#san diego brides | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

allbark-no-bite · 5 months

Text

marriage and honor.

jake seresin x reader (wc: 6.5k)

summary: the Navy has already taken two people from your life, and you don’t intend to let there be a third. that is until Jake Seresin walks into your life

warnings: severe plot holes, mentions of character death, swearing

authors note: based off of the movie Purple Hearts. it’s a great movie and i highly suggest watching it! please bear with me in the beginning of this, the plot holes fix themselves, i promise lol. i literally threw this together because i wrote one scene for shits and giggles and had to commit to it

(read parts two and three here: december and devotion, cats and christmas)

————————————————————————

No one ever expects to have to bury their brother at fifteen. Kinda just like no one expects to have to bury their other brother at eighteen. But you do it the first time and then you do it again three years later. It's a bit like deja vu the second time, like you're reliving the actual nightmare all over again. Except this time there's no one to hold your hand and tell you it's all going to be alright because he's dead and buried too.

They both die honorable deaths in service to their country. At least that's what they say at the memorials. You're not so sure there's anything comforting about dying honorably. They're both still dead, honored or not.

Raised by your grandparents, you'd grown up the youngest of three on a military base smack dab in the middle of San Diego, better yet known as Fightertown USA. True military brats, your old brothers enlisted straight out of high school, one after the other. As their young and impressionable kid sister, you worshiped the ground they walked on and had your heart set on following in their footsteps. That was of course, until they both went and died.

'Sometime these things just happen', is what you were told. And you know, freak accidents do happen. Engines fail, training exercises go awry, safety precautions are ignored. But that doesn't make up for the fact that lightning has, against all odds, stuck the same place twice.

So after the Navy takes away not one but two people from your life, you swear off all things to do with military life. The moment you graduate high school you pay out of pocket just to move off of the base into a shitty the-bedroom-and-bathroom-are-in-the-same-place apartment. You go to college and get the kind of degree that looks good on paper but you can't really get a job with. But it's fine because it helped you to put the past behind you and move on. So much that when your grandmother passes away unexpectedly, leaving your grandfather widowed, you're able to stomach moving back closer to home to take care of him.

At least, you'd thought that you had moved on.

Now, standing in the middle of the courthouse wearing what had been your college graduation dress (the only white dress you could find on such short notice) and watching the man before you slip a ring on your finger, you're not so sure. As a matter of a fact, you actually feel sick, queasy like you might have to bend over the nearest trashcan to get the blood rushing to your head again. That might would be a good idea because what the hell were you thinking.

Jake must take notice of the expression on your face because he offers you a weak smile, his pink lips pressed together. The same thought must be running through his mind too because he also looks like he might be sick at any moment.

What the hell were either of you thinking?

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." Thankfully the minister is too bored looking with his own job to notice that both of you are looking worse for wear. He also completely forgets to say 'you may now kiss the bride', which is another thing to be thankful for. That might have been the straw that broke the camel's back and sent both you and Jake running for the hills. Instead he mumbles a unenthusiastic congratulations and departs from the room, leaving you and Jake standing numbly side by side.

In the following seconds after the minister leaves the room, silence settles between the two of you, partially due to shock and partially because you don't even know what to say. It's a sight, Jake in his pristine navy dress whites and you in your too short college graduation dress.

Finally, Jake clears his throat, swallowing. "Well, there's no turning back now."

*queue rewind noise*

You may be wondering how we got here.

*six days ago*

"C'mon baby, you didn't think that was funny? Girls usually love that line."

He'd been after you all night, smiling, cracking jokes, buying you beers. You had to admit, he was nothing if not persistant.

"Unfortunately for you, I don't date funny guys." Despite your tone, you're actually genuinely amused by the situation. He's trying so hard, and it's getting him absolutely nowhere.

He's handsome, without a doubt the most attractive man at the bar, but he could be the most attractive man in the world and you still wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. Not with that smile and defiantly not with that uniform on.

"And why is that?" he laughs, undeterred by your blatant disinterest. His friends are watching, have been watching the two of you do this dance all night, and he's not about to back down now.

You watch the smile lines that appear on his tanned face, the way his eyes crinkle in amusement as he awaits on your answer. He's probably a few years your senior, early thirties if that's anything to go by.

"Funny guys are dangerous. They make you laugh and laugh and then boom you're naked."

His smile twitches and yeah, you can be funny too, wise guy.

"Is that where you think this is going?" he asks.

"Where else would it be going?"

And that's how it all started. The beginning of the end.

"You know navy spouses get a monthly stipend and are allowed to live on base?"

You remain facing the bar, peeling at the label on your bottle, not bothering to glance to your side. "You know, I really fucking wish Natasha would keep her mouth shut."

"(Y/n)—"

"It's no one else's fucking business what—"

He grabs the seat of your stool, nearly jerking it out from under you as he pulls it closer to his own. "Listen to me," he growls, a stark change from his usual demeanor.

Stubbornly leaning away so that you're not so close, you regard him with suspicious and narrowed eyes. You raise an eyebrow as if to say he's got your attention, however unwillingly.

"Right now, we're both in a tight spot, okay?"

You knew about his dad. Heard the whole spiel from Natasha— who you're learning that while, your best friend, cannot be trusted to keep her mouth shut— about how they weren't on good terms, hadn't talked since Jake got into the academy, and suddenly he calls out of the blue to tell Jake that he'd had enough of his son's playing around and that it was time for him to start thinking about getting married. That if he didn't within the next few months, he'd arrange the whole thing himself.

"You need a place to live—" You shush him, eyes darting to the people around you. You don't need anyone knowing that you can't exactly afford to pay your rent. Jake rolls his eyes because he doubts anyone could hear him even if he was yelling with how loud it is in the bar, but he lowers his voice regardless. "You need a place to live, and I need to get my old man off of my back..." He trails off, as if you should know where he's going with this.

You don't. You're just staring at him with an increasingly annoyed expression on your face, wondering how soon you can get out of this conversation.

He takes a deep breath and sighs.

"Hear me out, okay? What if we get married?"

You had actually laughed in his face at first, and Jake was so dead serious about it that he didn't even dwell on the fact that it was the first time you had laughed at something that he'd said.

"Not a chance in hell, Seresin," had been your second response. But that's the thing with pretty guys, they can be awfully convincing.

It all happens so fast that you have metaphorical whiplash. Next thing you know, you're wearing a brand new diamond on your finger and going out to the bar with his entire squad the night before their deployment.

Of course, they're all a bit shocked at first. You would be too. You and Jake hadn't exactly been even remotely civil with each other just a few days prior. But if any of them are suspicious of your's and Jake's sudden union, they don't let on, all too happy to have something to celebrate before they ship out. Fanboy and Payback have each brought their wives and Natasha her girlfriend as well. You suppose you're expected to mingle with them, maybe shed a tear or two over the shared bond that your partners are going across the country, but you can't really find a way to connect with them so you kind of just avoid them altogether. You do feel bad, sitting there without a care in the world while they all try to offer comfort and reassurance to each other. But you don't really know what else to do because it's not like you're exactly sad.

Thankfully Javy, or as he's known, Coyote, stands up and raises his near empty bottle of beer in the air and saves you from anymore uncomfortable sitting. "I'd like to make a toast! To the newlyweds!" You spoke too soon. The table cheers and raises their bottles in response, all of the attention turning to where you and Jake are sitting. Cheeks immediately flushing, you have to refrain from sinking down in your seat. Jake is grinning, accepting the few rough pats on the back that he receives from Rooster beside him.

And just when you think that's the worst it's going to get, it gets worse.

"Kiss!"

You're not sure who starts it, but like teenage boys, the entire squad parrots in unison.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

At first Jake just laughs and shakes his head good naturedly, shrugging off the insistent urging of his friends, and you think that's going to be the end of it. But the chanting doesn't stop and finally Jake turns towards you. Your face is probably red hot and undeniably panicked. Heart racing, you try to read him in the half second that you're given as he leans and wraps his arm around you. Is he going to kiss you? Are you supposed to kiss him?

Neither option happens. Jake's arm wraps around your shoulders, pulling you close into his side and at the last moment, he turns to press a kiss to your cheek. A series of disappointed boos follow but they are drowned out by clapping for the most part. He's uncomfortably close, closer than you ever would have liked to be to Jake Seresin, but you have to remind yourself that it's all for show. When Jake does turn away, you can still feel the warmth of his lips smeared against your cheek. Even so, he hasn't let go of you pressed into his side.

Your heart still racing, you reason with yourself that if Jake can play the part, you might as well too, and under that pretense, allow yourself to hide your face into his shoulder to conceal it's redness. The smell of his cologne washes over you, and oddly enough, you don't hate it. It's subtle, with a hit of what might be amber, and nothing like the overwhelmingly masculine scent that you would have pegged him for.

If Jake finds your sudden willingness to touch him strange, he doesn't comment on it, likely assuming that you're just trying to make this thing between the two of you seem real. You somewhat reluctantly pull away when Coyote's voice raises again.

"And here's to shooting down some fucking MiGs!"

Again, the table erupts into a chorus of cheering and hollering. You still, allowing Jake to fully pull away from your side while the proclamation rings out in your head. It's a very grounding moment, and suddenly you feel very alone sitting at the table. No one seems to have noticed your shift in mood. Maybe you're the only one put off by Javy's statement because this is their reality. There are people who are not coming home from this mission; everyone just likes to assume it won't be them. You know better.

You can't help it, the words just come out of your mouth. "That's a fucked up thing to say."

It's the first time you've really spoken up the entire night and all heads turn towards you. Based on the look in Jake's eyes, which is a bit apprehensive, as if he knows this is headed nowhere good, you realize you probably should have just kept your mouth shut.

Payback shifts uncomfortably in his chair while the rest of the crew glances around the table wearing varying states of confusion. Their gazes shift from you to Jake, as if waiting for some sort of explanation.

Coyote is the first to break the silence. "Look, sweetheart, that's just the way things are. Here in the Navy, that's a badge of honor. Your boy Hangman here is the only one of us with a confirmed air-to-air kill."

"(Y/n)—", Jake attempts to interject, but you're not about to let him explain himself to you in front of all these people.

You set your jaw and swallow back the anger threatening to rise up in your throat. "Yeah, because killing people is so honorable."

Coyote scoffs. "We're just doing our jobs. And if that means taking down a few planes while we're at it, so be it."

"Your job is to protect people," you snap. "There are people out there who have families—"

"Alright, that's enough—" Jake begins to interject for the second time, but this time it's Coyote who interrupts him.

"Come on, man. You're really going to let her say that kinda shit—"

You stand up. "I don't need his permission to—"

"I SAID ENOUGH." This time it's startling enough to cut both of you off. "(Y/n), what is your fucking problem?" Jake snaps.

You flinch at the harshness of his question.

Your eyes travel around the quiet table, where everyone is holding their breath, and then back to Jake. His green eyes reflect a type of pissed off what would be terrifying if you weren't so angry yourself.

A small, logical part of you knows that he has a right to be angry. You've picked a fight for no apparent reason in front of his friends and he hasn't the slightest clue why. It's not his fault your brothers are dead and you blame the Navy for it.

Regardless, that doesn't make up for the fact that you're pissed off by his defense of what Coyote has said. Even though you probably owe him an explanation, you're not about to answer him when he's just yelled at you. You also know that if you don't say something, he's going to and you'd rather die before letting him tell you off in front of all these people. You abruptly push away from the table and storm off for the bar top. You can hear Jake chasing after you.

"(Y/n)."

You ignore him in favor of heading towards the back door of the Hard Deck, pushing past people regardless of whether they're in your way or not. Being slightly more considerate, you can hear Jake moving much slower as he excuses himself through the crowd.

"(Y/n)—"

You come to a stop once you reach the door, spinning on your heels with a fire in your eyes.

"What's my problem?!"

Behind you, you can hear the loud jesting and jeering of his friends back at the table. They're still ruffled with excitement from your outburst, and Coyote's voice follows your retreating back. "Jesus man, get your girl under control."

I'm not his girl, you want to snap. He doesn't own me.

Jake has stopped a few feet away from you.

"What's my fucking problem?! My problem is that your friends are sitting over there calling murder honor."

Jake sighs harshly though his nose. Shaking his head, green eyes looking up, he begins, "He didn't mean—"

"No. I know what he meant, Jake. You're all a bunch of cowards. You're all too goddamn scared to admit that maybe you're not doing as much good as you thought over there, and so you just justify it by saying all killing is good killing, right?" you spit.

His vibrant green eyes harden but he doesn't respond. "That's some real goddamn honor, right, Jake?" you repeat, angrier this time, wanting more than just some watered down reaction from him. If there's one thing that pisses you off about Jake, it's that you've never gotten anything more than what he's conditioned himself to respond with. It's like he's locked up in this stupid box of his and the most you can ever get out of him is a glance. You want him to be angry with you.

"That's enough." His jaw is tight, and you can tell that even despite his lowered voice and rather subdued demeanor, you've hit a nerve.

"Admit it. Admit that you—“

"(Y/n)." His voice adopts a seriousness that you've never heard from him before. It sounds almost dangerous.

Jake steps towards you and for a moment you think you've won. And then in the moment following that, you actually think that he's going to get physically angry with you. Your heart stalls. Jake's a big guy, a naval aviator, and no matter how good he sells himself to be, he could hurt you if he wanted too. You would never have pegged him as someone who would put his hands on a girl, even after only knowing him for a week, but a man is a man, perfectly ironed uniform or not.

Only he doesn't. Instead he steps into your space and leans in closer than you've ever been before. His hand presses into your back, firmly pulling you into his chest so that you have no choice but to shift closer to him, your bodies molding together. "I said that's enough. They can see us arguing."

The press of his mouth to your ear conceals the exchange of your conversation from the listening table. You can smell his cologne on the starched collar of his uniform.

"I don't care if they see us—" Pushing your palm into his chest, you try to reestablish the distance between you, but like a brick wall, Jake doesn't budge.

"You realize that we have to make this look real?" he hisses. "From here on out, they're watching everything we do. The government is watching everything we do. Do you understood that?" His voice is tense, and it sounds more urgent than angry now.

Standing there, you realize his heart is thumping heavily beneath your palm. His body is uncomfortably rigid, like a scared dog waiting for its owner to show up and see the mess he's made. Behind you, the table has gone relatively quite. Rooster murmurs something along the lines of, "It's a little early for there to be trouble in paradise already."

Someone—Coyote—responds, "I don't think he thought this through, man. They won't last two weeks."

Jake's eyes meet yours, and you know he can hear them too. You swallow, trying to relax a little in his grasp. He's right, you have to make this look real, and fighting right off the bat doesn't exactly look good.

"Are they still looking at us?" You finally ask, leery now to even speak too loud.

Jake breathes a sigh of relief beside your ear, taking your sudden quiet as cooperation. "Yeah, just keep talking, okay? Act like we're working it out."

Despite trying to appear more comfortable than you are, you don't move your hand from his chest. The coarse material of his dress whites rises and falls steadily beneath your palm. It's calming in a sense, and you try to focus on its rhythm rather than the fact that you're so close that you can feel the heat of his mouth beside your ear.

"Still looking?" You ask after a few moments pass.

He hums. "Yep."

"Well then what do we do? We can't just stand like this forever." The longer you stand together, the more details you become aware of. Like the fact that his face is freshly shaven against your cheek and that he must have brushed his teeth before this because his breath smells like Listerine.

"Look at me."

"What?" You ask, your brow furrowing as he pulls away. His hand that had been holding your waist firmly in place lifts to grip your jaw.

"You're going to have to kiss me," he explains, glancing briefly over your shoulder.

"What?" Before you can even protest, he's leaning in and pressing his mouth to yours. Without the time to process what exactly is happening given your state of alarm, all you can do is go along with it. His lips mold against yours in what might be the most borderline tame kiss you've ever had. Despite this, you are reluctantly surprised to note how good of a kisser he is. It's just forceful enough to let you know he's in control but not so much that it's unpleasant. His lips are full and taste vaguely of his mouth wash.

You don't kiss him back.

It makes no difference to the group behind you whether you actually kiss or not; they can't tell from this distance and all they have to do is believe it happened. It's more for your own self preservation than anything. It's one thing to play the part, it's another thing to get caught up in it and catch feelings. And with Jake Seresin, that was a dangerous game to play. You'd already felt it, him prying his way under your skin when he'd held you at the table and the smell of his cologne filled your sense. It would be that easy.

To his credit, Jake lingers just long enough to make the kiss believable before pulling away. Even si, it still feels uncomfortably long. He leans back and you don't miss the fact that he wipes his hand across his mouth. "Sorry," he mutters under his breath, looking away.

"Jake..." you begin, immediately feeling bad, but he stops you.

"Whatever, (Y/n). It's fine." He won't look you in the eyes now. You turn to look over your shoulder, desperate to get yourself out of this increasingly bad situation .

"They're not looking," you say, finding the table now amicably chatting with each other rather than focused on the two of you. The sudden PDA must have finally diverted their attention. "...you can step away now."

"Right," he says, clearing his throat awkwardly. Jake drops his hand from your waist and steps back like he's glad to finally put some distance between the two of you. So much for making this look natural.

You return to the table shortly after, in hand to make it appear as if you've made up and smiling tightly when Bob cheerily welcomes you back to break the awkward silence. Once seated, you drop each other's hand beneath the table immediately. The rest of the evening is spent avoiding contributing to conversations that involve the other. If anyone notices, they don't comment on the fact that the two of you hardly look at each other for the rest of the evening, and somehow you manage to put up an otherwise happily married front.

When a few of the guys finally get a little bit too drunk, specifically Rooster, you're all too happy when Natasha calls it a night. Because they ship out the next day, Jake drives you back to the hotel where all of the married couples have rented out a room for the night. Apparently it's a tradition or something. You make the drive in silence. You let him check into the room and carry both of your bags up, disappearing into the small bathroom to splash cool water onto your face. It helps to ease some of the tension from this evening. Leaning over the sink, you watch the water swirl down the drain.

Is this crazy? This is crazy, right?

Jake is sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands when you step out. He's taken off his hat and suddenly he seems a lot more fragile than he was a few minutes ago. There's a softness to him, something having been previously concealed by the precise styling of his hair and tense pull of his set jaw. Before you can break the silence, he sucks in an uneasy breath.

"Hey, we need to talk about something. Um, you know... in case I..."

In case he doesn't come back.

You swallow, looking down at the ground. After tonight, after he's kissed you, all of this is starting to feel a little bit to real. What the hell happened to pretending? This was all supposed to be pretend. "Jake, please don't do that—"

He stands up from the end of the bed, and you notice the folded paper in his hands. "This is all of my personal information, you know, bank accounts, passwords, phone numbers... Anything you might need if something happens to me." He says it all as if it's so normal, but you can hear the apprehension in the thinness of his voice.

Already, you're shaking your head as he hands you the letter. "Jake, please. I don't want that." Your heart is pounding and all you want to do in the moment is go back in time and never have agreed to do this in the first place. This was insane. What were you thinking? Like you were going to put yourself through this again?

"(Y/n)—“ Jake tries, interrupting your spiral of thoughts.

"I said NO, Jake," you snap, stepping back from him and the letter. There are tears burning at the backs of your eyes, like you might burst into a hit of hysteria at any moment. "I change my mind. I can't do this..."

Jake's eyes glance from you to the paper in his hand and then back to you, and then he drops his outstretched arm with what sounds like a laugh. "Right. Not like we're fuckin' married or anything." He releases a puff of air from his cheeks and runs his hand through his hair like he's contemplating pulling it out. "Do you know how screwed we are if anyone finds out about this? Do you, (Y/n)??" he asks, his voice rising to a concerning level. "We're done!"

"Jake, I—"

He tosses the letter onto the bed and sits back down with a heavy sigh, looking down at his feet. When he finally speaks again, his voice had lowered to a more acceptable volume. "It's a bit too late for you to back out now. If the Navy finds out about this— if anyone one finds out about this, I could lose my job. We could both go to jail."

Silence settles over the two of you as Jake sits on the bed, staring at his feet, and you stand there in the middle of the room, willing your heart to stop pounding in your chest. You need to get out of here before your heart implodes. You turn and grab your coat from by the door.

"Where are you going?" Jake asks, his voice tired and annoyed.

"I need some air," you say, shrugging on your coat and opening the door. He doesn't try to stop you on the way out.

You regret the decision the second that you walk out the door. Now that the sun is gone, it's freezing outside. Your original plan had been to go for a walk to clear your head but you doubt now you'd make it very far. Walking down the stairs and out into the nearly empty parking lot, you look around, considering whether or not you would survive the trek to a gas station. When you realize you've left your phone back in the room, you decide against it. You aren't dumb enough to walk in the dark alone. Instead you head towards Jake's truck, which is parked out by itself at the end of the lot. To your surprise, you find it's unlocked and the door swings open when you tug on the handle. You climb in and the switch to lock the door behind you. Even the inside of the car is cold but at least it's out of the wind. You hug your knees into your check and tuck your chin into them, curling up in the driver's seat to keep warm.

And then you just sob.

It's the kind of sobbing that starts long and drawn out and then escalates into the rapid breathing that happens when you can't get enough air into your lungs and it feels as though there's an entire golf ball stuck in your throat. You haven't cried this hard since you were a kid—since your first brother died. You didn't cry the second time, didn't allow yourself to feel anything the second time because you knew there wasn't going to be anyone to pull you back together if you did.

At least being away from all of this had allowed you some time to forget, even if for just a moment, that they were gone without having to be constantly reminded. You had moved to put as much distance between yourself and the Navy as possible. Because that way life wouldn't get the chance to take another person from you in the same way. Looking at the ring on your finger now, that's exactly the opposite of what you had just done. This was just supposed to be until you could get back on your feet, and if it helped Jake out in the process then great. Now that you think about it, it was stupid of you to think that you would be able to make it through this with out catching feelings for him.

Now you're going to lose him too.

You cry until you almost make yourself sick and then some more. Your sobbing is interrupted every few minutes when you choke on your own air and have to swallow the golf ball that is lodged in your throat so that you can breathe. You're not sure how long you sit there just crying. Surely at least an hour has passed. By the time your sobbing has slowed, your head hurts and your chest aches enough to be sore.

Knock knock knock

You jump at the noise, head shooting up from between the bracket of your knees. It's dark outside, the parking lot just barley lit in a wash of grey by the moon. Even so, you can make out Jake's broad figure in the darkness.

"Open the damn door." His order comes out in a puff of frosty condensation that warms a spot on the window, his voice only partially muffled by the barrier. His shoulders are hunched against the cold, the upturned collar of his coat doing little to protect him from the brutal conditions.

For a while you just stare at him through the window, swallowing back the spit in your throat.

"Open the door," he repeats, knowing better than to think that you can't hear him. If only locking yourself in his car was the solution of all of your problems. Reluctantly, you reach over and click the lock, slowly rolling down the window.

After it stops, you stare at each other through the open car window, separated only by the frame of door that he could now easily reach out and open. His soft brown hair is mushed and in disarray, nose and cheeks tinted pink form the chill. The pleasant green of his eyes is mostly hidden as he squints against the wind.

Finally, you suck in a breathe, your chest shuddering. "I cannot do this," you stress, all of the fear that you've been shoving down now presenting itself in a singular sentence.

Jake sighs, his face softening to reflect a look of sympathy. "Look, I promise you, it's not that bad. You'll come with me to the carrier when I ship out tomorrow, we'll hug each other goodbye, and then you won't even have to see me for a couple of months. It'll be like none of this ever happened. And when I come back... we'll figure it out. Okay?" His voice is soft and understanding, like he's talking to a child.

You stare at the dashboard, your stomach still churning anxiously. "That's not what I'm... It's not you, Jake." Quite the opposite. "I lost my brothers to the Navy. Both of them. And I don't think I can take losing anyone else."

Immediately Jake's face falls as he puts everything into place. Your initial distaste for him, your furious outburst at Hard Deck, your reluctance to have have anything to do with the Navy... "I—God, I'm so sorry, (Y/n). I had no idea."

You shrug, calming down now that you've finally let go over everything that you've been holding in. "I asked Natasha not to tell you. I just thought that I could get over it so what was the point in even telling you?"

The wind blowing into through the open window is bone chilling and so you can only imagine how cold Jake is standing outside the car. For a while there's only the sound of his quiet breathing.

"Nothing's going to happen to me, (Y/n)," he says into the darkness.

"How can you be so sure?"

Hands shoved into his pockets, body braced against the wind, he shrugs. "I'm not. But if I didn't tell myself that every morning, I'd never get out of bed."

Sighing, you pull the handle on the inside of the door. "C'mon, it's fucking cold out there."

Jake huffs as if to say, you're telling me, and grabs the handle to pull open the door. Only instead of climbing in, he steps further inside the door and grabs your head in his cold hands so that your faces are mere inches apart. "I mean it, kid. I'm not going to leave you, alright? You just gotta trust me."

Looking into his eyes, you know he means it. For the second time since you've known Jake, you really see him. Standing before you is the same man that you saw in both of your brothers. Granted, they were much younger than he is now, but you get it. You'd been trying to see him as anyone else other than the brothers you lost, praying that it would hurt less, but you can't make someone into something they're not.

"Okay," you whisper. "I trust you, Jake."

You're awake hours earlier than what you're used to in the morning, but that's only because you had glanced at the alarm clock at half past three and realized that you only had few hours left with Jake. The both of you had returned to the hotel room and changed in comfortable silence, slipping into the single bed together without a word. Jake had reached over and pulled you into him without so much as a second thought. Now his body is draped heavily on top of yours, his nose tucked into your hair as your fingers trace along the bare skin of his exposed back.

You switch between staring at the ceiling and watching the numbers change on the alarm clock, trying to think about anything other than the fact that Jake would wake up in about an hour, you'd drop him off at the carrier at six, and that would be it. You'd only just gotten him and now you were going to have to let him go.

When Jake's alarm does go off, you're more emotional than you thought you would be, but Jake seems to be fine, dutifully putting on his uniform and carefully packing all of his bags, so you try to put on a brave face. You move slowly, dragging out the process of getting dressed as long as possible just so that there's no excuse to leave for the dock any sooner than you have too. After you're done getting ready, you watch him shave once and then again for good measure before he ultimately decides that you've both wasted enough time putting off the inevitable.

The drive there is silent as well and would have been unbearable had Jake not reached over the consol to reassuringly squeeze your hand. He doesn't let go of it until you pull into the crowded port. Between people trying to get their things on board and a bunch of teary goodbyes, it's beyond you how you manage to find the Dagger Squad in the midst of the chaos. Fanboy and Payback are saying goodbye to their families while Rooster and Natasha chatter excitedly with an older man also dressed in naval attire, the name plate on his uniform identify him as 'Maverick'. It's all so overwhelming that only when Jake squeezes your hand again do you realize that it's time for you to say goodbye.

Reluctantly, you turn towards him, interlocked hands swinging between the two of you. He does his best to smile, and to his credit, it's not entirely fake. "Well," he sighs. "This it it."

"For now," you add, returning his soft smile as you look up at him.

"For now," Jake agrees, his smile brightening now that you seem to be okay also. He pauses, just staring down at you for a moment before he adds, "Are you going to let me kiss you?"

You smile, answering him this time without hesitation. "Only if you keep your promise."

Jake's large hand comes up to cup your cheek, cradling your chin in his palm as he leans down to you. "I promise," he murmurs before pressing his mouth to yours, perhaps even more tender than he did the first time at Hard Deck. Only this time you reciprocate it, chasing his mouth as you lift up on your toes and run your fingers through the back of his hair. Groaning, Jake sighs into the kiss. It's dizzying and you don't know how it's possible to put all of the passion that you've been holding back into one kiss, but somehow you do. His lips are soft and you have to shove down the urge to grip his hair and demand him for more, because it by some miracle occurs to you that you're on a ship in front of hundreds people.

Jake's the one to pull away, his eyes shining and pink lips slightly more swollen than they were a minute ago. You can't help but laugh, wiping away some of your lipgloss from his mouth with your thumb. "Goodbye, Jake."

"Goodbye, (Y/n). And don't forget, I'll see you soon."

#top gun maverick #top gun fic #topgun maverick #hangman top gun #hangman x reader #jake hangman fic #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x y/n

568 notes · View notes

roosterbruiser · 1 year

Note

For the requests: Hangman's girlfriend (also a pilot) overworking herself and passing out and he just takes care of her? There's not enough soft hangman out there

𝐈 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮

𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞

When you come to, you're laying on something hard. A groan falls from your chapped lips as you throw your arm over your face to shield yourself from any onlookers.

Before you even open your eyes, just between that strange blackness and the blinding sun seeping in from the windows, you remember what happened. You achingly, embarrassingly remember what happened.

You fainted. You fucking fainted like one of those ditzy girls in the movies from the 40s. You, a Lieutenant Commander and Top Gun graduate and permanent member of the Dagger Squad, fainted in front of everyone.

It's enough to make your cheeks red.

You've been a bit overworked as of late.

You're the maid of honor at your best friend's wedding and it is rapidly approaching, practically licking at your heels at this point. You're also teaching a new course at the academy that has proven to be rigorous--especially when you're in a room with 20 beta versions of Jake Seresin, who you already get enough of between base and your shared home. Additionally, Jake has been talking about the two of you moving out of your house and into something with more space. You know that he isn't just talking about space for your stuff, either. And although the prospect of sharing a life with Jake is downright butterfly-inducing, you've just got a lot on your plate.

You're spread thin. Entirely too, too thin.

You'd simply been strolling along the tarmac after a successful training simulation, listening to Bob talk about the most recent Ted Chiang book he'd just finished. You were hungry, having not had lunch yet, and you were probably a touch dehydrated, too. You'd accidentally left your water bottle at home that day and didn't care to buy any plastic bottles from the vending machine. And you hadn't slept very well on account of planning a road trip to Las Vegas for the bachelorette party after the bride had a change of heart. You'd also just pulled a solid 8-G's in your craft. No big deal, you could handle it all. You always did--Hell, it was your duty to handle it all.

Until you couldn't. It wasn't even a slow decent into it--one minute you were listening to Bob's sweet voice underneath the San Diego sun and now you're blinking up at the ceiling in the infirmary.

"Fuck me," you grumble, shaking your head.

"Not in front of Nurse Bledso, angel," you boyfriend murmurs. You know without even glancing in his direction that he's grinning at Nurse Bledso. "How you feelin'?"

You realize, suddenly, that your head isn't lying on a pillow. It's lying on his lap--that hardness beneath your head is the powerful muscle of his thigh.

You're still getting your bearings as you blink at the tiles on the ceiling and the crisp white walls and the bright lights. You feel moderately okay besides the headache pounding behind your eyes and a tender spot across the knuckles on your left hand.

But then you see Jake. He's looking down at you already, calloused fingers carefully raking through your hair. His face is very soft, eyes swimming with concern and brows knit just slightly.

"Like I fainted," you mumble, frowning.

He looks up at Nurse Bledso, who's watching the two of you from her desk, shaking her head softly.

"She's still got her wits about her, nurse," Jake says, mockingly wiping sweat from his brow. "Thank God!"

You just shake your head softly, biting your lip when he smiles down at you again.

"Did everyone see it?" You ask.

Embarrassment is what you feel most predominantly. Sure, there are still knots in your shoulders and there's still a stone sinking in your belly and you have a sheen of cold sweat over your pasty skin, but what's really bothering you is the thought of collapsing on the tarmac in front of all your fellow Navy-members.

"No," Jake says quickly, seriously. He understand you--he knows you better than anyone in the world, probably--and knows that he shouldn't chide you about this. "Promise, angel."

You sigh in relief, swallowing hard.

"Feel like my head should hurt more than it does," you say, reaching up to check for tender spots. There are none--at least not on your scalp or face. You'd assumed you were going to wake up with stitches in your face or on a little patched of shaved hair on your head. "Did it bounce off the tarmac?"

Jake's cheeks grow a bit pink as he shakes his head, continuing his soothing motion of combing your hair. He must've taken it out of your bun for you and worked all the gel out of it knowing that a tight hairdo would do very little to help your headache.

"I caught you," he says, shrugging gently.

He's a little bit embarrassed about it. It surprises you, because if your boyfriend has been anything in the years you've been together, he's been cocksure and corny. Always very sure of himself and in control, Jake loved to be chivalrous and do things like pull your chair our or open your car door--and he did it all with a mega-watt grin. But right here in the infirmary, holding your heavy head on his lap, combing your hair carefully--he feels that it's a vulnerable thing to admit to you.

Jake had been watching you from the moment your jet landed. He was always watching you--it was just something that happened naturally. He'd always listen to the comms when you were in the air, he wandered out to the tarmac when he know you'd be landing soon, and he was always angling his face towards the sky when you were soaring inside it. It wasn't an accident that he was servicing his plane as you were due to head back on base.

He knew something was wrong as you walked past him without even glancing in his direction. It was like you had tunnel vision (which you legitimately did). He wasn't a fan of the paleness of your face in comparison to the flush in your cheeks or the little stumble in your step. Already he was walking towards you, meaning to innocently ask you if you were doing okay, when you dropped like a goddamn sack of potatoes.

He didn't even realize what he was doing, his body just responding all on its own, until his knees were scraping against the concrete and he was cradling your limp form in his arms. Bob turned around just in time to see it, gaping at you and Jake.

"Jesus, Jake! Is she okay?" Bob asked worriedly, dropping his helmet on the tarmac.

Jake looked down at your parted lips and slacked brows, assessing you for any external damage. He was worried he had been just a fraction too late--that maybe your head had scraped the concrete or your face had collided too hard against his elbow. But you looked fine--well as fine as you could when you were unconscious.

He carried you to the infirmary, both his knees throbbing. He knew as soon as he felt a sticky warmth on his calves that his knees were scraped through his flightsuit. But it didn't matter to him--not when you were so entirely limp in his arms. He hated to see you so helpless.

"You caught me?" You ask quietly, knitting your brows.

He playfully pinches your nose, still being very gentle with you as he mockingly rolls his eyes.

"Is that so hard to believe, angel?"

You're at a loss for words. An overwhelming feeling is washing over you, one that is choking you up and inducing tears on your waterline and making a puddle of something sticky-sweet settle in your belly.

"No," you whisper, voice cracking. "That's not hard to believe."

If you two were alone, Jake would have no issue leaning down to kiss you. Hell, he wouldn't even mind kissing you in front of Nurse Bledso. But he knows that you care about professionalism--being a woman in the Navy, you worked hard to get the respect you should've just been given--so he refrains. But he knows--and let's face it, you know just as well--that you're in for a proper spoiling tonight. Sure, Jake would chastise you for your late lunch and for not simply sharing his water bottle, but more than anything--he was just going to thoroughly take good care of you tonight. Maybe he'd even make you take the day off tomorrow. He was heavily considering taking over your duties as maid of honor temporarily just to take the pressure off your shoulders--well, that and he knew he'd look good in that olive green dress.

"How's the knee, Lieutenant?" Nurse Bledso suddenly pipes up, glasses perched low on her nose.

Jake cringes, nose wrinkling. Thanks for that, Nurse.

You try to sit up slightly, furrowing your brows as Jake sheepishly sighs and presses you until you're lying back again.

"They're fine," he tells Nurse Bledso before looking back down at you with his eyes wide and calm. "They're fine, angel."

But it hurts you to think about Jake getting hurt. And God, you're laying on his legs right now--you're worried you're going to wound him so you start to sit up again before he carefully puts his palm in the middle of your chest and guides you back against his lap.

"But Jake," you try, but he shakes his head softly.

"M'right as rain, angel. Worried about that hand of yours, though."

As if on cue, the knuckles of your left hand are suddenly throbbing. You hesitantly bring your hand to your vision, expecting some sort of nasty gash, but it is bandaged in a pristine white wrap.

Jake carefully takes your wounded hand in his, inspecting it as if he's the one who bandaged it.

"Sorry I didn't get there in time," he mutters to you, looking down at you again.

He's truly sorrowful--your poor, sweet hand got injured. If he had just leapt forward a moment earlier then he could've collected all your limbs and saved you from any hurt at all. It makes his throat ache when he thinks about the scars that will mark your knuckles now.

But you are swooning on his lap.

"Baby, if you hadn't been there, my brain would've been mush," you reason, wrapping your fingers around his.

He sighs. He supposes you're right. Things could've gone a lot worse if he hadn't been there precisely when he had been. He loves Bob and he knows Bob loves you, but Bob was none-the-wiser as he moseyed on beside you. When it came to your safety, there was only one person in the world he trusted and it was himself.

"Don't have much faith in old Baby On Board, do you, angel?"

That has you grinning, laughter tumbling out of your dry mouth despite the throbbing in your temples.

Oh--Jake didn't know his shoulders were practically up by his ears until they relax at the sound of your laugh. You're okay. You're really okay. He knew you weren't seriously injured or sick--logically, he knew that. But carrying your limp form across base and having to let the nurse take over had proven to be more difficult than he cared to admit. He loved you more than anyone--anything, really--in the universe. The thought of something as simple as dehydration and stress hurting you the point of serious harm was making his head hurt.

"You sure your knees are okay, baby?" You ask this softly, concern written all over your features as your laughter dies off and your smile fades. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

He shakes his head at once, his heart sitting in his throat. Here you are in the infirmary and you're asking how he is. It's laughable, really--but it's so you. And he loves you so much.

"Gonna take a lot more to take me down than some silly old scabs, angel," he sighs, carefully kissing each of your wounded knuckles over the thin cotton wrap. "Hell, I'd break both my knees to catch you."

You want to roll your eyes--but you can't. You know he's telling the truth. He'd do anything in the world to hold you safely in his arms.

He's surprised when you lean up to kiss him. It isn't a steamy kiss, isn't one that would lead to anything more. It's a chaste and sweet thing, your hand resting on his cheek, your lips dry. But it makes him giddy anyway.

"Gonna make me start calling you a hero now?" You tease, affectionately swiping your thumb across his cheek.

He grins, chuckling.

"Now? You weren't calling me one before?"

There's that laugh of yours again--it's enough to make Jake release a breath that's been sitting in the middle of his chest since the two of you came into the infirmary.

"Someone's gotta deflate that ego," you tease, resting your cheek against his thigh.

He's still combing his fingers through your hair. And as he's gazing down at you, all the upset of the day fades. You're okay. You're here in his lap, teasing him, kissing him. He caught you. He caught you.

here is my tag list!!

𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬! 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐛!

if you liked this, consider checking out my Jake x You story!

2K notes · View notes

sorchathered · 3 months

Text

💕Lover💕

A/N- hey all! This is my submission for @ohtobeleah ‘s Galentine’s party!! I’m so excited to see everyone’s posts and concepts, make sure you check out the submissions under her tag!

Summary- A collection of memories and mood boards documenting you and Jake from engagement to wedding day.

Pairing- Jake Seresin x oc!reader (callsign Storm)

Warnings- language, drinking, smut.

“We can leave the Christmas lights up til January, this our place we make the rules”

It was January 5th now, you knew the chances of Jake being home for Christmas were slim but secretly you’d hoped he would be. He’d begged you not to spend the holiday alone his mother insisting you come to Texas so you’d flown out and spent two fantastic weeks with his family. They had welcomed you with open arms, taking you to all of Jake’s old haunts and involving you in their family traditions. You’d never been close to your parents so the overwhelming love you received from the Seresin family was something you’d never experienced before. You’d gotten to talk to him sporadically over the holiday but you could tell he was heartbroken he couldn’t be there with you. The time went by too fast and before you knew it the 5th had arrived and you were stepping off your plane in San Diego, Coyote was waiting to pick you up and you couldn’t wait to get home to your own bed. You’d put up a small tree with some lights before you left just to keep the seasonal depression at bay, but as you unlocked the door to your shared home you were met with what could only be described as a winter wonderland. The house was covered in lights, decorated ornately with paper snowflakes and there in front of a brand new 8 foot Christmas tree was Jake. He grinned his thousand watt smile at you as you dropped all of your bags and launched yourself into his arms.

“Hey Stormy girl, did ya miss me?”

You let out a watery laugh as you began to sob in earnest, he held you close and pressed kisses into your hair, reassuring you that he was home and this was real. When you finally settled he sat you both down on the couch in front of the massive tree, you were still in shock that not only was he here but he had somehow managed to transform your house into Santa’s workshop.

“What is all this baby?” You whispered against his lips, he’d never been big on Christmas but he knew you loved it so the thoughtfulness and effort put in after a nearly 3 month deployment was not lost on you.

“We didn’t get Christmas together darlin’ and I know being apart has been hard as hell these past few months” he stands up now, walking over to the tree to pick up a small gift you hadn’t even noticed. You gasp as tears well up in your eyes, Jake Seresin is down on one knee surrounded by a literal Christmas wonderland, and he’s about to ask you for forever. “Yes!” You blurt out, causing a belly laugh to erupt from him.

“You didn’t even let me ask sweetheart”

“You can but my answer is still yes, I just want to be yours, forever and ever.”

He closes the distance between you to slide his grandma’s engagement ring on your finger, kissing you in the glow of the twinkle lights.

“My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue, all's well that ends well to end up with you”

A joint bachelor/bachelorette party at the hard deck, all the boys had suggested strip clubs and hookers but Jake just wanted a night with everyone they loved and to maybe get you a little tipsy so he could proposition you for a hookup in the bathroom. You were dancing with Phoenix and a few of your other girlfriends, dressed in the tiniest white dress with a bedazzled cowboy hat and veil that said bride on the front. He didn’t think he could love you more than this moment; eyes full of joy and singing “Don’t stop believing” at the top of your lungs. He’d even let you convince him to wear the ridiculous groom t shirt you’d gotten him, taking all the jesting in stride even though he secretly loved it. He’d always give you whatever you want.

You were a spitfire when you wanted to be, always first to defend him if some cocky asshole got mouthy, he had been an absolute dick to everyone around him for years but since that first dagger squad mission he’d been trying his damndest to make amends.

That was one of the many ways he’d known you were the one, you’d been dating quietl after you and Rooster’s failed engagement had crashed and burned over a year before. During a particularly stressful training day the two had come to blows, both of them ending up in the infirmary as Rooster continued to pelt insults his way. Jake was trying to take it in stride but your temper could only take so much. You were professional but vicious in your descent on him, refusing to let Bradley Bradshaw and his unresolved emotional baggage dismantle all the work Jake had put in to better himself. You’d been a champion for him no matter what and he wasn’t used to anyone having his back, it took his breath away just how much you believed in him.

Watching you now he felt his heart swell, and he couldn’t sit in his chair any longer; the need to hold you carrying him across the room, spinning you into his arms with ease.

“Hi sugar, think I could steal you away for a few minutes?” He whispered in your ear, pressing soft kisses to your neck as he dipped you to cheers from the crowd. You threw your head back giggling and took his hand to drag him through the throngs of patrons to the quiet hall that held the bathrooms.

You knew what he wanted, he was always looking for an opportunity to get you wrapped around him, often joking he might have a bit of a kink for getting you off in public spaces but really he was just insatiable when it came to you, especially when you were dressed in what he thought may be the world's smallest dress and rubbing your body all over his.

Placing you on the side of the sink he ran his hands over you now, sliding a hand between your parted legs finding you obscenely wet and he chuckled; maybe he wasn’t the only one that got hot and bothered over hooking up where anyone could find you.

You gasped at his touch and pushed your hands into his hair, needing him to kiss you and he was all too willing, tasting your tongue as you moaned into his mouth, the prettiest sound he ever heard. He pulled your tiny scrap of underwear to the side and pressed his fingers into your dripping core, watching you grind down onto his hand, whispering filthy things he knew you’d be mortified if anyone heard and God he lived for it, you were his dirty girl behind closed doors all for him, only he got to see you like this. You were teetering on the edge now, suddenly removing his fingers from you with a smirk as you protested, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes and chest heaving while you begged for him to stop teasing and fuck you. He didn’t have to be told twice, letting you wrench his belt buckle open and unzip his jeans in record time, sliding home into your velvet heat, I love yous breathed out into the humid air of the bar bathroom. He chased your mutual highs quickly, knowing eventually someone would come looking for you, desperate cries pouring from your pouty pink lips and coming hard as you pulsed and fluttered around him, both of you bathed in ecstasy in the dim dingy light. As the two of you attempted to become presentable you were startled by the creaking of the bathroom door, Javy poking his head through and shaking his head with a raucous laugh.

“We’ve been taking turns guarding the bathroom, would you two heathens wrap it up? We’ve got celebrating to do!”

You both couldn’t hold in your laughter, they knew you too well, bracing yourselves for the onslaught of teasing for skipping out on your own party to hook up.

Drinks were distributed, a new game of pool was started and as you gazed at Jake across the room you couldn’t help but be proud of who he had become. He was honorable, steadfast and in fact too good to be true. You had both been damaged and jaded from past mistakes and relationships but had somehow healed each other becoming the best version of yourselves. You’d do it all again if it meant you ended up here, with your magnetic force of a man. Loving him was like coming up for air, he was Christmas morning and birthday wishes on lit candles and technicolor fireworks on the Fourth of July. You couldn’t wait to spend forever loving him.

“You’re my, my, my, my Lover.”

As you sat in the dressing room of the venue overlooking the harbor you were brought back to the night of Penny and Maverick’s wedding just a few years ago. You had come back to San Diego for their nuptials still heartbroken from your failed engagement with Bradley. Over the course of the long weekend you had found love again in the form of your best friend, the man you were finally about to marry.

Sometimes it still felt like a dream, you were afraid you would wake up one morning and still be single and heartbroken in your tiny apartment in Pensacola, but fate had stepped in and brought the two of you together. It hadn’t been easy, you were in tears more often than you’d like to admit when you first started dating long distance, and then deployments apart caused even more strain.

When you were finally promoted to Lieutenant Commander 10 months into your budding romance your superior told you there was an opportunity to fly again at top gun but this time with a new crew. So you and your front seater Viper decided to take the leap and head to Fightertown. Jake couldn’t believe it when he had a knock on his door that Sunday night to find you with all your luggage on his front porch, bottle of champagne in hand asking how he felt about a roommate.

It had been two years since then, both the dagger squad and red knights could be seen mingling outside and you felt your heart swell at how lucky you were to be surrounded by so many amazing friends.

Jake was all nerves on the opposite side of the venue, couldn’t seem to keep his hands from shaking as he tried to put his cufflinks on. Javy swatted his hand away and took over, shaking his head and handing Jake his whiskey to finish up.

“What are you so worried about? Stormy’s in dude, you two were made for each other.”

Jake knew he was being ridiculous, his family loved Stormy, all of his friends did too, he just wanted everything to be perfect for her.

“I’m not worried about her leaving me numb nuts, I just want it to be everything she hopes it is, I’ve checked the weather 100 times today and if it rains I swear-“

“Jake, she’s not just excited about the fairy tale wedding; she’s excited to marry you. The rest of it will turn out perfectly because you two will be together, the rest is gravy bud.”

Jake wondered to himself when Javy had gotten so smart, but he had to admit his wingman was right about one thing, being with you forever was the thing that mattered most and Jake couldn’t wait to start it with you.

As you walked down the aisle you could barely hold it together, Jake was already tearing up when you reached him taking his hand in yours it took all the restraint you had to not go ahead and kiss him. It was everything you had ever dreamed of and even if it had just been the two of you and a justice of the peace that would’ve been enough, because the end result was forever with the love of your life. Jake’s brother-in-law, a preacher back in Texas had been asked to be the officiant and when he finally announced you man and wife you couldn’t get to your love fast enough, pressing your lips to his as he made a show of dipping you for the crowd.

Later that evening in the glow of the harbor lights you were swaying to the music with your husband and you couldn’t put into words how perfect this night had been. He pulled your face close to his as he sang along with the band, and you had to kiss him again, it felt like every cell in your body cried out to be loved and touched by Jake Seresin and you knew without a doubt he always would. No matter where the two of you went he would do everything to love and protect you, and you would always do the same. Forever.

Jake Seresin Masterlist

Tagging- @ohtobeleah @bobgasm @attapullman @mamamaystbr @mamachasesmayhem @roosterforme @jessicab1991 @shanimallina87 @djs8891 @mygyn @86laura11 @floydsglasses @dempy @nouis-bum @angelbabyyy99 @pinkdaisies9285 @purelyfiction @the-aspiring-fanfic-writer @jostan456 @kmc1989 @its-the-pilot @mrsevans90 @sailor-aviator

#leahs galentines day special #ohtobeleah #top gun maverick #jake hangman smut #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman fic #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin fanfiction #jake hangman x you #jake seresin smut #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman imagine #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun fanfiction #top gun hangman #sacred new beginnings #snb #Jake and Stormy

208 notes · View notes

loveforaugust · 1 year

Text

my sister’s wedding / j. seresin

pairing: jake seresin x reader, best friend!reader x bradley bradshaw, bradley bradshaw x oc

summary: while you love your sister’s new husband bradley, you most certainly do not love his mouth but good looking co worker

“I truly never thought I’d see me sister this happy until she met Bradley,” you were finishing off your maid of honor speech, laughing into the microphone. “They complete each other, if Sarah said she wanted to moon, Brad would do anything to get her the moon. Sarah traveled the world with him, seeing Japan, Florida, and sunny California. If anything proves true love, it’s these two. There’s no one I’d be happier to have as a brother, welcome to the family, Brad. And congratulations to you both!”

Bradley and Sarah gave you a hug, you laughed as Sarah had tears down her face. “Better take care of your wife, Bradshaw.” You teased, rubbing her back gently. You wandered over to the bar, swaying slightly as you waited in the long line.

“Beautiful speech up there,” the guy behind you spoke up. You smiled happily turning to meet his bright green eyes. He was taller than you wear, hair gelled into neat strokes. He was wearing a matching blue suit to your dress.

“Thanks! I’m Y/N, bride or groom?”

“Jake, I fly with Bradley.” He shook your hand. “What’re you drinking tonight, Y/N?”

“Strictly champagne for me! I’m on orders to make sure nobody gets plastered and ruins the wedding!”

“Well I’ll be on my best behavior. I’m a known wedding crasher.” He smirks as he orders a champagne for you.

“Ooh please share Lieutenant!” Your eyes lit up as you stared at him.

“I tend to leave a trail of broken hearts at these events. Especially military weddings.” Jake tipped the waiter and you walked towards the dance floor. You laughed at him as he explained one of his buddies weddings that he’d attended last month.

You learned all about his special name (he called it a call sign) and what had earned him that nickname. “In my defense, I’ve gotten better. That was like 10 years ago. I’ve been promoted since then too.”

“You’re something else, Jake.”

“Is that a good thing? Or should I be concerned?” He teased, leaning against the post beside you. You smiled up at him, a warm feeling covering your face.

“I’m still trying to decide myself!”

“Would a dance help you consider?” You laughed and grabbed his outstretched hand, setting down your drinks and allowing him to lead you out to the dance floor. A slow song played, one of the many Sarah and Brad had picked for their playlist.

“You know you’re not too bad of a dancer.”

“So my dancing skills are subpar, I’ve made you laugh like three times, and I’ve got a steady income, what else can a guy like me do to impress you?” He swayed you softly to the music, his hand resting on your waist gently.

“Ah the ultimate question. Real talk, Lieutenant, how often are you gone? Would you like a housewife or a spouse, and how many kids?” You quizzes him, gently brushing a strand of hair from your face.

To be honest, you hadn’t made your mind up about him yet. He was gorgeous and charming, and surprisingly nice but you almost needed to buy yourself more time to decide if you wanted him to break your heart or not.

“I go where the Navy calls, as of right now, we’re holding a permanent station out in Miramar. We haven’t been deployed for any missions besides the one but I believe that’s my new permanent base.” He raised his eye brows at you.

“That’s so convenient. I actually work in San Diego.” You informed him. He smiled at you.

“What do you do?”

“Pediatric doctor, I work in a hospital.”

“Impressive, how’d you decide to do that?”

“Helped me and Sarah through our childhood. She was sick a lot so we were in and out of hospitals. I saw what they did first hand and was just inspired. How about you? How do you wake up one day and just decide to fly a jet?”

“Well, Y/N, I’m a legacy. My dad did it, his dad before him did it and so on and so forth.” You nodded you head, watching him closely. The dimple in his cheek was showing up and he had the whitest teeth you’d ever seen.

“Staring awfully hard, darling, anything you’d like?” He teased, biting back a smirk. You rolled your eyes.

“You’re quite the charmer, Seresin.”

“Have I charmed you into a date yet?” You held up your fingers, signaling how close he was. “Ooh so close, do you need another compliment? Anymore questions I can answer?”

“One last thing: your thoughts on marriage.” You laughed lightly.

Jake looked over at Bradley and Sarah laughing and dancing with each other. “I think once you find your person, there’s nothing more romantic than making that kind of promise.” You smiled up at him, shaking your head.

“You just seem like the perfect man. Hiding any dangerous qualities under there? Or just the normal amount like the rest of us?”

“I’d say the normal amount.”

“Well you’ve persuaded me. Congratulations, are you free next Tuesday?”

“I’ll pick you up at 8.”

#jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin imagine #hangman fanfiction #hangman x you #hangman top gun #hangman x reader #hangman fluff #top gun maverick hangman #top gun rooster #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun hangman

427 notes · View notes

topguncortez · 1 year

Text

Do I Wanna Know?

synopsis: It's your friend's bachelorette party, and she drags you to The Hard Deck where a certain brunette stripper catches your attention

word count: 3.3k

warnings: stripping, mentions of drugs, mentions of violence, mentions of being cheated on, sexual tension, mentions of prostitution

A strip club was not on the top of your list of things to be at this Saturday night. You could probably name about a hundred other places you would rather be at, but it was your best friend’s bachelorette party. Even though you had been hailed with the lovely title of maid of honor, you left the party details up to her sorority sisters from college.

You loved Malia with all your heart. She had been your longest friend, sticking by your side through everything. Your bond was really sealed when she stood in the same handicap bathroom stall as you took a pregnancy test at some random Walmart. But that bond had become somewhat weak when she went to NYU for college and you stayed back and got a two year degree at the local community college.

“A strip club?!” Malia’s cheery voice sounded out from the middle of the party bus. Also, not your idea whatsoever.

Malia seemed to be having the time of her life as she wore a white fringe dress with a sash across her body and in glittery gold writing it spelled ‘future bride’. One of her sorority sister’s had given her a sparkly white cowboy hat to try and complete the look. Everyone else was told to wear black, so you dug out a black off the shoulder dress from the deepest parts of hell, aka your closet. You were surprised that you even still had this dress.

“Everyone deserves one last dance!” Jessica, no Jennifer, you were pretty sure her name was Jennifer, shouted and held up her red solo cup. That was one thing you didn’t like about sorority girls, they never seemed to grow up.

You walked somewhat behind the group as they got off the bus, your feet were starting to ache from bar hopping earlier. You were probably the more sober one among the group, choosing to opt out of the fireball shots at the last club. One of the girl’s gave her name to the bouncer, a tall tan man with a mustache, who smirked and then walked their group into the club. You rolled your eyes at the sign above the door.

‘The Hard Deck’

You knew it was a play on words since the club was near the port. San Diego was known for its dirty dingy clubs that were more than just strip clubs. With the military base so close by, restless sailors were always looking for a way to blow off some steam when they reached port. But this club was a lot nicer than most, whoever owned it obviously took pride in their business.

The bouncer led your group to a section right at the front of the stage. The sorority sister who booked the section winked at the bouncer before he left. You huffed as you sat down in a chair as far away from the stage as you could get.

“Hey,” You turned your head to see Malia sitting down next to you, “Thank you for coming out tonight. I know none of this can be easy. It totally sucks that Justin broke-”

“Let’s not talk about my sham of an engagement,” You shook your head and grabbed Malia’s hand in yours, “This is your night. You’re going to be the future Missus Malia Pfifer.”

Malia squealed and stomped her feet. You couldn’t help but giggle at her excitement. Malia always reminded you of a golden retriever, constant energy, always a ball of sunshine. You were truly happy for her and her fiance Max, it was the timing of everything that couldn’t have been worse.

A week ago you had walked in on your fiance Justin, who was Max’s best friend and best man, in between the legs of your coworker. He had tried to justify the scene, telling you it was an accident, but you were smart enough to know that you don’t just fall in between someone’s bare legs. You threw the ring at him, as well as some other items until he got out of your house. You called Malia in tears and she was over so quickly you knew she broke traffic laws. She spent the night helping you dump glitter into boxes of Justin’s clothes and put them in your driveway for him to get in the morning. You knew that if you needed to hide a body, Malia would be the one to call.

But you also didn’t want to be the dark shadow in her way. Her wedding was three weeks away, and this was her night to let loose before she took on the role of the doting wife. She had already accepted that role so well and there weren't any legal ramifications about it.

“Well, as long as you are having fun. And hey! Who knows, maybe you’ll meet your future husband here!” Malia smiled.

“This isn’t Magic Mike, Mals,” You chuckled. Malia just shrugged and kissed your cheek as a redhead, who you think is named Amanda, walked over with a fat stack of ones and a tray of shots. You sucked in a breath and looked around the club. If you couldn’t beat them, you might as well join them.

— — —

Everyone had their own pre-show prep. Some of the guys went over their new dances in their heads, some of them lathered oil on their abs to make them shine just that much more, some popped pills and snorted white lines on a tray, some of them did a last minute workout to make their muscles plump a bit more, and some of them sat on their phones and looked through tiktoks.

Rooster was the last of the options.

He felt confident in his dances for the night. He hardly changed up his routine from week to week, knowing that simple was better. He worked out a couple hours before work so he had time to shower and knew for a fact that he didn’t stink. He also hated putting excess baby oil on him, it made everything slippery and he has had one too many slips on stage. And he stayed away from the drugs that floated around the locker room. He had seen one too many guys get hooked on the junk and fired for not being able to perform. Stripping was about all Rooster had going for him, and he was not about to do something stupid.

No, working at a strip club wasn’t what he imagined he would be doing when he was a little kid. He thought he was going to be a pilot, but one stupid mistake cost him his whole future. He had nowhere to go, no higher education than a high school diploma, and was facing jail time. That’s when he stumbled across the Hard Deck. It was the middle of the day, and from first glance he thought it was just a regular bar, but when he walked in, he quickly learned it was not. He was about to turn around when a sweet voice called out to him.

“Boys! I told you to keep the bathrooms clean! I am not your damn maid!”

Rooster looked up from his phone, hearing that voice that had called out to him all those years ago. Penny Benjamin, aka their house mother and partial owner of the club. She had welcomed Bradley with a plate of food and a place to lay his head. The only thing she asked in return, is that he worked to pay his keep. At the time, Rooster didn’t know a single thing about dancing let alone stripping, but Penny told him not to stress about it. Declan, the MC and mainshow boat took Rooster under his wing and taught him everything he needed to know about working the stage and getting the tips.

“Sorry mom,” Rooster said and gave Penny a lopsided smile.

“Not your fucking mother, Rooster,” Penny pointed at him, “Keep this shit clean, or I’m taking wages for a cleaning fee.”

“Payback said there’s a bridal party in the house,” Jake said, taking a seat next to Bradley. He was one of the ones who lathered more oil than necessary onto his abdomen, “You know what that means.”

“Horny middle aged women trying to pull my pants down?” Bradley said, looking up at him.

“No, more tips man,” Jake rolled his eyes, “Bachelorette girls are fucking crazy. Fucking wink at them and their pulling their panties to the side.”

Bradley tossed his phone onto the counter in front of him and looked at himself in the mirror. His hair started getting a little long, but the women in the club seemed to dig it. He trimmed up his mustache a bit and put some light makeup over his face. That was another thing Bradley never thought he would do, put makeup on his face. But Declan said it helped bring in tips, so Bradley wasn’t complaining as he put foundation powder on his nose.

“Declan also wants us to do It’s Raining with the new kid,” Jake said and Bradley groaned. He looked over to the other side of the room where Bob, the newest recruit, was going over the steps to It’s Raining. It used to be a trio between Bradley, Jake and Javy. Bob wasn’t the average looking stripper. He wasn’t supper ripped, or had an oversized ego. He was cute, and had just the right amount of muscle on him. He also looked no older than eighteen, which made the two-time divorced mothers go absolutely feral.

“Fucking Coyote just had to get a concussion,” Bradley mumbled and pushed himself up from his chair, “What are you doing tonight?”

“Thinking about a lil Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy,” Jake smirked at himself, flexing his abs in the mirror. He wore a pair of tight Wranglers with an obnoxious belt buckle. He was shirtless and had a red bandana tied around his neck. He picked up his black cowboy hat from the counter and put it on his head, “What about you? Another 80s rock song?”

Bradley rolled his eyes, “Not sure yet. Depends on the crowd. If you crash and burn then I know that I shouldn’t do country.”

“Ha, ha,” It was now Jake who rolled his eyes. He took one glance at himself in the mirror and winked at his reflection, “See you on the flip side, Rooster.”

— — —

You hate country music. And what made it even worse was the blonde haired green eyed stripper who was dressed as a cowboy, grinding his junk into your friend’s face. He traded his black cowboy hat for her white one, and pulled her up on the stage. You stifled a laugh as you watched Malia turn as red as a tomato as he dragged her hand down his abs, landing on his crotch.

So far you had been impressed with the guys that had been up on the stage. You felt a bit uncomfy with the baby-faced one who danced to some remix of Toxic and Pony. He might’ve been slender but he sure could move his hips. You thought Jennifer was nearly going to have an aneurysm for how much she screamed for the stripper’s attention and stuffed money into his jeans. You also found it quite comical how red he turned when he had to push her hands away from him and scramble for his shirt before going off stage.

“Alright, alright,” The MC, who had introduced himself as Declan said, walked back out on the stage. Your eyebrows raised as you noticed him now wearing a tight pair of leather shorts, “A little birdy told me that we have a bride among us. . .” He talked low and slow, trying to be seductive, but you could not take a man in short shorts seriously, “Where is the lucky lady?”

“Right here!” Malia said, shooting her hand up.

Declan’s eyes went to her and he kneeled down right in front of her. Malia blushed profusely and bit her lip, “Your poor husband is going to have to ward off men for the rest of your lives.” You rolled your eyes, “Do you wanna know your surprise?”

“Oh yes! Yes!” You choked on your whisky at the breathless pleas from Malia. If you didn’t know better you would think she was getting railed instead of standing in front of a forty year old male stripper. Declan smiled and stood up on his feet.

“Well, ladies, I think you better take cover, would hate for you to get. . .wet. . .”

“Of fucking course,” You rolled your eyes at the entrance of the song, meanwhile the other girls lost their damn minds.

Three men stepped out on stage as smoke filled the stage. You recognized the two from earlier, they had changed into black jeans and yellow rain jackets. You had to give it to the Hard Deck dancers, they could actually do more than grind on the ground and do body rolls. You sat back in your chair and watched as the three of them moved on stage, and turned around to face the crowd. Your eyes locked on the tall brunette in the middle with the ridiculous porn stache. He caught your eye and winked at you as he slid forward on his knee, pushing his open raincoat back to show off his abs.

— — —

Bradley hated this song more than anything. He thought it was a cliche and Bob was half a count behind. It had been Declan’s idea about a year ago, and it had become almost a weekly thing that they’d do for the bachelorette parties in the club. It wasn’t that Bradley hated sharing the stage with others, it was that when the three of them were on stage, women tended to look at Javy or Jake more. But not her. Her eyes were locked on him, roaming over his abs. He smirked as he moved forward, as Bob and Jake took the sides of the stage. Bradley felt the confidence go through his body as he tossed his head back and held on to the ridiculous yellow rain hat, and thrusted his hips into the air.

When the song ended, Bradley was out of breath and had probably 200 hundred dollars shoved into his waist band. Jake took extra time getting off stage, enjoying the young women swooning over him, and returned the white cowboy hat back to the bride to be. He knew that she was engaged but he couldn’t help that electric feeling when she placed a quick kiss on his cheek before placing his cowboy hat on his head.

“Did I do alright?” Bob asked, huffing and puffing for air. He grabbed a water bottle from the mini fridge and handed one to Jake and Bradley, “I know that’s yours and Javy’s thing.”

“You did alright, Floyd,” Jake said and took a gulp of water, “It’s just this part. . .”

Bradley ignored whatever Jake was explaining to Bob about the dance and walked over to the DJ booth, telling him what song he was going to do tonight. He had spent the last two weeks working on it, and it was Declan approved yet, but Bradley didn’t care. He knew that it would catch the eye of the girl in the crowd again.

Bradley quickly wiped the sweat off his body, and change out of his yellow rain jacket, deciding to just go without a shirt. He peaked out from behind the black curtains and noticed her still in her spot, a bit behind the group of young women who stared up at Fanboy with wide eyes like kids on christmas. She looked bored and for whatever reason, that spurred Bradley on even more.

Call it what you want, but Bradley Bradshaw liked women who could give him a run for his money.

Fanboy walked off the stage giggling, running a hand through his curls. That was one thing that Bradley liked about Fanboy, he was the comedic relief they all needed sometimes. He told Bradley to break a leg and patted his shoulder before dipping back into the dressing room. Bradley let out a breath and shook out his shoulders as his song started. He nodded his head to the beat and when the guitar started strumming he walked out on stage.

He could hear the whistles and cheers of the women, but he wondered if she was cheering for him. The DJ had placed a black chair in the middle of the stage for Bradley to use. Usually, he’d pick a girl from the audience to sit in it, but it didn’t feel right unless he was picking her.

Bradley closed his eyes as the voice of Alex Turner filled his head. His body moved with muscle memory as he struted around stage, using the chair to his advantage. He opened his eyes as he turned the chair around backwards and sat down, rolling his hips as he did. She still had that same bored expression on her face and it fired him up even more.

He wasn’t sure what caused him to do it, maybe it was the eye roll or maybe it was the way she sipped whisky from a rocks glass, but he jumped off the stage and swaggered his way over to her. The same bored expression never leaving her face as he flooded her personal space.

— — —

Malia’s jaw hit the floor as the porn stached man jumped off the stage and walked right to you. You clenched your jaw and tightened your grip on the glass. He was skilled, clearly spending more time practicing his routines than anyone else here. You wondered if maybe he was an actual dancer before he decided to strip.

He was intoxicating and you thought his song choice was interesting. You sucked in a breath as he stood in front of you, he rolled his hips, pushing his junk towards your face, but you kept your eyes trained on his face. His eyes were dark, but you could see that they were honey brown. He smirked as he dropped to his knees in front of you. And damn you for opening your legs for him to slot in between them.

You knew the rule of the strip club, no touching costumers unless they consent, and he did a good job at remembering that. He placed his hands on either side of your chair as he lowered his head towards your lap and snaked his body back up to look at you. He was trying to get a rise out of you, to see you break and stick money into his waistline. But you were not about to give him that satisfaction.

‘Crawlin back to you, never thought I’d call’

He was going to push the limits, you could tell by the smirk on his face as he grabbed your glass of whisky from your hand, and took a drink. There was a glint in his eye and you nodded your head subtly, giving him permission. He grabbed your jaw, digging his fingers lightly into the skin to get you to open your mouth.

You kept eye contact with him as he spit the brown liquid back into your mouth. You swallowed without a second thought, your eyes on him the whole time. He smirked and wiped a dribble of whisky from your lip before setting the glass back in your hand and going back to the stage, making sure to put an extra swing into his hips.

“Dude!” Malia swatted your arm, snapping you out of your trance, as the Arctic Monkeys' song came to an end, “What the hell was that!”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked down at your now empty drink and then back at your friend, “I’m not entirely sure. . .but I liked it.”

to be tagged filled out the taglist form:)

485 notes · View notes

gloryofroses19 · 2 years

Text

Plight of the Pilots

Main Pairing: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x wife!reader

Additional Pairings: Hangman x trouble, platonic!Phoenix x reader

T/W: Allusions to sex

“Hey Rooster, I’ve been meaning to ask.” Hangman began causing every pilot in the room to brace themselves. They were dispersed across the training classroom trying to enjoy a few free moments in between the cramming and planning for the mission. “Where’s that pretty wife of yours?”

Rooster took his time drinking from his water bottle refusing to take Hangman’s bait as he locked his phone. “She’s visiting her parents.”

“What? And leave her husband alone before the biggest mission of his life? And here I thought nothing, but God could separate you two.” Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin had been subjected to the lovefest that was the Bradshaw couple on numerous occasions. And every time he made his displeasure known, apparently even when she wasn’t there.

With his signature cocky grin, Hangman exuded an air of nonchalance as he leaned back in his chair. “Well maybe it’s not such a big deal considering you’ll be riding the bench Roos.”

Meeting Hangman’s gaze, Rooster replied in a dry tone. “Not that it’s any of your business Hangman but her dad had surgery.”

“Wait, shit, really? When? She didn’t tell me.” Phoenix broke in. Phoenix had met [y/n] early on in her relationship with Rooster when Phoenix joined Rooster in a San Diego post. The women had clicked instantly and Phoenix now considered her to be a sister, which she was forever grateful for between her own two brothers and the Navy’s gender inequality.

Rooster gave Phoenix a reassuring smile. “It was minor gastric surgery for his GERD yesterday. Don’t take it to heart, I don’t think she wanted to bother you because of the mission.”

Drowning out the rest of the conversation, Rooster placed his hand over his heart as he thought about his wife. Rooster hated how Hangman words put a familiar ache in his chest. When he and [y/n] were apart, he often had a feeling of longing in his heart that was dulled by their calls and texts. And if given the time, [y/n] would come along or at least visit when Rooster’s posts allowed it. But on the mission that sounded impossible and forced him to see Maverick, Rooster couldn’t ask her to choose between him and her parents. He would have to make due with calls and pray for a miracle that would allow him to survive and be held by her again.

“Yes, actually I was one of her bridesmaids.”

“Oh, is she the bride in the photo in your locker?” Bob chimed in once again causing everyone in the room to consider again if Bob truly was a stealth pilot.

Hangman’s eyebrows raised as he gazed at Phoenix in wonder. “You have a picture of Rooster’s wife in your locker? Wow, Phoenix, never would have pegged you as the type to steal your friend’s girl.”

“Shut up, Hangman.” Rooster replied heatedly, rejoining the conversation.

“Ok, now I’m curious about this photo.” Coyote stepped into the middle of the room, severing the glaring standoff between Rooster and Hangman. The tension between the two hadn’t dissipated in the following days after their blowup during the briefing. Every pilot in the room, including Captain Pete Mitchell who reentered the room, had been running interference between the two lieutenants ever since.

“You’re not seeing the inside of my locker, you creep.” Phoenix stated as she tied the arms of her flight suit around her waist.

“Hey now, -” But Coyote’s retort was cut off by Rooster holding out a paper pulled from the left breast pocket of his flight suit. Taking it from his outstretched hand, Coyote was met with the image of Rooster and assumedly his wife, if the wedding gown gave any indication.

Murmurs of praise began to fill the room as the photo was passed around. Rooster nodded and smiled but it began to slip as Hangman ignored Yale’s offer and instead moved closer to the bronzed brunette.

“Aw, he keeps the photo near his heart. What, Bradshaw? Hoping she'll ask the Wizard of Oz to lend you some courage?”

Rising from his seat, Rooster faced the blonde. “Maybe the wizard will decide to gift you a heart so you’d be able to understand the experience of being loved.”

Sharing a look of distress, Payback moved forward to place his hand on Rooster's shoulder as Fanboy softly asked, “How long have you been together, man?”

Catching sight of Maverick watching him while holding his wedding photo, Rooster was reminded of the conversation he shared with [y/n] the night of his fight with Hangman. He never intended to cry while speaking to [y/n] but he wasn’t embarrassed that he did. The fear of crying in front of his wife was lost years ago after he showed up unannounced reeling from a nightmare months into their dating.

So after the tears subsided and he relayed what had happened, Rooster listened to what his wife had to say. It wasn’t advice that he could think of himself but hearing it from her made it real. Hangman and Maverick’s opinions didn’t matter, the past doesn’t have to be forgotten but it has to be learned from. And the best way to do that is to be the better man and show them how ‘by the book flying’ has its own value within the ‘Maverick’ style.

With a final withering glare at Hangman, Rooster let the tension leave his body as turned to Fanboy. “We dated for a year and been married for almost two years.”

A sigh of relief was felt by everyone as Maverick cleared his throat. “Bad news kids, we’re being rained out, or more accurately winded out with the dust storm. Training will be postponed and I talked Cyclone into giving you the rest of the day off with promises that you’ll ace the offensive and defensive exam tomorrow. We’ll be meeting at the beach outside the Hard Deck at 08:00.”

Though confused by the meeting place, cheers and shrouts erupted across the room. Rooster Bradshaw was the only pilot not joining in as he preoccupied himself with packing his things. Shooting a text to his wife, Rooster factored that with the four additional free hours, the Bradshaws could have a nice long FaceTime and also find time to cram for the exam.

“Here, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to lose this.” Accepting the outstretched photo, Rooster gave Maverick a final nod before dashing out of the room to pick up the incoming call.

“Hi baby, I think we need to have a quick intervention about your kleptomania of my belongings.”

Grabbing his sunglasses from the place on his chest, Rooster smiled at the lithe tilt of [y/n]’s voice. “What stuff?”

[y/n] rolled her eyes as she was both amused and endeared at her husband for playing dumb. “Oh, first it was my old college t-shirt, then my chapstick and chargers and now my favorite mug!”

“Wait, how do you know I have it? You left our place before I went on this mission!” Rooster never slept well without [y/n] by his side but the night he spent alone in their bed when she left to her parents’ was more tortuous than any night he had to spend alone during a mission.

“Because I’m standing in your bungalow looking at it, Bradshaw!”

Bradley chuckled listening to her faux annoyance before stopping short in the hallway as he words settled in his ears. “You’re where?!”

“Surprise baby, hope training ends quickly because I miss you.” [y/n] teased before ending the call leaving Lieutenant Bradshaw to ignore Hondo’s shout of “no running in the halls”.

[Bonus]

Worried about Rooster’s quick exit, Lieutenant Natasha Trace knocked on his bungalow door. Hearing no reply but instead the scrapping of furniture against the floor, she knocked again. “Rooster! I know you’re in there! Just answer me so I can tell your wife you’re at least alive!”

“Goodbye Phoenix!” Rooster yelled out as he stopped kissing her, allowing his minx of a wife to begin to place open mouthed kisses up his neck.

Removing her lips from the spot behind his left ear that left him trapping her between the wall and his body, [y/n] called out to Phoenix. “I appreciate it Nat, but I think I got it under control.”

“[y/n]? Oh my god…!” Walking away from the door, Phoenix joined Bob, Fanboy and Payback who were expectantly waiting.

“He okay?” Fanboy asked as Phoenix laughed. “Yeah, but I pity the pilot living next to his bungalow.”

The sound of feminine laughter from within the bungalow had the three male pilots turning to the window. But they all quickly turned away as the action allowed them to catch sight of Rooster’s tanned broad bareback with a pair of arms and legs wrapped around him.

“Guess he won’t be joining us for study group!”

“I’m the pilot next door to him!” Bob exclaimed, cutting off Fanboy.

With a bark of laughter, Payback clapped Bob on his back turning the man away.

Passion of a Pilot is the sequel to this piece

A/N: Feedback is always welcomed! And a massive thank you to everyone who’s read, liked, commented and reblogged my other works! Also, kudos to anyone who may have realized that while all my Rooster imagines are stand-alone pieces, they can be read as a series and more so, there are Easter eggs within each of them of the other imagines/possible future works.

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fic #rooster x reader #top gun imagine #top gun maverick x reader

2K notes · View notes

theharddeck · 1 year

Text

the best me has his arms around you (jake x f!reader)

pairing: Jake Hangman Seresin x fem!reader

summary: after a long deployment, Jake and his girlfriend share a slowdance after Javy's wedding. this fic was created as a part of @roosterforme 's #love is in the air tgm challenge 💕based off the song yours, by russell dickerson

warnings: none! just some soft, wedding-provoked, feelings if y'all want a part 2 with welcome home smut, do lmk

wc: 1.3k

It was a beautiful wedding.

The evening was cool, illuminated by twinkling lights strung around the courtyard of a historic hotel in Old Town San Diego, weaving among colorful strands of papel picado. Coyote and Cross had said their vows in the golden afternoon and the party had been going strong ever since. You were now at the point in the night where jackets were draped across the backs of chairs, beside high heels that had been unbuckled and abandoned, as guests were too tired to keep up appearances, but having too good of a time to call it a night.

You liked the height that your heels had given you, but your arches were suffering the consequences; Jake had known you would want to stay on the floor so he’d pulled you into his arms and balanced your bare feet on top of his cowboy boots. The thick leather was sturdy under your toes, and you locked your elbows around his neck and let your boyfriend dance for the both of you. It was more a sway than a dance, a soft and comfortable rocking as Jake moved you around the courtyard. You pressed your face into the soft material of his dress shirt still somewhat disbelieving that he was back.

He and Javy had been deployed at the worst time, the two of them barely making it back overseas in time for rehearsal dinner. You’d seen Jake last night, but they’d both been exhausted from the travel, and bridesmaids and groomsmen were bunking together anyway, so tonight was the first time you really felt like you had your boyfriend back.

“You wanna sit down?” Jake asked quietly, his voice rumbling against your cheek. You shook your head against his chest, not wanting to break the moment. To be here, to hold him, to be held—it didn’t matter if your feet were bleeding raw, you’d have stayed.

So you did stay.

The DJ wound down, reading the energy shift, moving to softer songs, even taking slow dance requests. Older couples were drifting away, the bride and bridegroom quietly bidding everyone goodnight, until the only ones left were the ones who needed the quietness more than they needed the tradition. Jake’s hand was smoothing up your back slowly, playing with the chiffon gathered at the small of your back.

Cross had done well in picking bridesmaid dresses that weren’t awful, and you felt more like a Grecian goddess rather than a bridesmaid cliche. You felt Jake’s hand lift, and turned your head to see Harvard and his girl waving goodbye to him as they headed out. Brigham tipped his hat—his actual stetson, since apparently your boyfriend wasn’t the only cowboy in this place—at Jake and when the DJ’s next pick sounded notably more country than the previous selection, you knew it was Brigham’s doing.

Jake’s arms tightened around you as a steel guitar echoed around the courtyard, and you settled back into him. You’d probably need to call it a night soon; it’d been a long couple of days, and you needed to get back into a rhythm before rejoining the real world after the haze of reunions and the wedding. But for now, this moment was perfect, and you didn’t want to end it.

Jake coughed quietly, like he had something stuck in his throat but was trying to be quiet about it. Your hand slipped from around the back of his neck to his upper back when he kept coughing, and your brow wrinkled as you pulled back, the peace of the moment evaporating when you saw Jake’s face was red.

“Let me get you some water—” you started, but Jake didn’t let go of you.

“It’s fine,” he said hoarsely, trying to pull you back into him, but you shook your head, stepping off his shoes.

“Jake, it’s not; let me—”

Jake huffed, running a hand over his chin, smiling sheepishly at you. His eyes were watery, and you were wondering if you should grab something other than water, when he let out a long breath through his nose.

“It’s the song, honey,” he said, voice gravelly, and you blinked at him.

“What?” you asked, reaching up to push some of his hair out of his face. As he looked down at you, you realized him clearing his throat was to hide a rush of emotion. Jake pulled at you gently, asking, and you stepped back into his arms, giving him the space he needed to tell you what was going on.

“Just glad I’m yours, sweetheart,” he whispered into your hair, turning you slowly around the floor.

Your heart clenched at his simple words, overflowing at having him here, having him at all. It was always hard for him to be away, it always hurt, but this sweet man? Made it all worth it.

And he’d scoff at the adjective, probably pull up his shirt to flex his abs or wiggle his eyebrows suggestively while reminding you of his other winning attributes.

But past all his bravado and charm, past the way he seemed determined to keep people at arm’s length to protect them, past his need to remind people of how good he was, worried they wouldn’t think it unless he told them, past it all, he was a good man. You were just grateful you were the one he let close enough to find it out.

You wrapped your arms around him again, letting the lyrics of the song settle over you as Jake swayed both of you.

I came to life when I first kissed you

The best me has his arms around you

You make me better than I was before

Thank God I’m yours

Jake was humming along to the song, and you felt the vibration through his chest. You tightened your arms around him, your eyes closing as you leaned into his chest.

It felt like peace, being here with him.

Rocking slowly, held in the cradle of his arms. If you breathed deep, you could catch the remains of his cologne, determinedly lingering hours after it’d been applied, but stronger was the smell of his sweat. Soft and sweet, the familiar scent that’d long washed off the sheets and pillowcases in your shared home.

The thought of it sent a wave of deep contentment through you and you pulled up to look at Jake. Both of your eyes were a little misty, and as the last notes of the song faded out, you leaned up to brush a soft kiss to his lips. Jake’s hands tightened slightly around your waist, but his lips were gentle as he returned your kiss, like he also felt the reverence in this moment.

You pulled back, heart nearly bursting at the sight of him this close. The soft shadow of his lashes, the way his nostrils flared as he pulled in a deep breath, the way his once-perfectly-styled hair now fell slightly in his eyes.

You reached up to brush the golden strands away from his face, your fingers tracing from his cheekbone down to his Cary Grant chin, teasingly poking at the divet there. Jake’s mouth twitched into a smile, before he caught your hand in one of his, brushing a soft kiss against your knuckles. It was your turn to smile, then, a reaction you couldn’t stop any more than you could your next breath.

“Take me home, Lieutenant?” you asked softly, and Jake lowered your hand from his lips, but his fingers stayed entwined in yours. You walked around the few couples remaining on the floor, and when you got to your table, you picked up your heels while Jake draped his suit jacket over your shoulders.

The cobblestones were cold under your feet as you walked back to the car, but your hand was held warmly in Jake’s, his jacket settled on your shoulders, and you knew it was you—you were the lucky one, to be his.

smutty part two (please check your warnings and minors DNI!)

tagging: @bradshawsbitch @callsign-fangirl @laracrofted @mxgyver @princessphilly @hangmanbrainrot @wildbornsiren @datemephoenix @fuckyeahhangman @lt-bradshaw @double-j @teacupsandtopgun @gigisimsonmars

#love is in the air tgm #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #hangman #hangman fluff #jake seresin fluff #jake hangman seresin x reader #hangman x reader #guys i'm real uncertain about this one but i promise i tried #sorry it's not...idk what it's not it's just not what i wanted #but it's been weeks and i think this is the best it'll be so i'm releasing it to the world haha #hope you like it 💙#misskielwrites

349 notes · View notes

whitmoreroyals · 10 months

Text

The Royal Wedding of Crown Prince Ethan & Andrea Thurston (1964)

Transcript under the cut

Beginning / Previous / Next

Millions are gathering to witness the first televised royal wedding. It's sure to be a fairytale nuptial.

As the final guests make their way into the Cathedral, we notice some significant royal representatives. such as HRH Princess Elenor of Albion @thealbionroyals, TM King Alexandrina I and TRH Grand Princess Frederick Harrington of Esha @crownsofesha, HM Queen Beatriz and HM Mother Rowena of Uspana @nexility-sims, and TM King Johnathan and Queen Elizabeth of Corrilea @theroyalsofcorrilea.

The following royal representatives arrive TRH Earl Thomas and Countess Lillian of Hereford @stthomaspalace, TRH Crown Prince William lll and Duchess Katherine of Simdonia @bridgeportbritt, and TRH Prince Ezra and Princess Gabriela, The Prince and Princess of Westburg @trentonsimblr.

And the final royal representatives have arrived TM King Frederick and Queen Elenore of Elthonia @miyuzarry, HIM King Everette III, HRH Princess Lorraine of Iona @funkyllama, and TRH Crown Prince Otto and Crown Princess Roa of San Sequoia @hrh-the-royals.

Escorted by her father Zander Thurston, the bride travels from Renard Palace to Queen María's Cathedral for her marriage to Crown Prince Ethan.

As the bride makes her way into the Cathedral we see Crown Prince Ethan and his best man Diego Olson waiting patiently at the altar.

The beautiful bride wearing a satin dress with lace sleeves is making her way up to the altar with her bridesmaids, flower girl and pageboy's following behind.

The bridal party features Eliana Thurston, Maliyah and Malakai Thurston, Lady Bridgette Houser Jones, HRH Prince Colin of Irenda, Adrianna Thurston, and HRH Prince William III of Simdonia.

The wedding ceremony was performed by Lionel, Eye of Jacob as he gives his sermon and blesses the couple with the watchers' blessing.

{Eye of Jacob} As you embark on your journey together, there are three important blessings from the Watcher that you must receive. Firstly, you shall be granted The Watcher's Absolution, which will absolve you of any past sins and allow you to move forward together without any hindrance.

{ Eye of Jacob} Secondly, you shall be granted the Watcher's touch, which will protect the holy union that you are creating here today. Lastly, you shall be granted the Watcher's Blessing, which will assure you that the Watcher loves and cherishes you both individually and as a couple, and will always be with you.

{Eye of Jacob} It is now time for you to declare your intention in front of the Watcher and all who have gathered here today, as you have received Jacob's Trilogy of Praise. Ethan, will you take Andrea Everly Thurston as your lawfully wedded wife?

{Ethan} I do.

{Eye of Jacob} Andrea, do you take Ethan Alexander David George to be your lawfully wedded husband?

{Andrea} I do.

{Eye of Jacob} By the watchers blessing I pronounce you husband and wife.

The newlywed couple are seeing breaking away from tradition as they share a kiss during the ceremony.

Congratulations to the newlywed couple as they embark on this new journey together.

The newlywed couple can be seen giving an expression of respect to TM King Andrew and Queen Anne.

The crowds cheer as the newlyweds walk out of the Cathedral to the carriage where they make their journey back to Renard Palace for the reception.

The royals begin a new tradition by appearing on the balcony of the Palace to wave to the millions of Whitmorians as their way of making their people feel included on their big day.

On this day, the newlyweds started a new tradition by sharing a public kiss on the balcony, something the royals had never done before.

Creator Notes: Thank you to everyone who sent your lovely sims to be a part of this wedding and for being so patient with me. After months of waiting due to having some unexpected things happen in my life. If you want to see the photos in color you can see them HERE :)

#ts4 #ts4 royal legacy #ts4 royalty #ts4 royal family #ts4 royal simblr #whitmore royal family #whitmore royals #whitmore a royal romance #sim: Andrea Renard #sim: Zander Thurston #sim: Ethan Renard #sim: Andrew Renard #sim: Anne Renard

64 notes · View notes

ereardon · 2 years

Text

Slow Burn [Epilogue][Hangman x Reader]

Summary: A one night stand with Hangman disrupts the fresh start you were looking for when moving to San Diego. The unexpected pregnancy forces you two to move fast, and brings with it some hurdles along the way as you and Jake learn how to live with each other. As the months go by, you slowly get to know the real Jake, but when old flames reappear and work obstacles threaten to topple everything, your relationship is put to the test.

WC: 1.6K

Warnings: Cursing, no use of Y/N, wedding!

Full series masterlist here

A/N: Thank you SO much to everyone who read/interacted with this series. I had the absolute best time writing it. I'm going to miss Kate and Jake! I have another potential TGM fic idea, so keep an eye out!

“Are you ready?”

You looked up to see Bob standing in the doorway in his tux, hair perfectly smoothed back, and you smiled.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered as you stood up, smoothing the white dress under your fingertips.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” you said, taking his hand. He led you out into the hallway and down the stairs and you peeked through the double doors out into the courtyard to see everyone sitting in their chairs.

You spotted Lucy standing near the officiant, and Jake on the other side in his tux, a look of nervousness etched over his face. Rooster clapped his shoulder with a smile, and your daughter stood at her father’s feet in a tiny little white flower girl dress, her brown hair piled in curls on her head. The three-year-old laughed and reached out her arms and Jake lifted her up, settling her on his hip.

Bob turned to you. “Ready when you are.”

You smiled and nodded at the wedding planner, who cued the music and opened the double doors, everyone rising out of their seat. As you stepped into the aisle, you saw a tear slide down Jake’s cheek, watched as your daughter pushed it away with her chubby fingers.

Bob kissed your cheek at the end of the aisle. You smiled and kissed your daughter’s head before Jake handed her off to Bob, who took a seat in the front row, Lucinda nestled on his lap.

Jake took your hands in his and you smiled up at him, the sun dipping below the horizon behind him. He looked just as gorgeous as the day you had met him. As handsome as the day Lucinda was born and he told you he loved you for the first time. Just as ridiculously beautiful as the day he had asked you to marry him, in the living room of the house that you two shared, on Christmas morning.

“Jake, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.”

“And Kate, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

You smiled. “I do.”

“You may kiss the bride.”

Jake grinned and stepped forward, grabbing your face in his hands as he kissed you. There was an eruption of cheering as he slid his hand down to your waist, dipping you low and the cheering volume increased as you smiled against Jake’s lips.

Lucinda sat perched on your lap, gnawing at a breadstick. Rooster and Jake were making the rounds at the different tables and the band had started to play. Beside you, Lucy sat chatting to Bob. Under the glow of the string lights in the tent, you watched everyone in your lives mingle and drink and laugh. Everyone said planning a wedding is stressful and they didn’t lie. There were nights where you were sitting up at the kitchen table pouring over spreadsheets, a cup of coffee growing cold beside you. And Jake would come in, press his hands to your shoulders, remind you it was just a party, and to not get too stressed out. But you didn’t heed his warning and you were glad, in the end. It turned out perfect.

“It’s now time for the couple’s first dance,” the singer said into the microphone and you spotted Jake across the room. Lucinda crawled into Lucy’s lap, and you stood up, meeting Jake on the middle of the black and white paneled dance floor.

He swished you around the dance floor in perfect form, and you threw your head back in laughter. Three months before the wedding you had woken him up in a panic.

“Jake, Jake, get up!”

“What?” he shot up to a seated position, eyes wide. He was halfway out of the room to check on Lucinda before you called out to him.

“We need dance lessons!”

“What?” he stopped in his tracks, turning to you and laughing. “Are you kidding me? You woke me up to talk about dance lessons? I thought there was a fucking intruder in our daughter’s room.”

You shrugged and he climbed back into the bed. “I don’t want to embarrass ourselves out there.”

“You know I can dance, right?” he asked and you looked up in shock.

Jake was an excellent dancer. He had apparently been a cotillion date five times over, but he still agreed to go to lessons, for your sake.

The song ended and Jake dipped you into another kiss.

“Now for the father-daughter dance,” the singer announced and you gave Jake a panicked look. You had explicitly asked the wedding planner to have the band skip the father-daughter and mother-son dances. You didn’t have any family around to dance with.

Jake nodded quickly and stepped toward the band, and you started to move off the dance floor when Rooster appeared at your side, holding out his hand. “May I have this dance?” he asked, his mustache twitching in a smile and you breathed out a sigh of relief, letting him lead you back to the center of the dance floor.

You rested your head on Bradley’s chest as he wrapped his arms around you and swayed gently. When you looked up at him, he smiled. “Thank you,” you whispered. He nodded. It was unspoken: you needed each other. You were each other’s family now.

You leaned back against Bradley, letting the music swell, until you felt him pull away and you opened your eyes.

Mr. Seresin stood next to Rooster, wearing a tux. He tapped Rooster’s shoulder. “Do you mind if I cut in?” he asked.

Bradley looked at you, still holding your hands tightly, his eyes searching you for response. “It’s up to Kate,” he said softly.

You squeezed Bradley’s hands and nodded. “It’s OK,” you whispered and he gave you a tight smile, dropping your hands softly. You smiled at Mr. Seresin and he held out a hand and you took it. His large arm came down around your waist. Just like his son, he was a talented dancer.

You spotted Jake out of the corner of your eye, staring hard, his face unreadable. You were the one who had insisted on inviting his parents. They had a strained relationship, ever since Lucinda had been born, but you knew deep down that it wasn’t fair to your daughter to not have her grandparents in her life if they were willing to be.

“Thank you for inviting us,” he said, finally, and you looked up. He was tall, taller than Jake and even Bradley, but with the same features of his son, just dusted with age. A few more wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, gray hair peppering through his neat locks. He held himself with the stance of a Navy man, and you could feel the coldness of his Naval Academy ring against your bare back in your slip-style wedding dress.

“How did you know it was me?” you asked and he chuckled, the first time you heard anything of the sort from the man.

“I know my son,” he said quietly. “He’s difficult to forgive and impossible when it comes to forgetting.”

“You’re his parents,” you said. “You should be here.”

The song started to wind down and you pulled back, just enough to look up at him.

“I want my daughter to know her grandparents,” you said.

He nodded and to your surprise, you watched a tear slip out of the corner of his eye. “I want that, too,” he said, his gruff voice soft. “Very much so.”

The song ended and you stopped swaying, Mr. Seresin’s arm still wrapped around you. To your surprise, and his, you reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, felt his hand press tightly across your back.

Later, you sat down at the head table, peeling off your stilettos, and Lucy plopped down next to you.

“Ready for the bouquet toss?” you asked and she grinned back.

“Kate?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn’t want to spoil anything,” she said and you tilted your head to the side. “Bradley asked me to marry him two weeks ago.”

You yelped and pulled her into a hug, accidentally squishing her updo as you crushed her into you. “Oh my God I can’t believe you kept this from me for two weeks!”

She smiled. “I didn’t want to make it about me!” she said.

“Show me the ring, immediately!” you demanded and she nodded, pulling open her clutch and digging an oval solitaire out of the side pocket, slipping it on her left hand.

She waved Rooster and Jake over from where they were huddled at a table with other Top Gun aviators.

You flagged down a waitress and asked for a round of champagne. When she returned, you held up your glass. Lucy and Rooster faced each other, smiling wide. Bob held up a glass, Phoenix next to him in a beautiful red satin dress. Jake kissed your temple, Lucinda in his arms, hugging him like a koala.

Raising a glass, you looked around and smiled. “To Lucy and Bradley. We love you so much.”

“And to Jake and Kate and baby Luce,” Rooster added. “The best family I know.”

As you all clinked glasses, you caught Jake’s eye. He winked and gave you a grin, and you felt a familiar warmth spread from your chest throughout your body.

He had turned out to be so much better than you could have ever expected.

Tag list: @lgg5989 @sqrlgrl22 @okayyypurrrr @khaylin27 @bleuisabella @abaker74 @fangirling-4-ever @dempy @backinwonderl4nd @cool-ultra-nerd @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @belledawnidk @momc95 @oneelleandaneye @xoxabs88xox @endofdays56 @lilylilyyyyyy @yougottalovefandoms @eringaitskill30 @skylarisaturtle @amj29292 @shawnsblue @krismdavis @shanimallina87 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @rosiahills22 @blue-aconite @barbiewritesstuff @justanothermagicalsara @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @hail-horror-queen @sidneymarie24

#jake hangman imagine #jake hangman fic #jake hangman x reader #top gun fanfiction #jake seresin #hangman fanfiction #top gun imagine #jake hangman x you #top gun x reader #hangman top gun #rooster top gun #bob floyd fanfiction #jake x oc #jake seresin x oc #hangman x oc

327 notes · View notes

brokenpiecesshine · 7 months

Text

Black Veil Brides on Instagram, 18/10/2023.

The Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA October 16, 2023 Idaho and California up next! 10/18 - Garden City, ID 10/19 - Wheatland, CA 10/20 - SOLD OUT 10/21 - Ventura, CA 10/22 - San Diego, CA 📷 @shawnbrandonmedia

#2023 #live #Black Veil Brides #Bvb #Andy Biersack #Andy Black #Cc #Christian coma #Jinxx #lonny eagleton #Jake pitts

13 notes · View notes

lukeevangelista · 2 years

Note

idk if you’ve already written something like this but i got inspo from the pic of quinn at demko’s wedding

just imagine it’s time for the bride to throw the bouquet and reader catches it. reader kinda just stands there not knowing what to do bc their relationship with quinn is fairly new. so then after the wedding and they both get home, the two talk about their future together and whatnot

I haven’t but I adore this.

———————-

Lex turned around, her bouquet above her head as she went to throw it- the other girls jumping to get it as it went over their heads and straight to you.

Quinn and the other goes were watching from across the room as Brock nudged him jokingly, “Looks like you’re getting married soon Huggy.”

You stood there, not really knowing how to react as you twiddled with the ribbon on the beautiful arrangement.

Your eyes met Quinn’s, a blush covering your cheeks as you handed to bouquet back to Lex, thinking she would like it back as you muttered an apology.

“Let’s go.” You whispered as you crossed the room to him, the festivities coming to an end anyways.

You both felt the awkward tension as you two stood there a couple more minutes, bidding goodbyes to everyone before Quinn’s hand found the lower portion on your back, guiding you to the door.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.” You admitted as he walked you to the passenger door, him opening it.

“You didn’t.” He said as he shut the door, walking around to get into the drivers seat, “I was just shocked I guess.”

The car ride was quiet, but comfortable as you two passed through the streets of San Diego, finding the hotel you two were staying in fairly quickly.

“Can we talk?” Quinn chose to address the elephant in the room.

“About what?” You asked, trying to keep your emotions under control.

“You know exactly what babe.” He said as he sat on the bed, patting the bed beside him, “I know you saw my face.”

“I didn-“

“You did. I saw how your face dropped when you looked me. I promise, it’s not that I don’t love you. We’re just young and this is new, but one day, i would love to have a ring on that finger,” he spoke as he rubbed his thumb over your left hand ring finger, “you last name the same as mine and our kids calling you mama.”

“You…” you stuttered, “you just told me you loved me.”

“Because I do Y/N.”

“I love you more Quinn Hughes.”

#quinn hughes #soft thoughts w/ari

87 notes · View notes

callmemana · 9 months

Text

Arms Wide Open, Catch Me If I Fall:

Chapter 5: Home In The Sky

Word Count: 3k+

Dual POV story (Birdie & Bob {please message me if the POV switch isn’t detectable and I’ll figure out a way to show that its switched between the characters})

🚨Warnings: inaccurate Naval descriptions, angst and floof. Mentions of Depression, suicide, drunkards, abuse, and religious views. Please if you suffer from depression talk to someone. I’m always here if you need an ear! 💛

A/N: dividers by @sligheach-sidhe , cover by me ( @callmemana ).

A/N 2: This is very personal to me and something that my family has gone through. I know that not very many people have the support system I had growing up and had people to talk to about the importance of mental health. It’s not something to joke about or not take seriously.

A/N 3: this is part 1 of 2, the next chapter will be a continuation. 💛 check out LP for more info on ‘Katie’!

It had been a couple of weeks and Amanda had finally settled into the Dagger Squad and San Diego and met the rest of the ‘Chaos Squad’ and the Daggers’ Aviator Mamas, Rachael Dragon Kazansky and Jade Whiskey Kerner.

Birdie met Whiskey when one day after Bird had just got home from walking Ozzy. Mickey and Baylie forgot that they had a guest and were being loud in the bedroom.

She didn’t stay long after the loud moans could be heard around the house.

So, with wanting to get away and let the newly-weds have their alonetime Bird went to the library. She was in the romance books when she literally ran into Commander Jade Whiskey Kerner.

“I’m so sorry Commander, I didn’t mean to run into you.” she rushed as she moved aside.

The older woman just laughed and they both sat down together and talked for hours until Bay called and asked where she’d gone.

Bird had gotten to know the other squad members and formed a good bond with all of them. Bo and her started to mend the relationship slowly but surely.

We were laughing and joking every once in a while and Bird started to call him Bo instead of Robert again here and there, which she could tell made his smile wider if possible.

She wanted to be able to trust him full-heartily, but he betrayed that in Lemoore and it would take work and effort on both sides to see this be mended to what it was.

Bird was willing and she could tell he was too, but how long will it last before he loses his temper or decides that he can’t go through it again.

They were on a team now and from what she’s been told, Bay and Mickey were on the Uranium mission and are better than ever, so why did he push her away?

Robert and her could be half way done with the wedding planning by now, she could’ve sent the ‘Save The Date’ cards to their families and friends and she’d have her dress already.

She’d have a dress, a wedding dress that would take his breath away and make him cry from Birdie’s beauty and her father would walk her down the aisle, tears in his eyes as he gives his only daughter to the man she loved.

Hailey and Heather would be Maid of Honor and a Bride’s Maid, standing by her side as Bo and her said their vows and exchanged rings.

Bird had this imagine in her mind since she said “Yes!” all those months ago when everything was happy and great.

After the first week of being in the Dagger Squad and already tired of Hangman and Rooster’s constant bitching and competitiveness, Birdie went to the closest Walmart and bought a Disney Princess kids’ dress up set.

The next day, Birdie went onto base and put the tiara in her locker and as soon as either of the boys started to bitch about who was the best of the group.

She asked for them to wait as she grabbed it and hid the plastic crown behind her back as she walked back in.

When she revealed the tiara, everyone was confused, but the looks on their faces quickly turned into smiles and laughter as Bird placed it on Roos’ head and said, “You have been crowned the Bitch of the Day. As you see fit My Majesty.” and bowed.

All the aviators, except Bob, took turns slamming their hands and fists onto the top of her helmet.

Most of them were nice, but Baylie was the most ruthless, always making sure that Birdie could feel the vibrations through the helmet.

Birdie new that once Bo got comfortable again, he’d be the nicest one, but until then, Mickey was.

Fanboy saw her as a little sister and always made sure that Bird was treated nicely when he was around.

After a month of being a guest in the Garcia’s house, seeing, learning, and hearing things that new friends shouldn’t, Birdie had put in a request for a on-base house and is currently waiting for an opening.

She had been to the Hard Deck and met Penny, Amelia, and Grace, but preferred to be called her honorary callsign; Spicy.

The girls of the Dagger Squad, Grace and Alana, and Rachael and Jade became a squad of their own, known around the base and off as the Chaos Squad.

This little grouping of chaotic women didn’t help Bird’s nonexistent relationship with Cyclone, especially after meeting with his wife, Robyn Venom Simpson.

She also had been introduced to Roos’ step-mother, Grace O’Mally Bradshaw. Both women were lovely and so much fun to be around.

Birdie didn’t want the six months to go by too quickly so she had enough time to really get to know the group and form a tight friendship with each of them.

She was going to be sad when the time period was up and she was deployed to another base, but this is what she signed up for years ago.

Bird just wanted to mend one relationship when she first arrived and now was lucky enough to walk away with more friendships than she though she would.

She also would walk away with a family. A father and mother, aunt and uncle, sisters and brothers that will always be in her life no matter what.

Even if Bo and her don't bury the hatchet, the others have told her so many times when she’d voiced her concern over the subject.

Ozzy was happier too, he had more people to love and care for him now and was loving every bit of attention that the others were giving him.

It had been more than once that Ozzy had kicked Mickey out of the bed so he could snuggle Baylie.

Bird knew when Ozzy was with Bay when Mickey is getting comfy on the couch, she’d always offer to get Oz and he could be with his wife.

He always waved her off and said that Bay’s been wanting a dog for a while and if this is keeping her mind off of one for them, he’d happily give up his bed.

We were also briefed on another upcoming mission and the team started training and had been doing good.

There was more time to complete the training this time too, which Birdie was thankful for, she’d just joined the squad.

It was crazy to think that these few weeks together had felt like a lifetime already and Bird wouldn’t change anything if it meant that she’d never met them.

Don’t get her wrong, Bird was beyond sad when Bo broke her heart, but it kinda feels worth it now.

Because without that lost, she wouldn’t have gained a family, a very chaotic family, but one none the less.

Bird felt as if she was home. Bo helped with that, he had been her home for four years prior and Bird couldn’t stop thinking as him as that.

Robert Floyd has had her heart since that day on the trail for training in bootcamp and he gave Birdie that rock after telling her that he would keep the little mushroom she had picked just for him.

Bird knows that it's stupid to say that was the moment he took her heart, over a silly little thing as a mushroom, but it was.

Bo took the little fungus and while others would’ve thrown it over their shoulders when I wasn’t looking, he kept it, and later in the recreational room, he gifted me a rock.

Even if he didn’t realize it, he spoke my love language, sentimental gifts that make no sense to anyone else but us.

I was grateful to have a friend that finally understood me and embraced my quirks.

Not that Athena didn’t, she did, but she got tired of it sometimes.

Bird doesn’t blame her though, having a neurodivergent friend can be exhausting when they have hyper-activity and can’t focus on anything and everything most days.

Bo took the randomness of me as if it was an exciting adventure and had the patience of a Saint to wait for me when it was harder to keep on tasks.

He was considerate when I said I was overwhelmed and noticed the signs when I was too scared of ruining his night by leaving early.

Bo never got upset or argued, he’d just say an excuse for us to leave and then we’re in his car and going home.

Bird’s family never really got why she had a harder time on some of the subjects at school, but after a teacher had spotted the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD, she recomended that Birdie gets tested.

When the results came back positive and they started her on some medication to help, her grades went up and she was focusing better on tasks, but her family still sometimes treated her as before.

The family she had in San Diego though, they understood and also took the time to help her, just like they do for Mouse.

The squads watch for certain behaviors and try to soothe the others’ emotions.

Just like when Roos noticed Bird was nervous and overwhelmed before flying on her first day back at Top Gun and knew that she needed to do a pre-flight ritual.

He was there for Bird even if he didn’t know exactly what she needed.

Amanda finally found a group of friends that understand and are willing to help and she couldn’t be more thankful for them.

Not that she’d let Hangman know that she’s appreciative of him, his egos big enough.

It had been a month in San Diego when Bird got the phone call from her mother that a friend back home had died, she immediately drew back from the squad.

Baylie and Mickey saw the happy-go-lucky woman turn distant and quiet in the matter of seconds. Bird didn’t waste any time in running to her room and bursting into tears.

They had known each other since they were children. The two women were cousins, best friends, and practically inseparable. Bird had known about Hailey’s depression for years.

No one really took her seriously when she’d lay in bed for days, no energy or motivation to get up and eat and take care of herself.

But Bird did, she took the mental health of others very seriously. As did her parents, especially after what her mother experienced at eighteen.

Jackson, her grandfather, was something that the Wheeler side of the family didn’t talk about and when they did, it wasn’t a lot.

They saw him as a disgrace, for suicide is the highest Sin that one could commit in they eyes of God.

The Wheeler family might not always be the most religious but they do follow His word. From the brief stories that her mother told, Jackson was a mean alcoholic. Everyday he’d drink until he was good and drunk.

That’s how he coped with being depressed, but it was the early 80’s and not a lot of people sought out for help, they turned to drink or drugs or whatever tickled their fancy.

Bird will never forget the day that her mother had pulled out that damned bullwhip from her Hope Chest and told all three of her children the story of it.

Then after the story was done, Kathleen Hallet took in her children’s faces and said, “If you ever feel like you’re not yourself, please tell your dad or me ok?”

All the siblings nodded their heads as Kathleen tried to make sure they understood what she was talking about. And even as the children grew, Nick and Kat reminded them and gave more encouragement to talk to them if needed.

Birdie was 8 when she was first introduced to her grandfather’s memory and every blue moon she’d learn something new.

She was 17 when she learned that Jackson was his name, had a fraternal twin brother named John, that he liked Lions, and was fortunate enough to be given his old wool jacket and a small lion figurine.

Bird was 20 when she was told that Mamaw and Papaw Wheeler owned a bar and he and his buddies would stay there and drink all day playing cards.

The Hallet siblings might not have had a maternal grandfather, but they did have a maternal great grandpa.

He was a big part of their childhood, he taught all of them life lessons and other important things as they grew.

Birdie was the closest to both her Mamaw and Grandpa Wheeler, always watching old westerns and doing puzzles with them.

It broke her heart when her Great Grandfather died at the age of 96.

The hardest part being that she was in boot camp and couldn’t be excused to attend. Bo was her biggest shoulder to cry on and stayed with her until she wasn’t grieving as much. Heather and Phillip were there for her too when Bo couldn’t.

She didn’t know if she could go through the same thing again, but this time would be different, with someone she actually knew and saw and loved and grew up together.

Hailey was someone that Bird never thought that she’d have to out-live, with her being in the Navy, her life was constantly in danger.

It was beyond hard for her to think of a world where Hailey wasn’t just one phone call away if Bird had a bad day and needed her best friend to talk to or vice versa.

She’d never hear her voice again, never feel her warmth from a hug. What if Bird forgets Hailey’s voice or laugh? What if she hears a song or smell or memory that reminds her of Hailey and starts to cry?

Bird for weeks would just do nothing but lay in her bed after work, sobbing and cuddling Ozzy until she had cried herself to sleep.

This worried Bay and Mickey, they had no idea what had happened in that phone call and started to fret over their friend’s health.

Mickey begged Bay to let him call Bob, he’d most likely be able to get her to open the door and talk, but Bay would shake her head and take Ozzy for his evening walk.

Every member of the squads came to the Garcia’s shack, talking through the wooden door as they sat on the ground.

Bay and Mickey talked to her the most, about what they did after work, how Ozzy did that day if he wasn’t in her room, and how much they miss seeing her bright and shiny smile.

What they didn’t know, was the hurt she felt in hearing them plead with her to come out. She just didn’t want to smile or do anything knowing that her best friend was gone.

Everything felt numb, lungs heavy and crushed, her friends’ voices sounded as if she was underwater. And all she wanted to do was breathe.

“Hey Angel,” he started breathlessly and searching for the right words, “I know. I got a text from your Ma, she’s worried about you. I am too, you’ve never been like this.”

There was a soft thud on the door where he put his forehead, “You’re the most happiest girl I know and I hate to see you like this. Hailey had been battling with her depression for years and I know that you did everything you could to help her, and you did, help her I mean. It might not seem like it right now, but…”

A long breath escaped his lungs, “You did what you were supposed to do, you were there for her when she needed you most and made sure she knew that you would listen to anything and everything she wanted to say.”

“Then why does it feel like I did nothing,” she whispered, voice scratchy from disuse as Bird laid her forehead against the door where she thought his was.

“Because you think you could’ve done more, could’ve saved her. Angel, babe, without you she probably would’ve lost that battle sooner than later. You showed her that you cared, that she mattered, that she had someone in her corner when it felt like no one else was.”

Birdie sniffled and took her head off of the door and for a minute or two it was completely silent.

“If I open this door, I just want you and Ozzy to come inside. I’m overwhelmed and need my boys. I’ll talk to the squads and Mama and Papa later.”

“If that's what you want Angel, I’ll go get Oz now.”

“Yes please.”

It took a few minutes for Bo to come back, but once he did, he knocked on the door with Ozzy right beside him.

“Thank you Robert.”

“For you, I’d do anything.” and a happy bark followed after by the fur baby sitting on her bed.

All the members of the squads came over and talked to her through the closed door, all except for Bob.

He didn’t think that he’d have the right to comfort her right now, but after a text message from Birdie’s mama, he quickly understood what he had to do.

“Robert, please tell us our baby is okay?” “Mana’s not doin’ so good. What happened?” “Hailey.”

That one name and Bob knew, how couldn’t he. Robert didn’t tell the others, they had other worries and commitments to attend to.

He had kept it secret for a few days before Bay had finally had enough and cornered him in the hallway. “Robert James Floyd, I know that you know what’s up with Birdie, spill.”

“I can’t, it’s personal.”

“If it’s personal, then we should know so we can help!”

“That’s not how this works ok? You can’t just demand to know what everyone’s going through when it’s not your business, so butt out Baylie.”

Bo pushed through her and continued his way to the hangers where the others were, leaving Lucky stunned and slacked jawed by the balls he showed for calling her out as she stood in the empty hallway.

Maybe it was time that the real Robert showed his face and met the squad, but he’ll save that for another day. His Birdie needs him.

He came over to the Garcia’s little cottage after work and as Hangman walked out of the hallway where Bird’s room was, Bo pushed his way to the guest room.

Robert sat on the floor in silence for a minute or two, trying to come up with a plan to talk to her before he shook his head and started.

He knew that the squads were just down the hall and could listen in anytime they wanted, and would, because Birdie was family now.

Bo kept his voice just above a whisper and forehead glued to the sturdy wood door that was between them. Every answer he gave was unclear to anyone but the two.

The conversation went on for a while before he came back into the livingroom and stopped right in front of Ozzy.

“Hey Buddy, you miss me?” Bo chirps as he pets Ozzy’s head. Ozzy in return gives him some kisses, making Bo laugh.

“Yeah, I missed you too. Wanna go see your mama, she needs cuddles from her boys.”

Ozzy stretches as he gets up off of the couch and then jumps off and races towards Birdie’s bedroom door. Bo starts to get back up from kneeling position but is stopped by Baylie.

“She lost someone close to her, didn’t she?” Lucky had tears in her eyes at seeing her friend’s pain, just like she felt all those years ago when she lost her childhood friend Katie.

Bo didn’t answer, just nodded and before he turned into the hall, “I hope it’s okay if I stay the night. I don’t wanna leave her alone if I can.”

Bay nodded, “Stay as long as it takes to make Birdie happy again, if she needs anyone to talk to, tell her I’m here and I know her pain right now.”

Robert offered a small smile and continued to Bird’s room, once there Ozzy let out a happy bark as Bob opened the door and Oz jumped onto the bed and curled up next to his Mama’s torso.

Bo laid down next to her aswell, brushing away the new tears before they could fall. “I’ll be with you til the end of the line, Angel.”

she snuggled up to him and put her head on his chest, right above his heart so she could hear the beat and Bo ran his fingers through her knotted hair to calm her down.

Birdie’s Basket: @dragon-kazansky @mrsjaderogers @bayisdying @starlit-epiphany @gracespicybradshaw

🏷️ list: @luckyladycreator2 @interstellarloneliness

13 notes · View notes

bratshaws · 2 years

Text

goodness gracious 95. brb x oc

a/n: *screams in seven different languages * bea's dress because holy shit ITS BEAUTIFUL

check out the fic's playlist made by the sweet @wiipes !!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: FLUFF, WEDDING GOWNS?SUITS?? YES

chapters:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44

45/46/47/48/49/50/51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58/59/60/61/62/63/64

65/66/67/68/69/70/71/72/73/74/75/76/77/78/79/80/81/82/83/84

85/86/87/88/89/90/91/92/93/94

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!!)

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes

She had only seen things like these in movies, where you take a group of your best friends to help you choose your wedding gown, so having the actual experience right now was almost surreal.

During the week she made sure to separate the bridesmaids invitations and send to the ones she chose. Seeing the women she held so dearly joining her in this brand new adventure made her so happy, especially since the bridal designer wasn’t in San Diego and they had to drive two hours to get there. She hoped Marcus’ friend could help her out, it’d be awful to drive all this way for nothing to happen.

It took them a while to find the actual store but once they did, both cars parked in the parking lot behind the three stories building. The group of women stepped out, Beatrice and Evelyn locking their cars before they walked closer to the glass doors that had a big ‘Welcome Brides!’ sign hanging on it. There were so many different dresses in there, with mannequins of different shapes and sizes, that Beatrice felt more excited than before.

She sent Bradley a message letting him know they already arrived, smiling when he replied with a smiley face and told her to have fun. As they neared the doors, they opened automatically and the inside of that store revealed itself for their eyes. It was enormous, with rows and more rows of wedding dresses as far as the eyes could see, a staircase led to the second floor and she could see more gowns by the opening there too.

A tan woman slowly approached the group, “I assume you are Beatrice,” the brunette nods, still speechless by the sheer size of that place, “I’m Lola, Marcus told me you were coming.” other people appeared by her side, all dressed to impress with colorful suits, “If you ladies could follow James to the second floor,I’d like to speak with Beatrice by herself.”

The youngest looking man behind her nodded to the other women, Shells gave her a thumbs up as she walked past, Evelyn reassured her they’d be waiting for her presence upstairs and the others gave her words of encouragement before disappearing up the stairs. Now that Beatrice and Lola were alone, the bridal designer offered her a smile, “Now, what would you like as your wedding dress?”

“Oh uh…I…I’d like something that shows my shoulders but it’s not too breezy since my wedding is in September and uh…well, I’d like something that makes me look…good?”

Lola’s smile widened, then she turned to the assistant that was kept behind her since the other went up, muttering stuff to him. Beatrice watched him walk up the stairs before Lola sweeped her hand towards the same direction, “Shall we?” the brunette nods shakily, walking up the steps to the second floor.

She could hear her friends’ voices in one of the many fitting rooms they had there, Shells’ over the top laughter making it obvious where they were. She follows Lola to another door, her friends’ laughter getting louder meaning they were just a few feet away from them, a door that opens a whole new world of wedding dresses.

She had never seen so many, she couldn’t help but gently touch one closest to her, biting her lower lip. Beatrice looked back at Lola, whose dark brown hair was now up in a bun and her suit jacket was removed, “Very well,” she grabs a measurement tape, telling a woman named Heather to follow her, “Let’s take your measurements.”

Beatrice couldn’t help the sharp inhale upon hearing those words, but she nodded, trying to cover how nervous she was getting already. What if she suddenly says there were no dresses her size? What if she says there’s no way she could help? Beatrice’s eyes clenched, trying to get rid of the fear and the doubts by overlapping them with thoughts of her and Rooster, of him smiling at her, or him saying he loved her and that she’d find something.

She was so into her head she didn’t see Lola was finished already, the bridal designer offering the young woman a small smile before turning to her assistant to separate some dresses for her. Beatrice peeked one eye open when she heard the sound of the hook dragging over the metal rack, Lola’s assistant pulling some dresses off and leaving the rest behind, walking away from the room, “Very well, let’s try some on.”

“You…you have dresses my size?” but she almost slapped herself for forgetting about the mannequins outside.

Lola laughs while trifling her fingers over the dresses, “Of course I do, I have dresses every size.” she pulls one out, holding it in front of Beatrice, “Let’s try this one on.” Beatrice nods, biting her lower lip as the two walk to the little changing area on the corner of the room.

The changing area had a hallway on the outside that led to where her friends were seated, she could still hear them talking amongst each other. After Lola helped her out with the dress, she led her to the outside, holding out her hand as Beatrice held the ends of the dress up so she wouldn’t trip on it - or Heaven forbid, rip it - the bridal designer knocked on the little door twice to signal they were coming, the voices immediately lowering as James’ opened it.

Lola walked out first, still holding Beatrice’s hand and leading her outside, the other women gasped and squealed amongst each other. Beatrice looked up seeing her friends comfortably lounging on a white U shaped couch, sipping champagne and looking mesmerized at what she was wearing, “This is our first option,” Lola said, walking Beatrice to a platform in front of a tri-mirror, the brunette stepped on it and finally saw her reflection.

It was a beautiful dress, she had to admit, turning her torso this way and that to see the rest of it but she didn’t…feel like it was the right one, “Well…” she turns to her bridesmaids, “What do you guys think?”

“It’s really pretty.” Phoenix says with her hand propping her chin up, “I like how it flares by your feet.”

“I like the color,” Halo adds, “It’s a bit of a off-white? Kind of.”

“It’s nice…but it’s not you.” Shells comments and Evelyn nods, sipping her champagne, “I mean, yeah, sure, pretty, whatever but it’s not…Beatrice’s dress. It’s wearing you more than you wearing it.”

Beatrice hums, looking at her reflection and holding the ends of the dress again. She had to agree, this dress was wearing her. She turned to Lola, almost apologetically so, to let her know that this dress wasn’t really communicating with her as she liked, but the bridal designer just smiled and took her away again.

It took a few more dresses, a few more opinions and a few more champagne flutes until Beatrice found one that called her attention. It was beautiful hanging there, she felt her breathing shake as Lola helped her put it on and Beatrice’s hands trembled as she grabbed the ends of the dress, redoing the same way as before.

The second she walked out, she heard nothing. No gasps, no murmurs, absolutely nothing, she looked up at her bridesmaids to see all of them were staring wide eyed, Shells had her hands covering her mouth and Eliza looked ready to cry - alongside Nat who was honestly doing her best to hold the tears back. Beatrice licked her lips, mentally preparing herself before she stepped on the little platform, keeping her eyes closed.

When she blinked her eyes open…she couldn’t really believe that this woman on the reflection was her.

She didn’t know where to look first, the heart shaped bustier was delicate, embroidered with tiny lace leaves and flowers that traveled all the way down to the flare of her waist and at the beginning of the long skirt, a skirt that was flowy, made out of tulle and long enough that it draped down the platform pooling by the floor. The sleeves followed the bustier, with tiny leaves on the edge but they had the same fabric as the skirt, long to her wrists, billowing in a bell like shape. The color was almost like a very light peach,so light you’d think it was white if you saw it from afar, it was beautiful.

She looked like a princess.

Beatrice’s only noise after a while was a disbelieved laugh, her eyes stinging with tears the more she looked. She turns on the platform, looking at the dress’ open back that dipped just below her shoulder blades with the leaves still adorning the small area close to the zipper, “Oh…wow…” she whispers, sniffling quietly as she looks at her reflection.

“And now the grand finale.” Lola says as one of her assistants brings something, “Bend down a little?”

Beatrice blinks but does as she says, feeling something scratch her scalp a little and the soft flutter of something falling on her back. As she straightened to once again look at herself, she couldn’t stop the tears nor the smile as she saw the various flowers - fake ones of course - adorning her head and the little dark green bow that kept it together on her head, “There, you look magnificent.” the bridal designer smiles, stepping back so the bride to be could admire herself even more.

Beatrice sniffles again, trying to keep herself together, tapping the corner of her eyes to get rid of the tears before she ends up bawling in there. The little Beatrice, the nine years old one who used to wear her mother’s wedding dress around the house and played as if she was getting married, was having a blast inside her brain.

This dress was better than she ever hoped for, it was beautiful, it was magical, it looked like she stepped right out of a fairy tale book. Beatrice’s eyes stung with tears, she still couldn’t believe that she really was going to get married, that she was wearing the dress of her dreams and that it fit. The dress hugged her figure perfectly, there were some adjustments to be made but she was so happy with how she looked. “Oh, God.” she sniffles again, “I didn’t even– what do you guys think?”

The women looked at her like she was crazy, some of them were definitely crying - yes. Nat was the main one - Shells being the first one to break the dumbfounded silence, “Are you crazy? It’s amazing,Bea!Look at you!!” Beatrice sheepishly looked down at herself, running her hands down the tulle skirt, “It’s…incredible…it’s so beautiful, I think I speak for everyone when I say it’s literally your dress.”

“I agree.”Evelyn replied, her friend’s normally calm voice coming out a bit choked up, “It…it’s meant for you Bea, it was meant for you.”

‘You look so amazing.”Halo then said, as Phoenix fanned her eyes the best she could, “I think that’s definitely the one.”

Beatrice smiles in thanks, turning back around to face the mirror, her eyes moving all over the dress one more time, her eyes shining with tears that rolled down her cheeks when she smiled. This was her wedding dress. She had a wedding dress. It was all surreal and amazing and…insane. She was going to get married just a few months and everything she and Rooster were organizing was going so smoothly.

Even the honeymoon trip was already set up, they were going out of season so it’d be a lot easier to walk around and enjoy it. She just wished…her nonna was there, to see her walking down the aisle with the man she loved, she wanted her to see how happy she was. She hoped she was at least looking down at them from Heaven, giving them her blessing. “Well, um,” she clears her throat, “Since this is the chosen one…I think we can work on the bridesmaid dresses too?” She turned to Lola for confirmation and the woman just nodded with a smile, “I-I’ll just change back and we’ll work on it okay?”

“That’s fine!” she hears Shells’ voice once she enters the hallway, “More champagne for us!”

“I don’t like this one,Mav.”

Pete gives his nephew an unimpressed look, watching him hold up a purple tie to his neck only to pick up a blue one instead, then repeat the process, “You have been trying to choose one for,” he checks his watch, “Ten minutes.”

Bradley tsks, holding the red one up one more time, “Our wedding’s colors will be fall colors,” he explains, “So I want to find something good and I know shit about color theory,I should text Bea and ask her.” he wanted to, the last time they talked was hours ago when she got to the bridal store and that was it.

He wanted Pete to help him find a nice suit, he had a few but he’d never wear one of his old ones on his own wedding. Besides, his uncle was his father’s groomsmen back in the day and he’d repeat the role at his wedding, there was no one else he’d trust this much - except Beatrice, of course. “Then get something maroon.” Mav says with a shrug, looking down at the selection of ties “Or keep it simple, keep it black.”

“No, the suit is already going to be black,I want a pop of color.”

Mav tried to hold back the sigh, rolling his eyes instead. Honestly, watching Rooster literally preen himself while standing in front of a mirror with the black dress pants of his wedding suit and the dark gray vest with the white shirt underneath reminded him so much of Goose. He also joined his friend in the search for the perfect suit, so it was like the past was repeating itself in front of his very eyes.

Rooster ended up grabbing the maroon tie, wrapping it around his neck and tying it quickly, which to Mav brought him back to the time he helped Rooster when he was much younger…at Goose’s funeral. Poor boy still had no idea why he was there, no idea why he was dressed as such and Carole was, understandably, too nervous to help him out.

So Pete took it upon himself to kneel in front of the blonde boy and tie the light blue colored tie around his collar, giving him the best smile he could muster under the circumstances. And to see him doing the same motion but for a completely different reason was…making Mav very emotional.

He wished Goose and Carole were here, he wished they could see their boy prepare himself for his wedding. He knew they were, but he wished they were here physically. Rooster was much bigger than Goose, taller and broader, but the mannerisms were still the same: the nervous mustache brushing, followed by the hands going down his chest to fix any creases on the vest and the subtle quirk of his lips when he was pleased, “I kinda like this.” Rooster says, turning around to face Mav, “What do you think?”

Pete looks at his nephew from top to bottom, then purses his lips with a nod, “Looks good to me.” the positive words made the younger pilot smile, turning back to face the mirror as Pete grabbed the suit jacket that was on the corner, handing it over to Rooster. He quickly slid his arms inside the sleeves, shrugging his shoulders and buttoning the middle of it, once again running his hands over the length of the suit.

Bradley looked like he was glowing, the apples of his cheeks were flushed a light red and his smile was wide and toothy, brown eyes glinting with tears, “I like it.” he says quietly, “We just need the flower here and it’ll be perfect.” he says gesturing to the breast pocket, dropping his hands by his sides to slide them inside the pants’ pockets, turning this way and that to have a better look of himself, “Mav…I’m going to get married.”

“Yep,” he chuckles, “Having cold feet already?”

“Fuck no.” Rooster laughs, forcing the words out, “I’m happy as fuck, Mav. I just…you know I never ever thought about getting married and yet here I am. I don’t regret anything,Mav.I really don’t.”

“I know you don’t.” Mav says from behind him, walking closer to his nephew to look up at him, clapping his shoulder, “I’d be really upset if you regretted it.”

“I’d ask you to slap me if that happened.”

Both men laughed at the joke, Rooster’s head snapping to the side where his phone was as soon as he heard Beatrice’s ringtone - Mav bit his lower lip to hide his smirk when he heard it was Waiting for a Girl Like You by Foreigner - quickly accepting the call with a smile already starting, “Hey,gorgeous. How’s the dress hunting going?”

“It’s been going great!” she says sweetly, “I already found it.”

“You did?”

“Yes, it’s really beautiful, Roos. I won’t spoil it for you but…yeah, it’s great. How about you? Did you manage to get a nice suit?”

“Sure did,” after a few hours of trying, he eventually chose the usual black, “Just choosing a tie to go with. Any suggestions?”

“Well…I think maroon is a pretty nice color!”

He looks down at the already maroon tie, then looks back at Mav, “Yeah, Mav suggested it too.” his uncle just rolled his eyes and shook his head with a disbelieved smile, “Anyway,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, walking farther from Mav,”How long until you come back?” not that he was missing her already, he really wanted her to have fun with the girls. The scream Nat and Halo let out when Bea told them she wanted the two to be her bridesmaids still echoed in his brain.

“Um…I think in a few minutes? We are finishing the bridesmaid dresses.” she says and he hears her feet taking her to an area where the talking is louder, “And then I want to check the flowers with my aunt, but I’ll be home really soon,I do have to work later tonight after all.”

“Ah, okay.”

“You sound upset?”

“I’m not upset,I was just…hoping we’d have lunch together,” he turns around just in time to see Mav giving her a knowing grin and he immediately looks away, “But if you can’t–” the sound of her laugh was enough to make him melt on the spot.

“Well, maybe I can speed some things up. I can talk to my aunt on the phone after all. Do you have a place in mind?”

“Hmmm, no but I think we can figure something out, don’t you?”

Beatrice laughs again, the sound faltering until she speaks, “Well,I’ll let you know when I leave, okay? Meet you at home?”

“You bet, gorgeous.” he replies, “I love you, see you in a bit.”

“I love you too, Roos. See you in a few!”

She finishes the call and he’s left staring at his phone background like a little boy with a crush, which honestly was how he always felt with Bea. His heart just somersaulted everytime she was around. He hears someone clear their throat, looking over his shoulder to where Mav was still watching him, arching one eyebrow with amusement, “Well,Romeo, is your Juliet coming or not?”

“In a little bit.” Rooster replies, ignoring the nickname and stepping in front of the mirror again, giving himself another once over to check the suit on all sides, “We’ll meet up at home, so,” he starts to remove the suit jacket, “I’m going to change and pay for this. Bea agreed with the maroon tie.”

“She’s a smart girl, of course she would.” Rooster sent a glare towards his uncle, but didn’t say anything else, just walked to the changing room to go back to his Hawaiian shirt, white top and jeans.

Once he paid for everything, clearly glad with his purchase, he tried to not sound giddy when they walked out. Which wasn’t working, because he was talking miles per minute, enough to make Pete just let him do his thing and be quiet, walking besides his godson with a little smile. Seeing Rooster so happy was a delight and he’d want that to happen as often as possible - which honestly, ever since he met Beatrice it was.

Rooster was already a good boy, a good man, but Beatrice seemed to bring the best in him. And the wedding was honestly a long time coming, of course it took a few months but he was right by telling Penny they’d tie the knot soon enough. Unfortunately, the two men would have to part ways after Rooster got a message from Beatrice saying she was already home and Pete once again had to hold back his smile at how Rooster just lit up like the Fourth of July reading her message.

Both men hugged each other as goodbye, Maverick watching the blue Bronco disappear in the distance with his head shaking ever so slightly, looking up at the sky, “Your boy.” he mutters, “Your boy is a mix of both of you and it’s incredible.” he laughs before hopping on his bike,riding the opposite way Rooster went to.

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader

99 notes · View notes