#Thena makes a light comment about him staying if he's happy there | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

callsigndragon · 1 year

Text

The Christmas Date | Chapter 13: Christmas will break your heart

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

(Ron Kerner is Slider, Iceman’s backseater)

Wordcount: 3.1k

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

(there won’t be smut in this series)

Warnings: fluff, rooster feeling guilty, lots of fluff... before the crash and burn.

A/N: so am... i'm really sorry for making this to all of you dear readers. you're so gonna hate me after this.

Taglist: @ducks118 @milestellerwife @craftymoonchaos @littlebadariell @xoxabs88xox @alexxavicry @tayrae515 @shrimping-for-all @mak-32 @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @harper1666 @purplevortexx @abaker74 @ssprayberrythings @melllinaa @loveless-simp @k-k0129 @mygyn @castle-bookworms-world @chaoticversion @one-sweet-gubler @loveforaugust

@taytaylala12 @benhardysdrumstick @green-intervention @waatermelon-sugaar @smells-like-perfect-senses @interstellarloneliness @tay-bluey @diggorycullen @dhwanishah09 @inky-sun @luckyladycreator2 @nograce-nomercy @witchybabel @omfg-its-tay @macysorbit @little-wiseone @mxdi0

(TAG LIST CLOSED)

Previous | Next | Masterlist

You can't fall asleep again once Rooster leaves the house. There's just something preventing you from closing your eyes and resting. You slowly get up, knowing there's no reason to stay on the sofa. Jesse is stirring and turning around, but not waking up. You can see the little smile on his face. He seems to be having a good dream. You kiss his forehead before moving upstairs. You still need to wrap Bradley's gift.

On your way to your room, you see Nick pacing around Becca’s, the woman sitting on her bed, biting her nails. You approach him, curious about their behavior. "Guys, you seem nervous"

Nick almost yells when you talk, too immersed in his own thoughts to notice your presence. "Why are you up?"

"Cause I couldn't sleep anymore." You shrug, his comment making you believe that they want you to be awake. Not yet.

"Makes sense. We just hoped you wouldn't be awake when Rooster came back."

"Nick!"

He gasps. "Oh shit."

You look at them, not understanding a thing. "Am I not supposed to see what he's buying?"

"Did he tell you he went to buy something?"

"Nicholas!” Becca groans, covering her face in embarrassment.

"You know what, fuck it. He knows where Solo lives and he went there with you father"

"What?"

"You're so dead, Nick"

The thought of Rooster and Solo in the same room scares you. Not because Solo could hurt him, but because you know Rooster’s strength and how guilty he would feel afterwards if he inflicted pain on another person.

"Can any of you go buy something for me? I don't want to leave the house"

Becca points at Nick. "He'll go. Payment for spilling the beans"

Nick sighs, but accepts. "What do you need?"

"A Polaroid album"

“Cool. Speaking of Polaroids, there’s a box in the attic. Maybe you want to see it.” He says leaving the room.

Polaroids, huh? The only one around here that used them was Goose. It might be good to take a look.

Rooster comes back soon after Nick leaves. He's been crying, you can see it in his puffy, red eyes. Fear installs itself in your stomach, afraid that he has done something horrible to Solo and that he's now regretting it. He hugs your dad, whispering something to him and smiling a bit before walking towards you, who are now seated in the kitchen eating some Christmas cookies.

"You know where I was, right?" He asks, seeing the answer in your eyes. "Thena, I'm sorry I had to."

"Please, just tell me that he can still walk," you mumble.

"Yes, he can. He has a broken nose and was trapped in his closet for three minutes"

"You…treated him like he did with me?"

"An eye for an eye."

"...Good. He deserves it" You open your arms for him, seeing a new wave of sadness extinguish the light in his eyes. Not again, he was so happy lately. "Roos, what is it?"

"Everything is my fault"

"Nugget, you can't blame yourself for this. Not again."

"No, Thena, you don't understand. He was… obsessed with me, and therefore with you"

"What?"

He explains to you what he saw in his house, how your dad's comment unlocked a long-forgotten conversation. Oh no. You thought he would stop blaming himself for your scar at last, and now this.

Why can't you two have a normal relationship without trauma and drama?

"Bradley Bradshaw, look at me. You are not to blame. It's not your fault if you're just really cool and people want to be like you. I mean, Jesse wants to be like you and he doesn't go around traumatizing me"

"I know, but…"

"You're not taking the blame for this one, you hear me?"

"Would you ever be able to look at me and not remember what Solo did?"

The mention of his name makes your whole body shiver, an instant reaction that you’re sure will fade away with time.

You circle the kitchen table, grabbing his face between your hands. He tilts his head to one side, kissing the palm of your hand. “The only thing I see when I look at you, Bradley Bradshaw, is a lot of lost time that I hope we can make up for.”

A side-smile adorns his face when he looks at you. “It’s snowing”

“Really?” You look out the window and see white snowflakes falling. The snow from when you arrived here had completely melted with the warm temperatures of the last couple days. “Woah, look at that.”

“It’s been snowing all morning. Wanna go out and play?” Rooster says while running his fingers through your hair.

You nod quickly, running upstairs to put on warmer clothes.

“What are we gonna do when we come back?” you ask, resting in the snow after covering the backyard in snow angels with Rooster’s help.

“Gotta be a bit more specific, love.”

“Work, relationship, friends... I sent a message to Nat this morning, but I think she’s deployed or something. She didn't respond."

Rooster groans, rolling in the snow until he’s laying on top of you, his head pressing against your belly. You can still feel the warmth of his body through all the layers of clothing. “Too many things.”

“I know, pretty nugget, but tomorrow is Christmas eve, we’re getting on a flight back home on Christmas day... In three days, we’re gonna be working again.”

That only makes Rooster groan louder. You chuckle, patting his back.

“I’m not worried about work. Remember when Phoenix was dating a member of the squad?” he says, bringing memories back.

“Gotta be a bit more specific, love” you mock him, making him put a cold hand in your face. “Rooster is fucking cold!”

“Serves you right. Anyway, I was referring to White Queen," he clarifies.

“Oh, she was the sweetest girl. It was a pity that she was transferred to another station a few months into the relationship. I loved those two together.”

“Yeah, but long-distance relationships were hard for her… Can’t blame her.” He mumbles the final words, tightening his embrace to emphasize the significance of his words.

“I don’t think I could, either. I mean, I can't imagine a day without you in it. We’ve been together since we got out of Top Gun. Every. Single. Day. It’s hard to imagine the base without you.”

“Oh, so you liked me before all this?”

You grab a handful of snow, slowly moving it towards his face. “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll like you after this.”

You let the snow fall in his face, moving from below Rooster’s body to run away from him. He’s up on his feet in no time, making a big ball of snow with his bare hands. “Oh, you little-”

“No, no, no. Don’t throw that at me.”

“And why should I stop?” he asks, a smirk appearing on his face as he moves dangerously close, the snow crunching beneath his feet.

“‘Cause you love me?”

“True, but not enough.” He throws the ball straight to your face, almost throwing you to the floor.

“Rooster,” you pout, getting the snow out of your face and clothes.

He closes the distance and helps you, using his scarf to clean your face. “Grouchy, this is as simple as you want it to be. You want to tell our friends?”

“Yes. I want them to know how much I love my nugget.”

He lets out a giggle. “Stop, I feel like a teenager.”

“We kinda are, Roos. We’ve been pushing back our feelings since we were teenagers.”

He looks at the floor, thinking about your words for a second, slowly nodding while coming out of his thoughts. “Well, yes. You’re right. Does that mean that we can do crazy things?”

“We said we loved each other already, and we’ve been dating for less than 72 hours.”

“But we’ve known each other since you were born. It’s not as if I met you three days ago. I’ve been growing up with you by my side, loving you a bit more each day, even though I've been an asshole sometimes with you.”

You grab his hands, ignoring the cold. “Okay, lover boy. What are you trying to say with this rant?”

“Maybe we can move in together?”

That wasn’t what you were expecting. “Roos, don’t you think it’s too soon to be sharing a house? I know we're doing the same thing here, but... we’re surrounded by family, and it's a little different."

“Hey, you got me all wrong. I’m not asking you to buy a house, share one bedroom, and all that. I’m talking about sharing an apartment but each one has their own room”

“Please, elaborate.”

“So, we move to an apartment with two bedrooms. We spend a lot of time together whenever we’re not deployed, and, you know, we do things together: watch TV, cuddle on the sofa, eat takeout for dinner, play video games, you name it.”

"I like that," you say, your mind racing with images of all the things you could do together if you shared an apartment.

“I know. But the best thing is that, whenever one of us wants some time alone, we have separate rooms. If one day everything is too overwhelming for you, you can go to your own bed, or kick me out of yours, and enjoy some precious alone time.”

“I can do that in my own apartment.”

“But you won’t be able to have cuddles whenever you want,” he counters.

“Yes, I can. It’s called a cuddle call.” You explain, seeing that there’s something else he’s not saying. The real reason why he doesn’t want you to have your own apartment. “Roos, just say it.”

He inhales deeply. “What are you gonna do when someone knocks at your door?”

You surely haven’t thought about that yet. Just the idea makes you breathe quickly. It wouldn't be the first time a neighbor came knocking in the middle of the night. What will you do? Pain and fear will become bearable in the future. You’ll be able to live a normal life without having to feel the claws of fear closing tightly around your throat, cutting off your breathing. Someday you’ll look back and think of this as a memory.

It would take time, though.

For now, you’re accepting Rooster’s offer. You know he’s not implying that you need him. He’s just offering to be there in case you want someone to help you in a bad moment.

Building a relationship based on need is the biggest mistake you can make. And he knows, too.

“Okay, let’s move in together,” you whisper, having so many feelings at the moment that you’re not sure you can identify them.

Maybe this is a complete mistake. Maybe it’s too soon to even think about living in the same place. Maybe it’s just the right thing to do.

But the smile on his face and how he tackles you to the ground in the biggest hug ever known in history makes you believe that maybe it’s not a bad idea after all.

Christmas Eve goes by with you almost being kicked out of the kitchen. You didn't realize what day it was until Sarah and Becca began to cook all types of Christmassy meals, including some of your favorites.

This week has been an absolute mess. It started with you and Rooster being forced to share a bed. Now he's asking you to share a house with him. A home. A simple yet effective way of beginning a life together. Even though this life began years ago, after the car accident. You're just been too blind to realize that the love you were looking for was not in front of you, but at your side, at the F-18 that always flies with you. He's always been there.

Rooster's playing with Jesse next to the fireplace, holding a tiny figurine of Chase, the police pup, in his big hands. You take a picture with your phone, looking at his fond smile and loving eyes. He's going to be an amazing dad, like Goose was. He might not have been there long enough for Rooster to remember him or for you to meet him, but you two know him.

Iceman, Slider, and Maverick had made sure to tell you the type of man he was. He was loving, not only with his wife and his son but also with his friends. He loved them as a family. Maverick was a brother to him. That's why he’s Rooster's godfather. Goose was also attentive, caring, funny, and brave.

He was the type of person you don't meet often. The type that goes too early, leaving an empty space too big to fill, even harder to ignore.

You've never met him, but you know him.

And you know that he's looking at his son right now, knowing that he would be a better father than he was.

You set the picture as your lock screen, admiring the pure love embodied in one single picture.

Then the phone rings. A video call from Phoenix.

"Love of my life, there you are!" You smile when you see her tired face. Tired means the mission was a success, and she's safe.

"Look at that face. You're literally glowing. Have you fu-"

"There's a kid here, Nat!" You whine, Rooster whispering something in Jesse's ear, the kid is leaving the room in a second.

"The kid has been secured," Rooster says, sitting next to you on the sofa, his arm resting on your shoulders while he waves at your friend. "Hey, Nat"

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire, you two are in love. With capital letters."

You look at each other, his shy smile making you giggle. "Well… maybe a bit"

"I talked to you a few days ago, how can this be real?"

"Well… A lot of shit happened with Solo," you mutter, shivering when his name slips from your lips. Rooster hugs you closer, kissing your temple.

"Does he know?" Phoenix inquires, her eyes wide as she realizes you're referring to the monster in front of Bradley.

You nod, looking at Bradley's hand. His fingertips are drawing small circles in your arm, a comforting, grounding touch you are grateful for. "A lot has happened. I'll tell you someday"

She looks worried. "Is she okay?" She's asking that question directly to Bradley, not you.

"She'll be okay. Just needs a bit of time." Rooster reassures you both.

"Is this why you're asking to change stations, Bradshaw?"

Rooster freezes when Phoenix’s words register in his brain. The fingers that are caressing your arm stop moving. A change of station?

"You're doing what?" You don't look at him. It's almost unbearable.

"Let me explain, Thena," he says, kneeling on the floor in front of you, his eyes searching for yours, even though they're lost.

"So it's true," you whisper, the phone falling from your hands into your lap. Nat silently hangs up, a guilty expression on her face. "You want to change stations. You asked me to live together this morning, and now you're probably moving across the country."

There are tears in your eyes, so many of them that Rooster is just a blur. You blink, teardrops on your cheeks, as his hand approaches your face. You flinch away.

"Don't touch me."

He has been giving you reasons to believe that he is going to be with you… forever, if he can.

You're the only person I want to fly with.

The only way you're getting rid of me is when you say you don't love me anymore.

Was that real? Was any of it real?

"No, no, no, love, look at me. Please, look at me, it's not what you think." He begs, tears of his own falling silently.

His hands cup your face. His touch, a warmth so welcome a few seconds ago, now burns; it suffocates you. Have you become Icarus in this timeline? Have you tried to be so close to your personal sun that now it ignites your skin? Melting it. Hurting in the most painful yet delicious way. His calloused hands, the physical depiction of his so-called love and respect for you, now leave aching goosebumps in your skin. It brings comfort and grief at the same time. These are the hands you want to be held in—the same hands that have betrayed you.

It's too much.

"I said don't touch me!"

Rooster backs away from you, his hands open and held in the air as if he were surrendering to the enemy. The rational part of your brain wants you to stop and listen to whatever he has to say. He had never given you a reason not to trust him, right?

Well, he tried to pull your papers.

He knew that you loved him. He heard your confession.

He didn't say anything about it; he made you believe that he didn't hear you, that he didn't love you.

He had been acting like a dick ever since.

He came up with the fake dating idea knowing that you loved him.

He asked you to share a home with him.

And now, as if nothing that has happened between the two of you matters, he's asking to leave.

Asking to leave you.

Who's the enemy here? You, for running upstairs and locking yourself in the bedroom? Or him, for lying and betraying the little trust you had left in him?

He's at the other side of the door, your name falling from his lips as a litany. You know he’s trying his best not to knock on the door. You thank him for that, but it only makes you pack your things faster.

"Thena, please. Talk to me."

You tune him out. If you don't hear him, he's not there. He can't hurt you. Not anymore.

You've been broken too many times this week. But this? This is the final blow. You are packing your things, as if every cloth were a piece of your broken heart, collecting them in hopes that, with patience and lots of work, every single piece will fall into place.

The Uber should be here at any time. You take a few breaths before opening the door. You look at the floor, however. You can't look at his face.

"You're gonna move and let me go. You're not gonna look for me or ask about me. And if someone asks where I am or why I am gone," you raise your eyes, making eye contact in an ephemeral moment of bravery, "Tell them how you've been lying to them for a whole week and how you ended up lying to me, too."

You leave him standing in that hallway before running downstairs, leaving the house with tears in your eyes and a little boy crying out for you to come back home.

148 notes · View notes