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purelyfiction · 2 months

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NFL QB Jake 'Hangman' Seresin AU x Popstar F!Reader

Summary: NFL Quarterback Jacob Seresin is in hot water from a streak of bad decisions, just as you go through the worst public breakup of your life. With people slandering both of your reputations, your publicists hatch a plan to bring both of you back into favor and keep the heat off until spring - that is if you can keep up the facade.

Word Count: 5,334 words

Author Note: I know I have two other outstanding Top Gun fics and I swear I'm trying to get those going but I am writing what sparks joy and well.... this certainly does. || Also!! Reader's stage name is 'Celeste' with 'Este' as the nickname. So no one gets confuseddddd

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You'd never anticipated to start the biggest year of your life absolutely gutted, yet here you are. Your boyfriend – well, ex-boyfriend, severed what you had thought to be a loving, trusting and safe relationship, rather unexpectedly on New Year's Eve. Then he'd gone to the press to relay that you were a horrible person, a terrible girlfriend, too involved in your work to even bother paying attention to anyone else. The timing couldn't be worse, since you were about to start your first ever stadium tour in the spring.

The result had been you hiding away in your little oasis that was your condo in California’s southern escape of San Diego. You’d stayed off the internet, binging TV shows that you’d been too busy to pay attention to and immersing yourself in anything you could, to erase the four year relationship you’d been splintered from. The garbage people probably wondered why there were a near dozen empty quarter pints of ice cream in your recycling bin, but that wasn’t for them to care about. At least you’d recycled them.

Now, three weeks into the new year, with your favorite Chinese on the way, you sit on your couch going over tour visuals. Your lighting engineer is rambling on the line as you hear the gate buzzer go off. You’re quick to collect your dinner as one of the others on the line gasp and quickly mute their mic. “What?” You quip, walking to your expansive kitchen and dropping the large paper bag down. You’re half paying attention when the employee brushes you off, as your hand pulls container after container of food from the magical Mary Poppins-style bag. Getting to the bottom, you grasp for a pair of chopsticks, only to find several sets of them, along with a dozen fortune cookies. You take a moment to look over your four entrees and styrofoam container of sushi. The audacity of them to think you would be sharing any of this.

Finally, you address the matter of your dramatic tech director. “What’s the deal over there Hollywood?” You chide, before your phone is ringing, leaving you to hang up the video call to answer the phone. It’s your publicist and you know better than to let her calls go unanswered.

“Check your inbox.” Her voice is frigid instead of it’s usually cheery demeanor.

“Hello to you too?” Begrudgingly, you do as she commands, finding the email she sent to you.

Jonah Carter agreed to sit down for an interview with UsWeekly, post-breakup to clear the air and to make sure no one else would fall for his ex-girlfriend's (Celeste) playful, girl-next-door-ish facade.

"At first, it felt like a dream come true," Carter, an up-and-coming actor within his own right, said almost sheepishly. "I thought she was talented and kind, but I should've known it was too good to be true."

But there's more to this pop-star than Jonah says meets the eye. In addition to the vanity and self-importance that seems to plague this generation's starlets, Este was a vindictive slob who routinely talked behind the back of even her closest friends. "It makes me wonder what she's saying about me, now, after everything I've heard her say about those who think are closest to her." The concern for others is written very clearly on the actor’s face as he speaks. When I question the songstress’ messages about authenticity, the man adjusts in his seat as he holds back a laugh.

"She'd like you to believe she writes all her own music, but I'm not sure she could write a full sentence without the help of her team," Jonah chuckled nervously into his coffee. "Sorry, that was rude. I don't want to stoop to her level." Cowed brown eyes made me wonder what else he had endured behind closed doors. It struck a chord within me.

“Why did you stay as long as you had if this was what you were facing?” I ask him. The expression of his kind features morphs into despair.

“When we first met, Celeste was someone I admired. Her compassion, her drive and her dedication to the things she valued spoke so deeply to what I did, what I still do-” he fumbles as he attempts to source the proper words, “They just… weren’t her beliefs. They were her team’s.” Jonah lets out a pained sound, “I think when we got toward the end of it, I realized that she has this way of manipulating what she says, how she acts, to make herself look good. She puts on a show, on and off the stage and you pay for it one way or another. So, I knew what she was capable of. I knew she could be that person if she really wanted to and I wanted so badly to help her see that. I eventually learned that people see what they want to see.”

God, what a load of hot garbage this was. It was a particularly rare batch, clearly it had been baking in a dumpster in the scorching sun with the lid closed. All damp, with a horrendous mix of something rotting and old crusty seaweed.

The tour was supposed to be announced on the first of the month and here your ex was selling stories (horribly narrated and mangled stories) to the press. You might as well have been kicking puppies at this point.

“Isn’t he just swell? Nothing but peak wisdom from good ol’ Jonah.” Your eyes could’ve strained themselves with how far back they rolled. Probably the only time he’d ever made them do that too.

“I’ve already called a team together to brainstorm. I don't want you to respond. Stay offline, away from all of it and don't entertain any of the discourse. Not until I have something to work with.”

“None of it is true we both know that-” You begin to laugh but she cuts you off.

“As much as I want to be on your side here, we are working to put out a fire. Your silence the last three weeks has put you at a massive disadvantage and frankly? The public eye doesn’t see you in the greatest space right now.” You know she’s right. She always is, and right now ‘Celeste’ was synonymous with ‘cynical, fake and fraudulent’. You wouldn’t be shocked if the uproar demanded you be canceled based off of this testimony.

It wasn’t all but two days later that you were called in by your PR team. Into the office in New York for the first time since before Thanksgiving. It had been a busy end of the year and now that the new one was coming in so ferociously you weren’t looking toward any of the things you once had been. This was the first time back into the light and so you had made sure that the inevitable cameras had something to look at. You’d dressed yourself in your favorites, in an effort to boost your confidence as best as you could. Putting on a show, just like you had been when things had been on the rocks with Jonah.

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Getting to the office, you’re nearly trampled with the amount of people that swarm you. It’s not normally this bad - hell it’s never this bad. It isn’t until you catch sight of a football jersey and an ESPN logo that your brow furrows. Odd.

Stepping into the building, you’re pushing your sunglasses up onto your head, looking down at your ringing phone and trying to slide your coat off simultaneously. Instead, you crash right into what you think is a wall, but is instead a broad man, looking rather lost.

“Easy there, Twinkle Toes.” You guffaw and look up at the blonde man before returning your eyes toward your feet. Of course, the bedazzled statement boots on your feet call attention to themselves before the rest of the outfit can balance itself out.

“Alright, Prince Charming, you first.” You snicker before stepping out of his way and start to the elevator. Unfortunately for you, he’s apparently heading your way as well, needing access to the lift to the next floor.

“Prince Charming, huh? I mean I’ve been called worse.” His shoulders roll backwards as the elevator dings to one of the other floors. You keep your head trained forward, suddenly remembering the rule you’d been given. Stay quiet, don’t engage. And here you were giving sass to a stranger and showing up in bedazzled booties. You were really digging this grave deeper than necessary. So, instead of giving him another sassy response, you keep your eyes locked to the neon numbers as the elevator passes each floor. “Oh so, now I’m getting a cold shoulder? Darn, I was really ready to ask you all about the boots on your feet, too.” You can’t help but let your eyes move back over to the broad male, just out of the corner of your eye. His face is completely locked on you, shamelessly at that. “They expensive? They got that waxy red paint on the bottoms of ‘em?” Silently, you turn one of your feet up to give him a glimpse at the blue bottom of the shoe. “Huh, blue. That’s fun. That more expensive than the LouButton or whatever they are?” Finally the elevator reaches your floor, hopefully shutting this chatterbox up for the time being. Yet the questions continue like an immature toddler as you rise up the floors - going to the same floor nonetheless. “Hey, you’re that Celeste chick aren’t ya?”

“Yes.” You finally answer one of his questions, his face lighting up.

“Oh look at that, she cracks.” Another eye roll times well with the sound of the elevator reaching the desired floor. Instead of responding, you quickly find your way through the glass hallways and to the desired room. You are so glad to be in the presence of the familiar group, the stranger in the elevator having rattled your composure somewhat. Your manager comes in with a cup of coffee and a smile, which immediately puts one on yours.

“You didn’t have to do that!” You cheer, reaching out for it as she sits beside you.

“When you see what Rachel has come up with, you’re going to need it.” Oh. Reassuring.

You see her point when Prince Charming steps into the board room, followed by a host of men in dress clothes and suits, all matching the blue soles of your boots. Charming sits directly across from you, a hand wiggling his fingers as he waves at you. Oh good.

“Thank you everyone for coming. I know this is a very polarizing group, so before we get ahead of ourselves, I want to introduce Celeste, or Este as we all have come to call her over the years.” Awkwardly, you wave at the foreign men. They grunt and nod. You were already having doubts and not a word had been spoken on their end. “I also want to introduce Beau Simpson, public relations coordinator for the San Diego Sea Lions, Coach Natasha Trace, and Sea Lions owner, Tom Kazansky.”

Sea Lions? As in the NFL team that had been built not even three years ago but had made it to all three playoffs in their short time? The one that Jonah had ridiculed immensely when it joined the league because ‘California doesn’t need another group of inflated egos in the league’?

“I’m really feeling the love here, Rach.” Charming speaks up and the raven haired woman on the other side of the table sighs.

“This is Jacob Seresin, starting quarterback for the Sea Lions.” The coach speaks, the blonde man brushing off her introduction.

“No need for full names, Trace. Clearly we only do the stage name around here.” That was a clear jab to you if you’d ever heard it. “Hangman’s what they call me.” His hand juts across the glass, toward you. Your hands stay tucked under your biceps.

“Pleasure to meet you.” It’s passive, turning to your team leader. “Rachel. I’m not seeing a connection here.”

“Jacob is in the same pot of hot water you’re in.” Your attention moves to the similarly broad man who stands up, towering over Rachel. “We feel as though we can spin this to both of your advantages. Jake needs to stop sleeping around–”

“Easy now, Simpson.” The eldest in the room stands up and he gives you a kind smile. It’s not a farce though. You’re not entirely sure what makes it so genuine, but you smile in return of seeing him stand, despite it taking a slight bit of effort to do so. “What he means is, Jake’s professional status has changed due to the words of someone else and we’re determined to alter that. Rachel identified this and made quite the proposal.” The young woman seems all too cheery to cut off the old man.

“You’re both having relationship woes–” The raven haired woman on Jacob’s team speaks under her breath.

“Wouldn’t call them relationships.”

“And by putting you two together, we feel as though we can put you into a positive light. Let’s face it, putting two very successful, and attractive people who are already in the spotlight allows people to follow the developing love story. Este attends games, plays the WAG card, has an opportunity to be seen in the public eye more frequently and dispels the ill-spoken words that were published about her this week. Jake gets the proof that he isn’t just a love-em-and-leave-em type.” Your eyes spell out the doubt you’re feeling, looking at your team who is just as skeptical. “That’s just the beginning! Celeste is going on tour this year. Stadiums all across the country have her booked and ready for the summer. We have a captive audience already following these games to see Este and Jake together, and we get brand recognition. The conversations that will come as she gets to witness her betrothed play in a stadium she would be performing in that very summer.”

Now you see where the benefit actually is. Clearing your name while simultaneously promoting your tour in the process. Seeing stadiums you’ve booked and would hopefully sell out.

“So how are you proposing this works? We’ll need a start, an end - a story on how we met–”

“Well,” Beau settles in his seat, twisting in the desk chair as he draws in the attention of the group, “we have the major details hypothesized. Rachel and I will work with one another to get the rest of it together. For now, you two met at a New Years Eve party.”

Oh joy. Now you get to remember that bitter break-up that led you here, every time you speak about him.

The man looks like he walked out of a surfing magazine, as it were. Now, the scowl on his features paints him as a devil. Long hair, muscular arms on display as he leans into the table in front of him.

“If we don’t do this?” Jake leans back in his chair, a hand coming to fiddle with the lingering 5 o’clock shadow that he has omitted in his morning routine.

“We don’t do this and there will be a lack of support for the Sea Lions. You’ll have painted the entire team as jackasses who can’t focus to save their life, especially if you continue to party and hook up with whomever your dick has the hots for that night-” Beau has gone off the handle and Tom speaks up again.

“The point is, public favor will stay low and it will not bode well for the team. With a lack of support, we have empty seats. Empty seats translates to less viewers, then to less money and you know the song and dance. Not to mention morale for the upcoming playoffs. We need to keep the team happy, Hangman. It’s time to do something to benefit everyone.”

Jake’s expression deepens, as though he was a young child just scolded by his father for his poor behavior. Green eyes shift and face you, his hand jutting out toward you.

“I’m in.” His hand hovers. Waiting for you to join him in this grand scheme. Glancing at your own team, they look rather haunted. At this point, it was this or to hope that a long string of possible good stories and fan interactions can redeem you.

You want this to pass. And if this would make it go faster… you grab Jake’s hand firmly.

“What’s there to lose?”

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You went back onto social media. Posted some photos you’d taken with friends back at the beginning of the month, from the worst party of your life. The photos at least were cute and you loved the dress you’d gotten to wear. Luckily these photos were all taken prior to midnight. So there were no red eyes. No ruined mascara and glitter across your cheeks. No freezing car rides home and empty beds.

Mindlessly, you scroll through the comments.

Flameth: can still make the whole place shimmer ✨

RunTao: phony photos

Romanacent: so glad to see you’re not letting him get to you!

H_ngm_n: you’re still gonna let me borrow those boots right

It’s the last one you’d been keeping an eye out for. Boots? Looking back at the photo, you scroll through the carousel until you spot them.

The same shiny sparkly rhinestone boots you’d worn to your meeting.

Celeste: @h_ngm_n I’m a woman of my word, of course 🤗

Not even a week goes by before you’re ‘spontaneously’ at a bar in LA. Jake has been there for the last two hours, as he insisted you both show up alone and then end up leaving together. You eventually found him in the VIP section, drinking with his buddies.

You made sure to keep your distance for a few minutes - after all, his friends had no idea this was going down. The only people who knew about this little arrangement were your respective PR teams. That was it. No one else from your teams, your friends and family, absolutely no one knew what your little plan was. Maybe you should just leave. It was a verbal contract, you didn’t sign anything, you were just trying to make this work for the two of you-

The bartender pulls you from your deliberations. There is now a drink that you certainly didn’t order sitting in front of you. Well there was no going back now. Jake had likely made a show of sending over the drink and now you had to go through with this. Glancing over your shoulder, you see the jock, legs spread, arms resting on the back of the booth chair. Green eyes lock in your direction and send a cocky wink as a garnish to your drink.

You are about to win your first Oscar with this performance. Throwing on a grin, you pick up the drink and easily sashay your way over to him and his football buddies. Some flash titanium wedding bands, some platinum. Some aren’t wearing them at all, like your date, mister 83 who leans forward upon your approach. “Well, well, well, long time no see hot shot.”

“Speak for yourself, pop star.” Jake stands to greet you, his arms coming around you, carefully as to not spill either of your drinks. You catch a whiff of his cologne when he does so. It’s rich, familiar in the way it reminds you of summers camping. Bonfire smoke and smores. Yet clean, like when you came home to a clean house, citrus floor cleaner lingering in the halls. Pulling back, you almost move forward again to sit in it. Easy does it.

“Oh come on, three weeks isn’t that long.” You chide. While most of his body has pulled away from the hug, his free hand still sits on your waist, warm against the AC of the exclusive bar.

“Technically it was a year ago.” Jake smirks before taking a sip of his drink and you want to groan. So you do. But spin it into something more playful.

“Observant, are we?” You nearly snarl as you take a sip of your drink, Jake’s colleagues standing up. The one who’d sat right next to him grins and extends a hand. He’s tall, lean but has a stunning smile as he steps your way.

“Not sure we’ve met. Javy Machado, running back, San Diego Sea Lions-” the blonde looks at his friend with an amused scoff.

“I think she knows who the Sea Lions are, Jav.” The look on the captain’s face is one of skepticism and amusement. You were here to dispel rumors. So, as much as you’d like to smack Jake for being a dick to his friend, you shake his teammate’s hand instead

“In passing. I don’t follow football closely, but I get by. Celeste.” The smile on your face is genuine as the next player stands. Kind eyes, a domestic bar of hair on his upper lip and the build of a pickup truck, he goes for a quick one armed hug. When he lets go, you have to wipe the temptation of any swooning you were compelled to do. Especially since a gold band glistens on his left hand.

You’re here for Jake anyways.

“Name’s Bradley Bradshaw. They call me Rooster.” Your eyebrow furrows as your head twists. Before you can ask, another man on the other side of the room laughs.

“You should hear him on the field when he’s sacking someone.” This one, curls and meticulously groomed facial hair to boot, leans forward and shakes your hand kindly. “I’m Mickey. That back there is Bob.”

True to his word, at the end of the bench is a long haired man, tucked into his phone and fiddling with a ring. He doesn’t seem to match the energy of the rest of the group. Curious. “Bob!” He glances up at the sound of his name, blue eyes flitting from face to face before spotting you. When he does he breaks out into a smile.

“Celeste! Gosh, wow it’s so cool to meet you! My girls adore your music.” This catches Jake’s attention, a brow popping up.

“Aren’t both of ‘em less than five?” He asks and Bob looks between the two of you.

“Yeah? It’s never too early to introduce them to great music and influential women.” There’s no faking the smile on your face as you reach over and shake his hand. When you do, you look at Jake with a ‘would you look at that’ coded grin.

“That’s amazing to hear! I’m glad they have fun with it! That’s why I do it.” You glance back at Jake as he comes behind you, hand shifting to the small of your back.

“Pay’s in the bathroom, I’m sure you’ll meet him sometime later tonight.” The quarterback gives a nod to his group, before guiding the two of you to a high top table not too far from them. When you sit down he looks at you with a laugh. “Flirt much?”

“Excuse me?” Jumping to the defense, you watch Jake roll his eyes and then look back at Bradley, before facing you.

“You were practically eye-fucking him.”

“Was not.”

“He’s happily married, leave him be.” The blonde sips at his drink and you can’t help but laugh when you realize he’s giving you a hard time.

“Right, right, guess I’ll bother you instead.” The tease is off your lips in two seconds. Maybe he was right, you were coming off strong. You huff and sink into yourself briefly. “I don’t know if you realized this, but I haven’t had ‘flirt’,” your fingers mark the quotation marks in the air, “with anyone in a while. Let alone fake it.”

Jake leans back in his chair, downing the rest of his beverage a smirk making way when he sets the glass down.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be faking it for long.”

The two of you sat at that table for probably an hour, bickering over which of the Pirates of The Caribbean movies were the best, and why glitter was a detriment to society. Another round of drinks and the football star return to the table as he laughs when he spills a little of your overflowing drink.

“No, no I assure you. Glitter originated in some high tech nuclear weapons factory to make the enemy go insane upon introducing it to an environment.” He pushes your drink toward you as you pull your hair back. Not only were you not anticipating for him to be this passionate about it, but you weren’t planning on the night going like this.

You were enjoying yourself. Jake had told you about his time at UT, six years spent studying communications no less.

It made sense when you really dissected it. Jake had the ease to hold someone’s attention: he’d held yours this long after all, and he was well spoken. Both were things that were shocking to you. He soon enough revealed the plan had always been football. Communications was for post-retirement, when he got tired out and wanted to be back in the stadiums.��

Stories of his dad commentating his high school games came fondly before he asked about your background. You were a bit hesitant to divulge too much, but what you had was pretty bare-bones.

Music had always been a hobby but never a career choice. You’d planned to go into school for a degree in education, a masters in English. Go and teach for a bit before getting your PhD in some niche of the world of writing and then become a professor at your alma mater.

With the rise of social media and the multitudinous connections of the internet, a little original song of yours got popular. Local radio picked it up and then your label signed you.

“It all was pretty spontaneous, really,” you answer. “My career was in no way by design, but… I wouldn’t change it.” The smile on your face is small, but genuine as your hair falls back around your face. Tracing the rim of your glass, you keep your eyes down before a hand pushes your hair out of your face. Coming eye to eye with him, he grins.

“Guess it was written in the stars then.” His response catches you. Jake’s eyes are much softer than when you’d approached him earlier. They were dark, focused and possibly a little mischievous. Now? They were gentle. Every shade reassured you that the boisterous man you’d seen in the office and the press was nothing like the man under the helmet.

It made far more sense to you now. How he’d gotten women hooked on him. The abrasiveness and bold exterior was the casing to the real character.

How many women had actually made it past the outside?

The rustling of a fabric on leather comes from in front of you, watching as the blonde pulls out a wad of cash from his pocket.

“Please tell me this isn’t you trying to buy my affection there, Seresin.” As he stands up, pushing his wallet back, the grin carved on his face doesn’t leave when he shakes his head.

“No, no, princess. This is for the bartender. Turns out you’re not a cheap date.” His knuckles wrap onto the table briefly before he disappears. You blame the blush on your face on the humidity inside the building.

The two of you bid your goodbyes, before starting to the front of the bar to exit. Reaching the street, it’s expectantly empty. He takes the side closest to the street as the two of you head down the way, toward the row of restaurants and shops that were quiet for the night.

“Are you hungry?” Jake’s voice breaks through the cold of late January air, looking at him quizzically.

“If you’re hungry we could go back-” His hand comes to your back again as he shakes his head.

“Oh-ho, no ma’am I promise, I’ve got something way better.”

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Unfortunately, he was right. The two of you stand in the glow of food truck lighting, beyond messy tacos in hand. He’s watching you with a smirk on his face, obnoxiously chewing the fish taco in his hand.

“Is that not the best taco you’ve ever had?” Again, his voice is filled with ardor as he watches you attempt to maneuver the soft corn tortilla that seems to be spilling into your napkin.

“It’s… a taco.” You shrug, looking down at the brown beef meal in your hands. Jake shakes his head, still chewing.

“No, no, I will not have you slander Ganso’s Tacos. Absolutely not.” He sets his red basket down on a table, hand in a vice grip around his taco. “Here, open,” he maneuvers closer and you shake your head, backing up.

“I am not eating your taco!”

“Eat it!!” The two of you laugh. Finally, you concede and take a bite of the hand fed taco. When he finally takes it back to his plate, his expression eagerly waits for your reaction. One hand covers your mouth as you chew, nodding as Jake looks like he just stole the Mona Lisa without getting caught.

“You’re right.” One singular fist to the air and he’s back to scarfing down his tacos.

“I told you. Way better than bar food. This is by far the best taqueria in all of California. And I stand by that.”

With full stomachs and messy hands, the two of you start back toward the bar, where Jake’s parked. When you do, you finally notice a car has been tailing the two of you since you ordered your meal.

The crowd in front of the bar proves that your teams were certainly on to something. Flashes of light start in an onslaught, your hand coming to block your eyes. Still, you keep walking toward them, only for Jake to grab your hand and guide you toward his car.

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Voices shout, questions sail through the air, your name, his name, Jonah’s, more questions about football- it all gets crammed into the cacophony before the passenger door opens under Jake’s hand, guiding you to your escape pod.

The driver side door causes the car to shake with an unceremonious thud. In seconds, the engine to the sports car is ignited and the two of you are underway.

It isn’t until you get about two miles out that one of you finally speaks.

“How long do you think it’s going to take for those to show up online?” White lines on the road disappear as you head further and further from the bars and closer to the hotel you were staying at for the weekend.

“I give it maybe six hours. Four if we’re lucky.” He laughs, but it doesn’t match the hearty ones he shared with you earlier.

A sports broadcast plays lowly on the radio, both of you overwhelmed by the cameras that stimulating conversation was far from what either of you were concerned with. It isn’t long until you spot your hotel. Jake navigates into the lane closest to the front of the building, pressing down on the brakes. You’re just about to unbuckle when he pulls back out into the other lane, lurching forward and away from your accommodation.

“Um. Hello?” You question. The car whips around a turn, green eyes fixated to the rear view. Shifting in your seat, you glance behind you.

“We’re being followed.” Jake just barely makes the light before it turns red, leaving the tailing SUV behind.

“It’s probably just paparazzi, no big deal.” It’s easy to shrug off for you, but Jake huffs.

“Yeah. And I’m not dropping you off at a hotel alone with vultures circling.” Navigating the CarPlay in the vehicle, he quickly moves to messages and asks his phone to send someone to your hotel to gather your things.

“Jake, I’m-”

“You’re staying with me.”

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#top gun maverick #top gun #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun fic #top gun fanfiction #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin fic #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin #hangman fanfiction #hangman fanfic #hangman x reader #hangman

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eviesaurusrex · 1 year

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ʜᴀʀʀʏ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇꜱ x ᴀꜱᴘɪʀɪɴɢ ꜱɪɴɢᴇʀ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

faceclaim: Devon Cole

author’s note: I had this idea on a whim (and bc I’m obsessed with her music), and now it’s here. I hope you enjoy this! lindathetree and billtherock are reader’s best friends! Aaaand we’re gonna change his outfit order for NYC. The blue vest set is now NYC I, and the red-striped candy cane jumpsuit is (still) NYC II—I mixed something up and was too lazy to change it lol. Attention: This is… a tad long. And not entirely proofread bc I still struggle with the pain management of my wisdom teeth removal rip

;

yourinstagram I’m still in awe and stare in shameless wonder over this next milestone in my (relatively young and short) career as an artist. This was only possible because of you out there, who always enjoyed my little videos of lyric snippets, always urging me to write full songs and release them as such out into this world.

This is your triumph <3

And a huge thanks to Spotify for making my newest baby a bop!

Liked by lindathetree, yourfan1, blurryh, and 11,970 others | 2,224 comments

yourfan1 Witch deserves even more!!!

yourfan2 I’m 100% one of the 2,179 listeners because I have this masterpiece on repeat 24/7 🥰

lindathetree Yes, hello, it’s what you deserve, baby, had to say this, byyyyyye ❤️

↳ yourinstagram I love you, L 🥺❤️

↳ lindathetree luv yu 2 :*

Spotify It’s a pleasure to be part of your journey!

liked by yourinstagram, lindathetree, yourfan9, and 296 others

billtherock It’s one of your best works, turtle. It’s only natural for it to gain the attention it deserves—AND YOU!

↳ yourinstagram Biiiiiill 🥺

↳ yourfan3 Get yourself friends like Bill and Linda.

liked by lindathetree, billtherock, yourinstagram and 13 others

yourfan4 I discovered you over the for you page on both youtube and tiktok and have followed you ever since, and I am so immensely proud of you, YN. I feel like a very proud big brother right now, and I’m being very emotional over this post 🥺

↳ yourinstagram Oh my, love! Thank you so much. This really means the world to lil’ ol me (and I wouldn’t mind having a proud big brother) ❤️

liked by yourfan4, yourfan2, yourfan8, and 56 others

↳ yourfan4 Anytime, YN 🥰❤️

blurryh so damn proud of you, darling ❤️

liked by yourinstagram, billtherock, and 2 others

↳ yourinstagram ❤️❤️❤️

↳ yourinstagram It wouldn’t have been possible without your constant and loving support and help and reassurance, H <3

liked by blurryh, annetwist, lindathetree, and 2 others

↳ blurryh Bollocks, I was only rooting for you in the back ❤️ You did this perfectly on your own x

liked by yourinstagram and gemmastyles

ynfanpage My phone is so full of screenshots and videos of the beauty and grace, and talent that is YN LN; it should be mandatory for everyone in this world. Seeing her and her songs getting the attention they deserve makes my heart full. Our woman deserves nothing less ❤️

[yourinstagram]

Liked by blurryh, yourfan2, yourfan3, yourinstagram, and 1,329 others | 337 comments

yourfan1 beautifully said!

yourfan2 +1

yourfan3 It was about time. She’s supposed to make BANK with her music because it’s this good.

↳ ynfanpage Totally. But I also don’t wanna see her leave the bookshop she is working at bc it’s my favorite part of the week to chat with her 👉🏻👈🏻

liked by yourinstagram and 10 others

↳ yourfan4 YOU ARE ONE LUCKY HUMAN???

↳ yourfan3 😦😦😦

yourinstagram I’m full-on blushing in the middle of a subway station 🫣

liked by yourfan2, yourfan4, ynfanpage, blurryh, and 121 others

↳ ynfanpage I won’t apologize for that! 🤭

lindathetree You’re not alone 👀😅

liked by ynfanpage, billtherock, and 8 others

usweekly Singer-songwriter Harry Styles was today seen in New York City on a stroll with a young woman, who fans suspect is newcomer singer-songwriter YN LN. Her latest song W.I.T.C.H. hit the 2 million listening mark on Spotify a few weeks ago and was named It’s a Bop on the music streaming service.

Liked by yourfan1, yourfan2, hsfan1, harrystylesfanpage, and 2,439 others | 1,525 comments

yourfan1 😦😍

yourfan2 They know each other???? 🥹

hsfan1 Oh. I didn’t see that one coming

internet_troll Probably using him for fame.

internet_troll2 Not her. She is so untalented 💀

↳ internet_troll3 lol yeah. And she is DEFINITELY using him for fame, that b*tch

liked by harryismyman

hsfan2 I actually like what I see. She is a sweetheart! And their style match perfectly 🤭

↳ yourfan3 She really is! Just as Harry. Match made in heaven? 👀

↳ hsfan3 It seems 👀

internet_troll4 She should keep her hands off him—that’s my man.

↳ hsfan4 pathetic 🙄

hsfan5 I hope she isn’t using him, tho I don’t think she could do that bc she really is lovely.

harrystylesfanpage Uhm… YN is really good??? And the mv to W.I.T.C.H. is really aesthetically appealing? I like what I see (and hear). So, if the rumors are true, could we welcome her with open arms bc I think she is a Harrie on top of being talented af🖖🏽

Liked by hsfan1, hsfan2, yourfan1, ynfanpage, and 328 others | 99 comments

ynfanpage She actually is. She tried to save as much money as possible to go to every show in her area when he toured for the first time solo. And she knows every song by heart 😅

liked by harrystylesfanpage and 20 others

↳ harrystylesfanpage That’s very interesting and good to know 👀

hsfan1 I found her while scrolling through Spotify a few months back, and I’ve been hooked ever since. So yeah, she is absolutely welcome here!

internet_troll1 You need to stop obsessing over this b*tch. She is using him, you blind idiot.

↳ harrystylesforever Just shut up 🙄

hsfan2 I like her. I like how happy Harry looked in those pap pics. So, I want her to be one of us.

billtherock Y’all are late to the party, but the party is still going! Welcome!

liked by harrystylesforever, harrystylesfanpage, yourfan2, and 16 others

yourfan1 People finally see how talented she is!

↳ internet_troll2 Fucking shut up. You can’t see talent even if it’s right under your nose 🤣

↳ yourfan1 And you spent an awful lot of time hating on people publicly even if you state you hate them. Logic? Nowhere to be seen.

liked by harrystylesforever, yourfan2, harrystylesfanpage, and 32 others

hsfan3 We will see if they both say something about the rumors or just laugh about us oblivious idiots xD

↳ hsfan4 Maybe the latter 😂

harrystyles Pretty flower ❤️

Liked by annetwist, gemmastyles, hsfan1, and 2,324,768 others | 429,637 comments

hsfan1 Uhm… 👀

jefezoff HARRY

↳ harrystyles What?

↳ jefezoff … Take a very close look at your IG profile.

↳ harrystyles …Oooops.

liked by hsfan2, hsfan3, yourfan1, and 1,342 others

↳ yourinstagram 💀

liked by jefezoff, harrystyles, yourfan3, and 219 others

internet_troll1 Dear lord, she probably pushed him to post this so she can gain more followers 🤢

internet_troll2 Can’t believe this b*tch is this stupid. She will get so much hate lol 🤣

↳ harrystylesfanpage And from who? You? Nobody cares about you.

liked by gemmastyles, hsfan3, yourfan5, and 430 others

hsfan2 Not sure if that was supposed to land here 😅

↳ yourfan1 Definitely not 🤭

lindathetree That’s my pretty bestie! Told you it would happen eventually, billtherock 😂

↳ billtherock Surprised it didn’t happen anytime sooner

liked by yourfan2, yourfan5, hsfan1, and 46 others

yourinstagram So, the entire world now knows what pictures you have of me.

↳ harrystyles Sorry, love x

↳ yourinstagram Mhm 👀

↳ harrystyles Ice cream to make it up to you? x

↳ yourinstagram You don’t have to make anything up to me, but I could never say No to ice cream 😚

liked by harrystyles, gemmastyles, harrystylesforever, and 100 others

↳ yn_and_harry They are so soft for each other 🥹

↳ harry_and_yn You just CANNOT tell me that they don’t love each other. I saw them strolling through Central Park—if the entire world had seen how Harry looked at her and YN looked at him, nobody would question this relationship 😠❤️

liked by yourinstagram, hsfan4, hsfan6, ynfanpage, and 98 others

hsfan3 Will you be at his NYC shows??? yourinstagram 😍

↳ yourinstagram 100% YES! 🥳

↳ hsfan3 Would it be okay to talk to you if I happened to see you? 👉🏻👈🏻

↳ yourinstagram Of course, lovie 🥺❤️

liked by hsfan3, hsfan1, yourfan2, and 56 others

gemmastyles It’s surprising how long this didn’t happen. Jeff and I had a bet going on; no one wins now.

↳ jefezoff We didn’t have a bet. It was only a conversation about this particular topic.

↳ gemmastyles A conversation doesn’t end with the words “I bet” 😇

liked by annetwist, mitchrowland, harrystyles, and 34 others

yourinstagram Well… Someone 👀 spilled the tea, so: look at my handsome man.

I’ve always been immensely proud of you, but tonight, it’s something else. To see what you’ve achieved over the past years… Mindblowing. I love you to the moon and back, to the depths of the oceans and the wide of the world. Words can’t express my love for you, H. To 14 more incredible nights ❤️

[harrystyles]

Liked by annetwist, jefezoff, hsfan1, yourfan2, and 547,629 others | 99,702 comments

annetwist I love you, my two loves ❤️

↳ yourinstagram ❤️❤️❤️

↳ hsfan1 She has Anne’s blessing—haters can back off. Anne’s blessing is like the verification symbol on IG for this relationship.

liked by hsfan3, hsfan4, yourfan1, and 9 others

jefezoff I’m also very proud of him.

↳ yourinstagram I’m also very proud of YOU.

↳ jefezoff Oh, thank you. Thank you. That’s too kind 😇

↳ yourinstagram Mhm 👀

liked by hsfan4, hsfan1, yourfan8, and 6 others

↳ hsfan1 Jeff, the compliment hogger 😂

hsfan2 According to her post, I don’t believe they’re “new” 👀

↳ hsfan3 Having the same feeling over here 🥹

lindatherock And you didn’t bring me with you, hmpf.

↳ yourinstagram You told me that you had to work!!! I asked you numerous times 👀

↳ billtherock That’s very true, Linda.

↳ lindatherock Still: hmpf.

gemmastyles Where did you venture off now??? 😂

↳ yourinstagram Jeff wanted to show me something—turns out this something was Harry during his break 🤷🏼‍♀️❤️

↳ gemmastyles I’m gonna wait here for you then 👌🏻

↳ harry_and_yn And another Styles who obviously gave her blessing. Could we please stop giving these two a hard time now? Thank you.

yourfan1 So happy to see you this happy!

gemmastyles He is the happiest with you ❤️

(YN stood right next to me and didn’t do anything except for looking—that’s all it’s needed to make him smile like that. She is a keeper.)

[harrystyles, yourinstagram]

Liked by hsfan1, hsfan2, hsfan3, yourinstagram, annetwist, and 2,384 others | 980 comments

hsfan1 Awwww 🥹 I love a happy!Harry

hsfan2 He looks so content with his life 😍

yourfan1 He makes her happy, she makes him happy - easy as that!

annetwist ❤️

yourinstagram Thank you, Gem 👉🏻👈🏻🥹

↳ gemmastyles I have to thank you, silly ❤️

mitchrowland There isn’t a chance you could bring some iced coffee with you? And maybe something sweet?

↳ gemmastyles YN already has that on her to-do list!

↳ pillowpersonpp A literal angel ❤️

liked by harrystyles, yourinstagram, hsfan2, and 78 others

yourinstagram Is this a Harrie-approved show outfit? 🤔

Liked by hsfan1, yn_and_harry, yourfan1, and 437,440 others | 87,001 comments

hsfan1 It’s giving fancy cowboy vibes 😍

hsfan2 APPROVED!

yn_and_harry He will love this!!!

lindathetree My pretty bestiiiiie ❤️

↳ yourinstagram my even more pretty bestiiiie ❤️

yourfan1 The beauty you are 😭❤️

↳ hsfan3 I envy Harry so much

blurryh Pretty girl ❤️

↳ yourinstagram Pretty boy ❤️

liked by blurryh, mitchrowland, gemmastyles, and 5 others

hsfan4 Definitely approved. I love this! Where did you get that blouse???

↳ yourinstagram Uhm… American Eagle I think? 😅

↳ hsfan4 Finally something I can afford, YES! Love you!

↳ lindathetree She is an American Eagle biatch. Almost her entire closet consists of AE stuff 👌🏻

liked by hsfan4, yourfan1, ynfanpage, and 108 others

harry_lambert You clearly never need me ❤️

↳ yourfan2 Harry L is here! 😱

↳ yourinstagram I could NEVER outdo your magic!

↳ harry_lambert Well, maybe you need to stop waving off my offers then!

↳ yourinstagram We’ll see 👉🏻👈🏻

↳ hsfan5 YN is so humble 🥺

harryismyman You’re so ugly, what does Harry see in you lol

harrystyles Love On Tour. New York City II. August, 2022.

Liked by yourinstagram, annetwist, hsfan1, hsfan2, and 2,329,070 others | 101,323 comments

hsfan1 Who wants to bet that he looked at YN? 👀

↳ hsfan2 He definitely did

↳ hsfan3 Yeeeep. That’s the smile reserved for her ❤️

annetwist Enjoy it ❤️

yourinstagram 🥰❤️

↳ harrystyles Can’t wait to see you x

↳ yourinstagram Front and center—as always ❤️

↳ harrystyles That’s my girl x

↳ harrystylesfanpage I live for their love 🥹

harryismyman Please reply to my dm, love!

↳ hsfan4 🤦🏾🤦🏾🤦🏾

internetroll1 He deserves so much better than yourinstagram.

internetroll2 Could Harry just break up with this stupid yourinstagram girl?

;

“We have a problem,” Jeff spoke right next to her and scared the living shit out of YN, who was in deep conversation with a small group of lovely fans, already impatiently waiting for her boyfriend to appear. With a hand pressed to her jeans-clad chest, the woman turned and stared up at the manager with wide eyes. “Dear avocado, Jeff!” He gently got a hold of her arm and urgently pulled her with him while she waved the group with boas around their necks, an apologetic smile on her face. “What’s wrong? Did someone die?” The manager huffed and only stopped when they had arrived in one of the underground hallways of MSG. “Nobody died, but the supporting act got last minute sick.”

YN’s lips parted at that; her mouth formed a soft O, and blinking, she tried to understand the situation. “Okay…? Do you have a backup?” He shook his head slowly, but the expression in his eyes didn’t sit right with her. “Unless someone agrees to jump in,” he now said, and the young woman felt her heartbeat quicken. Jeff didn’t need to explain this further to her, her mind already spiraling at the thought alone of making an appearance on the big stage. So, she started to shake her head—slow at first, but with growing desperation and urgency. “No, no, no.” She moved both hands up; her head continued to move from left to right, fast enough to give her whiplash. “I can’t do this, Jeff. You know I adore you, but… no.”

He followed the young singer as she took several steps back and threw her a pleading look. “Why not, YNN? You are great! You are a great singer! This could be a possibility.” It was almost comical that he didn’t see the controversy lying in it, the potential extent of hate she could get when doing what he asked of her. “That’s exactly the point, Jeff! Imagine what they would think when suddenly it’s me who stands on that stage! A stage prepared for my immensely famous boyfriend. Just… just give this a five-second thought, and you’ll see why I can’t do this. They will all think the same—that-that I’m using him as a launching pad for my own career before throwing him in the trash can like a half-eaten hotdog. But that’s not true!”

YN felt panic bubbling inside her at the prospect of losing Harry over the hate of this fandom which would ultimately attack not only her but him as well. And she couldn’t possibly allow that to happen.

Jeff gently grabbed her shoulders and moved her to look at him. “I know that that’s not true. The band knows. His family knows. You know. Harry knows. Everyone that matters know how much you love each other and that this is not a PR stunt or PR relationship. Who cares what the world thinks?” YN took a deep breath. “They will hate me. I could never use a social media account ever again, Jeff. And you know how much I love to interact with my fans. I… I can’t put that at risk.” His head shake let her breath slow down more and more. “Your fans will know the truth. They always do, somehow. The haters will lose interest soon enough, you know how they behave over time. And think of all those people out there. Many of them already like you because you make Harry so happy, everyone can see it. Remember how they cheered last night when he tried to find you in the crowd, and they helped him to see you between them. That’s all that matters to most of them—that he is happy.”

She took another deep breath and blinked up at him, unsure what to do. “But what if I fail up there?” Jeff grinned. “You’re a blast on a stage. It’s your second home, YN. Do you really think you could fail up there?” Her anxiety screamed Yes, but the realistic part of her brain only shrugged its shoulders because she had always lived for the stages of this world—even if it only was an aisle between bookshelves in the bookshop she worked ever since starting at and graduating from college.

So, all she did was nod once, and Jeff grinned even wider before ushering her to the technicians to provide her with an earpiece and a microphone.

—

“Uhm… Jeff?” Harry’s voice called through the underground hallway as soon as his eyes spotted his manager. The brunette raised a dark brow at the singer, and Harry held his phone up. “D’you know where YNN is? She doesn’t react to any of my texts, and I thought we would meet here before I went out,” he explained the situation to him—the my girlfriend is kinda missing in action situation.

But Jeff couldn’t really say anything because, at this moment, a voice, followed by booming applause and cheers, echoed through the long hallways. “Hey, everyone!” Harry looked confused as hell as he heard YN’s voice multiplied by a microphone and the sound system of Madison Square Garden. “What’s happening now?” He was followed by his manager and some bodyguards as he just made his way upwards to stand right next to the pit. His eyes almost pop out at the sight of his gorgeous woman standing on the stage, a huge smile on her face.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you because clearly, I’m not Blood Orange.” A laugh runs through the audience. “There was a last-minute sickness call, but we only wish them the best, don’t we? Let them hear it!” The people cheered loudly at that, and YN smiled even more widely. “I’m pretty sure they heard it till the other side of the river! And so, this only leaves the question of if y’all don’t mind if I play the supporting act for tonight, so we can greet Harry properly later on. Would that be alright with y’all?” She moved the mic to direct it to the people in front and around her. His fans cheered loudly, and a laugh escaped YN. “I didn’t quite get you!” Another move of the mic and the audience screamed their encouragement. “I suppose that’s a Yes! Thank you. Don’t worry if you only know a few or any songs at all. We still can have a great time together!” YN turned to the band, and at the nod of the drummer, she held her thumb up and grinned brightly.

Harry stood in constant awe on his spot, almost ignoring his fans, of whom some had spotted the singer, but he was too enthralled by his woman upstage, owning it like she was born for it. And in his opinion, she had been born to do exactly this.

As the first tunes of W.I.T.C.H. echoed through the hall, many of the audience cheered loudly, and even Harry whistled and cheered alongside them. “She ain't out to get you, but she's better on your side,” YN sang, and then, the people sang the refrain with her. “And she don't wanna be anybody else - She's a woman in total control of herself.—Oh my, you know this song?!—It's such a wonder to be under her spell - What a woman, in total control of herself.”

The singer continued to watch in wonder and almost didn’t realize that Jeff had patted his shoulder. “We need to get you ready,” his manager told him, and Harry reluctantly followed him, always throwing a look over his shoulder to see his girl glowing up there.

harrystyles Thank you for stepping in, my love. I’m so damn proud of you. This is your moment! x

[yourinstagram]

Liked by yourfan1, yourfan2, yn_and_harry, gemmastyles, and 1,221,001 others | 111,920 comments

gemmastyles What a banger!! Whoever that is, we all need to listen to her songs more often 👀👀👀

liked by yourfan2, yourfan4, hsfan5, and 113 others

↳ yourinstagram Geeeeeeem 🙈

↳ gemmastyles 😘🥰

↳ hsfan1 🥹

hsfan2 Best supporting act!!!

mitchrowland 🥳❤️

pillowpersonpp That’s my girl! 👸🏼

yourfan1 She seriously is born to do exactly this!

↳ hsfan3 Def! She was SO good upstage

internettroll1 💀💀💀💀

internettroll2 Untalented, ugly, unworthy of him 🤪

internettroll3 I just checked her social media accounts—she gained SO many new followers. Can’t tell me she isn’t dating him for precisely this.

internettroll4 Youre still my man, Harry. Leave this b*tch.

—harrystyles turned off comments for this post—

harrystyles My tired loves x

I always was very grateful for my fans and how we handle things on social media as individuals. But lately—actually, ever since my relationship got public knowledge—hateful comments have pooled here, and I will not tolerate a single word filled with hatred, especially if it’s directed toward this angel of a woman who makes me the happiest. I don’t want to exclude you, my longtime fans and supporters, from this part of my life after I finally feel comfortable enough to share this with you willingly. So, could we treat people with kindness again?

Thank you, x H.

Liked by annetwist, gemmastyles, hsfan1, harrystylesfanpage, and 9,247,851 likes | 338,996 comments

harrystylesfanpage Wow, you did it, people. You made him so upset that he needed to call y’all’s bullshit out 😠

liked by hsfan1, hsfan3, harry_and_yn, and 77 others

↳ hsfan1 I’m so sad🥺 She is the loveliest human being and doesn’t deserve all this hate

harrystylesforever True fans will protect you both!

ynfanpage Poor babies 😭❤️

hsfan2 They have a cat together 😭

↳ yourfan1 Everything screams for a long-term relationship. Can’t tell me otherwise.

annetwist ❤️

gemmastyles 😞❤️

hsfan3 Those haters never were true fans 🤬❤️

lindathetree Me and billtherock are very thankful that you take such good care of her and protect her from all that ❤️

↳ harrystyles It’s my duty x

liked by billtherock, annetwist, hsfan1, hsfan2, and 1,342 others

yn_and_harry We love you two! What’s your guys' cat’s name? She is such a pretty bean 🥺❤️

↳ yourinstagram Her name is Juniper, but we barely call her that. She probably wouldn’t react to it anyway

liked by harrystyles, annetwist, yn_and_harry, and 237 others

↳ yn_and_harry That’s normal 😅❤️

yourfan1 I’m so sorry you got so much hate, yourinstagram But Harry is there for you, obviously! ❤️

yourinstagram I love you.

↳ harrystyles I love you more x

↳ yourinstagram Nope, not possible ❤️

liked by harrystyles, ynfanpage, harry_and_yn, and 2,456 others

;

I’m not sure what I think about this one, but hey, it’s here, and I’m excited to read what y’all think. Hope you liked it <3 As usual: comments, reblogs, and likes are much appreciated!

taglist: @onecrazydirectioner @nyctophilic0vitnir

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