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tongue-like-a-razor · 1 year

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Faking It | Part VIII

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x F!Reader

A/N: AHHH WE ARE AT THE GRAND FINALE!!! Y'all, I'm so sorry it took a galactic year but I hope you're still with me and that you enjoy this final episode of trope city. Thank you so much for all the support <3

Summary: Fake dating your friend, Bradley Bradshaw - what could possibly go wrong? Your sister is getting married and you need a date. You enlist Bradley's help and the rest is history.

CW: brief allusion to self-harm, swearing, making out, ANGST GALORE, fluff (not in any particular order)

Start from the beginning: Part I

Masterlist

“Are you cold?” Steven goes to take off his jacket.

“I’m fine,” you say impatiently. “Just get on with it, will you?”

Steven shrugs his jacket back on while you wrap your arms around yourself, holding in a shiver. The morning is much cooler than you expected it to be and there’s a white mist hanging over the surface of the placid water. Steven watches you pretend to be comfortable in your sundress under the moody skies. You’ve been pretending a lot lately.

“Today, Steven,” you say through gritted teeth because you’re clenching them to avoid them chattering.

He lets out a resolute sigh, looking down at the ground. He seems anxious. “Your boyfriend,” he says with a grimace, peering up at you briefly before reverting his gaze to the dock underfoot. “How well do you know him?”

You furrow your brows. “Excuse me?”

Steven purses his lips, kicking a stray pebble into the water. It makes a dull plopping sound before disappearing into the lake. “I suspected something was off the night of the bachelor party.”

“Not again.” You sigh irritably.

“He had very little to say about you,” he states. “Mostly just random trivia. Said you don’t like chocolate.”

You raise your eyebrows calmly without responding.

“When the guys asked how you got together, he clammed up. It was weird.”

You’re starting to regret your decision to talk to him. And you’re certainly no longer feeling sorry for him. “Do you have a point?”

Steven nods. “Then I went to see you. And you didn’t deny that this fling with your little aviator wasn’t all that serious.”

You find it ironic that Steven refers to Bradley as little considering Bradley is half a head taller than him, but you let it slide. “Your five minutes are almost up,” you respond coldly.

Steven watches you soberly, but something about the quirk of his eyebrow makes you think he might be enjoying himself. “He has a girlfriend,” he says.

You stare at him mutely, waiting for the air to return to your lungs. Slowly, everything inside of you begins to slide out of place, as if you’ve forgotten how to hold it all together. “What the fuck are you talking about?” you whisper. Meanwhile, every single moment you’ve ever experienced with Bradley Bradshaw filters through your mind as you desperately try to pick out the details that might have, in hindsight, served as clues. The hesitation to participate in your scheme; the reluctance to sleep in your bed; the aggravating lack of communication – isolated, these events might have been meaningless but, put together, they are questionable at the very least.

“Wasn’t difficult to figure out,” Steven continues, unaware that your brain is scrambling to put all the pieces together. “He’s all over her Instagram.”

“He doesn’t have an Instagram –”

“He’s not tagged, but it’s him alright. Some of your other pilot friends are also there, so…” Steven shrugs smugly, as if he’s performed a feat and is expecting commendation. When you don’t say anything, he decides to rub salt in the wound. “You know whose Instagram he’s not on?” he asks proudly. “Yours.”

You don’t bother looking up at him again. The bobbing dock starts to augment your vertigo and the gentle sway of your body in the breeze makes you feel strangely detached. You’re not thinking about Steven’s annoying tone, or his smug face, or even the gentle nudge he’s giving you to recapture your attention; you’re devising a plan of action for the next five hours, because that’s how long you will need to coexist with Bradley Bradshaw. After that, you will never have to deal with him again.

…

You make your way across the lawn unhurriedly, not keen on spending brunch pretending to still be enamored with your fake boyfriend. The escalating number of deceptions in what was originally a straightforward plot is making your head spin.

You see him leaning over the railing of the terrace, a beer in his hand. He’s staring out into the distance with a bit of a squint despite the dreary day. You hate how good he looks in his jeans and light, button-up shirt, the sleeves of which are rolled up to his elbows; you hate the languid movement of his arm as he takes a sip of his drink; the slow, graceful fashion with which he rests it back over the rail; the relaxed bend in his wrist. Everything about him suddenly seems despicable.

When he sees you, he gives you a smirk – the kind that sets your insides ablaze despite your growing resentment – and pushes off the railing to start in your direction. You let out a wavering sigh, trying to extinguish whatever lingering feelings you may have. You’ve resolved to omit the true purpose of Steven’s visit; you can’t imagine a worse time and place to air your dirty laundry than at your sister’s wedding brunch with an audience of your closest family members. So, you smile back at him as he skips down the steps – you’ve become quite proficient at pretending; what’s another few hours of faking it?

Bradley’s pace quickens as he cuts across the yard until he’s nearly running and, when he arrives, he wraps his arms around you, pulling you into an embrace. He leans down to kiss you, but you inadvertently turn away and he ends up pecking your cheek. Mistake number one.

You give him another tense smile, taking a step back because his hands are much too casually exploring your rigid body. Mistake number two.

“So,” you say, nearly taking a chunk out of the inside of your cheek as you bite into it forcefully. “Cheat on anybody lately?” you ask tersely. Mistake number –

“Excuse me?” he says, taken aback.

So much for pretending. You watch him coldly as his expression transforms but, as it turns out, you have nothing else to add.

“What did he say to you?” Bradley asks, eyes darkening under his converging eyebrows.

You let out a derisive laugh.

“What did he say?” he repeats.

You glare at him. “You know exactly what he said.”

Bradley bristles. “Are you fucking serious right now?”

You watch him impassively, as if his betrayal has had zero effect on you. “Are you fucking serious, Bradley?”

Bradley’s offended expression turns to hurt as his eyes sweep over your features. “You’re not even going to let me explain?” he asks in a grating whisper.

You scoff, his words confirming that there is, in fact, something to explain. “Does she know you’re here?”

Bradley shifts his jaw, his eyes narrowing. He studies you quietly for a few moments.

“What baffles me,” you say. “Is how easy it’s been for you to just lie about it.”

“Wasn’t that the whole point of this?” he asks coolly.

You chuckle although his words sting. “You’re right. This was all an act and I’m just the idiot who fell for it.”

Bradley eyes you contemptuously but says nothing.

“You almost slept with me,” you whisper, your lips trembling as you concentrate on keeping your voice steady. “Don’t tell me that that was your objective this whole time.”

Bradley’s eyebrows crease as he tries to follow your line of reasoning. “You think I agreed to this ridiculous stunt just so I could possibly have an opportunity to fuck you?” he hisses. “Why would anyone put that much effort into one – not even guaranteed – fuck?”

You watch him angrily although he does make a valid point. “Why are you here, then?” you ask, trying desperately to keep your volume down. “You have a girlfriend!”

“First of all,” Bradley says stonily. “Had.”

“When?”

He lets out a sigh.

You shake your head at him with a disdainful smile and raise your eyebrows expectantly. “Yesterday? Last week?”

“I broke up with her after you asked me to come here.”

“Why?” You shrug indifferently as though you really couldn’t care less.

“You begged me to come.”

“I didn’t know you were seeing someone!” you bite back.

Bradley lifts his eyes to nod politely at your grandparents as they pass the two of you toward the stairs leading up to the terrace. Then he hooks his arm through yours and starts dragging you away from the venue toward the docks by the lake. You struggle against his grip, but he doesn’t let go until you’re far enough away from the crowd to be out of earshot. “So what?” he rounds on you in a low voice.

You stare at him in disbelief. “You didn’t tell me.”

“It didn’t come up.”

You scoff incredulously.

“You didn’t tell me about Steven.”

“That’s not the same thing. Steven and I haven’t been together in months.”

“This wasn’t supposed to be anything, Y/N,” he says roughly. “It was all fake. Why would I even think to tell you about her?”

You look down at his brown dress shoes as they sink into the red clay of the bank, feeling the unmistakable pressure of tears as your eyes begin to well up. “It was all fake, wasn’t it?” you mutter.

“No, that’s not” – the brown dress shoes take a step forward – “you know that’s not what I meant.”

“How long have you been with her?” you ask, cutting him off.

“What does that matter?” he says wearily.

“It matters,” you respond.

Bradley sighs and looks out at the lake over your shoulder. “Six months.”

You close your eyes and take a breath. “That’s a long time.”

He nods, sucking his cheeks in as his jaw shifts forward. He’s studying your face thoughtfully. “Your turn,” he says.

“What?”

He licks his lips. “How much of it was fake?”

You scoff again, shaking your head. “I’m not doing this.”

“So, it’s fine putting me on the spot, but you can’t answer a simple question?” he says irritably.

“I put you on the spot because you lied.”

Bradley watches you coldly. “When did it stop being fake, Y/N?”

“I don’t know!” you shout in frustration. “When did it stop being fake for you?”

Bradley stares at you blankly. He runs a hand over his face, looking down. He furrows his eyebrows before glancing back up at you with a bewildered expression, as though he can’t believe you’ve just posed exactly the same question he had asked you. “It was never fake for me,” he says hoarsely.

You stare at him as a flurry of emotions does a nauseating dance in the pit of your stomach. His answer has taken you by surprise and you can’t think of anything appropriate to say in return.

When you don’t respond, he adds, “You can’t possibly not already know that.”

You slowly shake your head, wanting more than anything to believe what he says. “How would I know?”

Bradley watches you in amazement, exhaling with a small laugh as he takes a couple steps toward you. He lifts his hand and places it tenderly on your cheek. “Two months ago,” he says. “I walk into the Hard Deck, just looking for a cold beer and a night off. And the first thing I see is you behind the bar.”

You feel yourself melting right into the palm of his hand, lulled by the smooth rasp of his voice.

“You’re new,” he says, and then chuckles. “You’re definitely new because you can’t tell an ale from a lager.”

You wrinkle your eyebrows. “A what from a what?”

Bradley grins briefly before continuing. “You’re fucking stunning,” he says in a throaty whisper. You feel his face drift closer to yours just as the wind picks up. He brings his other hand up to tuck your hair behind your ear. “And I come up to the bar and you haven’t even said a word to me yet, all you do is look up with these wild, frantic, most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen, as you’re desperately trying to figure out the exact ratio of gin to tonic in somebody else’s drink.” You bite your lip sheepishly, remembering your first night working the bar. Bradley smiles at the memory. “You’re meticulously measuring out the two ingredients – which tells me, right off the bat, that you’re an extremely conscientious person – and, after you’re done, you look me right in the eye and say, ‘You look thirsty.’”

You laugh through your tears. “I did not say that.”

Bradley chuckles. “You did. And I was,” he adds.

You snort at the insinuation but then Bradley’s hand begins to trail down your neck, disrupting your train of thought. His touch is disarming and you try your best not to sink into him despite every impulse to just give in. The truth is, there’s nothing he can say that will change the fact that he played both you and his ex. So, you bring your hand up and wrap it around his wrist, pulling it away from where his fingers are resting over your heart. “Doesn’t matter,” you say quietly. “None of it matters anymore.”

“How could you say that?” he asks, his breathing ragged.

You sigh mechanically, expertly keeping your emotions in check. “This changes everything,” you say. “I feel like I don’t know you, Bradley. I mean, I don’t know you.”

Bradley shakes his head. “That’s not true.”

You close your eyes as if not looking at him might make it easier. “You need to leave,” you whisper.

“Look at me,” he pleads.

You open your eyes and focus your gaze on the greenest grass you’ve ever seen. Only, today, it’s grey. Must be the weather.

“Y/N,” Bradley urges, his voice cracking in his desperation. “Look at me. Please.”

“No!” The force of your response surprises even you. “You have to go,” you say resolutely.

But as you start to walk away, you hear him calling out to you. “You owe me!”

You turn around in confusion. “What?” you say under your breath.

“You heard me,” he says, marching toward you with purpose. “You owe me. Anything I want, remember?”

You stare at him incredulously. “You can’t possibly –”

“I know what I want,” he says, taking several final strides toward you before clutching your hands and holding them in between his chest and yours. “I want you – I need you – to hear me out.”

You wince as his face nears yours. “That’s not fair,” you whisper.

“Please don’t do this,” he mutters. “Please don’t. I – I’m” – his face contorts uncomfortably as he searches for the right words – “I messed up,” he says. “I’m sorry. Please.” He rests his forehead on yours. “Please forgive me.”

The irony of suffering through a real breakup with your fake boyfriend is not lost on you. It’s absurdly painful considering you’ve only realized you had feelings for this man mere days ago. But it’s not just Bradley’s towering build; not just his sculpted arms and chiselled chest that give you pause. It’s every little thing he’s ever said and done. It’s the pepper spray, the heels, the pillow wall; it’s the dancing, the kiss; it’s the way he looks at you. It’s Bradley.

You taste the salt of your own tears as they slip into your parted mouth. You want to kiss him so badly, just a little, just for a moment, just one last time. And as his lips hover hesitantly over yours you realize why. It’s simple, really. You’re in love with Bradley Bradshaw. How reckless of you. How wildly inconvenient.

…

You wipe at the spotless counter aggressively as your mind wanders once again to that fateful day three weeks ago when you did not, in fact, get to kiss Bradley Bradshaw just one last time. Not even for a moment, not even a little bit.

“It’s clean, I think,” you hear a voice at the other end of the bar. You glance up to see Jake Seresin slide out a barstool and take a seat at the counter.

“Didn’t hear you come in,” you respond, glancing at the clock. It’s barely eleven and the place is deserted. You walk toward him reluctantly, having encountered neither Bradley nor any of his friends since the day of the brunch. “Lost another bet, Seresin?” you ask, eyeing the wide brim of his tan cowboy hat.

He smirks, lifting the hat off his head and setting it down on the bar. “Funny.”

You toss your towel under the bar and place your hands on the counter. “What can I get you?”

“Oh, I’m not here to drink,” he says.

You sigh quietly, reaching for your towel again. The truth is, you haven’t gone a single day without thinking about what could have been if you hadn’t stopped the kiss. If you hadn’t pushed Bradley away. If Bradley hadn’t hurled Steven into the lake.

You glance up at Jake as he fiddles with something in his hands. He eyes you pointedly. “I think you know why I’m here,” he says.

…

“Why are you still here?”

The booming voice of your ex-boyfriend rouses you, effectively disrupting the moment you’re having with Bradley. You withdraw from the embrace, separating your hands from his as you step away.

Bradley is shaking his head. “Don’t listen to him,” he begs.

You blink up at him with a sniffle and wipe your eyes. “He’s not the problem,” you say.

Bradley juts out his jaw as Steven steps into his field of vision. “I asked you a question,” Steven says forcefully.

Bradley watches him coldly. “Don’t start with me, Steven,” he says quietly.

“You’re not welcome here anymore,” Steven continues, bringing his shoulders back as he tries to tower over Bradley.

“Steven, stop” – you try to intervene, but Bradley cuts you off.

“I said,” Bradley hisses as he straightens his back to reciprocate the gesture. “Don’t start with me.”

Steven chuckles. “What are you going to do? Hit me?”

Bradley turns away. “You’re not worth it.”

Just when you start to think that the matter will work itself out peacefully, however, Steven shoves Bradley in the back, sending him stumbling slightly downhill. Bradley regains his footing just as Steven comes after him and blocks his subsequent attack, pushing him away. “I’m not fighting you!” Bradley roars.

“Steven, stop it!” you shout, running after them as Steven continues trying to provoke Bradley.

“What’s the matter?” Steven asks nastily. “Did I blow your cover, hotshot?”

Bradley narrows his eyes and his hands curl instinctively into fists. He looks like he’s about to snap. “Bradley!” you scream.

…

“Bradley,” you say calmly, meeting Jake’s gaze.

Jake nods. “I’m going to have to be honest,” he says. “Living with him has become unbearable. And, well, we blame you.”

You roll your eyes. “That’s not my problem.” You drop the dishtowel onto the counter and start wiping anew.

Jake’s hand lands over the cloth and he yanks it out of your grasp. “Listen here,” he says. “I don’t know how he fucked this up because he won’t say a goddamn word about it. But you’re gonna tell me what happened because I’m tired of this mess y’all made.”

“I didn’t do anything,” you say.

“I highly doubt that,” Jake says with an insincere smile. “The guy’s fucking in love with you, there’s no way he left you of his own accord.”

“The guy had a girlfriend of six months he didn’t think to tell me about,” you lash out at Jake, wiping the grin right off his face. “He’d been coming to the Hard Deck almost daily for two whole months without even mentioning her existence. And then he had the audacity to tell me he liked me from the moment we met? Either he was the shittiest boyfriend ever or he wasn’t as into me as he claims to have been. In any case, he’s a liar.”

…

“I didn’t lie about anything,” Bradley says steadily, watching Steven advance toward him once more. “There was no cover to blow.”

“Please!” Steven cackles. “The two of you fabricated an entire relationship!”

You close your eyes, much too tired to pretend any longer. If Steven is hellbent on divulging this particular secret, you aren’t going to be the one to stop him.

Bradley glares at Steven. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He turns to look at you somberly. “I love you! I have been in love with you since day one,” he says. “I don’t even remember what not loving you feels like.”

“But you had a girlfriend,” you say agonizingly.

He nods, his eyes filling with tears. “Yeah,” he admits. “I did.”

…

“He’s not a liar, he’s a victim of circumstance,” Jake reasons.

You blink at him skeptically. “Is the circumstance that he’s an asshole?”

Jake snorts. “Maybe I will have a drink,” he says, scrunching up his nose.

You sigh and reach for a tumbler. You set it down on the polished counter and, giving Jake a pointed look, reach to grab a second one. He chuckles as you pour the whiskey.

“Neat,” he comments. “Just the way I like it.”

You sigh and down the glass with a straight face. “Why didn’t he just end things with her sooner?”

Jake sets his drink down after taking a swig. He narrows his eyes. “Wait, he didn’t tell you?”

…

“Tell him, Y/N,” Steven says forcefully. “Tell him to get the fuck out of here before I beat the shit out of him.”

“Steven, stop it!” you cry. You turn to Bradley with a frown. “You should go,” you say quietly.

Bradley shakes his head. “I’m not leaving.”

“You heard her!” Steven yells, lunging forward to give Bradley yet another push.

But Bradley completely ignores the attack. He continues watching you miserably as though he hasn’t just been unceremoniously displaced by an angry meathead. “You don’t want me to go,” he pleads with you.

You drop your head, closing your eyes. “I do,” you lie.

“It doesn’t matter what she wants,” Steven steps in between the two of you obnoxiously.

“Steven, for fuck’s sake, just leave!” you scream.

Steven rounds on you aggressively. “I’m trying to help you, you ungrateful cunt!”

But before you can respond with a few choice words of your own, Steven is yanked from the spot and launched into the lake like a frisbee. You gasp as he hits the water while Bradley just folds his arms and watches the ripples, waiting to see if Steven can swim.

…

“He tried breaking up with her,” Jake says, watching you cautiously as though he’s unsure whether he should be sharing this information with you.

You furrow your eyebrows. “When?”

Jake sighs and adjusts his posture, getting more comfortable in his seat. “They were on the rocks way before you came into the picture,” Jake says. “He’d tried breaking up with her several times actually, including the night he met you.”

“What do you mean ‘tried’?”

Jake narrows his eyes. “Why didn’t he tell you this?”

“Tell me what?”

…

“Are you happy now?” you yell over the lapping of the water.

Bradley turns to look at you wearily. “Less annoyed,” he says stoically.

“Well, now that we’ve managed to completely ruin my sister’s brunch,” you say, glancing up at the crowd of spectators gathered on the edge of the patio, “you’re free to go.”

You hear some sputtering near the dock as Steven tries to drag himself out of the water. Bradley nods, sliding his hands into his pockets. “I would’ve told you about her,” he says. “I would’ve told you everything.”

…

“She wouldn’t let him break up with her,” Jake says, carefully studying your reaction.

“What do you mean ‘wouldn’t let him’?” you ask.

“Pour another round,” Jake says.

You sigh sharply. “Just spill it, Seresin,” you grumble impatiently, grabbing the bottle of whiskey.

“She threatened to hurt herself.”

You freeze mid-pour and look up at him in shock.

“That’s enough for me, thanks,” he says, reaching for the bottle still tipped in your hand.

“I’ll have it then,” you say, sliding the full glass of whiskey toward yourself. Silently, you lift it to your lips and take a giant gulp.

“Easy,” Jake says with a cringe, pulling the tumbler out of your hand.

“So,” you breathe, staring blankly at the bar. “He was stuck.”

“He was stuck,” Jake confirms.

…

“I’m stuck!” Steven calls from the end of the dock.

You huff in frustration and give Bradley one last menacing look. “Just go already, will you?” you say tiredly, heading out onto the dock to help Steven out of the water. By the time Steven is on land and you turn around, Bradley is gone.

You glance over at the terrace where the crowd has started to disperse while Steven wrings out his clothes. You consider for a moment running after Bradley; catching him before he packs to leave. But then you feel Steven’s cold hands snaking around your midriff and you squirm.

“What are you doing?” you yelp, jerking away.

“Baby, just admit that you want me back,” he says lazily. “I just saved you from that asswipe. Don’t be a bitch now.”

You turn around in outrage and, just as Steven flashes his phoney grin, you push him back into the lake.

…

“So, how was he finally able to do it?” you ask, plopping a couple of ice cubes into your drink.

“He got lucky,” Jake replies. “He caught her cheating.”

You scoff. “Lucky.”

Jake shrugs. “Well, under the circumstances. He just wanted out.”

You stare at the ice melting in your whiskey. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me.”

“Did you give him a chance?” Jake asks, gulping down the rest of his drink and rising from his seat.

You look up at him guiltily.

Jake clears his throat and places several bills on the bar. He taps on the counter a couple of times with his palm and then says, “He’s distracted in the air, Y/N. I’m worried about him.”

It makes you sick to think of Bradley unfocused in the cockpit, and you’re repulsed that it’s never occurred to you before, considering how often you daydream about the events of that unfortunate weekend. Of course, he’s been thinking about it. Of course, it’s been distracting him. You close your eyes and lower your head.

“Just talk to him, will ya?” Jake says.

You swallow uneasily, wondering what the fuck you could possibly say to Bradley after having completely blown him off, but you nod anyway. The least you could do is apologize.

After Jake leaves, you notice a folded piece of paper together with the bills he’s left behind. You pick it up to examine it. It’s your list – the one you’d given Bradley so that he could learn to be a more convincing fake boyfriend. You unfold it to find that he’s added his own notes to accompany yours. Things like, ‘this is absurd and you know it’ in response to ‘I don’t like chocolates but I love chocolate cake’ and ‘sounds like somebody else I know’ in response to ‘steer clear of Aunt Barb – she’s very pushy’.

You smile grimly, realizing how badly you’ve fucked up.

…

The next morning, you get permission from Penny’s boyfriend, Maverick, to visit the hangar while the squad trains. You’re sitting at one of the desks, listening to the boom of military aircraft as you nervously twiddle your thumbs in your lap. When you hear the unmistakable yelps of excited pilots just outside the hangar, you let out an anxious sigh and stand up.

As you’re rising from your seat, you see Bradley amidst the group of cheerful aviators, smiling and nodding as one of them claps him on the back. When he notices you, however, his smile falters and he slows to a halt, staring at you in disbelief. He’s got his helmet tucked under his arm and a chute bag slung over his shoulder and you realize that you’ve never seen him in his flight suit and that perhaps, if you had, you’d have fallen for him much sooner.

The other aviators look on as he starts removing his gear while walking toward you. The expression on his face is so intense that your already galloping heart feels like it might spring right out of your body. He sets his helmet down on a desk and approaches you slowly, his dark eyes searching yours carefully.

You gulp uneasily when he nears; the relief of having him stand right before you is something you hadn’t expected. Even given the currently ambiguous status of your relationship, being close to him feels right.

“Uh,” you utter. Good strong start. You close your eyes and try again. “Umm.” You shake your head and blink up at him.

Bradley lifts his eyebrows sympathetically but doesn’t say anything.

“Can I talk to you?” you blurt out breathlessly.

Bradley drops his gaze and your heart sinks. He hates you, obviously, and you’re an idiot for coming. But a moment later, he looks up from under his winkled brows and nods.

He places a couple of fingers on your arm and, as you try to suppress a shudder at the subtle contact, he nudges you softly, leading you toward the back of the hangar where you could have a private conversation behind a couple of parked jets undergoing maintenance.

Once you’re alone, you find it hard to look him in the eye. Bradley’s hand drops away from where he’s holding your elbow, but his fingertips trail down your arm and catch briefly on your fingers before he lets go.

“Bradley,” you say quietly. “I don’t even know where to start,” you admit.

Bradley moves closer, his head so low that you can feel his breath on your cheek. The torment of being this close and not touching him is probably exactly what you deserve, so you decide to suffer through it in silence. Until, that is, he brings a hand up, lifting your chin with a couple of fingers. His eyes glance over your face before meeting your gaze. “Let’s just start over,” he says.

You look at him in wonder as his hand glides up your arm. “How?” you whisper. “I’m already in love with you.”

For a moment, Bradley is completely still, watching you intently. The look of sheer want on his face absolutely paralyzes you because the concept of mutual desire where Bradley is concerned is something you’re still struggling to accept. You blink at him mutely, forgetting altogether that you came here to apologize, not ogle him in his flight suit and mentally undress him without a moment’s respite.

Bradley lowers his face, furrowing his eyebrows as he glances down at your lips. You notice the tightening grip on your arm as his breathing grows heavy; the slight incline of his head as his other hand drifts weightlessly up the back of your neck.

He makes you weak and he muddles your thoughts and how could you possibly be expected to remember something as superfluous as an apology when his eyes are begging you to just kiss him already? You let out a breathy whine, twisting your hands into the material of his flight suit and pulling yourself into him until your lips meet his.

Bradley exhales sharply, bringing his hands up to your face as he steps forward. You let him steer you into the wall in behind, clinging onto his wrists as he cups your cheeks. His tongue pushes into your mouth as his hands drop down to your waist and slip underneath your tank top, squeezing your flesh.

You melt into his touch; you want his hands all over you, clutching you, catching you, holding you. A soft moan travels from your mouth into his as his fingers dig into your body, and he presses you into the wall with a shaky sigh.

“Bradley,” you murmur as he grasps your ribcage.

“Baby,” he breathes, his thumbs gently stroking the band of your bra. His ‘baby’ is so soft, so different than Steven’s, it’s like an entirely new word. And you don’t want anybody other than Bradley to ever call you ‘baby’ again.

“Bradley, I’m so sorry,” you whisper. “I’m sorry that I wouldn’t listen to your side of the story.”

“Baby,” he mutters again. He lifts his eyes to look at you achingly. “I’m so fucking in love with you.” He takes your hands and brings them to his lips, holding them against his mouth. “I don’t care about anything else.”

You smile at him, grateful that he isn’t holding a grudge. “Kiss me again,” you say, pulling on the collar of his flight suit.

Bradley grins, towering over you as he brings his arms above your head and around your back. He kisses you gently this time, like he’s finally confident that you won’t vanish the moment he lets go. It’s warm and sensuous and lingering, it’s his lips pausing to appreciate every taste and every breath and every texture. It’s the rhythm of his tongue, excruciatingly slow, searching for ways to make you moan.

He pulls you closer, tighter; holds you firmer. You sigh into his mouth, you whine for more, you claw into the fabric of his suit. He reciprocates your urgency, driving you back into the wall with force and pressing his mouth hungrily to yours. You gasp, throwing your head back as his messy kisses trail down your neck, as his hands grope every part of you with fervor until you’re almost too weak to stand.

“Y/N,” he pants into your neck. “If we don’t relocate in the next few minutes, I’m going to end up being dishonorably discharged for indecent exposure.”

You giggle as he kisses you repeatedly along your collarbone. You would like nothing more than to relocate so that the two of you can be indecent together. “It’ll have to wait,” you say, stroking his hair as he growls in response.

“I’m not waiting any longer,” he mutters into your neck.

You laugh and shake you head.

“Come home with me. I just need a minute to grab my things.” He pulls insistently on your waist.

“I’ve got work,” you say mournfully. “My shift starts in half an hour.”

Bradley looks at you in alarm, as though the prospect of spending the next several hours apart is unacceptable. “Take the day off.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Sure, you can. Tell Penny you’re feeling sick.”

“I’m not feeling sick,” you respond disapprovingly.

He squints his eyes at you with a mischievous smirk. “Fake it.”

Tag List:

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Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the ride!

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waklman · 1 year

Text

Breakfast in Bed

summary: the best way to start off your morning is with breakfast? right?

warnings: 18+ (minors dni) smut, handjob, cum eating.

a/n: first time writing smut so please go easy on her (cause i hate how this turned out lol) but i just couldn’t get this idea out of my head for them. so. yeah.

word count: 1.2k.

something ‘bout you masterlist.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

You pause, stuck in an unnatural position—unsure if that’s Bradley’s voice calling out from behind you or not. You had been certain he was still asleep before you started to slip out of bed.

Convincing yourself that you’re just hearing things, you continue your unusual but typically successful crawl off the mattress, aiming to get yourself into the kitchen to start on breakfast.

Almost like a scene out of a horror movie, there’s two cold fingers that hook into the waistband of your underwear, making your eyes shoot wide open. He’s awake.

Bradley immediately pulls you into his side with a solid tug, not giving you a chance to put up a fight as he firmly wraps an arm around you—eyes glued shut the entire time. You try to move, but he mumbles a complaint, tightening his stubborn hold on you.

He’s already started to fall back asleep, moments after capturing you—but you’re wide awake, flaring your nostrils in boredom.

You could’ve got started on the pancake mix by now, and maybe even pour them out into funny shapes for him.

Sighing in defeat, your eyes dart around the room—looking to distract yourself onto something else. And you find that distraction right away.

You swallow harshly—eyes glued right onto the view of his underwear, and the bulge that presents itself underneath it.

And, before Bradley could finally return to his interrupted slumber, there’s open-mouth kisses being strategically placed underneath his jaw, trailing up to his face—leaving a light trail of saliva in it’s wake.

It pulls him right out of his drowsy state.

He swallows, feeling your plump lips ghost over his own. “Bradley,” you whisper against his mouth, scratching your nails against the band of his boxers, knowing he’s been hard under there.

His eyes flutter open, heart racing once he’s met with the sight of you softly biting down on his bottom lip, tugging it forward with your teeth before releasing it.

Bradley sits up at the motion, already moving forward, desperate to feel your mouth against his—but you pull back with a grin.

“Baby, you can’t just—” His breath hitches in his throat.

You don’t say a single thing as you move down to his neck again, leaving fleeting bites there. He groans, feeling you palm over the ache in his boxers next. You put light pressure there, but it’s not enough.

At this point, Bradley thinks he might just unload in his underwear—before you could actually touch him. You’ve been kissing up against his neck, and stroking him long enough through the fabric that there’s a wet patch on his crotch.

Bradley’s breathless, not sure if he can take it anymore. “Please,” he asks—but it comes off like a whine. He traces his thumbs over your tiny boyshorts. The ones that have been rubbing against him all night. God, who knew the heinous choice of women’s underwear would look so good on you.

“Please, what?” You hum, voice firm against the column of his throat. His mouth fully hangs open now, breaking into a sweat under you. “Please, just touch me,” he begs, unashamed.

You tug down his boxers roughly, grinning once he shivers at the feeling of you lightly wrapping your fingers around cock.

Yet, you don’t move—your hand just sit there, completely still.

“Please I—” Bradley’s sentence completely dies on his tongue, faltering as you sweep your thumb over his swollen tip, smearing the leaking precum in circled motions.

He tosses his head back against the headboard, overthrown by the sensation. “Fuck,” he groans, face twisted in concentration, relishing in the feeling of your hand starting to slowly travel down his length next—squeezing him as the side of your digits reach the tufts of brown hair sitting on his base.

You laugh against his flushed neck, nose just lightly brushing against the skin there before you begin sucking and licking away at the sweaty surface, all while working him in slow, deliberate strokes—drawing out an almost painful pant from Bradley’s throat.

It’s dizzying, the way his lungs burn from the restrictive breathing pattern. You pull back, nibbling at his pinkened ear, letting him reposition his neck.

Bradley looks down with tightly knitted brows and the sight is a fucking dream. His plaid boxers are sloppily pulled down to his lower thighs, and your fingers are tightly wrapped around his length, pumping him up and down at a moderate pace—causing Bradley to let out a shaky breath.

If that wasn’t enough to turn his brain into mush, what you say next, does. “Tell me how it feels princess,” you coo in his ear, with only half your body thrown over his side, starting to expedite your movements.

Your pointer finger grazes the vein on the underside of his cock, and he swears he’s starting to see stars. “I—it feels-” Bradley sputters, squeezing his fingers into the flesh of your hips—a desperate attempt to stop himself from unraveling underneath you.

You don’t give him time to adjust to the new speed, already spurring him on further, kicking it up a notch by moving your hand at a quicker—more grueling pace—one that he can barely process as his cock pulsates in your grip.

It doesn’t take him long to become a complete mess under you, squirming against the mattress, hips rutting upwards to chase your palms—panting for more, jaw fallen completely slack. “C’mon pretty boy, use your words. Tell me how it feels,” you croon condescendingly, lifting a finger under his chin, forcing him to look up at you—still not letting up on the intense pace you set.

Bradley weakly meets your stare through half-lidded eyes, barely able to answer you.

All that leaves his mouth is an incoherent string of broken replies, one after the other—he’s almost interrupting himself. “Feels so—ah—fuck—” Bradley’s aware of how pathetic he sounds, struggling to spit out a simple response, but he’s left genuinely unable to—far too overwhelmed from your merciless tempo.

Amused, you lean in, pecking his blubbering mouth as he screws his eyes shut. “Hm? What was that?” you ask teasingly, forehead pressed against his. “Can't hear you,” you press on.

“Feels s’good. T-thank you,” he pants against your lips. “Yeah? You gonna cum for me?” You prod, doubling down on the intensity of your movements, making Bradley go lightheaded.

He hurriedly nods his head against you, in a desperate plea. “Yes—I’m s’close, so so close,” he chants in a pitched voice, heaving under you.

“Cum then.”

“Shit. Shit—baby—oh fuck!” He whines, face contorting in pleasure. “Fuck,” he groans loudly, finally releasing all over your hands.

Bradley is completely spent, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat—crooning as you slowly milk him dry, letting his dick fall limp against his stomach afterwards.

His vision is still splotchy, not noticing you pull your hand back at first.

Bradley blinks rapidly, trying to refocus his eyes—so he could clearly watch you spread his load onto your tongue with a swipe of your finger.

Before you can even say it, Bradley darts forward, ignoring the way his head spins, to dip his tongue into your mouth, having a taste of himself.

Your tongue swirls against his own, transferring the tangy flavor to him in a deep kiss.

You momentarily part from him, but he chases your mouth for more—and you let him. He angles his head so he can reach his tongue deeper into your mouth. Bradley’s in search of any leftovers.

Knowing there’s none left, you swipe your wet finger against his cheek, and he moves off at the signal. He puckers his lips after parting from you. You smile, meeting him in a sweet kiss.

Gently, you stroke your fingers under his chin, petting him affectionately. “Are you in the mood for pancakes now?” You ask, puffing your cheeks.

Bradley laughs in response, eyes softening—knowing you’ve been feening to make him breakfast, since he bought that new pancake mix to try. “Yeah babybear. Want a stack of em.” he answers, leaning into your touch.

“Dinosaur shaped or airplane shaped? Which one are you in the mood to eat?”

“I want them you shaped.” he grins.

“Bradley I—that’s not.”

thank you for reading, and as always-reblogs are greatly appreciated!

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tags: @wkndwlff @sammyrenae68 @stark3ys @roosterbruiser @gracelyn-writes @zombiedeathsworld @blueoorchid

#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw smut #bradley bradshaw series #bradley rooster x reader #bradley rooster x y/n #rooster x reader #rooster smut #tgm fic #sbu

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intoanotherworld23 · 1 year

Text

Pick Your Battles

Pairing: Reader x Bradley Bradshaw

Warnings: None

Summary: Bradley broke your heart when he accused you of betraying him, and you haven’t seen or spoken to him since. Until you are both called back to Top Gun to help with a dangerous mission that nobody’s ever attempted before

I do not own the rights to these characters or any part of the movie this is simply for entertainment. I hope you guys enjoy this first part, and let me know what you guys think so far!! If you wish to be added to a tag list please don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll be more than happy to add you! Heart it! Reblog it! Enjoy it! XOXO

✨Please do not copy and paste or steal my work or take credit for this without my permission or you will be reported✨

Part 2

It's been too long since you've seen Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw and the thought of his reaction terrified you. Not knowing how he would feel about you returning to Fightertown. Once you got the letter asking you to return you knew without a doubt Bradley would be there. The two of you didn't end things well the last time you saw each other.

Telling him how you felt and his response was not at all what you thought. He suddenly became angry and upset with you. Slamming the door on the way out as you fell on the couch crying your eyes out. Everyone was worried about you after that, but nobody dared to bring his name up to you.

You've known Bradley since you guys were children. After all you were the daughter of Tom Kazansky aka 'Iceman'. Taking after him and becoming top of your class in Top Gun. Earning the call sign of 'Frostbite'. Also, becoming the only female pilot to have three confirmed air to air strike kills. Your father was a legend amongst pilots and you were becoming one now too.

After you and Bradley graduated it seemed like you two became a lot closer. Everyone could see it except for the two of you, until one day Bradley got upset you went on a date with some other guy. Seeing that side of him had you wanting him closer, and into your arms.

It confused you beyond all doubt since you two were just friends, but then it made you realize your true feelings for him. That's when you decided to confess how you felt about him, after a bottle of wine of course.

Now here you were sitting at the bar of the Hard Deck constantly looking back to seeing when he would come in. Sipping on your beer as you nervously looked around at all different kinds of colors laughing and playing pool or shooting darts.

Wondering if these were the pilots you would be training for this mission. Turning down their offer of leading this mission ever since the accident, and settling for being an instructor instead. Your father was not happy about your choice but understood why you did it. Not wanting to lead another mission where someone else dies.

"You okay hon?" Pennys sweet voice asked when she noticed you staring off into space.

"Oh yeah I'm just thinking." Snapping out of it to look at her. "Obviously too hard huh?"

"He's going to be glad to see you." She knew exactly what and who you were thinking about.

"Yeah right he'll walk through that door and see me and walk right out." Groaning at the image and feeling yourself become saddened at the thought.

"No he won't I bet you he'll see you and have that big smile on his face and give you a big Rooster hug." She smiled at you with reassurance making your lips quirk up. "He cares about you."

"Not enough to reach out to me." Shaking your head as you finished the rest of your drink.

"You could have done the same for him." Raising her eyebrows at you with that look of 'it works both ways'. "You two just need to talk."

Not saying anything you just looked at her watching as she went to go help other patrons. Trying to repeat her words in your head that he missed you just as much as you missed him. Although it would be hard for him to forget you confessing your feelings to him. You just don't let something like that be forgotten.

In the deep part of your mind you couldn't help but think he still was upset and would want nothing to do with you. Then the two of you would have to work on this mission ignoring each other, and acting like enemies.

"Y/N?" Instantly recognizing that voice making you turn around and break from your thoughts.

"Uncle Maverick." Exclaiming as you hopped off the stool to give him a hug. "It's so good to see you."

You've known Pete Mitchell ever since you were little, and he was also your Godfather. He was like family to you and whenever you couldn't go to your father you would go to him. He was proud of you when you graduated from Top Gun, reminded him of being with your father.

Of course you knew of the feud between him and Bradley, but you didn't actually know what it was about. All you know is Maverick did something so badly that he wanted nothing to do with him. Then one day Bradley called you screaming if you knew something about his papers being pulled which of course you didn't, but he didn't believe you and continued to yell at you.

It seems like Bradley will have not only one person he can't stand here.

"It's good to see you too." Pulling back so he could sit next to you waving at Penny a blush on her cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm good I'm good." Nodding your head as you looked at your hands on the bar top. It was a lie. "How about you?"

"Well I can't complain." He gave you a nudge making you playfully roll your eyes with a smile. "I'm assuming you got a letter as well."

"Yeah I did and I was asked to be the lead in it." Once he heard that his eyes went wide a huge smile on his face like a proud father.

"Well shit congratulations I'm happy of you." Clapping a hand on your back your face remained stoic.

"I turned it down." Stating to him before he could get anything else out. "I told them I wouldn't lead this mission."

"Why would you do that?" He asked too quickly and saw the look on your face before nodding. "I get it."

Only a few people knew about the accident including Pete, since your father didn't want it to be a public thing which you were kind of thankful for. Seeing as it traumatized you, and never wanting to ever relive that moment again. Not that you were trying to sweep it under the rug you just didn't want someone reminding you of that day.

All of a sudden you heard a bell ringing and both you and Maverick looked up in confusion. Penny standing there with a huge grin on her face as everyone whooped and hollered in joy. She pointed to a sign that said 'disrespect a woman or a pilot or place your phone on the bar top and you pay for a round'.

Looking down you saw Pete's phone on the bar top making your bend your head back in laughter. He just chuckled with a shake of his head as Penny was then bombarded with men and women at the bar.

"Way to go Uncle Mav." Patting him on the back as you continued to laugh. "I'll have another one Penny."

Handing you a bottle you saw a blonde haired man with thick arms in a khaki uniform that you very much recognized walk you up to the bar. His eyes looking at Pete and then shifted over to you a small smirk on his face.

"Four beers Penny please." Looking over to Pete briefly before grabbing his drinks handing them over.

"There ya go." Giving her wonderful smile the mans gaze still lingering on you.

"Thanks hon." He then looked back to Pete. "Thanks for the drinks pops." Giving a wink before he turned around walking back to the other pilots.

"I'll be right back." Hopping off the stool as you headed to the restroom glancing over at the blonde man to see his eyes on you.

The other three guys he was with all looked over to what he was looking at. You hated when people stared at you like that even if they didn't know who you were. Just wanting to keep your last name from being revealed to anybody for as long as possible.

Looking away you went into the bathroom stepping in front of the mirror placing your hands on either side of the sink. Staring at yourself asking yourself if you could really do this.

Could you handle the pressure of this mission? Could you handle being around someone that you love who doesn't feel the same? Starting to doubt yourself even more now, but reminding yourself of Penny's words.

Splashing cold water on your neck you gathered yourself quickly before heading out the door. Glancing around you noticed that name blonde haired man now standing in front of you. His eyes glanced you up and down taking in your torn jeans and white tank top.

"Hi there darlin." He said twirling a toothpick between his white teeth. "What's your name?"

Ah he clearly didn't recognize you and had no idea who you are then. Maybe you could have some fun with this.

"My names Y/N." His hand lifted up to grab yours in a shake you didn't bother to give him your last name since it would give away too much.

"The names Jake Seresin." Stating with such pride it almost made you roll your eyes. "Call sign Hangman."

"Hangman?" Repeating with a confused look on your face but he just smiled.

"You ever meet a pilot in person?" Shaking your head playing the stupid girl he probably thought you were.

"Well todays your lucky day sweetheart." He stepped closer to you this time. "I happen to be the best pilot there is."

This guy needed an ego check or something surprised his head hasn't exploded yet from thinking too highly of himself. Never the less you decided to go along with whatever game he was playing.

"Is that so?" Asking him crossing your arms over your chest his eyes glancing down briefly before smiling at you.

"Come join me and my fellow pilots." Placing his hand on your back leading you over to a group of khaki uniformed pilots playing pool.

"Guys this here is Y/N." He introduced you making everyone's eyes gaze over to you.

"Hi." Squeaking out like you were some shy little girl feeling utterly stupid.

"This is Coyote, Payback, Fanboy, Phoenix and Bob." Pointing to everyone each of them giving you a wave or smile.

These were probably all the pilots that you were going to help train on this mission. It absolutely terrified you how many lives you were potentially holding in your hands. A part of you feeling bad for not voicing who you actually were, but you didn't want the looks and questions who knew they would ask.

"Still bothering innocent women I see?" The girl Phoenix spoke up making everyone laugh.

"Couldn't help myself Phoenix." Pulling you closer to him making you a little bit uncomfortable. "She's a beautiful woman."

"Which doesn't make sense as to how you got her?" Fanboy joined in everyone nodding their heads in agreement.

"Yeah she doesn't know who you really are." Phoenix responded as she looked at you.

"Judging by the call sign I think I know everything I need to." Your voice ringing out making the others look at you with wide grins and laughter.

"Ouch darlin you hurt me." Placing a hand over his heart acting fake wounded.

"Besides I only go for real talented pilots." Your words had everyone's mouth wide open hollering.

Typically you were as tough as nails and always spoke your mind. In order to keep up this charade of being a normal person you kept your real personality down a few notches. Just wait until the next morning when they would see you, and you just couldn't wait for their reactions.

"I like her." Phoenix said and everyone nodded in agreement making you smile.

"Are you a pilot or?" Coyote asked once everyone quieted down.

Before you could respond your gaze wondered over to the front door watching as a couple people walked in. The person in front who you immediately recognized as Bradley. Wearing an old Hawaiian shirt with a white tank and faded blue jeans. A pair of aviators shielding you from his eyes.

He was a lot bigger the last time you saw him, and certainly looked better looking than the last time. Feeling yourself starting to drool as you looked him feeling like a creep for just staring at him. Thankfully he didn't even see you otherwise you would have been incredible embarrassed.

Something that was definitely different about him was the mustache he was rockin. He definitely didn't have that the last time you saw him, and you gotta admit he looked really good wearing it. He looked just like his dad which made you smile at the thought.

The butterflies in your stomach had you feel lightheaded and flustered. Your full attention was on him watching as he greeted a couple people before his gaze turned over to your group. Feeling your nerves get the better of you you tried shielding yourself from his view.

Not wanting to be seen as you saw him walking towards your group. He still hadn't seen you yet which you were thankful for. Maybe you could sneak away without being seen, and you could avoid the awkward conversation.

Shielding your face by Jake's side when he was literally just a few feet from you talking to the other pilots. Hearing his voice had your heart fluttering and you wanted nothing more than to say something and run into his arms.

"Bradshaw." Hangman greeted with a smirk making Bradley look over in your direction. "As I live in breathe."

"Hangman." He responded back with slight tone animosity making it known the two didn't exactly like each other. "You look... good."

"Oh I'm good I'm very good." His cocky tone was really starting to get to you feeling an arm wrap around your waist.

Quickly glancing your eyes over without moving your head watching him as he leaned against a pole placing his hands in front of him.

"Thought they wanted the best of the best." Bradley shot back at him making you smile into Jake's arm.

The pair just stared at each other like there was a silent war going on between them. The group looked between the two waiting for someone to speak first. Things were becoming too much for you and you just wanted to get out of there. Until you felt someone staring at you.

"Whose your victim tonight?" His words had your stomach drop feeling dread take over your body.

"This gorgeous girl is Y/N." Holding you to his side like you were some sort of prize. "She's never met a pilot in real life."

Keeping your face hidden hoping he wouldn't recognize you or act like he didn't know who you were. Glancing over you made immediate eye contact with him and you watched his lip twitch instantly recognizing you. His eyes looking to Hangman's arm around your waist making his hand ball into a fist.

You were still just as beautiful since he saw you last. Beating himself up for how he left things with you, and not telling you how he felt. Once he was told his papers were pulled he accused you of knowing and not saying anything to stop it to which he felt betrayed.

"Really?" He asked not taking his eyes off you his jaw clenching for multiple reasons.

"Figured if she were to meet a pilot it should be the best there is." He said cockily making your roll your eyes this time.

"But you aren't the best pilot." Bradley responded back making you and others chuckle. "She is."

Your eyes went wide not knowing who he was talking about maybe hoping he was talking about the other woman Phoenix instead. That wasn't the case though when you were completely unaware that he was pointing to you. Slowly moving your head to look at him his eyes solely on you.

He had this look on his face that would couldn't make out. Until you saw that look in his eye that told you he was about to blow your cover. Please Bradley don't you mouthed to him, and he just smirked.

"Yeah right and I'm Superman." Hangman joked not noticing how you were now frozen in place.

"God your such an idiot Hangman." At first you didn't know who he was talking to. "You clearly don't know who this is do you?"

Feeling everyone look over at you as you continued to stare at him shaking your head at him begging him not to tell. Judging by the look on his face you knew what he was about to do to you.

Your breathing was becoming very heavy and shallow. The air in your lungs was becoming restricted and you could feel your palms sweating waiting for him to spill the beans. The glancing from you to Bradley waiting in anticipation.

"What are you talking about?" Phoenix spoke up as Jake continued to stare at him a confused look on his face.

"Who is she?" Someone else said but you didn't know who.

"Your little date over there is a pilot herself." Jake snapped his head down to look at you an angry look on your face.

"Her names Y/N Kazansky daughter of Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky." Soon as they heard your last name some of them gasped or their eyes went wide in shock. "Call sign 'Frostbite."

"Holy shit." Hearing someone say as you now felt all eyes on you, but your focus was on the man with the mustache glaring at him feeling like steam was coming off your body.

"You two know each other then?" Bob asked really speaking for the first time that night.

"Unfortunately." His words had you wincing and your heart slowly breaking at how horribly he was treating you.

Once Bradley saw your reaction he felt bad but he couldn't take them back. A part of him wanted to walk up to you and hold you and tell you he was sorry he knew it wouldn't fix everything. Even though the group was going to find out eventually you wanted it to be on your terms, and not through Bradley who did it out of spite and possibly hatred.

Before anyone else could say anything you tore yourself away from the group, and practically zoomed out of there. Feeling a tear running down your cheek Penny watching with concern making Maverick turn around to look as well.

One things for sure that you know now. Bradley Bradshaw hates you.

——————————————

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Tag list for everything: @iam-laiya @rosie-posie08 @madzleigh01 @alwaysclassyeagle @mytbel0st @shanimallina87 @marvelstarker-mha98

#miles teller #miles teller smut #miles teller x reader #miles teller fanfiction #miles teller series #Bradley bradshaw #Bradley bradshaw smut #Bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #Bradley bradshaw series

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lcahwriter · 2 years

Text

Running (Part 3)

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Fem!Reader (non-descriptive)

Word Count: 6.7k

TW: Swearing, Nightmares (death in nightmare), stalking, mentions of sex but no actual sex

Summary: You ran across the country to the place you knew you’d be the safest- with Maverick on a Navy base somewhere in California. Your plan was to lay low until the coast was clear - but then you met Bradley Bradshaw.

Will you be able to escape the man who was determined to find you? Will you be able to keep Bradley safe? To fall in love again?

READ PART ONE , PART TWO , PART FOUR

Authors Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has read this series. I appreciate all the love! I hope you like Part 3 as much as I do.

**********************************************

“What?”

You croaked. You stumbled back against the bar counter, your chest starting to fill with panic. Mav instantly is next to you, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay.” He said firmly. You looked up into his eyes and searched for the comfort you needed. But you didn’t find it – you could tell Maverick was just as fucking scared as you were.

A sob rippled up from your chest, awakening more sadness and panic in you. You leaned forward into Mavericks arms and rested your head on his shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay; I promise.” He repeated, rubbing behind your shoulders softly. You gripped him like your life depended on it.

What were you supposed to do? How could you protect yourself? How could Maverick even begin to help you?

You stayed silent; your brain was too muffled with emotion to speak.

“Let’s go back to the house, and we’ll talk about a plan.” He said softly. You nodded against him and took a small step back. You looked up to see Penny looking between you and Maverick with concerned eyes.

“I have some last-minute things I need to do here. You guys go.” She said, directing her statement to Maverick. Mav nodded and you looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

“Just stay close to me.” You looked down at Maverick’s side to see his hand hovering over a sleek black pistol holstered on his waist. Your eyes widened with surprise.

“Is that—” you started to ask but you already knew the answer.

“Just incase” is all he said before opening the bar door. You shakily nodded in agreement and walked behind him closely.

The parking lot was dark and quiet – the only sound was the distant waves and both your footsteps.

You sat in Maverick’s passenger seat. Jaw clamped together, body rigid and chest tight. The streets were empty, and the inside of the car was dark.

You kept glancing in the back seat because you couldn’t get rid of the paranoia you felt.

Images of Tim popping up behind you to strangle you had your mind teetering over the edge into a pure panic.

You jumped when you felt your phone vibrate in your back pocket. You pulled it out of your jeans and read the message.

Bradley 🐔: You done with work yet?

You clenched your phone, tears welled in your eyes. You flipped it over without responding.

How could you tell Bradley that Tim was in town? Tim was just an imaginary person in Bradley’s head. If he knew that Tim was in this city, looking for you now- you weren’t sure how he would react.

Any sane person would run the other way.

Your mind wandered back to Tim - back to his anger - his violence.

Tim would kill Bradley if he knew you kissed. He would kill him and then kill you- oh god you couldn’t let this happen.

“Please, you have to breathe!” Maverick’s shout broke you from your trance. He was driving, eyes on the road, but glancing to you worriedly. From the looks of it, he’d been trying to get your attention for a while.

You choked out a small sob and nodded your head emphatically.

“I’m sorry.” You said shakily, trying to take in deep breaths even though it caused your chest to burn.

“Do you think Tim knows about Bradley?” You tried to regulate your breathing, but the dread you felt had only been amplified.

“Now is not the time to think about Bradley’s safety.” Maverick glanced at you with serious eyes. “We need to think about yours.”

You shook your head. You knew he was right. Bradley was safe at training; you were the one that was unsafe.

“How could he have found me?”

That was the next logical thing you could think of to ask. Was this really happening?

“I’m not sure.” Maverick said with frustration.

“Maybe I should leave here, go to Canada or something.” You suggested. You were putting everyone around you in danger just by being with them. Maverick- the closest thing you had to a father was now in danger too.

“No, leaving is not an option. You’re going to stay on base with me until we find him.” Maverick’s jaw was set, and you could tell he was not changing his mind.

“He may be in California, but he is not allowed on this damn base.”

**********************************************************

You laid in your bed, surrounded by darkness and quiet. You had a cold layer of sweat all over your body, despite the air conditioner blasting over you.

How were you supposed to sleep? Knowing that Tim was out there – looking for you. Possibly plotting to kill you? Sleep was an impossible feat. And the worst part was the complete helplessness you felt.

The room lit up with a text from your phone. It’s buzzing made you jump.

Bradley : Did you make it home? Call me before you go to bed.

You stared at his message. He made you smile; he was a breath of fresh fucking air. You were suffocating without him. But how could you tell him something that would worry him? Or even worse- scare him away?

Before you could turn off your phone to ignore his text, which you had fully planned to do- his name popped up on your screen again.

He was calling you.

And how could you ignore him? You were so alone, so scared. And his voice was like a fucking drug. You swiped to answer it before you could stop yourself.

“Hey.” You said softly.

“Well hello there beautiful. How are you doing tonight?” His voice was so happy, so carefree. And the way he called you beautiful so effortlessly- like he fucking meant it. How could you feel so warm inside but so scared? You moved the speaker from your face to take a deep breath.

You pictured him out in the middle of the ocean with his chestnut hair blowing in the breeze. You tried to pretend you were with him, holding his hand.

“I’m great. You?” You lied through your teeth. Your voice wavered on that one making you wince.

“Good now that I’m finally getting to talk to my favorite girl.”

You smiled sadly, even with your chest being torn apart. You needed to say something - anything to him to be normal but you couldn’t fake it. It was all too much.

“Are you okay?” He asked through the phone - his voice was hesitant.

“Um” is all you could get out before you sucked in a harsh breath and a sniffle. It was so fucking obvious you were holding in tears. You were fucked.

“What’s wrong?” Bradley’s voice was more concerned now- which made you want to cry harder. Ignoring this conversation was not going to work. You sat up in your bed, trying to collect your emotions – trying your very fucking best not to sob.

“I don’t want to distract you from training.” you squeezed out. You moved the phone from your mouth again so you could let out a shaky breath.

“Don’t worry about me.” You could hear Bradley’s footsteps in the background. “What’s bothering you?” You heard a door shut in the background. It was quieter than before on his end, and you assumed he was completely alone now.

You knew he wasn’t going to give up asking why you were upset. You had to to lie to him or tell him the horror filled truth. You bit your lip so hard you tasted blood in your mouth. Your head hurt from holding in your sobs.

“It’s Tim. He’s in California.” Your voice was raw when you spoke. Just saying the reality of the situation made you close to vomitting. There was silence for so long you almost wondered if Bradley had hung up.

“Where are you right now?” Bradley’s tone had completely changed from concerned to- well something you never heard from him before. He was commanding- domineering even.

“I’m at Mavs.” You took in a jittery breath and covered your mouth trying to mask your sobs. But you couldn’t physically take it anymore. Cries ripped through you throat and you knew you sounded fucking pitiful.

“Does Tim know where you are?” He asked in the same serious tone. It made shivers ripple up your spine.

“I don’t know.” You choked out.

“Fuck.” Bradley hissed so softly you wondered if he meant to say it out loud.

“I’m so scared Bradley.” You whispered between your fingers and into the phone. You breathed in harshly, whimpers coming out between each breath.

“It’s going to be okay.” His voice was firm. You wanted to believe him, but there were so many reasons he could be wrong. It felt like no one could help you- you were completely hopeless.

But his voice was so god damn convincing.

“I need to get back to you.” This time his voice sounded more strained, more raw. You shook your head.

“You need to focus on what you’re doing there.” You said, even though you literally wanted nothing more than him to be with you. But that was so very selfish of you.

“You’re all I’ve been thinking about.” He said softly. “Now I’ve just shifted to worrying about you.”

You cracked a small laugh, one that caused you to hiccup with tears streaming down your face.

“He can’t get to me here. Not on the base.”

You were partly reassuring yourself, and partly trying to convince Bradley of the same.

“I can convince my command to let me fly home tomorrow. I’ll take one of the jets back.”

You shook your head and looked up at the ceiling, letting tears roll freely down your face.

“Bradley if you come near me- and he finds me- he will hurt you.” Your jaw was clenched so tight to hold back sobs that your head was starting to throb from the pressure. “Please, just stay away from me until they find him.”

“Nice try sweetheart. Not gonna happen.” Bradley said back, his voice a little more teasing than serious this time. “I’m not worried about him hurting me, I’m worried about him hurting you.”

Before you could argue back with him, he took a deep breath, loud enough for you to follow suit.

“But he’s not going to get to you. Or me.” You sniffled; tears still fresh down your face- but you couldn’t deny the relief you felt just by talking to him.

“It’s almost 2am, why don’t you get some sleep?” He asked. You slouched back down in bed and used your free hand to wipe away tears. There was no fucking way you were going to be able to sleep tonight.

“I’m too anxious to sleep.” You laughed sadly while pulling the covers over your shoulders.

“How about I stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep then?” His voice was so god damned soft. It was addicting, every time he spoke your need for him to speak again grew.

“I can’t ask you to do that. You need sleep for work tomorrow- and you know it.” You pictured him falling asleep while flying and his plane going up in flames. You shook your head at the intrusive thought.

God damn anxiety.

“Who said anything about me not sleeping?” He questioned. You heard him walking now, his footsteps clicking against a hard floor on a boat somewhere in the middle of the ocean. “We’ll both sleep- but I’ll keep the call going. That way it’s like I’m there.”

You knew it wasn’t love- but something warm and really fucking similar to it was filling your chest. You were being chased by a crazed ex- boyfriend, crying like a dog on the phone with him and yet he still wanted you? He still wanted to make sure you slept? He was unreal.

“Close your eyes baby- I’m crawling in bed now.”

The way he said baby made your toes curl. His voice was sounding so tired – and you were afraid if you didn’t agree to stay on the line, he would stay up even longer trying to convince you to.

“Okay. I’m already under the covers.” You snuggled into them and set the phone down next to you. You turned on your side and pressed the speaker button.

“That’s good baby, now close your eyes.” You heard Bradley pull covers over himself. You wondered if he was sleeping naked- or at least shirtless. You were kind of regretting not switching to facetime.

You blushed and slapped a hand over your face to rub your eyes. Not what you should be focusing on at the moment.

You tried to be silent but your breath was just too ragged from the anxiety and sob fest you had. You took in a deep breath and exhaled- just like your therapist had taught you. It burned your chest to breathe in so deeply – but you felt a tiny bit more relaxed.

“Think of Montana.” He said sleepily. “The mountains are beautiful there. Like out of a movie.” You sniffled and snuggled into the covers surrounding you.

“I’ve heard there’s Moose there.” Your eyes were suddenly growing heavy. “I’ve always wanted to see one.” Bradley laughed softly.

“Then we’ll find you one.”

Your heart warmed at the thought. You pictured following Bradley through the woods in Montana. The mountains, lakes and rivers were all so beautiful. You swore Bradley was saying something on the other line, but you had already fallen into a deep sleep.

*********************************************************

A knock on the door sprung you out of the dreamless sleep you were in. The light from the windows in your room was blinding, and you really wondered how you managed to sleep through it. You checked your phone- it was 11:00am. Damn.

Your mind flashed back to your phone call with Bradley. How he had literally soothed you to sleep embarrassingly well. Then you remembered your reality.

Tim’s in town.

A shudder settled over you. But your attention was brought back to the knocking at the door.

You froze under the covers.

You heard Mavericks hesitant footsteps, then the opening of a door. Maverick’s voice sounded friendly, which calmed your heart beat.

Then you heard it– a voice as sweet as honey.

Bradley Bradshaw.

You jumped out of bed and slipped your sleep shorts on under your oversized college t-shirt you’d slept in all night. You didn’t even bother fixing your hair before heading down the stairs.

How did he get here so fast? Was he serious about flying here on a fucking jet?

You knew your eyes were probably blood shot and puffy. And you knew for a fact that your hair was tangled in a nest from the long night of sleep. But Bradley’s voice was a light house, and you were a ship drawn straight to it.

You got to the end of the steps and stopped to see Bradley and Maverick talking quietly. Bradley looked up to meet your eyes.

He was wearing his pilot uniform and a small black duffle bag was held at his side.

“Bradley.” You said softly, stepping down from the last stair and walking straight to him. You hesitated before wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling yourself into his chest.

A shudder went down your spine, almost from a sense of relief rather than nervousness. Bradley’s strong arms wrapped behind your back and held you close to his chest.

His head fell into the crook of your neck, and he took a deep breath.

“I came as fast as I could.” His breath was warm as he spoke against your neck.

“You didn’t have to.” You murmured, grasping your hands around him tighter. “But thank you.”

Maverick cleared his throat and you flushed. You stepped away from Bradley, but you made sure that you were still close enough for your shoulders to touch.

You missed him, oh god you missed him more than you’d like to admit. You had missed his smile, his voice, his scent his body.

“Let’s talk in the kitchen.”

All three of you sat at the wood table in the small kitchen that was filled with tension. You offered to cook breakfast but both men refused it. You made coffee for all of you instead- setting three mugs down on the table.

“I can’t believe the admiral let you take the jet.” Maverick said his eyebrows raised. Bradley took a sip of his coffee and stretched his arms behind his head.

“Better to ask for forgiveness than permission?” Bradley gave Maverick a wide smile. “Someone really wise told me that once.”

Maverick rolled his eyes and tried hide the smile on his face by looking down at the table.

“I guess I can’t be mad at you then.”

You grinned at the conversation between them. You knew their history, and how hard they both worked to get to this point. The fondness in Maverick’s eyes matched the same kind of love he had for you.

Maverick looked between the two of you and sighed.

“I don’t like the idea of leaving you guys here alone.”

You shot him a confused look.

“What do you mean alone?” You asked, watching Maverick intently. You realized that he was in uniform, not in his usual t-shirt and gym shorts.

“I got called out to Nevada to investigate a jet that crashed.” Mav slid his arm over the table and grabbed your shoulder. “I’ll be back by tomorrow. But I trust Bradley to keep you safe while I’m gone.”

You glanced up at Bradley who was watching you with those sweet warm eyes. He was watching your every move, like his life depended on it.

“You’ll be off base Mav- you’re less safe that way.” You countered; anxiety found you again.

“It’s not me he’s after.” Maverick said, removing his hand from your shoulder.

You knew he was right.

Bradley’s grip on his coffee cup was tighter than before, judging by his tight white knuckles. He was looking down now, jaw set and his shoulders tensed. You tore your eyes from him to look back at Maverick.

“Any update from John?”

Mav shook his head.

“He still doesn’t have eyes on him. All he knows is that his plane landed at the airport last night.”

The fact that Tim was this close to you again terrified you. It didn’t feel real.

“How does he know she’s here?” Bradley’s voice was dark, just like it had been on the phone last night.

“He must have known she would hide with me. It probably took him a while to find out where I was stationed.” Maverick was frustrated, and you shook your head. You refused to let him blame himself for this.

“Has John been able to uncover files?” You were growing extremely frustrated.

Frustrated at the situation, frustrated the cops that didn’t believe you and most of all frustrated that the man you ran all the way across the country from had found you.

Maverick shook his head and disappointment.

“Maybe I should let him find me. Use myself as bait to at least get him arrested for stalking.” Your body rejected the idea by a swift wave of nausea.

“No!” Both Maverick and Bradley said at the same time.

“What else am I supposed to do?” You said your voice cracking. Tears started to well in your eyes, and you cursed your ability to cry at any moment.

“He won’t stop until he finds me. You know that Mav.” You wiped away your tears before they could roll down your cheeks. You avoided looking at Bradley.

“We just have to wait for him to slip up, or for John to recover your files.”

Bradley sat up straighter causing you to look at him. His brown eyes were fiery with disbelief.

“We can’t just wait for him to hurt her!” Bradley’s nostrils were flaring and his grip on his coffee cup made you wonder if it would crush in his hands.

You sucked in a breath anxiously. He had a point. But there was just no other way.

“Bradley calm down.” Maverick said in a warning tone. “It’s the only way we can do this, if we arrest him now then he will be released in 48 hours. There’s nothing they can actually charge him for.”

You looked over at Bradley who was shaking his head, his jaw was still clenched but his expression was now more sad than angry.

“I hate this.” He murmured, leaning back in his chair. You twisted your lips and grabbed his hand.

Bradley wrapped his hand around yours as soon as you reached for him. You swore you could see his stress melt away in that moment.

Even though you were the one who needed the comfort, all you wanted was to make Bradley not whatever he was right now.

The Bradley you wanted, needed, was a one with bright eyes and a smile that could bring you to your knees. Right now, he was the furthest thing from it. You gave his hand a squeeze and let go.

“You should go Mav. I know you’re probably already running late.” You gave him a small smile and stood up, collecting both men’s coffee cups. You knew you were glossing over what needed to be talked about. But what more was there to say?

The reality was that Tim was after you and there was pretty much nothing you could do about it.

“I can make some breakfast for us Bradley.” You said, not even bothering to look back at him. You started pulling ingredients from the fridge.

“You don’t have to.” Bradley said tentatively. You scoffed at him.

“I know you’re hungry Mr. I woke-up early enough to steal a jet and fly here by 11am.”

Bradley laughed at that, making your heart skip a beat. His laugh was like medicine.

“I’ll see both of you tomorrow.” Mav pointed between the two of you. “Call me if anything comes up.”

He grabbed his duffle bag that was sitting by the door. You didn’t want him to go, but you had no control over that.

“Bye Mav!” You and Bradley said at the same time. Mav rolled his eyes and waved goodbye before hurrying out the door. You were right, he was late.

The house felt quieter, and much, much smaller now that Maverick was gone.

You continued making breakfast while sneaking glances at Bradley. He looked so … so himself in his pilot’s uniform. Like he was made to wear it.

His tall frame looked silly sitting in the dinky wooden chair, and the coffee cup he held looked like a child’s cup in his hands. You caught a glance of his soft lips that were so damn kissable.

“What do you want to do after breakfast?” He asked, breaking you from your trance. You blushed and flipped the egg on the skillet.

“Netflix?”

*************************************************

You laid on a white sand beach, looking out at the crystal-clear ocean. The sound of the curling waves radiated in your ears. The sunshine warmed your skin, making you feel completely at ease.

You watched as Bradley waded in the ocean. His bare back was tanned and strong. You wanted to join him, but you felt so light where you were. You took a deep breath, and let a smile crawl to your face.

Bradley’s laugh filled your ears. He was dancing in the water now, looking as beautiful as ever.

Perfect. This was perfect.

The sound of footsteps startled you. You looked to your right to see a tall figure dressed in all black walking towards the shore. Walking towards Bradley.

You tried to move, but you couldn’t. Your feet were stuck in the sand holding you down. Panic washed over you.

“BRADLEY!” You screamed. He couldn’t hear you. He was still laughing and running in the waves.

You looked in horror as the man turned around to face you. It was Tim. His ice blue eyes were emotionless. You screamed and tried to move again, but your body refused.

“BRADLEY! BRADLEY PLEASE!” You cried again, this time screaming so loud your chest was aching.

It didn’t matter how much you screamed; he couldn’t hear you.

Tim turned and walked into the ocean, just steps away from Bradley now.

“Bradley turn around!” You sobbed, still thrashing in place trying to get to him.

You watched in horror as Tim wrapped his hands around Bradley’s neck and slammed him into the water. Both men disappeared under the waves.

You screamed. You couldn’t get to him, no matter what you did- you couldn’t fucking get to him.

The water was still. You were waiting for Bradley to resurface. It had been too fucking long.

You had sweat dripping down your face, your heart felt like it was going to pop out of your chest.

The water started to bubble with movement.

“NO!” You sobbed, falling to your knees.

Tim, was walking out of the water, dragging Bradley’s lifeless body behind him. You screamed and a pain stronger than anything you felt before ripped through you.

He let go of Bradley’s body at the shore like he was nothing and started walking towards you. You had nowhere to run.

“No please, please please please!” Your chest was burning, you screamed again, praying someone would hear you.

“No please!” Tim reached out his hand-

But then he was gone.

Suddenly you were staring at familiar pair of brown eyes.

Bradley.

You weren’t on the beach anymore. You recognized your room, the bed you were laying on – the smell of home. Bradley was leaning over the bed looking at you with panicked eyes.

“You’re okay- you’re safe” He said,softly.

You blinked a few times, trying desperately to focus on him. Trying to forget what you’d seen. It had felt so real.

You tried to speak but you were breathing too hard. Your eyes felt like they were going to pop from your skull. Your hands were rolled in fists, tucked into your chest. You could feel the cold sweat sticking to your T-shirt. Your throat was burning just as it had in your dream, and that tears were covering your face like you’d been crying for hours.

“It was just a dream.” Bradley’s voice cracked. He had woken you up by shaking you- you’d felt it. But now he wasn’t touching you at all- it was like he was scared to hurt you.

“Oh.” Was all you could think it say. You were afraid if you looked away from him, he would disappear. You let tears fall from your eyes, though you stayed silent. Your chest was painfully raw.

You gasped when the image of Bradley’s lifeless body flashed into your mind.

You reached towards Bradley, just needing him close to you. He seemed to understand, and immediately moved to crawl under the covers with you.

As soon as the bed dipped with his weight you were against him. Your face was pressed against his chest, and his arms slowly wrapped around your body.

It was the first time you’d been like this, but it was so God damn natural to be this close.

You could feel his steady heartbeat. Alive. He was alive.

A flash of Tim’s icy blue eyes popped in your head.

You jerked in Bradley’s arms and he squeezed you closer. Your heart was beating so hard but your cries were soft, and tired.

“You’re okay.” He whispered. You cried even more at his voice, grasping onto him.

“I couldn’t save you.” You whispered, while gripping onto his t-shirt that was now soaked with your tears. “He killed you.” You whimpered at the memory.

“I’m right here.” Bradley rubbed circles on the small of your back. “No one’s going to hurt me.”

Your legs were tucked under his and your hand was wrapped behind his neck. Your stomach was pressed against his. All you could feel was your heart beating against his.

You were still in his arms trembling when he spoke.

“You’ve got to take some deep breaths sweetheart.”

You let out a small laugh and hiccupped.

“Easier said than done.” You retorted. You tried though, because it had been at least 10 minutes since the dream plagued you. Your heart was beating just as fast as it was then.

“Think about Montana.” He suggested. You smiled lightly at that.

“I wish we could go there now.” You whispered. You pictured the same big mountains you always did when he mentioned Montana. Images of blue lakes and rivers flooded your mind. You tried to imagine that you were there, with Bradley without a care in the world.

“We’ll go soon.” He said, his chest rumbling your whole body. You nodded and finally felt your body relax in his arms. The worst part of waking up from the nightmare was over.

You paused to take in your surroundings. Bradley was holding you like he would die if he let go. He was practically covering you, sheltering you like gun fire would hit you both at any minute. You were so warm in his arms, so fucking safe. It was heaven even on the worst days.

Memories of the night before flooded your brain.

You both watched Netlfix on the couch all night – you hadn’t even bothered to cook and ordered pizza instead. It was bliss. Neither of you talked about Tim, or the impending doom surrounding you. You’d just pretended it was only you and Bradley that mattered.

You had fallen asleep on the couch when Bradley woke you up. He gave you a piggyback to your bed and tucked you in like a little “caterpillar.” His words, not yours.

You insisted he sleep in your bed with you, but he wanted to be next to the front door- just in case. You were too tired to argue with him. The last thing you remembered before the dream was him giving you a soft kiss goodnight.

“You get dreams like that often?” Bradley interrupted your thoughts.

“Sometimes.”

You were lying, you had nightmares periodically since you escaped from Tim. But they were never this bad – and they had never included someone else getting killed in the dream. It had always been just you.

You pulled your head away from his chest. Your hair was sticking to your face from all the tears you’d cried.

“I’m so sorry Bradley. I know this isn’t something you signed up for.”

A wave of shame washed over you. Maybe this was too much for him. The rawness of trauma – of fear.

You tried to move away but he held you steady against him.

“Please don’t apologize.” He shook his head at you and met your eyes. “And I did sign up for this. I signed up for you the first time I spoke to you in that bar 5 months ago.”

Your eyes widened.

“I don’t want to scare you- because I swear I’m not trying to rush this.” He said quickly. “I just know I don’t want to be without you.”

You bit your lip and searched his eyes. They were honest, pure and so kind.

“I don’t want to be without you either.” You said, reaching to touch his cheek. His skin was tanned and his stubble tickled your fingers.

“I’m home!”

You and Bradley both froze and looked at each other with wide eyes.

“Get up!” You said, shoving him off the bed. Bradley stumbled off the bed and you covered your mouth to cover your laughter. He looked back at you with a glare.

But you both knew you had to get it together quick. You knew Maverick suspected you and Bradley would be sleeping in the same room. But you didn’t want him to see that – even if nothing…sexual happened.

“I’ll come down in a few.” You whispered. Bradley straightened his shirt and hair.

“Sounds good sweet cheeks.” He winked and was out the door before you could tell him never to call you sweet cheeks again.

You rolled onto your back and stared at the all too familiar ceiling. How was it you could feel so raw and terrified, but so fucking happy at the same time?

*********************************************************

(Bradley’s POV)

Bradley walked down the stairs, still adjusting his t-shirt and hair as he moved.

“Is she still sleeping?”

Maverick’s voice caused his head to perk up. Mav was standing at the front door, still in uniform. Bradley reached the end of the staircase and let out a big sigh.

“She had a nightmare.” An ache that he hadn’t been able to shake since he heard you screaming his name in terror panged in his chest.

He thought that Tim had found you.

That is until he ran up the stairs into the bedroom to see you. The image of you thrashing in the sheets sobbing was something he wished he could forget.

“I hate that son of a bitch.” Bradley said, his jaw clicking. He felt hot anger was over him. He hated the fear that Tim was causing you.

He tried not to think about what kind of sick things he did to you before you were able to escape. Every time he did it sent him in a fucking tailspin.

“John still doesn’t have tabs on him.” Maverick said lowly. Bradley guessed he was trying to speak softly so you wouldn’t hear. Maverick walked towards the kitchen, with Bradley following closely behind him.

“Do you think he has the balls to come on base?” Bradley asked. He subconsciously balled his fists together. He felt an unatural instinct to protect you- and the thought of this disgusting man getting anywhere near you made him sick.

“I don’t know.” Mav’s voice was tense. Bradley shook his head and started pacing back and forth.

He loved Maverick- but he couldn’t help but feel like the older man wasn’t doing enough.

He was fucking terrified for you. And even though he would do anything to keep you safe – he wasn’t sure he could.

“I’m going to the police station.” Bradley said, walking towards the table with his keys on it. He could feel Maverick’s eyes on him.

“Bradley, I’ve already tried that. There’s nothing they can do.”

Bradley shook his head in frustration.

“Then we try again!” He said harshly with his chest puffed out in anger. Maverick’s eyes were disapproving as Bradley walked towards the door.

“Tell her I’ll be back soon.” He gestured towards your bedroom.

“Bradley—”

He heard Maverick calling him, but he didn’t care to listen. It took all the self-control in the world to not slam the door.

He trudged to his car and started the engine.

He was going to make them listen to them, whether they liked it or not.

*********************************************************

Bradley walked into the crowded police station.

The front desk was full of people, and the waiting room surrounding it was even fuller. Officers were mingling around their desks and talking with each other.

He waited with his hands in his pockets, trying not to fucking explode with impatience. Ten minutes passed before his thoughts were interrupted.

“Sir, can I help you?” A gruff voice yelled, catching Bradley’s attention. It was an officer behind the desk, gesturing towards him.

Bradley strutted towards the desk, trying his best not to lose his cool. As soon as he got to the counter he spoke. He did'nt have a fucking second to waste.

“My girlfriend, she’s being stalked.” Bradley took a deep breath in order to manage his stress. “He’s threatening to kill her.” Bradley swallowed, his eyes glowering into the officers.

The officer had no reaction, just looked down at his notepad to write. Bradley licked his lips and bit the inside of his cheek- trying to remain calm once again.

“Hello?” Bradley said, fucking annoyed that the officer was acting like he hadn’t heard say someone was threatening to murder his girlfriend.

“Sir, I’ll call you when we’re ready to take a full report. You can sit in the waiting room until then.” He still didn’t look up from his god damned notepad. Bradley wanted to rip it out of his hands.

“Did you not hear what I just said?” He seethed, his fists balling at his sides. “Someone is trying to murder my girlfriend!” Bradley’s voice was growing to a shout- and other officers were taking notice.

“Sir – I understand that. But unless there is an emergency, we can’t do anything but take a report.” The man finally looked up at Bradley.

His inconvenienced stare sent Bradley over the edge. He thought about your screams or terror this morning. Or all of the tears he'd seen you shed in just the last two weeks. He couldn't allow you to live in so much pain.

“That’s not good enough!” Bradley’s fist slammed on the counter, causing everyone to jerk at the noise.

“Sir- you need to calm down.” He said, his eyes narrowing.

Bradley noticed officers moving closer to where he was standing, hands hovering over their holstered guns. Bradley scoffed at their reaction.

“How am I supposed to calm down when you're all in here chatting like it’s fucking Easter Sunday and my girlfriend is running for her god damn life!” Bradley’s chest was heaving up and down.

He knew he had crossed the line yelling at the police, but he was so fucking desperate. He had to make them listen – he had to. For you.

He felt a hand touch his left shoulder. Bradley whipped around, ready to shove someone when he realized it was Maverick.

“Bradley, you need to stand down.” His voice was calm. The shorter man was still squeezing his shoulder. Bradley shook his head in disbelief.

“You’re just going to let them do nothing?” Bradley seethed and pointed at the officers in the building. He was making a damn scene, but he didn’t care.

“No, I’m going to take care of this.” Maverick raised his eyebrows at him. “And you’re going to go take a walk.”

Bradley felt angry all over again.

“I’m not going to take a damn walk Maverick. Not when he’s still out there looking for her!” Bradley shook his head, his fear now mixed with anger. Maverick stepped Infront of him, looking him straight in the eyes.

“Do you think you’ll be better off sitting in a jail cell for assaulting an officer?” He whispered at Bradley harshly.

He knew Maverick was right, but he was still pissed off.

“If you do nothing and she gets hurt – her blood is on your hands.”

He directed his comment to all of the police officers who were staring at him with wide eyes.

His veins were hot as he stormed out of the police station. He cursed under his breath, pacing Infront of his car.

That did not go as planned.

He weighed his options on what he would do next. Should he go out on a wild goose chase and find Tim on his own? Should he go back to you and provide comfort? Had Maverick left you alone?

He groaned and put his hands above his head to calm himself down. He sat on the bench Infront of the police station to cool down before driving.

“Not your smartest moment kid.”

Bradley looked up to see Maverick making his way towards him. Bradley rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You got a better idea?” He questioned Mav through narrowed eyes. Maverick sat down next to him shaking his head.

“They are going to patrol and check local motels for him. That’s all I could get them to agree to do for us right now.”

Bradley slouched at that. Well, that was a a better plan than the murder mission he had in mind.

“Did you leave her alone at the house?” He pictured you alone, scared. Venerable.

“No of course not. John is there.”

Bradley shook his head.

“I’m sorry Mav.” Bradley licked his lips and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “I just lose it when it comes to her.”

“It’s alright. I understand.” Maverick leaned his elbows against his knees. “Your dad would have done the same.” A fond smile flashed on Maverick’s face.

Bradley smiled back at him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the clouds float through the sky.

Bradley tapped his fingers against his thigh. He licked his lips and took a deep breath.

If the police didn't find Tim by tomorrow - he would go out and find the bastard himself.

*******************************************************

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#bradley bradshaw #miles teller #top gun: maverick #top gun fanfiction #bradley bradshaw oneshot #bradley bradshaw angst #Bradley Bradshaw series #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #Bradley rooster Bradshaw fanfiction #protective bradley bradshaw

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bradshawsbitch · 1 year

Text

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎↠ 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 - ⅳ ↞

⁘ bradley bradshaw, the notoriously ill mannered head chef at the small franchise pub down the street, is quite content with his fast paced job. no commitments or obligations outside of his kingdom of sharp knives, pots, pans, prep work and a shot of jäger after a double. that is until a new waitress is hired, and suddenly his strict and rigid rules of no obligations or commitments starts to waver. . .

› pairing; bradley bradshaw x f!reader

word count; ~ 2.1K

× chapter warnings; swearing, flirting, somewhat forced close proximity

disclaimer; I am basing most of the chefs/waitresses on people I have worked with/encountered. Most of their traits will be as realistic as possible.

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“Can you work pastry today?”

A deep, raspy voice echoed from far away. The morning light had barely made it into your apartment windows, and you were just sitting up on the edge of the bed to start your morning. You’d answered without checking your caller ID - you’d just figured it was your mother.

But the deep tenor that sounded after your swift ‘hello?’ had a shiver running down your spine. Inhaling deeply with surprise from the realization, the phone escaped its spot against your ear. Fumbling fingers tried to save it, only making it fly more erratically through the air, before it inevitably landed with a final thud on your carpet.

“Shit, shit, shit!” scrambling to your knees, you reached for the phone before putting it back against your awaiting ear.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” the reply was slightly breathless, from the slight heart attack and scramble to save your phone. On the other end of the line, someone cleared their throat before speaking again.

“We’re kind of in the shit in the kitchens today. Mickey’s down with a stomach bug, Jake’s out of town, and Nathaniel, who would be my next bet, is visiting his sick mother.” Bradley sounded like he was battling a headache, and you could almost see the way he rubbed his furrowed brows so clearly in your mind's eye it made you smile softly.

“Alright, and you want me on pastry? Wouldn’t it be better to grab John, or Angie?” you weren’t exactly afraid to voice your opinions to Bradley, even if he’d ignored you mostly ever since the night you’d been crying in his office. He’d speak to you if you asked him anything work-related, but his answers were always short.

“I’ll be honest, that was my first thought. But there’s that large booking tonight, and they’re both needed. The restaurant owner said they were important people or whatever, so he wanted them served by his best - no offense." He added the last part on the fly, it seemed.

“None taken.” you let out a soft laugh, now he wanted to offer you no offense?

“So, I figured if I’m there, manning the grill and you manage the cold shit, we could make it work. I’ll prep most of it before you arrive, and then I’ll show you how to work it before service starts. Besides that large booking, it looks like it’ll be a slow day.”

Worrying your lower lip between your teeth, you nodded to yourself before telling Bradley you’d do it. He sounded relieved when he told you when to arrive and where to find chef’s robes. By now anxious butterflies were swirling in your stomach, and you cursed yourself as you braided your hair into two neat plaits to keep it out of your face as you made your way out of your flat and into your small car.

Arriving at work, you trekked up the stairs to the changing rooms. You remembered Bradley had told you the chef’s robes were at the racks by the men’s changing rooms, and you slowly made your way there. The door was wide open, as it usually was seeing as it wasn’t a room you generally passed if you weren’t looking for a new uniform.

As you approached, you saw Bradley’s chef’s robe completely open as he fumbled while buttoning his trousers. Eyes widening, you swiftly grabbed the first top and bottom you could find, letting out a small squeak as you booked it to the women's changing rooms.

Collapsing onto the closed door of your locker, you mouth out ‘oh my god’ as the visual of Bradley’s bare abs circulated wildly within your mind's eye. Taking a shaky breath, you swiftly got dressed in too large robes as you made your way downstairs.

Fiddling with your too long sleeves, you stumbled into the kitchen where Bradley was finishing up the prep work for your station, his was already fixed. At the sound of your footfalls, Bradley’s beautiful brown eyes snapped to look at you, a peculiar emotion swirling in them.

“Hi chef!” you smiled softly, glancing up at him before continuing to fiddle with your sleeve. “Thanks for helping out today, Bambi” Bradley rumbled out, pausing for a moment before telling you what dishes were pre-ordered for the large booked table this evening. He noticed, however, that your attention was more focused on getting the sleeve to stay up your forearm than his words, and he sighed wearily before stepping closer to you.

His calloused fingertips graced your inner forearm as he slid the fabric upwards, folding it a couple of times before securing it above your elbow. Blinking, you stared dumbfounded at Bradley’s face, his hair that peaked out under his hat, his neatly trimmed mustache, and that shapely cupid's bow…

He repeated the process on your other sleeve, before leaving the close proximity between the two of you. Biting your lip, you had to keep from letting out a noise as he started dancing around the small pastry space, rambling on about food. His scent had been overwhelming, and the body heat he radiated had you slightly dizzy.

As service begins, you find your nerves dissipating more and more as time goes on. Bradley even gently encourages you when he can tell you’re freezing up with insecurity over plating or timing. After a few hours, you’ve not only relaxed and managed to make most of the entrees and desserts on your own, you’ve made Bradley smile five times, and laugh twice. When you’ve sent out the large tables first course, you slink over to Bradley’s side at his request to help him plate.

“Alright, Bambs, remember - terrine first, meat, and then sauce - alright? And when I move behind you you stay still, okay?” Bradley’s voice was level, and he held your eyes with his own to see you copied. “Mhm!” you squeaked out, putting on plastic gloves as you put up as many plates on the counter as it could hold.

“Alright then, start plating the terrines then,” he offered you another rare side smile, moving towards the grill to start putting the finished steaks on a warmed up skillet. Moving swiftly, you accidentally dropped the first terrine on the floor. You cursed softly under your breath - it had been hotter than you realized. Looking over your shoulder, worriedly, you saw Bradley shake his head “No worries, Bambi - I made more than we needed. Keep going.”

Letting out a sigh of relief you started over, starting to work up a routine as Bradley moved behind you to put meat on the plates you’d already put terrines on. As you finished with the terrines, you were about to move to fetch the sauce-pan, as Bradley had instructed earlier.

“Hey, hey, behind, sweetheart” eyes widened as they almost came in contact with Rooster’s broad chest, and you giggled somewhat nervously before lowering your gaze and slinking past Bradley’s broad form as he chuckled. You’d heard Bradley call Mir and Angie sweetheart sometimes - but never you. It felt pathetic the way it made your chest feel tight and those damn butterflies appeared in the pit of your stomach again.

Finishing off the plates, the two of you wiped the sides of them before ringing the little bell that would usually have you scrambling to reach the kitchens from the dining hall.

“I have to admit, that bell makes me react very strangely when I’m in here,” you smiled at Bradley as you fixed a strand of your hair that had fallen before your eyes, back into your cap.

He smirked softly at you “And yet, it always takes you so long to get in here…” he teased. Opening your mouth in mock surprise, you swatted at Bradley with the cloth you had slung over your shoulder, he only laughed, grabbing a hold of the other end of the cloth, pulling it into his own hands as it slipped out of your fingers. Rolling your eyes, you exited Bradley’s side to resume your duties on pastry, looking at the two new tickets that had come in.

A small smile was still apparent on your lips as you made the two ice cream desserts, taking extra care with the whipped cream - spending time fixing the strawberries and chocolate sauce to your liking, before ringing the bell with a happy grin.

Looking up, you frowned. The warm plates that Bradley and you had fixed were still there.

“Bradley… it’s been almost four minutes! Those will get cold! Where is everyone?” you looked worriedly towards the door that led to the dining hall. Bradley glanced at you and chuckled before looking at the plates “Yup, they’re almost dead,” he frowned slightly before slamming his large palm down on the bell, making it ring out angrily in rapid succession - something you hated when you were in the front of the restaurant. You understood the urgency now though.

“Those look real good, by the way,” Bradley commented, nodding towards your desserts. “Way better than Mickey,” he winked jokingly, and you felt heat spread slowly across your cheeks. Swallowing hard, you looked at your creations, a feeling of pride filling you at Bradley’s praise.

“They’re starting to melt now though…” you pouted, furrowing your brows, considering for only a moment before you too let your palm slam down on your own bell harshly.

Bradley let out the loudest laugh of the night at that before he howled “Atta girl!” you grinned at him, leveling him with a look. And it seemed as if understanding passed before the two of you as you simultaneously slammed your hands down on your bells - making them ring in tandem at different pitches.

Bradley’s low chuckles mingled with your giggles as a flustered John and Angie came running into the kitchens. Bradley’s face immediately fell and turned sour as they approached, and his tone took the all too familiar tone it usually did when it reprimanded you. He chewed them out before telling them to hurry the fuck up.

“... and Bambi’s desserts are melting! Get a fucking move on!” he added at the end, sending you a conspiratorial wink, before turning back to his ovens and grill. In spite of the warmth that spread in your stomach and the grin on your face, you took pity on Ange and John, and swiftly grabbed the ice creams and went out into the front of the restaurant to deliver them to the table.

The rest of the shift is spent joking around with Bradley, getting to know him just a smidge more, and slowly letting yourself act the way you usually do around your other co-workers with him. As he riles you up with jibes at the wait staff, you give as good as he does, and he balks at some of your more risque jokes and comebacks. Those times make you smirk to yourself as you clean up your station at the end of the shift.

Waving goodbye to Bradley, you let out a giddy squeak as you sat in your car, letting out a long sigh of happiness as sparks flew through you at rapid speed. You couldn’t wait to come back to work tomorrow, having ended this shift on such a good note with Bradley.

As you fell asleep that night, you envision that Bradley might treat you as he treated Mir and Angie now, maybe even how he treated Mickey. You saw before you greeting him with a smile and getting one of those gorgeous ones back. Imagined making him laugh and making a point of hurrying into the kitchen, maybe slamming the bell jokingly if he wasn't at his station. The smile that tugged at the corners of your lips didn’t wane as sleep overtook you.

The next day you giddily fixed your hair and makeup a little extra, spent a little extra time picking out jeans that hugged your curves and made your ass look just that little bit more juicy, and a black tight top that complimented your figure, before taking care to leave a little extra early to work.

Dancing into the kitchen, you saw Jake was back behind the kitchen counters, and he greeted you happily as your sunny grin spread sunshine around the otherwise silent room.

“Hiya Chef!” you sang happily to Bradley, leaning on the counter to let your starry eyes meet his. You saw his jaw clench, his brown eyes that had been alight with mirth and kindness yesterday was once again cold and stand-offish. Blinking in confusion as Bradley swallowed hard, you tilted your head slightly at his reaction. You reached out, looking to see if anything had happened to him, when he uttered one dismissing word in greeting;

“Flounder.”

It felt like a punch in the gut. He had looked away from you, disinterested as he continued to work. As if you weren’t there. As if yesterday had never happened at all. As if he hadn’t promised not to call you that anymore.

Drawing in a sharp breath, you turned swiftly to walk back to the front of the restaurant, a leaden weight sinking deep into the pit of your stomach as you ignored the way tears burned behind your lids.

next chapter

ahhh rooster what the fuck?? ugh I love him. stupid man! sorry for the wait for this! how are we feeling???

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x you #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw au #mise en place series #my writing #bradley bradshaw series

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aworldinsideaperson · 3 months

Text

The West Wing

A Top Gun Maverick AU Series

Double Life

Bob Floyd x Reader

Congresswoman

Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Deputy to the Deputy

Jake Seresin x Reader

The Press

Natasha Trace x Javy Machado

The President’s Daughter

Mickey Garcia x Reader

The President, First Lady, and Chief of Staff

#tgm fic #tgm fanfiction #bob floyd imagine #bob floyd series #bob floyd x reader #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin series #jake seresin x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw series #bradley bradshaw x reader #natasha trace x javy machado #west wing au

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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 3 months

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The Love of a Princess (Part 2) - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / Simpson!OC (Princess Alexandra)

Word Count: 3.2k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only

Series Warnings: (Modern-ish) Royal AU; Meant to Be Set in 1920s/1930s; AU Country/World; Inspired by History; Bodyguard AU; Implied Very Much Legal Age Gap; Sexism; Angst

Summary: Princess Alexandra confronts her father about his decision. Rooster struggles to adapt to royal protocol.

Part 1

Master List

Princess Alexandra glared at her own image as her maid brushed out her hair, letting her hair fall naturally down her back. She would have to wash the product out of it later, but so long as it allowed her some freedom, then she was content enough. Wiping her makeup from her face, she snapped her compact shut with extra harshness that made her maid pause.

“Is everything alright, miss?” Jane asked kindly.

“No, it’s not, I’m afraid,” Alexandra stated as Jane arranged the pins that she pulled from Alexandra’s hair. “I’m sure that they’ve already given you the orders to pack my things for me. For my trip out to the countryside.”

“Yes, miss.”

“How long did they tell you to pack for?”

“A few months, miss.”

“Of course,” Alexandra sighed, looking down at her hands for a moment. Fiddling with her mother’s ring, she straightened up again. “Thank you, Jane.”

“Yes, miss. Did you need anything else?”

“Not right now, Jane, thank you.” Alexandra stood up and let Jane unzip her dress for her so that she could slip into a far less formal one. “But can you please make sure that a hot bath is waiting for me when I return from my meeting with my father? I’d prefer to wash the day away from me.”

“Certainly. Did you wish for me to be on hand, miss?”

“No, I can handle it. You get your rest. I’ll be fine,” Alexandra replied, stepping out of her state dress. Once her less formal dress was zipped up, Alexandra was slipping into flats and turning to leave the room. “If anyone comes looking for me, Jane, please tell them that I am spending time with my sisters and do not wish to be disturbed.”

“Yes, miss, of course.”

~~~~~

Bradley stood beside the couch that Maverick was sitting on, his hands loosely folded behind his back. After one of the most boring lunches of his life and entertaining himself out in the garden while the more senior members of the military and government conducted their meetings with the King, it was finally his turn.

And he found himself wishing that he was out in the gardens again.

“And what of your medical training?” the king asked him, looking down at Bradley’s profile.

“I have First Aid training, Your Majesty.”

“Anything beyond that?”

“No, sir, I leave anything beyond that to the medics and doctors.”

“There is a nurse staying with them,” Solomon Bates, the king’s private secretary and right hand man, reminded the king gently. “And a doctor is a phone call away in the nearest town.”

“How good are you with horses?” the king asked next, looking up at Bradley.

“Horses, sir?”

“Yes, you’ll find that my daughters are all avid riders. You will need to be able to keep stride with them. Or to chase after them.”

“I can ride a horse, sir. I’m no jockey, but I can stay in the saddle.”

“I’m sure that they will put a test to that,” the king remarked, mostly to himself, though Solomon cracked a smile as well. “DId you grow up with any sisters, Lieutenant?”

“No, sir. I’m an only child. Always have been.”

“Well, you will learn quickly. You will have to in order to survive.” Closing the folder, Beau placed it onto the coffee table and turned back to Bradley. “You will be given a room in the castle, of course. It will be close to the princess’s rooms, should you need to rush to their aid, but far enough away to maintain a sense of properness.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any guests to the castle, other than the usual staff and providers, will have to be vetted through my private secretary,” the king explained, gesturing to Solomon. “And while I cannot stop you from leaving the castle for your personal needs, as it is not a prison, you are to conduct yourself with the utmost sense of properness in the surrounding town.”

“Of course, sir. That goes without saying.”

“Good.” Standing up from his seat, and causing everyone else to get to their feet as well. “You shall meet the princesses tomorrow before you embark by train to the countryside. I am sure that will give you more than enough time to get your affairs in order and pack.”

“Yes, sir. It is most generous, really,” Bradley replied, not sure if he was overdoing it.

“If you would all excuse me, I must speak with my daughters now,” the king stated, before exiting the room.

It was only after the door closed that Bradley allowed himself to take a breath. Solomon turned to Maverick and the two nodded to each other like old friends before Solomon turned to Bradley. Walking over to him, Solomon handed Bradley a small journal.

“Here is all of the information that you will need for this assignment. Information about the princesses and all of the staff and everything else that goes on that you should be aware about. I expect a report by telephone every Friday after breakfast at 10 sharp. You can also always call me with concerns, Lieutenant.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“And good luck,” Solomon remarked, causing Bradley to raise an eyebrow before he walked off.

“I believe that you’ve just found what you’ll be doing for the rest of the evening,” Maverick commented, tapping the top of the journal Bradley was handed. “But get some rest. It is not a short trip to their country estate.”

Bradley nodded, glancing down at the journal, before he and Maverick left.

~~~~~

“I don’t know why you’re so upset,” Princess Ellie stated, lounging on the couch. “You hate being in the city.”

“No, I don’t,” Alexandra insisted, staring out the window and into the gardens.

“Well, then you don’t like it as much as you like the countryside,” Ellie sighed, staring at the ceiling. “But are you going to be this huffy the whole time we’re there?”

“Ellie,” Princess Sophie sighed, hitting her older sister with a pillow. “Don’t be rude.”

“I’m just saying,” Ellie groaned, rolling to sit up. “You’re getting a vacation and you’re throwing a fit about it?”

“I’m not throwing a fit. And it’s not a vacation, it’s a banishment,” Alexandra stated, folding her arms over her chest. “And as next in line, I have a right to be involved in these meetings. Or at least the right to stay in the same building as them. I’m not a child, but everyone insists on treating me as one.”

“Maybe because you throw a tantrum every time someone tells you that you can’t do anything?” Ellie suggested, earning a glare from her elder sister. “What?”

“If I’m going to be queen one day, I need a hands-on education. Not one from a thousand miles behind the first sign of action.”

“No one’s forgotten that you’ll be queen one day, Alexandra,” Ellie sighed, leaning back in her seat. “Because you never let them forget it.”

The sound of the door opening tore Alexandra’s glare away from Ellie and towards her father. Beau was still dressed in the uniform that he wore at the lunch, having been in meetings since its conclusion. And when he saw Alexandra’s annoyed expression, he walked straight towards the brandy he kept in the room.

“Ellie, stop prodding your sister,” Beau stated firmly, causing Ellie to sigh.

“Sorry, Dad.”

“I’m not who you should be apologizing to, Ellie.”

“Sorry, Ms. Heir to the Throne,” Ellie replied condescendingly, causing Alexandra to snap.

“You’re such a pain in the ass, Ellie!” Alexandra roared, grabbing the nearest pillow and throwing it at Ellie with force.

“Stop it, right now!” Beau stepped in between his two eldest daughters to stop the risk of another pillow sailing across the room. “You are both acting like children! Sophie’s the youngest of you, but she’s the only one acting responsibly right now!”

“Is that why you won’t let me stay for these meetings?” Alexandra demanded of her father, who turned to her with a tired expression that only made tears well in her eyes. For this was far from the first time that they had ever had this conversation. “How can I be heir and one day the queen, if you don’t allow me to learn my duties?”

“You will, Alexandra. But this is a very difficult time for our nation and the world and it is not the best time for that. But it will come.”

“When?”

“When you are ready.”

“Or when you and the rest of the establishment are ready?” Alexandra challenged her father.

“That’s not fair, Alexandra.”

“Why isn’t it fair? I have completed my academic courses with top marks. Took extra subjects. More than you did. Learned additional languages. I know the Constitution from start to finish. I’ve read thousands of pages of the history of our nation. And then reread them. I stay current on events happening in our country and around the world. I conduct myself positively at every event that I attend. All I want—all I need—is a chance!”

“I understand that, Alexandra. But the time is not right for that chance.”

Her face screwed into a frown, Alexandra turned on her heel and stepped away from her father, returning to the window. Beau sighed and shot his middle daughter a look that she proceeded to ignore before sharing a look with his youngest daughter.

“All three of you should use this time away from the chaos of the city to reflect and grow on your own. The countryside will provide you with that space, with that peace. Of course, you know that you can always call me, but it might be at odd hours. There will be a lot going on in Miramar while you three are gone.”

“Will you ever come up to visit us?” Sophie asked, causing Beau to turn to her sadly.

“I’m not sure, sweetheart.”

“So, that means ‘no,’” Ellie remarked, causing Beau to turn to her.

“Might I suggest that you use all of that free time, Ellie, to learn the difference between honesty and cruelty?”

“Yes, Father,” she replied quietly, looking down.

“And Sophie, I’m sure that you want to improve on your riding.”

“I like the piano more these days,” Sophie stated, leaning back in her seat.

“Well, there’s at least two grand pianos there. I can have someone find some music for you before you leave.”

“Ms. Holloway can’t come up to the countryside?”

“She’s got three young children at home, sweetheart. She should remain in Miramar with them.”

When he heard his eldest daughter’s scoff at his words, Beau turned to face her. Alexandra kept her back to him and her posture rigid. Composing himself, Beau took a step towards Alexandra, but did not move too much closer when she was easily provoked.

“And you, Alexandra, should take some time and learn that there are other important aspects to being a leader than just the knowledge that you carry with you. Go out riding. Find some new hobbies. Live less like an heir and more like a human. And when you return to Miramar, we can discuss your position and ongoing education.”

Alexandra turned from the window and walked past her father, heading out of the room. No one made any move to make her stay, knowing that Alexandra required solitude and would lash out if she was not granted it.

“Good night,” was all Alexandra offered before she shut the door behind her.

~~~~~

Bradley was dressed in a civilian suit and without a single hair out of place while he waited in the courtyard to meet the princesses. Their luggage was already being loaded into a car, but there was no sign of the princesses themselves. His singular bag, which looked so ratty next to their luggage, was loaded in last.

“Are they always late?” he asked one of the attendants.

“They are not late, Mr. Bradshaw. You are simply early,” the attendant replied, a bit snootily, before walking off as if he had been personally offended.

“Christ,” Bradley sighed, throwing his head back for a moment.

He let out another breath and straightened up, staring straight in front of him. But soon enough, he heard the sound of footsteps. Standing at attention, Bradley spotted the youngest of the three princesses first.

“You’re the Navy man that’s joining us?” she asked, walking straight to him.

She could not have been very far at all into her teens and yet she had enough mischief in her smile that Bradley suddenly understood why everyone told him to get his rest while he could. Pausing for a moment, Bradley offered her a small smile.

“What makes you say that?” he questioned, looking down at her.

“You’re the only man today that I’ve never seen before at the palace,” she pointed out, folding her hands in front of her. “Alexandra said that your name is Bradley.”

“Yes, it is, Your Highness. Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw, at your service,” he stated, bowing his head to her and earning an amused grin from her in return.

“You can stop all the stuffy stuff when we get away. We all hate it,” she added with a whisper, causing Bradley to smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“All I’m saying is that I don’t understand why we have to leave so early,” Ellie sighed, walking out of the palace next.

“Because it’s never a bad idea to get an early start. Another lesson that you could learn,” the king replied, before the two of them turned to Bradley. “Ah, Lieutenant Bradshaw. I hope that we did not keep you waiting for too long.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty,” Bradley stated, bowing to the king.

“You’re the man who’s accompanying us?” Ellie asked, smiling flirtatiously up at Bradley.

“Car. Now,” Beau stated firmly, pointing at the vehicle.

Ellie huffed and sent Bradley one last smile before getting into the first car that pulled up. Sophie got in behind her and the door was shut behind them. Bradley turned to the king and was about to stammer out some kind of apology, but the king held up a hand.

“You do not have to apologize, Lieutenant Bradshaw. I must, in fact, apologize to you. My middle daughter simply tries to get a reaction that she would find amusing out of you with comments like that. You shouldn’t take it any other way. And you should ensure that no other young men who she might come into contact with take it that way as well.”

“Yes, sir. I understand, sir.”

Princess Alexandra stepped out of the palace last, talking with Solomon Bates as she walked. She gave Solomon a squeeze on his shoulder in goodbye before moving on to say goodbye to her father. Though they had a spat the night before, Alexandra still accepted her father’s hug and kiss on the top of her head.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alexandra replied quietly before releasing her father. “I’ll call myself when we arrive, if that would put you at ease.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

Alexandra nodded before walking around her father and to the second car. The attendant opened the door for her, and she slipped inside. With one last bow to the king, Bradley moved to sit beside her. As the heir apparent to the throne, she was entitled to more protection than her sisters.

“Lieutenant Bradshaw,” she greeted him as she set her purse on her lap. He nodded back to her before the door shut and the car started towards the station. “I hope that the luncheon wasn’t too horrible for you yesterday.”

“I’m not used to such events,” Bradley remarked before hastily adding, “Your Royal Highness.”

“I’d prefer for you to just call me Alexandra if we’re not at a formal event,” Alexandra replied, looking out the window.

“Your sister said the same, actually.”

“Sophie?”

“Yes. Does she prefer for everyone to call her Sophie?”

“We’ve called her Sophie since the day that she was born,” Alexandra explained, turning back to Bradley. “And anyone who calls Ellie ‘Eleanor’ is at risk of severe personal injury. So, if you hear me call her that, it’s best to duck for cover.”

“And do you have any nicknames that I should be aware of?” Bradley asked, staring her down for a moment and causing Alexandra’s cheeks to warm.

“No. It’s just Alexandra.”

“Alright,” Bradley replied, nodding slowly, “Alexandra.”

She offered him a small smile and nod before looking out of the window, watching the streets of Miramar pass them by. Bradley looked around the car, running his hands over the tops of his thighs, before turning back to Alexandra. She sat calmly in the seat beside him, looking like the picture of poise that everyone knew her as.

“Have you spent a lot of time in the countryside?” he asked after a time of silence.

“Yes, but not so much recently. Over the last few years, we’ve really only gone out there a few weeks out of the year,” Alexandra admitted, still staring out the window. “But Sophie was actually born out there.”

“Was that why your father asked me if I had any medical training?”

“Oh God,” she sighed, holding a hand to her head. “We have a nurse who lives with us while we’re there. He appointed her himself. And the doctor is ten minutes down the road.”

“That’s what your father’s private secretary said.”

“Don’t let anything that he said worry you too much. You wouldn’t have been appointed to the position if there was a sizable doubt in his head about you. He doesn’t let anyone around us that hasn’t been heavily vetted,” she added with a note of attitude.

“I’m supposed to check in with Mr. Bates every Friday morning, after breakfast,” Bradley told her, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

“Only once a week? That’s a note of high praise.”

“Is it?”

“He made some in a similar position to yours check in every day. Of course, that was when Prime Minister Cain was in charge. My father trusts Tom Kazansky’s opinion with his life. And his daughters.”

“Many do, I would think.”

“How do you know the Prime Minister?” Alexandra asked Bradley, who shifted in his seat.

“My uncle knows him. Peter Mitchell. Though I grew up calling him ‘Mav’ and the Prime Minister ‘Ice.’ Those were nicknames that they received in the war. They were very close and so I sort of grew up around the Prime Minister.”

“It helps that you’re in the Navy too. My father goes on and on about his Navy days to us. He misses it terribly, though not the war. The comradery of it.” Alexandra looked away from Bradley and stared ahead. “It’s very lonely at the top.”

“I can only imagine,” he replied softly.

Alexandra turned back to him and the two locked eyes for a moment. There seemed to be a measure of curiosity on both sides before the driver broke the moment and announced that they arrived at the station.

#top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun: maverick #top gun #tgm #tgm fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw x oc #rooster x oc #rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw fic #rooster bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw series #rooster fanfic #rooster series

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fandomxpreferences · 1 year

Text

Oops Chapter Five: Is That A Redemption Arc I Smell?

Series Masterlist

Pairing: ex!rooster x afab!reader, best friend!jake x afab!reader, platonic!dagger squad x afab!reader

TW: angst, pregnancy, I think thats it really.

Summary:Bradley's finally coming to his senses, but he fears it may be too little too late.

Word Count:1.9k

The next couple of weeks continue on as usual, except Bradley can't get Maverick's words out of his head. He's been gentler towards you since that night, kinder. But he still hasn't worked up the nerve to talk to you. He knows he's been terrible and he also knows the likelihood of you forgiving him is less than the chances of you slapping him and telling him to fuck off.

You're an extremely forgiving person, he knows this. He was with you for years. You can also be downright terrifying and spiteful, and he doesn't care to see that side of you again. Still, his heart aches as he watches you grow his child from afar and the urge to reach out and touch you is getting stronger by the minute.

It's not until he hears you talking to Jake and Natasha about finding out the gender at your next check-up that the longing outweighs the fear. Before his brain can catch up, his feet are carrying him toward you. You look up with a confused frown when he stops in front of you and his heart hammers in his ribcage.

"Can I help you?" You ask and he freezes. He didn't think he'd get this far and now he's panicking trying to come up with something to say. Your voice isn't harsh, so he figures that's at least in his favor.

"Um," He starts while scratching the back of his neck. "Can I talk to you?" He finally spits out and your eyebrows shoot up. He can feel Jake's hard stare on the side of his face and he almost shrinks under the man's gaze.

"If you want to talk I can't stop you." You sass and Bradley almost smirks. He forgot how feisty you can be. He loves that about you.

"I was hoping we could talk alone." He mutters and Jake scoffs.

"No chance in hell, Bradshaw."

You look over at your best friend and ponder your options. This is the first time since he found out that he wants to talk to you, and curiosity gets the best of you.

"It's alright, Jake." You say while giving his forearm a gentle squeeze before turning back to Bradley. "We can talk outside."

You move to stand up and Bradley unconsciously sticks out a hand to help you. Your belly is starting to pop and moving around is getting increasingly more difficult. You stare skeptically for a second before placing your hand in his gingerly.

You stand slowly and start toward the door to the Hard Deck. You notice Bradley slip his hand onto the small of your back to guide you, but don't say anything. Once you're outside you take a step back to put space between you and cross your arms over your chest.

"What do you want to talk about?" You question and you can't help but notice Bradley seems anxious. He's shifting from side to side and wringing his hands together absentmindedly.

"Us." He starts and shock covers your face before he continues. "The baby."

You stare up at him for a minute and he watches you intently, trying to get a read on what you're thinking. He used to know you better than he knows himself. Standing here now, he's not sure when he lost that and it sends a pang through his heart.

"What about the baby?" You finally ask and Bradley doesn't miss how you ignore his attempt at bringing up your relationship.

"I want to go to the appointment next week." He tries to sound strong but his voice betrays him when it cracks. You blink slowly at him, trying to wrap your head around his sudden change of heart.

Two weeks ago he wanted nothing to do with you, and now he wants to go to a doctor's appointment? It makes your head spin and the extremity of his mood swing almost gives you whiplash. You almost laugh at the absurdity of it all.

"Is this some sort of joke, Bradley? Because it's really cruel." You frown and he shakes his head immediately.

"What? No! Why would I joke about this?" He exclaims and you throw your hands up in exasperation.

"I don't know!" You almost shout. "Why would you knock me up and then treat me like a one-night stand?" You bite and Bradley figures he deserves that.

"You know it's not that simple.." He tries and you cut him off.

"That's the thing, Bradley. It is that simple. We were together for almost three years. We saw a future together at one point, it's not like I'm some random girl you picked up at a bar!" You snap and he looks down at his feet.

"I'm just scared." He whispers and your face softens.

"Do you think I'm not scared? This wasn't exactly how I saw my life going either. But I don't get the option to skip out. This isn't just about fear, Bradley. This is about your own shit that you need to work out, and I'm not going to put my baby through having a dad that has one foot out the door." You tell him softly and his heart sinks when you refer to the baby as yours and not ours.

"I know. You have every right to be skeptical. But I'm here now, trying to do the right thing. I want to be here for you. For both of you. Please let me show you that." He pleads and you dig your palms into your eyes while sighing heavily.

You take a second to really mull over what he said. You've already made peace with doing this alone and now he wants in almost halfway through your pregnancy. But in an ideal world, this baby would grow up with both parents in the picture.

It shattered your heart to think about your child not knowing their father. It's your job to protect them, and that includes keeping them safe from Bradley if there's a chance he could hurt them. It's also your job to do what's best for them and robbing them of a father that wants to be in their life, if he's serious, is not in their best interest.

You're starting to get a headache from all the back and forth going on in your mind and you groan. Regardless of your past with Bradley, you owe it to your baby to try and make it work.

"Fine." You relent and Bradley's eyes shoot up to meet yours. "You can come to the appointment."

Bradley goes to respond and you raise your hand to stop him. "But," You continue while jabbing a finger into his chest. "I'm not just going to let you in. If you're really serious, you have to prove it."

He nods his head quickly and takes your hand in his. "Anything. Name your terms."

You eye him for a second before speaking again. "You will be at every appointment. You will bring me whatever I'm craving even if it's the middle of the night and be on standby for anything else I need." He nods eagerly and you huff.

"And no dating. If I'm not getting laid, neither are you. And I can add to this list anytime, and I don't want to hear a peep about it." You finish and he makes a zipping motion over his lips to indicate he understands.

You give a short nod and pull out your phone to text him. "That's the address to the doctor's office. It's next Wednesday at three. Do not be late."

He smiles brightly as his phone dings and gives you a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am." He says and you stop right as your hand touches the door handle to go back inside.

"Ugh, and don't call me ma'am."

You return to your table with Jake and Phoenix and they both give you expectant looks. You lay your arm on the tabletop and drop your head into the crook of your elbow dramatically.

"That bad, huh?" Phoenix asks and you sigh.

"No, not bad. Just complicated. He wants to go to the doctor's appointment and prove that he's serious about the baby." You explain and Phoenix's eyes widen.

"What?! Since when?" She gasps and you shrug.

"I guess whatever Mav said got through to him." You answer and Jake scoffs.

"You told him to go fuck himself, right?" Jake asks and you shake your head.

"I told him he can go and set expectations. He's going to have to earn his spot back in mine and the baby's life." You reply and his jaw drops open.

"You can't be seri-" He begins but shuts his mouth when you send him a pointed look.

"Jake regardless of our past or what he's done, this is his baby too. If he can prove he's not going anywhere, who am I to rob my child of a father?"

He gives you dejected look and leans back in his chair. "Fine, but you better make him grovel." He grumbles and you laugh.

"Trust me, I will."

Once you leave, Jake takes it upon himself to find his teammate. He spots him by the bar and slides into the seat next to him, drawing Bradley's attention to him. He can tell you told Jake by the look on his face, and he figures it's in his best interest not to speak.

Jake sips on his beer before turning to fully face the man and stare him down. Bradley waits with bated breath, no idea what could possibly leave the blonde pilot's mouth. Hell, he half expects to have to dodge a punch.

"If you fuck this up," He begins and Bradley swallows nervously. "We're going to have a lot more than a conversation. Do you understand me? This is not just her heart you're playing with this time." His voice is spewing venom and he notices his friend blink nervously. Good.

Bradley nods slowly before taking a sip of his own drink. "I don't want to hurt her or the baby, Hangman. If anything, this has made me realize that I never stopped loving her. We broke up because I didn't want kids. Now that it's happening anyway, what reason is there for us to be apart?" The question is rhetorical but it doesn't stop Jake from answering with a question of his own.

"What happens if you get back together and it still doesn't work out? Have you thought about how that would affect the kid?"

Truthfully, he hadn't thought about it. As far as he's concerned, you're the love of his life. Things not working out had never really been on his agenda. But then again, neither had kids.

"What if things do work out? My parents had a great relationship and I got to witness it. Doesn't the kid deserve that too?" He counters and Jake finishes off his beer before standing up.

"Pretty big gamble, Bradshaw." He concedes before walking away to leave Bradley with his thoughts.

The idea should deter him, but if anything it only make him want to try harder. He's certain that you're the one he's meant to be with. He already let you go once, he's not keen on doing it again. Bradley doesn't think he's a stupid man, despite the damning evidence. Letting you slip away with his baby would be stupid, he knows that without a shadow of a doubt.

He'll just have to show you he's in it for the long run, no matter what it takes. Starting with this doctor's appointment.

@drakelover78 @manyfandomsfanvergent @ssprayberrythings @disturbedbeautywrites @desert-fern @one-sweet-gubler @callmemana @luckyladycreator2 @bookchik26 @taytaylala12 @michalkasimp @xoxabs88xox @loveless-simp @withakindheartx @formulapierre @ccristata @shanimallina87 @chair-things @k-k0129 @izz-ayes-world @kajjaka @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @phantomxoxo @abaker74 @justanothermagicalsara @isakyakiisak @mak-32 @and-claudia @atarmychick007 @calsjack @mattyskies @gspenc @twsssmlmaa @little-wiseone @benhardysdrumstick

#top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw #top gun imagine #rooster top gun #bradley bradshaw topgun #rooster bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw angst #bradley bradshaw fic #Bradley Bradshaw series #top gun angst

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topguncortez · 2 years

Text

The Box word count: 2.4k warnings: mentions of parental death pairing: Bradley x female!reader, Carole and Goose (mentioned) synopsis: Bradley comes back to his childhood home to discover the house is still the same and there's a box of letters with his name on it. masterlist

Bradley sighed as he looked up at the familiar house. It had been nearly four years since he’s been back to it. It was in his best interest to pack it up and sell, even though everything in his heart was telling him not to. All sorts of memories had been made inside those four walls, and Bradley wasn’t sure if he could part with them yet.

“Are you ready?” A small hand landed on his shoulder and Bradley looked over at the girl sitting in his passenger seat. Bradley gave her a small smile and nodded. She squeezed his shoulder as he turned off the truck. She waited for him at the front of the truck, grabbing his hand as they walked towards the front door of the house.

“Remind me to grab the mailbox before we sell,” Bradley said, looking at the painted mailbox. He could remember his mom holding his small hand as they painted their last name on it.

“I’ll add it to the list.”

Bradley opened the door to the house and was hit with the feeling of nostalgia. Even though the years had passed since anyone had really been there, the house still smelled the same as it always did. The same spot by the front door creaked as Bradley walked into the house. It was like a time capsule, a thin layer of dust covering everything in the house. Bradley felt his throat constrict as he stood in the living room, looking around at all the pictures.

“I don’t even know where to start,” He mumbled and sat down on the couch. Y/N stood in the doorway of the living room, giving Bradley some privacy to gather his thoughts, “C’mere.”

Y/N walked over and sat down next to him. She snuggled into his side and Bradley placed a kiss on her temple, “We don’t have to do anything tonight. We had a long drive in and a very busy past few days. Let’s just take the night to relax,” She said and then looked up at him, “You can show me around your hometown. I would love to see where the teen heartthrob Bradley Bradshaw used to break hearts open at.”

Bradley smiled and shook his head, “Yeah I like that plan. It’s kind of overwhelming to be here right now. Maybe a night out will help me clear my head.”

Y/N and Bradley brought in their suitcases, setting up in his old room. He contemplated taking the master bedroom, but he wasn’t quite ready to open the door to it yet. Y/N knew the pain that it caused Bradley to even step foot on the property of this house, she understood his unsettledness as he wandered around the house as she got ready.

The two of them walked around the small old downtown. Bradley had pointed out various spots and told stories of the antics him and his friends got up to. It was a nice change for them both, being carefree and not feeling the weight of college and flight school on their shoulders. Bradley had finally graduated from flight school a couple weeks ago, and Y/N had finished her degree in education. They had the summer to themselves, for the first time in nearly four years. They wanted to enjoy their summer before Bradley had to report to the Golden Warriors in Virginia. That meant they also had to tie up some loose strings, like his mother’s house that was sitting empty.

Bradley had decided to keep the house after her passing, not ready to part with it. In the back of his mind he was going to use the house for school breaks, having a place near the coast to run away too, but after his first year of college, he found it too hard to come back. That’s when he met Y/N, and she had invited him to come to Thanksgiving dinner with her family. And from then on out, Bradley knew she was going to be the one for him.

“This diner,” Bradley smiled as they stopped outside the old place, “My dad proposed to my mom here over a cup of coffee and a slice of apple pie.”

“Well how about we go in and have some for ourselves,” Y/N said and Bradley nodded, pulling her into the old style restaurant.

“My word. . . Bradley Bradshaw!” An older lady behind the counter said as they walked in, “My, I haven’t seen you running around here in ages! How are you doing?”

“Denise, It’s good to see you, I’m doing good,” Bradley greeted her, “This is my girlfriend, Y/N. This is Denise, she’s been running this place since I was little.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Y/N said, waving to the older lady.

“She’s a pretty girl Bradley, you're treating her right?” Denise asked, raising an eyebrow. Y/N bit her lip to try and hide her blush, as Bradley felt his ears turn red.

“Of course. My old man’s ghost would come back to kick my ass,” Bradley looked at his girlfriend, “We’ll take two Bradshaw regulars.”

“Go on ahead, I’ll bring them over,” Denise said, pointing to the familiar booth in the middle of the restaurant.

Bradley sat across from Y/N in the booth and looked at the picture that was on the wall. His parents' smiling faces were displayed behind the glass and Bradley sighed. This town was full of memories of them. It was a small town, and everyone knew everyone. When they found out about Goose’s death, they rallied around Carole and young Bradley, making sure they had meals and were taken care of. They never wanted Carole to feel alone, like she couldn’t reach out for help if she needed it.

And the same went for Bradley. When Carole fell ill his junior year of high school, the town stepped in once again, making sure that Bradley was taken care of and Carole was looked after. When she died, it felt like a hole was punched through the town. Carole was loved by everyone, known by everyone. Her smiling face was missed at church services, and her loud yell was missed at baseball games. Bradley Bradshaw had become an orphan at the age of seventeen. But he never felt truly alone, the town was there for him. They helped him to keep standing on his own two feet until he graduated highschool and moved to Charlottesville.

“They really loved your folks,” Y/N said.

“Like no other,” Bradley answered, “They were very active in the town. Even with my dad gone from time to time, he still did his part. He always helped set fireworks off every year for the fourth and played Santa a couple years for christmas.”

“Oh that would’ve been awesome! Goose Bradshaw as Santa!”

“Except one year he and Mav got into the spiked eggnog a little too much before, so we had drunk Santa.”

Y/N laughed, “I love when you tell stories about them. Your eyes light up and you have this bright smile on your face. I love seeing it.”

“I just wish they were here,” Bradley looked down at his hands, “There are some things I wish I could ask them. Like when I had to call you in the middle of the night and ask how to iron my khaki shirt. Simple stuff like that I wish I still had.”

Y/N grabbed his hand and ran her thumb over the back of it, “I know. But you know that they are always with you.”

“I know.”

— — —

The next week was spent going through every room in the house. Every cabinet, drawer, closet was gone through. Bradley had donated and tossed loads of stuff, with Y/N’s help. There were some things he decided to keep, but it was bare minimum. His mom had done the majority of cleaning the house when she got sick, knowing that Bradley was like his dad, a collector. The whole house had almost been gone through, except his mom’s bedroom. Bradley stood outside the white painted door, and took a deep breath.

“I’m gonna go take this load to goodwill,” Y/N said, knowing Bradley would want some time alone, “Call me if you need me. I’ll pick up lunch on my way back.”

“Okay,” Bradley whispered, and Y/N kissed his cheek as she walked away, “I love you.”

She stopped, “I love you too.”

Bradley let out a shaky breath, as he opened the door to her room. The room still smelled the same, the smell of roses with a hint of vanilla. The bed was still made, and the decorations in her room were untouched. Carole Bradshaw was more than likely the last person to step foot in this room anyway. Bradley took the cardboard box in his hand and set it on the floor as he took a seat on the bed. He looked around the room and felt his eyes well up with tears. He tried to bite back the sobs that threatened to leave his lips but it was no use.

He shook his head and pushed himself up from the bed quickly. He told himself he wasn’t going to cry anymore. He couldn’t cry anymore. Bradley had enough loss in his life and shed enough tears, he couldn’t do it. So he bottled up his emotions and got to cleaning.

There wasn’t a lot left in the room. Most of Carole’s clothes and belongings had been packed up by her sisters after her death. Bradley didn’t have much to do except for a couple items tucked into the drawers; her bible, her perfume, a picture of her and Bradley, and a picture of her and Goose. Bradley opened her closet, seeing it empty except for a shoe box sitting on the top shelf. He furrowed his eyebrows as he grabbed it. He sat down on the bed and opened it.

“What the hell?” Bradley whispered, as he looked at the shoebox full of letters and other memorabilia. His fingers flipped through the items in the box, seeing that there were probably fifty or more letters, most addressed to him, some addressed to his uncle Maverick, and some addressed ‘to Bradley’s future partner’. His eyes landed on one envelope that said ‘open first’. He opened it and gasped seeing it was his mother’s handwriting.

‘Dear Bradley,

I never knew how precious time was until the day your father died. I begged and prayed night after night for God to just rewind time, take me back to the days before his death. I needed more time, you and I needed more time, we all needed more time. I wish that time would just stop, and I could spend my forever with you and your father. But somewhere, the cards have been dealt, and our time is running short.

There are things that I wish I could’ve taught you if we had more time. I wish that I could be there to see you graduate high school and college, to see you follow your dreams, to see you marry the person you love and have a family of your own, but that is sadly not possible. I know my time is running out, and I am doing my best to prepare you for a life without me.

We lived some thirteen years without your father, and every single year it was heartbreaking. I had to figure out how to be both father and mother in a short amount of time, and I just pray that I gave you the necessary tools to be successful. I know there are things that I wish your dad could’ve been here to teach you, but I am thankful for your Uncle Maverick for stepping in the best he could.

There was a time where your dad and I only conversed through letters. While he was off sleeping in the woods and I was here lifeguarding during the summer before college, we would write to each other all the time. Then when we got married and he would be deployed, we would converse through letters. He had saved every letter I wrote, and I did the same. I compiled them all and put them in this box. He had also written some letters before you were even born, and while he was deployed when you were a baby. I have never read them, I was saving them for you. You will also find some letters that I wrote. These are for you to have and to have as a sort of guide to navigate your life without us.

Bradley, I know it will be hard, and it will hurt like hell, believe me. But your dad once told us, ‘I will always be with you, no matter where I’m at on the earth or in the sky’.

I love you, my baby boy. I will always love you and be with you no matter where I’m at on the earth or in the sky.

-love Mom.’

Bradley emptied out the envelope and found a copy of his father’s dog tags, and attached to it both of their wedding rings. He couldn’t even form a coherent thought as he picked up the box and turned it over, looking at all the contents.

He got lost in time as he looked through all of the titles of the letters, some of them basic ones like “A Letter in how to make your favorite casserole” or “A Letter in how to change the oil in the bronco”. And others were titled “A Letter when you first deploy” or “A Letter when you meet the love of your life.” Bradley had found there was a letter for almost any question he could possibly have.

“Babe?!“ Bradley looked at the doorway, seeing his girlfriend standing there, “There you are! I’ve been calling for you.”

“Sorry I, uh,” Bradley cleared his throat and looked at all the envelopes surrounding him. Y/N walked quietly over to him and stood in front of the bed, “My Mom wrote, well my dad too, they wrote me a bunch of how to letters. She knew I would need some advice and well this was-“

“The only way she could do it.”

“Yeah,” He said looking down at the one in his hand. The title was almost mocking him, but he couldn’t blame his father for writing it. He had no way of knowing the betrayal his best friend would cause his son, “I don’t even know where to begin on these.”

“Well, I’m guessing you start with the one that has an answer to your question.” Y/N picked up the letter in front of her and handed it to Bradley.

‘A Letter in what to do with the house after I’m gone’

--- --- ---

Letters to Bradley Taglist: @callmebymym @luckyladycreator2 @jake-h-ngm-n-seresin @sleep-whose-that @xoxo-periwinkle-skies @the-killer-queenie @carsgeek24 @midget713 @sweetdayme4427 @bravo-four-seal-team @green-socks @lareinedumal @mrsroosterbradshaw02 @jessirosebud @multifandom-fangirl4

Letters taglist form

A/N: sorry for taking so long!!🤍 i promise i’m working on getting your requests done:)

#top gun #top gun imagine #top gun fan fiction #top gun fan fic #top gun series #top gun maverick series #top gun maverick fan fiction #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick imagine #bradley rooster bradshaw imagine #rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw series #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw

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roosterbruiser · 10 months

Text

𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥

The sandy stone patio outside The Hard Deck is quiet.

Well, it’s quieter than it was inside. Rowdy Navymen and their rowdy friends a few too many draft beers deep jamming out with the jukebox on high, Penny overwhelmed by the amount of men in Uncle Sam beards and patriotic paper top-hats, peanut shells on the floor, ice clinking in whiskey glasses, fireworks going off every few minutes.

It’s all a bit overwhelming for you, which is why you slid out and quietly settled in one of the metal bistro chairs, breathing in the sweet ocean and sulfuric air. It’s foggy outside from the fireworks, which are bursting into the night sky in fantastic sparks of yellow and pink and red and blue.

Finally--you can take a deep breath, inflate your lungs, tune in with your daughter just beneath the taut skin of your swollen belly. She’s fluttering around like she always is when you’re finally still. Sometimes, you like to imagine that she’s mimicking you: taking a deep breath, tilting her head towards the sky, lashes fluttering as she watches the fireworks.

Bradley is still sitting at the piano, playing a jaunty version of Born in the USA on the piano, a little tipsy and the kind of happy that makes his cheeks bright pink. The usual crowd is around him, much drunker and much blearier, sloshing their drinks and mussing each other’s faux beards.

“Where’s that wife of mine?” Bradley asks suddenly--he scans the crowd around the piano and doesn’t find you in the sea of red, white, and blue. “Jake, did you scare her off?”

“She wakes up to you every morning, Bradshaw,” Jake retorts, grinning. “How could I scare her off?”

Bradley stills--everyone groans when the live music stops.

“Yeah, yeah, cry me a river!” Bradley says as everyone boo’s him. He stands up, stretches, glances around the bar again. He doesn't see you still. “Respect your countryman!”

And then he’s fielding pats on the backs as he navigates the bar, heading for the patio doors. He’s sure you’re out there--you like to sneak away when you can get away with it to dip your toes in the water or sit in the patio chairs.

He’s right--you’re right where he knew you would be: sitting in the patio chair, head tilted back as you watch the smoke drift across the star-dotted sky, shoes thrown aside and feet buried in the sand, eyes shining as you stroke your belly with both hands.

“Hey, mama,” he greets softly.

You turn, a soft smile on your face. All the noise of the bar fades whenever Rooster closes the door behind him, grinning at you something fierce.

“Hey, daddy,” you respond, face warm with love.

He stalls right where he is, hands on the hips of his true-blue Levi’s. Pink sprouts across the exposed part of his chest, his Hawaiian shirt long unbuttoned after his fourth drink and second song on the piano. He just beholds you, a lip tucked between his teeth, his smile growing wider when you wrinkle your nose at him.

“What?” You ask, but you have a feeling that you already know.

“You’re a fucking vision,” he sighs, earnest and yearning. “How’d I land a bombshell like you?”

“Trapped me,” you tease, gesturing to your bump. “Remember?”

He grins, laughing. He starts to toe his Chuck Taylors off, peeling his socks off while you rest your cheek on your shoulder to gaze at him.

“It’s quiet out here,” he says softly, sauntering over to you and wrapping his arms around your neck. He peppers your sweet-smelling hair with a few kisses before tucking his nose into your neck. “Didn’t realize my ears were ringing in there.”

You smile.

“Poor baby,” you mutter mockingly, curling your fingers in his sandy locks. “You alright?”

“Respect your countryman,” Bradley insists softly, muffled from the silky skin of your neck. “And the father of your daughter.”

He moves his hand to your belly and your daughter kicks softly, stretching and turning. You can feel his grin when it spreads across his face. He’s so delighted in the thought of becoming a father that his joy is genuinely palpable. You can feel it at all times like the sun on your cheeks or the wind in your hair.

His hand is warm, covering the front of your rounded belly. Bradley sighs softly, eyes fluttering shut as he feels your daughter move inside of you, imagining what she’ll be like.

But then a firework goes off--pops right beside the both of you. And you both feel it: your daughter jolting in your belly, startled.

Before Bradley can respond, you’re laughing. Laughing a big and loud laugh with your mouth wide open and your eyes teary.

“Oh,” you giggle, grinning at Bradley. “Our poor baby!”

Bradley, frowning good-naturedly, tuts and moves so he’s kneeling before you. You’re still fighting your laughter, biting your lip and stroking your belly. But Bradley’s tucking himself between your legs, moving your shirt up until the curve of your belly is exposed to the cool night air.

“Poor thing,” Bradley said, pressing a few kisses to your skin. “S’okay, bird. Just some fireworks, huh? You’re gonna have to get used to ‘em, aren’t you? Fourth of July is…big in this family, to say the least.”

You nod as if she can see you, combing your fingers through his hair as he peppers your belly in affection. You can almost see it now: Bradley holding your tiny daughter, pressing his nose into her little shoulder, making her shudder when his mustache tickles her delicate skin.

“We’ll get her some headphones,” you tell him, biting a grin. “That oughta do the trick, huh?” Another firework pops and she jolts again, more than before. Your belly flutters, tenses. “She really doesn’t like those,” you tell Bradley, gasping softly.

With his brows furrowed, Bradley peers over his shoulder at the small group of mens setting them off on the beach.

“I’m gonna go give ‘em a piece of my mind,” he mutters.

“Bradley,” you laugh. “What’re you gonna say? You’re scaring my unborn daughter?”

He pauses--glares at you.

“And if that is what I’m gonna say?”

Grinning, feeling like you’re about to burst with all this love for this goofy man on his knees before you, you shake your head.

“Oh, boy, do I love you,” you say softly. “And so does our daughter.”

He grins.

“Our American girl,” he laughs. “Who doesn’t like fireworks.”

You hope, with everything in your heart, that she has his laugh. Big, loud, hearty. You want people to hear her laugh and know who her father is. Oh, that’s gotta be a Bradshaw.

“She’ll learn,” you tell him, stroking your belly. “Her daddy’s a Navyman.”

𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 <𝟑

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topgun-imagines · 1 year

Text

ANGST

Captain Bradshaw

You are reunited with your husband before the uranium mission. Warnings: Angst, Death, Funerals, Crying, Arguments.

Know You Better

Rooster knows that you only drink green tea when you’re feeling anxious. Warnings: Death, Anxiety.

Something In The Orange

When Mav pulls Bradley’s papers, you have no idea. You only find out when your boyfriend dissapears in the middle of the night. Warnings: smut, blowjobs, handjob, oral sex (male & fem!receiving) fingering, penetrative sex, foul language, loss of virginity, angst, break ups, crying, insecurity, complicated relationships, drifting apart.

Accidents Happen

Accidents happen. Or do they? You and Bradley may have different opinions in this case. Warnings: Mentions of sexual assault. While it isn’t too bad, please don’t read if this is something you’re uncomfortable with.

No Worse Pain

Bradley has been extended stressed at work lately. You don’t want to add to that by telling him about the pain you’re in. Warnings: periods, cramps, pain.

SMUT

Say My Name

You find out just how big Bradley is. He really does live up to his call sign. Warnings: smut, oral sex (f!recieving), fingering, anal fingering, size kink, overstimulation, unprotected sex, cum play.

FLUFF

Carnival Confessions

At the carnival, Rooster finally confesses his feelings. After many, many attempts. Warnings: Light angst.

Pain Meds

After an incident during training you put your husband on bed rest until he feels better. The only problem is that the painkillers hurt his stomach. Warnings: Death, Plane crashes, Wounds, Stitches, Medication.

Day Off

Bradley spends his day off helping you feel better while you’re on your period. Warnings: Periods, Cramps, Blood.

For My Daughter

When Bradley rushes home from training, Maverick follows him and discovers something he never would have guessed. Bradley has a daughter. Warnings: Crying baby, Death, Abandonment by a parent

The Pregnancy Glow

Rooster can’t help but admire his wife. It’s only a bonus that you’re pregnant. Warnings: Pregnancy.

Love At First Sight

When Bradley sees Jake flirting with you, he realizes that he needs to tell you how he feels. Warnings: Drinking, Mutual pinning.

The Egg Hunt

You and your husband enjoy Easter morning with your kiddos. Warnings: None.

Best One Yet

After years of horrible birthdays, Bradley will stop at nothing to make sure that you know how much he loves you. Warnings: light angst.

The One With The Barista

Bradley is a regular at the coffee shop you work at. One day, he finally works up the courage to talk to you. Warnings: none.

SERIES

For My Daughter

In the middle of Bradley’s career, he winds up facing something he never would have seen coming. It turns out that Bradley Bradshaw is a father to a little baby girl.

What will happen when he has to raise his baby girl all by himself? Will everything change when the Dagger Squad becomes a crucial part of his life? Warning: Angst, Death, Abandonment by a parent.

MOODBOARDS

Carnival Confessions || Moodboard

The Pregnancy Glow || Moodboard

Rooster || Moodboard

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planetpiastri · 1 year

Text

[1] that damn timing

summary - as a kid, you were sure that you and bradley were twin flames. but then you spent years circling one another, never being single and interested at the same time. so you moved on, and so did he—literally. but mere weeks after your life falls apart and you have to move back home, he returns for the big wedding on the horizon. and maybe, just maybe, this time you'll get the timing right.

warnings - small town/hometown au, gn!reader, benjamin!reader, bartender!reader, no use of y/n, reader is nicknamed 'moonshine,' small town inaccuracies probably, carole and goose are alive because i say so, right person wrong time, language, underage drinking mention, reader works in a bar there will be booze, drug mention, takes place in a fake town in missouri so do with that what you will

word count - 2.6k

this blog is 18+, minors please don't interact

on the rocks masterlist

Senior Grad Night - 10 Years Ago

The barn was decorated with everything the Student Council could pull together. Strings of fairy lights swooped across the rafters, and swathes of tinsel hung down like strange plants. Ribbons and flags were stapled to the old wooden slats, and a huge poster reading Congrats Grads covered an entire wall.

Metal cafe tables had been gathered and placed across one side of the floor, and the other side had been cleared away to make an impromptu dance floor. Speakers were sitting high up on a stack of hay bales, playing some twangy pop song as the senior class graduates milled around the space, laughing and reminiscing.

You sat at a table with your best friend Natasha, examining the mason jar holding a small, flickering candle that sat in the middle of the table. Natasha drummed her fingers on the tin table top, her cheek propped on her hand, watching the dance floor. Glancing over your shoulder, you followed her eyes to see Jake, wrapped in the arms of the same person he’d been wrapped in the arms of for the last four years, and even before that.

“Vom,” you said without meaning to.

Natasha swatted your arm gently. “Don’t be mean. I think they’re sweet.”

“Vom,” you said again, grinning.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. At that moment, someone slammed into your table, their hands gripping the edges to keep it from toppling over as you and Natasha both cried out in alarm.

“Bradley!” you yelped. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry,” panted Bradley, his cheeks rosy as he fought to catch his breath. His hair was mussed, and he’d undone the first few buttons of his shirt, his tie hanging loose around his shoulders.

Natasha wrinkled her nose. “Why are you sweaty?”

“Had to run… here,” gasped Bradley, falling into the seat next to you and grasping his side. “Cops… caught us… everyone… scattered.”

“Cops?” you echoed, eyes wide. “Why would—”

“For you,” he interrupted, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small tin flask, which he held out to you.

You took it and shared a stunned glance with Natasha. “Is this what I think it is?”

Bradley shrugged. “It’s Grad Night.”

You unscrewed the cap and took a careful sniff, wrinkling your nose. “Where’d you get this?”

“Where do you think?”

You narrowed your eyes at Bradley. “It better not be my mom.”

Bradley shrugged again, his expression hard to read.

“Penny will kill you,” Natasha told him confidently.

“Then stop talking about it and just drink it,” Bradley snapped. “I almost got arrested getting it to you, make it count.”

He met your eyes when he said it, and against your will, your heart skipped a beat. Bradley always had a way of cutting right to the center of you, seeing you in a way no one else saw you. Ever since you were kids, you were sure no one got you the way Bradley got you. But for some reason, nothing had ever come of it.

Probably because he was never single, and even when he was, you weren’t.

Timing was a son of a bitch.

“Thanks, Bradley,” you said before taking a quick pull, but immediately regretted it. You screwed your face up and fought back a cough, holding it back out to him. “Oh, nasty. That is definitely not from my mom’s stuff—she has quality. That is ripe.”

“Okay, Moonshine,” Bradley mumbled, taking back the flask with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks. “Sorry it’s not up to par.”

Natasha laughed, reaching over and subtly taking the flask. “Moonshine. Oh, man, that’s great. Get it? ‘Cause you’re such a grump? And also ‘cause you put away shine better than anybody else?”

You wrinkled your nose. “It’s not a competition.”

“Yet somehow, you always win, Moonshine,” said Bradley with a small smile.

You pushed down the butterflies at the use of the new nickname. Before you could reply, Natasha announced decisively, “That’s it. I’m gonna go dance. Either of you gonna join me?”

“Vom,” you reiterated.

“I literally just caught my breath,” said Bradley.

Sighing dramatically, Natasha stood and walked away from the table, flipping both of you off as she went. You and Bradley laughed, quietly passing the flask back and forth till it was mostly gone.

“Have you two just been sitting here all night?” Bradley asked.

You nodded. “There’s no good music playing.”

Bradley grunted in agreement, taking another sip. “That’s why a bunch of us took off. It was good until we got busted.”

“Tale as old as time,” you hummed.

Bradley snickered. He was leaning back in his chair, his legs spread in a way that only he could make endearing. He ran his hand through his hair, looking attractively disheveled. You forced yourself to look away, turning back to the dance floor. Natasha was now dancing and having a great time with Javy Machado, him spinning her in dizzying circles as she laughed.

“Hey,” said Bradley suddenly, leaning forward and making you jump. “Do you want to get some air?”

“Okay,” you said, a little nervous, and you followed him away from the table and out the big double doors of the barn. It felt like everyone was staring at the two of you leaving, even though you knew no one probably gave a single shit.

It was cool outside the barn. Kids milled around here in inconsistent little groups, some obviously passing around flasks of their own, some passing around cigarettes or joints. The sky was clear and inky blue overhead, the stars little silver pinpricks of light.

“What are you doing?” Bradley asked you abruptly.

“Huh?” Your heart pounded painfully in your throat.

“After summer,” he clarified. “Are you sticking around, or…?”

“Oh,” you said, weirdly relieved. “No, I’m going away to Colorado for school. What about you?”

“Same,” he sighed. “My folks are being, like, super encouraging about it, too, which is almost weirder than if they were upset. Is Penny upset?”

You pulled a face. “No. You know how she is. She graduated and fucked off to Europe for a month with no warning when she was my age. She probably thinks I’m being kind of a square.”

Bradley laughed, toeing at a clump of grass. “I guess that’s a fair point.”

It was quiet for a moment, and you ran your hands up and down your arms. Bradley stepped closer, almost like he didn’t realize he was doing it. You were standing chest to chest, and when you glanced up, he was already looking at you. Your breath caught in your throat as his eyes locked onto yours.

“Bradley,” you started to say

His phone buzzed in his pocket and you both jumped back like you’d been caught. He fumbled for his phone, pulling it out and blinking hard. “It’s Amy,” he said.

Right. His girlfriend.

“You should get that,” you said.

“Yeah. Yeah,” he said again, shaking himself. “Yeah, I’m gonna—step back in.” He shot you a smile. “See you around, Moonshine.”

“See you,” you said softly, and watched as he walked away. He put the phone to his ear, and when he walked into the barn, he made sure to shut the door behind him.

The Benjamin Bar - Present Day

Your fingers hovered over your phone screen as it glowed up at you, illuminating your face in the dimly lit bar. Those two words—LAID OFF—seemed to stare at you, swarming around your head till you felt nauseous. Sucking in a deep breath, you closed out of the email for the billionth time and slid your phone back into your pocket. You picked up a rag and began to wipe down the counter again, even though it was just as clean as it was five minutes ago.

Classic country music oozed from the old jukebox in the corner. The neon lights over the bar buzzed faintly. In the corner, the mechanical bull was silent and still. The dance floor was shining and empty. Only a couple old-timer drunks were sitting farther down the bar, nursing glasses of whiskey and trying not to fall asleep.

You didn’t hate your mom’s bar; in fact, you really liked it. But it was not where you’d hoped to be spending your summer working.

Things in Colorado had been great—almost perfect. After college, you’d been offered an internship at a real estate company, and pretty much from the moment you’d walked through those doors, the rest had been history. You’d risen up through the ranks until you had your own office and one of the best salaries in the building.

Then one of the partners of the company crashed and burned and took all of its shares down with it. You lost your job, your apartment, and your boyfriend when you found out he was screwing the girl downstairs. Within two weeks, you had gone from top of the world to rock bottom. You had gone from the penthouse suite to your childhood bedroom. You had gone from Associate VP to picking up spare shifts at the bar your mother owned. You had gone from picking out engagement rings to cuddling your pillow at night.

Needless to say, things were a little rough right now.

But your mom was getting married to the love of her life in just over a month, and she and Mav had been nothing but kind and welcoming to you, and all the people you had left all those years ago only had kind things to say to you. All in all, there were much worse hometowns to fall back on than Silver Springs, Missouri.

You checked the clock on the wall even though you knew it had barely moved. You didn’t mind working the early afternoon shifts for your mom while she was doing wedding prep, but they did crawl by. It was only two in the afternoon, and you were already dreaming of getting off work and walking across the street to Blackthorn’s, the local diner.

Then the door to the bar opened, allowing a blinding strip of daylight to momentarily stun you. You blinked, and when the light died down, you thought maybe you’d passed out and started hallucinating.

“Bradley?” you said before you could stop yourself.

Because it was Bradley. It had to be. But he was tall now, and broad, and… and… cool-looking. The Bradley you’d known in school had never been cool. But now he had a cool mustache and a cool white tank top and a cool floral shirt and cool blue jeans and he was in the middle of coolly taking off his sunglasses and coolly hooking them to the front of his shirt.

Your mouth hung open in stunned silence, and he seemed to be just as surprised as you were. He stepped towards the bar and said, “Moonshine?”

That damn nickname. You’d almost forgotten about it.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” you asked, a laugh bubbling out of you. “Oh my god—oh my god, hi! It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” he chuckled, leaning his hands against the bar. “I’m back for the wedding. I came back a little early ‘cause, well, my mom asked me to. And I’ve been saving up vacation days. This trip’s overdue.” He tilted his head. “But what are you doing here? Last I saw you was on a real estate sign outside a mansion in Connecticut. What the hell are you doing in Benjamin’s?”

Your cheeks warmed. “Oh. Uh. That sign is probably gone now. Our company went under.”

Bradley’s face fell. “You’re kidding.”

You shook your head.

“Damn,” he said bitterly, and it sounded like he really meant it. He slid into a stool across from you, rapping his knuckles on the bar. “I’m sorry to hear that. Seriously. How long have you been back, then?”

You shrugged. “Couple weeks now. It’s not so bad.”

“No,” said Bradley, and you were surprised to see he was smiling at you. “It really isn’t.”

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes scanning over your face. You fought to keep your breathing under control. God, you’d forgotten how good he looked. I mean, you’d thought he was cute in school—but now?

Your eyes flickered down to where his bicep strained against the sleeve of his open shirt before darting back up to his eyes. The outline of a smirk on his lips told you he’d caught your look—but he was looking too, dammit.

“Want a drink?” you asked.

He nodded.

You were relieved for the chance to turn around and grab a glass. You took in a breath, hoping he didn’t notice the way it shook as you exhaled.

“What’ll it be?” you asked without looking over your shoulder.

“The Moonshine special,” he answered.

Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you grabbed a bottle. Adding a couple ice cubes to the glass you’d set down, you poured the liquor over the ice before replacing the bottle and turning around to hand Bradley the glass.

His eyebrows quirked up when he saw it. “This is the Moonshine special? Bourbon neat on the rocks?”

“I’ve had a rough couple weeks,” you deadpanned.

Bradley barked out a laugh like he couldn’t hold it in any longer. You’d always liked that about him. “Fair enough,” he said. “Cheers.”

And he knocked back his bourbon.

When he slammed his glass back down, you said, “You know, we have shot glasses for that.”

He grinned at you, and you tried to ignore the swarm of butterflies that his smile woke up in your stomach. Ignoring your statement, he said, “So the company goes under, and then you end up back in Silver Springs. No boyfriend to stay with in Colorado?”

You felt your smile fall away, and the mischievous gleam immediately faded in Bradley’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—” he started.

“It’s okay,” you said quickly, shaking yourself and taking his glass, putting it on the rinser under the counter. You cleared your throat. “No, there’s no boyfriend. Not anymore.”

“I’m sorry.”

You hated the way he was staring at you. That was the worst part of getting dumped, and especially of getting cheated on. You couldn’t stand that pitying look in everyone’s eyes when they looked at you.

“What about you?” you said bracingly. “No fiance moping around back home, waiting for you to hurry up and get back? Leaving for a month must have been a tall request.”

Bradley winced. “No,” he said, “definitely no jilted fiance. I haven’t been having the most luck in the old dating department lately.”

“Cheers to that,” you sighed, pouring another two bourbons and handing him one so you could do just that. You both drank, and as the alcohol burned its way down your throat, you realized something.

For the first time you could recall, you and Bradley were both single at the same time.

A chill went down your spine.

Bradley seemed to sense that same tension, because he was suddenly unable to keep looking you in the eyes. He fidgeted, and all of a sudden stopped being cool. He was that same boy that you’d known all those years ago, and that felt like a relief.

Lifting his wrist, he squinted at his watch and said, “Oh, shit. I promised Jake I’d say hey when I got in. I better run.”

“Sure,” you said, clearing both glasses away and wiping down the counter. “Nice talking to you, Bradley.”

He drummed his hands on the bar. “You too, Moonshine. I’ll be seeing you, then.”

“Be seeing you.”

This time when Bradley walked away from you, it didn’t feel like your heart was being painfully squeezed by an angry fist. You breathed easy as his palm splayed against the door and pushed it open, stepping back out into the brilliant afternoon sunshine.

When he left, the door didn’t slam closed; instead, it hung slightly ajar. And that warm strip of sunlight on the floor of the bar had never looked so inviting.

masterlist

@harringtonbf / @spideystevie / @almightyellie / @sunlitide / @holypowell

#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw series #bradley rooster bradshaw fic #bradley rooster bradshaw fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw series #bradley bradshaw x you #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x you #rooster x reader #vinny fics #the road back home #on the rocks

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lcahwriter · 2 years

Text

Running (Part 2)

Pairing: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x fem!reader (non descriptive)

Word count: 7.2k

Link to PART 1 Link to PART 3

TW: Anxiety, swearing, past abuse, stalking, mentions of sex but no actual sex.

Will you be able to escape the man who was determined to find you? Will you be able to keep Bradley safe? To fall in love again?

Authors note: I’m so damn happy people have enjoyed this series so far. Its been a joy to write. Thank you!

********************************************************

It wasn’t until 10am that your eyes tiredly opened. You slept like a fucking rock- which surprised you considering how much was on your mind last night. You stared up at the white ceiling, hoping that the weight in your chest would dissipate.

The conversation you had with Bradley was gnawing at you. You couldn’t help but think that maybe Bradley didn’t want to know everything you’d shared. What if you had completely freaked him out?

Maybe it would’ve been better if you were running from a toxic job or a crazy family- But of course you had to be hiding from an Ex that was threatening to hunt you down and kill you.

How fucking dramatic.

You groaned and crossed your hands over your chest. You were going to dinner with Bradley Bradshaw tonight. Was it a date? He hadn’t exactly said it was a date- but it was obvious he wasn’t just trying to be friends.

Your stomach twisted and turned at the thought of falling for him. You wouldn’t let yourself fall for him- not yet. You had to keep Bradley safe from whatever the hell your life was. Matters had to resolve with Tim before you could let yourself truly start with Bradley. It was only fair to him.

All of that aside you realized that you needed to be honest with yourself. You thought Bradley was fucking hot. And you thought it was admirable that he didn’t run from you even though your circumstances were uncalled for. It made your heart flutter thinking about his promise.

“I will never let that son of a bitch hurt you again.”

He was going to drive you nuts with the number of times those words were popping into your thoughts. You rubbed your eyes, thinking about the lecture Mav was going to give you for sleeping in so late.

You knew you had to tell Maverick what was going on with Bradley. You told him everything since you moved in, and you didn’t want to start hiding things from him now.

You let out a big yawn and stretched your body from your arms to your toes. It was, unfortunately, time to wake up. You slipped on your sweatpants that were lying on the ground but kept on the t-shirt you had slept in and made your way down the narrow staircase.

Maverick was sitting at the small kitchen table reading a thick book. He had a cup of coffee next to him and he looked completely dressed for the day. Just as you had expected.

“I’ll make breakfast.” You said with a small smile on your face. You wandered into the tiny kitchen. You could barely fit two people in the small space. You opened the fridge and searched for something to cook for the both of you.

“I’ve been awake since 5 AM. It’s practically time for lunch”

You peeked your head from behind the fridge doors and stuck your tongue out at him.

“Don’t act like you’re better than me for waking up at the butt crack of dawn.”

You grabbed eggs, bread and bacon and brought them to the minimal counter space available.

“Waking up early is good for you.” He defended himself. You just shook your head at him.

“Well, I’ll make you some toast anyways. No one can refuse buttery toast.” You said in an exacerbated voice.

Maverick gave up his “no breakfast” fight and went back to reading the book that was held tightly between his hands. You smiled softly at him from a distance. You owed him so much. He didn’t have to take you in, but he did. He also didn’t have to help pay for your private investigator – but he had insisted.

“I noticed your car wasn’t here this morning.” He said, without even looking up from his damn book.

Well shit.

“Yeah…I was going to fill you in on that.”

You slid a plate full of toast to him while you sat down across the table with your own plate full of food. You chowed down on a piece of bacon before speaking.

“I had a panic attack at work last night.” You weren’t ashamed of telling him, Mav had seen you have one before and he understood what it was like. He also knew that you’d been working on managing them with therapy ever since you moved.

He looked at you with worried eyes but nodded in response.

“Besides the amount of embarrassment I created, I’m fine.” You took a bite of your toast and avoided eye contact with Mav. “Bradley drove me home.”

Maverick’s eyes perked up with that. You could tell he was trying not to have a reaction, but he was failing miserably. He looked happy but mostly surprised. You took a big breath in.

“And… He’s taking me out for dinner tonight.”

“What?” He coughed back a choke while trying to swallow his toast. “I mean… um that’s nice of him.” You could tell Mav was internally freaking out on what to say. As much as he was a father to you, anything to do with you and going out with men made him flustered.

You laughed at his response and took another bite of toast.

“It’s not a date.” You said very unconfidently. “Well, it might be, I’m not sure- But he knows that I’m not ready for anything serious. He just enjoys my company I guess.” It was the best way you could describe why you were going to dinner with him tonight.

“I’m glad you two are getting along.” Mav said very awkwardly. You laughed at him again.

“Wow, that is the most awkward- dad response I could have thought of.” He chuckled and sat back in his chair.

“Does he know about Tim?” You knew that question was coming, but it still stung. You wished that Tim didn’t have to be in the same sentence as Bradley ever. You wished that Tim didn’t exist at all and that Bradley could take you out to dinner with no looming reason not to.

“He knows. Not everything, but he knows”. You bit on your lip. “I thought he would be freaked out when I told him, but he seemed like he was just pissed.”

Maverick chuckled.

“Sounds like Bradshaw. He’s a hothead when it comes to protecting people he cares about.” You decided to ignore the part about Bradley caring about you. I mean he hardly fucking knew you.

“I don’t even know if it’s anything.” You said assuredly. “I just didn’t want to hide it from you.”

Mav smiled in appreciation. You two had inevitably grown closer in the last few months. You were thankful for him, if it wasn’t for him, you weren’t sure if you’d even be alive.

“Thanks for telling me.” Mav stood up to put his plate in the sink. “And by the way, if he asked you out to dinner it’s definitely a date.”

This time you were the one choking on the toast. You coughed loudly and you could hear Mav snickering.

“Fuck.” You said as nervousness grew in your stomach.

“What am I even supposed to wear?” You whined, crossing your arms over your chest. Maverick put his hands up in surrender.

“I am definitely not the person to ask for that one.”

He sat back down at the table and opened his book, seemingly done with the conversation.

You finished your breakfast in a few minutes. The feeling of uneasiness and uncertainty still rippled within you. You hated to annoy Maverick, but you had no one else to confide in.

“Do you think this is a good idea Mav?” You shook your head and sat back. “What if somehow Tim finds out I went out with him? Even if we are just friends, he would kill him.” Your heart grew heavy instantly. You pictured Bradley’s sweet brown eyes and soft smile. If anything happened to him because of you…. You would never be able to forgive yourself.

“John will give us a heads up if he starts to head out this way.” Maverick said it like he was reassuring both you and him.

“I just want to make sure that he’s safe.” Maverick gave you a small smile.

“He can take care of himself. And I know he’ll keep you safe too.” Maverick set the book down. “Tim’s not going to get to you again. There’s no way I’ll let that happen.”

You gave a small nod. You decided you were tired of talking about Tim. He really didn’t fucking deserve the attention.

“Bradley’s picking me up at 5.” You stood up and took your plate to the sink. “He wants to go to that BBQ place on the base.”

Mav nodded and put his hands behind his head.

“So dress casual then.” He said shrugging.

“Well, no shit.” You rubbed your eyes again. “That still doesn’t help with exactly what I should wear.”

Mav narrowed his eyes at you and looked over your current outfit. Which was a large ratty t-shirt and stained sweatpants.

“Definitely don’t wear whatever you’re wearing right now.” He was trying to hold in a stupid giggle while you rolled your eyes and flipped him off.

“I’m going to go shower. Please don’t be here when he shows up. Or at least don’t make it weird.” You begged.

“I’m taking Penny out tonight.” He said in response. His eyes lit up when he said her name. You couldn’t help but grin at him.

“Hmmm sailing I bet.”

Maverick glared at you before you ran up the stairs.

“Have fun!” You yelled with a smile on your face. You were happy for him finding love again.

You wondered if you would be next to find it.

******************************************************

“Flowers?”

You squeaked out, while coming face to face with a beautiful bouquet of daisies. You looked past the flowers to see Bradley grinning ear to ear.

You don’t think you’ve ever seen him so pleased with himself. He was wearing a white short sleeve button down and blue jeans that hugged his legs perfectly. Maverick had been right about dressing casually. You had decided on jeans and a baby blue tank top that complemented your figure.

“What? You thought I was going to show up to our first date empty handed?” Your eyes grew wide at the mention of date. You knew your cheeks had to be burning red through your makeup.

You didn’t know what else to do besides grab the flowers awkwardly. You prayed to god that you didn’t look as nervous as you felt.

“Thank you- I’ll just set them in a vase real quick and then we can go.” You turned around and you felt Bradley follow behind you. There was no way Maverick had a vase lying around so you just ended up grabbing the largest cup you could find.

“You cleaned up the place a little bit didn’t you?” Bradley was looking around with a small smile on his face. “The last time I was here it looked like shit.”

You were really trying to focus on what he was saying but your mind hadn’t stopped racing. He was so unashamedly showing you affection. You were not prepared for this.

“Yeah, I made sure that his place was at least habitable.” You joked softly. “And I’ve made sure that Mav hasn’t been eating protein bars for every meal.”

You gave Bradley a knowing look and set the flowers in a large glass on the counter. They made your heart flutter with something you couldn’t quite describe.

You walked around the small kitchen counter. Bradley was staring and he was not trying to hide it.

“You look beautiful.” His voice sounded slightly gruffer than before. You bit your lip and your heart beat up even faster than it had before.

“Jesus Bradshaw, you’re going to make me pass out from nervousness if you keep on flirting with me like this.” You gave him a small smile and backed up against the counter to ground yourself.

He looked impressed with himself, and he held out his hand for you to grab.

“No need to be nervous sweetheart.” You gave him wide eyes once again. You hesitated to reach out to and connect your hand to his. He was sure getting comfortable with calling you sweetheart.

All the hesitancy you felt was flooding into your brain at once. You really weren’t expecting him to be so blatant with his interest in you. His grin faltered when you didn’t immediately hold his hand.

“Are you sure about this?” You ask. “I know it’s just a date but after everything I told you last night-” He cut you off before you could finish.

“I’m sure.” His honey-colored eyes looked at yours again. “I promise.”

Fuck. It was hard to say no to that.

You nodded and grabbed his hand despite all the alarms in your brain telling you that spending time with Bradley was a bad idea. He smiled and led you out the front door. The afternoon breeze was comforting as soon as it swept across your cheeks. You snuck a glance at Bradley who just looked so damn good.

You weren’t surprised when he jogged Infront of you to open the car door.

“How proper.” You teased him as you climbed in.

“I’m not always this proper sweetheart.” He gave you a wink and shut the door. You tried not to imagine what in the hell he meant by that.

Fuck, he was literally the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever laid your eyes on. It was going to be impossible to focus.

Bradley slid into the driver’s side and gave you a smile before pulling out of the driveway. You buckled your seat belt and relaxed.

******************************************************

The restaurant was a popular spot-on base, Maverick had brought you a few times in the past. It was small but still bustling with people. You thanked your lucky stars he brought you somewhere casual and not an expensive restaurant.

The attraction between you and Bradley was becoming evident. Your legs were brushing against his while you chatted in a small booth.

“So how old are you?” You asked curiously. You had assumed he was near your age but honestly weren’t sure.

“33.” He responded. All you could think is that thirty-three looked fucking good on him.

“How old do you think I am?” You asked mischievously. Bradley’s eyes widened and then narrowed at you.

“I feel like this is a set up.” You giggled in response. Deciding to save him the embarrassment of guessing wrong, you told him your age.

“28. Birthdays in a few months.” You were hoping he would be happy with your age, and not run the other way to look for someone younger. Because you knew for a fact any woman would throw themselves at him if he asked. Twenty-eight was hardly old – but you weren’t getting any younger.

You shook your insecurities away and gazed up at Bradley. He was smiling at you.

“You know, I still don’t know what you did for work before you moved here.” You both skimmed over the fact that you didn’t move here – you escaped here.

“I’m a kindergarten teacher. I’ve been teaching for five years now.” Your heart both warmed and ached thinking about the students you left behind. You missed them so much.

“I’d love to get back to it, you know when things settle down.”

You hoped Bradley was impressed with your response. He was one of the best pilots in the nation and you were just a measly kindergarten teacher who will probably always make a below- average salary.

“That’s amazing.” Bradley said with a strong smile. You noticed a spark of adoration in his eyes. “I love kids. Not sure how I would do managing 20 at a time though.”

You tried not to melt into a puddle right then and there, because of course he loved kids.

“I think you’d do just fine.” You imagined him in a classroom full of kids.

Oh yeah, it was a bad idea to go down that road right now.

“You know, playing bartender has been fun though. I’m pretty sure I make double what I made as a kindergarten teacher. Plus I met you, a man with no concern for his own safety.” You were teasing him, but you knew he could take it.

Bradley rolled his eyes and sat back against the booth. He took a swig of his ice water and licked his lips.

“Can’t hurt steel baby”. You rolled your eyes at him. He had never called you baby before, but fuck, you could get used to that. Being with him was so fucking effortless. You’d never experienced anything like it.

“Why’s it so easy with you?” You let out a breath and looked up into his eyes with wonder. He looked surprised for a split second.

“I don’t know.” He admitted to you softly. “But I don’t think we have to know why.”

You admired him for the way he spoke and calmed you. His optimism was something you craved, no- needed, right now. You changed the subject before your thoughts lingered further.

“So, what’s flying to you? You haven’t talked about it much.” You really were curious to know. If he was anything like Mav then being a pilot was an innate part of him.

“It’s everything.” He said, his eyes glazed over like he was in a different world. “My dad died in a flying accident.”

You nodded. You’d known that already just by being close to Mav.

“I joined because I wanted to be like my dad.” He had a small smile on his face. “I wanted to make him proud. To let his legacy, live on, you know?”

You nodded again.

“You’ve made him proud. I’m sure of it.” And you were. You knew Bradley’s father was a kind man. And any father would be proud to have a son like him.

“Do you want to be in the Navy forever?” You tentatively asked. Bradley’s sweet eyes looked deep in thought. You waited for his answer.

“I’ll finish out my 20 years with the Navy. I joined at 18 so I’ll be done soon.” He took a big breath and leaned his elbows over the table.

“I’ve thought about staying in for longer. I think my dad might have.” He said, his voice was still curious. “After this past Top Gun mission though- I um” He cleared his throat. “I really thought I was going to die and have no one to mourn me.”

Your heart ached at his words. I would mourn you now. Now that I know you. Is what you wanted to say. But you kept quiet.

“I don’t want to be like Maverick and not be able to settle down. Not have anyone to come home to.” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand aimlessly. “I’ve never even had a dog.” He said sadly. “I mean how depressing is that? I’ve always wanted one, but I’ve never been in the same place long enough to have one.”

Your eyes met his and you were feeling all the sadness in the world for him. Loneliness was radiating off him.

“Maybe it’s time to focus on what you want.” You said softly.

“Don’t stay stuff like that. I’ll end up at the animal shelter with five dogs in no time.” He smirked and you were grateful to see his mood lifted slightly. You’d rather get punched in the gut than see him upset.

“You like the beach?” He asked, his fingers twiddling together. You realized that Bradley didn’t like to sit still for long. He was always touching or fiddling with something. Your leg included. His foot brushed up your calf softly.

“I love it.” You replied. “But I’m a shit swimmer.”

“Well, I’m thinking a nice long romantic walk on the beach. No swimming involved.”

You blushed at his flirtatious comment. You wondered if you would ever stop getting flustered by him. The idea of getting used to him flattering you seemed impossible. Bradley stood up and stretched his arms high.

“Whoa, are you trying to dine and dash?” You were joking, but also confused on why he was standing to leave when the waiter hadn’t even brought the check over.

“I knew you’d put up a fight to pay. So I gave them my card ahead of time.” His cheeks were a little red and your heart fluttered. He knew you too well apparently, because you had planned to pay for at least half.

“Well, thank you. I’ll buy next time.”

He smirked in response, basically giving you the look of “Yeah that’s not going to happen”.

Your mind wandered to the last first date you went on. It had been with Tim three years ago now. You were so young and excited. You wished you could warn your younger self to run like hell the other way.

Everything with Bradley was so vastly different than what you experienced the last few years. The way he talked, walked, touched you…

You were fucking terrified. But the electricity that ran through your veins when you were with him was too tempting to say no to. Running from Bradley didn’t seem like an option.

*********************************************************

“It looks a little windy out there, do you want my jacket just in case?” Bradley asked thoughtfully.

You were parked in a beach parking lot looking out at the waves. It was breathtaking. The sun was about to set, streaks of pink and purple were painted in the sky. But the views of the water weren’t easing the anxiety you felt.

“Sure, I’ll take it just in case.” You cringed at how shaky your voice was. You weren’t nervous about him giving you his jacket – more like you couldn’t stop imagining terror filled scenarios on the beach. Bradley seemed to notice, and you watched his smile turn into a frown.

“If you want to go home, I understand.” He said with a strained voice. You could practically feel the insecurity radiating from him. It was the first time all night he was anything but confident. He was probably figuring you didn’t want to spend more time with him, which was the furthest thing from the truth.

“No please don’t.” You hesitated and ran your hand through your hair. “I honestly just haven’t been this far from the base since I moved. It feels weird.” You were lying about that part. It didn’t feel weird, it felt scary as fuck. You had been unsafe for so long and then you moved to the base, where you felt incredibly safe. Leaving it felt venerable.

“I’ve got you sweetheart.” He reached over for your hand. You gladly let him hold it. The same safety you felt every time you held his hand washed over you.

“I know its silly. I just feel safe there.” His warm eyes locked to yours.

“It’s not silly. It makes sense.” He rubbed your hand gently. “We can go back to one of the beaches on the base.” He offered. It blew you away that he wasn’t angry with you. That he wasn’t freaking out over having to drive you here – only for you to hesitate to get out of the damn car. You fucking hated Tim more every minute.

“No. I know I’ll be okay with you.” You said. You meant it too. You knew that if you were in danger Bradley wouldn’t hesitate to take whatever that danger was away. It was the kind of man he was.

Confidence began to grow in you. You gave his hand a squeeze.

“Race you to the water.” You smirked. His eyes went wide and before he could even say a word you were out the door. Giggles erupted from you as you ran as hard as you could towards the water.

Your sandals were slowing you down God damnit! You slipped them off mid run and looked over your shoulder.

Bradley was just feet away from you, with a big smile on his face. He had thrown his shoes off too. He was obviously just as competitive as you were.

“You’re slow as shit!” You yell loudly, speeding up and screeching when you felt the cold water on your feet.

Bradley reached the water seconds after you. He was panting and laughing at the same time.

“You cheated.” He exclaimed, shaking his head. You smirked at him.

“No excuses.” You retorted back between fits of laughter. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d felt so childlike and free. It had been so damn long.

You both caught your breath for a moment before deciding to walk along the shore. Bradley rolled up his jeans and walked in the water while you walked beside him.

You reached for his hand, and he gladly opened it for you to hold. Your shoulders brushed into each other’s as you walked.

“It’s beautiful here.” You said, looking out at the waves and setting sun in the distance. The beach was not crowded. Only a few people here and there watching the sunset.

“It’s one of my favorites.” He said, a smile on his face.

“We’re going to have to practice your swimming skills if we keep coming here.” He said playfully. You groaned and trudged your feet.

“The ocean is pretty to look at. But swim in? Fucking terrifying.”

Bradley pondered what you said and twisted his lips.

“You know what. The ocean is kind of terrifying. BUT- it’s still fun.” He grinned. You scoffed at him.

“Sounds like what someone who flies a million feet in the air going a bajillion miles an hour for fun would say.” He laughed and stared up at the sky.

“Would you ever go up in a jet with me?” You looked up at him and melted. You didn’t think you could say no to those eyes ever.

“I would.” You said back. “But I’d probably vomit all over you.”

“How romantic.” He joked. His eyebrows wriggled like they always did when he flirted with you.

The pounding of footsteps behind you caused you to stiffen and grip his arm. Alarm bells went off in your brain which made you practically glue yourself to Bradley’s body. Bradley immediately moved you Infront of him, blocking you from the steps.

You felt air woosh past the side of you when you looked to realize the footsteps you heard were from an innocent jogger passing by.

You let out an embarrassed sigh and tried to let the anxiety within you die down.

You had thought maybe he’d found you.

“Sorry” you said, referencing the death grip you had on his arm. You let go and cringed at the amount of circulation you cut off from his arm. He moved away from you slightly, but he still towered over you protectively.

“You’re alright. Don’t worry about it.” He gave you a small smile, but you could tell by is eyes he was worried about you. You had both stopped walking- now just staring out at the water and the darkening sky. You leaned into Bradley’s shoulder, this time with no death grip.

“You wanna sit down?” You asked, gesturing to the dry sand a few feet away.

“Yes please.”

Bradley was first to sit in the sand while you clumsily plopped down next to him. You saw Bradley spread his feet apart and gesture towards the space between his legs.

You raised an eyebrow.

“You want me to sit there?” You asked nervously. You looked down at his lap and you really weren’t sure if you’d be able to control yourself sitting there.

“Yes, it’s the perfect sunset watching position.” He teased. His cocky side was showing, and you loved it. It reminded you to let loose every one and a while.

“Fine. But I’m not sitting in your lap, I’m sitting in the sand.” You said back to him before crawling over his leg- which felt more exposing than you realized it would.

I mean you were on all fours and you were bending over his damn lap.

You situated yourself between his legs. Your back pressed against his chest and your legs laid out in-between his long ones. His arms were sitting at his sides, and you could tell he was just itching to wrap them around you. You grabbed them yourself with a boost of confidence.

You took them in your hands and led them around your waste. He pulled you in closer, his chin softly resting on top of your head. Your body stiffened slightly at the closeness, and the overwhelming and unexpected feeling of his large arms heavy around you. He instantly loosened his hold around you.

“Is this okay?” He asked softly. You took a deep breath and nodded. You relaxed against him and you slowly felt his arms become less tense around you. You both fit together like you were always made to be this close.

“Its amazing.” You whispered back. You could feel the vibrations Bradley’s body omitted when he spoke. The vibrations would swoon you into a deep sleep if you weren’t careful.

You were both quiet for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence. You embraced the feeling of being completely surrounded by Bradley. His smell, his touch, his voice – his time. It was like a gift from god to even be a part of who he was. Even just for a moment.

Bradley cleared his throat and lifted his chin from the top of your head. You felt his body sit up a little straighter, causing your smaller one to follow. His thumb started to rub circles into your arm softly. Something you were realizing he did to calm you.

“I didn’t want to bring him up.” Bradley said quietly. “But I have to help you somehow. I can’t- I can’t just sit back and let you be scared.” Your heart both ached with pain and soared with admiration at his words.

On one hand you fucking hated that the pain you were facing seeped into the heaven that was being with Bradley. But on the other hand, you felt a warm feeling inside of you knowing he wanted to protect you.

“Being with you helps.” You gave him a soft smile. “I’ve been so isolated since coming here. You are one of the only people who ha cared to know me.” You felt Bradley nod, but his body still didn’t relax.

“It doesn’t end this for you though.” You could tell he was frustrated by the sound of the cracking in his voice. He tucked you closer into his body. You nuzzled your head against his neck, seeking comfort in him. You weren’t sure how to ease his worries. You could barely survive with your own.

“Maverick and I hired a private investigator when I moved here. He’s been keeping tabs on Tim.” You said twiddling your fingers nervously. Nothing felt less sexy than talking about an ex- boyfriend. But you knew this wasn’t a normal first date. That nothing about this situation was normal.

“Apparently, he’s in Colorado. After I escaped, he left his job and started looking for me.” You swallowed harshly. “I also think the cops he worked with were actually starting to become suspicious of him.”

A little too fucking late for that concern now.

“Why don’t I go find him? I can find him and bring him to the cops. Since his police buddies aren’t doing their fucking job.” His voice was angry, and you could feel his chest tensing behind you.

You were angry too; you were angry the first time you went to the police station to try to report him. They had acted like they believed you- wrote down everything Tim had ever done to you. But the next day somehow Tim found out and almost killed you. He had made you retract the whole report and act like you did it because “you were overreacting and crazy”.

“No.” you said firmly. “He’s dangerous. I’m not letting you get hurt because of me.” You gripped his hands on your waist tightly.

“Plus, it’s not that easy. He would have been arrested a long time ago if it was. We need evidence.” You were gritting your teeth trying to fight the images popping in your head.

Don’t go there.

“What’s the plan then?” Bradley asked.

“John is working on putting evidence together to have him arrested. I had hundreds of files on my phone and home security cameras that could have been proof.” Your blood boiled beneath your skin. “But Tim found them all and made me delete them.” You spared Bradley the details about what Tim did to you afterwards.

He took a deep breath and nuzzled his chin into your head softly. You swore you could feel his lips brushing against your hair.

“We’ll get him sweetheart.” His voice was strained, and you noticed his grip on your waist was still tense.

You were astonished that he wanted you despite the mess surrounding you- Despite the healing that still needed to be done- Despite all the baggage you carried.

“I know.” You said. Even though you really didn’t know. You knew there was a chance he would never be arrested for his crimes. It was the case for many, many women in your position.

“When this is all over…” you hesitated and wondered if you should entertain the fantasy idea that you had.

“We should go somewhere. Anywhere.” You smiled out at the sunset Infront of you.

Bradley hummed with happiness behind you.

“Ever been to Montana?” He asked. You shook your head against his chest. You’d seen pictures before though. You thought of green hills, wildlife and mountains. It made you relax just imagining the place.

“No. I’ve heard its beautiful though.”

“My parents bought a cabin there before I was born. It needs a lot of work– but it’s nestled in the mountains next to a lake. I’ll take you there.”

You looked up at him and he leaned down to look at you. Your lips were so close to touching you could almost taste him. You could tell Bradley was weighing his options on whether he should kiss you or not. You blushed and looked away from him and back at the ocean.

You wanted him so badly, but you were so afraid of what that meant.

“That’s the first place I want to go.” You said softly.

“Then we’ll go.” He gave you a squeeze and his arms loosened. He took a deep breath behind you.

“I’m leaving for scheduled training tomorrow.”

His words jolted you. The immediate ache you felt knowing he would be gone was equally as jolting.

“It’s nothing high risk or anything. Just routine training on the water. I’ll probably be out of the sky most of the time.”

You knew that he wasn’t telling the entire truth since any kind of training carried risk. He had to know that firsthand.

“How long will you be gone?” You glanced up at the ocean and saw that the sun was almost under the horizon line, causing the sky to darken around the both of you.

“10 days.” He said roughly. “It’s weird, I’ve never had anyone to tell when I’m going out for training or a mission.” His voice was heavy.

You lifted your body to turn around to face him. You sat criss- crossed in-between his legs. Luckily he was so large that you could fit between them. You were no longer looking at the ocean, but damn your view now was 10 times better.

“Well, now you have me to tell. I promise to annoy you every night with iMessage games when you’re done with work.” You grinned widely. You hoped you weren’t pushing the line. It was possible he would be going home from this date and never want to see you again.

You looked up at him and grinned.

Yeah, you didn’t have to worry about that.

Bradley was smiling ear to ear. The curls in his hair were softly blowing in the breeze. You never wanted to kiss someone so badly in your life.

“The night I come back I’ll be knocking on your doorstep.” He said with a sheepish smile. You bit you lip and looked at the sand.

“Honestly, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

*********************************************************

The drive home was quiet, but Bradley played oldies the whole way home. He held your hand with his free one and you marveled at how just a simple touch of his hand brought you peace.

He parked the car in the driveway and before you could get out, he turned the ignition off and jogged to your door. It was dark now, but his white button down was clearly visible through the shadows.

“Well thank you.” You remarked, as he opened the door for you. He bowed playfully and shut the door when you stepped out. You both walked to the front door silently.

You were scared he might kiss you. Scared, excited and everything in-between. Maverick’s car wasn’t home. You mentally thanked god for that.

“Stop thinking so loud.” Bradley said teasingly. Your cheeks warmed.

“Sorry.” You squeaked. I

“I want to kiss you. But I won’t.” He said softly. His hands were hovering at his sides. You wanted to reach out and wrap them around you- but you were frozen.

He looked at you like you meant something to him. Like you were some kind of angel.

“I want to kiss you, but I’m scared.” Your voice cracked softly. Bradley’s eyes softened and you looked at the ground nervously.

“You don’t have to be scared of me.” He said, his voice almost inaudible. You twisted your lips together and tried to keep your emotions in check. How the hell could you explain how you were feeling?

“I’m not scared of you; I’m scared of everything else.” You said shakily. Tears were filling your eyes, but you refused to cry. You felt self-hatred brew in your chest.

“I’m so tired of being afraid.” You let out a bitter laugh, that sounded more like a cry.

“You won’t be afraid forever.” Bradley stepped close to you and dared to reach out and delicately tuck your hair behind your ear.

“I’m going to protect you.” His hand rested on the side of your shoulder now, gripping it softly. “And you’re strong, you are so fucking strong. I hope you know that.”

Suddenly your body was getting brought into his broad chest. He wrapped his arms around your back and held you tightly against him. You were completely surrounded by him, it made you shudder with warmth. His large hands rubbed your back in small circles.

“God I’m sorry. This is so embarrassing.” You said between sniffles. You fully gave into his embrace, though. You let yourself bask in the protective box he held you in.

“No need to apologize.” He said, without any kind of hesitation.

You weren’t sure how long you had been standing there in his arms- but long enough for both of you to have ended up leaning against the wall instead of standing upright. You took in a shaky breath.

“Thank you for taking me out tonight. I really did have a great time.” You said shyly. You pulled away from his chest, but neither of you let go of each other.

“Thank you for saying yes.” He said back, giving you a quick wink. The sly smile you were all too familiar with reappeared on his face. There was nothing more beautiful than that.

“You know, a kiss on the cheek doesn’t scare me as much.” You said softly.

Bradley’s eyes perked up and you grinned mischievously.

“Oh yeah?” He asked playfully. You took the risk to glance at his lips. God damn they looked perfect.

You nodded and batted your eyelashes expectantly.

“You sure?” he asked again, hesitating before leaning in at your nod.

His lips pressed softly onto your cheek. Your heart was pounding out of your chest.

You meant it when you said you were scared to kiss him- but that didn’t mean you weren’t going to do it.

Fuck it.

Before he could pull away you wrapped your hand around the back of his neck and turned his lips to yours. Hoards of butterflies flew through your stomach when you finally felt his lips press against you.

You kissed him like you meant it. Not too rough, but not too soft either.

You kissed him like you were scared of what the kiss meant but fucking enthralled with how it felt.

He kissed you with gentleness, but with so much need at the same time.

You moved your hand to his chest and gripped his shirt. You didn’t want the high to end. You wanted him to keep kissing you the way he was, to go lower to your neck, to your chest -

But he pulled away- your eyes met, and you both were breathless.

“Sweetheart, I want to keep kissing you but…I don’t want to get carried away. ” His gentle eyes wandered over your face. His hand was still cupping your cheek softly. You were still so,so, so close to his lips.

You didn’t want to get carried away either. Well you definitely wanted to get fucked by Bradley Bradshaw, but that would not be happening tonight.

“Good point.” You said breathlessly. Bradley let out a laugh and you bit your lip nervously. You knew your cheeks must be flushed.

“I’ll miss you when I’m gone.” He said softly. You squeezed his arms in agreement.

“Be safe while you’re out there alright? You can’t leave me out to dry like this.” You half joked. Bradley chuckled let out a big sigh.

“I’ll come see you the moment I get back.” He said assuredly. You took a final look at him before stepping out of his arms completely. You felt an immediate loss of warmth, causing you to frown.

“You better.” You said, eyes squinted.

“I promise.”

*********************************************************

Bradley had been gone for 7 days.

You tried to act like his absence didn’t affect you that much. But somehow the days seemed like fucking weeks, and your shifts at the Hard Deck were a lot less entertaining than before.

Maverick kept teasing you that you looked like a lost puppy around the house. You flipped him off every time and reminded him of all the times he moped around when he couldn’t see Penny.

Just three more days.

You were minutes away from closing the bar for the night. It was Saturday night, so Penny was closing with you. Maverick had offered to drive you to work and pick you up just so he could see Penny. As much as it grossed you out to see all their PDA, you were so damn happy for Maverick. Penny was his version of settling down – his forever.

Your phone pinged and you smiled when you realized it was Bradley. You both had been texting each other non-stop since he left.

You hadn’t really texted about anything particular, just about his day and yours. But you fucking loved it, and every time you saw his name pop on your screen you stopped everything to open it.

Bradley 🐔 : For someone who keeps challenging me to connect four you are pretty shit at it.

You: I’m just warming up!

Bradley🐔: Warming up for 7 days straight?

You: Just have to find my groove.

Bradley🐔: Just admit you suck at connect four

You: absolutely not

You responded to him and slipped your phone in your pocket. Texting Bradley about iMessage games should not be the priority while you were on the clock.

“You all done?” asked Penny. She had boxes in her hands so high she couldn’t even see Infront of her. You laughed and ran to her rescue to take a few boxes.

“Yup!” You replied, piling boxes in your hands.

You both carried them to the back room and let out a big sigh unanimously.

“Tonight was busy.” Penny said, her voice exhausted. But somehow after a 12 hour day at the bar she still looked stunning.

“Probably one of the busiest nights I’ve worked.” And you had cash in your pocket to prove it. You both heard a knock on the bar counter.

“Hey ladies!”

It was Maverick ready to take you both home. Penny’s mood instantly brightened, and you gave her a smirk.

“Going out tonight?” You asked. She glared at you playfully and skipped out of the room. You followed behind her, dreaming about the fresh sheets on your bed. You were going to sleep so damn good tonight.

But then you saw Mav. Something was wrong.

You stopped a few feet away from him and shook your head.

“What’s wrong?” you asked shakily. Your heart dropped to your stomach when he looked at you with remorse- with a look that said I’m sorry.

“Mav, tell me what’s going on. Please.” You stepped closer, and Mav reached out to grab your arm.

“John called.”

You froze. All the blood from your face drained immediately. Your body went ice cold and you felt vomit rising in your throat.

“Tim’s in California.”

********************************************************

Part three out of four is up next! Thank you so much for all the love. I’m looking forward to relasing the final two parts.

*********************************************************

RUNNING TAGLIST:

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#rooster bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #protective rooster #Protective bradley bradshaw #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley Bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw series #bradley bradshaw oneshot #bradley bradshaw angst #rooster fanfic #running series #hotch-meeeeeuppppp

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thatlovinfeelin · 2 years

Text

Flightless Bird | two | Bradley Rooster Bradshaw X OC

Synopsis: Josephine Wilson Miller is alone for the first time in her life. She got married after her first year of college and became a housewife, but that life is gone now. So she runs to San Diego, to her childhood best friend Jake, where she meets the man who could very well be her salvation.

series warnings: unplanned pregnancy, just pregnancy in general, talks of infertility. past mental and emotional abuse. anxiety. talks of women's reproductive systems (idk)

“Penny, my dear, a Bud for me and whatever this lovely lady here would like,” Jake flashed his award winning smile.

Penny, the woman behind the bar, raised her eyebrows before leaning against the counter, “Does Phoenix know you’re out here?”

“Oh no ma’am, I have no claim to him like that,” Jose nearly laughed, “I just have the immense displeasure of knowing him since we were in diapers.”

“Well then, what can I get you to drink?”

Jo smiled softly, “No alcohol for me, just a soda and cran please.”

Jake turned to his old friend, taking a small swig of beer, “You aren’t drinking?”

“I can’t, actually,” She said slowly, “You asked what happened. Why I’m out here all of the sudden, and where Michael is?”

Josephine took a deep breath before reaching into her purse and pulling out a small white envelope. She slowly slid it to the man next to her, nodding at it, “Go on, you can open it.”

She smiled at Penny who set down a mocktail in front of her and then turned her attention back to her friend. He looked worried as he pulled out a small pile of pictures, staring at the fuzzy black and white images. Jose somehow felt detached from them, still not believing any of it was real. She kept waiting to wake up in her bed in New York and have it all be a weird dream. Part of her wished it was just a dream and not the reality she somehow found herself in.

“I don’t-”

“It’s an ultrasound, Jake. I went last week,” She took another deep breath, getting ready to force herself to say the words, “That’s my blob, or whatever, you’re looking at.”

“Josephine, if you’re pregnant, then where the hell is Michael?”

She sighed and leaned back in the bar stool, sipping on her drink. It took great effort to not flinch or throw up when he said the word pregnant. She caught herself wishing it was something with vodka, instead of club soda. She was sure she would be wishing things like that for the next nine months, or at least she hoped she would. So many things could go wrong, maybe that’s why she couldn’t bring herself to be the least bit excited yet. Maybe she was still in too much shock. Maybe seemed to be her new favorite thought.

“Michael never wanted kids. He told me it was either him or…,” She shrugged, “Easiest damn choice I’ve ever made.”

“Look, I’m glad to see you Jose, really I am. But why come here? Why didn’t you just go back to Texas?”

“To my bible thumping mother that believes divorce is as bad as murder?” She questioned with a laugh, “Not an option.”

It was his turn to sigh, leaving back in his chair. Jake was still looking at the ultrasound photos, even if he couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was really looking at. But this was Jose, his Jose. The girl he always looked after, he always kept her safe and made sure she was okay at home. He stood up for her when various ex boyfriends tried to start rumors about her, even beat a few up over the years. They lost their virginity to each other on prom night, in the back of Jake’s pickup, simply because they trusted the other with their lives.

“I have a spare room,” He told her, “You’re staying as long as you need. Whatever you need, just let me know, okay? I mean it.”

“I didn’t come here for you to bail me out, Jake. We aren’t in high school anymore,” She reminded him, toying with her now empty ring finger.

“I’m not bailing you out,” He argued softly, “I’m giving you a safe place to land.”

He slid the photos back into the envelope before handing it back to her. They stayed quiet for a while, sipping on their drinks and just listening to the music filling the bar. After a few minutes, Jake got a small smile, like he thought of something that made him so happy he couldn’t contain it.

“What? What’s that smile for?” Jose asked him.

“Uncle Hangman,” He laughed slightly, “I’m going to be an uncle.”

“Hangman? Is that what they call you?” Jose’s laugh filled the whole bar, causing people to turn to look at her, “My child will be calling you Uncle Jake, not Hangman. Sorry to burst your bubble.”

He was still smiling at her as he dropped an arm around her shoulder, “Yeah, we’ll see Jose. You’re in Fightertown now.”

He slid his phone out of his pocket and smiled even wider, “How do you feel about meeting my um..my-”

“Your girlfriend, you can say it,” Jose laughed, “It won’t ruin your reputation, tough guy.”

He gently shoved her shoulder instantly feeling like no time had passed with them. Despite not seeing Josephine for nearly ten years, he could’ve closed his eyes and thought they were still in high school.

“I can sneak you out of the back if you want,” He shrugged.

“Jakey, I’m going to have to meet her eventually,” Jose shrugged, “We can probably bond over those awful boots and hat to match that you still have hiding in your closet.”

“You don’t know that I still have them,” He snapped back.

“Jake, you refused to take them off that year that you got them,” She laughed, “I know you well enough to know that they’re waiting in the corner of your closet, begging to be worn.”

“Like you still don’t have that mum I gave you for homecoming,” His smile made Jose want to hit him.

“Shut up.”

“What’s a mum?”

Jake shifted in his chair. His smile changed, became softer somehow. Jose knew that smile well, it was the smile he gave to someone he loved with his whole being. Meaning the small dark haired woman had to be Phoenix.

“It’s a Texas thing. I’ll explain later,” His hands found her waist as he pulled her closer to kiss her.

Jose forced herself to look away, instead focusing on the drink that was becoming watery in front of her. She had someone who looked at her like that. But even without the recent little development, things hadn’t been right with her and Michael for a long time. He stopped looking at her like that long before a little pink plus sign showed up in their lives.

He was doting and adoring in their early years of marriage. He likes to wake her up with breakfast or flowers. They went on date nights that could have been right out of a movie. But all of that stopped so slowly, Jose didn’t even notice it was gone. The romance, the love…it vanished a long time ago.

“Babe, this is Josephine, she’s now the second most important woman in my life.”

“Jakey, you best say I’m the third before I call your mother,” Jose joked, swatting at his shoulder, “It’s really nice to meet you. Feel free to call me Jose, or whatever you want really. Just not Josie, I hate being called that.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Natasha, more commonly known as Phoenix these days though,” While Jose expected the other woman to shake her hand, instead the woman gave her a tight hug.

Jose tensed, freezing up as Phoenix's arms, just for a moment before seeming to completely melt. Jake watched the way Jose’s whole body seemed to release every ounce of tension. Jake knew that feeling, somehow Phoenix could put anyone at ease.

“Now that introductions are out of the way, what’s a mum? One of those flowers?”

Jake groaned and gestured to Jose to explain, knowing it was a much bigger deal for the girl than the boy, “Well, no, it’s a special Texas tradition. They’re more or less a button with a bunch of ribbon and charms attached, the guy always gets them for his homecoming date. But, considering it’s Texas, they’ve gotten a lot bigger and more extravagant since we were in high school. Used to be, you’d just pin them on the dress or whatever, but now they’re so big they have to be worn around the girls neck and it damn near covers her whole body.”

“Well, I’m going to add that to the list of things I don’t understand about Texas,” Phoenix joked, taking the seat next to Jake.

“Jose is going to stay with me for a while,” Jake told his girlfriend, “Just keep her out of trouble.”

“Like I’m the one you need to worry about,” Jose snorted.

Loud voices filled the bar as a group of people filed in. The sudden noise made Jose jump in her seat. Truthfully, all she wanted was some quiet so she could sort out everything that happened over the last few days. But she wouldn’t ask Jake and Phoenix to leave. She would stay there for as long as they wanted, she felt like she owed it to Jake. She felt like she owed him everything.

“I’m going to go say hi to all of them,” Phoenix told them.

“Just keep them away from Jose for a bit,” Jake requested, kissing Phoenix before she walked away.

Josephine waited until the other woman was on the other side of the bar before she turned to Jake. There were certain things she knew he would be able to understand without much explanation.

“I don’t want anyone else to know,” She said loud enough for only him to hear.

“Then no one else needs to know,” He shrugged simply.

“I just- I don’t even know how I feel…hell I didn’t even know I could get…I didn’t know this could happen for me until two weeks ago. I mean it’s…I-”

He gently put a hand on her shoulder, cutting her off, “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to go outside and get some fresh air, okay? I’m going to let Phoenix know that I’m taking you home and putting you to bed, because you’re exhausted. Okay?”

She nodded slowly, letting Jake help her off of the bar stool before heading towards the door. Jose didn’t realize that she felt like the air was being forced from her lungs, or that the walls were closing in on her. She didn’t even realize the weight from the last few weeks was finally starting to crush her.

The second she got through the front doors, she started gasping, trying to draw in as much air as she could. It took less than two weeks for her entire life to be in shambles, everything she thought she knew…all of it.

She turned around, resting her forehead against the wall of the bar. Every part of her wanted to cry. Jose felt like crying was all she’s done since those two stupid pink lines showed up on that piece of plastic. She wouldn’t cry in public, not surrounded by who she assumed were probably friends and coworkers of Jake’s.

But at the end of the day, Jose was still pregnant with a husband that didn’t want her or their child. Michael all but kicked her out onto the cold Manhattan street when she told him that she wanted to go through with the pregnancy. She had to go find a friend to stay with until she could get back to the apartment and get her things when he wasn’t there. Without Jake, she would be all alone.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” A deep voice asked from behind her.

Jose jumped, spinning around to face a man standing a few feet away. She didn’t even hear anyone walk up, and she certainly should have heard a man like him. He was tall and solid and everything she needed to stay away from.

“I’m fine, thank you. Just waiting on my friend to take me home,” She responded quickly, “They’re inside saying goodbye to a few people.”

Jake seemed to pick that exact moment to come bursting through the front doors, automatically making his way towards Jose, “Alright Darlin, you ready?”

“Seresin is your friend?” The other man questioned, looking between the two people.

Jake, who had his arm around Jose already, squeezed her tighter, “Bradshaw, I see you’re back from your trip with Maverick. And yes, this little lady and I have been friends since childhood, and you and the rest of the boys are going to keep away from her while she’s here, understood?”

The other man just gave a small smile, looking at them from over his sunglasses, “Loud and clear, Hangman.”

Jake gently pulled Jose, “C’mon let’s get you home.”

Jose had to force herself not to look back at the other man, Bradshaw or whatever his name was, as they walked away. Something about his voice felt comforting, it was deep and soft all at the same time. But she made a promise to herself the second she decided to leave Michael, this baby was her main priority. Even if she couldn’t say she was pregnant out loud. This was her choice. She was going to be a mom one way or another, and she wanted to be the best one she could. Even if that meant going at it alone. Because she wouldn’t allow anything to distract her. And she certainly wasn’t going to let anything, or anyone for that matter, further complicate the situation.

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