quick to ask you out despite not knowing your name, or what you look like. What’s stopping him from changing his mind and moving on to the next ATC or bartender or crossing guard who gave him admiring attention just as quickly?

You came to a swift realization.

It was against your nature and your better judgment, as your heart was beating out the seams to say yes to Rooster’s invitation. But you had to be smart about this.

You had to play the game.

“I’m gonna have to say no sir.”  

You can feel the regret setting in already.

“Wow, I think that’s the first no I’ve gotten in…. That might be the first no I’ve ever gotten.”

Great, now you’ve bruised his ego, you had no idea if this tactic was working for or against you.

“Well, I think dinner might be a little further down the line, that’s if you think you can handle it?” You somehow gathered enough courage to (fake) confidently challenge Rooster.

“Oh is that so?” You can hear the intrigue in his voice through the line. 

“How about a phone number?” He offers amused

“Hmm… maybe THAT  I can agree with.” You responded matching his playful tone.

“In one condition.” 

“Oh yeah? And what is that sweetheart?” 

“Shoot down Maverick in the drill today.”

“Is that it? I can do that, easy.” There was the cockiness the top gun pilots were famous for.

“That’s funny, considering you haven’t been able to do it in the past 3 weeks.” You jested.

“Ouch, first you reject my invitation, and now you insult my skill? Way to kick a man while he’s already down sweetheart.” He grimaced playfully.

“Gotta give you some kind of challenge sir.” You couldn't hold back the giggle forming in your throat. 

“Okay deal, anything to hear that laugh again, outside of these comm lines.” He chuckled.

Oh shit. You completely forgot that you are flirting with Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw though a military operated and very public comm line.

“I was wondering when the two of were going to remember the rest of us can hear EVERYTHING.” You heard the voice of Lieutenant Commander Seresin chortle.

You felt your ears burn red in embarrassment. 

“Getting rejected over comms Bradley? And here I thought you had game.” Captain Mitchell added. Both of them were laughing at their fellow aviator. 

“See what I mean sweetheart? I promise I’m a much better conversationalist when these assholes aren’t around.” Bradley insulted the other two pilots. 

“Don’t listen to him ATC, I’ve known him since he was still in diapers , and I promise you, this is as good as he’s gonna get.” Captain Mitchell remarked to you. 

“Don’t think I’m gonna go easy on him for you either.” He added jokingly. 

“Trust me Captain Mitchell, I’m counting on it.” You replied with equal fervor. Maverick responded with a playful tone.

“Sounds good ma’am, hope I don’t disappoint .”

“I’m going to get into position, You two can join me once Bradley is done with his disastrous flirting.” He added before going radio silent, lifting his jet to prepare for the dogfight. 

“Hypothetically, if I shoot down Mav, do I get your number?” Hangman teased. 

“Walk the walk first, and maybe I’ll consider it.” You quipped, but you knew that the only aviator you’d want to give your number to was Rooster. 

“Good enough for me.” Hangman replied. 

“Watch me beat you Rooster, in the drill and with the girl.” Hangman chuckled playfully before going radio silent, presumably getting into position.

“Double timing me with Hangman sweetheart? Now thats a killing blow.” Rooster smiled, slightly annoyed at your flirtatious exchange with Seresin but happy that it was just the two of you once again. 

“You know how bumptious Lieutenant Commander Seresin can be. I just said it to get rid of him.” You explained. 

“Now for you, I am completely serious. Shoot down Mav and you got yourself a phone number.”

“Yours right?” He asked.

You let out a hearty laugh, one that had caused the other ATC’s currently in the control tower to look at you with concerned expressions. 

“Yes. Mine.”

“You never know, you could very well give me Admiral Bates’ number. I just wanted to make sure.” He replied.

“Plus its always a bonus to hear you laugh.”

This man never seemed to run out of lines. You had to hold yourself back from melting into a puddle in your seat.

“Well lets see what you got then Lieutenant Commander.” Was the last thing you said as he finally went back up to position. 

As much as you wanted to stay tuned into the dogfight like you were a suburban dad cheering on their favorite football team, you did actually have a job to do. 

You were in the middle of analyzing flight patterns and putting together a presentation for your co-workers when you heard the sudden call on your headset.

“Hello, this is air traffic control.”

You were greeted with a loud thunderous cheer. 

“I did it ATC! I shot down Mav.” Rooster howled.

“Is this true Lieutenant Commander Seresin?” You asked Hangman.

“As much as I tried to sabotage him, yes Rooster did somehow managed to shoot down the old-timer.” Hangman confirmed with a groan.

Shit. Now you have to actually give your number to Rooster.

“Soooo ATC, I’m waiting for the magic numbers.” You could already see the victory smirk on his face. 

“Ughhh fine a deal is a deal. But I am not going to give out my private phone number on a monitored line. I’m just gonna have to get it to you another way.”

“Okay fair enough. How are you gonna do that?” Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw queried. 

“Don’t worry about it, just know you’ll get it.”

“Or you know you can just give it to me face to fa-.”

“Goodbye Rooster.” You interrupted and dropped the line before he could continue. 

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

You honestly did not know how you were going to get your number to Rooster. You wouldn’t dare to see him face to face. He’ll take one look at you and know that you were nothing special and he’d lose interest. The only reason he was this enthralled was because you were a mystery to him. 

You could always go back on your deal and tell him you were kidding about the number, but you knew that was an asshole move and you were not the type to break agreements. You had to figure out how to get that number to him without him seeing you. 

At least then you can speak to him and possibly flirt with him for a little longer before he inevitably loses interest..

You were sat in the comm tower, your head resting on the back of your hand, watching Rooster joke around with Mav and Hangman down in the tarmac beside their F-18s. Even from all the way up here you can see how bright his smile was. He was so beautiful. 

You were snapped out of your admiration by the three aviators walking off the tarmac, probably to rest and sit with the other pilots in the hangar. You saw your window of opportunity, in the form of (no pun intended) Rooster’s open canopy on his jet. 

If you could sneak down there and place a piece of paper with your number on his dash then you would have fulfilled your side of the deal. 

If anyone were to ask, you were not a stalker, you were just very observant, especially if you’ve been watching these pilots for the better part of the last few weeks and knew that they were going to spend at least the next 15 minutes in the hangar until they returned to the tarmac. You had to make your move NOW.

You scribbled your number onto a piece of discarded paper.

“I’m taking a 10!” You announced to the control room before running out clutching the note to your chest. 

You quickly ran down from the tower and quickly onto the tarmac, making sure to duck and turn your head away as you passed the hangar (just in case). 

You couldn’t remember the last time you ran this fast, probably not since basic training. You quickly manuevered around all the F-18s until you reached the one marked with the label LCDR Bradley Bradshaw “Rooster”. You’ve never seen his jet this up close, you wanted desperately to run your hand through the marking of his name, to touch something that he has. 

No. You have to remember you’re here on a time-constrained mission, and you had to get out of here not only  before the pilots come out, but also before anyone in the comm tower can spot you down here. 

You quickly flung yourself up the ladder up to cockpit of the jet and trying to place the piece of paper as rapidly and as gently as you could on the dash. When you finally let go of the paper and saw that it was securely in place, you hopped off the tiny ass ladder and started to speed walk back to the direction of the comm tower. 

Your heart was beating a million times per minute and you did it without anyone seeing you. You could see the door to the tower in the distance, and were beelining towards it. That’s until you heard a clear 

“HEY!” Coming from behind you. 

You turned around and were greeted by the suspect face of Lieutenant Commander Seresin. He was standing probably a good 25 feet away and slowly walking towards you.

“Who are you? What are doing down here?” 

You had to think of an excuse fast, with as little words spoken as possible. You couldn’t risk him recognizing your voice and telling Rooster. Then all of this would be over too soon. 

“Just routine inspection!” You tell him, making your voice higher and hopefully indiscernible from your normal speaking voice. 

“Goodbye!” You waved at him before sprinting away and around the tower so he couldn’t see that you were going into the comm room. 

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

As much as you'd like to think that you successfully made it down and back from the tarmac completely undetected, you knew that running into Hangman could’ve ended disastrously. You needed to learn to be more careful especially now that your number could possibly already be in Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw’s possession. Which means you have to commit to this game. 

You put your number in his plane almost 11 hours ago and even though the work day has long ended, and you knew that the pilots leave together at around 5pm and would inevitably end up at the Hard Deck for a few hours. 

However it is now nearing 11pm and you still had no notification from anyone other than your mom. No texts, no calls, just email alerts and a few instagram DMs from some old high school friends. 

You sighed as you stared at the clock. Maybe he didn’t see the paper? Or he’s still at the Hard Deck?

You knew neither was unlikely because the dagger squad flew out and ran a few more drills later in the day so was in his jet and all the Navy men (or rather the disciplined ones) promptly left the bar at 10pm to prepare for their early work days. 

He could’ve and should’ve contacted you by now.

But what did you really expect? That he was going to drop everything and call a random ATC that he had a few indecorous conversations with. 

You definitely let this fake confidence build up too much in your head. You had to remember your place. Because who are you other than just a girl, when he was one of the superstar’s of the Navy? The frontliner and the apple of all the admirals’ eyes. 

You see the clock flashing 11:15pm and you had a shift early in the morning. There was no use continuing to feel sorry for yourself. Some sleep would do you some good, and hopefully avoid the waterworks that would inevitably come.

You were well on your way to slipping into a deep slumber when you heard the loud text tone originating from your phone. 

Unknown Number: Sorry I didn’t get to talk to you today sweetheart. I hope I get the chance soon. Sweet dreams :) 

——————-————————————————————————

There must have been some sickness barreling through the base because the normally filled comm room was empty except for you manning the main desk. 

Being solo wasn’t too bad, as there weren’t too many pilots scheduled to fly today.

Of course one of them being Rooster. 

“Miramar Tower, F/A-18E Super Hornet , 10 southwest at 2,500, inbound for landing “ 

Speak of the devil, and he shall come

“F/A-18E Super Hornet , Miramar Tower, report entering left downwind Runway 24R.” You responded, keeping yourself professional despite feeling the butterflies in your stomach beating your ass upon hearing his voice.

“Report entering left downwind, F/A-18E Super Hornet . . . . “ He responded before adding

“F/A-18E Super Hornet entering left downwind Runway 24R.”

He was all business today, with absolutely no hint of the usual playfulness in his voice. 

“Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw, you are cleared to land Runway 24R.”

He let out a slight growl, one you would miss if you weren’t listening so intently.

He hesitated for a moment before finally responding. 

“Cleared to land Runway 24R, F/A-18E Super Hornet “ 

You saw his jet successfully land and reached for the button to disconnect when you heard Rooster’s voice flood your headphones once again.

“Do you remember what I said about calling me ‘Lieutenant Commander’ sweetheart?” He asks steely.

Fuck, he sounds so sexy when he’s stern. No man’s voice has ever had this effect on you. 

“Yes sir, Rooster.” You said with a longing breath.

You curse yourself for being incapable of being subtle.

“Normally I would say no ‘sir’ just ‘Rooster’, but I’ll allow it. Only because it sounds so good coming from your mouth.”

Holy shit. And you thought you weren’t subtle, you were usually clueless when it came to men flirting but even you could read that loud and clear. 

“You sure you want to be hitting on me over comms SIR?” you said purring 

“Would you rather me come up there sweetheart? So I can do it face-to-face” He said with the same gruffness. You can see him glancing up to the tower as he lifted his canopy and exited his plane.

“I dare you Lieutenant Commander.” You replied matching his salacious tone. 

“Gonna have to teach you a lesson don’t I?.” The connection cuts off as he removes his helmet and rushes up to the tower. 

You couldn’t hear anything over the sound of your pounding heartbeat, there is no way you just invited Rooster up to the comm room. 

It couldn’t have been more than 2 minutes when you heard the door burst open and saw Rooster enter, his skin still glistening from sweating under the California sun. 

He looked like a Greek god, and you had to stop your jaw from physically dropping at the sight of him. 

“Finally done hiding from me sweetheart?” He greeted you teasingly. 

You slowly approached one another. You opened your mouth to respond with a flirty response but the words seemed to be stuck in your throat. 

You didn’t even notice how close you were to him. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. You were staring straight ahead and avoiding his gaze. Choosing to maintain eye contact with the lowered zipper of his flight suit. Giving you a glimpse of the hard planes of his chest underneath. 

Your breath hitched as you felt him grab you by the waist and pull you bodies together. His hands felt so hot on your body and you still couldn’t bring yourself to look up into his gaze.

That is until he placed a hand on your chin and gently pulled it up to look into your eyes. 

“Don’t tell me you’re all shy now sweetheart?” He said with a smirk and he tugged your bodies closer. 

“Where’s all that talk from earlier?” He whispered as he kissed the skin beneath your ear, before moving his lips to your jaw and leaving soft caressing kisses trailing down your jaw, down to where your neck meets your collarbone

Okay, you have definitely lost the ability to breathe, let alone to speak several moments ago. If he wasn’t currently holding you so tightly your legs would’ve given out from under you.

All you could feel was him and all your mind can think of is Rooster. Rooster. Rooster. 

He finally brought his head back up and stared at your lips. He licked his before he finally closed the distance between you and-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

You woke up in your bed in a cold sweat. 

Holy shit, it was just a dream. It felt so real. 

You could’ve sworn you could still feel his hand gripping on your waist and his hot breath on your ear. 

You glanced at your alarm clock to see that you overslept by 30 minutes! 

You quickly got up and got ready, you swear to God you had never gotten ready faster in your life. But you still managed to be 15 minutes late. 

Your supervisor was not happy. But you were normally punctual so they allowed you this one oversight. As long as you swore to never repeat it again. 

You finally caught your breath and settled in your station. You were relieved that you didn’t miss too much. 

But since you were late Rooster was assigned to a different ATC on his flight plan for the day. 

This did make you sad but in a way maybe it was necessary for today. 

First because you could not possibly hold a conversation with him after the erotic dream that you still hadn't physically recovered from, and second because you were actually becoming pathetic.

You had set 4 simple rules for yourself when you joined the Navy

Stay Focused

Always be punctual

Sleep early to be well rested, and most importantly

Do not get involved with Navy men. 

You somehow managed to break all rules in the last few weeks. 

You had a wet dream that caused you to break your perfect punctuality streak. A dream that was about a certain pilot that caused you to stay up late and has spent the better part of a month distracting you.

For the lack of better phrasing, you really needed to get your shit together.

But when you stepped into the mess hall after a fairly productive half of a day, and saw his face, you remembered just why you were so enamored. 

A smile from him was worth breaking the rules you set for yourself. 

——————————————————————————————-

You were probably home for less than 10 minutes when you heard the text notification coming from the living room.

You wiped your hands on a dish rag and walked out of the kitchen to grab your phone, which you almost dropped upon seeing who the text came from. 

The text last night was completely unexpected and was definitely part of the reason why Rooster somehow made it into your dream. And even though you were half asleep at the time, you managed to save his number under “Rooster ✈️🐔”. 

Which is how you knew you were staring at a text from said aviator. 

Rooster ✈️🐔: Missed you today :(

You have been carefully analyzing the text for the last 30 seconds you laid eyes on it. He missed you??? What does that mean? He had your number for the better part of two days and he only managed to contact you when you were almost asleep, and after a day of ignoring him. 

Asking him what he meant would be too obvious and would make you come out as naïve. So you did what any rational woman with a crush would do. Deflect.

You: Do you have a problem with emojis or something?

Rooster ✈️🐔: Huh? What do you mean? 

You: I can’t remember the last time I saw someone use emoticons unironically. 

Rooster ✈️🐔: Are you making fun of me? I personally think emoticons are neat

Rooster ✈️🐔: And I don’t know how to download emojis :/

You felt like a schoolgirl as you felt your face break into a grin at his antics. 

You were formulating a reply when you were interrupted by the screen indicating an incoming call from Rooster ✈️🐔.

You stared at your phone in panic and let it continue to ring. Holy shit he was calling you. At least in text you can formulate a plan and have a carefully crafted response. You did not have that luxury with a voice call. 

But what are you going to do? Ignore it? 

You had to make a decision fast. Okay yes, it will be a little more nerve wracking to speak on a voice call but that's better than nothing right? And you spoke to him all the time over comms, even though technically it is different because those conversations can be hidden under the guise of carrying out your job and you did not have that safety net in this situation.

After a few seconds you thought “Fuck it” and pressed the green button. 

“Hi” You answered with a breath. 

“Oh thank god, you actually answered” He responded, teasing relief in his voice.

“What? You thought I wouldn’t?” You asked him as if it was the most outlandish thing in the world (even you were seriously debating it less than a minute ago). 

“Well lets look at the track record, you rejected my dinner invite, doubted my skill as a world class pilot, left me on read last night, and just made fun of my emoticons.”

“The signs were all pointing there.” 

You bursted out in laughter at his rantings.

“Wow! And now you’re laughing at my misery, a man just can’t win with you can they sweetheart?” He feigned hurt. 

“I’m sorry Lieutenant Commander, I didn’t realize it was so easy to hurt your feelings.” You teased him. 

“AND were back to Lieutenant Commander? You do not pull your punches, do you?”

“I’d like to think we’re past all those formalities, outside of work please call me Rooster, or rather yet, call me Bradley.” He asserted. 

“Sometimes I forget your full god given name is Bradley Bradshaw. Brad Brad. I’m making that your name on my phone” You continued to tease with a giggle.

“Did your parents know what they were subjecting you to?” 

“Ha Ha very funny, unfortunately they were the main ones who made the Brad Brad joke.” He admitted dejected. 

This caused you to laugh again.

“Hey this is not fair! I don’t even know your name to make fun of.” You could practically hear the pout in his voice.

“You know I’m gonna find out your name eventually sweetheart, so why don’t you just give it up now?”

“But where’s the fun in that?”

You wanted to finally tell him your name, you did. But that just opens a can of worms that would lead to reality, which you were not yet ready to face.

“I can’t call you ATC forever sweetheart..”

“Well.. what do you want to call me?” 

“Preferably your name?” He suggested.

“You only get one chance to choose so try again.” You warned. 

“And make it good”

“Okay fine I’ll bite.” He finally gave in.

“Lets see, what to call you….”

“Well you laugh a lot, and most of the time at me, so I think I want to use something related to that.”

“It’s not my fault you’re so easy to make fun of.” You quipped.

“Fair enough. Just know I only let you because I actually like the sound of your laugh.”

You felt the blush creep onto your cheeks again.

“Clock is ticking, and you’re wasting your time flirting. What is it gonna be?” You goaded him.

“Okay Okay, but don’t think I won’t continue later.”

“I have no doubt about it” 

“So something pertaining laughing…hmmm. Giggles?” 

“If you call me Giggles, I’m hanging up and blocking you.” You threaten him. 

He responded with his own laugh, and god if you didn’t love his as much as he claimed to like yours.

“Chuckles?”

“I prefered Giggles.” You grimaced

“Merry?” 

“Too Christmas-y”

“Chirpy?”

“That sounds like a name for a bird or something you’d call your grandma. How are you so bad at this?”

“I’m trying!”

“Try to pick something better than all of those please, and do it in the next 30 seconds or I revoke your naming permissions.”

“Fine…Okay! I got it!”

“Cloud!” 

“Cloud?” You asked

“Yes! Like flying on Cloud 9!”

His selection brought a smile to your face. You pretended to think on it.

“It’s acceptable.”

“Yes!” 

“See? I’m not completely useless, and it fits because I’m flying on Cloud 9 whenever I know you’re my ATC.”

His admission caused your breath to catch in your throat. He really did know how to make a girl feel special, even though you knew you had no actual chance with him in the real world.

“I bet you say that to all the ATCs.”

“Well they are responsible for making sure that I don’t crash into other planes on the runway. Gotta keep them happy somehow”

You laugh at his joke, but holding some sadness because even though he was joking, in a way it felt like it held some truth. 

“But seriously, you have no idea how much joy you brought me yesterday. Both with our conversation and seeing that you actually gave me your number. Which is why I was really sad that you weren’t my ATC today.” 

He sounded sincere, but you tried to keep yourself from taking his lines to heart. 

You smiled. 

“Speaking of your number, how the hell did you get that piece of paper into my dash?”

“There was no one else I saw near my jet except my squad and they were with me the entire time. When did you manage to do it?”

“A girl doesn’t reveal her secrets Rooster.” You jested

“Speaking of secrets, pray tell why it took you over twelve hours to use it?” You asked him, you had to know.

“Yeah, sorry about that late text sweetheart… I stayed out at the Hard Deck with Mav a little later than usual. It was my dad’s death anniversary and I honestly spent most of the day sulking and dreading leaving my apartment.”

“Oh.. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” You responded sympathetically, now feeling guilty at asking such an intrusive question. 

“No worries sweetheart, the minute I heard your voice on comms, it brightened my day, even more so when you gave me your number.”

“So thank you for the boost and the motivation to finally kick Mav’s ass in the sky.”

Your heart felt warm hearing that you had that effect on him, you woul’ve believed his words if you didn’t know better.

“You’re welcome Bradley.” You finally called him by his real first name, admittedly it felt right coming from your mouth.

You both sat in comfortable silence when you were interrupted by the smoke alarm in your kitchen. It hit you that your dinner was left on the stove forgetten during your conversation with Bradley.

“Oh shit, I’m pretty sure I just burnt my dinner. I gotta go before I set my entire apartment on fire.”

Bradley chuckled at your unintentional lapse of memory.

“Okay sweetheart I’ll talk to you soon.”

You ended the call. 

You managed to clear out the smoke out of your apartment, but unfortunately did not save your chicken. 

You had to settle for a frozen hot pocket that had been in your freezer for God know how long, but hey it did the job and beggars can’t be choosers. 

You felt the tiredness from the busy workday hit you and you decided it was a good idea to turn in early. You showered and finished your nighttime routine and settled into your bed with your phone on your nightstand.

Your phone flashed once again to signal a text. Apparently, Rooster had the same idea about an early night. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Goodnight Cloud <3 I’ll talk to you tomorrow

You: Goodnight Bradley :)

——————————————————————————————-

You were honestly pleasantly surprised at how consistently you and Bradley communicated. 

It followed the same schedule. During the days, you were usually his ATC so he would of course flirt with you over comms, and you’d try to maintain come decorum of professionalism, but would eventually flirt black. Persistence is key and Bradley is nothing if not persistent. 

When he wasn’t in the air during work hours he would sneakily text you his little random thoughts he had during the day. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Have you ever noticed how small Hangman’s mouth is?

You: What?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: No seriously look at it. His mouth is always scrunched up even when he smiles.

You: Why are you staring at Hangman’s mouth?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: We’ve been stuck in this meeting and he keeps chewing that stupid toothpick, its distracting.

You: Didn’t realize you had a thing for Seresin, Brad Brad? 🤔

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: ???????

You: You just said his mouth is distracting

You: Its okay Rooster, just say you wanna kiss him, the tension between you is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: I don’t want to kiss Hangman >:( 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: You wanna know who I do wanna kiss though? 

You: Let me guess…..

You: Bob! 

You: Or better yet, Cyclone 🤪

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: No :(((

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: I wanna kiss you

You: Let’s Play 8 Ball!

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Ha ha you’re hilarious

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: If I beat you then can I get a kiss?

Read 2:13pm

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Ouch :(

On weekday nights where he didn’t go to the Hard Deck, you would have your nightly phone call at 7:30pm sharp where you would both stay on the phone while you both cooked dinner. You would catch up on the little things during the day that you didn’t text about and just mostly got to know one another.

You can admit that yes, what initially drew you to Rooster was his beautiful smile and his skill as a pilot. But the more you spoke to him the more you saw not just Lieutenant Commander “Rooster” Bradshaw. But you also saw Bradley.

You quickly saw that he was kind, humble, and so caring of others. 

“Hey Cloud,  I’m sorry for calling you so late.” You noticed his tone was more solemn than usual and checked the time, it was nearing 8pm.

“It’s fine Bradley, you’re not that late.”

“What’s wrong?” You asked him.

“Payback and Fanboy flew into a jetwash today….”

“They had to eject.” He answered dejectedly

“I heard about that. Are they okay?”

 Laura told you about the incident a little earlier, she was the ATC for the flight. The ear-splitting static that hit her headset after the aircraft collided with the ground was enough to shake even the most experienced ATC. So you couldn’t imagine being the pilot and the WSO in that situation. 

“They’re at the hospital overnight for observation. I stuck around to make sure they were okay.” 

It was very strange for you to hear Rooster so despondent. You knew he cared about his friends, and he would do anything for them, but it felt like there was more to the situation. 

“You’re very thoughtful for that Bradley.. I’m sure they appreciated it”

“It was my fault, Cloud.” he confessed. 

You were taken aback at his admittance, but you would’ve heard if there was someone that was directly responsible for the accident, it involved aircraft worth millions of dollars after all. 

“They flew into my jetwash.” 

“Bradley, that wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have controlled their flight path.” You tried to reassure him.

“But I shouldn’t have been so reckless!” He exclaimed. 

“If I wasn’t so busy trying to outdo Coyote, I wouldn’t have almost hit a bird strike and had to slow down, and they wouldn't have gotten caught in the wash.”

You didn’t want to tell him he was being irrational for blaming himself for a situation that was clearly out of his hands, you knew there was something more there. 

“But they’re fine right? Everyone is okay. No one was seriously hurt.” You explained to him.

“Yeah no one got hurt….THIS time.” 

His statement piqued your interest, you were getting somewhere.

“What do you mean?” 

He sighed, finally letting go of the pretenses. 

“That’s how my dad died.” He confessed.

In a way you knew about LTJG Nick Bradshaw and his untimely death during his Top Gun training, but none of the sordid details. It felt disrespectful to dig into Rooster’s family without him knowing. 

“Oh..” You couldn’t think of what to say. 

“He and Mav flew into a jetwash and when they ejected…my dad hit his head on the canopy. Dead on impact.”

You kicked yourself for thinking he was being irrational. Now all his self blame and his aversion to throwing caution to the wind while flying finally made sense. It also made his relationship with Maverick a lot clearer to you. 

On one hand, you were thrilled that he was confiding in you. But on the other hand you were also heartbroken for Bradley, he lost his dad so young and as much as you wanted to hug him, and let him cry on your shoulder, you couldn’t. 

“Were you close?” You settled on asking him. 

“We were, he’s the reason why I worked so hard to be where I am now.” He reminisced. 

“I’m sure he is very proud of you Bradley. You are not only an incredible pilot, you are also an selfless, caring, and incredible man.” You reminded him. 

“He would give all the credit to my mom.” He lightly chuckled. 

“She raised me alone after my dad died.”

“She never remarried?” You asked

“No, she said that dad was her soulmate. She would never find another man like him.”

You can tell how much love Bradley had for his parents, and the love they shared for one another. 

“It sounds like they were really in love.” You smiled 

“They were. My dad would always serenade my mom. He loved the 50s and the 60s so everytime he saw a piano he would wail out ‘Great Balls of Fire’ while my mom would act embarrassed, but she would eventually sit on his lap and sing along.” 

“That’s beautiful Brad, they really were soulmates.”

“I hope I can find a love like theirs someday.” You sighed dreamily. 

“Who knows? Maybe you already have.” He responds softly.

A comfortable silence settled between you for a few moments. 

“Hey Cloud”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for listening.”

“Anytime Bradley.”

You noticed that it was now getting late and exhaustion was starting to take over your body.

Bradley seemed to notice this as well.

“Do you think I can sing to you Cloud? Like my dad used to with my mom?” 

“I would love that Brad.” 

You slowly fell asleep to the sound of his voice singing ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You’.

And like that, there was no denying, that you’re falling even deeper.

——————————————————————————————-

You don’t know how much longer you can keep this up. It has been months since you and Rooster started talking regularly and you couldn’t help falling in love with him a little more everyday. 

The problem is, you knew that his patience was wearing thin, as he was asking you more and more frequently when he can see you face to face or even know your real name.

You knew you owe him all of that, but how could you tell him? When you know in your heart that once he sees you and knows you. He would know you weren’t worth his time. 

That realization kills you because he means everything to you. You’ve shared your hobbies, your stories, your dreams with him. 

How can you go on living without him in your life once you know the feeling of him being there. 

He has planted himself a permanent spot in your heart, and once he’s gone, there will be a gaping hole left in his wake. 

He was being as kind and as patient with you as he could, but you couldn’t blame his growing anxiety about your identity. 

It also didn’t help that you were constantly under the scrutinous eyes of Lieutenant Commander Seresin. After he caught you on the Tarmac, he seemed very suspicious of you. Like he knew you were up to something but just couldn’t put his finger on it. 

Luckily you’ve been able to fly under the radar around him. Yes he could be a little ignorant and too much of a flirt for his own good but he was smart as a whip and you knew that if anyone could figure out what you were doing it would be him. 

You were currently sat with ATCs in the mess hall, on the other side of the room from where the dagger squad has decided to congregate. You were trying to subtly sneak glances at Bradley. 

He looked particularly handsome today, his sandy hair was slicked back and his tanned skin glowing. He even had his signature Ray Ban Caravans on. You normally hate when people wear sunglasses indoors but he made it work without looking like an asshole. And it looks damn good on him. 

You sighed and as you moved your focus away to not arouse suspicion you noticed Hangman look at you with narrowed eyes. You pretended not to notice. 

Your attention was diverted by the vibration of you phone signaling a notification. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Is potato salad supposed to be green?

You smiled when you saw it was a text from Bradley

You: Depends, do you normally eat 2 week old potato salad?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Mav said it was okay :(

You: Mav also thinks anything not cooked in a microwave is gourmet.

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Okay fair, its going into the trash. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: You know what is gourmet though? ;)

You: Mav

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Not funny :(

You tried to hold in your laughter to no avail and it was loud enough for the other ATC s to look at you in confusion. 

“Sorry, just saw a funny meme.” You explained, the ATCs accepted this explanation and went back to their previous activities. 

You looked up again to catch another glimpse at Rooster when you saw Hangman staring at your phone in your hand with wide eyes. Then looked down at Rooster also smiling down at his own phone, and then back at you. 

You could see the wheels in his head turning, and then he made a face that made it clear that he connected the dots. 

Oh shit. You had to get out of here.

You quickly packed up your food and sat up, not bothering to say goodbye to your fellow ATCs. 

You ran out the mess hall and down the hallway but before you could turn the corner a hand pulls you back. 

You are now face to face with Lieutenant Commander Seresin. He looked at you for a few seconds 

“You’re Air Traffic Control right?” he asked you with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yes sir I am.” You said trying to disguise your voice the same as you did on the tarmac. 

“Don’t play games with me honey, I know that’s not your real voice.” You gulped 

He still had a grip on your arm so you couldn’t run even if you wanted to. Curse these Navy men and their workout routines. 

“Tell me your name, and that’s an order.” 

You were sweating under his gaze, you’ve never felt more panicked in your life.

You tell him your name in your real voice. 

He finally released his grip on you and also seemed to drop his serious demeanor. 

“I knew there was something about you! You’re the ATC that old chicken has been flirting with over comms aren’t you??”

You nod looking down at your feet. Damn it, there goes your whole relationship (if you can even call it that) with Rooster, because Hangman is definitely going to rat you out. 

“You see, Rooster was telling the squad that he was in love. And so of course we ask him who she is.” 

“But how surprising was it when he said that not only has he never seen her face to face, he doesn’t even know her name.” 

He was now pacing up and down the hallway. 

“Then I remembered that day where he bet you your number if he shot down Mav, he magically got a piece of paper with a number on his dash seemingly coming from nowhere.” 

“But it wasn’t a magic trick at all, was it?” He asked you rhetorically.

“No sir.”

“Exactly! Because I caught you sneaking off the Tarmac moments before Rooster jumped into his plane and happily announcing that he got your phone number.” 

“I saw your face, so you are both the ATC over comms and the girl he talks to,  the one he says he’s in love with.”

You looked up shocked at his statement.

“He’s in love with me?” 

You looked up from the ground with hopeful eyes. 

“Yes he is.” Hangman tells you matter of factly. 

“You’ve presumably been talking to Rooster for months, but you've yet to meet him in person, let alone even tell him your name.”

“What game are you playing here?” He asks you

“It’s not a game, I do care about Bradley.” You sighed. 

“So then what is it?” 

“Sir, can we not please talk about it here?” 

You anxiously look around and see that people were now in the hallway exiting from the mess hall. And god forbid that Bradley was one of them. 

“Fine.” 

“Meet me at the Hard Deck after work.” 

——————————————————————————————-

 You were seated at the bar in the Hard Deck, your left leg bouncing anxiously.

You checked your watch, 5:47pm. Hangman said to meet him here right after work and you basically sped off the base to get to the bar on time.

You’ve been nursing the same beer for the past almost 30 minutes. You couldn’t focus on anything but the sound of your heart beating in your chest.

What was taking him so long? Did he forget? Did he already tell Bradley?

A million more questions swirled in your head. But you knew that if Hangman didn’t show up you were basically screwed.

Your self pity was interrupted by the booming sound of naval aviators strolling through the entrance, with one of them being Bradley and of course Hangman.

You were simultaneously trying to avoid Rooster’s gaze, while trying to catch Hangman’s attention.

When you finally caught his eye, you gave him a panicked questioning look. He gave you a subtle nod while continuing his conversation with the rest of the squadron. 

The crew made their way to their usual spot in the back with the pool tables. Hangman excused himself from the group nodding towards you.

You kept your eyes on him as he made his way to you. 

“Jimmy, can I get a beer?” Hangman asks the bartender.

“Lieutenant Commander.” You greeted him as he sat on the stool directly beside you.

He returned the greeting by saying your name.

“So let’s just get this out of the way. Did you tell Bradley?” You asked him, feeling a large brick settle in your stomach. 

“You can relax.. I didn’t tell Bradshaw.” He replies

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Relief flooding your body.

“But don’t think that you’re off the hook, you have some explaining to do.” Hangman added.

“What do you want to know sir?” You swallowed nervously.

“First of all, who are you exactly?” 

“I’m no one, I’m just an ATC.” You told him, looking down at your hands.

“Well you’re clearly not ‘no one’ if you’ve caught Rooster’s attention.” He rebutted.

“You’re little avoidance tricks might work on Rooster, but they won’t work on me.”

“And I know all your excuses for not meeting him are complete bs.”

“So why are you hiding from him?”

Now that’s the million dollar question isn’t it? It has been months since you started talking to Bradley, you spoke to him every single day, and fell asleep to the sound of his voice every night. Why were you hiding from him?

“I-.....I don’t know.” You confessed to Hangman. 

“Then whats stopping me from getting up and telling Rooster who you are?” Hangman asked you with a raised eyebrow. 

You stared at him, the words lost in your throat. 

“Nothing then I guess..”  He got up and started his way to the back.

You pulled his arm back similar to how he did to you earlier that day. He looked at you and your hand on his arm. 

“Please don’t…I beg you.” 

He sat back down on his stool giving you a questioning look but gave you the time to get your thoughts together. 

“I never intended for it to go on this long or this far..” You explained. 

“Bradley is so important to me. I knew he was special the first time I ever heard his voice.”

“It was during the uranium plant detachment from a few months ago. I risked my whole damn career to save him.” 

“I released the dagger reserve without Admiral Simpson’s approval.” You continued.

“That was you? You gave me clearance that day?” His eyes finally lost the skepticism and was replaced with admiration. 

“I did, everyone in that control room was completely frozen. I couldn’t just let them die.” 

“But that doesn’t explain this whole situation you have going on with him.” He questioned

“That was the last I expected to ever see of him, but you all decided to stay here in Miramar and I made the mistake of speaking to him a little too long over comms.”

“That’s to be expected honey, Rooster is a big ol flirt.” Hangman chuckled.

“Well not as a big of a flirt as me though.” He winked at you. 

He was trying to ease your worries and you appreciated that from him. Especially since he thought the worst of you less than 10 minutes ago. 

“And of course you and Mav have heard how he got my number over comms and thats currently where we are now.” You finished.

“Okay so thats the backstory, and you clearly care about him and he cares about you.”

“So it still doesn't answer why you haven’t told him who you are.”

“Think about it this way Lieutenant Commander…”

“You, Phoenix, Payback, Coyote, and Rooster. You are some of the most important and most revered people in the Navy short of the Admirals.” 

“You are the first in command, you are the best of the best in the entire world.” 

“What do I? A low level ATC, have to offer Bradley?.”

“I am just me, and he is who he is. I could never be a person whos good enough for him.” 

“But didn’t I just tell you? Bradshaw is in love with you.” Hangman argued. 

You smiled sadly, turning your head to glance at Bradley at the pool tables. His head thrown back in laughter at something Fanboy said. 

“Maybe..he is.” You turned back to Hangman.

“But one look at me and he’ll change his mind.” 

“I don’t understand. Do you think you’re-” Hangman’s response was interrupted by Rooster popping up behind you both. 

“Hangman, I thought you were getting a beer?” 

You suddenly felt lightheaded, the sight of Rooster standing so close to you making your heart beat a million times per minute. 

“Whos your friend?” Rooster asked Hangman while looking at you with a smile. 

You wouldn’t dare open your mouth and speak, risking Bradley recognizing your voice. You stared at Hangman with pleading eyes, hoping he didn’t give you away to Rooster.

Hangman looked at Rooster and back at you, pausing for a moment.

Hangman finally speaks telling Rooster your name. Fuck. You were naïve to think he’d keep your secret.

“We actually just met, she’s getting over a case of laryngitis so her voice is a little hoarse.” Hangman explained. 

You smiled at him, silently thanking him for not revealing your charade. 

“Hi, nice to meet you.” You let out in a hoarse voice, turning to look at Bradley.

He reached out and shook your hand and you can feel your stomach doing backflips for finally getting to touch the man that you’ve spent several months falling in love with. 

“Well I’m sorry to hear that ma’am, I hope you feel better.” Bradley offered politely.

“I’ll leave you and Hangman to your conversation.” He excused himself and returned to the pool table, you stared at him longingly as he walked away. 

Hangman looked at you in amusement. 

“You got it bad, don’t you honey?” Hangman asked with a slight chuckle. 

“That obvious?” You asked him

“Couldn’t be any less subtle if you tried.” 

“Which makes it so funny that Bradshaw had no clue its you.” He chortled. 

“Me personally, if I were him, I would know it was you the minute I saw you.” He added with a smirk,

Leave it to Hangman to be an insatiable flirt.

“Thank you for helping me out.” 

As big of an asshole Hangman can be, he really did have a good heart. 

“Your secret is safe with me honey.” 

——————————————————————————————-

@luckyladycreator2

@lunamoonbby

@n3ssm0nique

@and-claudia

@marrianena

@hummusxx

@writeroutoftime

@abrielleholland

@eroda-harry

@maxi-milf-dot-com

@jake-h-ngm-n-seresin

@8oopsiedaisy8

@dempy

@playswithsquirrellls

@bayisdying

@mysticaldonkey

@zzazzao

@arianna-bradshaw

@pinkwritingdoll

@xattislc

@calsjack

@1bakubabe

@paulina1998

@peaches-1999

@sopheeg

@cowboybarbie

@marvelsvalhalla

@bethebella

@bespinnn

@manwalaage

@sweet-creature98

@8lyme

@ashann7

@hotch-meeeeeuppppp

@maudeeloise

@ambearsstuff

@parker-natasha

@wishingwell-2

@my-soulmate-is-mycroft

@carolinecakes  

@angzls

@saintnourah

@ebonyhogan24

@taytay3212

@fangirl-316

@babyspiderling

@iangiemae

@yogabigooby

@gracie145

@choslover

@maudeeloise

@cursedandromedablack

@marland56

@ynbutbetter

@turningtoclown

@dilfsandtherapy

@strawberryblogg

@unluckymonaghan

@queeniesdiary

@emilyniamh369-blog

@shaded-recs

@romxnticist

@Iyv127

@xoxoloverb

@marchingicenotes7

@supernaturaldawning

[sdrose93]

Tom's just there 😂🥰🤗❤

[themistymountainscold]

rooster: made you all playlists!

rooster: ice, yours has only heavy metal, to match your soul.

rooster: hangman, yours has sad songs and blues to pair with your crippling depression.

rooster: and maverick has the ABBA Gold album.

[lupuslikethewolf]

i’m so excited for your fic — the icemav rwrb!au. *₊˚🌷୧

adjsjjs so am i!!!

once the title poll comes to a close, i'm planning on starting posting, with ch 1/2 already finished and ch3 on its way

for now, enjoy a couple sneaky lil extracts:

[fandomgirlz01]

Anesthesia Brain Fog

Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Reader

Prompt?: No

Request?: No

Requested prompt?: No

Ko-fi

Masterlist

Warnings here

You can listen to the story be read out loud here.{Coming Soon}

Post Date: July 3rd 2023

Post Time: 10:48 pm

Edited: Yes

Word count: 5,195

Summary: When the reader goes under anesthesia for a surgery, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw sweetly takes care of his wife.

Author's Note: This Fic is based off of this video:

I {Faith} saw this on Tiktok and immediately thought of our sweet sweet Rooster and I {Faith} came up with the following Fic. I {Faith} decided that we don't give enough just fluff on this page so here you guys go a straight up fluffy piece. Plus I {Faith} believe that to this day this is my best work yet, you guys can really tell how far I've come in my writing if you guys follow my Wattpad and I am super proud of this one. With that being said I hope you guys enjoy this work of mine and I hope I did both brads and Maverick justice though my writing. I hope you guys see how much I put into making this absolutely just Brad.

Bradley’s Pov:

“She’ll be fine, Bradley. They said they do this surgery all the time,” Maverick notes, trying to comfort me. I raise my head to look at him. 

“I know, I just miss her is all. This is the first time in a long time we’ve been apart this long,” I reply as my leg bounces from anticipation about my wife. 

“You look more worried than anything, but I get it. You guys are always together. Hell, you guys are even together in the air,” he comments with a chuckle and I sigh, rubbing my hand over my face. 

“Ok. Maybe I’m a little worried, Mav, but wouldn’t you be worried too if Penny had to have aortic valve surgery?” I question him in a slightly biting tone and he shrugs before nodding. 

“I’d be worried with any form of surgery on Penny,” he sympathizes with me and I throw a hand up to point at him. 

“See. So it’s only natural I'm worried,” I justify with a shrug before looking back down as I play with the ring that sits on my finger, twisting it around. 

I sigh as I sit back in my chair, waiting for y/n to come out of her surgery. When she’d started having chest pains a few weeks back, I immediately took her to the doctor and they found that her blood pressure was a little low. They looked at the problem further to learn that her aortic valve had been narrowing, making it hard for her heart to pump any blood to the rest of her body. 

The doctor immediately had her start the preparation for the surgery, which I of course helped her though. Today was the day we both highly anticipated for the last three weeks: the surgery. Her numbers kept bouncing back and forth, making the three weeks of waiting unbearable, until finally she was in the right range of numbers they wanted. Now it had only been three and a half hours since they finally took her back. My leg has been bouncing the whole time, unable to sit still as I continuously rub at my mustache or play with my ring anxiously while we wait for any news. 

“Really, I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s under anesthesia, Bradley. She probably doesn’t feel a thing,” Maverick offers his comfort once again and I sigh, shaking my head as I sit up with my arms crossed. 

“But that’s the thing, Mav. What if she does feel anything? I read somewhere that sometimes even with the anesthesia, a person can feel everything,” I explain while smoothing out my mustache and he shakes his head, chuckling. 

“Bradley. I’m sure she doesn’t. If I remember correctly from the research I did, it’s only one patient per thousand that feels anything,” he explains as he pushes off the wall where he’d been standing with his arms crossed and I shake my head in frustration. 

“She’s okay and either way, she’ll be fine. You're just making yourself panic more than need be, son,” he calmly talks me down as he walks over next to me and I sigh, nodding. 

“I know, Mav, I just wish I could be with her,” I reply as he chuckles, setting a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it. 

“You remind me so much of your dad. He’d be the same way. So protective and a big worry wort,” he comments jokingly yet lovingly, and I lightly smile as I uncross my arms now. 

I start to say something but the door opens, cutting me off. A nice looking older lady with brown shoulder-length hair walks in. She closes the door behind her before turning to us with a smile on her face. Maverick smiles softly as he takes his hand off my shoulder to shake hers before crossing them once more. 

“Hi, my name is Kairi. I’m the head nurse on the floor today,” she introduces herself with a light smile. 

“Y/n should be out soon, I’m just here to get the room ready and to inform you that it went well,” she explains to us as she starts to move around the room and I let out a sigh of relief. 

“See, Bradley? You were all worried for nothing,” Maverick jokes with a small chuckle as he slaps me on the shoulder and the nurse lets out a small laugh too. 

“Well, no more worrying. She’ll be here soon. She did so well. The doctor had little to no issues,” she reassures me in a friendly tone. 

“So there were issues?” I ask and Kairi shakes her head. 

“It wasn’t a big one, she just had a very elevated blood pressure from her body learning to take to the new dynamic again. It didn’t remember how to function with the valve not closing off, but in the end all went well and the doctor was able to fix her all up,” Kairi continues to reassure me and I sigh. 

“Will she be awake when she comes in?” I ask and she smiles softly. 

“She may still be asleep at first because the anesthesia will still be wearing off, but she’ll be perfectly ok,” she promises as she writes something on the big chart on the wall and for the first time all morning, I can feel myself relax. 

“Ok. Well, I’m finished up,” Kairi starts as she lightly pushes off the wall, caps the white board marker she's holding, and clips it back to the side of the board. 

“She’ll be in here in a few minutes. If you need anything, just push this button and I should get the notification to come on in,” Kairi continues to explain to us as she points to the button before putting her right hand in her pocket as she starts to walk out of the room. 

“Oh! Would you look at that, I was right,” Kairi remarks happily when she opens the door and there’s two other nurses pushing y/n’s bed. 

We watch as they get the bed into its final resting place. Soon they finish up and we watch as they all move towards the door. 

“Let me know when she’s awake and we can make sure she’s not too out of it,” Kairi informs us as she turns back to us with a smile and a nod before her and other nurses are fully leaving the room. 

“Sounds like it’s just a waiting game now,” Maverick comments as he leans back in his chair and I give a small “hmm” as I pull out my phone. 

I text the group chat to let everyone know she’s out of surgery and in no time start getting replies about how happy the team is that it went well. I smile softly at the love she gets from everyone on the team and respond back to a few of them. 

When the group chat calms down a bit, I mess around on some other things on my phone for a while as I grab her hand and hold onto it with my unoccupied hand. It’s only about an hour later when I feel y/n squeeze my hand lightly. 

I jump up and quickly put my phone back into my pocket as she groans for a moment. Maverick looks up from his phone when I jump up and hover next to her. He stands up and walks closer to the other side of her bed. 

“Morning, honey. How are you feeling?” I ask in a soft tone as I smile down at her. 

She blinks a few times and groggily looks up at me as I stroke her hair back lightly. Maverick chuckles before walking over to the door and opening it. He stops and turns to look back as I look up at him. 

“I’ll go let Kairi know that she’s awake,” he informs me before he walks out.

Y/n groggily blinks up at me a little more before reaching up for me. I go to reach for her hand, but stop when she starts to rub at my cheek. I smile down at her and she smiles as she pokes my mustache, making me chuckle. 

“What, you like my mustache? Was it a nice sleep?” I question her with a quirked eyebrow as she continues to look at me with half-lidded eyes. 

Maverick walks back in with Kairi and she smiles as she walks over to y/n. Kairi stops by y/n’s bed and looks over her drip bag. 

“Good morning, miss y/n. How are you feeling?” she queries and y/n smiles groggily at her. 

“I feel fine, but who’s he? He looks cute…” y/n questions as she points at me and I fight off a laugh as Maverick looks at me with a smirk. 

“Sweetheart, that's Bradley. Your husband,” Maverick states to her through his laughs. 

“Oh hi, Mav!” Y/n shouts as she looks over at him and grins as he gives her a small wave. 

“Wait, so she remembers Mav, but not me?” I ask and the nurse smiles softly as she looks her over. 

“It may just be temporary amnesia from the anesthesia. It’ll wear off soon enough,” she explains as she continues to look her over. 

“Looks like you were worried about the wrong thing, Bradley,” Mavrick jokes with a smirk and I give him a playful glare. 

“Temporary amnesia is common and it can definitely be very selective. So I wouldn’t worry. Everyone reacts a little differently to the anesthesia,” Kairi continues to explain as she looks over the needle in y/n’s arm. 

“Well, she looks ok and like all is well. I’ll come in when she’s more awake and off the amnesia from the anesthesia. I will also be checking in every half hour or so,” Kairi explains as I look up at her and give her a nod. 

“You know what button to push if you need me, right?” Kairi queries one last time, making me and Maverick nod. 

“I think we got it from here. Thank you, Kairi,” Maverick muses out through his laughter that he’s trying to stifle and she smiles, nodding at him before heading out of the room while holding her own laughter in. 

“You come back here,” y/n demands, pointing at me and wiggling her finger for me to come closer. I hold back a laugh as I bend back down to her. 

“Oh I’m getting this on video. The memory will be golden,” Maverick comments as he pulls his phone out and seems to start recording. 

“You like how he looks, Bumblebee?” Mavrick questions as she starts to caress my face again. 

“You look a little weird,” she declares and I hold back a laugh again. 

“But you're cute,” she continues as she pokes my mustache again, making me openly laugh now. 

“Hmm. Well I’m glad you still like my face,” I joke and look up at Maverick, who’s stifling many more laughs while recording. 

“She’s so gonna kill me for recording this, but it’s so good,” Maverick cheekily jokes as he continues to record and I chuckle. 

“That she will, Mav, but I’m sure once she sees it she’ll just laugh it off. Ya know, after she kills you though,” I agree jokingly with him and he shrugs. 

“Worth it,” he comments with a shrug and I shake my head at him. 

She continues to rub at my face again and soon it starts to tickle, making me shy away for a moment. She then stops rubbing my face and I turn back to her while laughing. She stops and looks at me in confusion, making me tilt my head as she continues to look at me for a moment, almost deep in thought. 

“You’re funny lookin’,” she decides as she points at me and I bow my head to laugh. 

I look up at Maverick as I continue to laugh, but jump when she pulls my hat off. I watch as she holds it up and looks at it before trying to put it on her own head, but it ends up just sitting haphazardly on her head. 

“I like it. My hats always look good on you, sweetie,” I state with a grin before she pokes my mustache again. 

“I like you,” she informs as she keeps poking at my mustache, making me chortle. 

“Yeah? Do you?” I ask her and she keeps poking my mustache as well as my lip now. 

“I think,” she adds and I chuckle as I give her a playful shocked look. 

“You think?” I ask her though my laughter and she widens her eyes at me, continuously poking my face. 

“Honey. You don’t have a straight head right now. Thinking may not be the best idea,” I joke and Maverick chuckles as she just gives me a confused look. 

She then takes my hat off her head and throws it down on the side of the bed. She looks away for a moment, then looks back at me and takes my aviators off. She tries them on, but they only sit haphazardly on her face again. 

“I like them. Again, they look good on you, darlin’. My stuff always suits you,” I tell her with a grin as I nod at her. 

“You’re cute,” she comments, completely ignoring what I’d told her as she pulls her hand away only to thump me in the forehead as she points to it. 

I laugh as she lets her hand drop and she looks up at me in awe some more. I look at Maverick and we have a silent conversation before I nod, chuckling to myself as I turn back to her. 

“I’m gonna blow your mind right now, sweetheart,” I note jokingly. 

“You wanna know how?” I ask her as she looks away from me, almost ignoring me. 

I quickly move forward and give her cheek a kiss. she turns to me, her mouth falling open. 

“That cute guy in the Hawaiian shirt is kissin me, Mav!” she shouts as she looks at me in awe and shock, making us both burst out into laughter. 

She looks shocked and every time I look at her, I laugh harder. My face falls just under her chest above her lungs as I laugh harder and harder. I take a deep breath as I try to sober up from my laughter before looking back up at her again. 

I quickly move forward and kiss her on the lips before pulling away to see her face in even more shock. Her mouth stays open in shock as her eyes widen and I can’t help but to laugh even harder. 

“Whoa,” I playfully tell her with wide eyes and she doesn’t react, just stays frozen in her shock. 

I lay my head back down again as I laugh harder at her and her hand grips onto my hair for a moment. She runs her fingers through it, making me look up at her again. 

I lean forward for another kiss and this time she closes her mouth and kisses back. Once I pull back, she looks at me still in shock and I start to laugh harder if it’s even possible. I fall back onto the floor as I continue to laugh with my eyes screwing shut as I fight to breathe through the laughter. 

“You are cute,” she states again as she points at me on the ground, only making me laugh harder. 

“And he kissed you, sweetheart,” Maverick informs her, as she continues to look at me and loosely point at me now. 

“How lucky are you?” Maverick asks her though his own laughter. 

She quickly turns to look at Maverick, who tries hard not to laugh. He continues to record and laugh as she just stares at him. 

“Think he’ll take you out to dinner when you get outta here?” Mavrick questions her and she looks at him. 

“I got a nasty scar though,” she groans out with a face of disgust as she points to her chest where they opened her up. 

“Don’t you worry about that, honey. I still find you very attractive,” I promise her with a smile and she gives me a dazed look as Maverick stops recording. 

“I’m tired…” she whispers quietly and I smile, nodding at her. 

“Ok. Go back to sleep then, princess. It’s ok to be tired. You’ve had a very long morning,” I promise her as I brush some of her hair back behind her ear. 

“Ok, cute guy…” she mutters sleepily before closing her eyes and getting comfortable. 

“I’ll, uhh, go get us some lunch. What do you want?” Maverick asks as he shoves his phone into his pocket. 

“Umm, maybe some In-n-out?” I answer him with a question and he hums in agreement. 

“That does sound very good. I’ll be back soon. We’ll watch the video when I get back,” he tells me with a smirk as he puts his jacket on and I nod at him as I try not to start laughing again. 

He smiles and chuckles one last time before turning around and walking out the door. I chuckle lightly as I pull a chair over by y/n’s bedside before sitting down in it. 

“Hey, cute guy…?” y/n quietly asks and I have to hold back a chuckle as I look up at her, giving her a ‘hmm’ in response. 

“Will you hold my hand?” she again quietly asks me now, looking at me with her eyes gleaming and I grin. 

“Of course, sweetheart,” I reply as I reach my hand out for her to take. 

“Thank you, cute guy,” she whispers out, before cuddling back into her bed and I smile, squeezing her hand. 

“You are very welcome, sweet girl,” I tell her as I bring her hand up to my lips, leaving a kiss on the back of it. 

She sighs softly and I chuckle as she seems to slowly fall asleep. Once she’s out, my phone goes off and I quietly hiss as I quickly try to pull it out of my pocket with my free hand. When I successfully pull it out I see a text from Phoenix. 

Phoenix: Hey. Any updates? She awake?

I smile softly at the care that comes through the text, the same as earlier. I look up at y/n to see that her chest rises and falls softly. I slowly let go of her hand for a split second so I can’t text back. 

Me: Hey. All’s good. Although she did have a small bout of amnesia when she woke up. Nurse says it’s a common symptom for most people. Right now she’s asleep again. I’ll text and let you all know when she’s feeling up to visitors. 

Y/n whines a little as her hand moves a bit as if searching for mine. I smile and after sending the text, quickly grab her hand again. She calms as soon as I grab it and I smile softly. 

I then continue to play around on my phone as she sleeps and time seems to fly by. Soon before I know it, the door is opening and Maverick walks in with the In-n-out bags along with a drink holder with two drinks. 

“How do you always do that?” I ask as he sets the two bags down along with the drinks and he hums. 

“How do I do what?” he questions and I motion to the drinks. 

“How do you carry drinks on your bike?!” I ask in astonishment and he chuckles, shrugging. 

“I don’t know, just do,” he replies, bouncing his eyebrows at me and I shake my head. 

“You are a wonder, Mav,” I tell him through a chuckle as I shake my head. 

“So are you, kid. So are you,” he tells me with a smile my way. 

“Come on. Let’s eat,” he continues as he pulls his burger out of the bag. 

“I’ll eat mine over here,” I state, holding our interlaced hands up so he can see them and he nods, smiling as he pulls my fries out of the bag. 

“I figured you would. Just like your dad. He wouldn’t have left Carol’s side for anything in the world even if it was to eat when she was in a hospital bed,” he reminisces and I smile softly, loving that he’s telling me about my dad. 

He hands me the fries as well as my burger along with my drink and I take them, setting them down on her table. I take a moment to look over at her and smile when I see she’s peacefully sleeping. I then pull the table closer to me before starting to eat. 

We both silently eat, exchanging banter every now and then before y/n lets out a groan. I look up at her before shoving my phone in my pocket, pushing the table away from myself and standing next to her. 

“Morning, sweetheart. Did you have another nice nap?” I ask her and she smiles at me. 

“Morning, Brads. Yes, yes it was a very nice sleep,” she tells me and I smile at the mention of one of my many nicknames that she’s dubbed me with. 

“So you know who I am this time?” I ask her as I hold back a chuckle. 

“What do you mean?! Do I know you?! Of course I know you. You're my husband,” she tells me while giving me an incredulous look. 

“Sweetheart. I’m glad you know me now, but as of an hour ago you did not,” I inform her as I continue to hold back my laughter. 

“What? No. I don’t even remember waking up,” she denies, shaking her head. 

“But you did, honey,” I tell her softly and she shakes her head. 

“Why don’t I remember it then?” she asks and I shrug lightly. 

“Well I think I can answer that…” a voice speaks up, making me look up to see Kairi standing there smiling with her hands on her hips. 

“You had a temporary form of amnesia when you woke up. You probably don’t remember it because you weren’t fully off the anesthesia, but now you should be,” Kairi explains as she smiles while walking over to us. 

“How do you feel, Mrs. Bradshaw?” she asks as she walks over to us. 

“I feel fine. Tired still and a little hungry, but overall fine,” y/n answers before looking over at me and I squeeze her hand lightly as I let out a chortle. 

“Ok. I think we can handle that. I’ll make sure to have food brought up to you,” Kairi promises through her laughter. 

“But don’t worry. It’s all normal after these kinds of surgeries. You may experience weakness for quite a while, as well as many bursts of emotions or even sudden tiredness,” Kairi explains softly and I smile at y/n encouragingly. 

“You’re also looking fine, that must mean you’re already recovering pretty well. You may feel some pain or discomfort around the incision. If you do, just call me in and we’ll figure out what’s up,” Kairi explains as she finishes looking over y/n and I smile, nodding at her. 

“Thank you, Kairi. We’ll definitely call if we need you,” I tell her and she smiles softly. 

“Ok. I’ll see you again in an hour unless you need me before then,” Kairi promises with a smile as Maverick and I nod to her. 

“Word of advice: keep these two around, Mrs. Bradshaw. They both seem to love you a whole lot,” Kairi comments, making y/n smile. 

“Thank you, Kairi. I plan to,” y/n agrees and Kairi smiles, nodding before turning and heading for the door. 

“Did I really forget you?” Y/n asks with a pout and I chuckle. 

“Yes, you did Bee, I even got it on video!” Maverick tells her and she pouts even more. 

“Hey. It’s ok, sweet pea. I know it wasn’t actually you. It was just a reaction you had to the anesthesia,” I promise her as I rub back some of her hair and she looks up at me, tears filling her eyes. 

“B…b…but I forgot my Brads. How could I forget you?” she asks and I chuckle, looking at Maverick. 

“I think she may be having one of those bursts of emotions, huh Bradley?” Maverick questions and I chuckle, shaking my head. 

“I think she might be, but it’s okay. It’s just temporary. Honey, it’s ok, really. I know it wasn’t actually you forgetting me,” I tell her and her lip trembles. 

“Really?” she hesitantly asks and I smile softly. 

“Yes, my sweet girl, it's okay. I’m not mad,” I promise her and she finally smiles. 

“It was more funny than anything. Wanna watch the video?” Maverick comments, holding back laughter and she glares at him. 

“You better not have,” she sternly tells him and he chokes on his laughter. 

“Oh, but I did…” he cheekily tells her with a smirk and she groans. 

“Mav! Please delete it?!” she begs him and he laughs, shaking his head. 

“No can do, Bee. Sorry, it’s just too good to delete,” he informs her and she lets out a huff as she crosses her arms. 

“You must really want to die,” she mutters and I chuckle, shaking my head at my two favorite people. 

“Bradley, honey… say your goodbyes to your father now while you have the chance, because as soon as I’m able to get out of this bed, he’s gone,” she tells me in a very serious tone and I hold back my laughter as I try to nod seriously at her. 

“Bradley, tell her she can’t kill me,” Maverick tries to plea with me but I shake my head. 

“Oh no. I’m not getting into this. I warned you, remember, and you just shrugged saying it was worth it, so don’t pull me in. I don’t wanna be in the hot seat. You're all on your own,” I tell him and slowly his eyes widen. 

“Bradley, you can’t possibly sit by and just watch as she murders me,” he tries to fight back and I smirk. 

“Who said I’d be sitting back? I wouldn’t even be in the room. Gotta keep my innocence,” I inform him and he scoffs, shaking his head. 

“Innocence, my ass. Kid, you ain’t one bit innocent,” he tells me and that’s when I finally break, starting to laugh. 

“Who are you to talk, Maverick? Mr. My name isn’t innocence…” y/n comments with an eye roll and I laugh harder as he looks at her in shock. 

“And you act so innocent all the time? I think not!” he argues back and she scoffs. 

“I’m definitely more innocent than you,” she continues to argue back and Maverick shakes his head. 

“Bradley, help me out here, you can’t possibly think she’s so innocent,” Maverick begs me to help him and I shake my head. 

“I’m not getting into this. This is between you two. I can’t be picking sides here now,” I reply, shaking my head in refusal. 

“Wow. It’s her over me, huh?” he asks and I sigh, shaking my head in amusement. 

“No. It’s not. I’m not picking sides for that specific reason and you know it,” I tell him and he chuckles, shaking his head. 

“Yeah. Yeah. I get it kid,” he surrenders, putting his hands up and I chuckle. 

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting?” A girl in her early 20s with a light brown bob walks in. 

“Oh no. You're good. Come on in,” I inform her as I invite her in and she smiles softly. 

“I’m Elizabeth. I’m just bringing Mrs. Bradshaw that food she requested,” she explains as she opens the door farther to show the tray she’s holding. 

“Oh my goodness, food! I’m willing to eat literally anything!” Y/n moans out, making us all laugh and I lightly push my food aside for the nurse. 

“She hasn’t eaten for thirty six hours, so…” I explain and the nurse nods. 

“Well, here you go then. Enjoy!” Elizabeth tells y/n as she sets it down on the table.

“Thank you!” Y/n happily expresses her gratitude and Elisabeth smiles, nodding. 

“Of course. It’s my job,” Elisabeth comments before walking back out the door. 

“Welp, shall we finish our food and watch this video?” Maverick jokes as y/n starts to dig into her food. 

Y/n stops what she’s doing, looks at him and growls. He puts his hands up in surrender again and I chuckle. 

“Oh come on, honey. Don’t you wanna see it at least a little bit?” I ask her and she rolls her eyes, sighing. 

“Uggh. I guess. Go ahead, play the dumb thing,” she agrees, rolling her eyes and I throw my head back laughing. 

“I’ll put it up on the TV, it’s supposed to be able to connect to it,” he tells us as he starts to try and connect it. 

“Yes! I got it!” he cheers when it connects and y/n groans when she sees it ready to play. 

I sit back into my chair, still holding y/n’s hand as the video begins to play. I can’t help but smile as I watch her and Maverick joke around with each other. She giggles as well as groan every now and then at the video that plays over and over. 

I can’t help but just enjoy sitting here with my wife, who’s now in recovery, and my father-like figure as they throw jokes back and forth. For the first time all day, I truly feel at peace, knowing everything went well today. I stand up and y/n looks at me, confused, but it quickly goes away as I sit on the bed with her. 

She cuddles into my side as we continue to just laugh at the video. She groans and hides her head in my chest. 

“He’s never going to let me live this down, will he?” she asks and I chuckle. 

“No honey, I don’t think he will,” I quietly reply and she groans again. 

“How in the world did I ever forget my Bradley Bear? It’s just not me!” she asks, shaking her head as she cuddles in closer, nuzzling her face into my chest and I smirk. 

“Oh, but you did!” Mavrick remarks from the chair he now lounges in and y/n only growls at him again, making me chuckle. 

“It’s okay though, sweetheart. I know you weren’t fully in your right mind,” I again promise her sweetly as I kiss her forehead and feel her smile softly as she snuggles into my side even more. 

After we all finish cracking up laughing at the video of y/n, Maverick decides to watch something on TV. Together we decide what to watch and then just enjoy the rest of the day together, watching TV with y/n cuddled up next to me, Maverick in his chair, and Kairi checking in with us every so often. 

The End…

If your user has a strike though and bolded it means we were unable to tag you and we are terribly sorry, maybe check in the list that it is right. 

For Future Fics please add yourselves to our taglists if you wish to be tagged in anything upcoming. Thank You! We hope you guys enjoyed!

Tag List: Add Yourself Here

@theamuz @iamaslytherin0 @dontsacrificeanyvirgins @maverick-wingman

[hymnism]

they will not be beating any gay allegations

[misanderousmisfit]

We know Ice is always chewing gum because he wants his breath minty fresh and kiss ready for Maverick.

[pollyna]

Ice and Mav are the type of couple who can't go shopping together because it takes them hours to buy everything they need every because they argue about every single item the other picks up. But when just one of goes to the supermarket he always comes back with something the other one loves or any kind of food he sees and makes him thing of his love.

[avi8tors]

“Maverick...”

[topgun-imagines]

You’re Not Alone

Requested: yes

Summary: After Ice makes a comment that, unbeknownst to him, hurts you, he needs to make sure that you know just how sorry he is. 

Word count: 1.3k 

Warnings: Sexism. Crying. Arguing. Mentions of drinking. 

Pairings: Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky x fem!reader

“The plaque for the alternates is down in the lady's room.” It was Ice’s quip that made you stop. You knew that it was addressed at Maverick but it still hurt all the same. Goose laughed loudly. You could feel the eyes on you as you sucked in a sharp breath and headed out of the classroom.

You had known Ice for years. The two of you first met at the academy, becoming instant friends with both him and Slider. He had even been the one to give you your call sign; Snow White because of your jet-black hair. It was also fitting for the way you were similar to Ice in your frostiness. Eventually, the pair of you got together. In a few weeks, it would be your fifth anniversary.

His comment shouldn't have affected you like it did. You knew that it was aimed at Maverick but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Iceman was the person that knew more than anyone how hard you had to work to get where you were. It was safe to say that female pilots were a rarity in the Navy. The men around you were constantly looking down on you, belittling you just because you were a woman. You knew that Ice wasn’t one of those people. Both him and Slider were constantly telling you how much you deserved to be where you were today, no matter how often you told them they didn’t need to. To hear Ice say that made you rethink the things that he had told you over the past six years. Maybe that’s what he actually thought. That you were below him and the other pilots, just because you were a woman.

You headed into the changing rooms before anyone else got there. Grabbing your civilian clothes, you headed into one of the bathroom stalls and began changing out of your uniform. You could hear some of the others make their way into the room, laughing loudly. The second you were finished you folded your uniform carefully and unlocked the stall.

Ice, Slider, Hollywood, Wolfman, Maverick, and Goose were all standing in front of their lockers. They were all discussing plans to go to the bar tonight. Your locker was next to Ice’s. Silently, you placed your uniform in the small locker. Popping a piece of gum in your mouth, you ignored Ice when he tried to talk to you. Honestly, you weren’t in the mood to deal with him right now. Slamming your locker, you left the room, leaving everyone staring after you confused.

The bar was packed. People were mingling loudly, chatting and laughing as they sipped on their drinks. You leaned against the bar, waiting for your drink to come. Many of your classmates surrounded you. Hollywood and Wolfman were sitting beside you, lost in their own little world. A soft hand landed on your shoulder. After six years you didn’t need to think too hard about who it was.

Ice wound his arm around your waist. You turned away slightly when he pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek. His eyebrows furrowed. What was with you today? “You okay?” He questioned, downing the shot that was placed in front of him. You rolled your eyes. God, this man could be oblivious sometimes. When you didn’t respond Ice craned his neck to meet your eyes. “Snow? What’s wrong?” Regardless of the concern dripping from his words, you didn’t want anything to do with him right now.

“I can’t do this right now, Ice,” Sighing, you set your now empty glass on the bar top and moved toward the exit. You could hear Ice groan behind you. Not caring, you continued towards the exit and stepped out of the bar. The fresh air was glorious. You sucked in a deep breath, shutting your eyes for a minute. The door shut behind you. “Please, Tom.” With a sigh, you turned to face him.

His eyes were on you, watching with concern as he moved toward you. “What’s going on?” When all you offered in response was a mumbled ‘nothing’ Ice scoffed. “Bullshit. You’re barely even looking at me.” Your eyes were focused on the gravel in front of his shoes. He watched you carefully as you chose your words.

You sighed and brought your eyes up to meet his. “Why would you say that?” Ice’s brow furrowed in confusion. What the hell were you talking about?  “Why would you joke about being a woman pilot?” His mind instantly flashed to the comment he had made earlier that day. Of course. How could he have been so stupid? The pilot's heart dropped when he saw the way you tried to blink away the tears that gathered on your lashes.

He wished that he could run to you and wipe your tears away; hold you until he knew you were okay. But, he knew that that was probably the last thing you wanted right now. He had to choose his words very carefully. “I wasn’t thinking,” You scoffed. “And I know that that is no excuse for what I said but I promise you, I would never make fun of you, or mock you. Ever,” Ice took a cautious step towards you. “I know how hard you had to work to get where you are and that is nothing to joke about,” He was now standing only a foot away from you. “I am so, so sorry, baby.” When you sniffled quietly Ice thought the worst: he was about to lose you after nearly five years.

Before he could even comprehend what was happening, your arms had wound their way around his waist with your face buried in his chest. He stumbled back slightly from the force of your hug. You were crying softly into his chest. His lips settled on the crown of your head. “I’m so sorry,” The words were mumbled into your hair but you could hear them nonetheless. You shook your head, face still nuzzled in Ice’s chest.

“Thank you,” You whispered, pulling your head back to look at him. Tom had tears of his own gathering on his bottom lash. Biting his lip, he tried to blink them away. He didn’t think you should be thanking him for anything.  “Thank you for believing in me,” There was a small smile resting on your lips, Tom’s eventually mimicking your own. “I love you, Tom.” You rested your head against his shoulder, arms still wrapped tightly around his waist.

His hand began rubbing soothing circles on your back. “I love you too, baby. You’re never gonna be alone as long as I'm here,” He had no idea how much it meant to hear him say that. The pair of you stood in silence, simply enjoying each other presence. Tom had made it clear that he understood his mistake, and he would be damned if he ever made it again. You knew how much he regretted what he said. You were glad to know that no matter what happened, you would always have Ice in your corner. As if he could hear your thoughts, Ice leaned down slightly and pressed a chaste kiss to your temple. “You deserve so much baby. I hope one day I can give that to you.” Your heart melted at his words.

With a giddy smile, you moved to hide your face in Ice’s neck, eyes catching on the wet tear stain you left on his sunny whites. “Oops.” You giggled quietly. Tom’s found where you were looking, causing him to let out a soft chuckle as well. When you moved to apologize Ice cut you off with a soft shake of his head. The shirt could be washed. What Ice really cared about was the fact that you were okay and that you knew just how much he loved you. And he didn’t intend to stop telling you for a very long time.

a/n: Thank you for reading! requests are open.

[honey-dew-woo]

Request/Idea!

Bradley ”Rooster” Bradshaw x reader fic w/ the reader being Y/F/N ”Baby Ice” Kazansky. She’s Ice Man’s daughter, also a TOP GUN grad. Tension with Maverick cause he’s like her uncle, Penny is close with her like her Aunt, and she graduated with Hangman so they’re besties, which Rooster hates. i would write it myself, but I don’t have time :(

By The Beach Side

At first I was like I don't know how I feel about writing this, but now I'm so down. I didn't like the call sign of Baby Ice just bc I kept signing ice ice baby to myself, so I redid the call sign, don't worry it's still a nod towards Iceman. Also this request made me want to start a Rooster x Iceman's Daughter series 🌚

Masterlist

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

"Y/N Kazansky. And here I thought the bar couldn't fill with anymore hot-shot pilots." Penny's voice rang out as I walked through the Hard Deck's doors. 

"Well, they needed the best of the best." I smirked, winking at her before laughing out. I rounded the bar, her meeting me at the exit in a hug. "It's good to see you Aunt Penny." 

"You too, kiddo." She  pulled out of the hug, holding my shoulders at an arm's length, as she examined my face, tucking my hair behind my ear as I could only return her warm grin. "Now go have some fun." She spoke, patting my shoulder and returning to her bartending duties.   

I smirked to myself before walking over to the pool table. "Wow. And here I thought we were special." Hangman spoke, grinning at me from across the pool table, cue stick in hand.

I could only smirk back. "Don't worry. Could always use a second place." I raised both my eyebrows, running my tongue underneath my top row of teeth before biting them together to chew the spearmint gum that rested in my mouth.

"So that's what you're here for?" He mocked smiling as I huffed, rolling my eyes before picking up cue stick of my own, joining the game with my old friend. 

<*>

"Who's that?" Phoenix nodded from where she stood at the bar with Payback, Bob, and Rooster.

Bradley stiffened, recognizing the girl as she teased Hangman with ease. "Y/N Kazansky. Admiral Kazansky's daughter." He nodded, grateful for his eyes hiding behind his aviators. The two hadn't spoken since Maverick had pulled his papers from the Naval Academy. Bradley paused, watching the girl hit the cue ball and sink her target in the intended pocket. "Callsign: Blizzard. It's cause she flies exactly like her dad. Ice cold." He finished, taking a sip of his beer.

Phoenix could only smirk as she admired the girl who defeated the cocky blond pilot in his own game of pool. "Was she the one who graduated first in Hangman's class?" Bob spoke, shifting his gaze from the two pilots across the bar to Rooster.

 "Yes."

<*>

I glanced over to the bar, seeing Rooster hanging with some other pilots of which I've never met, "Did he play Great Balls of Fire yet?" I asked Hangman, turning to my best friend and former wingman.

"Yeah." He spoke, chalking his pool stick, not even bothering to look at me. I set down my pool stick across the table, causing Coyote and Payback to both offer looks of confusion. I smirked at the two, "What I can't catch up?" I winked, smirking before turning and walking to the bar.

I pulled the aviators off of the color of my shirt, placing them on my face coolly before walking up the bar. "Heya, Bradshaw." I spoke, walking up with a genuine smile on my face. He returned it with ease, quirking an eyebrow. 

"What are you doing here Kazansky?" He questioned, watching me as I smiled at him, reaching across the gap between us to grab a beer that Penny slid a little too short.

"Oh ya know, catching up with old friends, getting recalled to Top Gun, same old same old." I tipped the beer towards him along with a nod before moving my head to look at the pilots next to Phoenix, who watched the two of us observantly.

"Who're your friends?" I smiled, glancing between the other female pilot and Rooster.

"This is Phoenix, Payback, and Bob. Guys this is-"

"I'm Blizzard." I smiled, putting my hand out to shake Phoenix's. She smiled at me, taking my hand without hesitation.

"Phoenix, well he just said that." She smiled, jokingly.

I nodded, placing my aviators on my collar before glancing around the bar, a confident smirk just resting on my face. "Must be some hell of a mission if they called all of us in." I remarked, glancing at the other pilots as I placed my hands in my jean pockets. "Especially this idiot." I remarked, still smirking as I felt Hangman place is arm around me.

I sighed, staring at the man next to me as he looked at me and then at Rooster. "Well Bradshaw, hope this one didn't ruffle your feathers too much." He smiled, cockily. I rolled my eyes at the pun, taking his arm off of from around me. He gave me a mock look of hurt before raising his hand for a beer from Penny.

"If everyone here is the best of the best, then who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?" Phoenix asked, not looking at anyone specifically.

"Well, that's an easy question. The real question is which one of you has the balls to follow me lead?" Hangman asked, causing most of us to scoff or roll our eyes.

I took no time in responding, "That's why you came second in the academy, right?" I smiled up at him sweetly, blinking my eyes, as he shut up. Payback burst out laughing, Phoenix along with him. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Bradley smiling into his beer.

"Well, I think my work here at this reunion is done. I'm gonna head out, have a nice night." I smiled, as they all gave me a farewell. I walked towards the back exit, opting to watch the midnight waves crash on the shore. 

I closed my eyes as I breathed in the salty air, wind from the waves hitting my face and pushing my hair back as I leaned against the railing of the Hard Deck's patio. I watched as the waves hit the shore before returning out to sea just to do the same.

I opened my eyes as I felt someone stand next to me, leaning against the railing next to me. Yet, I didn't need to look over to see who it was. "How do you handle it?" I asked, moving my eyes from the ocean and looking down. 

"Handle what?" I heard Bradley ask, as I could see him out of the corner of my eye turn to me with a confused face.

I swallowed before answer, looking up from the floor beneath me and back to the ocean before me. "Your dad." I whispered, staring out at the water. "How do you live, without him?" I could barely let out, my voice cracking as I frowned, feeling small tears prick at my eyes.

I turned to Bradley, wiping my eyes as I looked at him. His face held sympathy, and hurt as he opened his mouth to speak. "He's sick again?" He asked, this time turning his whole body towards me as one of his arms lingered on the railing.

Biting back my frown, I could only manage to nod, glancing down at the floor beneath us, taking a breath to steady myself before looking back to Bradley. He sighed out, opening his arms for a hug in which I immediately took his offer on. His arms wrapped around my waist, resting on my hipline on my back as I hugged upwards, my hands resting on the midst of his shoulder blades. 

I felt safe in his arms, as if the world around me got a little bit lighter while his arms were wrapped around me. So, I just let it go, crying into his chest as he ran his hands through my hair, just letting me get it out.

The bell on the door from the bar rang out, as, unbeknownst to me, Hangman was walking outside I felt Bradley shake his head at the blonde pilot, who could only offer a small nod in return, along with a sad smile before walking back inside.

I pulled out of hug, recomposing myself as I wiped my eyes before looking back at Rooster, who could only stand before me with a small, sympathetic smile on his face. "Thank you." I murmured, looking up at him.

"Of course." He responded, without hesitance as he stared down at me. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyway that the ice cold pilot Blizzard's gone soft either." He winked at me, smiling in attempts to lighten up the mood.

This caused me to laugh, a sudden stroke of confidence coursing through my veins as I stepped closer to him. I smiled up at my former childhood bestfriend, and threw my arms over his shoulders as I stood on my tip toes, placing my face close to his. "I've gone soft?" I asked, glancing at his soft lips before returning my gaze to his eyes, a smirk evident on my face as I cocked my brow.

His smirk countered mine as he raised both of his brows before responding. He nodded, looking off at the ocean before staring back at me with nothing but confidence on his face. "Yeah, I uh, I think so." He responded, placing his hands on my waist.

This move could only cause the both of us to somehow get closer, the both of us leaning in for a kiss. It felt like a natural second hand, and it felt like forever until I pulled away. "Well, alright then."

[laracrofted]

happy birthday, darling 🩷 and omg, i’m SO here for the slut era!!

“don’t forget who you belong to” + jake 😮‍💨

oh 😮‍💨 is absolutely right, and i appreciate you so much for sending this in. thank you for the birthday wishes 💌

warnings: minors dni, locker room sex, orgasm denial, crying, possessive jake who is a little emotionally stunted, not proofread. jake x fem!reader (c/s: echo).

Jake has been in a rare mood all morning.

He is like a goddamn storm cloud in the back of the classroom, sulking after Admiral Simpson calls you up to the front of the room and introduces you to the incoming Top Gun class.

"Echo is one of the two guest instructors who'll be joining us for the session. Both are distinguished Top Gun graduates, who have gone on to become..."

Six weeks ago, Cyclone couldn't stand either one of you, and now, one destroyed Uranium Plant later, Admiral Simpson is your biggest fan. You bite your cheek to hold back a smile and shoot a sidelong glance at the back of the room, wondering if Jake sees the humor in it as well.

He doesn't meet your gaze. He is laser-focused on the spot where Cyclone briefly rested a hand on your shoulder.

Confusion circles your brain, but then, Cyclone steps back and asks you to speak to the class. You can't worry about Jake's mood swings right now.

He watches on with crossed arms, bulging arm muscles straining against the olive green flight suit. And sends death glares to the one or two Top Gun students brave enough to approach you at the end of the lecture.

Later, Jake calls after you in the long hall that leads from the classroom to the locker rooms – and more importantly, to the showers. It is a warm afternoon – too warm to spend all afternoon in Nomex.

He calls your name – not your call sign – and catches your elbow, holding you in place. He pushes you against the wall, blocking you from any curious eyes that might peer down the hall.

The students are in the last class of the afternoon and shouldn't be out for another 90 minutes, but Admiral Simpson – or worse, Maverick – could still wander down the hall.

"What are you doing? What's your problem?"

Jake leans down, breath scorching hot against your throat, smelling like spearmint gum and cologne, and presses the whisper in the hollow behind your ear, "Careful, Echo. Don't forget who you belong to, darlin'."

Are you fucking kidding?

What gives him the right to be possessive over you?

A man who'd never even asked you on a real date and came crawling out of the woodwork during deployments to play boyfriend and girlfriend – or in other words, fuck you in every position humanly possible on a twin-sized mattress.

It is a good arrangement. It works.

This... is a wrench.

All of your irritation and anger and god, the fucking nerve of this man flow into a smirk. It is almost a dare.

"Who would that be? Like, the United States Navy?"

Green eyes burn, and without another word, Jake pulls you into the nearest locker room and locks the door behind you.

You are big enough to admit that –

As Jake presses you against the locker room door and wraps your legs around him, a punishing and possessive hold. Pulls your underwear to the side and coos, "Already wet for me, huh, pretty girl? Need me to remind you who you belong to?"

As Jake fucks you fast and hard against the locker room door, pushing you right to the edge over and over and over until you're whining into his neck because Jake won't let you come. Not yet.

"Shhhh. Don't whine, darling. Tell me who."

As Jake pinches the bundle of nerves between your thighs until you admit that yes, you're his, you're his with salt water streaming from your eyes, gasping breaths escaping from your mouth.

– Jake probably won this round.

[franklyimissparis]

11 halloween couples’ costumes (alternate universe) miles and alex would/should wear

- han solo and luke skywalker: alex and his perfect hair would be han and miles with his big eyes would be luke with little maxie as chewbacca being a necessity obviously.

- 70s era lennon and mccartney: despite miles’ love of lennon, he would be mccartney with a terrible mullet wig and the famed strawberry macca jacket while alex would have the classic lennon nyc look.

- brokeback mountain: alex would be ennis and miles would be jack and that’s that. max would be their little sheep to herd.

- freddie mercury and rogerina from the i want to break free music video: this one would be so fun, i would pay so much to see miles parading around as freddie and alex as rogerina chewing gum. alex would take a bit of convincing from miles but then would have a few drinks and be so into it the whole night.

- butch cassidy and the sundance kid: i feel like they’ve both gone through a phase of being really into this film and could see either of them being both characters.

- tom and greg from succession: i would be surprised if alex hasn’t watched succession and even though he may be a bit more like kendall if i’m being honest i think he’d enjoy being tom for a night and having miles as his greg. this is definitely a last minute costume and miles would just go along with it bc alex thought it was funny and he said that max could be tom’s dog, mondale.

- dr no and james bond: alex would finally get to live out his bond villain dream! and miles would be a fab sean connery

- iceman and maverick from top gun: no man their age hasn’t had a bit of a top gun fantasy before and i think alex would enjoy any costume that involves wearing sunglasses.

- ferris bueller and cameron: miles is ferris and alex is cameron and miles is significantly more into the costume than alex is.

- WITHNAIL AND I!!!!!!!!: do i even have to explain this one??

- mick jagger and david bowie from the dancing in the street music video: this one is so fun and SO them. miles in the crazy patterned jumpsuit as bowie and alex as jagger, complete with all the head presses and gay dancing. perfect.

[redfurrycat]

🏍️☃️5+1 Icemav Fic Recs☃️🏍️

Check the Top Gun Masterlist post for the latest updated version. 💕

Ao3 Authors: Aiolia, BeeKeys, Bermuda_trapezoid, Consulting_unicorn, Doodlewrite, Frogman17, IndigoBaz, Kerbyfullyloaded, Mysty_swirl410, Omnidirectional, Qin_ling, ReformedTsundere, Samwife, Sarah_Jane_Stewart, Saturn, Serie11, Theineffableprofessor, TheRebelHunter, Thewonderzebra, VarjoRuusu, Viridimessorem, Vulcanx.

(5+1 Hangster)

time = distance ÷ speed by omnidirectional {T}

Maverick hasn’t seen Iceman in years. But inevitably, they always cross paths again sooner or later. Five (plus one) potential timelines in which Maverick meets Iceman again 35 years later; some more on the comical side, others less so.

Blow me (a bubble) by samwife {T}

5 times Mav was defeated by Ice's gum skillz +1 time he wins

The Last Stage by ReformedTsundere {T}

Pete is eight when he is truly confronted with death for the first time. It's not the loss of a pet or a grandparent whose name he doesn't remember. No. Pete is eight-years-old, sat at the dining room table and coloring in the book his dad had sent. The pictures are funny, and he can't read the cover ("Vietnamese," his mommy had said), but he loves it all the same. Then there's a knock at the door.

Mr. Blue Sky by omnidirectional {M}

Tragedy first brings Iceman into Bradley’s life, but he quickly becomes the steadiest presence of the boy’s childhood… until a betrayal tears their small family apart. After years of silence, can Bradley find the words to make up for lost time? Five times Ice sings to Bradley, and the one time Bradley sings to Ice.

no brighter diamond by qin_ling {E}

Maverick is a star blazing across the sky, and Iceman would follow him to the ends of the earth. [Five times Ice thinks I love you, and one time he finally says it.]

Can It Be About Us by Saturn {E}

Is it that Mav and Ice need more privacy or just that they need to make better choices about when they get their hands on each other? Or, 5 Times Ice & Mav got cock blocked + 1 time they didn't

A Little Help by BeeKeys {T}

Maverick & Iceman have always helped Bradley whenever he needed it. He figures it's only fair if he helps them, too. or 5 times Ice & Mav helped Bradley, and one time he helped them.

I’ll be next to you, right by your side by thewonderzebra {G}

5 times Ice and Mav care for each other when they’re sick, and 1 time they care for someone who’s relying on them.

Honey, I adopted 11 idiots (don't worry, I'm also an idiot) by IndigoBaz {T}

5 times the kids didn't ask who Tom is and the one time they realized they *really* should have asked

How The Kids Found Out… by TheRebelHunter {T}

… That Their Captain Dad was married.

5 Times Someone Nearly Walked in on IceMav by TheRebelHunter {M}

… And the 1 time they did.

you'd be so nice, you'd be paradise by aiolia {T}

5 times Iceman watched Maverick be in love with someone else, and the one time it was him Maverick was in love with.

Read My Damn File! by viridimessorem {T}

5 times Iceman watched Maverick be in love with someone else, and the one time it was him Maverick was in love with.

Melting Point by bermuda_trapezoid {T}

A collection of scenes throughout their relationship in which Maverick touches Iceman and he completely freezes up. "Maverick is sleeping on him. Maverick is sleeping on him and Ice cannot stop feeling the points of contact like little fires on his skin. He’s hyper-aware of Maverick, instinctively tracking his breaths in and out, the way he shifts against Ice slightly, trying to get comfortable. Part of him wants to bring his arm down around Maverick’s shoulders and hold him tighter. The other part of him doesn’t know if he can bear any more contact."

Smooth by viridimessorem {T}

The Five times Maverick didn't know who gave him a gift and the one time he did.

Sapphires and Ivory by viridimessorem {G}

Maverick was not a fan of the Navy Ball. He went, when he was invited. Didn't mean he enjoyed it. Or The five times Iceman and Maverick ran into each other at the Navy Ball, and the one time they went together.

Take the Long Way by kerbyfullyloaded {T}

Five times Iceman tried to get Maverick to come home and the one time he finally did.

Who Watches Over You by omnidirectional {M}

Ice never expected anyone would ever call him “Dad,” but then Bradley Bradshaw came into his life. And after that, there was no time or space to wonder, Do I really want this or not? The reality was there in front of him, and he could either walk away or stay and live with it. Five times Ice and Bradley talked about the future.

Calling Me by viridimessorem {T}

Iceman loved his husband, he did, truly. But the man was an absolute menace, and he knew it. Or The five times Maverick interrupted Iceman's meeting, and the time Iceman returned the favor.

I'll reach my hands out in the dark by Sarah_Jane_Stewart {G}

Throughout their relationship Maverick and Iceman have always had each other to rely on, no matter what. 5 times Iceman held Maverick and one time Maverick held Iceman

tonight all the monsters gonna dance by doodlewrite {G}

Bradley Bradshaw has had the class of '86 wrapped around his finger since day one. In times like these, it's apparent that he's got a hold on Iceman Kazansky most of all. -- or: five times various members of the class of '86 dressed up for Halloween with Bradley, and one time they dressed up with Rooster.

Be My Love in the Rain by xihe1874 {T}

When they look back, they find that it all happened in rainy days. The questions, the pining, the longing, the comfort, and the love - the sound of rain is always the background music. The memories are dampened, but the love is still shiny and glorious. Six rainy days. Or, five times Maverick and Iceman didn't kiss in the rain, and one time they do.

Wide Open Skies Above Me by VarjoRuusu {T}

Five+1 times people help Maverick through his Claustrophobia/Anxiety, and 1 time he helps someone else. Pretty much all there is to it.

I'm getting old and I need something to rely on by doodlewrite {G}

“We never got married,” Ice thinks, watching the “Maverick” icon blink out on the screen. “I should have married him,” Mav thinks, as the chopper comes around and takes aim again. -- Or: 5 times Ice proposed to Mav, and the one time it stuck.

leave a tender moment alone by vulcanx {T}

Five times Maverick walks in on others in compromising positions and one time someone walks in on him kissing his husband.

Hello Stranger by Serie11 {T}

Five weddings Ice and Maverick attend, and one wedding where they get married. Or, Five times Ice hesitated, and one time he didn’t.

it's not fair, how much I love you by theineffableprofessor {_}

The problem with Maverick, as Goose would tell you if you got him drunk enough, is that he’s incapable of doing anything halfway. Some might look at his showy flying and laid-back approach to classes and assume that he’s a slacker, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell threw himself into everything that he did with a kind of passion that begrudgingly impressed anyone who bore witness to it. Of course that would extend to falling in love, Goose would later think to himself, almost disappointed he hadn’t seen it coming. If only he didn’t commit himself just as fully to believing that love wasn’t reciprocated. Or: Five times Maverick falls a little more in love with the Iceman, and one time Ice finally does something about it.

Not Enough by mysty_swirl410 {T}

Iceman has been told one way or another and all through his life that he's not good enough, for whatever that may be. He dreads turning out even the slightest bit like his father, and he'll do everything in his power to stop himself from becoming like him. Or, five ways people say to Ice that he's not enough and the one time he says it.

keeping his cards close to his chest by Serie11 {T}

It's not that Lucy wishes that her boss would be more open with her. It's that she quite literally knows nothing about the man, despite Admiral Kazansky being her CO for half a decade.

Or: 5 times Ice successfully hid something from his staff, and 1 time Ice revealed his biggest secret

Getting Caught by Frogman17 {_}

The five times Iceman and Maverick almost got caught and the one time they did.

To Learn a Lifetime of You by ReformedTsundere {T}

It takes 20 years, but eventually, Maverick and Ice figure it out. Or 5 Times Maverick Learned Something about Ice, and 1 Time Ice Learned Something about Maverick.

looking to the sky to save me by Saturn {T}

Ice ignored the laughter that rang out through the locker room and focused on getting his gear put away so he could shower and make his way to a base clinician who’d handle the feathers Ice couldn’t manage. As he walked past Maverick toward the showers, he tried not to pay attention to the effortless way Maverick’s hands moved across Goose’s wings or his apparent ease at helping his friend. Ice has been taught that preening is a necessary but impersonal activity. Maverick has other ideas.

Vanilla by consulting_unicorn {M}

5 kinks Ice and Mav try that aren’t for them, +1 it turns out they were into all along.

[salembutnotthecat]

because today (january 15th) is Novak’s birthday, here is a fic for the birthday boi

tw emeto, nausea, being sick in public

As Yuliya comes into the kitchen, she finds it quite strange that there is no sign of Novak anywhere.

There’s no coffee in the pot, there’s no dish in the sink, Novak’s running shoes are sitting at the door still. There is silence in Marina’s house.

She had an early ice session, one she planned so she could take Novak and his family, their family, to dinner tonight to celebrate the former linebacker and current defensive coach’s birthday. She was excited.

Yuliya looked around the apartment. She saw messy ash blond hair poking out from underneath a blanket on the couch. She giggled softly.

Checking the time, it was almost 10:30. Novak rarely slept in this late, but as Yuliya thought about it, she was pretty sure Novak was up late last night. And she remembered him texting her once Elya was ready for school.

For Novak to have fallen back asleep in the living room was unusual, sure, but Yuliya came to notice that sometimes Novak would have a hard time falling asleep at night.

So, she figured, that was what happened. He couldn’t sleep last night, woke up to get his daughter to school, and then fell back asleep for a bit.

The Mavericks were knocked out of the playoffs, so Novak didn’t have much work today. The coaching staff had met, changes were made, so now Novak simply had to just wait until it was time to go back.

Yuliya approached the coach, her gaze softening as she took in Novak's peaceful expression.

His ash blond hair fell messily over his forehead, and she couldn't resist reaching out to gently brush it aside. Novak stirred, slowly opening his eyes.

"Hey, birthday boy," Yuliya said with a teasing smile. "Rough night?”

Novak chuckled, a touch of fatigue still lingering in his eyes. "Just a bit. But nothing I can't handle."

Yuliya raised an eyebrow playfully. "Well, you sure know how to make it look effortless."

Novak gave her a grateful smile. He hadn’t slept well, that was true. But he felt vaguely sick all night. The type of vague illness that made him cautious about sleeping but nothing ever came of his symptoms.

He got up at 7 to get Elya to school, and when the queasiness persisted, and a dull ache clung to his stomach, he figured maybe laying down and trying to sleep a little more would help him feel a bit better.

Yuliya sat down beside him. Novak sat up enough for her to sit, before laying his head in her lap. She giggled, petting his hair gently, “So clingy. It’s cute…”

Novak moaned in disapproval, but he didn’t move. He was still so tired.

“So, birthday plans? Or are you one of those people who prefer to ignore the fact that they're getting older?" Yuliya questioned after there was a silence between them.

Novak feigned a look of mock offense. "Who, me? Never! I'm a total party animal.”

Yuliya chuckled, “I’m sure you are.”

“What’s the plan?” Novak asked.

Yuliya smiled, "Well, there's a family dinner planned. You, me, Elya, and your mom. Nothing too fancy, just good food and good company. Downtown, I already made the reservation.”

Novak smiled, kissing the back of Yuliya’s hand. He was grateful for Yuliya's thoughtfulness. "Sounds perfect. Thank you."

-

Novak stood in front of the mirror, donned in a sleek suit, meticulously brushing out his ash-blond hair.

As he carefully smoothed his hair, a sudden wave of nausea struck him. Novak's grip tightened on the brush in one hand. With the other, he braced himself against the top of his dresser.

He took a steadying breath, closing his eyes, determined to keep the facade intact. He set down the brush, taking another breath.

He opened his eyes, fixed his shirt. The faint scent of cologne lingered in the air as he buttoned his shirt, which did him no favors.

He went over to his bag, pulling out a pack of gum. Novak was no stranger to his stomach pitching a fit for whatever reason, so he always carried something minty on him.

He unwrapped a piece, chewing it while he finished getting ready. It was just a few hours. Then he could let this bother him. Just not right now.

Yuliya entered the room, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Novak in formal attire. "You clean up nice, Coach."

Novak forced a smile, the nausea momentarily receding. He looked over Yuliya, in a dark purple dress that complimented her skin and her hair.

“Thanks. You're not looking too shabby yourself,” Novak said, kissing her forehead.

Yuliya chuckled,"So, how are we feeling about dinner..? I smell mint.”

"Excited for dinner,” Novak replied, “I grabbed a piece of gum to make sure my breath was good, couldn’t remember if I brushed my teeth this morning.”

Yuliya smiled, “Well, much appreciated. It's going to be a great night."

Yuliya reached out to adjust his tie, her fingers grazing his neck. Novak winced inwardly, the contact amplifying his unease. He masked it with a casual shrug, hoping to distract her from any perceived tension.

"Well, you certainly look the part of a birthday boy," she teased.

Novak's response was cut short by a subtle but unmistakable lurch in his stomach. He discreetly swallowed back the rising discomfort, unwilling to let his ailment overshadow the occasion.

Yuliya, satisfied with her handiwork on Novak's tie, flashed him a radiant smile. "Alright, let's make this a night to remember."

Novak nodded, mustering every ounce of strength to maintain his charismatic demeanor. As they headed towards the door, he couldn't shake the persistent nausea, but his commitment to the celebration outweighed everything else.

It was just a few hours.

-

The upscale restaurant buzzed with a subdued ambiance, the clinking of fine china and soft murmur of conversations creating a sophisticated backdrop.

Novak sat at the table with Yuliya, his mom, and his daughter, the warm glow of ambient lighting casting a soft radiance over their faces.

As the waiter approached to take their orders, Novak glanced at the menu, his usual enthusiasm for selecting dishes replaced by a muted contemplation.

A dull ache pulsed through his temples, and the prospect of a rich meal seemed less appealing with every passing moment. So began the hunt for something that hopefully would be easier on his already aggravated stomach.

Everyone ordered. Novak didn’t even remember what he asked for, only remembered it was definitely something simple. But that would be for the better, he hopefully

Throughout dinner, Novak found himself pushing the food around his plate more than actually eating. The rich aromas that usually delighted his senses now threatened to overwhelm him. He took occasional sips of water, attempting to maintain an air of normalcy. He drank more water than he ate food, but nobody really seemed to notice.

Conversation flowed around him as Marina animatedly discussed her plans for the next gallery, trying to get Yuliya involved, and Elya excitedly recounted stories from school. Yuliya smiled at Novak, her concern flickering in her eyes, but he offered a small reassuring smile in return.

As the waiter cleared the plates, the anticipation of dessert hung in the air. Novak forced a smile when the waiter presented the dessert menu, but his appetite had long abandoned him.

"I think I'm going to pass on dessert tonight," Novak announced, his voice slightly strained.

Yuliya laughed, “It’s your birthday, coach.”

“Dinner was very filling,” Novak said, “Besides, I don’t think there’s much I can eat here anyway.”

“Actually,” Marina said, “I got you some treats. They’re at home. Ones you can have, I know you aren’t a big sweets guy either. You never have been.”

As the conversation continued, the waiter brought the bill, placing it on the table. Novak shifted in his seat, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The sudden onslaught of nausea threatened to disrupt the composed facade he'd maintained throughout the evening.

As they waited for the bill to be processed, Novak's stomach twisted uncomfortably. He clenched his jaw, determined to endure the lingering discomfort until they could leave the restaurant.

Suddenly, an involuntary lurch seized Novak, and he instinctively covered his mouth, the color draining from his face. But he tried to pass it off as a simple cough, which did his stomach no favors.

“It’s snowing,” Novak said, “I’ll get the car, Yules.”

He needed an excuse. An excuse to get out of here.

Yuliya watched Novak's abrupt departure, her concern deepening.

“That’s… weird,” Marina said, “Yuliya do you know what’s wrong? Is he sick or something?”

Yuliya shook her head, “No. i mean Novak was pretty tired today but he never said anything about… you know, I should go check on him.”

As she stepped into the parking lot, Yuliya spotted Novak standing near the side of the building, in an alleyway between the restaurant and the neighboring business.

She watched as he braced himself against the bricks, taking deep breaths she could see in the cold air.

"Hey, you okay?" Yuliya asked, her breath forming its own mist in the cold air. "You seemed off in there."

Novak, not realizing Yuliya had followed him, hesitated for a moment, then mustered a weak smile. "Yeah, just felt a bit nauseous all of a sudden. Probably ate something that didn't agree with me."

“My gosh,” Yuliya said, her voice humored and annoyed at the same time, “You are so bad about that.”

Before Novak could respond, another wave of discomfort seized him. This time, he couldn't suppress it, and he moved, doubling over as his body rebelled against the lingering effects of dinner.

The quiet night was punctuated by the sounds of Novak being sick in the parking lot. Yuliya, torn between wanting to help and respecting Novak's privacy, stood a few paces away, her concern etched across her face.

Once the episode subsided, Novak straightened up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His attempt to maintain composure was evident, but Yuliya had seen through the facade.

"Okay, that wasn't just a cough," Yuliya remarked, taking a step closer. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Novak nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah, just a bug or something. I'll be fine."

Yuliya, understanding Novak's inclination to downplay his discomfort, sighed softly. "You don't have to pretend, Novak. Let me take you home. You're not ruining anything by admitting you're not feeling well."

Novak hesitated, then nodded gratefully. "Yeah, maybe heading home is a good idea. I appreciate it."

“I’ll tell your mom, and we can actually celebrate your birthday when you don’t feel so sick, okay?” Yuliya said, “Go to the car.”

-

Yuliya sat on the bathroom floor, her back against the wall, providing a comforting presence for Novak who was hunched over the toilet.

The dim light in the bathroom cast a soft glow, creating a subdued atmosphere. Novak had mentioned a headache when they got home, and Yuliya was quick to try and help him feel less miserable.

Marina put Elya in bed. She felt bad about the whole thing, but figured Novak would be more accepting of care from his girlfriend rather than her, so she took the responsibility of Elya.

Novak, in between bouts of nausea, sighed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. The waves of sickness were unpredictable, making it so he couldn’t trust his body enough to let him leave the bathroom and lay down.

The bathroom tiles were cool beneath him, and he could tell Yuliya was resisting the urge to touch him. But he was thankful.

"You don't have to stay in here with me," Novak mumbled, his voice hoarse from the heaving.

Yuliya shook her head, offering a gentle smile. "I'm not going anywhere, Novak. I'm here for you. Besides, what kind of girlfriend abandons her sick boyfriend on his birthday?”

Novak rested his elbow on the bathtub, resting his head against his hand as he looked at Yuliya.

“I’m sorry about that,” Novak said, “I really thought I would be okay.”

“Of course you did,” Yuliya said, shrugging, “I’m not mad at you. If anything I’m mad at myself for not noticing.”

Novak shook his head, “No, really I tried to hide…”

Novak’s voice trailed off, his stomach lurching again. Novak braced himself for another round of vomiting.

Novak's stomach convulsed, and he leaned over the toilet, enduring another wave of sickness. Yuliya maintained her position in the doorway.

"You're doing great, Novak," Yuliya reassured him, her voice soft yet supportive. "Just take it one step at a time."

Novak, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, managed a weak nod. The nausea was more intense this time, and he could feel the discomfort coursing through his body.

He heaved, hard, gagging up saliva and bile. He was running out of things to purge, which was a good sign, but he knew that until this round was over he would struggle.

“Better out than in, coach,” Yulia said, messing with her bracelet on her wrist to occupy her hands so they stayed to herself.

Novak heaved again. This time he felt tears run down his cheek, felt sweat drip off him. All from the effort.

“You’re doing good,” Yuliya encouraged.

The next twenty minutes went like that. Novak heaving harder than he thought he ever could, Yuliya offering words of encouragement.

As Novak finished, he leaned back, resting against the bathroom wall. Yuliya handed him a damp cloth to wipe his face, providing a small measure of relief.

"Thanks," Novak whispered, his voice still strained.

Yuliya nodded, offering a comforting smile. "Seems like you’re empty, so whenever you're ready, we can take it slow and get you in bed."

Novak nodded, leaning his head back against the wall. His head was spinning and everything hurt.

“Yeah… just… give me a minute.” Novak said, breathless.

Yuliya offered a kind smile, “Don’t worry, take all the time you need.”

[completely-real-and-normal-human]

an untitled magnus archives fic

the document this fic was in was just called ‘an indulgence in these troubling times’ and like yeah. sums it up really.

this fic isn’t really part of a wider au, i just threw one of the scrunklies from my brain into tma and wrote down what happened. i think it’s set somewhere in season 2 but i cannot be sure!

basic synopsis: spiral train.

my first fanfic on tumblr so pls be nice!!

tw: mentions of transphobia, spiral-typical body horror

[CLICK]

OLLIE A tape recorder? Seriously? I mean, I knew you folks were old-fashioned, but...

ARCHIVIST (mildly irritated) We've made several attempts to record to digital software, but it seems to disagree with most of the statements. This is the next best thing.

OLLIE Y'know what? I like it. Very retro. It kind of fits with this place.

ARCHIVIST Well, quite. (pause) If you'd like to begin?

OLLIE Sure. Do I, like, introduce myself, or...

ARCHIVIST Yes, just say your name and what your statement is regarding.

OLLIE Okay, uh, my name is Ollie Maverick, and this is regarding the disappearance of my coworker Grant Lewis due to an unexplained train in my workplace.

ARCHIVIST An... unexplained train?

OLLIE Well, it wasn't supposed to be there, and I sure as hell never got any sort of explanation for it.

ARCHIVIST R-right, well... (clears throat) Statement recorded direct from subject eighth of March 2017. Statement begins.

In your own time.

OLLIE (STATEMENT) Working in security was only ever okay, to be honest. The work's all right, apart from the night shifts — those really messed up my sleep schedule. I was working the night shift at a London train station when this happened. I know that's very vague, but I don't think I can name the station here, so you'll have to bear with me on that. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms, and I'd like to avoid a lawsuit at all costs. Anyway, like I said, I worked in security, and it was one of my least favorite jobs. Not the worst, but it's up there. Top four. Mostly because of Grant Lewis.

Not to speak ill of the dead or anything, but Grant was an asshole. He drank too much, chewed spearmint gum way too loudly, and he ran one of those alpha-male podcasts in his spare time. You know the ones — white guys in their twenties spend thirty minutes a week ramming their unsolicited opinions about women who won't date them and abortion and liberal politics down the throats of their listeners. That should tell you all you need to know about him. He was a prick, and he had it in for me from day one.

I was the only queer person on the security team, and I looked it. I came in the first day with a pronoun pin and a pink mullet and... well. He latched on to me, and I couldn't get rid of him. The worst part was, since we'd started working there at the same time and he kept making these awful jokes about me, to me, everyone else assumed we were friends. No one else could stand him, so we got lumped together the whole time on shifts. I spent hours with him in the control room, patrolling the station, even on my lunch break a few times when I came across him accidentally in a café. Every time, I'd have to listen to this — endless stream of unfunny jokes about my gender identity and my sex life. And, of course, those controversial opinions he aired on that podcast. He was infuriating, and he wouldn't go away.

But however much I hated Grant, I still don’t think he deserved what happened to him. Officially he's just disappeared, but I don't think anyone believes that now. I really, really don't want to know if he's still alive.

It all happened about a month ago. I was working the night shift from 11PM to 7AM with three other people — Allison Bates, Fred Landy and, of course, Grant. (long, irritated sigh) I... wasn't in the best of moods, to be frank. I'd spent the whole day dreading this, and to begin with it was exactly the kind of awful I'd expected. It was a Sunday, so the trains kept running until 2AM. The first hour or so was in the control room with Allison and Fred, who spent most of that time loudly flirting with each other. It was... very uncomfortable to watch, so I volunteered to go help Grant keep an eye on the platforms. It would have been well past midnight by this stage, coming up to 1AM, and he was out making sure the drunks lurching off the trains from holiday parties didn't get too rowdy.

There were four platforms in that station, grouped in pairs, and he was looking after platforms one and two. So, I headed off to look after platforms three and four, because I didn't feel like dealing with his bullshit. The steady flow of commuters was starting to peter out, and those that were drunk were harmlessly so. It looked like it might be shaping up to be a fairly quiet night. But I only got around forty minutes of relative peace before my radio crackled. Grant was apparently coming to join me, as Allison was covering platforms one and two. I had an idea that she'd probably sent him, as Grant had no idea how to be around any female-presenting people without getting really creepy. I may have mentioned he was a complete asshole, so I didn't really blame her, but I wasn't happy about it.

Grant showed up and we began patrolling the platforms and the small shop and cafe area together. He talked too much and chewed gum loudly, and I tried to ignore him as best I could and focus on the job. The last train rolled in around 2AM, and once the final passengers had stumbled out into the night we went to lock up.

It was then that we heard it. As we were walking back to the control room, the tannoy system crackled into life.

'The train now approaching Platform Four is not intended for passenger use. Customers are advised not to interact with the train, or indeed acknowledge it, in the interest of health and safety. Under no circumstances attempt to board the train now approaching Platform Four.

Thank you.'

It didn't sound like the usual train announcements. Those were an automated vaguely female voice, distant and slightly robotic. This voice was a garbled, distorted mess that I could barely understand, and it cut off with a screech of static that made my head ring. Grant and I stood there in confusion as the echo of that sharp static bounced off the walls, warping into something like a faint, mocking laugh.

I've not painted a great picture of Grant here, I know, but he was at least a fairly competent security guard. While I was still reeling from the announcement, he managed to get out his radio and make contact with Fred and Allison in the control room. They'd heard it too, and they were going to head towards the room that the tannoy operated out of, to see if it had been hijacked. Grant said we'd go take a look at Platform Four, to see if there was anything we needed to deal with.

It took us about two minutes to get there, and it felt like the echo of the tannoy announcement still hadn't died away. The air seemed different — heavier, maybe, and it smelled a little bitter. It made me slightly nauseous. Grant didn't seem to notice; he just started checking around the platform for anything suspicious. I was going to join him when there was a sharp, screeching whistle, like an old steam train, and I realised that I was smelling smoke.

It filled the platform as the train chugged into view, curling around everything and shimmering with colours that I — can't describe. The cloying, bitter smell of the smoke grew stronger and I could see Grant choking on it, tears streaming down his face but I breathed it in and it was... (panicked, breathy laugh) ..intoxicating. The train itself was an old steam train, bright purple and gold, with no driver that I could see. It slowed to a stop and the door to the first carriage swung open right in front of me. Mocking. Beckoning. (another laugh) It seemed the most natural thing in the world to just... step in.

Inside was a narrow corridor, carpeted in that same rich, wine-toned purple. The doors of the seating compartments faced me, and each had gauzy purple curtains pulled across the windows. I started down the corridor, and noticed a figure sitting inside one of the compartments. I couldn't make out much through the curtains, but they had long hair that seemed to be moving of its own accord, and….. their hands were... wrong.

I don't think I was entirely... myself, at that point. (shaky breath) I reached for the handle, and suddenly Grant rammed into me from behind, sending me sprawling onto the floor. He was pinning me down, talking fast and terrified, saying we had to get out, had to get help. I could see the long-haired figure in the compartment behind him slowly rising to their feet, rising and rising far beyond the proportions of a normal human body, limbs bending oddly in ways that hurt to look at. I screamed for Grant to run, but it was too late.

The door of the compartment opened with a creak, and... it wasn't a person. I don't know what the hell that thing was, but it was not a person. The hair was blond, and twisted and curled in on itself like a nest of snakes. Its eyes were hard to look at. B-but its hands... they were long, and the fingers had too many joints and they were sharp, and it looked at Grant and he started screaming, and it started laughing. That sound, it... it made my mind sting.

He tried to run, then. Got to the door that should have led back to the platform, but it was different now, smaller. Painted yellow. He opened it to show another long corridor, this time lined with mirrors and twisting wallpaper that hurt my eyes, and the monster-thing just... pushed him in. (pause) I... really hope he's dead. I really do. The alternative is just... well.

I scrambled to my feet and backed away as the thing turned to me with this... self-satisfied grin on its impossible face. Like it had just had a good meal.

Go if you like, it said. You'll be back. You won't be able to help it.

It began to laugh again as I began to run.

I don't know how long I ran. The carriage never seemed to end, and every door I opened led either to a set of seats or to another twisting corridor. Eventually, think I just... gave up. Lay on the floor and waited to dissolve into an impossibility.

I woke up lying on Platform Four with Fred leaning over me asking panicked questions while Allison was calling the police. I couldn't focus on any of what Fred was saying. My head was spinning. I... wasn't really aware of much until the police arrived. They asked me where Grant was. I said I didn't know. I was too rattled to come up with any sort of lie, so I just... told them what happened. (quiet laugh) I'm not really sure what the official proceedings were, but they didn't want to know. One of the officers dropped me home and I just went straight to bed. Thankfully my partner Rory was out on his own night shift at the time, so I didn't have to explain anything just yet. I slept like the dead until about four o'clock the next day, and the first thing I did when I woke up was send in my resignation.

I tried to... well, not forget about it, but to... put it at the back of my mind. I had no backup plan for a job, and Rory could only cover the rent alone for so long. I had to tell him what happened, obviously. I don't know if he fully believes me, but he hasn't said anything. He knows I saw something that really scared me, and he knows that that's why I quit my job. He's sticking with me, though.

Last week, I managed to get an interview for another security job in the Foundling Museum. And when I went to catch the train to get there, well.. I'm sure you can guess what happened. The smoke, this time, it... it was so hard not to get on that train. It felt... right. It was all I could do to walk away.

That blond monster-thing is following me, too.

It doesn't look as, as wrong as it did in the train, but I know exactly what it is. I see it pretty much everywhere I go. It catches my eye and winks at me, and I just about throw up with fear. Rory thinks they're panic attacks. He's trying to get me to see a doctor, or a therapist or something. He's probably right, but I wanted to come here first. I thought you... might be able to help.

ARCHIVIST (pause; a few abortive attempts to speak) Statement, eh... statement ends. I — I think I recognise this, ah... blond monster-thing you've mentioned. Did it... have you approached it? Talked to it?

OLLIE (incredulous) No!

ARCHIVIST Good. It... it calls itself Michael. I don't know exactly what it is, or what it wants, but it enjoys. toying with people. Doesn't seem to have any real purpose other than... spreading misery and madness.

OLLIE W-well, I... (clears throat) What do I do?

ARCHIVIST I'm afraid I... don't really know. (noises of panic and indignation from Ollie) I mean, I can tell you to avoid any suspicious doors, but I... have a feeling you could have come to that conclusion yourself.

OLLIE Great. Great. I knew this would be a waste of my goddamn time. Is that seriously all you've got for me? Avoid suspicious doors?

ARCHIVIST I'm sorry, I —

OLLIE (overlapping) Don't even —

[DOOR OPENS]

ELIAS Sorry Jon, am I interrupting?

ARCHIVIST Oh, Elias! Um... no, I, I think we're just about done here. R-right?

OLLIE Sure. We're done.

ELIAS Is everything quite all right?

OLLIE Apparently, you people are perfectly happy to take my statement, but you can't actually help me with my fucking eldritch stalker.

ELIAS Ah, yes. I can see how that might be... upsetting.

OLLIE (barely controlled rage) Can you, now?

ELIAS I believe I can. (pause) I'm Elias Bouchard, head of the Magnus Institute. And you are?

OLLIE Ollie. Ollie Maverick.

ELIAS Well, Mr. —

OLLIE (overlapping) Mx.

ELIAS Oh, my apologies. Well, Mx. Maverick, while I don't really know much about your situation specifically, I've found that our Institute is quite good at deterring any, ah, supernatural harassment of our employees. For the most part. And I believe you're in the market for a new iob?

OLLIE Uh. I mean….. yes, but how did you —?

ELIAS I was waiting outside for Jon to finish up, and I couldn't help overhearing. Interested?

OLLIE I... don't know that I could do much here. I don't know anything about ghosts, or - whatever it is you do...

ARCHIVIST I — Ollie, I really wouldn't —

ELIAS (overlapping) I'm sure you'll pick it up very fast. Should we discuss this in my office?

OLLIE Um... sure. May as well.

ELIAS Lovely. Oh, and Jon?

ARCHIVIST I — yes?

ELIAS Basira’s just got back. I believe you wanted to talk to her?

ARCHIVIST Oh, uh... okay, I'll — I'll go do that, I suppose.

ELIAS Right. Follow me, Mx. Maverick.

[FOOTSTEPS; DOOR SHUTS]

ARCHIVIST (sigh) Damn.

[CLICK]

[CLICK]

ARCHIVIST Well, that was... (sigh) ...anyway. Another person trapped in the archives. Better than being trapped in a corridor hellscape or an endless train carriage, I suppose. (pause)

Though... would they have been trapped? The way they described the train, and especially that smoke... what did they call it? Intoxicating.

They're clearly very scared, and I can't say I blame them, but I have to wonder if what I'm seeing here is... the birth of a new avatar. With Michael shepherding them to their new domain.

In terms of follow-up (sigh) I have been able to confirm that a Grant Lewis was filed as missing on the third of February this year. However, I was not able to find anything else about the case or the circumstances of his disappearance. The police don't seem to have done anything, and it looks as if this Grant didn't have any friends or family to make a fuss about it. I talked it over with Basira, and she agrees with me that it probably comes under Section 31. Obviously, this makes it difficult to get any real evidence for this statement, but I'm inclined to believe it anyway.

What I don't understand is why Elias would offer Ollie a job. They've made it clear that they need it, but I hardly think it's out of the kindness of his heart. (quiet, tired laugh) He's probably got some secret, evil plan for them. Some way to cripple the Spiral, perhaps. Or maybe he just wants to inflict a new and interesting kind of trauma.

Either way, I think I'll be keeping a close eye on Ollie Maverick.

End recording.

[CLICK]

[CLICK]

[SOUNDS OF SHUFFLING PAPER AND DRAWERS — A FILING CABINET? — OPENING AND SHUTTING. A DOOR OPENS.]

TIM Oh, uh — sorry, this area of the archives isn't open to the public.

OLLIE Yeah, I — I work here.

TIM In the Archives?

OLLIE Yeah, it’s my first day. My name's Ollie Maverick.

TIM Um... Tim Stoker. (pause) Sorry, what are your pronouns?

OLLIE (pleasantly surprised) They/them. You?

TIM He/him. (pause) So... you don't exactly look like the academic type.

OLLIE Says the person wearing a Hawaiian shirt to work.

TIM (laughs) No, I meant... y'know, people in this profession don't tend to be quite so buff. We're all skinny little nerds.

OLLIE Ah yes, my perfectly chiseled physique. I can see why you'd be confused. (Tim snorts) My last job was as a security guard, so...

TIM Sounds interesting.

OLLIE Well, it... didn't end well. I actually came to make a statement about it yesterday, and then your boss — Elias, I think his name was — offered me a job. For some reason.

TIM What?

OLLIE I know, right? I mean, I know jack shit about academia, but I did English in college and that was apparently good enough for him. I got the feeling that you're a little pressed for job applications.

TIM Yeah, well... I just hope you know what you're getting into.

OLLIE Oh?

TIM This place is... wrong. In a lot of ways.

OLLIE (jokingly) What, you've come across a lot of ghosts and ghoulies?

TIM I'm serious. It does things to you.

OLLIE Such as?

TIM It... won't let you quit. You can try it, but — you won't be able to.

OLLIE That all?

TIM (sigh) You'll find out soon enough, I guess. You're stuck here now.

OLLIE (pause) You're not just — messing with me?

TIM No.

OLLIE Well... fuck. (resigned sigh; pause) Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Assuming this even works.

TIM Assuming what works?

OLLIE It... doesn't matter. I guess we'll see.

TIM I guess we will.

[SILENCE]

OLLIE Hey, has — has that been running this whole time?

TIM What?

OLLIE That recorder. Did you bring it in here?

TIM Oh, for fuck's sake —

[CLICK]