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roosterforme · 4 months

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Pink Christmas Part 1 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Flying in the annual holiday air show dressed as Santa Claus was just something Bradley considered to be part of his job. But when he meets an inquisitive little girl and her beautiful mom, suddenly he wants to make all of their Christmas wishes come true. The only problem is, your daughter actually believes he's Santa, and he's not sure how he's going to keep up the charade when he wants to pursue you as just Bradley.

Warnings: Fluff, language, single mom reader, mentions of loss of spouse

Length: 8000 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female single!mom Reader

Pink Christmas masterlist. Check out my masterlist for more! Banner by @mak-32. Written for @bellaireland1981 Winter RomCom Challenge

You sat on a beach towel in the grass with your face tilted up toward the warm sun and your five year old daughter on your lap. Never would you have imagined wearing short sleeves and enjoying this kind of warmth in December, but your life had turned unpredictable in the past twelve months. And that included leaving a city that was currently buried in snow for the perpetual summer of southern California.

"Mommy! Look!" your daughter shouted unnecessarily loudly, making you laugh. She turned around with wide eyes to make sure you were looking where she was pointing as she adjusted her pink noise canceling headphones. "It's Santa!"

You slid her headphones off since it wasn't loud at the moment, and you looked out across the runway at the Miramar Air Show to see a tall pilot dressed as Santa Claus walking toward his fighter jet with a group of other pilots dressed as elves right behind him. "I see him," you told her, kissing her cheek as she bounced with excitement. "It looks like he's going to fly one of the airplanes."

"Why does Santa have an airplane?" she asked. "And where are his reindeer? And why are the elves getting in airplanes, too?"

You were saved from having to answer her questions as the aircraft engines fired to life for the finale of the show, and you put her ear protection back in place before putting your own earplugs back in. Honestly, you didn't know how to explain to your child who still believed in the magic of Christmas why Santa was taking off in a jet that said ROOSTER on the side of it. Frankly there were a lot of things you didn't know how to explain to her.

She clapped her hands when the jets swooped overhead in an impossible looking formation before looping back around and doing it again. Your heart melted as you watched her wave to the lead jet and shout, "Hi, Santa!" The planes roared overhead and shot upwards before coming back one by one to the land on the runway with such incredible looking ease.

When she whipped her headphones off herself this time, your daughter jumped to her feet with a huge smile on her face. "Let's go talk to Santa," she said, reaching back for your hand.

But you already had your eyes glued on the pilot who quickly replaced his helmet with a white beard and Saint Nick hat. You couldn't help but watch him, enjoying that distant glimpse of him before he went into full Santa character again. He looked tall and strong as he climbed down the ladder in his bright red flight suit, and you had to look away as you felt the heat rise in your cheeks. He waved to everyone in the crowd, and it felt like he was waving right at the two of you.

"Mommy!"

You knew she wasn't going to be deterred from this mission, so you got to your feet and let her tug you along as you tried to fold the towel one handed. "Sweetheart, Santa and his elves might be too busy to talk to us right now," you warned her as the group of six elves in bright green flight suits started fist bumping Santa Claus. And your steps faltered, because Santa somehow just got more attractive the closer you got.

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"Who let you be Santa anyway?" Jake asked, tugging on his red and green striped hat with enormous elf ears attached to the sides. "This elf bullshit is a damn disgrace."

"I volunteered to be Santa before the rest of you got a chance. Do I look like I'd make a good elf?" Bradley asked, and Jake rolled his eyes. "No. I do not." He was the tallest one in the group, and luckily he was able to sweet talk Maverick into letting him be the one to don the beard and the red flight suit for today's Miramar for the Holidays event they all volunteered to fly for.

"Maverick should have mixed things up and made me Santa," Nat said with her chin in the air.

"But you're the cutest little elf I've ever seen," Bradley told her, earning a smack on the back of his arm from her helmet. "Ow!"

"Wait, are we complaining?" Mickey asked. "I like being an elf. And apparently we get free food and hot cocoa in the volunteers tent."

"Oh, shit. Really?" Reuben asked, craning his neck to look toward the tent in question.

Bradley was about to remind everyone that they were obligated to pose for photos with kids when he heard a voice calling out, "Santa! Hey, Santa!" He turned toward the four foot tall chain link fence as an adorable little girl dragged a grown woman in his direction.

"Hey guys, we got company," he told the others as he adjusted his white beard and red hat. When he waved toward the child, she squealed in delight, and Bradley couldn't help but laugh. As she and the woman he assumed was her mom approached the fence, Bradley leaned on the top of it.

"Ho, Ho, Ho! What's your name, Kiddo?" he asked her with a bright smile. But his gaze inadvertently shifted to how gorgeous you looked as you held her hand, and he gave you a wink. He wouldn't mind learning your name, too.

But the little girl was eyeing him skeptically. "Shouldn't you already know my name? My mom said I'm on the nice list!" she exclaimed, gesturing up toward you.

Oh. Shit. "Uh, well, you see..."

Luckily you bailed him out with an apologetic look. "Ellie, don't be rude to Santa. He probably didn't update our names to our new address yet."

"Oh. Yeah," Bradley said, nodding in agreement and smiling. "Of course now I recognize you, Ellie. And your mom, too. Rest assured, you're both on the nice list."

But the girl wasn't convinced. "Why aren't you fatter?"

You brought your hand up to cover your face and groaned as Bradley laughed. "I needed to be able to fit in my jet."

"Why do you have a jet? Where's your sleigh?"

Bradley jerked his thumb toward the others milling around behind him. "My elves and I are trying out our jets this year. Something new."

"What about your reindeer?" she asked, undeterred. You were looking at Bradley and half smiling, half grimacing as you mouthed I'm sorry. But he didn't mind at all. Ellie was keeping him on his toes.

"Uh... they have the year off, per their union contracts. You certainly have a lot of questions, Ellie."

She nodded up at him with her hands on her hips. "I just want to make sure you're the real Santa. I've seen a lot of impostors at the mall."

Bradley had to stifle his laughter as you said, "I had no idea she was going to be like this. I'm so sorry, Santa."

"It's fine," he reassured you, noting that you weren't wearing any rings before he returned his attention to your daughter. "Okay, Ellie. What's it going to take for you to believe I'm really Santa?"

Her brow scrunched as she contemplated his question, and Bradley used the time to check you out. It was useless, he knew that, since he looked like an idiot in his fake beard at the moment. But damn, you were pretty. And your daughter was like a tiny, inquisitive version of you.

"Well," Ellie said with a little smirk, "you should know how old I am if you're the real Santa."

You quickly held your hand up over her head to help him out, and he counted your fingers. "Of course I know that you're five years old."

Ellie's eyes softened a bit as she said, "That's right! And what's my favorite color?"

This time you juggled the items you were holding and lifted up a set of noise canceling headphones. "That's easy," Bradley replied. "I know you love pink."

Now Ellie was smiling up at Bradley as she said, "And if you still need to update our new address, then you must know where we moved here from."

Bradley glanced up to see you pretending to shiver and rub your hands along your arms. "You moved here from somewhere cold."

"That's right!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "It's you! You're Santa!"

"It's really me," Bradley said, sending her a wink and nodding at you as you bit your lip and grinned. "And don't you worry, I'll have my elves take care of getting your new address straightened out. But first, I need you to prove that you're the real Ellie."

She nodded in excitement. "Ask me anything!"

"What grade are you in?"

"Kindergarten," she said, eyes filled with joy.

"Yep, that's right. Only the real Ellie would know that." You were laughing now, and Bradley loved the way it sounded. "And what's your favorite animal?"

"Pandas!"

"Mmhmm," he hummed, pretending he was impressed that she was passing this quiz with flying colors. "I'm almost convinced it's really you."

"Seriously," she told him. "Ask me anything, because I'm sure I'm not an impostor."

Bradley glanced up at you and smirked before leaning on the fence again, and then asked Ellie, "Tell me, Kiddo. What's your mom's name?"

She blurted it out immediately, and Bradley committed it to memory. When he looked up at you again, your gaze was focused on the ground, but you looked pleased if not a little sad. He wanted to know why.

"Would the two of you like to come in here and look at the North Pole jets?" he asked, and Ellie started bouncing up and down immediately.

"We don't want to waste any more of your time, Santa," you told him with an apologetic look.

"You wouldn't be," he promised, and when he said your name, you smiled and looked off to the side like you were embarrassed. "Come around the fence. You can meet my elves." He pointed to the gate a ways down where a security guard was standing. Bradley waved to him and gave him a thumbs up which the guard returned. "Santa gets special privileges."

"Fine," you said softly. "We'll just come around and meet you then?"

"Looking forward to it," he replied, and then Ellie was taking off for the fence opening with you right behind her. Bradley turned toward the others and clapped his hands. "Listen up. This little girl, Ellie, thinks I'm really Santa," he informed them. "And she thinks you're all my elves."

"Fuck," Jake groaned.

"I'm really hungry," Bob whispered.

"I refuse to be nice to you, even in front of a child," Nat said blandly.

"Whatever," Reuben and Javy said in unison.

"I'm so excited!" Mickey giggled, adjusting his elf ears.

"Just be nice, okay? Here she comes... with her mom," Bradley said, really enjoying the sight of you headed his way. He cleared his throat and knelt down as Ellie streaked toward him.

"Can I sit in one of the North Pole jets?" Ellie asked while you shook your head apologetically.

"Really, feel free to tell her no."

But Bradley just smiled and adjusted his white beard before he scooped the child up and stood. You looked up at him with a mixture of surprise and intrigue as he said, "Sure, Kiddo, if you think you can climb that ladder? It's really tall."

"Yeah, I can do it!" Ellie said, looking past him at his F/A-18 and clapping.

"Sound okay, Mom?" he asked you, and you bit your lip and smiled.

"Great. While Ellie and I are up there talking about what's on her Christmas list, why don't you give your information to my sweetest and most loyal elf, Phoenix."

Nat rolled her eyes at him so hard before she turned to you with a smile, and Bradley had to walk away before he started laughing too hard to stay in character.

"Your elf is named Phoenix?" Ellie asked as he carried her toward the ladder. "What are the other ones named?"

Bradley chuckled. "They're all pretty silly sounding," he said as he set her down a few rungs from the bottom. "The big one is Payback. The one who can't stop smiling is Fanboy. The one that's yawning is Coyote. Bob is the one with glasses. And the cranky one is Hangman."

"He looks like he could use a candy cane," she said as she started to climb.

"I think you're probably right. I should feed all of them more sweets."

Once they reached the top, he hoisted her over the edge and climbed onto the seat behind her. "Do you want to talk about what's on your Christmas list?"

"Yeah," she said with a sigh as she plopped down on his knee and looked at him with concern. "We didn't bring most of our decorations and stuff when we moved, because there were already too many boxes."

"Oh," Bradley grunted, patting her on the shoulder. Now he was even more curious than before about where the two of you had moved from and why as his gaze met yours where you stood below with Phoenix. "Well you'll need a Christmas tree for your presents to go under."

She nodded and finally smiled when Bradley looked at her again. "The only thing I really want is a pink one!"

He blinked at her a few times. "A pink tree?"

"Yeah! A pink Christmas tree! And an art set with pink paint."

Bradley nodded, figuring he could probably make that happen. "Sounds monochromatic but fun. Anything else?"

Ellie looked down at you and waved. Your brilliant smile for your daughter was so lovely, Bradley found himself waving too, which made you laugh. "Nothing else for me," Ellie whispered. "But something for my mom."

"Oh yeah?" he grunted when you blew a kiss up to them. Damn. He knew it was for your daughter, but he kind of wanted one of his own. "What do you think Santa should bring for your mom?"

"A boyfriend."

His gaze jerked back to Ellie's, but she looked completely serious. "You want me to get your mom a boyfriend?"

She nodded and said, "One that's tall and will play dolls with me sometimes and eat dinner at our new house. And he has to be really nice. Just like my dad was."

Bradley leaned in a little closer and wrapped his arm around her narrow shoulders. "What happened to your dad?"

"He died last year," she said matter-of-factly. "But I'm sure you knew him, because he was definitely on the nice list."s

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You watched as your daughter gave the naval aviator she was convinced was Santa Claus a big hug. He actually looked a bit ridiculous in the bright red flight suit and hat with the white beard, but Ellie seemed to have bonded with him in some way. They were laughing together about something she whispered to him, and then he was patting her head.

"I'll see what I can do for you, okay Ellie?" he told her, and you wondered if his voice really was that deep all the time.

"Thanks, Santa!" She came trotting over to you and took you by the hand. "I'm ready to go home now," she told you with a smile as the 'elves' waved goodbye. A startled laugh escaped you, because the entire afternoon felt very surreal. You just gave your phone number and your new address to someone named Phoenix who was dressed as an elf even though she was definitely also a naval pilot. And now you were waving to Santa Claus who you were left to assume was named Bradley Bradshaw based on what was painted on the side of his jet.

"Did you have a fun time with Santa?" you asked as you walked back toward the opening in the gate, chuckling at your own words.

"Yeah. He's really nice. I could have probably stayed and talked to him all night," she replied, and when you turned back he was still looking at you. The casual wave of his hand made your heart skip a beat. You really wanted this again. That familiarity with another person. The ease. The perpetually happy child next to you.

"Yeah... he seems pretty great."

But you were really annoyed with yourself when you spent nearly a full hour after you got Ellie in bed imagining what his face might look like without the fake beard. It had barely been three months since you stopped wearing your wedding rings. It was just over a year ago that your husband died unexpectedly. You were decidedly not in the market for dating anyone while Ellie was this young, because she deserved all of your attention. So why were you thinking about this Bradley guy and how sweet he was with your daughter?

You collapsed onto your bed and grabbed your phone from the nightstand. You didn't do the wordle yet for today, and you still needed to check the weather for tomorrow. But you got distracted by a text from a number you didn't recognize.

Hey, it's Bradley Bradshaw. I mean Santa. I hope you don't mind me texting you.

You sat up in your bed so quickly. Your stomach lurched as butterflies took up residence, and your fingers quivered a little bit as you gripped your phone. What were you supposed to do? "Text him back," you muttered to yourself. "Get a grip."

You looked across the room at your wedding photo on your dresser. It had been in one of the few moving boxes you managed to unpack already, and it made you smile every time you looked at it. Right now was no exception; that was one of the best days of your life. But when you looked back down at your phone, you didn't feel a pang of sadness or regret. You felt intrigued. So you saved Bradley's number and then texted him back.

I don't mind one bit. I'm happy to have the chance to thank you again for earlier. You made Ellie's day! Mine, too!

And then you waited with your phone in your hand, half embarrassed and half excited by the idea of getting another text from him.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: Your daughter is a bit of a spitfire. I was very entertained by her. And there's no need to thank me. It was the highlight of my day.

Dealing with your sassy five year old was the highlight of his day? You squealed and had to set your phone down while you walked around your room for a few minutes. The highlight of his day? He was a fighter pilot! He flew a jet around at the air show!

"Oh god," you groaned, crawling back across your bed to your phone. You were already a lost cause. Over a man who had been dressed as Santa Claus? Ridiculous.

But now you were scrambling over what to type back to him. Send him a Santa emoji? No. You were flustered as you sent him the first random thing that came to your mind.

You make a great Santa. You know, in case you ever contemplate a career change.

You looked at the words on your phone screen and cringed. You glanced back at your wedding photo and sighed. If that was your best attempt at flirting, then it was amazing you'd ever been married at all. And this man you met today didn't even seem bothered that you had a kid. That was a miracle in itself. You got ready to toss your phone aside for the night when he sent back a smiling emoji and another text.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: I'll keep that in mind as a potential retirement gig.

You wanted to tell him he looked pretty good in a fake beard. You wanted to tell him you were curious what he looked like without it. You wanted to keep him talking a little bit longer, because you could feel the adrenaline fueled blood pumping through your body, and it felt exciting. But before you could even say anything else, Bradley had you burying your face in your pillow so you could scream without waking Ellie up.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: But here's the thing. I'm an absolute sucker for cute girls. When can I see the two of you again?

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Bradley had to wait a little bit for a response from you, and he was sweating. He didn't want to push too hard, especially after Ellie told him her dad died, but he was intrigued. Plus, he was already googling pink Christmas trees.

Ellie's Mom: Ellie and I are kind of suckers for sweet Santas. What did you have in mind?

He lounged back in his bed with a smile on his face. Was he about to drop five hundred bucks on an eight foot tall pink tree? Hell yes. Especially since you just called him sweet.

Ellie asked Santa for a pink Christmas tree. I want to order it tonight if you can confirm it will fit in your house. And then I'd love to come by and set it up one day.

You wrote back almost immediately after he sent the link to the tree.

Ellie's Mom: You don't have to buy that for her! It's so expensive! Honestly, you don't need to buy her anything!

Bradley sighed. The kid thought he was really Santa Claus, so there was no way she wasn't getting a pink tree and a pink art kit. It was the boyfriend request that made him chuckle, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the idea of seeing you again.

But I want to. Any chance you can measure the space for me?

He had to wait a little bit longer again for you to answer, but this time he was rewarded with photos that had him sitting up in bed and staring at his phone.

Ellie's Mom: I can't find a measuring tape in all these moving boxes, but here's the spot where a tree could go. And here I am for reference.

You were smiling in the selfies, looking a little shy but just as pretty as earlier today, and you had on a shirt that looked so soft, he wanted to touch it. "God damn it," he grunted, already tapping out a response.

I think Santa should stop by in person and check the measurements, just to be on the safe side. Also, you're gorgeous.

"Oh fuck," groaned after he hit send. He really didn't mean to come on so strong, especially since he just met you. He busied himself with ordering the pink tree that he was sure would fit in that spot along with some colorful ornaments and tried not to count the minutes until you wrote back.

Ellie's Mom: We'll be home on Monday evening. I'm sure Ellie would love another visit from Santa. And so would I.

Bradley wrote back letting you know roughly what time he could stop by, and then he started to formulate a plan.

On Monday, in the locker room after work, he changed out of his regular flight suit and showered before zipping himself into his bright red one. His measuring tape, beard and Santa hat were already waiting in the Bronco, and he swung by his favorite bakeshop on his way out of Coronado. The place was packed with customers placing orders for Christmas goodies, so he was happy he decided to call ahead. He grabbed the box he already paid for and got back on the road, following his GPS across the city to the outskirts of town.

Your place was a cute town home with a pink Christmas wreath on the door and the windows lit with a warm glow as the sun set. Bradley got his Santa beard and hat situated using his rearview mirror, and then he grabbed the box and the measuring tape and made his way up to the front porch. As soon as he knocked, his heart beat a little faster, and a few seconds later, you were opening the door for him with a smile.

"Hey, Santa," you said softly with a crooked little smile. Bradley took you in from head to toe, his eyes catching on your lips and your pink sweater as he heard Ellie come bounding down the stairs.

"Santa!"

He looked past you just in time to see your daughter come streaking toward him wearing a pink dress and launching herself into his arms. He bent and caught her a little awkwardly as he laughed. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she hugged him.

"Came to make sure you're still on the good list." Bradley grinned up at you where you stood biting your lip. "Well, Mom? Has she been listening and behaving?"

You nodded. "Yes, Santa. She's been very well behaved."

"Excellent," he replied, releasing Ellie and handing her the box which she opened right away.

She gasped and looked up at him. "Pink Christmas cookies?"

"Yeah, I just thought the two of you might like something sweet."

You were looking at him with softly parted lips, and then you said, "Aren't we supposed to be leaving cookies out for you later this month?"

"I wouldn't complain if you did," he replied as Ellie handed you a pink snowflake cookie. He watched you bite into it, and he realized he was staring.

"Want one?" Ellie asked, tugging on his hand.

"No, those are for the two of you, Kiddo. I'm really here to measure the room for your pink tree. I want to drop it off before Christmas so there's something for your presents to go under."

Ellie screeched and nearly dropped the cookies all over the floor as you took the box from her. She pulled Bradley into the living room and showed him where she wanted her tree to go, and then she helped him measure the space while she asked him what he wanted for Christmas.

"Does Mrs. Claus get you something every year?" she asked, eyes wide and focused on him.

He wasn't sure how to answer her as he knelt on the floor with the measuring tape in his hand. So he decided to just be honest. "I actually don't have a Mrs. Claus yet."

When Ellie's eyes drifted from him up to you where you stood a few feet away, Bradley couldn't help but follow suit. "Mommy," she whispered. "We need to get something for Santa."

"Okay," you whispered back, barely glancing at Bradley before looking back at your daughter. "We can do that."

Ellie turned back to him and asked, "If I leave a present under the tree on Christmas Eve, will you know it's for you when you get here?"

"Of course. Just write my name on it so I know it's mine." Then she kissed him on his cheek right above his white beard, and Bradley melted a little bit inside.

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You and your daughter waved from your front door as Santa left with his tape measure and one of the pink cookies. Ellie insisted he take the one that was decorated like a reindeer with him, and you watched as he ate it while he started up his vintage blue Bronco. When he honked and waved goodbye, Ellie jumped up and down.

"Santa's bringing me a pink tree!" she gushed, and honestly, you were feeling a little silly over that man, too. Your skin tingled as you closed the door and looked at the rest of the cookies. You felt like he was spoiling the two of you even though you barely knew him.

"Let's go get ready for bed," you whispered, ushering her toward the stairs before you took the cookies to your kitchen to have a moment to yourself. Last Christmas had been a nightmare as it was just a few weeks after you lost your husband, and now you'd moved to San Diego to have a fresh start with a new job and a new school and a new city. You couldn't handle another holiday in the house that the three of you had shared.

California was warm and welcoming, but the last thing you had expected to find here right away was a man that made your heart skip a beat. You knew your husband wouldn't want you to give up the idea of dating someone else, but you'd convinced yourself that nobody would want the two of you even though Ellie was a sweet kid.

You set the pretty cookies down on the counter and sighed. Bradley didn't seem to mind that Ellie was around. If anything, he seemed to really like her. He was buying her a tree even though you told him he didn't have to do that. You were more than capable of getting one, but he wasn't going to be deterred.

And Ellie definitely liked him, helped in part by the fact that she seemed completely convinced he was actually Santa.

"You don't even really know what his face looks like," you groaned as you closed the box and headed upstairs. It didn't even matter though, because you could still tell he was handsome with the kind of brown eyes you just wanted to keep looking at. But how embarrassing were you? Crushing on him like this.

After you got Ellie in bed, you texted Bradley to say thank you, and he wrote back immediately.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: It was my pleasure.

You imagined him saying those words in his deep voice in person, and you were still thinking about him the next morning when you woke up. You picked up your framed wedding photo and sighed in exasperation. "He reminds me a bit of you, honestly," you told your deceased husband who smiled back from the frame. "He's funny and kind of sweet. Maybe I just miss you. I don't know."

But you found yourself unable to get much work done from your home office while Ellie was at school. You kept sneaking down to the kitchen to get pink cookies, and by late afternoon, you caved like a house of cards and texted Bradley.

I can't stop thinking about what you might look like without your Santa beard and hat.

You set your phone down on your desk and stared at it. What were you, fucking insane or something? You must be. After twenty minutes with no response, you grabbed a sweatshirt and went for a walk around the block without your phone. You had forgotten how to flirt. That had to be what was going on here. You no longer knew how to be normal or subtle in any way, because it had been so long since you needed to be. When you moved to San Diego to start over again, you must have forgotten to pack your ability to act chill in front of men you were attracted to.

You stood on your front porch and took a deep breath before heading back inside. You needed to stop this. After Bradley came back with the pink tree for Ellie, he wasn't going to want to keep hanging out anyway. It was better to just stop this thing in its tracks right now. You ran back upstairs to your desk and grabbed your phone. He probably hadn't responded yet, which was great, because you could text him again and tell him you were just joking.

"Haha," you muttered as you sat down. "Just kidding, Santa."

But he had already replied. Oh. And he sent a selfie. Oh my. "Oh my god." He was even hotter than you imagined. He had a mustache. A real one, not the white one. He wasn't wearing the red hat either, and as a result, you got to see how soft his light brown curls looked. And he was smiling, his lips and his eyes already familiar to you. Then you made a small, strangled sound as you read the accompanying text.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: Greetings from North Island... I mean, the North Pole. And by the way, I can't stop thinking about you either.

You literally melted out of your chair and onto the spare bedroom floor. You thought about reaching for your computer to put up your out of office message, but you couldn't stop looking at the photo long enough to focus on anything else. You were laying on your back looking at your phone, and you nearly dropped it on your face when he wrote back again.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: The tree should arrive on Thursday. I was thinking I could take a half day at work and come over to set it up on Friday afternoon while Ellie is at school? Then I could see you again, too...

You rolled onto your front and started typing. Of course you wanted him to come back on Friday. You hit send before you realized that you'd be here alone with him. You'd have no five year old to buffer yourself from almost certain embarrassment.

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Everyone else was picking out poinsettias or red and green blooms, but when Bradley got to the florist, he asked for a big bouquet of pink flowers as well as a smaller one. Just pink flowers. Nothing else. He paid and left with both of them in one hand and ran back across the street to his Bronco.

He was running late. He told you he'd be there around one o'clock, but it was already half past. Of course he needed to shower before he left work at noon, since he smelled like jet fuel, and then he had to stop back at home and load the tree and everything else into the Bronco before he could head to your place.

The last thing he wanted was for you to think he didn't want to spend as much time with you and Ellie as possible right now. Frankly he was looking forward to spending a little time alone with you, even if it was just while he was putting the tree up. When he finally made it across town, he checked the time and winced before running up the sidewalk and knocking. And if he was already a little bit out of breath, it only got worse when you opened the door and smiled at him.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "I realized on my way here that I must have been overzealous when I told you I would be here by one."

You grinned and shrugged. "It's okay. Come on in." You closed the door behind him and asked, "Are those for Ellie?" You were gesturing at the flowers he forgot he was holding.

"Oh," he said, pulling the bouquets apart. "One's for you." Your eyes went wide as he held the bigger bunch out, and your fingers brushed his when you took it. "The little one's for Ellie."

You were looking up at him in surprise and your voice was soft as you said, "Thank you."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know what your favorite color was, so I went all in on the pink."

You were grinning again as you buried your nose in one of the fuchsia colored roses. "It's pink. Good job, Santa."

Bradley laughed. "I should have known. The two of you have me seeing pink everywhere now."

"I'm not sorry about that," you said, reaching for the other bouquet. "I'll put these in the kitchen."

He handed it over and said, "And I'll bring the tree inside." He watched you turn away from him, and he kept his eyes on you until you were almost out of sight which resulted in you turning around and catching him staring. He didn't mind.

Bradley made two trips inside with the tree and all of the lights and ornaments, but you must have still been in the kitchen. Or maybe you went upstairs or something. He'd been hoping you wanted to hang out a little bit and chat, but he already had the enormous tree box open with pink branches spilling out of it when you returned with two mugs.

"I made you some hot chocolate."

Nobody had made him a mug of hot chocolate since he was a kid himself. "You did?"

"Yeah. But if you don't want it, that's fine." You looked a little shy now, so he stood and reached for the pink mug you were offering to him.

"I love hot chocolate. I just don't drink it much now that I live where it's usually warm."

"Where are you from?" you asked before you pursed your pretty lips and blew on your drink.

Bradley smirked. "Would I be remiss if I told you I'm actually from Virginia and not the North Pole?"

Your bright laughter had him taking a step closer to you. "Not at all. Just don't tell Ellie that. She's already working on a Christmas present for you. I mean for Santa."

"Is she really?" he asked, suddenly unable to stop smiling. When you nodded, he asked, "What is it?

"I can't tell you! That would ruin the surprise."

"Yeah... don't tell me. I wouldn't want to disappoint her." Bradley took a sip before setting his mug down on a coaster and kneeling in front of the tree box.

You cleared your throat as he started pulling branches out. "How long have you been living in San Diego?"

"About six years. I finally got a permanent station at North Island after moving around. A lot." He lined all of the pieces up on the floor as you took a few steps closer.

"How old are you?" you asked him. When he glanced up, you added, "If you don't mind me asking."

He smiled. "I don't mind you asking me anything you want to ask me. I'm thirty seven."

"How are you possibly single?" you blurted out before hiding your mug in front of your mouth. "I'm sorry." You paced back and forth across the living room a few times as you said, "I'm so bad at this. Like epically bad at it. Because I haven't had to do it in so long."

"Do what?" he asked, trying not to laugh as you came to a stop right in front of him.

You made a cute little sound before you whispered, "I have forgotten how to even attempt to flirt with a man."

He had to press his lips together to hold his laughter in. You were actually serious right now. "I thought you were doing alright."

"You did?" you asked, gaping up at him.

"Yeah. I mean, you sent me those cute selfies when you didn't have a measuring tape."

You licked your lips and took a step away from him. "No one has called me cute since my husband died."

Bradley could feel his lungs deflating. He hated that you had to live through that. He was also selfishly a little afraid you were going to tell him you weren't looking to date again. This was really the only reason he hadn't asked you out already. Well, that and the fact that your daughter was currently convinced he was Santa Claus.

But he thought he should try his luck. "Someone should be calling you cute every day. You and Ellie both. Like I said, I'm a complete sucker for cute girls."

You looked a little flustered now as you sipped your hot chocolate, so Bradley returned to his mission of putting the massive tree together in the corner of your living room. When he paused to drink from his own mug, you came over to help him. Wordlessly, the two of you assembled it until it was too tall for you to reach.

When you handed the top part of the tree to him, he whispered, "Thanks." Your hand seemed to linger on his. Or maybe he imagined it.

"It's nice having someone so tall around," you said. "You must have no problems putting your own tree up."

"Nah," he said, sliding the last piece into place. "I don't even put one up at home. Seems like a waste when it's just for me."

"You don't have a tree?" you asked, and your hand came to rest on his forearm. Bradley's eyes snapped to yours as you said, "If you can continue to handle all the pink... maybe you'd want to come back over and enjoy this one with us?"

"As Santa?" he asked. "I really got myself into a mess with Ellie, didn't I?"

You bit your lip as you looked up at him. "Yeah... she's kind of attached to Santa now."

Bradley was fighting the urge to just kiss you, because you were right there. And you probably tasted like hot chocolate. And the closer you got, the prettier you looked.

"Should we add the lights?" you asked softly, your hand still on his left arm. "Before Ellie gets home?"

Very slowly, he raised his right hand so there would be no doubt in your mind what was coming. He traced your cheek with his fingertips as your eyes fluttered closed. "Yeah. Let's do the lights and the decorations before she gets back. I didn't bring my beard and my hat today."

"Okay," you breathed, leaning into his touch for a beat before you released his arm and pulled away. "I'll... get the lights ready." You turned and started to open some of the boxes of white twinkle lights while Bradley got the ornaments opened up.

He took out the pink and silver star, and when he reached up toward the top branches, you wrapped the lights around him and the tree at the same time. "If you want to keep me here with you, just say so. You don't need to tie me up."

You laughed. "I couldn't keep you even if I wanted to. You're Santa Claus, remember? You have a million toys to deliver next week."

Bradley caught you gently by the arm as you looped the lights around his back again. "To be crystal clear, I'm only doing this for you and Ellie. Nobody else."

You wrapped the lights a little tighter and said, "To be crystal clear, I like the way that sounds."

Bradley smirked as you finally loosened the strand and freed him. "Listen," he said as he followed you slowly around the tree as you put the lights on correctly this time. "Santa doesn't have time to play games before Christmas. He's very busy."

"Really?" you asked, looking back at him as you strung the lights higher and higher on the pink tree. "This kind of feels like a game to me, Santa."

He took over with the strand once it got too high for you to reach, and when he was done, he watched you pick up one of the boxes of ornaments. There were a bunch of pink and blue hearts and stars, and you smiled up at him. So he decided to go for it. Because he knew this was a rare opportunity he'd been given. "Santa is actually pretty serious right now. About you."

When you immediately returned your gaze to the box in your hands, Bradley ran his hands through his hair. You looked a little flustered again, just like you had when you claimed you forgot how to flirt. Whatever you were doing to him, he liked it. He liked how it felt to be around you and Ellie, too. He ducked behind the tree to plug the lights in, illuminating everything in a soft, pink glow, and then he tried to find the energy to help you finish the tree without pushing this any further.

"Hey, Santa?"

"Yeah?" he replied, his voice barely above a whisper as he reached for an ornament from the box you were holding.

You seemed to weigh your words before you said them which had Bradley's heart beating a little faster before you even spoke. "I wasn't planning on anything serious. Not really ever again."

"Oh." Serious was the kind of thing he was looking for now. Serious was actually what he wanted. He hung the pretty blue heart shaped ornament and then let his hand fall to his side. His heart felt heavy like a stone sinking to the bottom of a lake as you reached up in front of his face to hang a pink and white heart next to his blue one.

"At least that's what I thought before we moved here," you added.

He looked at you with one raised eyebrow. "Something changed your mind?"

"More like someone," you whispered, handing him another pink heart ornament which he carefully hung just above the other two. He wanted to know for sure if he was the one that changed your mind, but you pulled your phone out of your pocket and gasped.

"Ellie's bus should be here in a couple minutes."

"Right," he said softly. You and he finished decorating the tree, not so subtly stealing glances at each other the whole time. If there was even a chance with you, he wanted to take it, but he didn't want to press any harder today.

When he reached for his empty mug, you shook your head and said, "You can leave it. I'll clean up later."

"Okay." With nothing else keeping him at your house he started to head for the front door, but you caught his hand in yours.

"Wait." Your eyes were wide and a little hesitant, but when you tugged gently, he went willingly, slowly closing the distance between you body and his. "Thank you. For the tree and the ornaments. And the cookies. And the flowers."

He shook his head. "It's my pleasure. You don't have to thank me again."

"But I want to," you whispered, running your thumb along the back of his hand. "I want to do a lot of things. But they feel a little scary." When you paused, he didn't rush you. Your eyes were taking in every detail of his face, and you were smiling softly. "Things I haven't done in a long time. Things I never anticipated I'd be doing again. At least not while Ellie is so young."

Bradley opened his mouth, intending to tell you he could wait a few weeks or months to ask you out if that would make things easier for you, but you tugged gently on his hand again, rendering him silent. When your other hand came to rest on his chest, he held his breath. Your gaze stayed locked on your hand as you slowly guided it up along his shoulder and collarbone until it came to rest gently on the scars on the side of his neck.

The soft stroke of your thumb and even the gentle flex of your fingers could have brought him to his knees. And then you finally met his eyes. "I really want to," you murmured as you stood on tiptoes, your chest brushing his. Bradley's brain took a beat longer to respond than his heart did, but when you tilted your face up to his and let your eyes flutter shut, he closed the distance to your lips with his.

And it was perfect. The softest kiss of his life, but he could feel his entire body responding to you. With a soft gasp, you released his lips, but you didn't go far. When you met his eyes, you must have liked what you saw there, because you kissed him again. And again. And when Bradley guided your other hand around his neck, you kissed him a little deeper.

"Oh," you gasped, running your nose along his cheek as your fingers teased the back of his neck. When your lips met his again, he held you close with his hands on your lower back, and Bradley decided he could do this forever. All of it. The pink flowers and decorating the tree and the perfect kisses.

Then the front door knob rattled, and you broke away from his lips. Your eyes looked hazy at first, and you had the prettiest smile on your face before you pulled yourself out of his grasp as Ellie came inside. Your daughter looked back and forth between the two of you as you pressed your fingertips to your lips, and Bradley winced as Ellie asked him, "Who are you?"

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

Bradley! I mean, Santa! Where is your beard?! I hope you loved part one! Part two is coming soon. This one took a village so thank you to @mak-32 @beyondthesefourwalls @thedroneranger and @cherrycola27

PART 2

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@nicole01-23

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its-the-pilot · 5 months

Text

If December Never Ends | One-Shot

An early Christmas gift for y'all! Here's my entry for "Midnight Mass" in @sailor-aviator's Christmas Writing Challenge! Kinda fell in love with these two, so let me know if you want to see more of them!

Summary: Bradley joins you and your family for midnight Mass.

Warnings: religious inaccuracies

Length: 2.3k words

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Female Reader

Masterlist

youtube

Christmas with your family was always a big event. Everyone came from all over to your parents’ house in Norfolk and spent the holiday together. Nearly forty-eight hours of uninterrupted family time. There was little sleep involved as there were people playing music and games all night long, so if you could find a quiet place to take a nap, you were lucky.

That’s why you couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face when you saw your boyfriend of eleven months, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, dozing in one of the plush chairs in your father’s study. Your three year old niece was tucked into his side while she drew in the princess coloring book you had gotten her, his arm wrapped protectively around her and a purple crayon dangling from his fingers. Pulling out your phone, you snapped a quick picture, the sight melting your heart.

You knew the day had to have been overwhelming for Bradley. Hell, it was your family and it was overwhelming for you. Your two older brothers, their wives and children, your aunts and uncles from both sides and some of your cousins… twenty people, even in a house as large as your parents’, was nothing short of chaotic. You were shocked he even agreed to come, since he was used to spending the holidays alone on base.

Stepping into the room, the click of your heels on the wooden floor drew the attention of your niece Lyla, despite your attempts to be as quiet as possible. She waved with a smile, then put her chubby finger to her lips, a signal for you to be quiet. “Unka Roo sleepin’,” she whispered, before going back to coloring.

“I see that,” you whispered back, pressing a kiss to her unruly curls. “You like cuddling with your Uncle Roo?”

The little girl nodded, her tongue poking out of her mouth a bit as she focused on coloring. “He a warm blankie.”

She shifted, snuggling closer to him, and the slight movement was enough to rouse him, his muscled arm tightening around her as though she was going to fall. “You okay, doll?” He asked, his voice thick with sleep and his eyes barely open.

You chose to remain silent, watching the heartwarming interaction. Seeing him with your niece lit a fire in your belly unlike anything you had ever felt, the thought of him with children of his own and what that would be like was impossible to ignore.

“Mmhm!” Lyla nodded, holding up her picture for him to see. “All done!”

Bradley ran his free hand over his face and forced his eyes open further, looking at the presented coloring page. “Wow, it's beautiful,” he grinned, kissing her hair before looking up, finally noticing that you were in the room. “Hey, Tink.”

“Hey yourself, handsome. Have a good nap?” You asked, watching as he helped Lyla out of the chair when she started trying to get up, saying something about going to show her parents the picture she colored.

Once she was out of the room, Bradley stretched his arms above his head, hoping to rid himself of the last vestiges of sleep. “Must have,” he said, sitting back and patting his knee for you to come join him. “How long was I out?”

You moved closer and sat on his lap, careful not to wrinkle his dark gray slacks too much. His matching jacket had been discarded on a chair across the room earlier in the night, leaving him wearing a white dress shirt that had the top button undone and the sleeves rolled up, showcasing his well muscled forearms. His arm wrapped around your waist effortlessly, his thumb brushing over the skin exposed by the open back of your green party dress.

“An hour, at least,” you replied, moving your hand to the back of his neck, your nails running through the short hair there. You had been helping your mother and sister in laws clean up after dinner, so you didn't know for sure.

Bradley nodded, leaning forward just enough to kiss your shoulder. “Lyla was getting a little cranky, I think there was too much going on with all the kids running around after dinner, so I brought her in here to relax. I hope that's okay.”

“More than okay,” you reassured him. “I'm sure Tim was thrilled for the break, Uncle Roo.”

His cheeks turned pink at the term of endearment. “I think she's used to calling everyone ‘uncle’,” he explained. It made sense, aside from her father and grandfather, every other adult man in her life was an uncle. “And she was having a hard time with Bradley, so I figured she could call me Rooster.”

You smiled, leaning in to kiss him tenderly before pulling back to meet his hazel eyes. “So long as you're okay with it. I don't want you to feel pressured.”

“I like it, actually. I've always wanted to be an uncle. Hard with no siblings though,” he said, his voice laced with a hint of sadness.

Your left hand lifted to rest on his jaw, stroking over his stubble with your thumb. “My brothers might give you shit, but they love you, and you know my parents adore you. Lyla clearly prefers you to anyone else, and the other kids love when you roughhouse with them. I'd say you're pretty welcome in this family, Bradley.”

He nodded, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. You’d always had a large family, so you couldn't imagine what it was like for him to be an orphan. He had told you the story before, his father died when he was a toddler, and his mother passed from cancer as a teen. He went to live with Maverick, his godfather, who betrayed his trust and prevented him from going to the Naval Academy. They hadn't spoken in years, leaving him with nothing but the Navy.

Until he met you.

To hear him tell it, your blind date set up on New Year’s Eve the previous year was a miracle in and of itself. You remembered it more based on the hangover you had the next day, so you took his word for it.

Since then, though, despite a deployment and a couple missions, you were happy together. Nothing was perfect, of course, but you never expected it to be.

You studied him carefully for a moment, and when he didn't reply, you rested your head against his shoulder, letting your hand slip from his jaw to rest against his chest, his heartbeat strong under your fingertips. “Bradley, I--”

The sound of your father’s booming voice interrupted you as he called for everyone to get ready for Mass. You knew Bradley wasn't religious, and you had told him he didn't have to participate, but it was a family tradition of yours to go to midnight Mass at the local church every Christmas.

“You should come with us, you might enjoy yourself,” you whispered, lifting your head from his shoulder to kiss him gently.

“I don't know anything about religion,” he pointed out, his arms holding you close as you perched on his lap.

Shaking your head, you smiled and continued to run your fingers through the short hairs at the back of his neck, soothing him. “That's the beauty of it, you don't have to.”

With a pat to his chest, you stood, holding your hand out to him. His eyes locked with yours for a moment, unsure, before he finally accepted your hand and stood himself. You took the liberty of buttoning his open button while he unrolled his sleeves, helping him into his suit jacket after he had done so.

“You do clean up nicely, Lieutenant Bradshaw,” you grinned, kissing him once more.

“So do you, Tinkerbell,” he said, twirling you in a circle, making your skirt flare around your legs. He caught you in his arms before dipping you backward, drawing a giggle from you. “Should we go?”

You nodded as he stood you back on your own two feet, leading him out to the front hall where there was a bustle of energy as everyone put their coats on to brave the cold. Bradley helped you into your parka, making sure it was buttoned up before slipping his own heavy coat on.

Wrapping his arm around your shoulders, he pressed a kiss to your temple and smiled. “Ready to go?” he asked, motioning toward the door with a tip of his head.

“I am.” You snuggled into his side and allowed him to lead you out to his Bronco that you had driven from Virginia Beach. Once you were both inside, he started the engine and followed the caravan of vehicles leaving your house for the church.

Sacred Heart was the church you had attended with your family for as long as you could remember. You and your brothers had been confirmed there, and while none of you were particularly religious anymore, you still attended midnight Mass with your devout parents every year for Christmas.

You usually sat in the back, since you were such a large group, and with small children it was easier to duck out if they got too loud and interrupted the service. This year was no different, with you and Bradley taking a seat in the last row with your brothers and their families.

Almost as if on cue, as soon as the service started, Lyla started making a fuss. She hadn’t napped earlier in the day like your brother Tim had hoped she would, and now that it was midnight, she was beyond tired. Her older brother Brenden tried to calm her down, but it only caused her to get louder, trying to squirm out of her mother’s arms. Her efforts doubled when she saw you and Bradley sitting at the end of the pew, reaching out for him.

“Unka Roo! Unka Rooooo!” she cried, tears falling down her pink cheeks as she got more frustrated.

Bradley peeked around you to see Lyla distressed and frowned. Without hesitation, he stood and moved around the back of the pew, crouching down behind Tim and his wife, Sarah. “I can take her, maybe she’ll stop?” he whispered, smiling when he saw the three year old already calming some since he came over.

They shared a look between each other and then looked back to Bradley. “Baby whisperer, huh?” Tim smirked, watching as his wife handed their daughter over to the aviator. “Good luck.”

Lyla quieted almost instantly once she was in Bradley’s arms, resting her head against his shoulder. You turned in your seat to smile at him, feeling like your heart was going to explode in your chest as you watched him pace the rear of the church with your niece in his arms. The only thing that pulled you from your reverie was your eldest brother, Tony, nudging your shoulder.

“Oooh, you’re in trouble with that one, aren’t you?” he teased, taking the elbow to the ribs you delivered with a quiet grunt. “What? You’re looking at him like you want him to put a baby in you right here.”

“Tony!” you hissed, your cheeks warming with embarrassment.

Before you could say anything else, Bradley returned to his seat beside you, a soundly sleeping Lyla on his shoulder. “Everything okay?” he whispered, noticing the flush in your cheeks.

Tony leaned over you. “She just --”

You covered his mouth and shoved him back toward his wife before shaking your head at Bradley. “Everything’s fine, my brother is just being a pig,” you explained quietly, turning your attention back to the service when your father shot you and your brother a look over his shoulder.

The remainder of midnight Mass went without incident, and when the service was over, you waited for everyone to leave before heading outside yourself with Bradley by your side. Your family was gathered on the steps of the church, making conversation amongst themselves when Tim stepped in front of you.

“Thanks for holding her, Bradley,” he smiled, managing to lift his daughter into his own arms without waking her. “She really likes you.”

He shrugged, his hands sliding into his coat pockets. “She’s a cutie, that’s for sure. Thanks for trusting me with her.”

You snuggled against his side, smiling up at him. “Did you have a good night?”

“I had a great night,” he promised, wrapping his arm around you. “I do have one thing that would make it better though.”

There was a curious look on your face when he pulled away, just enough to drop to one knee in front of you, his hand pulling a small box out of his pocket. You gasped, covering your mouth, unable to take your eyes off Bradley despite feeling your whole family staring at you.

“I love you so much,” he swallowed hard, opening the ring box to show a simple diamond ring that had belonged to his mother. “I want you to be my Tinkerbell forever. Will you marry me?”

A tear slid down your cheek as you nodded, offering him your hand. “Yes. God, yes, Bradley!”

Your family and a few other bystanders from the church all clapped as he slid the ring on your finger and pulled you into his arms, kissing you deeply. As you parted, a light snow began to fall, dusting your cheeks with cool snowflakes.

You giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Look at you with the perfect timing.”

“I try,” he smirked, kissing you once again as your family headed off to their cars to go back home. “Let’s get back, we have Christmas and an engagement to celebrate.”

“It’s the best Christmas ever.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster x reader #sailor-aviator's christmas writing challenge #Youtube

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alegendoftomorrow · 2 months

Text

Letters to our Soldiers

Summary: Bradley finds himself making a Christmas wish on a letter from a stranger as he spends another Christmas alone ten thousand miles away from home.

Character: Bradley Bradshaw and F!reader (no use of Y/N)

Word Count: 1,208

Warnings: None

A/N: This is my third entry into @sailor-aviator winter challenger. My prompt was Merry Christmas, though I did also use this as a springboard for a possible series that I hope to start soon. Now, is this late... so very much so. Did life decide to send me into the new year with one finale kick…. Also yes. Is this also the first personal thing I’ve written for myself in a long time…also yes. But I had so much fun doing it and it feels good to get back to writing again. I hope you all have a phenomenal New Year and you find all the things you were looking for…. Enjoy some Christmas in February!

Bradley jumped off the ladder of his F-18 and shivered against the wind that blew across the deck. The sweat beading up along his brow and making his curls stick there was now making him feel even colder as he saluted the handful of privates who came to tighten his jet down to the deck and then lower it away so they could head back into port. Their practice drills finally done.

Rushing inside he tucked his helmet under his arm and headed right for the debriefing room. If he was lucky their CO would have nothing of note to say and send them all back to their bunks. Bradley wanted to change and get under his blankets. There was heat on the USS Dauntless but the steal walls and floors always seemed to hold onto the weather outside better then they did the temperature inside. Meaning right now it felt like walking through an ice box.

“Hey Bradshaw, you coming with us tonight or not?” That was Fitz’s voice echoing down the hall.

Bradley paused in the hall and pressed himself against the wall to let another officer pass by him as he waited for Fitz to catch up to him. “Na, I think I’m just going to stay in and try to catch up on some sleep.”

Fitz rolled his eyes and groaned as he walked in stride with Bradley to the briefing room. “Come on man it’s the first time we’ve seen land in weeks and you’re telling me you’d rather stay on this floating tin can then come and enjoy the night out with us?”

“That is exactly what I’m saying,” Bradley quipped back. “I intend to spend my leave sleeping and resting in my own bunk. Not eating bread and water in the brig.”

Fitz rolled his eyes and punched Bradley’s shoulder. Waving him off like he was a lost caused. “First of all, that happened one time and secondly you’re still boring.”

Bradley just shook his head and plopped down on one of the wooden seats. His excuse was the truth. Mostly. The other reason though was currently burning a hole in the pocket of his flight suit. A perfectly folded letter that still smelled faintly of warm vanilla. A letter from a stranger he’d never met. Natasha had signed him up for one of those letter writing programs for soldiers. He’d been annoyed at first, but now he looked forward to each and every one of them.

“We’ll be heading into port in a few hours and I expect all of you to act like the officers you are. Dismissed,” their CO finally called after the debrief had ended.

“Last chance Bradshaw,” Fitz said already halfway out of the door. “It’s Christmas Eve!”

“Leave the man alone Fitz. He’s got big and important plans for the night,” Omaha said with a laugh. Dragging Fitz out of the doorway as a chorus of other officers and enlisted men chattered loudly, interspersed with laughter and off key singing which Bradley just chuckled at.

After a quick shower he changed back into his dark t-shirt and pants laying back on his lower bunk and taking out the letter. The writing on the front was in pretty, dark cursive. Whoever this woman was she had the prettiest handwriting Bradley had ever seen. He pressed the letter to his nose and breathed in the warm scent of vanilla that still only faintly lingered there. It would be a hard day when the smell faded from this one too. Opening the letter, he tucked one of his hands back under his head and smiled softly.

Dear Soldier,

I don’t know what time zone you’re in, or even what country you’re stationed at, but where ever you are I hope you’re not spending Christmas Eve alone.

Bradley laughed. “Sorry to disappoint sweetheart,” he muttered. Though he did wonder if this technically counted as spending the day alone if he was reading her words…

I for one will likely be spending it at the hospital. One of my co-workers, Mandy--she was the one involved in the blue cupcake fiasco a few months ago—anyways she has two adorable little boys and so I took her shifts so she could spend the holidays with them. I don’t mind though so don’t go feeling bad for me or anything. I like what I do and it’s nice to get to spend time with the patients over Christmas. Especially when some of them don’t have any family to come visit them. You should see the nurse’s station all decked out in different decorations for just about every different holiday celebrated among us.

Bradley’s smile grew wider as his heart swelled in his chest reading over the words. This woman was so kind and bright. He could so easily imagine her sitting at a nurse’s station and painstakingly writing to him everything that came to her mind as she looked over her floor. He imagined she had the most beautiful smile to match her pretty words. He found himself longing, as he often did, to ask her questions back. He wanted to know everything about her and he wanted to tell her everything about him. He wanted her to know that he reread the twelve other letters shed written him nearly every day. That he held them close to his chest when the nights got dark or the sea was rough. He wanted to tell her that he had them memorized. Every friend she mentioned and patient she cared for; he knew them all. He wanted to tell her that they had the same favorite color and favorite Girl Scout Cookie flavor. He wished her letters came with a return address.

Alright well it’s getting late and I have to head out for another round but I want to make sure I get this in the mail to you so you get it in some kind of speedy order. I don’t really know how to say this without coming off like a stalker or some kind of wierdo, and I really hope you don’t thinks it’s weird but I included my address at the bottom of this page just in case you wanted to write back to me.

Bradley’s heart flpped and he sat up so quickly his head nearly hit the top bunk. Flicking his eyes to the bottom of the page he did indeed she her return address written there. His thumb brushed across her name and the letters and numbers beneath it.

I know the service is random and I’ve already written more letter than I was supposed to but, I don’t know, getting to write to you these past few months has felt nice. You really helped me, whoever you are out there, and I just want to keep writing to you if I can.

I hope wherever you are you’re staying safe and that m letters have been a little piece of home you’ve been missing.

Merry Christmas Soldier.

“Merry Christmas sweetheart,” Bradley whispered. He looked down at the address one last time and then reached under his bunk into one of the drawers there. Pulling out a notebook and his pen he began his own letter.

#top gun maverick #top gun fic #letterstoasoldier #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw oneshot #Liz’s Christmas challenge #writing challenge #letters to you #rooster bradshaw

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callsign-daydream · 4 months

Text

How the Hangman Stole Christmas! - TGM

Summary: It's Secret Santa time for the Dagger Squad! Every year, Hangman manages to figure out everyone's SS and spoil the fun, but the rest of the squad is determined to keep him in the dark this year. Will they succeed, or will Jake Seresin once again be the Dagger Squad's personal Grinch?

Warnings/Content: Plain ol' silliness, alcohol mentioned, starred out swearing, OC included, little to no editing happened here

Word Count: ~1024

A/N: Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! My gift to you is this silly little blurb. Wishing you smiles, joy, and peace from Above in the coming days! <3

How the Hangman Stole Christmas!

“Go away, Bagman.”

“No.”

“**** off.”

“Forget it.”

“Seriously, Jake?”

“Didn’t you ruin Christmas enough last year?”

Jake Seresin worked with a bunch of losers. It wasn’t his fault that he’d managed to figure out everyone’s Secret Santa last year. Or that they’d decided to try it again this year. He was just that smart, and his squad was just that bad at keeping secrets.

Of course, he probably didn’t have to announce everyone’s Secret Santa the day before the exchange, but that was besides the point.

Unfortunately, everyone was being a stick in the mud and complaining that he “ruined Christmas.” Even Fanboy was uncharacteristically tight-lipped on the topic. The other Daggers had evidently told Maverick about the incident as well, as Jake was met with an instant “I don’t know” when he approached the Captain.

Of course, the opposition was just extra incentive for Jake to get creative.

He knew he had Coyote, and he was pretty sure he could confirm a few key Daggers…

—

The bakery was crowded on a Saturday, but Jake needed to snag a few things for Daydream. Both for a Christmas present and for bribing her to tell him who she’d pulled for Secret Santa. He was debating whether she'd be more willing to tattle over a cannoli or some tiramisu when he heard a familiar voice.

“Yeah, two dozen. Thanks.”

Rooster, as Jake lived and breathed, buying a box of pistachio pizzelles that only one person they knew ate.

Hangman smirked to himself.

Busted.

—

“How’s my favorite pilot?”

Daydream looked up as Jake waltzed into her apartment. Her face was anything but impressed as she placed Pillsbury gingerbread cookies on a baking sheet.

“I’m not telling you who I have for Secret Santa.”

“Fine. I’ll keep this early Christmas present for myself.” He opened the box to display the dessert

��Tiramisu!”

He chuckled and held it high over his head. “What’s the magic word?”

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Still not telling.”

“Nope. I think it rhymes with peas.”

Another eye roll that made him crack a smile.

“Please.”

“With pleasure, Dreamgirl.”

She eyed him suspiciously as she accepted the gift before marching to the fridge. Jake was just debating what else could possibly get her to talk when a paper on the counter caught his eye. It was a familiar green color, with a singular name scrawled across it.

Gotcha.

—

Jake slid into the booth at the Hard Deck. He almost had all his answers, except one. And he knew exactly who to confront.

“Hey Floyd,” he greeted Bob. “You breaking hearts out here on your own?”

The man blinked behind his glasses. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy, Bagman.”

Jake held up his hands. “I didn’t ask.”

“Well, good.”

Jake nodded and knocked back his drink. He scanned the bar and was satisfied to see no sign of Phoenix. No need to have her literally swoop in and snatch Bob away just yet.

“Hope your shopping went well. Fitch must be hard to shop for.”

Bob chuckled. “I don’t have Payback.”

Jake nodded. “Right. Good thing too. I’m sure Fanboy would be easier to buy for anyway.”

There it was. Bob opened his mouth and shut it. It was fast enough to nearly miss, but Jake had spoken to his fellow aviator enough to know what it meant.

“I don’t have either of them. Keep trying, Jake.”

Jake chuckled and waved a hand. “Nah. I’m done guessing this year.”

I don’t need to.

—

Gifts and beers littered the table that the Daggers huddled around. Penny had replaced the usual jukebox tracks with Christmas music, leaving them with “Blue Christmas” in the background. The squad had elected to dress in civilians, a move Jake was glad for considering the red dress Daydream had broken out for the occasion.

“Alright!” Phoenix yelled to shut the squadron up. “Are we ready for Secret Santa?”

The table cheered, including Jake.

Rooster spoke up and lifted his bottle. “And I want to raise a toas to all of us besting Bagman this year!”

Cheering and clinking followed, until Jake stretched and smirked. This was the best part of the game, to his mind.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Rooster. Who wants me to tell them who their Santa is?”

"Not again." Phoenix's face dropped.

“But we didn’t tell you anything,” Payback said.

Jake shrugged, soaking in the incredulity of his squad. “Didn’t have to.”

“You’re bluffing,” Daydream said beside him.

With a quick swig of his beer, Jake cracked his knuckles and leaned forward.

“I have Coyote. Easy.” He passed over the box he’d wrapped to perfection, which was accepted with a lifted eyebrow.

“Coyote tells me every year, and this time around he got good ol’ Rooster.”

Everyone booed as Coyote sheepishly handed over a box full of vinyls with a bow on the front.

“Oh, come on!” Coyote snatched up his drink. “It’s one name. How could he have figured anyone else out?”

“Was last year not bad enough for you?” Fanboy asked.

“I still don’t believe you know everyone,” Daydream said.

“Fine. Rooster has you. Saw him shopping at an Italian bakery when the most cultural he gets is Del Taco every Tuesday.”

“They make good tacos!”

“Dreamgirl left her paper on the counter when I came over and has Bob. Bob does the mouth thing when he’s lying, making it easy to guess that he has Fanboy.”

Bob sputtered and did the mouth thing.

“Garcia can’t hide cards to save his life, or in this case, a Secret Santa slip. I knew you had Payback from day one.”

“This is why you always lose at poker, man.” Payback shook his head as he accepted a bag overflowing with tissue paper.

“I knew Payback didn’t have me because Phoenix made that special face she keeps just for me when she saw her paper, leaving Fitch to have Phoenix by process of elimination.”

He stuck his toothpick in his mouth and leaned back in his chair as everyone stared at him. Maybe he could be an ace detective in his post-naval career. He was a bit of a genius when it came to deduction, apparently.

Phoenix turned back to the group. “So we leave out Bagman next time?”

“Hey!"

#daydream writes #top gun maverick #top gun maverick fic #top gun fanfiction #dagger squad #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #natasha phoenix trace #robert bob floyd #hallie daydream a jones #javy coyote machado #reuben payback fitch #mickey fanboy garcia #oneshot #hangman is an annoying *word I don't say*#dagger squad secret santa #a very top gun Christmas #merry Christmas yall <3

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callsigndragon · 1 year

Text

The Christmas Date | Chapter 4: Santa Tell Me

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

(Ron Kerner is Slider, Iceman’s backseater)

Wordcount: 2.8k

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

(there won't be smut in this series)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh, am, sure!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Is he okay?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“...Jesse”

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

“Thank you. I chose it myself”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I promise, buddy”

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

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

“I’m sorry… Can I see my room?”

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

“Let’s go see it!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Natasha Trace, I love when you call me”

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

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

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

"We're not dating"

"What? Hold on, let me FaceTime you"

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

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

“And here I thought you were finally getting laid”

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

“What? Facts only”

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

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

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

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

“Y/N? We see each other again!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Jesus, I love your niece” she says.

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

“Take care, Thena”

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

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

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

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

“Jess-”

“It was Mandy” you clarify.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes ma'am. And what about Bradley?"

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

"Says the one that is always wearing Hawaiian shirts"

"They're cool" Bradley defends himself.

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

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

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

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

Is this a joke or what?

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

"Bradley"

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

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

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

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

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

“I know how to say no, Bradshaw”

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

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

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

“Don’t worry, Thena. Go to sleep”

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

“Rooster”

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

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

“Like you care”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He opened his eyes again three days after the accident.

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

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

#top gun #top gun x reader #top gun maverick x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #rooster top gun #rooster x reader #rooster fanfic #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw fic #top gun rooster #rooster x female reader #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #the christmas date #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw

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thyknife · 4 months

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Let Your Heart Be Light

Fandom: Top Gun: Maverick

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw/Jake “Hangman” Seresin

Rated: T

Series: Part 2 of Bradley & Jake at Christmas (Part 1)

Summary:

A whole year. Jake can hardly believe it.

🎄🎁

Just a little thing 🤲

#hangster #sereshaw #top gun fic #top gun maverick fic #tgm fanfiction #tgm fic #rooster x hangman #hangman x rooster #top gun #top gun: maverick #let your heart be light #Wintersong #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #christmas fic

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gothampot · 4 months

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Lookit! I co-wrote a festive time loop Hangster fic. It was a delight from start to finish!

#hangster #sereshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #jake hangman seresin #christmas #kissing #time loop #top gun maverick #my fic

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jungle-angel · 1 year

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Little Drummer Boy (Bob Floyd x Reader)

Summary: An age old tradition makes the best memories for you, Bob and your family

Note: Inspired by the music video for King and Country’s version of one of my favorites. I’ll post the link for it here, guys this video absolutely blew my mind and all I could think of watching it was Lewis.

Tagging: @fanboygarcia @rhettabbotts @nobody7102 and @sebsxphia guys I really hope you like this, it’s been sitting in the back of my brain for a while now (Sebbie, I still owe you those asks which will be done in no time at all, lol).

“Auggie!” Bob called from the top of the basement stairs. “August Robert, come on up here! Mimi and Papa have a surprise for you!”

Auggie came bounding up the basement stairs from where he, Patrick and his cousins had been playing beanbag toss, nearly losing his tiny wireframe glasses in the process. Unfortunately, his footsteps were more akin to Rooster’s, loud and stomping as he ran up the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Auggie, walking feet please,” you told him sternly. “Rudy just fell asleep.”

“Sorry Momma,” Auggie whispered.

“C’mere bud,” Joe told him before he and Mickey had finished re-arranging a few of the Christmas ornaments on the tree. “We got you something for tonight.”

Auggie jumped and clapped his little hands together. It wasn’t often that Bob’s parents got to spoil the ever living shit out of their grandkids, but when they did, the kids were more than happy and grateful for it, especially around this time of year.

Auggie gave his grandfather a huge hug before he opened the present, you, Bob and the rest of the Dagger Squad watching to see his reaction.

Those big blue eyes behind his little glasses went even wider when he saw what lay within the shiny green and red paper. It was a little wood and canvas drum that was the perfect size for Auggie, complete with a set of sticks that weren’t too big or too small, made from birch wood that was nearly white.

“THANK YOU PAPA!!!” Auggie nearly screamed as he hugged his grandfather again.

“That’s from me, Momma, your dad, Mimi and Grandpa Birdy,” Joe chuckled. “And it’s for you to play tonight during the walk.”

Auggie was excited beyond words as he ran to put his drum and drumsticks upstairs in his bedroom, his little feet thundering up the stairs along with Nicky, Pete, Tiago and TJ.

“Man I have never seen a kid that excited before,” Payback laughed.

“Oh believe me, if you gave him a banana for Christmas, he’d be just as happy,” you laughed.

Bob kissed your cheek and gently scratched Rudy’s soft little hand with his fingertips. “I hope he comes back down soon,” Bob said. “We still have to make sure Nestor’s settled for tonight.”

“He will be,” you told him. “There’s nothing the little guy can’t face.”

A smile broke out on Bob’s face. “You’re right,” he chuckled. “I’ve seen him pull a plow three times his size and he’s still got enough energy in him to keep going.”

You put Rudy upstairs in the crib where Rudy and Mickey’s daughter would be sleeping for the next few days, before you, Bob, Mickey and Joe headed out into the snow to the barn where all the critters had been sheltered from the freezing cold of the day and night.

Down the row of stables and pens you went until you came to one near where Thunder, Bob’s mustang, was munching away at the hay in his trough, until you found the one belonging to Nestor.

The grey and brown donkey lay asleep in the hay, perking up his long, pointy ears when Bob whistled for him to come. Out of the pocket of his Carhardt jacket, he pulled a few sprigs of peppermint from Irene’s indoor garden box before Nestor munched it right from the palm of his hand.

“He’s got a long walk ahead of him tonight,” you remarked, petting his short, fuzzy little snout.

“That’s nothing,” Mickey said, laughing a little. “When Abuelo Pedro was growing up in Mexico, the whole town used to walk up the steep hills where the church was.”

“Every year?” Bob asked him.

“Every year on Christmas Eve and every Sunday,” Mickey explained. “Christmas Eve, they’d each light a candle and carry it with them while they walked up the hills with the rest of the group at midnight.”

You and Bob listened with awe as Mickey told about the deep seeded family traditions of Mickey’s family, tracing them from the mountains of Colombia and eventually to Mexico City. Now that you and Bob would be experiencing it for yourselves, it lit a new fire of excitement in the both of you.

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

Christmas Eve

Cheyenne Falls, OK

Floyd Ranch

“You gonna be warm (y/n)?” Bob asked as he placed Rudy in your warms, the newborn comfortably swaddled in Joe’s Indian blanket.

“I’ll be perfectly fine,” you told him. “Besides, this little guy is the one I’m most worried about.”

Bob smiled as he kissed Rudy’s delicate little head and placed his little blue pacifier in his mouth. “His first Christmas and he gets to rest in the little manger at the church,” Bob half laughed. “Lucky him.”

“Hey you did it too, remember?” you chuckled.

“Oh you’ve been listening to my mom and my gram’s horror stories again, haven’t you?” Bob laughed, unable to control the grin that broke out on his face.

You kissed him sweetly on the lips, adjusting Rudy in your arms so that he would stay warm. “C’mon,” you said. “Everybody’s waiting.”

You and Bob all went down to meet the rest of the family, each one of them prepared to play their part in the Christmas walk. Auggie stood in front of Hangman, bouncing on his heels with excitement and chattering away with his godfather.

“Ya know Boob, every year since I was this kiddo’s age it’s the same,” Hangman remarked. “I always end up playing a wise man in the Christmas pageant.”

“Wise ass is more like it,” Bob chuckled.

Hangman blew him a raspberry and so didn’t Auggie.

“Hey, you’d better behave yourself good sir,” Bob warned him. “Otherwise you’re going on Santa’s naughty list.”

“Yes Daddy,” Auggie chirped, straightening himself up.

The chatter died down as soon as Mickey’s grandparents, Pedro and Alma, entered the room, motioning for everyone to come gather around, linking their hands as Abuelo Pedro said a quick Hail Mary for a safe journey.

Outside everyone went where Joe had readied Nestor with his little saddle. Bob helped you up, making sure that Rudy was safe, the both of you quickly quieting the cry that escaped his throat. Pedro and Alma helped each person in the group light the fat tapers they held in their hands, some red, pink, blue, purple, gold and green.

“Shall we go?” Alma asked.

Auggie stood beside her and the others at the front, Bob holding Nestor’s bridle as the others followed close behind. Auggie began to play, unable to resist the thought of doing so. He looked up at Alma before she smiled down at him, laughing a little as she remembered Mickey doing the same thing when he had been Auggie’s age.

It wasn’t long before you heard Bob’s voice singing those familiar words, the others joining in along with you, your voices becoming nearly one as they sang the tale of the little boy who had nothing to give, save for the beautiful music he made with his simple drum.

Other families, many of them Joe and Irene’s neighbors, had come to join the group, shutting their doors with a candle or a lantern in their hands. The Changs and their four grown sons climbed over the fence, Ali and Noor El Bisi following behind them with a lantern that Ali’s father had brought with him from Egypt, the Whittaker’s and their brood of twelve, the eldest in college and the youngest barely a toddler. So many families from far corners of the world and all walks of life, joined you and the rest of the squad, journeying through the cold and snow to the edge of the town where St. Michael’s Church had stood since the early days of the wild west, built by the hands of the Irish, Italians, Germans and so many others who had come to find shelter in the prairie hills.

Your eyes looked down at Rudy as you sang, yours and Bob’s precious newborn, fast asleep as the choir of voices sang along with yours. Your eyes soon met Bob’s, that same loving look that never left his eyes since the two of you had gotten married.

At last the huge stone church came into view, tall and looming, the lights visible in the stained glass windows as onlookers had gathered to watch and take pictures or short videos, all of them in awe of the voices that sang across the hills in the dark, your faces illuminated only by the light of the flames that flickered from the candle wicks.

Near the doors of the church, you could see Father Gonzales, the grandfather of one of Auggie’s classmates, a huge smile on his face and yours growing broader knowing that you and Bob were surrounded by the people you loved the most.

“Merry Christmas Bob,” you whispered to him. “I love you.”

“I love you too sweetheart,” he whispered back. “Merry Christmas.”

That night, you said a silent “thank you” for the family you had and the people who had made your life worth living.

#top gun maverick #robert bob floyd #bob floyd x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #natasha phoenix trace #reuben payback fitch #javy coyote machado #mickey fanboy garcia #pete maverick mitchell #dagger squad #dagger squad christmas fics

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rebelliousstories · 1 year

Text

Friends

25 Days of Ficmas

Relationship: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Reader

Fandom: Top Gun: Maverick

Request: No

Warnings: Mentions of Carol, Sickness, and Death, Slight Angst, Allusions to Adult Themes, Fluff

Word Count: 871

Masterlist: Here

Top Gun Masterlist: Here

Summary: Friends-mas. Or the Dagger Team gets together and Mrs. Bradshaw has to convince Bradley to go.

“I don’t wanna go baby! Why can’t we just have dinner here?” Bradley whined loudly as his wife finished getting ready for dinner. She looked at him with an amused grin and finished putting on her earrings. Her shoes were the next to come on as Bradley flopped back onto the bed.

“BB, it’s a friendly Christmas dinner. We’ll have our normal Christmas dinner in soon but this is with the team. Now come on, handsome,” she grabbed his hands and pulled him up with a groan, “shoes and coat. Let’s go.” But he didn’t move to put on his coat or his shoes. Instead, he came up behind his wife while she looked over herself once more in the mirror. His hands grasped her hips, and he slotted himself up to her back with his nose pressed into her neck. Taking a deep inhale, he bathed himself in the warm vanilla scent, mixed with sweet peppermint. They began to sway side to side thanks the Bradley. She started to giggle as he pressed feather light kisses along her skin.

“But I can find a better reason for us to stay in tonight. Plus it’s way more fun.” He teased, spinning his wife around in his arms. His drifted down to her waist, and even a little lower though he wouldn’t admit it, while her’s went to his neck and shoulders.

“As much as I would love that, BB, we really gotta get going or we’re going to be late.” She pressed a single kiss to his lips, and went to go grab their coats. Bradley sighed, and dropped his head and shoulders in defeat. Slipping on his coat that was handed to him, he took his lady’s hand and helped her out to the truck. It was a short drive to the Hard Deck where Penny had graciously allowed the team to host their dinner this evening. But, pulling up into the parking lot, Bradley switched off the vehicle and sat there, while his wife got out.

She noticed that he made no move to follow her; he just stared at the front door with a vacant expression. There was a sneaky suspicion in her heart that something like this would happen, so she made her way around the truck. Gently opening the driver’s door, her hands went to Bradley’s chest. Silently, he swung his legs around the side and pulled her in close. She petted his hair, careful not to mess up his careful styling. The soothing mention of her hands running up and down his back lulled him into a sense of safety.

“What’s going on, BB? There’s something bothering you.” A soft kiss was placed at his temple, while he took another deep breath in.

“I’m nervous.” He quietly admitted from deep in her neck.

“About what, stud? It’s just the gang.” She didn’t understand where he was coming from, but she wanted to.

“It’s not the people. It’s the… it’s the event.” His wife didn’t open her mouth to reply. Instead, she let him get out what he needed to in his own time. He pulled back and looked at her face before continuing.

“The last time I had a Christmas dinner with someone other than you, was the Christmas before my mom died.” Bradley had to pause as he thought about that Christmas. He didn’t cry, but he looked like he may.

“Mom was so weak that she could barely pick up a utensil, so I sat by her bed and feed her Christmas dinner that I made that day. Maverick came over and helped me move her to her recliner so we could watch movies all day together like we had always done. It was the last time I saw either of them until this mission. My mom passed a few months after that.” Her heart hurt. She couldn’t imagine going through all these years and not having anyone to spend Christmas with until her. Gently, she cradled his face in her hands and made him look at her. His eyes were red but there were no tears.

“Bradley, it’s okay. Thank you for telling me. We’re going to have a great time though. And if you get uncomfortable or want to leave, just let me know and we’ll go. No one will make you stay but you, okay?” He nodded at her kind words and smiled when she pressed a kiss to his forehead. He returned the favor and grasped her hand tightly in his. Bradley led them inside when the room erupted in cheers as the Bradshaws arrived. Maverick got up to greet them with warm hugs, and led them to the table where the rest of the Dagger team got up to greet them as well.

Bradley stayed through the whole dinner that night. He was so glad he did. Jokes, laughter and smiles were on the menu as well as stories from Christmases past. And each time he would feel all warm inside, he looked towards his wife who was enjoying her own evening with the women at the table. He didn’t know how he got so lucky, but he was very glad that he came to Friendmas this year.

#rebelliousstories #writing #top gun imagine #top gun #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw imagine #rooster imagine #rooster bradshaw imagine #rooster bradshaw fic #rooster x wife!reader #rooster x reader #25 days of ficmas #25 days of christmas

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nimuetheseawitch · 5 months

Link

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Top Gun (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin Characters: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Established Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Holidays, Ugly Holiday Sweaters, Christmas Cookies, and some hanukkah cookies, Christmas Fluff, it's so damn fluffy, no beta we die like goose Series: Part 2 of Baker Bradley Summary:

“Hey honeybuns, whatchya making?” Jake planted a kiss on his shoulder before hooking his chin over it to take a look at the gingerbread.

Bradley only stiffened in surprise for a moment before practically melting into Jake’s arms. Jake could feel his grin where their faces touched. “Well, sweet cheeks, what does it look like?”

“It looks like you’re making enough gingerbread to both house and feed an army.”

Bradley laughed at that. “You think you’re up for helping me out?”

“I’ll make the best gingerbread house you’ve ever seen.”

#top gun #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #hangster #my fic #bradley rooster bradshaw #jake hangman seresin #bradley bradshaw x jake seresin #christmas fic #oh my god i cannot believe i wrote christmas fluff #it's disgustingly saccharine

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baby-girl-e · 1 year

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Christmas Tree Farm

Characters - Iceman x Maverick, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw

Summary - Maverick and Ice have their first Christmas with Bradley after Carole’s death. Just a couple of new dads doing their best to raise a happy kid.

Word Count - 3.5k

Warnings - Canon- Character deaths; Mentions of period-typical homophobia

A/N - Sorry for the wait on this one, I started it a while ago and then life happened you know? I hope this one is happy and Christmas-y enough for you, I added a sprinkling of fluffy angst because I can’t help myself! This is also my first Kazansky-Mitchell-Bradshaw family fic so let me know what you think!

Without further ado... Christmas Tree Farm based on the song by Taylor Swift

It was the first Christmas that Maverick had Bradley since Carole died. He would’ve taken the kid to his grandparents house but for all that he tried he just couldn’t get in touch with the Bradshaws. Carole’s parents had been dead for longer than he’d known her, but he always knew that Nick’s parents were around and had spoken to them many times before he had died. The number he had for them, that he wrote down at her funeral, was right but he got their machine every time. With no call back he just had to assume they were out of town. He didn’t dare to think it was because they were ignoring him, how could they possibly not want to be with the coolest kid in the universe on Christmas?

So here Maverick was, standing in the middle of Target staring at the coats looking clueless. Bradley had outgrown his last one and Ice had insisted he needed a new one before they went to the Christmas tree farm the next day. He reminded his boyfriend that they still lived in San Diego and it didn’t get far below 50 degrees fahrenheit, especially not in the middle of the day. Ice had lovingly reminded him that not everyone was raised in the midwest and that this kid went from living in Texas to living in California and wasn’t used to the cold.

“Need some help?” A kind looking lady pushing a shopping cart with what looked to be a kid Bradley’s age next to it, noticed his confused gaze.

“Oh, um I’m fine I just have no idea what I’m doing here.” He thought he may as well be honest with the stranger.

“How old is the kid? I’ve had a few myself.”

“He’s uh six.” Wow, time flew. It felt like just yesterday Nick had handed him a tiny bundle that just blinked up at him, unknowingly looking at his future pseudo father.

“Well then he’s probably the same size as Matty here. What size did you last get him?” He internally winced at that. He didn’t check the size on the one that didn’t fit and he wasn’t the one that bought it for him, Carole was.

“I don’t know, this is my first year as his dad.” She gave him a weird look and he decided to add more to make himself not sound like a dead-beat. “His parents and I were best friends, his dad died two years ago and his mom this summer. So now he’s mine.”

She gave him a sad look and boy was he sick of those. It wasn’t her fault, what else was she supposed to do when told that story? It’s the polite thing to do.

“Oh I’m so sorry. Do you at least have your wife around to help?” He almost laughed. No, but he had an Ice. A boyfriend that stuck by his side through thick and thin and god was he so damn lucky. He didn’t have a wife, but he was better so Maverick found himself agreeing.

“Yeah I do. She’s usually better at this stuff but she’s working late.” He really had to keep the laughter at bay by referring to Ice as his wife. He couldn’t wait to tell Tom about this later.

“Well not to worry I can help. Does he look about the same size as Matty?”

“Yeah I think so. I would’ve brought him but he was just having so much fun at his friends house.” It was actually the Metcalfs but how was he supposed to say he didn’t want to stop listening to Viper explain the mechanics of an F-6? Weird kid.

“Oh I understand, I won’t shop with the kids if I can help it. He’s usually a size 5-6, a little tip is that they’re sized with the same number as the ages so if they’re average sized then you should be safe. For coats however I always go a size up so that it at least lasts for two seasons. Shoes are kinda similar, but you don’t want to go too big or he’ll trip.”

Really he should’ve been writing this down, but he’s a pilot for god sake he can remember stuff.

“Oh thank you. I’ll have to remember this for when we need to get him new shoes. I don’t think he will for a while.”

“Of course, we parents have to stick together. Maybe bring your wife next time so it’s less painless!” He’s one hundred percent sure his ‘wife’ would have wanted to be here today but the Navy didn’t give time off for clothes shopping for the kid you and your secret boyfriend share. Maverick was only here because he wasn’t yet trusted to do the paperwork side of TOP GUN.

“She’ll be here next time I’m sure. I’m not usually allowed to even do the grocery shopping let alone this. I don’t know why she puts up with me.” He laughed as he said it but it was true. He didn’t feel like he deserved him at times.

“I’m sure love has something to do with it. Good luck!” And with that the nice stranger left him in the coat aisle gaping.

Eventually he picks what he thinks might work, a hat and gloves that match, and heads back to their little house. When he gets home he calls Ice to check in and also to see if he’ll pick Bradley up from the Metcalf’s.

“Kazansky speaking.” Maverick had to stop himself from giggling at his deep voice, it never failed to make him swoon.

“Hey babe, how’s work?” Pete could hear a sigh of relief over the phone, probably because he’d been expecting it to be a work call.

“It’s killing me baby. Just a few more minutes and I’ll be home free.” The way Tom had drawled through baby was making him sweat.

“I’ll have dinner ready when you get home if you want to swing by the Metcalfs on your way and grab baby goose?” Viper and his wife had long since found out about their relationship, Pete accidentally using babe in the workplace, but they never bat an eye. After Pete’s inevitable breakdown his fathers former best friend reassured the couple that their secret is safe with him and if they’re comfortable they could come to Sunday dinners with his wife and really be a real couple. Small mercies.

“Why in god's name is he at the Metcalfs without you?”

“Because I had to grab something from Carrie after work and Bradley wanted to come. Mike was telling him about some F-6 and it was like pulling teeth getting him to leave. They offered to keep him until you got off so I said yes. I’m telling you Tom our son is so weird.”

Our son slipped out of his mouth like it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was, Pete quite liked the little family he had made for himself.

“Well that’s because he’s been spending too much time with you. I say we switch places and see which dad he takes after.” It seemed Tom thought it was natural too. Pete didn’t want to erase the kids memory of his real dad, but he also didn’t want him to grow up without one like he did.

“You’d love that wouldn’t you? Just go get him and get your ass home so I can finally kiss you. I’ve been dying to since you thought it’d be fun to chew on that stupid pen.” The worst part about working with your secret boyfriend was for sure the whole keeping your hands to yourself part.

“That got you going huh? Maybe I’ll keep it up.” He could practically hear the smirk. Oh god.

“Not unless you want to be slapped with a DD. Good god I’m hanging up, Love you.”

“Love you too.” Tom was laughing through his words but then the line went dead. Pete couldn’t help but laugh too. God he loved that man.

///

About an hour later Pete could hear both keys jingling in the lock and a small six year old voice chattering on about some plane. He was still in the kitchen when the door opened and heard Tom remind Bradley to take off his wet shoes before he came flying in to say hi to him.

“Pete! Hi!” The little boy was jumping up and down practically begging to be held.

“Baby goose I just saw you a few hours ago, you can’t have possibly missed me already!” He was hugging Bradley tight as Tom came in and pressed a small peck to Pete’s lips.

“I don’t care I missed you!” He was wiggling to get down already and Pete obliged. He called out to the boy to go wash up so they could eat and he heard something that sounded like “okay'' before he disappeared to his room.

Pete shook his head at Tom before striding over to where he was drying his hands. He immediately took his face in his hands and kissed him. Resisting Pete was futile and Tom kissed him back with an urgency he was still getting used to.

They made a point to not kiss in front of the kid, no more than a small peck, but with him distracted they took advantage of the moment. As they pulled back they mumbled greetings before Pete retreated back to putting dinner onto three plates.

“Glad you’re home Tom. I missed you.” Tom blushed and set two out of the three plates on the table.

“And you gave Bradley a hard time for missing you? You’re impossible Pete.”

He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t help it.”

Once they get Bradley downstairs and eating Pete starts to notice Bradley seemed like something’s on his mind. Just picking at his food and being abnormally quiet. Tom picks up on it too because he gives Pete a look before addressing the kid.

“Everything okay baby goose?” They were already worried about raising him, so anytime something went wrong they were both panicked.

“Yeah, can I tell you guys something?” He looked up to them with wary eyes and Pete felt his insides freeze.

“Anything Bradley you know that.” Tom reassured him.

“Well, this morning in class my friends were talking about their dad’s and I don’t know, I just wish I could talk about mine.” They looked at the kid concerned, they knew they’d have to talk about this eventually but Pete wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

“Well you know you have a dad, he’s just not here.” The kid looks sad still and Pete looks to Tom for some assistance. Tom’s at just as much of a loss.

“I know, but I don’t know how to tell the other kids that. Would it be okay… Maybe…” He didn’t seem to be able to get out the words. Tom stepped in.

“It’s okay kiddo, take your time.” Neither had been prepared for parenthood, least of all Tom. He had resigned himself to a life without kid’s a long time ago.

“Do you think it’d be okay if I called you guys dad?”

Tom looked to Pete, like he did in most situations, and Pete looked pale. He never wanted to replace Nick, but Bradley really did deserve to have a dad.

“Oh baby goose, of course that’s okay. But you remember what we talked about with Tom right? That people can’t know we love each other like your parents did.” Bradley nods enthusiastically.

“I remember. But I can still call you dad?” Bradley looked so hopeful but not quite so sure of himself. Like he didn’t know that these men would give him their kidney if he asked.

“Absolutely Bradley. Just as long as you don’t tell people you have two dads, at least for now that’s okay. Tom?” Pete wanted to be sure that he was also okay with it, it’s not like Tom had planned on kids so early into a relationship.

“It’s okay with me buddy. I’m honored that you see me that way. Now go clean up and we’ll watch a Christmas movie?”

He nods again and runs up the stairs leaving his dad’s flabbergasted but deliriously happy in the kitchen. They were a real little family and damnit if they weren’t both over the moon about it.

///

The next day comes quickly, especially when they’re woken up by a little boy jumping on their bed.

“Dad! Dad! We’re getting a Christmas tree today right?” It seemed Bradley wanted to start calling them dad asap. It might get confusing really fast if he doesn’t find another term to call one of them.

“We are buddy, but we have to be patient and get decorations for it first. Your dad and I only have a few things.” He tried on the name himself and Pete was rewarded with a glowing Tom even this early in the morning.

“Okay, I’ll go get ready then. But you need to hurry, not wasting time kissing. Yuck.” He makes a face and collapses into giggles when Tom does exactly what Bradley had requested they not do.

It takes them record time getting Bradley out the door that day, normally having to stop for about a million things but it seems like the kid moved like lightning when he had something to look forward to. He did look cute all bundled up in his new coat, even if he’d have to take it off the minute he got into the car and into his carseat.

They went straight to Walmart to find ornaments and lights and were delighted to walk right into them when they walked in the door. Bradley picked out a set of shiny red ones and even found an F-14 one. Perks of living right near a Navy base.

“Dad! Look, it's the one you fly right?” He had made the mistake of grabbing an F-15 Eagle before and received a long lesson on who had better planes, the Navy or the Air Force.

“That’s right Bradley, put it in the cart.” He did so and scampered off. Pete leaned in close to Tom to whisper to him after.

“I hope he finds another name for one of us. We can’t both be dad, I’m already confused as to who the hell he was just talking to.” Tom laughs and nudges Pete along the aisle.

“I’m sure he will. I wouldn’t mind being called Pops. I’m sure you two can find a joke in there somewhere.” He smiled and winked at Pete before turning towards the ornaments, not missing Pete’s lit up face.

“I love this so much more already. Ice-Pops. That’s amazing.” Tom was laughing too but slowed when he stumbled upon a first christmas ornament. It was pretty generic looking, a tree with a banner below that stated “Our First Family Christmas 1988”.

“What about this one Pete? I know it’s not our first Christmas but it is as a family.” Pete takes it from his boyfriend to examine it.

“It’s perfect Tom. I love it. Should we get one to commemorate our first christmas?” He turned to find another generic one and saw the perfect one. A red heart decorated with snow and candy canes, a similar banner but this one stated “Our First Christmas”.

“I could write 1986 on the back? What do you think? Too obvious?” Tom examined it much like Pete had before placing it in the cart.

“Anyone who doesn’t know about us will not be invited into the house during Christmas time I assure you.” Tom sounded so sure of himself that Pete left it there. They rarely had guests anyways.

Eventually they get Bradley to decide on a star and the rest of the trimmings before Tom tells Pete to go out to the car with Bradley while he purchases the items. They wanted to get to the Christmas tree farm within a reasonable timeframe to maybe try and beat the crowds. They both so desperately wanted this to seem as normal as possible and with lots of people around they’d have to go back to pretending to just be wingmen and not lovers.

As Tom pulled into the lot Bradley was screeching his excitement. “Dad!! Look there it is!!”

“Which dad are you talking to kiddo?” They just needed some clarification already.

“Both of you now, but I think I’m going to call Ice pops. You know, like the Ice cream?” He was giggling and Tom had a smug look on his face. It seems like great minds think alike.

“I love it, baby goose. Let’s go choose our tree shall we?” Bradley was back to screeching and Pete couldn’t unbuckle him fast enough.

The kid ran into the farm with his dad’s in tow, Tom by the hand, and ran right to the tallest one he could find.

“This one Pops! This one.” He was jumping now, pointing as he went.

“Kiddo that won’t fit in our living room, let’s look for a shorter one, yeah?” He re;ented fairly easily for his age and was quickly bounding over to the next one.

He searched every row, multiple times too, looking for that perfect tree. Pete and Tom just looked on, hoping he’d settle on a decently sized and priced one soon. Eventually he did and it was Tom’s turn to get the attendant to wrap it up for them.

Sooner rather than later it was strapped to the car and they were on their way home. Once they got there Tom started up on making soup to warm the chilly boy and Pete figured out how to get it set up and looking nice.

Looking into the living room Tom couldn’t help but tear up. He really never thought that anything like this could ever happen to him, least of all with Pete. When he saw Pete’s plane fall into that flat spin back in 1986 he really thought that was it. That he’d never get the chance to tell Pete how he felt. And moreover, after learning of Nick Bradshaw’s passing he thought Pete would never be the same.

Later, when Pete had admitted his feelings for him and all seemed right he still had a hard time believing it. Just when he had thought that maybe, just maybe they’d be okay, Carole Bradshaw had followed her husband. This was it, he thought. Pete is going to raise Bradley and Tom was going to become just a past fling, it wasn’t like he was going to have time for a relationship and a kid. But here he was. Watching the love of his life wrap lights around a Christmas tree with a child that calls him ‘Pops’.

Later after the kid was in bed, tree decorated and Christmas movies watched, he and Pete sat on the couch basking in each other's arms and the glow of the fire.

“Hey Tom?” Pete was quiet, not because he needed to be but because he didn’t want to disturb the peace they had found.

“Yeah baby?” Tom was drawing idle patterns on Pete’s arm, also not wanting to disturb the peace.

“I love you.” It was so simple, but Tom really wasn’t sure he would ever get used to it.

“I love you too. You know I bought something after you two went out to the car.” It was random but it was in a small bag a couple inches away from him and he couldn’t help himself.

“Oh yeah?” Pete turned slightly towards his partner and raised him a curious brow.

Tom pulled the bag towards where they sat and pulled out a small sprig of mistletoe. Pete blushed and shook his head in laughter.

“Babe, you know you don’t need that to get a kiss right?” He was already inching impossibly closer to Tom, hoping he knew where this was going.

“I know, I just would like something to remind you. Maybe we can keep it up year round.” He was teasing Pete but it seemed he was growing impatient. He grabbed the plant from Tom and held it above their heads before pulling him into a hard kiss. Tom was kissing back in record time and they sank into it.

Kissing wasn’t a new concept to them, obviously, but every time they did it never failed to make Tom’s heart flutter. Pete pulled away and set his arm down around Tom.

They breathed heavily into each other's mouths and Tom broke into a smile. Pete was smiling too by the end and then they were laughing. This was comfortable, this was love.

“Merry Christmas baby.” Pete had caught his breath enough to squeak the words out.

“Merry Christmas Pete.” he hoped and prayed this was the standard for the rest of his Christmases. He finally had everything he ever wanted, a family.

#Icemav #maverick x iceman #iceman x maverick #icemav fic #iceman kazansky #top gun 1986 #top gun maverick #top gun #rooster top gun #bradley bradshaw #baby goose #christmas tree farm #taylor swift

83 notes · View notes

roosterforme · 4 months

Text

Pink Christmas Part 2 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley just wants to make Christmas special for your daughter, and he's nervous he might have blown his cover as Santa. As Christmas Eve approaches, he pulls out all the stops for the two of you. But will you let him give Ellie everything from her wishlist?

Warnings: Fluff, language, single mom reader, mentions of loss of spouse

Length: 7000 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female single!mom Reader

Pink Christmas masterlist. Check out my masterlist for more! Banner by @mak-32. Written for @bellaireland1981 Winter RomCom Challenge

Once you started kissing Bradley, everything came back to you. Fingers in his soft hair, your body pressed to his, and his tongue softly caressing yours. You knew just what to do, and you didn't want to stop. When his big hands came to rest on your back, you couldn't even remember why you'd been nervous in the first place.

Your thumb found the rough stubble and slightly raised scars on his cheek at the same time you heard your front door knob rattling. When you pulled away from Bradley's lips, you looked up at his handsome face and smiled, completely distracted as your daughter let herself inside. You pulled free from Bradley's warm embrace just as you heard Ellie ask him, "Who are you?"

Bradley licked his lips as he examined your face with his pretty brown eyes. Then he turned his full attention to your child. "Are you Ellie?" he asked, and when she nodded and set her backpack down, he reached out to shake her hand. "My name's Bradley. I'm a handyman from the North Pole."

"A handyman?" she asked, shaking his hand firmly. "What does that mean?"

"Means Santa sent me here to set up your pink tree, because he got a little busy this week," he replied so smoothly, you almost believed him yourself.

Ellie gasped and looked past him into the living room. "Santa got my tree!" she gushed. "Mommy!"

"Yeah," you replied with a laugh. "Santa really knows what he's doing."

Bradley looked at you with a little bit of a blush coloring his face, and you were shocked to find that you instinctively wanted to reach for his hand and kiss that pretty shade of pink on his cheeks. You barely managed to stop yourself as he took a step toward you.

"That was close," he muttered, watching Ellie run her hands along all of the ornaments that she could reach. But you were still busy looking at him, because his response to your daughter was what had you melting inside. He had a soft smile on his lips as he laughed. "I think she likes her tree."

You rubbed your fingers along the back of his hand, and his gaze met yours immediately before falling to your lips. "I think so, too."

He nodded toward the door. "I should go," he said slowly. You didn't know how to tell him that for some reason you knew your house would feel too empty if he left right now. When Ellie spoke up, you could have hugged her for her brilliant idea.

"Mommy, is Bradley allowed to stay for pizza?"

You let go of his hand as Ellie came back over with one of the pink heart ornaments. Then you and she both looked up at him as he asked, "Am I allowed to stay?" He looked a bit like a wayward puppy as he added, "I love pizza."

Your heart swelled at the idea of him in your house a little longer, maybe sharing a few more secret touches. "Of course you can stay."

Ellie reached out and took him by the hand, dragging him toward her playroom, and he went willingly as she asked, "Do they have pizza at the North Pole? Which one of Santa's elves is your favorite? I liked Phoenix the best, but I liked grumpy Hangman, too."

Her voice faded as she rambled on, and you could hear Bradley laughing. Then you were alone in the pink glow of the tree as it grew darker outside, and you took your phone out to order pizza just like you always did on Friday nights. But for the first time in a long time, you couldn't stop smiling.

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

"I've never played dolls before," Bradley said as Ellie picked one up to brush its hair.

"That's okay," she replied, handing him a different doll. "I'll show you how. It's not really that hard. Just brush her hair and make her look pretty for the party we're taking them to."

Bradley grunted and picked up one of the toy brushes. "I think I can handle that."

A few minutes later, he was very into coordinating which outfit his doll was going to wear to the birthday party they were going to be attending. "How does this look?" he asked her, and she handed him a pink ribbon.

"She needs a bow in her hair."

"Right," he muttered, and he tried a few times, but his fingers seemed to be too big to get it right.

As he was struggling with it, Ellie paused what she was doing and said, "You seem really familiar."

"Do I?" he asked cautiously, still fighting the bow and hoping she didn't immediately realize that he was in fact Santa Claus.

She was quiet for a beat before she said, "I think you remind me of my dad." Bradley's eyes met hers, but she didn't look sad or upset, just resigned. "He was good at dolls, too. But not tying the bows."

Then Bradley felt your hand on his shoulder as you said, "Do you need a hand?" He nodded and passed the doll to you, watching as you made it look so easy to tie the perfect bow. "Pizza will be here soon," you said softly, handing the doll back to him.

"Thanks," he whispered, still surprised by your daughter's words. Somehow it didn't make him feel nervous or weird to be compared to your late husband. But it did come with a sense of responsibility of sorts. He already ordered Ellie her pink art kit, but he found himself just wanting to spend time with the two of you. The kisses had been one thing, but playing dolls and eating pizza seemed natural as well.

When the food arrived, Bradley hopped up and tried to pay for it, but you'd already put it on your credit card. So he snatched your wallet out of your hand and pulled tip money out of his own for the delivery guy. And if he was able to get his arms around you in the process and press a soft kiss to your cheek, it was just a bonus for him. Then he watched you cut a slice of pizza in half for your daughter as you tried to hide your smile from him.

"Where did the flowers come from?" Ellie asked, pointing at the big bouquet and the smaller one.

"Santa sent them with me," he replied, picking up the small one so she could smell them. "He told me that you and your mom both like pink."

"Santa knows everything," she said as she nodded, and Bradley smiled down at her. "I want to eat by the tree," she insisted when you handed her a plate and a juice box.

"Yeah," Bradley agreed as he picked out some slices of pizza. "Me too." So you handed him a juice box as well, and he followed Ellie back to the living room with a smile. The three of you sat on the floor in a little circle next to the tree, and Bradley regaled the two of you with made up stories about the North Pole. Ellie was in stitches, and you bit your lip every time she laughed, your smile absolutely infectious.

Bradley ended up eating Ellie's pizza crust as you cleaned up the plates, and he knew it was time for him to leave. It was late. But he was nervous he wouldn't see you before Christmas Eve when he planned to come by as Santa.

"Mommy, can Bradley come back and look at Christmas lights with us?"

You paused as Bradley stood up next to the pink tree, and then you said, "Ellie, I'm not even sure where to go for that in San Diego."

"I could ask Santa," Bradley blurted out. "I'm sure he'd know the best spots in any city to see Christmas lights."

"Yeah!" Ellie agreed. "Santa would know!"

You only hesitated for a second before you said, "Only if it's not going to take up too much of your time."

Bradley patted Ellie on the head and said, "I can make time for that. Let me get back to the North Pole and ask Santa where the best lights are. Thanks for teaching me how to play dolls." Then he met your gaze and said, "And thanks for the pizza."

"It's our pleasure," you told him, echoing his own words from the other day.

He swallowed hard; the urge to lean in and kiss you was so strong. He fought it though, because he knew he had another excuse to see you both again soon. Then he forced himself toward the door. "I'll be in touch," he promised, and when he opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch, he noticed Ellie's gaze settle on his Bronco, a look of curiosity on her face.

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

You were a mess the rest of the weekend, texting Bradley late into the night on both Friday and Saturday after Ellie was in bed. You found yourself continually peeking at the selfie he sent you like a kid trying to find their Christmas presents early. He was just that damn good looking.

More importantly, he was sweet. He had invited you and your daughter to join him on a drive down to Imperial Beach to look at lights on Tuesday night, and of course you'd immediately agreed.

Ellie and I wouldn't miss it.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: I'll pick you up at six. I already have a little treat for the ride.

You giggled and flopped down on your bed, eyeing your wedding photo across the room. "I really like him," you said out loud with a grin. Then you texted Bradley back.

What kind of treat?

He must have been holding his phone, his response came that quickly.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: Something pretty and sweet, just like you. I absolutely can't get you off of my mind. Not that I'm trying very hard.

"Okay," you said out loud, finding it easier to give yourself a little pep talk when he got you flustered like this. "You can do this. Be cool."

I thought you looked cute in your Santa beard, but your real mustache is even better.

There. Flirtatious but not too much. A solid response. You gave yourself a little pat on the shoulder. But then he upped the ante just a tiny bit by sending a selfie of him blushing. You groaned, because his mustache was immaculate, and you wanted to get your lips all over his cheeks and see if you could make his blush deepen.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: I've been thinking about our first kiss on repeat. When Santa shows up on Christmas Eve, are you going to kiss him, too?

You laughed as you texted him back.

Yes. I think I have a crush on both of you.

Then you got yourself into bed, knowing it would feel like a very long wait for Tuesday night to arrive, but you fell asleep with a smile on your lips when he wrote back.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: Then I feel doubly lucky.

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

It was honestly a good thing you had so much to do for work, because it took your mind off of your nerves. But when Tuesday evening finally arrived, your hands were shaking as you tried to get ready in front of your bathroom mirror. You kept looking at the most recent text in your thread with Bradley, and it was bringing out your anxious energy. It was a simple message with a photo attached, but now you were second guessing everything.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: I hope I look good in pink.

He did. He looked fantastic in his pink and black floral print shirt. That wasn't the issue. It was your daughter's words echoing through your mind as she stood in the bathroom doorway that had you rattled.

"Hey, Mommy? Is Bradley going to be your boyfriend?"

You looked at her as you tried to put on some lip gloss. "Do you want him to be?"

"Maybe," she replied, eyes narrowing a bit. "I just need to do a little more research and make sure he's the one I asked for."

You almost laughed. You would have if you weren't so nervous. "What kind of research? And what do you mean the one you asked for?"

Ellie just shrugged in response. "I'll take care of it. You look pretty, Mommy."

Your throat felt tight as you swallowed against the thing that was really bothering you and whispered, "If Bradley ever does become my boyfriend, he's not going to replace the memory of your dad. Understand?"

Ellie nodded and sighed sadly. "I understand. But you said he's not coming back."

"He's not," you confirmed softly. The sharp, stabbing pangs of sadness had dulled a bit over time, however you still felt one now. But you'd also spend days doing some soul searching over the fact that you knew you were attracted to everything about Bradley. You didn't feel as hesitant around him as you thought you would after losing your husband. After more than a year alone with Ellie, you felt like this could be something.

Then your daughter helped you push your thoughts aside as she said, "Bradley was pretty good at playing dolls, and I could teach him how to be even better. And he looked like he was good at holding your hand."

"Oh," you gasped, setting your makeup aside. You didn't think she'd seen that, but she didn't seem upset in the least about it. "Yeah... he was good at it."

"Is it almost time to go look at lights?" she asked you just as your doorbell rang.

"Oh god," you groaned softly, butterflies and unidentified nerves erupting inside you. What if you did something stupid tonight? What if you didn't even know what to talk about?

"He's here!" Ellie called as she ran for the front door with you right behind her. And when she swung the door open wide, there he was in his pink shirt with a bright smile on his face and two, oversized pink candy canes in one hand.

"Hey, Ellie," he replied easily as she beamed up at him. Then he looked at you and his smile faltered a bit. He swallowed, and it took him a few seconds to greet you. When he did, it was just one raspy word. "Hi."

"Hi," you replied softly, and the butterflies were still going wild, but the nerves were replaced with longing. "Bradley."

Ellie was reaching for the candy canes, and he patted the top of her head, but he was still looking at you. "Hi," he repeated, and you couldn't help but laugh. "See, talking to you in person is way better than texting, even though you take all the thoughts out of my brain and all the words out of my mouth."

You ducked your head to the side and covered your embarrassingly large grin with your hands as Ellie asked, "Are these for my mom and me? Santa's usually the one who brings us pink treats."

"Oh," Bradley replied, "well, these ones are from me. I hope that's okay. I saw these fancy candy canes at the North Pole sweet shop and thought of the two of you."

Ellie was already unwrapping hers, and Bradley held the other one up right in front of his chest with a grin, coaxing you closer. "Thank you for the treats. And for taking us to look at lights," you said, letting your fingers meet his as you took your candy cane.

"It's my pleasure."

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

Bradley didn't know really how booster seats worked, but you moved one from your car to his Bronco, and then Ellie climbed in.

"Are we ready to look at lights?" he asked as he started the engine.

"Yes!" she replied from the backseat. "Did Santa tell you the best place to go?"

"He absolutely did. And he remembered that you liked pink, so I'm thinking there might be a special surprise for you."

"Special surprise?" you asked from next to him in the front seat. It had been so long since he'd had even one passenger let alone two. When your fingers came creeping across the leather seat, he reached for your tentative hand and held it tight in his.

"It's a surprise for you, too," he promised, hoping you had no idea what the grand finale of the drive through light show was going to be.

You laced the fingers of your left hand with his right, and Bradley had to take a calming breath. He hadn't felt this strongly about someone in a long time, and he just met you. But his brain had already been filling in the blanks of how good it might feel to be around you the longer he got to know you, because the chemistry was definitely there.

He glanced at your profile at a red light and reached with his left hand to turn on the radio to the station that was playing Christmas music. Then he pulled your hand a little closer to him as the light turned green, and he could see you smiling out of the corner of his eye. "How's that candy cane?" he asked Ellie, glancing in the rearview mirror.

"Good! It tastes like cotton candy."

"Do you like cotton candy?" he asked, noting you were still holding your treat in your right hand.

"All kids like cotton candy!" Ellie squealed with a laugh.

"I like cotton candy. Does that make me a kid?" he asked her as he turned left toward the beach, the darkest streaks of pink and purple running along the horizon behind the setting sun.

She giggled in delight and so did you. "No, you're too big," Ellie told him. "Nice try."

"Harsh," Bradley muttered as he made another turn, and then the enormous light display along the beach came into view. "Okay, here we are." He turned your way as he pulled up to the kiosk to pay, saying, "I'm going to need my hand back."

You immediately pulled your hand away from him and hurriedly said, "No problem," as he reached for his wallet.

He chuckled and said, "It's coming right back to you once I pay, so don't get too comfy."

"Oh, I can pay!" you tried to insist as you scrambled for your bag on the floor by your feet, giving Bradley enough time to hand over some cash and pull through the gate toward the light displays.

"Absolutely not," he said as you gave up and tossed your bag back to the floor. "Now where did your hand go?"

You turned to look at him before glancing back at Ellie who was mesmerized by the lights all around the Bronco. "Right here." And then Bradley felt your hand slip into his grasp where it already felt like it belonged.

"That's better."

He barely took his foot off the brake pedal to keep coasting forward behind the car in front of him, and he hummed along to the music on the radio. Ellie's commentary from the backseat was pretty amusing with her occasional interjections of "Frosty!" and "Rudolph!"

The light display was massive, and there was a long line of cars in front of them, which was great. Bradley didn't want to rush taking the two of you back home again. Especially not when you leaned in a little closer to him and whispered, "Thanks for this. She's having a great time."

Bradley came to a stop in front of a lit up display of ice skating penguins and turned to face you. "So am I. Been having a pretty great time since I met the two of you."

You whimpered, and Bradley squeezed your hand a little tighter as he fought the desire to lean in closer and kiss you. Then you whispered his name, and he nearly lost the battle. "Bradley. Are you still going to want to see us after Christmas?"

When he opened his mouth to tell you he wanted to see you every day, Ellie gasped in the backseat. "It looks like Santa's sleigh!"

Bradley turned to face forward, and sure enough, Santa's sleigh was just ahead, and the other cars had started to move up as well. "Sure does," he replied to her as he coasted forward so she could see. Now you were looking at the lights as well, and Bradley watched all the colors dance across your face. When you tilted your head to look at him, he said, "I'm going to want to see you as much as you'll let me."

A soft smile curled along your lips as he kept moving the Bronco forward. You didn't respond, but your fingers laced with his again, and Bradley could feel your thumb stroking along his. He took that as a pretty good sign, and then you and Ellie both started to laugh at the same time.

"Hey," Bradley said when he saw them, too. "A bunch of pink flamingos for my two pink loving girls."

"I love them!" Ellie gushed, clapping her hands as Bradley pulled up between two light displays of hundreds of flamingos wearing Santa hats. "So much pink!"

Then your lips were on his cheek before brushing back toward his ear, and he had to stop the Bronco again as your hand grazed his knee. "This is the best," you laughed softly.

If you wanted to, he'd bring you both back tomorrow and the next night and the night after that. He wanted to watch your face illuminated by the pink lights as you bit your lip and smiled. He wanted to hear Ellie's laughter from the backseat while she sang Jingle Bells.

Bradley moved the Bronco as slowly as he could so you could enjoy the flamingos for as long as possible. Then he drove through fake snow being blasted at all of the cars which somehow made him feel like he was back in Virginia again.

"I do not miss the snow," you told him, cradling his hand like you did this all the time. He very carefully pulled back out onto the road using one hand, because the last thing he wanted was to let go of you.

"But Mommy, what if it's snowing at the North Pole?" Ellie asked. "How will we visit Bradley?"

Shit. He didn't know what to say, because he didn't want to confuse her or mess this up. "Maybe after the busy holiday, Santa will let me spend a little more time in San Diego so you don't have to brave the snow again."

Ellie hummed skeptically from the backseat as Bradley wound his way back through the neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city. "Yeah... that might work," she replied. "I'm going to have to stay up on Christmas Eve and have a conversation with Santa."

"I'll remind him to bring his A game," Bradley muttered. "Now let me drop the two of you off since you still have school tomorrow."

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

You watched Bradley lift Ellie out of his Bronco, and then he moved her booster seat back to your car for you. When he walked both of you up to the porch, he had his hand at the middle of your back, his fingers teasing at your waist in the cool, night air. When you approached the front door, however, he knelt down in front of Ellie and asked, "Did you have fun?"

"Yes!"

"Should I tell Santa that was a good light display?"

"Yes!"

"Did you like the flamingos?"

"So much!" Then she flung her arms around his neck and said, "Thank you." The fact that your daughter seemed perpetually happy around this man whether he was dressed as Santa or just being himself had you nervously wiping your palms along your jeans.

"You're welcome. I'll see you soon?" he asked, patting the top of her head as he stood, eyeing you as he asked the question.

"Yes," you answered quickly as you opened the front door. You paused once Ellie walked inside, and you turned toward her. "Start getting ready for bed. I'll be up in just a minute."

"Okay. Bye, Bradley."

"Bye, Ellie," he replied with a laugh, but you were already pulling the door closed, leaving you and him alone on the porch together.

"Hey, I had a great time-" he began, but you cut him off when you lunged for him. You couldn't help it. Bradley caught you in his big arms, and wrapped you up tight against him as he grinned. "-with you tonight."

Your fingers were tangled in his soft curls as your lips mashed against his, but even with you pressed right up to his body in desperation, he was a gentleman. His hands were splayed across your back, rubbing up and down, slowly bunching the fabric of your shirt.

"Me too," you promised between kisses, nodding slightly as you nibbled on his lip. He hummed softly as your hand drifted down to the back of his neck, and he deepened the kiss. His tongue tasted sweet, and you felt beautiful and desirable when you were with him.

But you broke the kiss and whispered, "I need to get Ellie in bed."

"Right. Right." He was still holding you close, still slowly rubbing your back with his hands. And then you kissed him one more time, because you needed to. It was soft and perfect just like Friday when you helped him decorate the tree. "I'll see you soon," he whispered as his nose grazed your cheek.

You felt your whole body tingle as he pressed one more slightly rougher kiss to your lips before turning back to his Bronco. You had to fight the urge to chase him down for more, waving like an idiot as he pulled away instead. There were just a few more days until Christmas, and you wondered if it would be too forward of you to tell him that he's the only thing you wanted for yourself this year.

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

Bradley took a deep breath as he pulled on his red flight suit and grabbed his matching hat and white beard. It was getting late for Ellie to still be awake, but you'd promised him it was okay to stop by around 9:30. He wasn't quite sure what to expect, but he hoped she was still excited to see Santa.

With Christmas music playing and wrapped gifts on the front seat, Bradley spent the drive over trying to decide how to explain to your daughter that he was the same person when he was dressed as Santa and when he was just himself. Just Bradley. And then he started to get antsy. Just Bradley. He didn't have much to offer to either of you. Just a guy who occasionally got deployed and suddenly liked the color pink.

When he parked in front of your place, he sat for a minute, afraid he was going to do or say the wrong thing. If Ellie still believed in the magic of Santa Claus, he didn't want to take that from her. He glanced toward your front window and saw movement. The two of you were dancing in front of the lit up pink tree, and a smile found its way to his face.

"Just be Santa," he said out loud, snatching up the presents and closing the door behind him.

With his beard and hat securely in place, he knocked and immediately heard Ellie squeal. "It's Santa! I just know it!"

And then she was there, swinging the door open so quickly, Bradley was surprised it stayed on the hinges. "Merry Christmas," he greeted, getting the wind knocked out of him by the five year old launching herself at him and by how cute both of you looked in your matching pink snowflake pajamas.

"Santa!" Ellie gushed, reaching for his hand to lead him inside. "We made you some heart shaped cookies with icing!"

"I love that," he replied, but his eyes were stuck on you. Bradley could just tell you'd welcome a kiss from him right now, and he wanted to give you one, but instead he followed you over to the tree.

"Cookies and some hot chocolate," you told him, picking up a plate of sweets and that same mug he drank from last week. "Just for you, Santa."

Bradley set down the presents, including the art kit filled with every shade of pink paint anyone could possibly want. That's when he noticed that instead of eating the pink candy cane he gave you on Tuesday night, you'd hung it on one of the tree branches. He was already smiling when he saw the little box with a gift tag next to his boot that said "TO: SANTA. FROM: ELLIE."

"This is for me?" he asked, bending to pick it up.

Ellie nodded, looking up at him hopefully. "I made you something."

"Well then I'm sure I'll love it," he replied.

He was just starting to unwrap his gift when Ellie turned toward you and asked, "Mommy, would it be okay if I talk to Santa alone for a minute?"

Bradley's fingers stilled as you nodded and softly said, "I'll just go sit on the steps." You bent to kiss the top of Ellie's head before smiling softly at Bradley, and then you were gone. And he was alone with a child who was eyeing him with such curiosity, it made his heart beat a little faster.

Ellie tugged on his hand until he was kneeling, and then she leaned in a little closer. Bradley felt like he was under a microscope as she examined him, but then she smiled.

"You were a very convincing fake Santa. But after you brought the tree over, I knew it was you right away, Bradley."

"You did?" he asked, heart plummeting as her words washed over him. If he just ruined Santa Claus for this adorable little girl, he didn't know what he'd do with himself.

"Yeah. I figured out that you were the same guy since both Santa and Bradley drive the same car and have the same voice."

Oh, shit. His eyes went wide as she pulled his beard down below his chin and smiled at him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't actually intend to lie to you about being a North Pole handyman."

"I know," she said, taking his gift from his hand and opening it up for him. Inside the box were two Christmas ornaments. They were made out of construction paper with popsicle sticks glued to look like pictures in frames, and there were ribbons attached to the top so they could be hung.

"Ellie," he whispered, taking them both out of the box to inspect them more closely in the soft, pink light. She'd taken the time to draw pictures on both of them. The first one said ELLIE and had a well drawn F/A-18 and some elves along with a pink candy cane and three flamingos. The other ornament said SANTA and was complete with pink flowers, a pink tree and a picture of a man. "Is that supposed to be me?" he asked her softly.

"Yeah. But just you, Bradley. Not really Santa."

"Thanks," he muttered, not sure how to tell a five year old that this was perhaps the best gift he'd ever received in his adult life.

But now she was standing with her hands on her hips. "I need to know what happened when you went to talk to the real Santa after the air show. And don't lie to me this time."

"What do you mean?" he asked, heart beating faster again.

"Since you got permission to dress as a pretend Santa for kids like me at the air show, you get to sometimes talk to the real Santa Claus, right?"

Oh. Maybe he hadn't completely fucked this up after all. "Of course. That's how it works when you get chosen to be a Santa representative."

"Yeah," she said, nodding like a CEO closing a business deal. "That's what I thought."

"You're a very smart kid," he told her with a smile, but clearly she wasn't quite finished with him yet.

"So? What happened when you talked to him? Did Santa know you'd be perfect? Is that why you kept coming back to our house to see my mom?"

"Perfect?" he asked cautiously.

She grinned at him as she said, "Yeah. The perfect boyfriend for my mom. The one I asked for."

Bradley was speechless. That's what he wanted to be. Your boyfriend. Maybe more than that someday. His eyes roamed Ellie's face, so innocent in the way she still believed there was magic here. But maybe there actually was. "Yes. That's exactly what happened, Kiddo. I went to meet with Santa, and I told him what was on your wishlist. And I told him how important it was that you got everything you wanted since you're always on the nice list."

She clapped her hands and bobbed up and down. "And he knew you'd be the perfect boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Bradley said, throat tight with emotion. "He knew I'd fall for your mom and you and the color pink and just all of it."

She hugged him tight, and he scooped her up and hung both homemade ornaments on the pink tree. "Merry Christmas," she whispered.

"Merry Christmas," he replied. "Think it's okay if I talk to your mom now?"

She nodded, and he carried her to the stairs where you were sitting with your own mug of hot chocolate waiting for them. "You ready for bed, Ellie?" you asked, looking between your daughter and Bradley with his beard down below his chin with some concern.

Then Ellie kissed his cheek and said, "Goodnight, Bradley," as he set her down on the steps next to you.

"Night, Ellie," he replied, and he watched her kiss you too before climbing the stairs and going into a room that was lit by the soft glow of a nightlight. And then you and he were alone, and you were sliding over to make room on the step next to you.

Your hesitant smile made him a little lightheaded as you asked, "So she knows you're Santa from the air show?"

He chuckled softly. "Something like that. But don't worry, she still knows that the real Santa exists. She's got quite the imagination."

"Yeah, I don't think I'll ever have to worry about that," you replied, setting down your mug and reaching for his hand. It was the easy way you laced your fingers with his once again that spurred him on. You were grinning as he leaned in to kiss you, his white beard tickling your chin. "Hi, Santa," you whispered against his lips, and he just knew this was how it was supposed to be.

When he pulled away from you with a smile of his own, he said, "There's something I need to tell you. About the day we met."

Your brow creased in concern, and he leaned in to kiss you there as you asked, "What about the day we met?"

He wanted to be delicate with you and take his time. It's what you deserved. You and Ellie both. But he also wanted to once again make his feelings crystal clear for you. "That first day, at the air show... when I took Ellie up to sit in my jet, she asked for a pink tree and an art kit with pink paint." Bradley paused, stroking his rough fingers along your soft cheek before he added, "But she also asked Santa to bring a boyfriend for you."

You gasped. "She did? My five year old asked Santa to bring me a boyfriend?" You buried your face in your hands and groaned softly. "That's so embarrassing."

Bradley gently peeled your fingers away from your face as you grimaced at him, but he just laughed. "It's not embarrassing. It's sweet." He waited until you were looking at him again, even though you were nibbling on your lip a little anxiously. "And the thing is... somehow, I think it's supposed to be me."

When your lips parted on a soft sound, your face looked hopeful, and Bradley squeezed your hand as you barely whispered, "You?"

"Yeah. Me," he told you with a little laugh. "I'm nothing special, but I'm hoping you'll let me give Ellie everything she wants for Christmas?"

You slowly climbed onto his lap and wrapped your arms around his neck, your eyes bright and sincere. "You want to be my boyfriend?"

"Desperately," he promised. "And I'm not trying to replace Ellie's dad, and we can do this at whatever pace works for the two of you. But I think this was meant to be."

And then you were smiling against his lips and kissing him as he held you on the steps. You laughed as you pushed your fingers through his hair, sending his red hat down the stairs followed by his beard.

"Then I guess Ellie can have everything from her wish list."

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

One year later....

"The tree looks beautiful," Ellie said, hanging up the two ornaments she made last year as you and Bradley each sipped mugs of hot chocolate. The pink Christmas tree stood tall and proud in the same spot it had occupied until February, when you finally convinced her it had to come down after Valentine's Day.

Bradley had gone overboard, perhaps even more so than last year, coming home from work a few hours ago on Christmas Eve with more pink ornaments for your daughter to add to her collection.

"You're spoiling us," you told your boyfriend, and you watched a grin bloom on his lips. But maybe you were spoiling him back just as much. This year, you and Ellie had on matching pink pajamas covered in gingerbread cookies, and Bradley had coordinating pants to wear with his white undershirt. It felt good to have him here, like he was always meant to step in when he did.

"I love spoiling you," he whispered, taking your empty mug and collecting you in his arms. "I love spoiling both my girls."

You and he took things slow at first. He spent the night with you last Christmas Eve, his limbs tangled up with yours in your bed. But your clothing had stayed on, and his lips never went further south than your neck. After that, you fumbled your way through a few dates with him; sometimes Ellie joined the two of you, and sometimes she stayed with Bradley's best friend and former elf, Natasha. But you quickly learned that you hadn't forgotten how to be with someone intimately. All you needed was the right someone who would let you realize that for yourself.

Bradley moved in with you a few months ago, and you hadn't looked back. He was becoming an expert at playing dolls with Ellie, and he made both of you so happy, sometimes your face hurt from smiling so much. He wasn't a replacement, and he wasn't an improvement, but he was something you knew you couldn't live without now.

"Hey, I almost forgot," he murmured. "I grabbed two more things on my way home today. I'll be right back."

When he left the living room, you walked over to Ellie and kissed the top of her head. "I'm really happy we got Bradley for Christmas last year," she said, making you laugh.

"Me too. It's a good thing you asked Santa to bring him for me."

She looked up at you with wide eyes and a little smirk. "Just wait until you find out what I asked for this year."

You looked down at her with an amused smile. "What did you ask for this year?"

But she was distracted now as Bradley came back in with a soft smile on his lips and two small pink boxes. He knelt down in front of Ellie and handed her the bigger one, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Kiddo," he whispered.

"Merry Christmas," she told him, and when she opened the box, you gasped.

"Bradley."

He got your daughter a rose gold necklace with a pink diamond charm, and Ellie squealed in delight when she saw it. "It's so pretty!"

"Just like you," he said, taking it out of the box and clasping it around her neck. She wrapped one hand around the charm and smiled as Bradley turned to look up at you. "I got something for your mom, too."

At first, when he handed you the smaller box, you were convinced it was a necklace to match Ellie's. But then you met his eyes, and you knew it wasn't. Your heart was racing as you looked at him, fingers shaking with anticipation as he said, "I love you. So much. The last year with you has been magical, and I want to be here forever."

You glanced at Ellie, and she was all bright smiles as she bounced up and down as you opened the box. "Oh," you gasped, because it was the prettiest pink ring. And it did match her necklace.

When you looked up from the box and met his eyes, he asked you something that you already knew the answer to. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!"

You held the box tight as he stood and spun you around the room in his arms, his soft laughter filling your heart as Ellie loudly cheered, "I asked Santa for a husband for my mom!"

You laughed as Bradley smothered your face in kisses, and then he pulled the ring free before tossing the box aside. As he slid the rose gold and pink diamond ring onto your finger, he grinned and said, "Santa never disappoints."

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

Happy holidays! I hope Santa Bradley brings you everything from your wishlist! Thanks @mak-32 @beyondthesefourwalls @thedroneranger @cherrycola27

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alegendoftomorrow · 2 months

Text

Ice Skating

Summary: A fun outing after Christmas turns into a tease fest when one of the Dagger Squad may not be as good at everything as they pretend to be.

OC: Olivia Carter (Liv, Livy, Olive,). Photo Journalist assigned to the Dagger squad to do a piece on Naval Aviators in the modern world. Official character sheet coming soon!

Word Count:1,971

Warnings: None

A/N: This is my first entry into @sailor-aviator ‘s winter challenge. My prompt was ice skating, though I did also use this as a springboard for a possible series that I hope to start soon. Now, is this late... so very much so. Did life decide to send me into the new year with one finale kick…. Also yes. Is this also the first personal thing I’ve written for myself in a long time…also yes. But I had so much fun doing it and it feels good to get back to writing again. I hope you all have a phenomenal New Year and you find all the things you were looking for…. Enjoy some Christmas in February

“This was a terrible idea,” Jake’s voice calls from somewhere behind Liv. His tone lacking its usual confident swagger as she turns towards it to find him clutching the edge of the ice like it’s his lifeline. His feet slipping and wobbling as he attempts to walk rather than skate.

“I thought you said you had been skating before?” Liv called as she glided closer to him. Stopping sharply in front of him and meeting his pouting glare with an innocent smile.

“Yeah, when I was ten,” he said sharply. Ducking his head in something that resembled sheepishness. “I thought it was like riding a bike.”

Liv shouldn’t laugh. She really shouldn’t. Yet she can’t help the barely contained giggle that bursts past her lips that she tries to disguise as a cough. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s not funny. Just try to—”

“What’s not funny?” Bradley’s voice cuts through her words and the Christmas music still playing on the loud speakers around them. “Seriously Hangman, you’re still attached to the wall? You know there are five-year-old’s doing laps around you right?”

Jake rolls his eyes and mumbles something unintelligible, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose while Bradley leans down and kisses Liv’s cheek. His mustache scratching her warm skin in a way that still sets her heart racing like it did the very first time he kissed her there. His arm wrapping around her waist and tugging her closer to his side. Effortlessly using his strength to keep them both balanced and upright.

“Come on my love leave the poor man alone. Can’t you see he’s struggling enough?” Liv playfully smacks Bradley’s shoulder as he throws his head back and laughs. The California sun catching his blonde-brown curls and throwing that warm light back down onto Liv. Momentarily making her forget there are other people around her until Jake very loudly clears his throat.

“If you two are about to start making heart eyes at each other again I’m going to throw up.”

“Oh, whose making heart eyes?” A voice calls out. All three sets of eyes turn to find Mickey and Reuban skating towards them. Bundled up like everyone else around them against the “cold”. Matching knitted candy cane stripped scarves around their necks that were a gift from Reuban’s wife. They’d opened them yesterday when they’d gotten back and had yet to take them off. Somehow Mickey seemed more excited them Reuban had been. Proudly declaring “his shared wife” had made it for him. Reuban had found this far less amusing then the rest of the squad.

“No one is,” Bradley said quickly. Squeezing Liv closer he nodded towards Jake who was doing hi sbets to look like he didn’t need the wall to stay balanced. “We were just making fun of Jake here and his inability to skate.”

“You can’t skate?!” Mickey’s voice added to the shock in his wide eyes and dumbfounded expression.

“I can—”

“No way!” Reuban continued. “You mean there is something even the great Hangman himself can’t do.”

Jake sighed deeply and hung his head into his hand, groaning as the teasing continued. Liv wanted to feel bad but considering Jake was often the first to jump on someone else’s weakness she really didn’t feel too bad about it.

“Yeah, well not all of us grew up in the ice and snow,” he weakly shot back. Another round of laughter as Bradley argued that he too had grown up in California for some time, and Mickey put in that he’d grew up without snow too.

Liv just leaned into Bradley’s chest and looked at the group with an amused smile. The California heat was new to her. As was a Christmas and New Year without snow. Her parent’s farmhouse was likely half buried in snow and the pond she’d learned to skate on would have been frozen for months.

“Yeah, and didn’t Javy grow up in New Orleans?” Bradley added with a pretend thoughtful expression. “Yet I know that man can skate nearly as good as Livy here.” He jostled Liv out of her thoughts for a moment.

“Speaking if Javy, where is your wingman, Jake?” She asked.

“Oh, he hasn’t made it to the ice yet,” Mickey said. Pointing across the rink to the outdoor rental building where Javy was leaning against the counter with a wide grin as his hands animated the story, he was telling to the beautiful woman working the counter. “Yeah, he’s too busy flirting to come and save you.”

The woman laughed at something Javy said and Jake gave a long-suffering sigh, a look of betrayal crossing his face.

“Don’t make that face.” Liv smirked. “Like you haven’t done the same thing to him a thousand time.” She raised her eyebrow in an almost dare to have him disagree with her. He did not.

“Yeah, well how come Bob gets to sit this activity out?” He shot back instead.

They all looked over to the row of bleachers sparsely filed with mothers helping their kids tie up their skates, friends huddled around hot chocolate mugs laughing with whipped cream on their faces, and a few older people with cameras waving to their families on the ice. Right in the middle was Bob. His cheeks covered in a pink blush as he stuttered his way through an explanation of his booted ankle while he helped a woman’s young daughter stand up in her skates. The woman’s son was sitting on Bob’s other side continually shaking his head when his mom tried to offer him a pair of skates. Bob must have said he would watch him because the woman smiled and took Bob’s hand, nodding her thanks which made the blush on Bob’s cheeks worse. He nervously adjusted his glasses and pointed to the ice, saying something that made the little girl laugh.

Good for him, Liv thought as she turned her gaze back to Jake who was growing increasingly annoyed.

“Because he twisted his ankle playing volleyball with us all yesterday,” Nat said. Her sudden appearance causing them all to jump and Jake to scramble back into the wall.

“A little warning next time Tasha!”

“Sorry,” she said in a way that made it clear she wasn’t sorry at all. “What are we all doing hovering awkwardly over here?”

“Jake can’t skate,” Mickey supplied.

“We’re making fun of him,” Reuban added.

“I hate all of you,” Jake shot back.

“Even me?” Liv asked. Turning out of Bradley’s grip to face Jake fully with her best puppy dog eyes.

“Especially you Olive. This was your idea.” Jake pointed a finger at her and yet there was no venom in his words.

Liv gasped and gripped at her heart. Mock hurt flashing across her face as she fell backwards and suppressed a laugh when Bradley’s strong hands caught her. “I’m hurt Jake. You have wounded me and I don’t think I can recover from this.”

She peeked an eye open just in time to watch Jake roll his eyes and the other laugh.

“You’ll get over it,” he promised.

Before Liv could say anything back, a very breathless and unsteady Javy called out for them as he skated quickly towards them before nearly crashing into Mickey and Reuban. Both men exclaiming as they caught him and scrambled to catch their balance. Bradley pushing Liv back to standing and Nat skating a step forward with her hands out to help if needed.

“And where have you been?” Jake asked accusingly when Javy had been rightened back onto his own feet. Though Mickey and Reuban kept their hands floating beside him just in case.

“Whoa, whoa why the aggression?” Javy asked with only mild confusion. Liv recognized that mischievous glint in his eyes as meaning he was only half listening to whatever any of them said. He had come here with a plan. “I was only gone a few minutes.”

“It’s been half an hour and I could have used some backup,” Jake said.

Javy tilted his head and scanned his eyes over all their faces for a moment before just shrugging and plowing on to what he’d come here to say. “Okay so I was talking to Claire and—”

“Who’s Claire?” Natasha asked.

“Unimportant,” Javy continued. “Anyways—”

“She’s the woman renting out skates,” Liv whispered to Natasha who leaned over so she could see the woman in question and then nodded.

“She’s cute.”

“I know.”

“—So, she says her friend Amelia is the best there is,” Javy finished with a flourish.

“Wait. Who’s Amelia?” Liv asked. Clearly having missed something while talking to Natasha.

Javy fixed both of them with an exasperated look. “Do either of you ever pay attention when I talk?”

“As a general rule of thumb, no,” Natasha teased.

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t listen to any of you,” Liv added.

“Hey!” Bradley turned to face her with a pout. His honey brown eyes locking onto hers as he stuck his bottom lip out.

“That doesn’t include you, my love. I always listen to you,” Liv added quickly. Cupping his cheek and patting it softly with her fingers.

A chorus of groans and gagging noises followed the action.

“Alright back on topic. Amelia is the red head over there that’s offering lessons. She’s also single,” Javy added with a smirk.

More groans and eye rolls followed as they all watched Jake’s interest immediately shift to the woman a few feet away from them. She was tall and had a white hat pulled down over her ears, her long red hair only barley contained in a thick braid down her back. Smaller red curls poked out around her face and her ice blue eyes were filled with light as she clapped for a pair of siblings who had just finished skating the length of the rink without falling.

“Don’t worry I already talked her up for you.” Javy nudged Jake in the ribs and the other man’s confident smile once again wavered. His eyes snapping to Javy.

“What did you tell her?”

“Only the good things don’t worry. Come on, consider it my very late Christmas present to you.” Javy didn’t give Jake a chance to protest as he wrapped his arm around his and dragged him over towards the woman. Jake attempting to still look as tall and in control of the situation as he still white-knuckle gripped the wall.

“Oh, this I have to see,” Natasha said as she too moved to follow after them.

“I’ll race you there,” Mickey dared. Tucking the edges of his scarf back into his jacket so he was ready.

“Twenty bucks says I beat all of you,” Reuban chimed in. Living up to his callsign as Bradley and Liv shared a look before declaring their intention to race too.

“Let’s maybe not race towards the group of beginners though,” Liv said. Pointing instead to the bleachers on the other side of the rink where Bob was still conversing with the young boy beside him.

The pilots and Liv all lined up against the wall and waited for an opening while Natasha cupped her hands to her mouth and called out.

“Bob! Call it when we get there.”

Bob looked up and squinted at them before shaking his head with a sigh and flashing a thumbs up. Liv was pretty sure he mumbled something about pilots and there need for speed but her lip-reading skills weren’t the best.

“Go!” She called.

More laughter mixed with the sound of skates cutting into ice as the last bars of Jingle Bells played on the loud speakers. Just for this moment at least, they were safe and happy, and really that was all any of them had wanted for Christmas anyway.

#top gun maverick #top gun fic #bradley bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #natasha trace #natasha phoenix trace #payback #mickey fanboy garcia #bob floyd #javy coyote machado #Liz’s Christmas Challenge #dagger squad #writing challenge #ice skating

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a-reader-and-a-writer · 1 year

Text

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (or Emotional Times at the El Hangar)

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Pete, "Maverick" Mitchell, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (NOT RooMav)

Summary: The Christmas Eve after Rooster cut all ties with him was one of the worst of Maverick's life. However, while spending it alone, he discovered something that managed to lift his spirits. Now on another Christmas Eve years later, Rooster discovers the same thing.

Word Count: 1955

TW: Angst, Fluff, Loneliness, Hurt/Comfort, Reconciliation, Christmas, Mentions of Canon Deaths

Notes: Thanks to @green-socks for the genius alternate title 💖

Written for @notroosterbradshaw's #hello december playlist challenge and based on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Judy Garland

Maverick walked through his dimly lit hangar with nothing but a bottle of whiskey for company. It was Christmas Eve and for the first time in his life, he was alone for it. Carol was gone, having joined Goose in whatever came after this life at the beginning of the year. Bradley no longer wanted anything to do with him since Maverick had pulled his papers for the Naval Academy. And Ice was overseas commanding some top-secret mission Maverick wasn’t even supposed to know was taking place. In his desperation and loneliness, he had even considered calling up Penny Benjamin until he remembered that she had just gotten engaged the month before. Maverick had always thought they would find their way back to each other, but it seemed as if he were wrong.

Flipping on the radio to drown out some of the silence, he quickly scanned the different channels hoping to find something decent to listen to. But on Christmas Eve, every station was playing holiday music. Maverick eventually just settled on a random station and went to sit down with his drink.

By the time he finished three-quarters of his bottle, the music had dulled to a faint buzzing in the background that he barely registered. However, for some reason as the music changed, one song caught his attention. Maybe it was because it was the version from his mother’s favorite Christmas movie, or that he remembered dancing to it with Penny under the mistletoe a few years before. But regardless of why, Maverick’s attention was drawn to the radio as Judy Garland sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”.

Closing his eyes, he settled back into his chair and listened as the melancholic tune filled the hangar. However, as the song went on, he froze, the words cutting into him like a knife:

Faithful friends who were near to us

Will be dear to us once more

Someday soon we all will be together

If the fates allow

Maverick grabbed the bottle of whiskey and hurled it at the radio. The glass shattered causing the radio to smoke then burst into flames as the alcohol drenched the electronics within.

“Oh shit!” Maverick sprang to his feet, snatched the fire extinguisher off the wall, and hurried over to the increasingly large fire. Luckily, he was able to put it out before it spread to anything else, though he would need to start looking for a new radio.

Sighing and placing the fire extinguisher on the floor, Mav noticed some of the spilled liquid and extinguisher foam had gotten onto the corner of a nearby box and his heart sank. It was one of the boxes Carole had left to him in her will. One of the boxes he had been unable to open up to this point. But now, there was a chance that if he didn’t, everything within the box would be ruined and that thought was worse than the thought of facing what was inside it.

So, taking a deep breath, Maverick opened the box. When he peered inside, a smile spread across his face even as tears sprung to his eyes. Chuckling softly to himself, he began to unpack the box.

Seventeen years after that night, Maverick found himself back in his hangar for Christmas Eve. Except this time, he wasn’t alone. The open space was filled to excess with the Dagger Squad pilots, their families and friends, Top Gun personnel, and the staff of The Hard Deck. Decorations hung from the ceiling, lights covered the outside of his plane, and holiday music drifted out of the speakers Bob and Fanboy had helped him set up.

Thinking back on how far he had come since that last Christmas in the hangar, Maverick used the arm he had wrapped around Penny’s waist to draw her in even closer to his side and pressed his lips to her temple. Without pausing what she was saying to Hondo, Cyclone, and Warlock, she smiled and squeezed him back.

Glancing around, Maverick took in the new family they had created this past year and he realized his heart hadn’t felt this light in a long time. But suddenly, he noticed he didn’t know where Rooster had gone. Just a minute ago, he was laughing with Bob and Phoenix about something, but now the spot he had been standing in was empty. Scanning the hangar, Mav tried to catch a glimpse of him amongst the crowd, but with no luck. Rooster seemed to have vanished without a trace.

He wouldn’t have left without saying something, would he? Things had still been a little awkward at times since the Dagger mission, but Maverick thought they had gotten to a good place. What if he was wrong and this was just too much for Rooster? What if Maverick was asking too much too fast and scaring him away again? What if–

His eyes finally landed on the Hawaiian shirt-wearing pilot in the very corner of the room, tucked behind a tool chest. Maverick smiled, relief flooding through him as he realized why Rooster was back there. Setting his drink down and whispering to Penny that he’d be right back, he slipped away and wandered over to join his godson.

Rooster didn’t even seem to notice when Maverick walked up. His entire focus was on the wall in front of him, his eyes shining in the decorative lights and a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. His eyes drifted between the photos of himself from various Christmases up until he was 17, letters he had written to Santa, pictures he had drawn for the holidays, and various old ornaments. And right in the center was a picture in a crude homemade frame of Goose, Carol, Maverick, and a 2-year-old Bradley.

Softly, Maverick said, “Hey, I was wondering if you would find this stuff. Do you remember some of this stuff?”

Rooster glanced at him for a brief second before turning his attention back to the wall. “Yeah, of course. I just can’t believe you kept it after all of these years.”

“I kept all of it. Your mom left them to me along with a few other boxes of stuff she thought I might want. It took me a long time to be able to open them but I’m so glad I did because that first Christmas after your mom died and we weren’t�� well, I’m sure that year was even tougher for you. But having these, remembering the good times, it was the only thing that kept me sane that year. And I’ve put them up every year since. I never lost hope that one day we could work things out and we might spend another Christmas together.”

Chuckling, Rooster shook his head. “You know what? Despite how angry I was and how much I hated you, I think deep down, I did too. After my dad died, you always went above and beyond to make sure I had the best Christmas ever even once I grew up and I… I missed that. It just didn’t ever feel like Christmas without it– without you.”

Maverick nodded as he struggled to keep the emotions bubbling in his chest from spilling out. “I felt the same way about you. It really means a lot that you came tonight.�� Picking up a picture of Goose, Carol, and a young Bradley standing by a Christmas tree, he asked, “Do you remember anything about Christmas with your dad?”

“I’m not sure,” Rooster admitted. “I mean, I remember a few things, like him dressed as Santa, or kissing Mom under the mistletoe, or him playing the piano while we all sang Christmas carols. But I don’t know how much of it is a memory, and how much is just from stories or home videos I’ve seen. Most of what I do remember from Christmas was of you and Mom. And a few times, Ice.”

Rooster nodded towards a photo of himself, his mom, Maverick, Iceman and his wife taken a few Christmases before Carol’s death. “I was talking to Sarah earlier and she said that you and Ice used to meet for drinks every Christmas Eve.”

Staring down at the floor, Mav sighed. “Yeah, we did. For 33 years, we only missed a handful of days and that was only because one or both of us were on the other side of the world at the time. Christmas Day was always about family, but Christmas Eve… That was for us. No matter how busy we were or how long it had been since we saw or talked to each other, we always made time for Christmas Eve.

“It started the year we lost your dad. After what happened, I was lost. Goose had been by my side since day one of the Naval Academy and I didn’t know who I was as a pilot, or really as a man, without him. I had been holding it together for the most part, but when Christmas came around…” Maverick chuckled softly. “God, your dad loved Christmas. No matter where we were, on a mission or back home, he somehow always found a way to celebrate. And once you were born, forget it. Carole used to always complain that your house was more decorated than the North Pole itself, but she really loved it just as much as he did. And I was there every year, just another part of the family.

“So, when she took you to spend Christmas Eve with her parents the Christmas after Goose died, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I ended up in the worst bar in town, planning on drinking until I forgot everything, then continuing to drink some more. And that’s when Ice showed up.

“He never told me how he found me or how he knew I needed him. We only said a handful of words to each other the entire time, but just knowing he was there made the night easier. After that, it just became our thing. Our friendship was very different from the one I had with Goose. More serious, more sarcastic, never losing that slight desire to one-up the other. And yet, he became my best friend for over thirty years. But now he’s gone, just like Goose…” Maverick stared at the wall full of all the people he had loved and lost.

“I’m sorry, Mav,” Rooster muttered. “I didn’t know. Today must be pretty hard for you then.”

“Yeah, it is. But just like back then, it helps having people around who care.”

Rooster nodded before examining the wall once more. Without looking at Maverick, he mumbled, “Maybe I could…”

“You could what?” Maverick gently urged him to finish his thought.

Rooster took a deep breath and then turned back to Maverick. “Well, it’s Christmas Eve and we’re having drinks together. Maybe I could step in for Ice the way he stepped in for my dad and make this a yearly thing. I mean, if you wanted.”

Maverick was speechless for a moment, completely taken aback by what his godson was proposing. But once he regained his senses, he placed his hand on Rooster’s shoulder and squeezed it tightly. Trying to not let his voice break, Maverick choked out, “Rooster, I… I can’t think of anything I could want more. Thank you.”

He pulled the other pilot into a tight hug and, to his relief, Rooster returned the gesture. And as the two men who had once been close as family embraced in front of mementos of their past, Maverick heard the first melancholic notes as the next song began to play over his speakers and he smiled.

Taglist:@loverhymeswith, @babblydrabbly, @green-socks, @mayhem24-7forever, @11thstreetvigilante, @the-untamed-soul, @inglourious-imagines, @topguncortez, @footprintsinthesxnd, @airhogger, @notroosterbradshaw, @straightforwardly, @bonnieelizabethparker, @srry-itshockeyszn, @flyinlove, @fandomhopped, @sweetheartlizzie07, @yjwnoot, @wanderdreamer, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @fangirlinc, @sparrows-corner, @therebeccaw, @mads-weasley, @trencher4lyfe, @merlehs, @sunshineflowerchild789, @imjess-themess, @callsign-phoenix, @maggie8002sq, @je-suis-prest-rachel, @tellrock35, @shanimallina87,@mak-32

#hello december playlist challenge #fic #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun: maverick #pete maverick mitchell #pete mitchell #maverick #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster #tom cruise #miles teller #christmas #angst #fluff #hurt/comfort #hurt & comfort #mentions of canon death

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callsigndragon · 1 year

Text

The Christmas Date | Chapter 11: Christmas makes me cry

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

(Ron Kerner is Slider, Iceman’s backseater)

Wordcount: 2.3k

(there won’t be smut in this series)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Morning, beautiful grouchy.”

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

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

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

“What?”

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

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

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

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

“Oh no, no, no. Grouchy, look at me.”

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

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

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

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

Make it stop.

Make.

It.

Stop.

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

I’m sorry, Y/n. I’m sorry for this.

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

The world can wait five fucking minutes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Grouchy, can you hear me?”

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

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

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

“Now, four things you can feel”

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

“Focus now, fly girl. One more”

“My feet on the ground”

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

“Your voice, your breathing, water running”

Her breath slows down to a normal rhythm.

“Two things you can smell”

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

“One thing you can taste”

She stops shaking.

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

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

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

“I’m sorry,” Thena whispers.

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

“Don’t leave me,” she pleads.

“Never”

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

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

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

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

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

“You’re not broken.”

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

“I’ll get the bath started.”

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

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

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

“You mean, your back on my chest?”

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

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

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

“Thank you, Bradley,” you whisper.

“Don’t need to thank me, little star”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Y/n look at me”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let your arms be a place she feels safe in.

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

She always has trouble

Falling asleep

And she likes to cuddle

While under the sheets

She loves Pop songs

And dancing, and bad trash TV

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

Has a hard time accepting

A good compliment

She loves her whole family

And all of her friends

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

So if you’re the one she lets in

Take it

If she gives you her heart

Don’t you break it

Let your arms be a place

She feels safe in

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

She’ll love you

If you love her

On days when

It feels like the whole

World might cave in

Stand side by side

And you’ll make it

She’s the best thing you’ll ever have

She’ll love you

If you love her like that

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

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

“Roos is this-”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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