#we were on the beach with the rest of the dagger squad

[buckys-estrella]

I had the most delicious dream ab bob floyd and I’ve been replaying it in my head since I woke up

[cosmicoatlatte]

home

pairing: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x fem!reader

plot: at a get together after the mission the dagger squad finds out some things about Rooster, causing Maverick to step up and try and help…

warnings: drinking, references to parental death and past trauma

notes: for K ♡︎, thank you for letting me bother you with this for weeks

words: 7k

It was a bittersweet evening at The Hard Deck but they tried to not let it show. After the successful mission it was time to dismantle their little ragtag group of pilots and for everybody to head back to their former assignments. Sadly Fritz had to fly out in the early afternoon but the rest of the pilots and backseaters had descended upon the bar and shuffled some tables around with Penny’s permission to make a large circle where everybody found a place for at least the next few hours.

It felt good to be back on solid ground. While being in the air was one of the best feelings in Rooster’s mind he was glad to be off the ship again. With the old jukebox playing music and the patrons of the bar talking and laughing together it was a little easier to forget about the events that happened just a few days prior.

“You guys are lucky,” Harvard pointed out after everybody except Bob was a few drinks in, “at least you guys get a few weeks leave.” The other aviators knew it wasn’t coming from a place of malice, had they been in the place of the aviators that didn’t fly the mission they’d probably think exactly the same way. Everybody craved the comfort of home while deployed.

“Yeah,” Omaha added, “Leave would be nice. I wish I could head home, see family. My sister had a baby months ago, never even met the kid and he’s already crawling.”

“Maybe Mav can put in a nice word with the commander. Make it so everybody can go home faster.” Rooster said after taking a drink of his beer, “Although with him there’s always a chance we’d end up shipped out overseas for a few months.”

A few nods and words of agreement greeted Maverick as he made his way back to the group after not so sneakily disappearing to the back of the bar with Penny earlier. At least he was smart enough to get a new beer so he could play it off as just getting another drink, even if none of the other aviators bought it. “What are we talking about?”

“Leave.”

The older man just took his place among his now former students, looking around. “That’s nice. What are everybody’s plans?”

Most of the others just answered with the basics. Going to see family, spending some time with their loved ones. Hangman wanted to use his time for a vacation and Rooster didn’t doubt that in a week there’d be pictures of Hangman’s abs at a beautiful tropical beach all over social media. At least that gave him time to prepare a witty joke he could send in the groupchat to roast the blond.

Realizing he was the only one of the lucky ones that hadn’t shared his plans, Rooster took another drink of his beer, finishing the bottle before putting it down on the table in front of him. “Don’t know yet. Probably going to spend some time catching up with Mav and after that head home to see the missus.”

Several heads whipped around to look at him with a speed that put fighter jets to shame. Rooster was sure he saw poor Bob get whipped in the face by Phoenix’ ponytail hard enough for his glasses to become crooked on his face.

“The what now?!” Multiple voices said loud enough to draw the attention of other patrons but the group skillfully avoided paying attention to them.

Hangman let out a fake cough to hide his reaction but he couldn’t hide the curiosity in his voice as he spoke. “Didn’t know you were married, Rooster.”

“Congrats.” Mavericks' voice tore him out of his thoughts about how Hangman had no reason to know his relationship status. His godfather looked at him with a certain sadness in his eyes that made Rooster mad for a split second before he reminded himself that they were working on mending their relationship and a missed wedding might have been another thing to add to the list of life events they didn’t share like they should have.

“I’m not married.” He paused, trying to find the right words to describe what the two of you were. “It’s an… inside joke with an old friend.”

“Oh that’s-”

“I thought about asking her once but… yeah no I’m not married.” He rambled on, unable to stop himself, almost forgetting about his fellow pilots as he looked at Maverick and the way his eyebrows knit up in confusion.

The rest of the group just looked at him before Halo slapped her knees before standing up, signaling she was ready to leave.

“And that’s our cue. Come on boys, let’s give the Daggers some privacy. You coming with, Coyote?”

“Nah, I’m Hangman’s ride. Can’t leave him with the bunch. He’d just say something to piss them off and they’d leave him here.”

It wasn’t a tearful goodbye but hugs and handshakes were exchanged alongside promises to stay in touch. But almost as soon as Halo led Omaha, Yale, and Harvard away from the table all heads turned to Rooster again. Great.

“Alright, spill!” Phoenix ordered. Bob behind her enthusiastically nodded his head to back his pilot up.

“Guys, maybe that’s not-”

“Ignore Maverick. Spill Rooster!” Hangman interrupted.

Sighing he looked at his empty beer on the table in front of him and wished he had a full one in its place. Or maybe a tall soft drink glass full of whiskey neat.

“Here.” Mav pushed over the beer he picked up earlier, opened but still full.

“There’s not much to talk about.” He tried to defend himself. “She’s a friend. A good friend.”

That wasn’t enough to satisfy the lot in front of him though. Phoenix was motioning for him to continue and part of him wished it was just her he was talking too. She had always been a good friend. A good person to talk to when he had the need to talk. Even if they rarely had the chance to just sit down and chat due to the nature of their work.

“Lives in the old house.” He continued in a low voice, hearing his godfather inhale sharply next to him.

“I wasn’t ready to let it go but I- I couldn’t stay there. Not alone. Not after mom died. So when I left and she needed a place to stay I told her she could have it. Tried to pay me rent for years but I don’t take it. If she didn’t stay there it would be empty anyways so why waste a perfectly good house, you know. I go back every few months and she keeps my shit around.”

He just focused on the bottle in front of him, thumbing away at the label as the stares of his friends bore holes into him.  

“That’s….nice.” The hesitant tone alone voided the words, he didn’t need to see the unsure face on top of it. He didn’t even want to imagine what the group was thinking of him at that moment. Revealing his tragic backstory in the middle of a bar.

“It’s not really home but it’s… it’s a homebase. Someplace to retreat to in case I’m back stateside.”

“And how long has this been going on?” Bob asked from behind Phoenix, confused, and Rooster was suddenly reminded of the years he had on them. Years because Mav held him back.

Years because he tried to protect you - a soft voice that sounded too much like his mother reminded him in the back of his head.

“Fifteen years? Give or take.” He mumbled.

“And how long have you been fucking her?” Three arms reached across the table to swat at Hangman for his question, Phoenix getting him in the arm hard enough for him to wince loudy.

“Fifteen years. Give or take.”

The only thing preventing an awkward moment of silence falling over the group was the fact that Fanboy choked on his beer hard enough that for the next few moments all the attention went to him, their group making sure that the WSO didn’t die. It didn’t prevent an awkward pause that followed after though. It was heavy, only interrupted by muffled coughing.

“Wasn’t expecting that to be completely honest.” Hangman said after everybody had mostly calmed down. When Rooster looked over to him he saw that the usual cocky smirk was nowhere to be found on Hangman’s face and for the first time in his life he wished the other man would make fun of him. Look at him with something more than blank surprise or maybe thinly veiled pity.

“Fifteen years is a pretty long relationship to have, Rooster. Even if you’re not married, that's still impressive.” Coyote tried to be uplifting, smiling at him across the table.

“We’re not dating either. Told you she’s just a friend.”

“But you’re fucking?” Hangman asked.

“Whenever I go back. Unless she’s in a relationship at the time which hasn’t really happened yet because she doesn’t really date but most of the time, yeah.”

Across the table Payback raised his beer to him before taking a sip. “I mean… friends with benefits isn’t bad. Me and my wife started out as fuckbuddies before I grew the balls to ask her out for real.”

A few of the guys around the table nodded in agreement while Phoenix rolled her eyes hard enough that Rooster was worried they’d get stuck, but nobody added on to what Payback said.

Another few moments of silence followed before Bob spoke up, all eyes on the quiet WSO. “So let me get this straight. You and this woman have been on again off again fuckbuddies for the past fifteen years. She lives in your house. You nearly asked her to marry you….. and you still insist that she is just a friend?”

It came out rather harsh and nobody really knew how to react, least of all Rooster. Nodding, he took another drink of his beer, breaking eye contact with Bob.

Pushing his chair back from the table Bob moved to get up from their table. “Jesus fuck I need a drink.”

“Bob, you don’t drink.” Phoenix pushed her chair back too, quick to back up her backseater.

“I’m starting now.”  

Six pairs of eyes watched as the two walked over to the bar but the men soon found themselves returning their attention back to the conversation.

“That’s a long time to pine over somebody, Rooster.” Fanboy chimed in, the pilots around the table nodding in agreement.

Before he could defend himself that he wasn’t pining, Hangman decided to speak up again.

“Jesus dude I know you like to wait things out but that’s long even for you.” Putting his arm around his shoulder he continued, “Gonna make your move when you get back? You’re a hero now Rooster, that gets the girls hot. No way she’ll say no.”

Without looking at the other man Rooster just shook off his arm, not taking his eyes off the bottle in front of him. Half the label was missing at this point but scratching at it kept his hands busy at least. “She’s just a friend, Bagman. Just a friend.”

Before any of the others could comment on it, Bob and Phoenix made their way back over to the group, letting themselves fall into the seats they had abandoned before. Their little comeback thankfully drew the attention to them and off Rooster, something he really appreciated. Judging by the way Bob was looking, his first drink didn’t go over all that smoothly.

“How’d he do Phoenix?” Mav teased.

“Went straight for the tequila. I tried to tell him he should start out with a beer but noooo.” She drew out the vowel, interrupted herself with a short giggle, before continuing, “Doubleshot of the cheapest tequila Penny had, didn’t even pull a face.” Phoenix bragged while giving Bob an encouraging pat on the back as he kept quiet. She turned to Hangman, sizing him up before adding. “You can ask Penny if you don’t believe me, Bagman.”

“Nah screw that.” Hangman replied, jumping up in his seat and leaning across the table to get closer to Bob, and Rooster was glad that they seemed to have found a new topic to latch onto. “First time and he went straight for the kill. Atta boy Bobby. Mister B.O.B.”  

Most people around the table joined in with Hangman who continued to go on and on like usual while Rooster just went back to focusing on the bottle in front of him. He continued to thumb at the label, using the nail to push the paper back little by little. Almost everybody had stopped paying attention to him but he could feel Maverick’s gaze burn into the side of his head. He just hoped the older man would let it go.

Maverick did not let it go.

Two days after the night at The Hard Deck he was pounding on the door of Rooster’s room until he had no other choice but to roll out of bed. Stumbling his way to the door with half closed eyes he cursed as he walked straight into a table, a hand coming up to rub over his thigh while the other one pulled open his front door.

“What?” The words came out harder than he intended but the other man didn’t react, instead pushing past him into the room.

“Great, you’re up. Come on get dressed, we need to leave soon.”

“It’s like…” He picked up his phone from the nightstand, dropping it onto the bed after he saw the time. “6 in the goddamn morning. Why are you waking me up at 6am on my day off, Mav?”

“I want to show you something but we need to hit the road soon unless you want it to become an overnight trip. So go and get ready.” Maverick picked up a shirt he had thrown over a chair a day or two ago and threw it at Rooster, catching him off guard enough for it to hit him square in the face.

Knowing full well he couldn’t escape this trip Rooster just sighed and gathered his things so he could get ready. Hurrying through the process of getting ready until he was standing back in his room, silently looking at Mav while the older man looked at the pictures Rooster had taped up next to his bed.

Most of his memories were kept in his phone nowadays but he still liked to keep a few  physical pictures with him on deployment. An old strip from a photobooth the two of you had squeezed yourself into, you perched on his lap with his arms wrapped around your middle while you made faces into the camera right next to the picture of his parents with their arms around each other. Maverick was focused on the third picture that was taped up though, their last family picture from before the accident. It had been hard to bend the picture in a way that properly hid Mav since they were all crowded together, Mom and Dad and Mav with little Rooster in the middle. He didn’t regret not tearing it apart in a fit of anger though. Instead he had taken it down after the mission, carefully straightened out the picture until Maverick was no longer hidden behind the back of the picture and next to them again, before putting it back up with their family reunited.

Rooster watched as he reached out and trailed a finger across the crease. It felt like he was interrupting a moment so he just stood still for a few more seconds, giving Maverick a little bit more time. When the other man turned around he didn’t seem surprised to see Rooster standing in the middle of his room though, a small smile growing on his face.

“Ready to go, kid?”

“Yeah.” He replied, waiting for Mav to bring up the pictures or where they were going but nothing came in response.

“Great.” Maverick stepped past him, hand coming up to give his shoulder a firm pat. “We’re taking your Bronco.”

It wasn’t until they were out of San Diego and making their way down a highway out east that Maverick opened up a little. He had been designated to the passenger side, left to peruse through the handful of cassette tapes in the glove box and play navigator while Rooster drove.

“Good selection.”

Out of the corner of his eyes Rooster could see the older man’s hands stopping once he came across a familiar mixtape, his own illegible handwriting staring back at him. He had played the tape over the years, knew the songs by heart even. But he still wasn’t able to read the writing. Your daddy had the nicest handwriting - his mother used to tell him - always filling out paperwork for Maverick. It wasn’t until he was older that he understood why his mother continued to do the same after his father’s death. A small act of kindness towards the poor soul that had to deal with Maverick Mitchell, saving at least a little bit of their sanity by shielding them from his terrible chicken scratch. Mav could write legibly when he cared, Rooster had a shoebox full of cards and letters at the old house that proved this, but he never really cared for paperwork.

Still focusing most of his attention on the road in front of them, Rooster saw the older man opening the case and carefully putting it into the correct slot on the old car. It took a moment for it to start but he smiled as the intro to Danger Zone began playing. Mav was nodding his head along the rhythm and Rooster could feel himself being overcome by some kind of nostalgic sorrow.

He was young when his father died. Too young. That wasn’t something he ever tried or was able to hide. But he tried his hardest to shield the ones around him from the full truth and maybe lie to himself a little. Nick Bradshaw had been a good man and he deserved to be remembered as such by his loved ones. Which just caused his limited memories of his dad to be all the more painful. No matter how hard Rooster tried to find new memories hidden away in a far corner of his brain he was stuck with a handful of amazing but painful ones.

It must have been mere days before the accident. His mom was somewhere, he didn’t quite know where, but his dad and his uncle Mav were with him. He remembered that the radio was blasting Danger Zone and that the adults had been singing along. They had all jumped across the room wildly and his uncle had picked him up only to collapse onto a couch or bench or something similar towards the end of the song.

After their falling out it had taken him years until he could listen to the song again without getting overwhelmed by emotions. But sitting here now, side by side with the man he tried to hate for years, all that heaviness he’d been carrying around with himself seemed to lift. It would never be like that one carefree summer afternoon in San Diego again but Rooster was certain that they could work towards mending their relationship again and he looked forward to it.

They had been driving for hours and Rooster was starting to get tired of the scenery. While he appreciated the desert as a beautiful place in theory after driving through it for a while it started to become too monotonous for him. They had stopped at a diner in a small town around eleven and eaten what would probably be considered brunch although there was a distinct lack of mimosas. He had filled the tank while Mav picked up some things from a nearby store and they were on the road again before noon.

“There’s a dirt road up ahead, on the left side. No street sign but you’ll see it.”

It was easy to follow his directions, pulling the Bronco into the street and making their way down the road. He could see a building up ahead, far enough removed from the main road to not be visible to passing cars but now that they were on the smaller dirt road Rooster was able to see that they were heading straight towards it.

An airplane hangar. Maverick had taken him to an airplane hangar. In the middle of the damn Mojave.

He slowed down the car once they got close enough, coming to a stop near the access doors but off to the side so he wouldn’t block the runway. If it involved Mav and a hangar there would definitely be planes around and he didn’t want to be in the way.

“Remember the thing you talked about last time at The Hard Deck?” Maverick said, hopping out of the car and Rooster had to suppress a laugh at the sight before he exited the Bronco too.

He watched as Maverick walked over to the middle of the hangar and raised his voice a little so that the older man could hear him even as he walked away. “What thing? I talked about a lot of things.”

“About the old house and it being your homebase.” Maverick was fiddling around with the chain that hung in the middle of the giant doors but Rooster couldn’t see what exactly he was doing, even as he walked closer.

“Well….” The chain rattled as it fell to the ground but Mav picked it up before giving each side of the heavy doors a push. “Welcome to my homebase.” Maverick said before slipping through the gap in the door and disappearing into the darkness.

Homebase. The stupid word echoed in his mind as he hesitated to follow the older man into the hangar. He had said that, hadn’t he? Downplayed the significance of you, your home… his home. Expressing his feelings had never been his strong suit but part of him didn’t regret his selfish choice of words. He trusted the daggers with his life but he didn’t want to share your relationship with them, not when he wasn’t sure of things himself.

He couldn’t bare himself to them in such a manner. Not when he still struggled to come to terms with things himself.

Trying to shake those thoughts he followed after Mav. The inside of the hangar was significantly darker than the outside even with the slight opening in the doors letting in light and his eyes needed a moment to adjust before he could see but when they did he looked around the large space in awe.

Rooster knew that the older man had an affinity for all things speed -bikes and planes, even the occasional sports car- but looking around he was surprised by how many machines he could see. Just from a first glance he counted at least 15, half of which he somewhat remembered from his childhood, as well as an old P-51 and… random furniture placed in front of a trailer?

“What-” He started but didn’t finish his sentence. What would he even ask? What is this place? Homebase. Mav had already said that.

He looked around again, trying to find Maverick between the machines.

“Go sit down.”

He nearly jumped at the sound of Mav’s voice echoing through the hanger. He hadn’t seen or heard him coming at all.

“I’ll go get the bags from the car but you go sit. Or go look around. Make yourself at home. Just don’t touch anything.”

The way he said it sounded like an adult warning a small child. Don’t touch anything, you could get hurt. And for a second Rooster thought about all the years he had spent with Maverick and his machines. How they had fixed up old bikes and Mav had patiently explained what every tiny screw does before ruffling his hair and telling him good job buddy for handing him a wrench. How he had helped Rooster get all his licenses from bikes to cars to planes and then let him take out some of the machines for joyrides or to impress girls at his high school. How he knew what he was doing and if he wanted to he could touch because he knew not to get hurt. Because he’s not a kid anymore. Because Mav taught him how not to get hurt.

But instead he kept quiet and looked around.

Rooster spent a while looking at the P-51. That thing must have cost a fortune even if it was old and Mav did the repairs himself. It was a gorgeous plane though and he hoped that he could convince his godfather to take him up with it soon.

The row of bikes felt so familiar it hurt but he still ran his fingers over the polished metal with care. All neatly lined up along the side of the hangar.

When he was younger Mav kept a locker covered in stickers in their garage. He still had the same locker now in the hangar and the collection of stickers had only grown. He used to go into the garage to look at them all the time when he was a child. Stickers of the different squadrons in all colors of the rainbow. He had them all memorized before he had memorized all 50 states. This one is where Ice flies -Maverick would point out- and this one is the squad that has to deal with Wolfman and Hollywood. They had gone through all the different symbols and pointed out when one of Mav’s friends flew with them.

As a kid he often wondered which squadron he would be assigned to, what insignia he would rep. He slowly raised a hand and ran his fingers over the Golden Warriors sticker at the side of the locker when something past the locker caught his eye.

Pictures upon pictures taped to the wall, familiar faces staring back at him. He could see pictures of Maverick and his parents as he stepped closer. Iceman. Their class at top gun.

Himself.

One of the pictures he knew. It was taken the day his high school baseball team had won a state championship and he remembered feeling like he was on top of the world. His mom had already been sick at that point but her prognosis had been good. Mav had been home from deployment and was able to bring his mom and together they had cheered loud enough that they could be heard across the entire pitch. Other teens would have felt embarrassed but Bradley had felt nothing but love. They had taken him out to eat afterwards and he had talked their ears off while stuffing his face with fries. His mother hadn’t even scolded him for talking with his mouth full. He had asked about the naval academy and if they had a baseball team and if Mav thought he should join. They’d all been so happy.

Not even a year later his mom was dead and Mav had pulled his papers and he had found himself on the other side of the continent completely alone.

Mav had another picture of him as well although he didn’t know where he got it. It was a newer one of him in his uniform, taken before the start of his last deployment. Ice, he answered his own unasked question. There was only one person that held enough rank and love for Maverick to get a hold of his picture.

He should have reached out sooner. If not to Mav then at least Iceman. Even in his stubbornness he had to admit that the late admiral had never treated him with anything but kindness and now it was too late to apologize.

“There you are.” Mav’s voice came from behind him and Rooster was proud that he didn’t flinch at the sudden noise. He had completely forgotten that he wasn’t alone in the hangar.

Instead of speaking immediately he took a deep breath and swallowed down his feelings. One step at a time. First he’d mend things with Mav for the future, then he’d ask for forgiveness for the past.

“Quite the collection you got here.” He said instead.

“Yeah?” He could see how the older man’s eyes lighted up at the mention of his machines. “I got more up here and a few more back there.” He turned around to point them out to Rooster, taking a few steps away from the side of the hangar.

“I’ve put the bikes on the backburner for a little bit to focus on the plane but as soon as I get it back up and running I have a few that need repairs. Maybe you could come and help me out a little. Like old times.” Mav smiled.

“That would be nice.”

He watched as Maverick walked over to the sitting area and followed. He disappeared into the trailer for a moment only to come out holding two bottles in his hands and gesturing for Rooster to sit. It was almost as if he had set up a little living room in the middle of the hangar. With an armchair and a couch, a small coffee table all on a big rug in front of the trailer. Wait…

“Mav do you fucking live here?”

Mav just gestured to the couch. “Sit down Bradley.”

It felt weird to be called Bradley again. For years he had only gone by Rooster or Bradshaw, building it up almost like a second identity or an armor. To him it felt like he had left Bradley behind years ago when he left home. Still, he sat down.

He looked at Mav.

Mav looked at him.

“Yes Bradley. I’ve been living in this hangar for the past few years while stationed at a nearby air base.” He finally said.

“In that trailer?”

Mav didn’t say anything, just nodded while looking at him.

He shifted a little where he sat on the couch, trying to avoid eye contact. “So you’re just all alone out here in the desert?”

“You know I’m used to being on my own, Bradley. No wife, no kids.”

Nobody to mourn you when you burn in.

He should have known that he would end up eating his words. No matter how much anger and distress he was feeling when he spoke them, no words were said without consequences and he was about to be faced with his.

He shifted in his seat again, still not meeting the older man’s eyes. “Mav, listen…”

“No. No.” Mav took a deep breath and let in out loud enough for him to hear it through the distance between them. “You were right.”

Another silence fell over them, this one weighing heavier on him than the ones before.

“I fear we’re a lot more similar than either of us would like to admit.”

It sounded less than a statement and more like a confession or maybe even a little bit of an apology. Like it pained Maverick to admit it and he had to force himself to say them. As if it had been a shortcoming on his end that had made them this way and not just the universe playing a cruel joke.

“There are… a lot of things we need to talk about and a lot of things I need to apologize for but not now. We have all the time in the world to talk things out but that’s not why I brought you here.”

“Then why did you?” His own voice sounded strange to him but he couldn’t figure out why. His thoughts were racing but at the same time his mind felt emptier than ever.

“I don’t want you to repeat the same mistakes I made.”

“Mav…”

“People like us belong in the sky and when something comes along to threaten that things turn ugly. You think there’s nothing worse than having that freedom taken away from you but there is. Because we can’t… we can’t stay up there forever, Bradley, no matter how hard we try. Once that’s taken away you have to look around and see what’s waiting for you on the ground. And when you see there’s nothing waiting for you… That’s scary, kid.”

Although he understood every word coming out of Maverick’s mouth he couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“You’re allowed to put down roots without them chaining you to the ground. You’re allowed to build a home and a family without fear holding you back.”

And all of a sudden his words began to make sense.

No wife. No kids.

Just like him.

Somebody to mourn him if he burns in.

“I don’t think…”

“Don't think. Just do.”

That damn sentence had burrowed itself into his mind. Nested itself deep enough in his subconscious that there was no way he’d ever get rid of it again and Maverick repeating them now did nothing to soften the blow he felt.

“You love her, don’t you?”

Such a simple question. Such a simple answer. Yet it felt like he had to force himself to admit it. “Yes.”

“Then tell her.”

Sometimes home wasn’t a place but a person but there had to be some incredible luck involved for the two to overlap for him.

For years he had felt a certain type of sadness while driving up to his childhood home, reminiscing about all he’s lost, but as he pulled his Bronco into the little driveway all he could think about was what he was about to gain. His stomach was twisting and turning in anticipation.

Part of him wondered if he was doing the right thing, finally confessing to you. The friendship you had built over the span of more than one decade was too important and he didn’t want to mess it up. It had been easier when he was young and stupid and fell into bed with you the first time without consideration but now your time together weighted on him. He hesitated before exiting the car, mentally going over everything he wanted to say and repeating the words Mav had told him before sending him on his way.

She wouldn’t have waited fifteen years for you to get your act together if she wasn’t head over heels in love with you too.

Oh how he hoped that Maverick was right.

Taking one last deep breath he opened the door and got out, throwing it closed behind him. You had planted some new flowers in the front yard. Last time he had been here he was greeted by soft yellow flowers but now all he could see was a beautiful red. Granted it had been a few months since he last came by but he still felt a slight sting at the change. Not that it happened -he was glad that you actually felt at home in your house and comfortable enough to change the greenery- but the fact that he missed it. As he made his way towards the front door he thought about all the other things that could have changed since he saw you last. Did you get new pillows for the couch? Hung new pictures on the walls?

He had to search through his keys for a moment before he found the house key but as soon as he did he unlocked the door and stepped inside. There were noises coming from the tv in the living room and he had no problem imagining you curled up on the couch with a soft blanket and a mug held between your soft hands with one of your shows playing.

“Honey, I’m home!” He called out, hoping that you wouldn’t be able to hear the desperation in his voice and only the excitement.

Instead of a response he could only hear a crash coming from the living room and instantly became concerned. He couldn’t take more than two steps down the hallway though before you suddenly appeared at the other end of the small space. Messy hair and comfy clothes he didn’t have time to brace himself before you all but tackled him, clinging to his body while his arms came up to hold you up and against him.

Holding you in his arms again just made him feel so much more confident in his decision. His body still felt a little sore even a week after the mission but he’d never tell you out of fear that you would lessen your crushing embrace. The last thing he wanted right now was to be separated from you in any way. He could feel saying something against his shoulder but he couldn’t hear anything, the sound muffled by his shirt.

You must have realized that he wasn’t able to understand what you were saying because you pulled away a little so he could understand you better. “You’re home.” You almost whispered, voice airy and light and a big smile on your face. “Why are you home? You’re supposed to be overseas, why are you here? You always text me before you’re home or at least give me a call. Are you okay? What happened?”

He smiled as you took his hands between your hands, trying to see if he was hurt while rambling and he just couldn’t hold himself back any longer so he leaned down and finally, finally put his lips on yours in the softest, most loving kiss he could muster with the amount of desire running through his body. If he surprised you with his kiss you didn’t show it, instead your lips began to move against his, only for him to pull away once you try to deepen the kiss.

“I love you.”

The words didn’t feel foreign in his mouth even though it was the first time he said them for a long long time. He’s been running from his true feelings for as long as he could remember but now that he managed to spill them he couldn’t stop.

“I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Realizing that he was still holding you up, he carefully lowered you down until there was solid ground underneath your feet. You looked so sweet just standing there and part of him just wanted to swoop you right up again. Instead he brought one of his hands up to cradle your face, carefully stroking his thumb over your cheek.

“Baby...” You started but stopped when his thumb brushed over your bottom lip.

“I love you and I’m sorry.”

He could see your brows furrow in confusion so he continued.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was scared and it took me fifteen years to finally admit it but I love you. I love you and I’m not scared anymore and I’m yours… in any way that you’ll have me.” It was a blatant lie. He wasn’t just scared, he was absolutely terrified. Not just about his confession but also the future and the past and everything in between. But he needed to tell you how he felt so desperately.

Your hand touching his brought him back from his thoughts, cradling his hands while he cradled your face and a smile so wide he couldn’t focus.

When you spoke your voice was barely more than a whisper. “Oh you stupid man.”

For an awful drawn-out second he couldn’t breathe before your lips met his again and he felt whole again. Deepening the kiss all he could think about was how he was never letting go of you again.

Lieutenant Jakob Middlename Seresin enjoyed the simple things in life. A cold beer, a light breeze, and a beach full of attractive people were paradise on earth for him. After the recent mission all he wanted to do was lay back and relax before he had to head back out for deployment so when two of his old academy buddies talked about their new house in Hawai’i he invited himself to crash in their guest bedroom for two weeks and so far it had been nothing but pure bliss.

Taking a picture of his current view he sent it to his parents before pulling up the group chat Fanboy had made for everybody involved in the mission. He had missed about 50 messages but just from scrolling past them he picked up that Bob had sent a picture with his family and now everybody was roasting him for how out of character it seemed. Apparently there were flannel shirts and horses involved and Jake was just about to scroll back up to take a look himself so that he could join in the fun when a new message was sent to the group chat that caused him to drop his phone into the fine sand with a bitten off curse.

Rooster 🐓

getting hitched in vegas this wknd, be there or be square

txt Mav for details

Before he could fully process what he just read the chat was blowing up again. Text after texts came in expressing various degrees of excitement but Jake just read over Rooster’s text again before putting his phone away. With a sigh he brought his half-empty beer up to his lips and emptied the bottle before getting up to make his way back to the house.

It was only Wednesday so he still had a little time to enjoy his vacation before he had to head back to the mainland and he fully planned on enjoying it. He just needed to ask his friends where he could buy some gaudy Hawaiian shirts first. Maybe he’d even find some Vegas wedding appropriate ones.

He wouldn’t leave his wingman hanging.

[justabigassnerd]

Replaced

Pairing - Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x daughter!reader

Word count - 1,500

Warnings - fluff, that's it

Summary - the Daggers have a get-together on the beach for 4th July and you cling to Mickey the whole time, leaving two people jokingly heartbroken

Sequel to 'New Best Friend'

A/N - it's about damn time I'm uploading a fic isn't it? I'm so sorry for how long I'm taking to write stuff I truly am. I hope I did this request justice because as you can see it's horrifically late. as per y'all please send in requests, feedback, and enjoy!!!

After the get-together at Jake’s house that introduced you to all the Daggers, it became beyond obvious that Mickey had quickly become your favourite person. Mickey started visiting Jake’s house more often just to see you or would meet up with you and Jake at the beach and you always lit up when you saw Mickey, toddling over to him as quickly as you could before he scooped you up in his arms.

When it drew closer to the 4th of July, Penny and Maverick announced to the Daggers that they’d be holding a barbeque on the beach just in front of the Hard Deck and that the whole squadron was invited to spend the evening together at the beach and without hesitation, all members of the squad was accepting the offer and soon began chatting amongst each other excitedly about what they could get up to.

“Mav, is it okay if I bring y/n along? If we’re all here I have no one I trust to watch her.” Jake asks, approaching Maverick and Penny to have a conversation with them.

“Of course, she can come. Quite frankly we would’ve been offended if you didn’t bring her.” Penny says with a laugh as Maverick nods in agreement, their responses quickly putting Jake at ease.

“To be honest, she probably won’t think much of the whole thing, she’ll just want to hang out with Fanboy the whole time anyway.” Jake admits with a laugh, glancing over his shoulder to where the rest of the Daggers were before turning back to face Maverick and Penny.

“Every kid finds someone outside of their family to be their favourite, don’t they? I was Bradley’s favourite person when he was little. Drove Goose wild. Just don’t tell Bradley I told you that or I might get killed.” Maverick says with a smile that matches Jake’s as both men chuckle, imagining a younger Bradley clinging to Maverick the way you clung to Mickey.

A few days later it was time for the 4th July barbeque and the Daggers had turned up in full force ready to spend an afternoon eating, drinking, and enjoying each other’s company.

“You ready sweetheart?” Jake says after parking his truck just in front of the beach, turning around to see you in your car seat grinning at him.

“Yes, daddy.” You say excitedly, waiting both patiently and eagerly for Jake to kill the engine, round the car and unbuckle you from your car seat, lifting you out of the car effortlessly and setting you down on the ground before taking your hand in his. The two of you then head towards where the Daggers had set up the get-together. You were walking along happily by Jake’s side, a wide grin on your face as you approach the group and as you take in the sight of everyone who has arrived you realise Mickey is not among the group and your smile falters.

“Mickey?” You ask quietly, looking up at your dad who quickly scoops you up in his arms and sits you on his hip.

“He’s probably just running a little bit behind, sweetheart. He’s always the last one to arrive. Let’s say hi to the others in the meantime, shall we?” Jake encourages, bouncing you on his hip to try and elicit a smile from you as he crosses the beach to the Daggers who greet you with smiles and waves which you return, beginning to cheer up a little. Jake had noticed how meeting the Daggers had helped bring you out of your shell a little more and that you were slowly becoming a bit more extroverted, even at school when teachers had previously told him you preferred to keep to yourself, now they were telling him that you had begun interacting with your classmates more and was beginning to make friends.

After greeting the Daggers, you take the step to move away from Jake and decide to watch what Natasha is doing as she picks up a stick and draws a smiley face in the sand which makes you giggle before she hands you the stick to attempt to draw something yourself which keeps you occupied long enough for Mickey to finally show up, the last of the Daggers to arrive, as usual. Mickey greets his teammates as he approaches, his voice getting your attention as you turn to look, your face lighting up the moment you realise who has just arrived.

“Mickey!” You cry happily, getting yourself onto your feet and toddling over to Mickey as fast as your little legs would allow and the moment you reached him, Mickey scooped you up into his arms and hugged you close.

“Hey, short stuff! How have you been?” Mickey asks with a smile as you cuddle closer to him, barely answering his question with anything more than a small mumble and nod. Mickey then crossed to the rest of the group, greeting them all properly with a smile while you continued to cling to him.

“Sandcastles?” You ask Mickey when there’s a lapse in conversation between the adults and Mickey looks at you with a wide grin before nodding.

“You want to make sandcastles? Let’s do it.” Mickey says excitedly, grabbing your bucket and spade from where Jake had put yours and his stuff and finding somewhere to sit nearby so you could make your sandcastles.

“How are we feeling about Fanboy replacing you with Hangman’s kid, Payback?” Javy asks with a smirk as Jake rolls his eyes while flipping a burger.

“I can’t believe I’ve been replaced by a kid. Hangman’s kid as well.” Reuben says jokingly, glancing over his shoulder, lifting his aviators and sending Jake a wink as he chuckles, knowing Reuben was only joking.

“If it makes you feel any better, it’s like y/n has completely forgotten I exist.” Jake then jokes, glancing over at where you were sat under Mickey’s watchful eye, carefully crafting a sandcastle as Mickey formed a pile of shells, he found in the sand for you to use as decorations.

You and Mickey remain sat in the sand making sandcastles until all the food has been cooked and Mickey is quick to help you to your feet and lead you over to the table to help you plate up some food for yourself before sitting on the wall along the beach front so you could sit in between Mickey and your dad while you ate your dinner.

After everyone finished their food and the sun started to begin its descent, Maverick suggested a game of dogfight football to finish off the day and Penny suggested you come and sit with her to watch everyone play but seeing Mickey dare to move away from you had you clinging to his hand within seconds.

“Stay.” You plead, looking up at Mickey with wide pleading eyes that melt his heart in a matter of seconds.

“Looks like I’m taking a backseat today guys.” Mickey says with a grin, ignoring the joking complaints from the other Daggers and sitting alongside Penny with you on his lap so you could watch your dad play.

“Go daddy!” You cheer as your dad celebrates scoring, clapping your hands together as Mickey claps as well.

Your interest in the game only lasted a few more minutes before the events of the evening began to catch up to you as you began to yawn repeatedly which had Mickey searching for Jake amongst the group, squinting from behind his sunglasses to find him to wave him down. Jake noticed Mickey quickly and came jogging over, assessing the sight before he even arrived and quickly realised what was going on.

“I got her.” Jake says quietly, taking you into his arms smoothly while Mickey scoops yours and Jake’s stuff into Jake’s bag to give to him.

“Daddy?” You mumble, eyes barely open as you cuddle closer to your dad.

“Oh, now you want me?” Jake muses jokingly, tightening his grip ever so slightly as he bids the Daggers goodbye with a wave which you copied, only much more sluggish in your movements, before making his way back to his truck, putting the bag in the backseat before putting you in your car seat and strapping you in as you whined slightly at the loss of your dad’s arms.

“It’s okay sweetheart, we’ll be home soon, and you can get in your nice comfy bed.” Jake promises, pressing a kiss to the top of your head before closing the door and getting behind the wheel and beginning the drive home.

“Did you have a good time y/n?” Jake asks after getting a minute down the road. When he’s met with no response other than the rumbling of the engine and the quiet song playing over the radio, he briefly shifts his gaze to his rearview mirror, smiling softly to himself when he catches sight of you fast asleep in your seat.

“You definitely had the best time didn’t you?”

[bussyslayer333]

Lay all your love on me

Summary: Jake has fallen for Penny’s niece working as a bartender at the Hard Deck for the summer. Too bad he doesn’t know how to show it.

pairing: jake seresin x penny’s niece!reader

Word count: 3.6k

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, mentions of an age gap, j*ke being an asshat, pet names, smut at the end, am I forgetting anything??? pls lemme know! MDNI 18+

feel free to send me a message or ask with requests/ ideas pls <3

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

It was the third time this night Jake had seen you talking to that scumbag hanging near to the bar top. What did he have that Jake didn’t? Girls didn’t even like short guys (said scum bag was an inch shorter but Jake would be damned if the world didn’t know). He had never felt like this before in relation to a woman, usually they were the ones pining for him from afar. It was a pathetic sight to see for the rest of the dagger squad,

“Seriously bagman who pissed in your beer?”

Jake looked up from where he had been perched against the pool table and scowled at Rooster, did he ever shut his mouth? Now his gaze had finally been diverted from you he felt a surge of anger as he clenched slightly too hard around the neck of his beer bottle.

“Just go talk to her, with some of that Texan charm hopefully she can look past how horrifically you bombed yesterday.” Rooster smirked into his Stella.

At the reminder of yesterdays occurrence Jake squirmed in distaste.

“Come on ‘bombed’ is a bit harsh,” Bob spoke back to Rooster in Jakes defence.

Phoenix snorted so hard into her beer that some shot out of her nose and Fanboy let out a squeal as the nose beer hit his arm, alerting everyone in the hard deck (and probably a five mile radius because damn who knew fanboy had pipes) of their group. Payback began to pat Phoenix on the back and coaxed her back into a normal state of breathing but not before you could turn and mouth “you okay?” To Phoenix to which she replied with a forced smile and a thumbs up which appeased you and allowed you to turn back to ‘scumbag’.

“‘Bombed’ is putting it lightly Bob, don’t coddle him.” Phoenix croaked, and Jake finally spoke up “Look I didn’t mean what I said, I know I fucked up, bad.”

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Last night…

You and Jake had been dancing around each other for for a while now, it marked the third week you’d been in Miramar as you had been banished to your aunts for the summer because your mother had insisted you get some sunshine before your last year of college. Spending three months surrounded by hot navy men seemed ideal to you and you had hoped it involved a lot of beach time but alas, your dear aunt penny had roped you into becoming her newest bartender after the last had quit after a run in with a piano, a tray of drinks, a man named after a male chicken and one rowdy cover of great balls of fire.

The game you and Jake played was simple, you knew he was a flirt, heard the stories from your aunt of his heart of gold but sluttish tendencies with civilian girls in town for the summer. You knew you couldn’t be one of those girls but god was he making it hard.

Jake strolled up to the bar where you were drying glasses with a rag and tapping you sandal covered foot to the pina colada song. He leaned on to the bar top and let out a low whistle.

“That a nice sundress Sweets, I didn’t realise we were dressing up for each other now,” Jake drawled raking his eyes up and down the ditsy floral sundress you had worn (admittedly for him but he didn’t have to know).

“In your dreams flyboy,” You scoffed with a smirk looking into his eyes. The wedge sandals gave you a small amount of height advantage but your eyes still had to wander upwards to meet his.

“Every night, doll.” Jake pestered you further

“Sweets or doll? Which one is it?” You questioned but he didn’t falter, he never did.

“It’s whatever you want it to be,” Jake whipped out the big guns expecting you to simper, “darlin’,”

You looked him straight into the eyes and couldn’t help but giggle,

“Seriously cowboy? How often does that one work? Got all the southern belles swooning I imagine?” You snorted watching a flicker of embarrassment twinge in Jake’s eye but he stayed strong.

Truthfully, that’s why Jake hadn’t given up on you, you were funny and clever (probably much more than him) and dished it right back when he was being obnoxious, which was something Jake admired so deeply. Sure he thought that you were beautiful but so would anyone, it started out embarrassingly enough with Jake wanting you to be another notch on his belt but he couldn’t deny his desire to know more than just what you looked like in his bed. He wanted to make you snort when you laughed too hard and not feel embarrassed about it, he wanted to be lectured by you when he said something stupid and mostly he wanted you to tell him how much you loved him after doing all of that. His insecurities crept up within him so slowly, he had never had to deal with that type of feeling before, especially for a girl so much younger than him.

So in true Jacob Seresin fashion he did what he knew best, became a cocky son of a bitch.

“Sweetheart there are girls in this room begging for me to call them darlin’,”

You rolled your eyes with a hint more malice than what Jake was used to (and perhaps something which coloured you slightly green with envy). Then instead of doing the correct thing and backing down he amped it up.

“Don’t act all high and mighty when you’re dressed like that doll.” Jake knew he was digging himself a hole.

“Like what Jake?”

He knew he’d overstepped, you never called him Jake, always ‘flyboy’, an affectionate ‘bagman’ after you’d heard your favourite pilot Phoenix say it, and Jake’s personal fave ‘cowboy’ when his accent drawls our far too smoothly than humanly possible.

“Like a slut.” He spat far too casually for your liking. He was appalled at himself, embarrassed that he’d call you something like that. Jake pleaded that you tell him off, shout and scream and make regret opening his mouth. Rather you span on your heel to serve the next patron and didn’t look his way for the rest of the night. It was so much worse.

Your lack of verbal sparring, heated glances and winks when ‘Slow Ride’ was punched into the jukebox for the umpteenth time that night had Jake on a whim of nausea that couldn’t even compare to pulling 7Gs in his F-18.

He wandered back to the group looking sullen and Bob who had been silently observing the interaction was the first to pipe up.

“What happened?”

“I called her a slut.”

“WHAT?” Phoenix shrieked grasping your attention from the bar. Your ears twitched at the sound but you knew you couldn’t look back at them. Jake had humiliated you.

“I dont fucking know whenever I look at her my brain gets scrambled and I..” Jake trailed off to look at you and felt his heart drop to his stomach whilst you readjusted the the wrap neckline of your dress to cover your cleavage and and struggle to pull the skirt of the dress as far down on your thighs as it could go.

Phoenix seethed watching you as well,

“You are going to go over there and apologise to my favourite bartender we’ve ever had, otherwise I will literally shoot you down at our next training session.”

Rooster coughed up,

“Or Penny will never let us back in here again,”

Jake squinted at him in confusion, “I mean I know she’s got the sign but what does she have to do with this,”

Rooster smiled with a knowing look that Jake feared so so deeply,

“You didn’t know Hangman? That’s Penny’s niece.”

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Present…

After his failed apology attempt that Jake had tried to spew at you at the beginning of the evening he hadn’t been back up to the bar, leaving the drink ordering and collection down to his teammates. Penny hadn’t seemed out of the ordinary with him at the end of last night and Jake wasn’t surprised. You were a big girl who could handle her men issues on her own without running for help. Which is why he felt so foolish to be one of those dudes you discard after a stupid [read misogynistic] mistake.

Watching the scumbag return to the bar top for the 7th time this past hour (yes Jake had been counting) he finally plucked up the courage to walk over to you.

Before he could fully make his way away from the group, Rooster caught his wrist and pulled them close together.

“Are you sure about this?”

Jake had never been one to listen to Bradley but he felt the urge to currently.

“Look Jake I can’t watch you go over there and apologise just to continue your journey of trying to get into her pants. She’s sweet, she doesn’t deserve that.”

Looking Rooster in the eyes it became so obvious to Jake how badly he had fucked up.

“I dont just want to get into her pants.”

Rooster snorted as Jake put emphasis on the word ‘just’. Jake rolled his eyes and continued.

“I feel like shit for making her feel bad about herself. I really fucking like her Bradley and i need her to see that.”

Rooster nodded and released his grip on Jake, pushing him forward,

“Go get her Loverboy!” Jake cringed as you turned to see Roosters outburst.

Powering ahead just in time to see scumbag reach to touch your bare arm Jake yanked his hand out of the way.

“What’s your fucking deal?” the guy grumbled and Jake took advantage of his height and stared the guy down.

“Do her a favour and get lost buddy.”

Whilst you would have previously enjoyed Jake coming to the rescue, your mood was still significantly dampened by the events of last night.

Was that seriously how he saw you? Just some slut who was the easiest way for him to get some attention. You hated that he made you doubt yourself and you hated yourself even more so for still craving him.

Whilst the scumbag stumbled off into the direction of some other frat boys Jake fell into his spot and looked up at you apologetically.

You beat him to being the first to speak up.

“Do you seriously think after that shit you pulled, you have the right to be jealous over who’s talking to me?”

Jake went to speak again but you cut in.

“I suppose you’re here to tell me how slutty this outfit is,” you gestured down at your cut off jean shorts and tight fitting crop top. Jake wanted to admire you but felt it best not to. He cringed at your use of ‘slutty’ but figured you deserved to let it out of your system.

After turning around to serve someone else who had turned up at the bar you returned back to Jake looking slightly more willing to hear what he had to say.

“Look doll,” you rolled your eyes albeit more playfully than last time he had seen the action, “I’m really really fucking sorry. I’m such a dick and i can’t believe I said that to you.” You looked into his eyes and waited for him to continue. He took a deep breath, knowing he had to say it.

“I like you so much it’s embarrassing, to the point where I’m so cocky it makes my head hurt because somehow it’s easier for you to hate me for being a dick rather than pity me for being down so bad for you.” Jake stopped his rambling to look up at you and see you giggling. God he’d fucked this situation even further. Now you were never gonna speak to him again, just laugh at how embarrassing this grown ass man was for falling for you. Recognising the slight spiralling look in his eyes you decided to put him out of his misery and speak up.

“You are so stupid lieutenant.” You smirked at him and Jake felt embarrassed at how his body reacted to you addressing him with his rank. You continued on, “You are so stupid if you didn’t think I was just as down bad for you.”

Jake quirked an eyebrow at you, begging he wasn’t just dreaming this up.

“Jake I’ve been sold on you since the minute you walked into this bar with that smirk on your face after calling me your favourite pet name of the hour.”

“Doll you don’t know how glad I am to hear that,” Jake beamed at you, “and I’m so fucking sorry again-” he began.

“If you don’t close your mouth and kiss me right now lieutenant,” and with that Jakes lips were on yours. It was sweet, he tasted like the bitter beer he had been sipping and the emergency tictacs he kept in his back pocket. He reached his hand around your head and guided your further into the kiss until you pulled back. Jake worried he had gone too far too soon and opened his mouth to apologise again. Instead he followed your line of sight to see your aunt staring disapprovingly down from the entrance of the bar. Until she burst into a fit of giggles, you turned your head shyly and buried it into Jakes chest and he lifted your chin with his finger.

“Care to explain what your aunt seems to find so funny doll?”

Penny walked behind the bar and began attending to patrons as she spoke to Jake with a knowing smile.

“I warned her of navy boys, told her how me and her mother were back in the day, and she assured me hurriedly that she could never be like that.” You blushed as your aunt continued on. “So imagine my surprise when I walk into my bar to see you Hangman, all over my niece.”

Jake smiled sheepishly, but spoke with his usual confidence, “Well if there’s one thing I can assure you Penny m’dear, it’s that I won’t be anything like your Maverick.”

You smacked Jake on the chest lightly at the mention of your on and off again uncle whilst Penny snorted. “ I can only pray.”

You pulled away from Jake to begin helping Penny wipe down the glasses but she immediately started shooing you away with her rag. “Please darling, do us all a favour and alleviate the heavy sexual tension which has been wreaking havoc on my bar for the past month.”

Your mouth hung open as you were reminded of your aunts often unnecessary candour. Jake laughed from behind you and yanked you up by the hips so you were sat on the bar top. Spinning round to face him your felt his hot breath hit your ear.

“What do you say doll? Let’s get out of here, I have a few ways i can think of making it up to you.” You pulled back with a blush on your face and nodded hit with a sudden loss for words.

“Get her off my bar top would you.” Penny gestured in your direction to Jake.

“Gladly.” He smirked placing his strong hands on your hips. You could feel the warmth of his skin on the sliver of your midriff that was revealed by the short nature of your tight top and denim cut offs. He picked you up and placed you down in front of him which made the height difference oh so much more appetising now he was staring right down at you.

“Let’s get out of here.” You smiled up at him tugging him by the calloused hand.

Jake turns as he’s being dragged out by you and winks at a staring and shocked Rooster and Coyote. Phoenix looks up from where she was about to kick Bob’s ass at pool and makes a mental note to text you later to get as many details as she can.

Finally leaving the Hard Deck and the cool night time sea breeze is refreshing on your flushed cheeks. The sunset is in its last stages as Jake checks the time. 21:52.

“Not to be presumptuous, but would you like to come back to mine?” Jake speaks almost, nervously? You squeeze his hand in reassurance and look up.

“I thought you’d never ask flyboy.”

Jake guides you through the hard deck’s gravel parking lot to his truck in the far corner where a tree hangs down lowly over it. You snort as you realise how fitting Jakes truck is to his personality. It’s shiny and big but you can see his air freshener dangling down revealing a Yankee candle spiced cinnamon scent. Suddenly not feeling very patient anymore you drag Jakes face down to yours with both hands and lock your lips together. It’s much more heated than the kiss in the bar, which is probably due to the confidence found in not being watched by a group of Jake’s workmates. Jake slips his tongue into your mouth making you moan out in surprise.

“God you sound so sweet doll” Jake groans against your ear moving his kisses along your neck getting sloppier as they go along as to drag out more sounds from you.

“Jake please,” you whimper almost embarrassingly far gone from just kissing. He pulls away from your neck to open the door to the drivers side of his truck and you whine from the loss of contact.

Jake chuckles at your needy state and helps you climb into his lap in an action far too gentlemanly for the current situation. Face to face sat in his truck your need for Jake only grows as he bucked his hips up into you causing you to whimper into his lips.

“Sorry doll,” Jake chuckles, “you just feel so good on top of me.”

“Easy cowboy,” you simper, “I could still walk right out of this truck if you keep teasing.”

“You wouldn’t,” Jake smirks, seeing right through your lie. Nevertheless, he continues his ministrations of kissing down your neck as you grind your hips down into his. The friction of his trouser seam and your shorts bumping against your clit with each movement was addictive.

You pull away from Jake’s latch on the base of your neck and begin to unbutton his shirt. Jake helps you as the heat verges on uncomfortable. Once his chest is bared to you a knot of fire ignites in your stomach as you trace the hair that leads down his chest into a happy trail with your finger. Jake hums contentedly and reaches for the bottom of your shirt.

“As adorable as the little top is doll, I’m much more interested in what’s underneath.” Jake signals for you to raise your arms to aid him removing your shirt and you do. Your shirt is abandoned on the passenger seat as Jake stares at your bare chest. You become slightly self conscious at his silence and reach to pull you hands in front of your breasts until Jake groans.

“God you’re fucking perfect,” Jake pulls your hand that was going to cover yourself and places it between both your crotches onto his hard cock. You both moan out at the sensation. Jake reaches up to unbutton your shorts and you aid him in pulling them down and tossing them to rest with your discarded shirts, thanking the lords you opted for a cute lacy baby blue thong today instead of your trusty my little pony pants that were a common wear for you. Jake groaned again loud enough that you had half a mind to shush him.

“Doll are you actually trying to kill me?” Jake asked you with an air of honesty. You giggled in reply and reached to toy with your clit through your panties. “Yep, you definitely are.”

Jake replaced your fingers with his and pulled your panties to the side to catch a glimpse of your wetness.

“All for you lieutenant,” Jakes whole body audibly twitched at that admission and he pulled you in by the back of the head for another deep kiss with his hand that wasn’t between your legs. As you kissed messily with your free hands palming over his length Jake increased his speed and plunged his middle finger into you. You moaned against his mouth at the intrusion and whimpered trying to find something coherent to say.

“Jake please I’m so close,”

“I know doll, please cum for me.” Jake begged whilst he circled your clit once more with his thumb. Feeling you clench around him Jake repeated his actions over and over as you squirmed against him, thrashing gently as pleasure overcame you. Jake watched in awe as the girl he has dreamt about for the past month came all over his hand. Breathing hard you kissed Jake messily again as he removed his fingers from you. Parting from the kiss you watched Jake stick his fingers into his mouth and suck them clean, involuntarily clenching as you eyed his actions. Jake opened his eyes and made contact with your lust blown ones and smirked.

“Now let me actually take you back to my place doll, show you what else I can do.”

You smacked his bare chest endearingly and moved over to the passenger side to dress yourself in his button down shirt for the short drive back to his place. Jake looked over and smiled seeing you dressed in his shirt lit up by the moonlight filtering in from the windscreen, and it filled him with pride to see you finally as his girl.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

a/n: this is my first piece of writing ive actually decided to post so please comment and re blog and tell me what u think !!!

yes it was inspired by the abba song LOL i watched mamma mia yesterday and couldn’t stop thinking about jake and the whole “i wasn’t jealous before we met, now every man that i see is a potential threat,” (queue sick fighting moves)

i was also thinking about doing fics w bob and rooster inspired by mamma mia/ abba songs so whatever you want to see just lemme knowwww :)

thank u for reading

- honey <3333

[sailor-aviator]

Meet Me at the Sea: The Squad Confronts Jake

The Squad Confronts Jake

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: Your best friend, Bob Floyd, had insisted you join him for the summer at his family's home along the Carolina coasts. You had been hesitant at first, but ultimately agreed to his request. Now, here you were in a new town with strange locals who spoke in hushed whispers and cryptic retellings about glistening scales, glowing eyes, and haunting songs that echoed from the sea. You didn't believe them at first, but when you wake up on the beach one morning after having fallen overboard the night before, you can't help but think that maybe you hadn't imagine the strong arms and deep, green eyes of the man that had saved you.

Word Count: 1,050

A/N: Here is a little blurb I wrote that takes place after Chapter Three of Meet Me at the Sea wherein the Dagger Squad confronts Jake about marking Skipper! If you enjoy my writing, please consider buying me a ko-fi! As always, comments, reblogs, and likes are greatly appreciated!! 18+ ONLY!! You can find this and all of my other updates on AO3 under the username sailor_aviator!

Series Masterlist || Tag List

“You’re a prick,” Bradley hissed, eyes blazing as he glared at Jake. Jake sighed, resting his head on his hand as he stared at the glass of water in front of him. He had been waiting for this ever since that moment on the beach.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” he muttered, taking a sip from his glass. Bradley grabbed his shoulder, pulling him so that he faced the larger man. Bradley’s lips were pressed into a thin line, nostrils flaring as a dangerous glint sparked in his eyes. Jake cocked an eyebrow at him, which seemed to further enrage the other man. Bradley grabbed onto Jake’s shirt, curling his fists into the fabric as he pulled Jake up and out of his seat.

“Bradshaw, there will be no fighting in my bar!” Penny hollered, arms crossed and eyes glaring. “Take it outside or knock it off.”

“Sorry, Penny!” Nat called over her shoulder as she placed a hand on Bradley’s. “C’mon Brad, take a breath.”

Bradley spared her a glance before releasing the blond, stepping back as Jake ran his hands down his front. Looking up at his friends through his lashes, he heaved a sigh before sitting back down.

“Y’all going to join me, or are you just going to stand there looking at me?”

Bradley, Nat, Reuben, Mickey, and Javy all sat down at the previously empty table, never taking their eyes off of Jake.

“Where the hell do you get off staking a claim on her?” Bradley seethed, hands balled into fists where they rested on the wood. “You have Mandy.”

“I don’t want Mandy,” Jake responded.

“We know,” Javy said, earning a nod from Reuben and Mickey. “But what’s changed?”

“Who the hell cares what’s changed?” Bradley snapped. “He can’t have them both. He has to choose.”

“He’s right,” Nat said, fixing her eyes on Jake. Her expression was calm, but there was an underlying warning in her gaze. “You can’t claim both of them.”

“I don’t want to,” Jake sighed.

Bradley leaned back in his chair, eyes still cold as they regarded his friend. “So why’d you do it?”

“Thought you didn’t care?” Jake spat. Bradley narrowed his gaze at him.

“If that’s how you’re going to be,” he said, moving to stand, “then I’ll just go and stake my claim on her then.”

Jake snarled, the beast inside him rearing its ugly head at the thought of Bradley touching what was his.

“Over my dead body,” he sneered, standing up to block Bradley’s path. Bradley sneered right back, shifting like he was ready for a fight.

“Are we going to handle this the old fashioned way?” He asked Jake.

“Boys!” Penny hollered. Javy and Reuben stood up, the former holding Jake back while the other held Bradley.

“Sorry, Penny! It won’t happen again!” Mickey smiled, and the older woman let out a huff before stomping towards the back.

“Would you two neanderthals sit down?” Nat hissed, watching Penny as she retreated. “If you get us thrown out of here, I’m kicking both of your asses!”

The two men let their friends guide them back down to the seats, eyes still focused intently on the other as tempers simmered.

“Jake, tell us what’s up, man,” Mickey said, a look of concern on his face. “This isn’t like you.”

“For him to be a dick?” Bradley snickered.

“For him to put an intention bite on someone,” Nat scowled. “And Mickey’s right. What is up with you?”

Jake didn’t say anything, eyes fixated on the table. He was still trying to wrap his own mind around it. He knew what happened, but how could he expect the others to understand when his own mind was still reeling from it all? He knew you were his, he felt it. He knew it with the same certainty that the sun would rise in the morning. You were like a breath of air he didn’t know he needed.

But there was the problem of Mandy. He knew that once he revealed the bond between the two of you, most everyone would accept that as the end of things. But Mandy? She had always been possessive over Jake. She was used to getting what she wanted, and she had made it clear since they were kids that what she wanted was Jake. What would she do once she found out that she couldn’t have him? Jake shuddered at the thought.

“Nothing to say, asshole?” Bradley snapped, crossing his arms as he continued to glare.

“She’s mine,” Jake all but whispered. Five pairs of eyes stared at him. "She's my mate."

“Bullshit,” Bradley spat.

“Bradley-” Natasha sighed.

“No!” He shouted at her, rising back to his feet. “It’s bullshit! You’re telling me Skipper is your true mate?”

“Bradshaw, would you keep it the fuck down?” Reuben snapped, eyeing a pair of tourists on the other side of the bar.

“It’s true,” Jake said with a clench of his jaw. He tried not to focus on how good it felt to finally say it out loud. “I knew when I saw her at the bar the other night.”

He looked up to meet Bradley’s eyes, and after a moment, something seemed to shift in the brunette’s gaze - acceptance. Mickey let out a low whistle as Reuben chortled, leaning back.

“You been singing to her?” Javy asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Jake grimaced. “I don’t always mean to, but you know how the frenzy gets. I’m having a hard time controlling my song around her.”

“You told Mandy yet?” Mickey asked, leaning forward with wide eyes. The whole group sucked in a breath at that.

“I’m going to,” Jake said quietly.

“You better,” Nat warned him, a frown on her lips as she watched him.

“Somebody’s going to have to tell Bob,” Mickey muttered, looking at Nat. She rolled her eyes.

“Yes, fine,” she groaned. “I’ll do it, but he’s not going to be happy about this little development.”

“He’ll get over it,” Bradley said, lips thin as he continued to stare at Jake. His brown eyes searched green ones before nodding. He knocked on the wooden table twice before moving to head outside.

“Figure your shit out with Mandy,” he called over his shoulder nonchalantly. “If you don’t, then Skipper is fair game.”

Tag List: @jakeseresinlover @haley-hotchner @queerqueenlynn @nicestgirlonline @dempy @fanficfandomlove @aworldwideapart @stoptaking-the-good-names @maximus890 @sky2nd @devil-angel-winchester @hopip99 @hookslove1592 @lemmons1998 @yuckosworld @uniquedreamlandcheesecake @imamomof8 @pietrothemovie @comicgollum20 @kmc1989 @mayhemmanaged @rhettsluvr @imnotcreativeenoughforthisblog @deliriousfangirl61 @devrill @hangmandruigandmav @blue-eyed-mary

[topguncortez]

G baby, can we get 32 or 54 with Jakey? 🤤

pairing: Jake "Hangman" Sersesin x Female!Reader warnings: possessive Jake makes brain go. . . BRR, suggestive, a bit of Floydshaw (blink and you miss it), cursing, jealousy Hangman Masterlist | Main Masterlist 3 fucking K celebration

It was a beautiful day in San Diego, and a rarity that the Dagger Squad had not a single thing going on. It was Rooster who had sent out the text message about meeting at the beach by the Hard Deck for a game of Dogfight football, their new favorite sport to play. You weren't going to pass up the opportunity to get a tan and watch your favorite aviator run around half naked with sweat dripping down his perfect body.

The beach wasn't that crowded when you and Jake arrived. He decided to take his jeep today, taking the sides off of it to soak up the rays. You made a joke that he didn't need anymore things going to his head, his ego was big enough. He carried the beach bag down to the area that the rest of the team was at.

"Oh, is Y/N finally going to be playing today?" Javy joked, putting his arm around you.

"Does it look like I'm a going to be playing?" You asked, "I'm not sure what possess all of you to want to run around in the hot sun and tackle each other, but I will be enjoying it from over. . . there," you pointed towards a spot a little ways away from where the daggers were.

"You can join when you want," Jake said, hitting Javy's arm off of you, and putting his around your waist, bringing you in for a kiss, "Although, I'd love to see your sweaty body-" His hand went to your ass squeezing it. You squealed and slapped his chest before walking away from him.

Jake watched as you grabbed your beach towel from the bag, and laid it out on the sand. You could feel his eyes on you as you undid you jean shorts and pulled them down your legs. Jake was trying to think of anything and everything besides how good your body looked right now. He wasn't sure what swim suit you put on, but he was expecting a cheetah print two piece that hardly hid anything.

"Enough eye fucking!" Rooster yelled and threw the football at Jake's head. Jake winced as the ball hit him.

"Oh, it's on Bradshaw!" Jake yelled and threw the ball back.

You weren't paying an ounce of attention as the Daggers were deeply versed into their game. Occasionally you'd look up when you heard loud cheering and would see one of them peacocking around. You rolled your eyes a couple times at Jake who was putting on one hell of a show. He looked great, his tan, toned abs glistening with sweat and water. He knew that you were looking at him, and made sure to flex a bit for you.

"Two can play this game, Seresin," You said to yourself.

You were laying on your front, and you knew the perfect way to get Jake's attention. You whistled as you adjusted a bit, your fingers going to the strings behind your back. With ease, you tugged the tie and felt your top loosen. You giggled to yourself as the top fell down your arms and landed on the towel. Your chest was still covered with the way you were laying and holding your book in front of you.

Jake hadn't notice your little costume change, as he was too focused on the game. They daggers took a break, catching their breaths, some of the running towards the water to cool down, others grabbing bottles of water from a cooler Payback brought.

"God damn, Bagman, your ol' lady is fine," Fanboy said, and Payback smacked him upside the head, "What!? She is! Look at her."

"I know my girl is hot," Jake said, a smirk on his face as he drank his water, "I don't need you to me-" He turned around and looked where you were laying at, "What in the hell is she doing?"

"By the looks of it, sunbathing," Bob said and Jake glared at him.

You weren't paying attention, hearing the sounds of Alanis Morissette's 'You Oughta Know' blaring in your ears as you flipped through the pages of your book. You did notice the sudden shade looking over you, and you tilted your head up to see your boyfriend standing over you.

"Hi sweetheart," You smiled.

Jake gave you a fake smile as he laid down in the sand next to you, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting some sun," You said, and stretched your arms out in front of you. Jake quickly grabbed a spare towel and threw it over your head, "What are you doing!?" You giggled.

"Stopping you from flashing what's mine to all of North Island," Jake said.

You lifted your head from the towel and looked at Jake, "Yours, huh?"

Jake nodded and climbed on top of your back. You grunted dramatically and Jake rolled his eyes. He held himself up with his hands and leaned down, gently placing a kiss on your bare shoulder.

"Yes, mine," Jake growled in your ear, "You're mine , understand? Mine!"

You somehow maneuvered yourself so you were now on your back, the towel and Jake's body covering your chest. You ran a hand down his sweaty torso.

"If I am yours. . . Why don't you take me home and show me who I belong to?"

"You're funny if you think we're making it that far," Jake said. You squealed and clutched the towel tightly as Jake picked you and your swimsuit top up. He put you over his shoulder and you giggled as he carried you towards his truck.

"They're gonna bang aren't they?" Rooster asked.

"I would say so," Bob shrugged, and then tossed the football to Rooster, "Round 2?"

"Right here. . . on the beach?" Rooster smirked and Bob rolled his eyes, walking back to where the team was getting ready to start the next game.

[callsign-joyride]

For SOS..#19 with Bob..beach sex after hangman makes “baby on board virgin Bob” joke

Like a Virgin | Robert "Bob" Floyd

Summary: An insulting joke turns into you and Bob sneaking off/

Content warnings: SMUT (18+), public sex, unprotected p in v, mentions of a threesome

Prompt: "Kiss me."

This was written for my Summer of Smut writing event. Feel free to send in requests!

You and Bob had been dating for a few months, and you were pretty much in love with each other. Trivia nights and karaoke at The Hard Deck let you meet the Dagger Squad, and you had taken to close friendships with Phoenix and Rooster in particular, but you were on fairly good terms with everyone. You were about to lay on the couch and order a pizza when Bob called. It was kind of strange, considering he never really called around dinner, but you didn’t mind. When you answered, he asked what you were up to.

“Just about to order a pizza and watch a few movies, why?”

“Okay. I know it’s last minute but we’re having a cookout and bonfire at the beach. D’you wanna come? Rooster’s gonna grill.”

“Sure! What time?”

“Around six. I can pick you up, if you want. We’ll be behind The Hard Deck.”

“Sure, that sounds good. Okay, I’ll start getting ready. See you in a bit.”

It took a few minutes for you to get a bag ready for the beach and Bob came to pick you up closer to six. You waved to Phoenix as she was passing a ball back and forth with Fanboy. The burgers that Rooster made were delicious, and you went into The Hard Deck with Phoenix and Bob to get drinks for everyone. Payback brought fireworks and everyone messed with those until late into the evening.

“Poor baby on board here is pushing thirty and still a virgin,” a very drunk Hangman said. You glanced over at Bob and saw him put his head in his hands. A beat of silence passed over the group before Hangman cleared his throat and said, “That was supposed to be a joke,”. 

“Who wants to get in the water?” Rooster asked. A chorus of yeses was heard and you got up, taking Bob’s hand and heading to the water. Of course, you knew that Hangman’s attempts at jokes usually leaned more towards cruelty than anything else. But Bob seemed more quiet than he usually was while the two of you swam to a cove.

“You wanna talk about it?” You asked with your arms wrapped around Bob’s neck. 

“Not really much to talk about. I’m the butt of every joke because I’m quiet. Pretty much all there is to it. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t made a woman cum in like five years. Maybe I should’ve used that as a comeback, I don’t know.”

In the distance, you could hear Phoenix shrieking about Rooster throwing her in the water. 

“We could prove him wrong, y’know?” You asked.

“Who, Hangman?”

You hummed a yes before palming Bob through his swim trunks. He groaned and started to grind himself into you. The water was about four feet deep, so no one would be able to see what you were doing to Bob if they swam by. 

“Kiss me,” he said. You obliged and pulled him in for a deep kiss. He tightly wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you as you wrapped your legs around him. You broke apart for air and giggled as Bob started to walk further into the cove with you in his arms. He leaned against the wall so that your back wouldn’t get scratched up from the rocks. You let out a small moan as you felt him grind his bulge against you.

Your legs were tightly wrapped around him as he pulled his swimtrunks down and moved your swimsuit bottoms to the side. The rush of the waves and the current was almost enough to cover up the noises that you were making as Bob ran his hand through your folds.

“Always ready for me,” he said. You moaned into his ear as he slowly slid his dick inside of you. He did most of the work as you kept your legs wrapped around him and he moved you up and down on his cock. You weren’t paying attention as the faint laughter from the rest of the group died down, and you definitely weren’t paying attention when Hangman swam up to the cove.

“What are you guys - oh,” he said. You turned your head at his presence and glared at him. Bob was sill pumping in and out of you while whispering sweet nothings into your ear.

“You gonna join us or just watch?” Bob asked. You were a moaning mess as Bob pounded into you, otherwise you would’ve laughed.

“I think I’m good, man. Was just gonna tell you that we’re headed back to shore. God, I need a drink.”

Hangman swam away and Bob was relentless as he pounded into you and harshly rubbed your clit to get you off faster. You moaned into his mouth as you came and he slowed down before pulling out of you and setting you down.

“You didn’t-,”

“It’s okay. Let’s get home.”

Everyone was staring when you and Bob got back to the shore, and you let out a small chuckle as Bob walked with you to the rest of the group. Everyone was starting to put things away and decide who was going to take the leftover alcohol. You put a few seltzers in the back of Bob’s car and said goodnight to everyone before he took you home.’

“Can you pull over?” You asked after a few songs on the radio played.

“Yeah…”

You were still close to the beach so there was some sand on the side of the road as he pulled over. As soon as he looked at you, you reached into his swim trunks and pulled his semi hard cock out. 

“You really don’t have to - oh fuck,” he said as you wrapped your lips around the tip of his cock. He leaned his head back and groaned as you hollowed your cheeks around him and he came in your mouth. You looked into his eyes as you swallowed his spend and leaned up to kiss him. Heat was rushing up his chest and he tucked himself back into his swim trunks before starting the car again. He wrapped his arms around you tightly and gave you a hug.

“I’ll text you when I get home, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Get some sleep. I don’t want you tired at work tomorrow.”

You give him a quick kiss before heading inside and locking the door behind you. He stayed true to his word and texted you when he got home, joking that he wanted to have a threesome with Hangman being the third person. Of course, you knew that he was joking, but you weren’t opposed to the idea as you started to type a long message to him, but you deleted it before hitting send.

Taglist:

@littlebadariell @cycbaby @luckyladycreator2 @idontcare-11 @blue-aconite @maverick-wingman @shawty-fenty @littlemisstopgun @rosiahills22 @katieshook02 @justanothermagicalsara @caitsymichelle13 @smoothdogsgirl @adoringsebstan @cherrycola27 @alexxavicry @mrsjaderogers @mak-32 @thefandomimagines @tallrock35 @caatheeriinee07 @bradshawseresinbabe @atarmychick007 @3sriracha @genius2050 @halstead-severide-fan @withakindheartx

Taglist form (Google form, email is not asked)

[an-unknown-writers-world]

If You Love Her

 Summary: Rooster gives Hangman dating advice with a twist. Reader explains her relationship with Hangman to Phoenix. Heavily based on the Forest Blakk song “If You Love Her” ft Meghan Trainor.

Warnings: Angsty, bad writing(?), super cheesy, moments of reader’s self-doubt (I’m sure I’m missing some warnings here)

Pairing(S):  Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader// Hangman x Rooster!Friend // Reader x Phoenix!Friend // Rooster x Phoenix – mentions of past Hangman x Phoenix and past Rooster x Reader

Characters: Jake “Hangman” Seresin, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, mentions of the rest of Dagger Squad

Word Count: 1807

A/N: This was a whole new style of writing for me. Thank you to Forest Blakk for basically writing this for me. Some how this song just ended up on loop for me at work one day and the scene between Rooster and Hangman just made itself crystal clear in my mind.

(Reader POV)

The Hard Deck was packed tonight. There was no special occasion or event, just another Friday night. All of Dagger Squad was there. Bob and Coyote were currently killing Payback and Fanboy in a game of pool, Rooster and Hangman were throwing darts, and Phoenix sat at the bar catching up with you.

You weren’t sure what happened on the mission; ever since they came home, they all seemed to be getting along like they were lifelong best friends. But you knew better. You’d been around since the beginning – through all of their cadet times at Top Gun and since they came back again. Natasha Trace was one of your best friends, and Jake Seresin was your boyfriend of six months.

“Wanna go for a walk on the beach?” Nat asked you.

“Sure!” Thankful for the idea of taking a break from the noise and a chance to speak to her privately. “Let me just tell Jake really quick.”

“I’ll meet you out back.” She agreed.

You pulled yourself from the bar and found your way toward the boys playing darts. Rooster was focused on the board, and Jake seemed lost in thought. When he noticed you approaching, he broke into a cheek-splitting grin.

“Hey babe,” He greeted you with open arms.

6 months and you still felt like the rest of the world melted away when he looked at you like that.

“Hi,” You beamed back, leaning into his chest. He kissed the top of your head.

Rooster cleared his throat.

“Hey Bradley,” You greeted.

“Hey,” He smiled back, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. “Y’all want a few minutes?”

“No,” You shook your head. “Just came to tell you that Nat and I are going for a walk on the beach.”

“Everything okay?” Jake asked, concerned.

“Yeah, just want an escape from the noise for a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Jake nodded, “Just be safe.”

“I promise to not fall into the ocean,” You chuckled, leaning up on your tiptoes to kiss him.

You pulled away, a smile still on your face; Jake winked at you and made your way toward the back deck. As soon as you closed the door behind you was an instant relief – the sea breeze on your face and the sound fading away. Natasha smiled back at you and wrapped her arm in yours.

“You know that I love you, right?” Nat spoke, not waiting for a response. “But, can we chat?”

 (Hangman POV- 3rd Person) 

“Can we talk?” Rooster said, leaning against a chair.

“This doesn’t sound good,” Jake responded.

“It’s just that I know you, and” Rooster hesitated for a second. “I want to give you some advice.”

“Unsolicited advice is always great,” Jake laughed. 

“Just listen, okay?”

Jake nodded, realizing that Rooster was serious. 

“If she gives you her heart, which she clearly has, don’t you break it.”

Rooster closed his eyes for the briefest moment, Jake noticed something was off. 

“Let your arms be a place she feels safe in.” Rooster continued. “She always has trouble falling asleep, and she likes to cuddle under the sheets. She loves pop songs, dancing, and bad trash TV.” He paused for another moment to make sure that Jake was still listening. “There are still a few other things. She loves love notes, babies, and giving gifts. She has a hard time accepting compliments. She loves her whole family and all of her friends.” He took another deep breath, “Most importantly, on days when it feels like the whole world might cave in, stand side by side, and you’ll make it. She’s the best thing that you’ll ever have. She’ll love you if you love her like that.”

A quiet moment passed between them. Jake’s mind was thrown in a hundred different directions. Not sure which questions to ask and what conclusions to draw without any specifics. How much of the back story really mattered? Everything Rooster was saying was true. Jake loved her in a way he never knew possible. 

 (Readers POV)

You and Natasha had stopped at the edge of the soft sand, and stretched out in front of you was the dimly lit ocean and the sound of crashing waves nearly drowning out the nagging thoughts in the back of your mind. 

“The phrase can we chat is awful,” You tried to joke. 

Natasha laughed, “Sorry, and I’m practically dragging this out.”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad. What’s going on?” You asked.

“It’s about Hangman,” She grimaced, “It’s just, I just,” her stutter was concerning you. 

“What about him?” 

“Well, I know you, and I know him. But I see the two of you together,” She hesitated with a smile, “I don’t know how else to say it besides that you are obnoxiously in love.”

You laughed, “Is that such a bad thing?”

“No,” she shrugged, “At least until he breaks your heart. And we both know it’s only a matter of time until that happens. 

“Maybe, maybe not?” You shrugged. “Let me try to explain,”

Nat nodded, willing to hear you out.

“His arms are where I feel the safest; he never says no to cuddling under the sheets or gets upset with my obnoxious music and terrible dance moves.”

Nat laughed, “They can be pretty awful,”

“Hey!” You smacked her playfully. “He understands my deep love for my family and friends and accepts that sometimes they will be my priority. He keeps all the ridiculous love notes I leave him and leaves his own for me.” You hesitated before going on. “And you know me, I’ve rarely felt comfortable in my own skin, and no matter how much self-doubt I let in, he always says, ‘You’re perfect to me.”

“Cheesy,” Nat chuckled,

“On the worst days, the days that feel like the whole world might cave in when we stand side by side, it actually feels like we’ll make it.” You paused for a moment smiling to yourself; in vocalizing all these things, you realized how much you truly loved him. “Honestly, he’s more than my best friend, forever and then some. No matter what, I’ll choose him over and over again.” 

Natasha squeezed your arm reassuringly. “He never made me feel that way,” She spoke softly. 

The comment didn’t take you by surprise. None of you had outright spoken the words, but you knew Natasha and Jake had a history. But you were a firm believer of ‘what’s in the past is past. “But Rooster does,” You mentioned with a smile.

She nodded, “Yeah,” she smiled, “Yes, he does.” 

“He never did with me.”

“Wait, what?” She exclaimed. “I mean, I always suspected, but I.”

“It was a long time ago,” You stated, cutting her off, “We’re both past it. But it just goes to show you that the right person makes a world of difference.” 

 (Hangman POV- 3rd Person)

“How do you know all of this?” Jake finally asked, “This all seems a little too specific to be general advice.”

Rooster closed his eyes, “Because I didn’t do these things,” He opened them and looked Jake right in the eye, “and it cost me everything I ever thought I loved, including her.”

“What?” Jake’s jaw dropped in shock. He thought it was possible that you and Bradley had some kind of past, but it was never an issue, so he never pried. If it was important, he trusted you to bring it up. 

“It was a long time ago; we’re both past it.” Rooster stated, almost emotionless. “I grew up a lot after our relationship. Mave made sure that I knew full well that I blew it. But it just goes to show you that the right person makes a world of difference.”

Jake took a moment to try and collect his thoughts, choosing his next words carefully. “Whether you believe me or not, I will not break her heart.” He gripped his pool cue, almost as if it gave him the confidence to finish the conversation. “She is more than my best friend, forever and then some. No matter what, I’ll choose her over and over again.”

“That’s all I could ever hope for both of you,” Rooster smiled.

 (Reader Person)

“Does Bagman know about you and Rooster?” Natasha asked.

You laughed at the name; she only ever used it if she was trying to lighten a situation, “It’s never been a secret, but we’ve never talked about it either.”

“We should probably go back inside and check on them then.” She turned the two of you to start walking.

“Oh lord, what is Rooster doing?” You rolled your eyes. 

“Eh, I can only guess how he went about it; but he basically intended to make sure that Jake knew not to break your heart.”

You rolled your eyes. “Great,” you huffed.

The relationship between you and Bradley didn’t end with you hating each other. It was one of the mythical mutual breakups. You weren’t what he needed at that point, and he couldn’t give you what you wanted emotionally. You never stopped considering him a friend, and he frequently stepped up in an older brother kind of role in the last few months, but this was a whole new level. 

 (Hangman POV- 3rd Person)

The creek of the back deck door opening stole Jake’s attention. Without a thought, he silently handed his pool cue off to Rooster and walked straight toward her. Even in a packed bar, his determination propelled him quickly through the bar. 

She caught his movement in the corner of her eye and turned towards him, smiling at him like he had hung the stars in the sky. It had only been a few minutes since the last time they saw each other, but in that short time, through deep conversations, they saw each other in a new light. 

When he was within arms reach, he wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, pulling her impossibly close, and her hands settled in the small of his back. His lips crashed into hers, and he kissed her breathlessly.  

He pulled back just enough to look at her and cradle her face in one of his hands. She closed her eyes, leaning into it and kissing his hand’s palm.

“I love you.” Jake confessed, “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”

She knew; of course, she did. But this time, she saw something different when she looked up into his emerald green eyes. Unadulterated love and devotion.

“I know,” She smirked, trying not to inflate his ego too much. “I love you too.”

He kissed her again, and the crowd in the bar cheered. 

She pulled away laughing, embarrassed by the attention.

“Guess I forgot we were surrounded by people.” Jake laughed.

“Just another night at The Hard Deck.” Coyote joked. 

  A/N: If you’ve made it this far - thank you so so so much for reading! My Masterlist can be found here. All work is also available on AO3  

[bradshawsbaby]

Holding Out For A Hero

Pairing(s): Rooster x Wife!Reader, implied Maverick x Penny, and hints of Hangman x Phoenix (pre-official relationship)

Author’s Note: I’ve had the idea for this one rolling around in my head for a while, so I figured being sick at home was as good a time as any to finally sit down and write it!

Bradley convinces Mrs. Bradshaw to perform at Open Mic Night at The Hard Deck. If you’re interested in listening, the song she performs is the Ella Mae Bowen version of Holding Out For A Hero.

Warnings: A little bit of anxiety related to performing in front of a crowd, plus lots and lots of Bradshaw fluff.

Tucking yourself away in the back room of The Hard Deck, you had never been more grateful for your close friendship with Penny. Outside, the bar was getting crowded and noisy, the air thick with excited anticipation. Back here, hidden behind crates of Bud Light and Sam Adams, you were offered a small respite from the clamor and an opportunity to breathe.

Not that you were necessarily doing that so well.

Dragging another shaky breath into your lungs, you rested your trembling hands in your lap and closed your eyes, trying to count backwards from ten in an attempt to calm your fraying nerves.

Were you absolutely insane? How had you allowed Bradley to talk you into doing this?

About a month ago, Penny had gotten the idea that she wanted to host an Open Mic Night at The Hard Deck as a fundraiser for Wounded Warrior Project.

“It’ll be fun,” she told you, Bradley, Mav, and the rest of the Dagger Squad over dinner one night. “Everyone’s always singing every night anyway. Might as well give some people a chance to take center stage, and raise money for a good cause while doing it. Plus, we know we’ll have accompaniment. We can never get Rooster off that piano,” she teased affectionately, throwing a playful wink in your husband’s direction.

“Sounds fun, Penny!” Fanboy nodded enthusiastically, before hungrily shoveling down more of Penny’s chicken pot pie.

“I’m sure lots of people would sign up, especially knowing it’s a fundraiser and all,” Bob chimed in, sliding his glasses up his nose.

“You going to sing something, Bob?” Hangman asked with a teasing smirk, casually stretching his arms out and resting one on the back of Phoenix’s chair.

Bob turned bright red at the prospect, shaking his head. “Me? No, no. I don’t sing. But, uh, I’ll be there for moral support!” he insisted, practically tripping over his own words.

Phoenix was quick to jump in to defend her backseater. “Why don’t you serenade us all with something, Bagman? A classic rendition of Take My Breath Away, perhaps?” she suggested sarcastically, arching an eyebrow as she looked up at him.

Hangman just smirked in response, his eyes lingering on Phoenix’s face a little longer than strictly necessary.

There was definitely something going on between those two, no matter how many times Phoenix had denied it whenever you broached the subject.

“Anyway,” Payback cut in, pointedly looking between Hangman and Phoenix before steering the conversation back towards the event itself. “Sounds like it’ll be a good time, Penny. Maybe The Hard Deck could even host a barbeque on the beach beforehand. Turn it into an all day event, you know?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Penny nodded, pulling out her phone and typing a few notes into it. “Maybe we could even plan some games and activities on the beach.”

“A little dogfight football, anyone?” Coyote asked jokingly, nudging Maverick with a grin.

“Maybe family-friendly activities that involve everyone keeping their shirts on,” Penny laughed, her grin only growing wider as some of the guys groaned in disappointment.

“We’ll help you set everything up, Penny,” Phoenix said, taking a sip of water. “We’ll get flyers out and tell everyone. It’ll be a great time.”

“Think we’ll be able to convince Cyclone to sing a little something?” Fanboy grinned, his expression brimming with mirth at the very idea of their Air Boss performing a karaoke rendition of anything.

“Highly unlikely,” Payback laughed, leaning back in his chair with a contented sigh, his plate completely cleaned off.

“You’ll sing something, won’t you, Rooster?” Penny asked, resting her chin in her hand and smiling at him.

“Me?” Bradley asked with feigned surprise, raising his eyebrows as if shocked by the very notion.

“Oh, save it, Bradshaw,” Hangman rolled his eyes with a smirk, tossing his napkin at him. “We all know you’ll perform some big number to bring the house down.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that, smiling affectionately over at your husband. Whatever Bradley performed, you were already certain it would be your favorite song of the night.

Bradley turned his head and met your gaze, his eyes sparkling as he rested a hand on your thigh, his thumb brushing gently against the skin that was exposed just beneath the hem of your sundress.

“You know, I’m not the only Bradshaw who knows how to sing,” he announced suddenly, winking briefly at you before turning his attention back to the rest of the group.

“Oh, Bradley, no!” you exclaimed, immediately knowing what he was getting at. You swatted at his arm, your cheeks already flushing in embarrassment.

“Oh, you stop it!” Penny jumped in, waving her hands at you with a smile. “You have a beautiful voice, sweetie. You should sing something!”

“Beautiful voice? How come we’ve never heard this beautiful voice, hm? Been hiding it away from us?” Coyote grinned, raising his eyebrows as he leaned forward in his chair to look over at you.

“It’s hardly anything special,” you insisted, waving your hand firmly in the air as if to brush the notion away entirely. “Singing in the shower or while doing the dishes hardly makes you an expert.”

“But you do have a beautiful voice. I’ve heard it,” Phoenix grinned, shooting you a pointed look when you glared at her. “I mean, Rooster did take you to karaoke for your first date and all.”

Before you knew it, Payback, Fanboy, Coyote, and Hangman had taken up a chant of, “Sing for us,” banging their hands on the table and grinning at you expectantly.

You pinched your husband’s leg under the table, prompting a surprised yelp to escape his lips.

“I’ll have you all know that this is bullying and peer pressure and I won’t stand for it,” you told them, trying to bite back the smile that was tugging at the corners of your mouth. They were all so ridiculous, they couldn’t help but make you laugh.

“That’s right. You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to,” Bob came to your defense, smiling at you.

“Watch out, Bob, or we’ll make the two of you sing a duet,” Fanboy laughed, lightly smacking his friend on the back.

“No one has to make any decisions now,” Penny cut in, rising to begin clearing the table so that she could set out dessert. You immediately jumped up to help her. “I’m just glad to know you’re all on board. The sign-up sheet will be posted in The Hard Deck for anyone who decides they want to perform,” she said, nudging you with a little grin.

And somehow, against all odds, your husband had managed to convince you.

“Come on, honey,” he murmured to you as you were both lying in bed later that night. “You really do have such a beautiful voice. And as much as I’m privileged to get those concerts for one in the bathroom, other people should get to hear how talented you are, too.”

Biting your lip, you rolled onto your side and gazed at him in the darkness, your eyes adjusting and making out his silhouetted form beside you. “What would I even sing? People wouldn’t want to listen to me. I’d get such bad stage fright, I’d probably be hiding in the corner.”

Chuckling softly, Bradley wrapped his arms around you and dropped a kiss on your lips. “I’d want to listen to you. Our friends would want to listen to you. Everyone else with half a brain would want to listen to you. And you know lots of songs,” he added, brushing your hair behind your ear with gentle fingers.

You wavered silently, not agreeing, but not disagreeing either.

Bradley seemed to take that as his chance to really drive his argument home. “What if I played for you, hm? Piano or guitar, depending on what song you wanted to sing. Then you wouldn’t have to feel like you were doing it alone. What do you say to that?”

You groaned, knowing how persistent he was going to be about this. He wasn’t going to stop until you said yes. Burying your face in his neck, you mumbled, “I say, why do you have to be so annoyingly talented, huh? Piano and guitar? There’s no escaping you, Lieutenant Bradshaw.”

He laughed in response, his chest rumbling as he pulled you in closer. “So is that a yes then?” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“It’s more of an I guess so,” you replied, smiling despite yourself as your husband let out an enthusiastic whoop of excitement.

There were a few different songs that you considered performing, going back and forth on a couple of them. In the end, however, you settled on Holding Out For A Hero, a song that you had loved listening to since you were a little girl.

“But not the Bonnie Tyler version,” you told Bradley as he attempted to pluck out a few of the chords on his guitar. “This version, by Ella Mae Bowen,” you explained, showing him a video of her performance. It was slower, softer, sweeter. More romantic.

After Bradley finished listening to it, he grinned up at you. “I think you’re going to knock it out of the park, honey,” he predicted, pecking your lips softly.

The two of you practiced most nights over the course of the following weeks, in preparation for the big night. Some nights, you got more rehearsal time than others. On more than one occasion, Bradley’s fingers would suddenly stop strumming the guitar and he’d lift his head to look at you, his dark eyes thick with an emotion you recognized all too well.

“Damn, but that voice does things to me, baby,” he’d whisper before setting his guitar to the side and carrying you off to bed.

Still, especially as Open Mic Night got closer, you insisted with all the personal restraint you could muster that he be professional and help you with your lessons.

“What a diva,” Bradley had laughed one night, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before nodding and starting to play the song once more.

You were as ready as you were going to be.

Or so you thought.

But now tonight was the night, and you were hiding out behind crates of beer in the back of The Hard Deck.

The day had been wonderful, which you were thrilled about. You knew how much it meant to Penny. Between the massive barbeque on the beach, and the afternoon full of scheduled games and activities, everyone had been having a great time. You were pretty sure that Penny had already surpassed the fundraising goal she’d set for herself, and the night wasn’t even over yet.

But now, with the sun starting to set on the beach, everyone was beginning to filter back inside for Open Mic Night. The bar was abuzz with eager and excited anticipation, as people in the crowd awaited performances from their friends and loved ones.

And you were panicking.

Palms slick with sweat, you’d evaded the rest of the group and slipped into the back room of the bar, a location you were all too familiar with from your time working as a waitress at The Hard Deck.

Wiping your hands on the front of your simple, navy blue sundress, you took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm your racing nerves.

Were you crazy? How were you seriously going to sing in front of all these people? What if you messed up? What if it was horribly cringey and everybody—

“Honey?”

You could hear your husband’s voice, thick with comfort and tenderness, as he pushed open the door and slid into the room, the noise from the bar fading once more as it swung shut behind him.

“Over here,” you called out in response, knowing he’d be able to find you in no time.

He did. Crouching down in front of you, he rested one large, warm palm over both your hands and looked into your eyes. “Hey,” he said softly, his thumb stroking the back of your hand. “What’s wrong, baby? What are you doing back here?”

“Hiding,” you confessed, a shaky smile gracing your lips. “Kind of hoping that if I stay back here long enough, everyone will forget I signed up to do this.”

“Aw, baby,” Bradley smiled, settling himself down on a crate across from you and reaching out to pull you onto his lap. “Are you really that nervous?” he asked, running his hand up and down your back soothingly.

“I didn’t think I’d be,” you admitted, biting down on your lower lip. “I thought I would be okay. But now that it’s so close, and I see all those people out there, I’m starting to freak out a little bit.”

Bradley nodded in understanding, peppering your shoulder with soft kisses and stroking your arm lightly. “I know it’s scary, honey. Hell, even I get a little nervous when I play in front of a lot of people I don’t know.”

“Really? You do?” you asked, eyes widening in genuine surprise. “I never would have thought that, not in a million years. You always seem so confident.”

“I guess it’s sort of a part of the act, huh?” he replied, wiggling in his eyebrows teasingly. “Everybody gets nervous, baby. I’m sure everyone who signed up to perform tonight is feeling the same way you are. Well, maybe except Hangman,” he grinned, rolling his eyes good-naturedly and earning a laugh from you. “It’s normal to be nervous. It means you care about what you’re doing.”

You sighed softly, fidgeting with the hem of your dress.

Bradley rested a gentle hand on your cheek, lifting your head so that you were looking at him. “Listen, honey. If you don’t want to perform tonight, you don’t have to. But I know how hard you worked, and I know how talented you are, and I’d hate for you to miss out on an opportunity to show that off tonight.”

You smiled slightly at that, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “You’ll be with me the whole time, right?” you grinned, leaning in to rest your forehead against his.

“The whole time,” Bradley promised, kissing the tip of your nose. “You can keep your eyes on me. Just sing to me, honey.”

“Okay,” you nodded, your voice small, but your smile wide.

“That’s my girl,” Bradley said proudly, holding you in his arms as he stood up, and then setting you back down on your own two feet. “Come on, Mrs. Bradshaw. We’ve got a show to put on,” he grinned, taking your hand in his and leading you back into the bar, where Penny had set up a little makeshift stage for Open Mic Night.

“There you are,” Phoenix said, resting a hand on your shoulder. “We were getting worried. You’re up next,” she told you with a supportive grin, squeezing your arm excitedly.

Your stomach did a few little flips as the trio of girls who had been performing stepped down off the stage, and Penny stepped up to introduce you. She smiled brightly as she called you up, beckoning to you encouragingly.

Taking a deep breath, and with the well wishes of your friends in your ear, you moved forward and stepped up onto the stage, Bradley following closely behind you.

“Oh, yes, and we do have our very own Rooster Bradshaw accompanying on guitar tonight,” Penny added with a grin, clapping for the two of you as she stepped down and moved to stand beside Mav behind the bar.

“Hi, everyone,” you greeted the crowd with a smile, adjusting the microphone and swallowing back the nervousness that was threatening to spill over once more.

“HELLOOOOOOOO,” you heard the Dagger Squad screaming from their spot near the bar, which made you laugh despite your nerves.

“Um, I’m going to be singing a song many of you might be familiar with. It’s a little bit of a different arrangement, but I hope you’ll enjoy it,” you explained, doing your best to look over the audience members’ heads, a trick your mom had taught you when you were little and nervous about performing in the school play. You smiled over at Bradley and held out a hand towards him. “I’m very lucky to have my husband accompanying me on the guitar tonight. I know most of you are used to seeing him at the piano, but he is a man of many talents,” you chuckled.

The audience, many of whom were regulars at The Hard Deck, cheered and applauded for Bradley.

“And, well, I’d like to dedicate this song to him,” you went on, your eyes meeting his across the stage. You felt immediately centered and comforted by his warm, loving gaze. “Because I spent my whole life waiting for a hero. And I found him.”

The crowd let out soft little “Awws” at your pronouncement, but you were too focused on your husband to even notice.

“I love you,” he mouthed, shooting you a little wink as he settled his guitar on his lap and raised his fingers to the strings. He lifted his head to look at you, a question in his eyes.

When you nodded, he started strumming the opening chords of the song, the music very familiar to you now after weeks of drilling it into your mind.

“Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?” you crooned softly into the microphone, holding onto it to steady your trembling hands. “Where’s the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?”

You could sense some people in the crowd smiling and nodding their heads, recognizing the song instantly.

“Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night, I toss and turn and dream of what I need,” you sang, turning your attention to Bradley.

You were singing for him. Just like you’d promised.

“I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero ’til the end of the night. He's gotta be strong, he's gotta be fast, and he's gotta be larger than life. Larger than life,” you went on, your voice strong, yet sweet as you imbued each word with meaning.

As the song went on, your confidence grew and you were even able to make eye contact with some people in the audience. You could see Mav and Penny behind the bar, beaming proudly and waving to you as they shot you the thumbs-up sign. Phoenix was recording your performance on her phone, and the rest of the Dagger Squad had their hands up in the air, cheering you on.

And Bradley. Your sweet husband. His calloused fingers strummed the guitar expertly as he watched you perform with love and pride glowing brightly in his warm eyes.

“Through the wind and the chill and the rain, and the storm and the raging flood. Oh, his approach is like the fire in my blood. I'll meet a hero,” your voice lilted as you entered into the final portion of the song. “And then we'll dance ’til the morning light,” you sang intentionally, winking over at Bradley.

If there was one thing your husband loved to do, it was dance with you.

Bradley winked back as you moved into the final chorus, holding out a sustained note as you sang yearningly for your hero to be “larger than life.”

He was. He really was. Your hero was everything you had ever hoped for and more, all wrapped up in the handsome man seated across the stage, guitar in hand as he gave you the confidence you needed to stand in front of this huge crowd of people and sing your heart out.

When the song finally came to an end, your cheeks flushed pleasantly from the heat of the lights and your own endorphins, the audience erupted into applause, cheering and hollering in support. You could hear your friends chanting your name from the bar, whooping loudly as they clapped for you.

“Thank you,” you murmured softly into the microphone, figuring it would be best to get off the stage before your legs completely turned to Jell-O.

As you started to turn, however, you were surprised to see Phoenix running towards the stage, a large bouquet of flowers in hand. Instead of passing them to you, however, she quickly turned them over to Bradley, who was carefully setting his guitar off to the side of the stage.

“What’s this?” you asked in surprise as he walked over to hand them to you. They were your favorite, of course—yellow roses. You had no idea when he’d managed to sneak these past you.

“For you, honey,” he said, placing them in your hands. He reached up to cup your cheek, beaming down at you. “I’m so proud of you,” he added softly, leaning in to kiss you soundly, right there on the stage in the middle of The Hard Deck.

The crowd began cheering even louder, which made you laugh and blush, hiding your face in your husband’s neck as the two of you finally broke apart.

“Looks like it was Mrs. Rooster who brought down the house tonight!” someone from the back of the crowd called, which made everyone else laugh.

Taking your hand in his, Bradley guided you off the stage, Penny stopping to give you a big hug on her way back up to announce the next performer.

“Great job, sweetheart,” she said proudly, kissing your cheek before continuing on.

As soon as you got to the bar, your friends swarmed around you, congratulating you and complimenting you on what an amazing job you’d done.

“How did you manage to hide that voice from us all this time?” Coyote demanded, shaking his head in shock.

“She’s modest,” Phoenix laughed, giving you a warm hug.

“What are you going to sing for us next?” Fanboy wanted to know, grinning as he nudged you playfully.

“Alright, alright, give her a chance to breathe,” Bradley chuckled, resting his hands on your shoulders. He leaned in closer, his mouth pressed against your ear as he whispered, “Want to go outside for a little air?”

You nodded immediately, slipping your hand into his as he pulled you towards the side exit, where the deck looked to be empty for the time being.

“You did it, baby,” Bradley murmured once the two of you were outside, the evening air feeling blessedly cool on your flushed skin. “I knew you could do it.”

“Only because of you,” you grinned, setting your flowers down on the deck railing and wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

Bradley shook his head, smiling as he rested his hands on your hips and gazed down at you. “No, that was all you, honey. You blew them away. You blew me away,” he grinned, nuzzling his nose against yours. “You should be really proud of yourself. I know I’m proud of you.”

Beaming, you slid your fingers into his hair and pulled him down for a kiss, his hands moving upward to rest on your back as he pulled you closer to his chest. You would never grow tired of his kisses, or of the feel of his strong arms holding you and keeping you safe.

“I love you,” you whispered, pressing soft, gentle pecks to his upper lip, then his lower lip, then the corners of his mouth. “And I meant what I said up there. You’re my hero, Bradley Bradshaw.”

Bradley smiled, reaching up to hold your face delicately between both his hands. “And you’re mine.”

You and your husband stood quietly together on the deck, wrapped in each other’s arms as you watched the waves crash onto the shore and listened to the soft strains of music emanating from the bar.

Suddenly, Phoenix came rushing out, nearly out of breath in her hurry to come find the two of you. “It’s time! Come on! You don’t want to miss this,” she grinned, turning on her heel and practically running back inside.

Laughing, you and Bradley hurried after her. And the performance that awaited you certainly did not disappoint.

For all that you had been proud of your performance, nothing could compare to the sight of Hangman, Coyote, Payback, Fanboy, and a hapless Bob up on stage, belting out what was quite possibly the most painful rendition of Take My Breath Away that you had ever heard.

You loved every second of it.

And so did the crowd apparently, judging by the standing ovation they received.

“And that’s how it’s done,” Hangman smirked as he swaggered back over to the bar, walking straight past the girls who were very clearly making eyes at him and just so happening to land back by Phoenix’s side.

“Very impressive,” you grinned, leaning against Bradley as he sat perched on one of the bar stools.

“Next Open Mic Night, you’ll all have to sing something together!” Penny exclaimed, grinning knowingly.

“Next Open Mic Night?” you asked, shooting her a questioning look.

Penny winked as she cleared a few glasses off the bar. “Better start whipping out your songbook, Mrs. Bradshaw.”

[jungle-angel]

Charming Devil, Silver Tongue (Admiral!Bob Floyd x Reader)

Summary: Bob will never let anybody talk shit about the love of his life and if they do? Watch out

Tagging: @sebsxphia​ @rhettabbotts​ @nobody7102​

Honolulu, Hawaii

It still seemed strange to you how Bob had managed to become one of the youngest Admirals in the Navy and all the privileges that had come with it. That, on top of marrying into an old money ranching family, was still strange to you as well. 

Yet you and Bob never lost sight of what was important. 

Bob put his inheritance to good use not just for the two of you, but for others and the things that were near and dear to the both of you. Every year, you donated part of it to the military hospitals as a way to say thank you to those who Bob was closest to. St. Jude’s had been another, due in part to the premature birth of your son August, who was now a thriving seven year old as well as ones that aided first responders and their families. 

The one time that Bob really outdid himself was when you both had bought your home in Hawaii. It was a beautiful Victorian that had been there since the 1870s, encircled by palm trees, banyans and heady green shrubs, while just a few steps down a hidden walk was Waikiki Beach where you and Bob had shared many romantic walks during the first weeks of your marriage. Now it was there where your children all played, August, Patrick, Deidre and the others in your ever growing family. 

“Ready my love?” Bob asked, taking you on his arm. 

“Ready as ever good sir,” you said, placing a kiss on his lips. 

Auggie and Patrick both kept close to you, a little bit nervous seeing as this was their very first grown-up event and Bob had warned the both of them to be on their best behavior. 

He could hardly take his eyes off of you in that green velvet dress and your black heels, reminiscent of the same dress a young Rose Clooney had once worn in his favorite holiday film. The night was warm and breezy, the heavy smells of plumeria, jasmine and hibiscus hanging about while not far off was the roar of the ocean. You yourself could hardly take your eyes off of Bob in his Navy dress blacks and the sword at his belt. You were all too glad that you had done a set of black and white portraits for Irene and Joe back home and sent them, elsewise they’d be somewhere only you could find. 

Into the house you both went, your friends and close Navy cohorts all gathered in one place while a guest had been seated at the piano, playing away. The entire Dagger Squad had shown up at the behest of Admiral Simpson, some with kids of their own and others with their grandkids. 

“There. They. Are!” Beau greeted happily. “My two favorite people in the Navy.” 

You and Bob laughed, shaking his hand before June, his wife, came to greet you both. “How are you, (y/n)?” June asked as the two of you hugged. “It’s been too long.” 

“Busy,” you answered. “The kids have us running every which way but across the islands and ever since school let out for the year, they’re running feral across the property.” 

“Well come and bring them down here!” June exclaimed laughingly. “I told you, any time you need to pawn the kids off for a while.....” 

“Excuse me baby,” Bob whispered in your ear. “I’m gonna go and carouse with the rest of the wolf pack. I’ll be back.” 

“Take your time,” you said, kissing his cheek before you shooed Auggie and Patrick out to the garden to go and play with the other children. 

You and June scooted off to go and cavort with the other Navy wives, all of them practically screeching with excitement to see you. 

“Where have you been?” enquired Ruth Kahananui. “We haven’t seen you and Bob in ages!” 

“I was just telling June, they’re running wild all over the place,” you laughed. “Oh but they’re doing great though. Auggie just wrapped up first grade and Patrick’s going into first grade at the Waldorf school on the base.” 

“Oh my gosh!” Ruth exclaimed. “Leilani will probably be in his class.”

 You reveled in the chatter between you and the six other women who had become your closest friends outside of the Dagger Squad. All of you went back and forth about how the kids were doing, how much the little ones were growing and all of the things that they were doing in and out of school while the men flitted in between to check in on their wives. 

“Oh, (y/n,” said June. “I want you to meet someone, this is Lydia Atkinson. She’s the wife of Captain Atkinson.” 

“Lovely to meet you Lydia,” you said, shaking her hand. 

“Likewise,” the woman said, returning the gesture. “I was going to come and introduce myself earlier but didn’t want to intrude.” 

You and Lydia exchanged a few polite remarks before the conversation took a different turn altogether. 

“So I hear you’re the Captain’s wife?” you enquired. 

“Oh yes but that’s not really all that important,” Lydia answered with a wave of her hand. “He does his own thing and I do mine which is all the better for us.” 

“Do you have a job on base?” 

“I work as a broker for a firm,” Lydia answered. “Everyone will tell you it’s stressful, but to be honest, I eat it for breakfast.”

The two of you laughed a little at the remark. “And what do you do?” Lydia asked. 

“I’m a homemaker,” you answered. 

You were about to say something else when you noticed the somewhat disgusted look on Lydia’s face before she turned and walked away. You and the other wives whispered back and forth about what had just happened when all of a sudden, something reached your ears, a familiar voice that only moments ago had spoken directly to your face. 

“......And spend all my precious time chasing after a bunch of bratty kids? Hell no! I wanna do something with my life. I couldn’t believe when she told me that. Can you believe it? Little miss fifties housewife who sits in that house all day giving her husband kid after kid.....” 

You clamped a hand over your mouth at all the remarks that were spilling out of Lydia’s mouth, the color draining from your face. You had been about to march over and say something when the sound of firmer footsteps approached. 

“Baby?” Bob whispered.

You motioned towards Lydia and right then, Bob’s eyes flared like blue fire, his usually gentle features becoming set and hard with determination. You felt his hand clench around yours as he took you over.

“Miss Lydia,” Bob greeted, clearing his throat. “Good to see you.” 

Lydia’s face went white as a sheet when she turned around and saw Bob standing before her. “Admiral Floyd,” she said nervously. “What a coincidence.” 

“I’ll say,” Bob replied, seeing straight through the woman’s nervous demeanor. “I see you’ve met my lovely wife (Y/n)?” 

“Oh oh....yes, well, I um.....yes we have.” 

“Now did I hear it correctly that you may or may not have said a few things pertaining to my wife?” 

Lydia was utterly speechless, the fear evident on her face. 

“So you have?” Bob said, raising his eyebrows.

“No, no I....I was just.....” 

“Well let me remind you then that your husband is only a Captain,” Bob remarked. “See the two stars here? It means I can have him reassigned wherever I damn well please....and you with him.” 

You tried painfully hard not to let it slip that you were enjoying watching her squirm, the discomfort clear as day on Lydia’s face. 

“And just remember Miss Lydia,” Bob reminded her, taking you, his gorgeous wife on his arm. “We in our circle have a special word for ladies like yourself. Unfortunately, it isn’t used outside of a dog kennel.” 

You and Bob turned away, shooting Lydia a victoriously snobby look as Bob led you away, the other husbands not too far off and each one of them fully aware of Lydia’s screw up, giving the bitch a taste of her own medicine. 

“I’m surprised you knew what that was from,” you chuckled as you and Bob shared a dance. 

“I couldn’t resist,” Bob explained. “I heard what she said and thought she’d need a taste of her own medicine.” 

You pressed a sweet kiss to his lips, grateful for the husband and family you had. “Thank you my love,” you whispered in his ear.

“And don’t worry sweet pea,” Bob said. “I know who her nephew is. I’ve got permission to smoke Mr. Ivy League and make his life a living hell for however long his Navy career is.” 

You laughed as you rested your head on your husband’s shoulder, breathing in the barely noticeable smell of Irish Spring that followed him everywhere and reveling in the closeness that made the two of you stronger than ever. 

[whiskeyswriting]

Chaos Activated

📝 A/N: No prompt just word dump of hilarious chaos the Dagger Squad causes… Mainly the Chaotic Trio: Maverick, Rooster, and Whiskey (Reader’s Call Sign) Oh and Reader is Slider’s daughter…! Fic based on the comments of this post.

It was a miracle that Maverick and Rooster survived the mission despite the near death experiences. The both of them had to thank Hangman and you for saving them and getting them back to the ship.

What was more of a miracle was that Vice Admiral Cyclone did minimal shouting at Rooster for breaking orders and going after Maverick.

Now they were being taken to the infirmary to check and treat for any injuries. You don’t know why the doctors and nurses even bothered trying to separate the two.

Despite their rocky past, the two deeply cared about the other. You knew Uncle Mav did what he thought would be best for Rooster by pulling his papers. It was something you and your father never agreed with and expressed it to him.

Rooster was like a cousin to you and you knew he was just as stubborn as Mav. You couldn’t help but love the two to death. (Sometimes quite literally).

The weeks passed and you all found yourselves back at The Hard Deck. It didn’t matter how much you tried to behave, you knew, one way or another, Mav and Rooster would end up dragging you into their schemes.

“No! No! No way am I going to use my daddy’s name to get Cyclone to give us another three free days to play dogfight football,” you say.

“C’mon kid. You’re a Kerner. You’re Slider’s sunshine. He’ll move earth and planets to make the Navy listen to you,” Mav says.

“When did you turn into a poet?” You ask sarcastically.

Bradley throws an arm around your shoulder. “Princess. Whiskey… We all know Cyclone is sweet on you. Live up to your name Whiskey. Use those smooth words and seduce him.”

You can’t help but start laughing. “You do know I don’t have to seduce my own boyfriend?”

Penny comes over and refills your drinks. “I can already sense the chaos activating with you three.”

“I’m heading out to the beach to get away from these two troublemakers,” you say taking your drink with you.

Penny winks at them and at that moment the rest of the squad came out from hiding. “So is the plan set?”

Phoenix nods. “I’ll go keep her distracted for a moment but then Mav and Rooster come back into the mix while Yale and Fritz get Cyclone here.”

Fanboy starts setting up the camera to record the planned proposal.

But Penny knew. She already knew that whenever the three of you got together, nothing would ever go according to plan. She started closing out tabs and closing the bar early.

All of a sudden the aviators hear shouting and see Mav and Rooster running along the beach and you running after them yelling.

A group of college aged guys were following the three of you. It was then they realized that Mav and Rooster used you as bait to steal the guys’ football to start their own game.

Bob looks around a bit panicked. “Shouldn’t we stop them?”

You can feel uncle Goose and Ice just shaking their heads in disbelief. “I know… I know,” you mutter as you keep running after Mav and Rooster.

Penny finally rushes outside. “Did I miss anything? I closed off the bar. I didn't miss it right?”

Hangman hands her some popcorn (that mysteriously appeared) and a drink. “No you are just on time.”

Suddenly you feel yourself getting thrown over someone’s shoulders. You are about to start screaming, thinking it was one of the college guys. You then recognize the backside you’re looking down at. “Oh hey!” You give it a squeeze.

Maverick and Rooster stopped running and ended up explaining dogfight football to the college guys when they spotted you being carried by Cyclone. They shake their heads.

“As I live and breathe… I never thought I’d see Cyclone running at the beach?“

“Was that supposed to happen?” Bob asks looking around. “Did we all see the same thing?”

Phoenix wraps an arm around Bob’s shoulders. “Cyclones loves Whiskey too much to actually be mad at them. Mav and Roos on the other hand,” she says grimacing.

“Wait… I thought Rooster and Mav were supposed to be the distraction so the admiral could propose.”

“Wait! Whaaaa?!??” Hangman exclaims choking on his drink.

Payback helps pay his back. “We talked about this, you idiot. Next time stop looking at yourself so much in the mirror.”

“I have the flowers in the bar’s office” Bob says.

“I have the Avenger theme song… but wedding version ready!” Fanboy adds.

“I have my suit ready!” Harvard says. “I’m ready to look good for wedding season! All those push-ups help.”

Coyote shakes his head looking over the squad. “’m just here for the chaos and snacks.”

“Soooo what's the plan now?” Penny and Amelia, who had recently arrived, ask.

They all turn to see Cyclone spinning you in a circle as he hugged your waist. The only movement that was clear to them was your nodding.

🏷 List: @cycbaby @callsignscupcake @callsign-dragonbaron

[wildbornsiren]

12 Days of Fluffmas!: Holiday Party || Reuben “Payback” Fitch/F!Reader

Day 2: Holiday Party Summary: You and Reuben enjoy a holiday get together with the dagger squad.  742 words Female/AFAB reader (established relationship.) Summary: You and Reuben enjoy a holiday get together with the dagger squad. Warnings: established relationship. Mention of holiday songs (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells.) Notes: Day two of the 12 days of Fluffmas!  Comments and reblogs fuel my writing, likes are appreciated. Thank you so much for reading, it’s appreciated and means the most.   **Tag list is done, please follow and turn on notifs for @wbslibrary​ ***

Reuben is stretched out on the bed, dressed in slacks and a deep green sweater. You can see him watching you in the reflection of the mirror, and you smile shyly. “I’m almost done.” “Take your time baby girl,” he says, his smile is warm and brilliant. Butterflies explode in your tummy, and you drop your gaze. “Are you okay?” “I’m a little nervous,” you admit. “It’s just your friends, it would be easier if it was the Navy party. This, it’s all of them, in a smaller space, and I want to make sure you have a good time. It’s different than meeting them at the bar, or when we all go to the beach, I’ve put expectations on myself.” He rolls off the bed, crossing over to you, warm hands resting on your shoulders. “They love you; I love you.”

Oh, the butterflies have gotten worse. The two of you had been dating for nearly a year, your lives had become entwined, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. Loving him was easy, natural as breathing. “It’s at Bob’s and his girlfriend’s place.” He rubs at your shoulders, and you sigh, feeling some of the tension easing out. “She made those cookies, and I know the two of you have gone out shopping together.” He's not wrong, but the nerves are still there. Reuben leans down kissing the top of your head. You finish up and join him downstairs, grinning when he pulls you back against him, snapping a picture of the two of you together. Reuben drives, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding ours. It’s a weird thing to say aloud, but you love watching him drive. It’s calculated, effortless, and he looks so good doing it. He turns into a residential area, navigating the streets effortlessly. He pulls up to a house illuminated by Christmas lights. There were sparking ornaments in the trees in the front yard, and when you both reach the porch, you can hear music and laughter coming from the other side of the door. The door opens under Reuben’s hand, and you’re greeted by the whirlwind of energy that is Bob’s girlfriend. She’s chatting happily, yelling to the others that you’re here, pulling you into the house. Bob appears moments later, flushed, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He pulls Reuben in for a bone crushing hug, before the attention is turned to you. He hugs you just as tightly, his smile infectious. “Come meet the others.” Introductions are made, familiar faces, and new ones blending in a joyful mishmash of revelry. Reuben is by your side most of the evening. Hours fly by like seconds, and you don’t want the evening to end. His laughter contagious, smile something that you never grew tired of seeing. Someone, no one had taken credit, had supplied Rooster with an old Casio keyboard which he was banging away on, leading the group in a rousing sing-along of Jingle Bells. Maybe it was the spiked cider, or the cookies, or the overwhelming warmth of being around people who loved each other, and the happiness that came from all of that, but there was something magical in the air. You leaned back against Reuben who had his arms around you, singing along with Hangman’s improvised lyrics to Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, the blond draped over Coyote, his cheeks flushed a deep red. You lean back, comfortable in his arms, brushing a soft kiss against his jaw. He grins down at you, closing the distance with a proper kiss, and you can’t help but smile against his mouth as the others whoop and holler, someone wolf whistling. When you part, breathless and giddy, you realize the room has gone silent. Which, considering this group of individuals, was a miracle. Reuben is in front of you, on one knee, holding a small velvet box in his hand. He looks up at you, that smile on his face. “I’ve wanted to ask for a while now. But I also thought there wouldn’t be any better time to ask the woman I love to be with me for the rest of our lives, than when we’re surrounded by family. Will you marry me?” “Yes!” He slips the diamond solitaire onto your finger as the kitchen explodes in cheers once more. Reuben gets to his feet, pulling you close once more, and you were at home in his arms. /end

[whisperofsong]

Only You

Chapter Three

Pairing: Jake Hangman Seresin x Female OC

Summary: Jocelyn seeks Jake’s help now that they’re “friends.”

Word Count: 3,039 words

Warnings: Language and sexually suggestive remarks

Note: Thank you for your support!  Reblogs, comments, and likes are appreciated.  Also, please let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist. 

____________________________________________

Two days later, Jake and the other members of the Dagger Squad are gathered at the Hard Deck in the early evening.  It had been a particularly taxing day as a result of learning and executing new flying techniques.  Everyone concurred they needed a respite following these grueling hours and could think of no better place than the beloved bar.

Everyone is currently surrounding the pool table and engaged in casual chatter.  As Phoenix and Bob swap inside jokes with one another, Coyote turns to Jake after taking a shot at the cluster of balls on the table.  “What’s the story with that girl of yours?” he inquires.  Coyote and the others observed him talking to Jocelyn the other day at the beach and are curious to learn about her identity.

Payback chuckles.  “You’re gonna have to be more specific, Coyote.  Hangman has many girls.”

Jake shakes his head with a small smile decorating his face. “Are your lives that dull that you’re keeping track of who I associate with?”

Rooster tosses his head back dramatically as he releases a laugh. “Associate?  Is that what you’re calling it?”

“You’re one to talk, Bradshaw.  You could barely keep it in your pants when you were walking with her friend on the beach,” Jake reminds him.  Rooster’s jaw tenses at Jake’s comment and the others’ eyes travel to Jake, sensing his irritation.

“Ooooo, snap!” Payback comments while using his fist to momentarily cover his mouth.  “Someone struck a nerve.”

Jake leans over the pool table as he prepares to aim his cue. “Her name is Jocelyn.  We went to high school together.”  He hits his target perfectly and feels pride surge through his body.  Regardless of how many times he succeeds at pool, the happiness he feels never fades. He returns to a standing position and eyes his friends.  “Happy?”

“Jocelyn.  That’s kind of a sexy name,” Coyote muses.  “What were you in high school exactly?  Friends?” he presses.

“Special friends is probably more accurate,” Fanboy guesses.

Jake clenches his jaw.  Normally he’d be willing to entertain his friends’ jesting, but he’s currently not in the mood.

“Are you hooking up with her?” Coyote asks.

“No!” Jake answers in a harsher and louder tone than he intended, causing Phoenix and Bob to face him and abruptly end their conversation.

Jake sighs loudly and his friends watch him closely.  “I…I wasn’t the nicest to her back then.”  He studies their expressions and it’s clear they want him to disclose additional details.

“And after seeing her recently and talking to her the other day, I decided we should start over.  Try to be friends.”  Jake shrugs. “It’s better than having her stick pins in a Voodoo doll of me every night.”

“You were that awful to her in high school?” Bob asks quietly.

“Probably worse than you’re thinking,” Phoenix replies to her back seater.

“What did you do-“

“I don’t want to get into it, alright?”  Jake says in a perturbed tone directed at Bob.  “All that matters is…we’re friends now.”

“So when you say friends…” Payback trails off, expecting Jake to fill in the rest.

“I mean actual friends.  No benefits,” Jake clarifies.

“And you can handle that?” Rooster challenges.

Jake scoffs.  “Yes, I can handle that.  Besides, she’s not my type.”

“Your type is female, bro,” Coyote interjects.  “She’s a female, so she meets the criteria,” he chortles.  Fanboy presses his lips together to prevent himself from laughing and Payback crosses his arms while staring at Jake thoughtfully.

“What?” Jake questions, exasperated by Payback’s gaze as well as the topic of conversation.

“Nothing,” Payback says evenly.  The others gradually talk about other things, but Phoenix’s eyes remain on Jake long after the dialogue pertaining to his new friend has ceased.

The game of pool is brief because Jake is deemed victorious (as usual).  He plops down on a stool beside Rooster and takes a swig of his beer.  “You think you’ll be seeing Jocelyn’s friend again?” If his friends were going to question him about women, he was going to do the same.

Rooster twirls the half-empty beer bottle in his hand while peering down at the sticky floor.  “Maybe. She’s a bit of a tease.”

Jake smirks.  “Aren’t they all?”  He flashes a broad grin before pressing his lips to the rim of his glass.  He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and finds the following message lighting up his screen:

Jocelyn: How serious are you about this whole friend thing?

Jake begins typing his response.  Very.  Why?

He stares at the screen, watching the bubble indicating typing appear and then disappear.

Jocelyn: Can you be here in fifteen minutes?

Jake can’t help but be intrigued by the invitation.  Send me the address, darlin’.

A minute later, he receives a text with her address.  He’s about to shove his phone back into his pocket when he feels it vibrate once more.

Jocelyn: And don’t call me darlin’.

Jake smiles to himself before saying goodbye to his friends and strolling to his car in the parking lot.

____________________________________________

Jocelyn sits at the kitchen table while looking at her online bank account.  She releases a prolonged groan while stretching her arms and laying her head down on the table with a light thud.  She wasn’t anticipating having to take out funds to pay for an issue with her car, but then again, does anyone ever anticipate such things?  While driving to work that morning, it had been making strange noises and she hoped the issue would fix itself.  However, she heard the sound again when she drove home from work and it even sounded a little worse, so she decided to take it to the auto repair shop to see what could be done.

While she considers herself to be self-sufficient, Jocelyn knows next to nothing about cars.  She recognizes this makes her a prime target for being taken advantage of by those who possess a wealth of knowledge.  She convinced Danielle to accompany her to the shop in the past, but Danielle’s shift won’t end until later tonight and it would no longer be open.  

Although she considers going alone, she knows she would be putting herself in a vulnerable position.  This led to her contacting Jake to see if he would be willing to go with her.  After all, that’s what friends do, right?  Granted they had only been friends for a couple days, but Jocelyn was desperate.

She takes a final glance at the current balance in her checking account before somberly closing the lid of her laptop.  As she’s getting a pair of sandals from her closet, she hears a loud knock on the door and makes her way to get it.  When she opens it, Jake Seresin stands before her in his flight suit.  It’s slightly rumpled, but not a hair is out of place and his smile doesn’t waver.

“Hey, friend,” he greets with a cheeky grin.

“Are you going to be this insufferable all the time?” Jocelyn asks.

“You say insufferable, I say charming.  It’s all about perspective.”

Jocelyn sighs and motions for Jake to come in, an invitation he readily accepts.  He surveys the scenery and sniffs the air several times.  “What’s that scent?  Jasmine?”

Jocelyn shoots him a surprised look.  “How’d you know?”

“I grew up with two sisters, so I know a few things. It’s a nice place.”

“Thanks.  Danielle and I are currently renting it, but we’ve grown fond of it, too.  I know I’ll miss it someday.”

Jake strides into the living room and examines the framed pictures lining the mantel above the fireplace.  There’s one of Jocelyn and Danielle donning graduation caps and gowns, their arms wrapped around each other with radiant smiles.  There’s a few of Danielle with her family and then Jake’s eyes land upon the final photo sitting on the edge of the mantle.  It’s Jocelyn with her parents.  It appears to be a family vacation.  She looks approximately thirteen in the photo and she’s beaming while nestled between them, their joy matching hers.  Her brunette hair glistens in the sunlight and her loose waves sit on her shoulders.

Jake stares at it and then turns to Jocelyn.  “You look really happy here.”

She steps closer to him and smiles sweetly when she sees the photo to which he’s referring.  “I was really happy.”

Jake would have continued looking around, but Jocelyn’s voice distracts him from getting further acquainted with her home.

“So…the reason I asked you here is because my car’s been making really weird noises.  I’m going to take it to the shop, but don’t want to go alone because I know they’ll probably take advantage of me if I do, so I was hoping that you wouldn’t mind going with me?”  She bites her lip nervously and hopes she doesn’t sound pathetic.

“No problem.  It’s probably better if I do the talking then.”

“I agree,” Jocelyn replies.

“Damn.  I think I just got goosebumps,” he teases while rubbing his arms.

She rolls her eyes.  “Let’s go,” she says as she grabs her purse and heads out the door with Jake, locking it behind her.

When they get into the car, Jocelyn immediately turns on her CD and after pulling out of the driveway, she notices Jake’s grimace. “What?”

“You listen to this?”

“Considering it’s currently playing in my car, I’d say that’s a given.”

“It’s just…there’s so much better music out there.”

“Van Morrison has good music.  Did you ever consider you may have poor taste?” Jocelyn questions.

“I can’t consider something that couldn’t possibly be true,” he drawls, earning an eye roll from her.  “What song is this anyway?”

“Have I Told You Lately (That I Love You)?”

“You haven’t actually, but I always suspected,” Jake answers playfully.

“That’s the title of the song, smartass.  It’s actually very sweet.”

“Saccharine is more like it,” Jake corrects.

“I happen to think it’s romantic,” Jocelyn admits while jutting her chin forwards.

The song continues playing for thirty more seconds until Jake complains again.  “Can we please listen to something else?” he groans.

She clicks off the CD in a disgruntled manner and changes the settings from CD to radio.  A familiar song fills the small space of the car and Jocelyn chuckles upon recognizing the melody.

“Hey, it’s your song!” she says exuberantly.

Jake scrunches up his nose.  “What is it?”

“You’re So Vain,” by Carly Simon.  “A classic,” she says emphatically.

Jake pushes his lips together and moves them in a manner that suggests he’s irked by her comment.  As the song continues playing, a smirk forms on Jake’s face.  “It’s quite a compliment.”

Jocelyn scrunches her face while maintaining her focus on the road.  “What’s a compliment?”

“The song.  I mean, yeah, she’s essentially implying the guy’s a tool, but she dedicated a song to him. That’s high praise.”

“You would think about it that way.”

Jocelyn pulls into the parking lot of the auto body shop right as the song ends and parks in one of the last few available spaces.  When she gets out of her car, Jake is already at her side.  “Follow my lead,” he instructs her.  She eyes him, expecting more of an explanation, but she doesn’t get one.

When they enter the shop, an older man with a buzz cut is standing at the front desk bent over a clipboard.  He looks up at the sight of them and offers a cordial smile.

“Hi, there.  How can I help you?”  Although his smile is a little overdone, it does seem genuine.

“My car has been making strange sounds since this morning, so I wanna figure out what’s causing them.”

“Can you describe the sounds for me?” the man prompts.

“They’re deep, gurgling sounds and get louder as I’m driving. And they don’t go away, even when I’ve been driving for a while.”

“Well, we’ll take a look and diagnose it for you,” he assures her.

Jake pipes up.  “My father happens to own a shop like this, so I’ll know if you try to rip us off,” he warns.

Us? Jocelyn thinks to herself.

“We’re quite reasonable here, sir.  Only the best prices for our customers,” the man replies in a kind voice.

“That’s what they all say, but I’m not gullible like everyone else.  Once the issue’s been determined, we can discuss the estimate,” Jake says firmly.

“Of course,” the man answers.  “Make yourselves comfortable while you wait.”

They take a seat in the adjacent waiting area and Jocelyn sighs, waiting until the man leaves to talk to Jake.  “Since when does your dad own an auto body shop?”

“He doesn’t.  I only said that to intimidate him.”

“I think you may have been a little harsh,” Jocelyn tells him.

“Harsh?  No. Trust me, people that work in places like this tend to be swindlers, so it’s best to assert yourself.”

A few minutes pass by until Jake speaks again.  “When was that photo taken?” he asks out of the blue.

“What photo?”

“The one on the edge of your mantel.  You’re with your parents in it.”

“Oh, that one.  I was fourteen and we were on vacation in Bermuda.  Fourteen years ago now,” she breathes while shaking her head in disbelief.

“Why were you so happy?”

“I suppose it’s because it was the first family trip we had taken in years.  My dad had gotten a new job that actually gave him a decent amount of vacation time, so I was pleased to have that time with them.  It was really special.”  Jocelyn looks down at her hands in her lap and smiles at the memory.  “My parents and I each picked an activity for all of us to do while we were there and I didn’t even have to think about mine.  I had always wanted to swim with dolphins, so it was essentially a no brainer.  The dolphin I got paired with was especially rambunctious.”  She laughs as she reminisces about its unparalleled energy.

“Did it have a name?”

“Yeah and it’s not a name you would think to be suitable for a dolphin.”

Jake looks at her expectantly and she giggles.  “Its name was Buttons.”

Jake’s eyebrows crinkle at hearing its name. “Buttons?  Seriously?”

“Mhmm.  It was pretty cute, though.”  Jocelyn looks around before returning her attention to Jake.  “How about you?  Any memorable family vacations?”

“No,” he responds tersely and looks straight ahead, his features hardening.

Jocelyn’s question clearly hit a nerve and although she wants to know why, she decides to explore that at another time.  Jake is evidently not in the mood to discuss it now.  She’s half expecting him to change the subject and ask her something else, but he doesn’t make an effort to continue the conversation.  Instead, they sit in silence for about forty minutes with the only sound coming from the television mounted on the wall.

When the gentleman they had spoken with earlier appears, Jocelyn practically jumps out of her seat.  “Good news. We figured out the problem,” he shares happily.  “There’s a blockage in your exhaust system, but we’re able to take care of it.  You were smart to bring it in now because if left untreated for too long, it can be irreparable.”

“What’s the final cost?” Jake interrupts rather gruffly, bothering Jocelyn.

“With the new parts, it’ll be $890.”

Jocelyn’s eyes widen and she gulps at the large sum.  Wonderful.

“You know, my dad would only charge $600 for the same job. Much more reasonable.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah.  And check out his stellar reviews.”  Jake holds out his screen so the gentleman can take a closer look.  The employee scrolls for a little while before handing the phone back to Jake.  “They’re all positive,” the man states.

“I know.  Dad’s quite the businessman,” Jake says confidently while crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’ll see what I can do.”  The man momentarily disappears and Jocelyn whispers, “How did you get those reviews?”

“I looked up reviews for a place I’ve gone to in my hometown. Back in Texas.”

Jocelyn remembers hearing that’s where Jake grew up, but she never learned why he and his family moved to North Carolina.  It’s not like they had been close enough that she would have ever considered asking him.

“You’re swift on your feet,” she observes aloud.

“And this surprises you?” he asks.

“A little,” she admits.

The man returns a couple minutes later.  “$650 is the best I can do,” he reveals.

“Where do we sign?” Jake grins.

____________________________________________

On the way home, Jocelyn opts to leave the radio off and savors the quiet.  “Thanks for what you did back there,” she says, eventually breaking the silence.

“Don’t mention it.  It’s what friends do.”

“Even friends whose friendships have only been in effect for a little over 48 hours?”

“Even them,” he confirms, glancing over at her briefly.

“In that case, we’ve got to get you better taste in music,” Jocelyn states.

“And we’ve got to get you acquainted with what good music taste actually consists of,” Jake retorts.

Jocelyn shakes her head before Jake poses another question. “Out of curiosity…why did you contact me of all people?”

Her hands stiffen on the steering wheel and she straightens her posture in the driver’s seat.  “Danielle was working tonight.”

“What about your other friends?”

“She’s my only…close friend.  I don’t socialize very much,” she shrugs.

Jake considers her words for a moment and an idea emerges. “In that case, what do you say to joining my friends and me at the Hard Deck tomorrow night?”

Jocelyn gulps, recalling the atmosphere the last time (and only time) she was there.

Jake notices her rigid appearance.  “C’mon.  Live a little,” he encourages her.

She’s quiet, pondering his offer.  If they’re going to work on their friendship, this would be a perfect opportunity to do so.  “Alright. I’ll see you there,” she tells him.

“Bring Danielle, too.”

Jocelyn raises her eyebrows at his request and briefly glances his way.

“Not for me,” he clarifies.  “For Rooster.”

“Rooster?” she repeats with a perplexed expression.

“You’ve got so much to learn, Jocelyn.  I hope you’re ready.”

She hopes so, too.

@bradshawsbaby @luminousnotmatter @roosterforme @bobfloydsbabe @demxters @callmemana @gigisimsonmars @sebsxphia @therebeccaw @gretagerwigsmuse @novagreen04 

[sebsxphia]

Seb!Seb!Seb! Can't stop thinking about going into lockdown with your husband Bob and getting pregnant almost immediately. Bob obviously has to work, but you get to stay and work from home and only see the rest of the guys through zoom and they only ever see you from the above the chest so they don't see the the growing bump your hiding. It continues like that until you give birth and miss the weekly zoom catch up, using the excuse your sick and Bobs taking care of you. The next week, you go onto the meeting like "we wanna introduce you guys to someone" and show of the new born thats tucked comfortably into Bobs chest as they sleep after their feed. The dagger squad would fucking riot because you didn't tell them but also be the happiest and most loving village a person could ask for

august!!!! wait you’re so right about this!!!! if anyone is having a covid baby, it’s you and bob floyd. for those first two weeks of lockdown when everything is so uncertain and nothing is in place yet, all you do is fuck.

you were trying anyway, but with bob’s raging breeding kink, you were pregnant within the first month.

of course the dagger squad are up in arms that you didn’t tell them, but they’re so smitten that you have your first little one. mickey even puts himself on mute to scream because he doesn’t want to wake the baby.

the first meet when the rules are adjusted is on the beach and they’re all cooing from a distance. once they can finally adhere two meters, your little one is old enough to just about walk and they’re carrying them on their shoulders and running around in the sand with them.

this is so, so sweet to think about my love!! thank you so much for this wonderful thought!! 💌🥹💖

[topguncortez]

“You’re in denial.” “i am not in denial” giving all the idiot rooster vibes😂

also “friends kiss each other all the time, right?” is such a good one!

pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x female!Reader genre: fluffy prompts list! | master prompts list Rooster Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Jake always thought it was slightly weird how you and Bradley interacted. Currently, you were sitting on his lap, his arm wrapped around your waist, hand resting on your thigh. The rest of the dagger squad were say around the fire that they had built on the beach. It was now fall in San Diego and it had started to get cooler at night.

You and Bradley were friends, the best of friends. You had met each other during your freshman year at UVA. Bradley had spotted you in a classroom full of NROTC students. He spotted you fairly quickly, seeing as you were one of two females in the class. He sat down next to you on the very first day, and the two of you hit it off right away. You were nearly four years younger than Bradley.

Jake’s eyes widened as you whispered something to Bradley, and then kissed him before getting off his lap. Bradley watched you walk away with his baby cow brown eyes. He could feel someone staring and turned his head to see Jake eyeing him down.

“What?”

“The fuck you mean ‘wHaT’? You just kissed her,” Jake said.

“Okay,” Bradley shrugged and drank his beer, “Friends kiss each other all the time, right?”

Jake rolled his eyes, “Yeah me and Bob swap spit every tuesday night.”

“Hey,” Bob interjected.

“Dude, you’re in love with her,” Jake said and Bradley laughed, “You are! How long you been banging her?”

“I’m not-“ Jake raised his eyebrows and Bradley sighed, “Like 8 ish years, i don’t know. Freshman year of college.”

"DUDE!" Jake exclaimed, and Bradley rolled his eyes.

"I'm not in love with her," Bradley sipped his beer, "We are best friends."

Jake shook his head, "You are in denial."

"I am not in denial-"

"Yes you are," Jake said, "Bob could take his glasses off and still see it. . . You're scared."

Bradley looked up at his friend, "Of course I'm fucking scared. She's my best friend. I can't lose her. She's the one constant in my life. She's never gone away. She's the one that I can count on to be there when I come home," Bradley shook his head, standing up, "So, if I have to pretend to like whatever pretentious fuckwad she brings home and listen when he breaks her heart and push my feelings away, than so be it. It means that I don't get to lose her cause she doesn't feel the same."

"So you'd let yourself be miserable for me?"

"Yes, because I love her," The voice the question came from didn't register at first, but when it did Bradley turned around to see you standing there, looking at him with tears in your eyes, "Wait- Y/N?"

"You stupid, stupid man, Bradshaw," You shook your head and grabbed the collar of his Hawaiian shirt and brought him in for a kiss. He froze for a second, but his arms wrapped around your waist to bring you in close to his body.

"How much did you hear?" Bradley asked pulling away from you.

"Every last word," You said, "And here I was, thinking that you didn't love me the way I loved you."

"For two people who claim to be best friends, y'all don't have good communication skills," Jake piped up from behind Rooster, "Ow! What did you hit me for?"

"You're ruining a moment, Bagman," Bob spoke up. You laughed and rest your head against Rooster's chest.

"Bradshaw," You said and looked up at those puppy dog brown eyes that you loved so much.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Take me to bed or lose me forever."

A/N: IM OUT OF TUMBLR JAIL:)))

[notroosterbradshaw]

howdy, fellow rooster enthusiast!🤠🤎

I don't know if you're taking asks, but if you are, I have an idea that has been marinating in my mind for a WHILE: rooster's reaction to a reader with a lot of tattoos??? *high pitched screaming*

for a bit of context, this thot was based on real events lmaoooo😃 my boss hired this new girl and all my coworkers thought she looked so mysterious?? She's quiet, keeps it to herself and she's also really pretty. She keeps a serious face at all times too (but also there are a lot of weird people at work so I don't blame her lol) and no one really knows much about her.

We had a work get-together (we have these every end of the month) and we saw her out of 'work clothes' for the first time and boy oh boy we had a surprise. She was wearing a tank top that displayed the most beautiful dragon tattoo I've ever seen 😭😭 it took over her whole arm and back. She looked so badass. Ugh. All my coworkers were just as stunned as me bc everyone just assumed she was shy or whatever. Anyways, this somehow made me think of rooster 😀

Like?? Imagine reader is new to dagger squad and has moved to san diego recently. She's been introduced to them and all but they don't know much about her yet and she's so mysterious and snarky ~~ Nat invites her for a game on the beach and they see her with 'normal clothes' for the first time and she's sporting a huge tattoo on her thigh/back/arm (idk maybe all of them, the more the merrier lmaoo)

idk why but something tells me rooster has a thing for mean women. Like-- women that can beat his ass. And reader is so smart mouthed and sarcastic. He already thought she was attractive but when he sees the tattoos??? ooooof this man is on his knees. He would be a blushing mess trying not to stare too much and acknowledge her short shorts and tank top. And then would spend the rest of the afternoon wondering where else she has tattoos 🏃🏾‍♀️🏃🏾‍♀️💨💨💨

Can you tell I have a thing for tattoos?? UGH, I would be in a whole new level of confidence if I had the money to cover myself in pretty tattoos lol, I'll leave it to you, feel free to ignore this if you don't like it <3 I love your writing btw xoxo

-🧛🏾‍♀️

My love, I can’t add to this, because your headcanon is far too sexy for me to do it justice! Come back to my asks with more of these thots. I know lots of our friends have lots of body art and you will do it more justice than I will.

I don’t have tatts but have had an assortment of piercings over the years.

It’s Body Art Friday, kids. And Rooster (and I) love it! TELL. ME. MORE!