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sarahsmi13s · 1 year

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Lieutenant Rogers - pt 1

Call Sign ‘Star’

pairings: romantic!neil ‘omaha’ vikander x rogers!reader, platonic!dagger squad x rogers!reader, plantonic!sam wilson x rogers!reader, platonic!bucky barnes x rogers!reader

characters: y/n rogers, neil vikander, the entire dagger squad (admirals and captain included), penny benjamin, sam wilson, bucky barnes, james rhodes (this chapter only), john walker, lemar hoskins, misc. characters from both universes

warnings: language, blood, fighting, sexual inuendoes, john walker, cannon dangers, cannon deaths, suggestive themes, if i miss any please let me know

word count: ~3.2k

a/n: if you couldn’t already tell, i’m OBSESSED with crossovers. reader is the daughter of steve rogers, and has the super soldier serum as well

sources: Top Gun: Maverick (2022) , The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

summary: 13 pilots were called back to Top Gun in 2023. at the same time, Lieutenant Rogers learns that her father’s shield was passed down to John Walker.

reader’s call sign: ‘star’

pt 2 pt 3 pt 4 pt 5 pt 6

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

You stared at Sam from your spot leaning on your bar. “Say something.” “Why? Why do you want to give me the shield?” “Because you're his child, Y/N. It should belong to you.” You shook your head, “No, Sam, he gave it to you. It’s yours.” “Yes, which is why I am now giving it to you. If it’s mine I can do what I want with it.”

You rubbed your face, “Sam, I can’t take up the mantle. Dad wanted you to take it over, and I agree with him.” “Why can’t you take it?” “Because I'm on active duty, and the Navy is where I belong.” Sam hung his head.

“I can’t fill his shoes. This shield- it means something to so many people. Me included. But Steve gave it that meaning. I’m gonna let him down.” You sighed and pulled Sam out of his chair. “Sam, I won’t begin to understand why you feel that way. You could never let him down.” You hugged him, “He trusted you with it. And I do too. I know you’ll only do what you think is best.”

He hugged you back, sighing as he looked at the photo on your mantle in your house and the folded flag in its protective box. Sam wrapped his arms a little tighter around you before letting go.

“I’ll let you get back to getting ready. Have a good night Y/N.” He walked past you to the door. “Sam, wait!”

He stopped with his hand on the handle, “You sure you don’t want to stay? I’m sure Neil wouldn’t mind you staying for dinner.” He shook his head, “I’ve got plans tonight, but maybe some other time.” You nodded, “Okay. Call me if you need anything. Love ya Sam!” “Love you too kid!”

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

When Sam told you that his plan was to turn the shield over to the museum for the Captain America exhibit, you weren’t happy. But you realized that this was what Sam thought was best, what he thought was right. You trusted Sam, so you supported him.

He asked you to be there at the ceremony, for support and reassurance. So, that’s what you did, with permission from your superiors of course.

Wearing your dress blues, you stood right next to Rhodey. “Lieutenant Rogers.” “Colonel Rhodes.” He sighed, “I’m not gonna lie, I’m surprised to see you here.” “Is that because I’m on active duty, or because of a more personal thing, sir?” He chuckled, “Bit of both.” You sighed, “I’m here to support Sam. I know he needs it from me. He sure as hell isn’t getting it from Bucky.”

“Has he even talked to Bucky since the funeral?” You shook your head, “I don’t think so.” “Have you?” “I’ve tried. I’m not sure he wants to talk to me.” Rhodey just nodded.

Sam stepped up to the podium, “Steve represented the best in all of us. Courageous, righteous, hopeful. And he mastered posing stoically.” The crowd chuckled. “The world has been forever changed. A few months ago, billions of people reappeared after five years away, sending the world into turmoil.”

Sam paused and tears burned the backs of your eyes. “We need new heroes. Ones suited for the times we’re in.” He looked at you and you gave him a reassuring smile.

“Symbols… are nothing without the men and women that give them meaning,” he nodded down to the shield. “And this thing,” he chuckled fondly and picked it up. “I don’t know if there’s ever been a greater symbol. But it’s more about the man who propped it up, and he’s gone.”

You exhaled shakily and looked down, your standard bun not allowing your hair to cover your face.

Sam looked at you before continuing, “So, today we honor Steve’s legacy. But also, we look to the future.” You looked up and made eye contact with Sam, him giving you a small smile; almost as if to say, You’re his legacy and you are the future.

He looked at the banner behind him. “So, thank you, Captain America. But this belongs to you…” You walked up to be beside Sam as they placed the shield in its display case. Cameras flashing everywhere. You both clinched your jaws.

To him, this was to honor Steve. But to you, this was like you were truly putting him to rest, and you really didn’t know how to feel.

Afterwards you, Rhodey, and Sam were talking with some government official (that’s literally what the IMDb says). “Thanks again for comin’ forward with the shield, Sam. It was the right decision.” They shook hands and he walked away, nodding to you as he left.

Your phone rang, “I’m sorry, I need to take this.” Both nodded and watched you walk away. “This is Lieutenant Rogers.” Out of the corner of your eye you saw Rhodey and Sam walk away.

“Star, I know you’re taking care of something personal, but I need you back on base as soon as possible.” You nodded, “Yes, sir. It should take me about four hours to get back.” “That’s alright, just get here.” “Yes sir.” You hung up and went to find Sam and Rhodey.

You walked into the exhibit, running into Rhodey making his way out. He noticed the rush you were in. “You get orders?” “Yeah. I need to be back on base as soon as possible.” He nodded, “He’s back there.” You followed his hand, seeing Sam by the shield display. “Thank you.”

You moved past Rhodey. “Hey, Star?” You straightened and turned around. “Whatever it is, give ‘em hell alright?” You nodded, “Of course, sir.” You saluted each other before you moved to Sam.

When you came up beside him, he spoke first.

“Thank you for being here, Y/N. I know this wasn’t what you were expecting me to do,” Sam said with his head hung between his shoulders. “I don’t think anyone was expecting it honestly.” He looked back up, looking at you before moving his eyes to the exhibit.

You sighed, swallowing the lump in your throat, “I’m needed back on base. I’ve gotta go.” Sam nodded and looked down at you, “You better get going, it’s a four hour drive.” You nodded as well and hugged Sam.

“Call me if you need anything,” he said once he pulled away, patting your shoulder. “Always do. Tell Sarah and the kids ‘hi’ for me okay?” “Of course.”

When you got back to base, you changed before meeting with your commanding officer, seeing Omaha and his WSO, Halo, there as well.

Once you were allowed in you stood at attention in front of his desk. “Sir, may I ask why you needed me back so urgently?” “You’ve all been called back to TOPGUN.” You looked down at him in surprise before looking at the two next to you. “Sir?” “I wasn’t informed of why, but you along with 10 others were called back. You’re due to report in two weeks to North Island.” You nodded, “Yes sir.”

Since you had moved to North Island after graduating TOPGUN five years ago, you and your boyfriend were allowed to move in early, to get a feel for the island again.

*******

A few days into your stay at the North Island you were watching TV while Omaha had gone to get groceries.

You had finished your beer and were getting up to get a new one, when a news broadcast took over the rerun you were watching.

“Unrest, in the wake of recent events, has left us vulnerable. Everyday Americans feel it. While we love heroes who put their lives on the line to defend Earth, we also need a hero to defend this country. We need a real person who embodies America’s greatest values. We need someone to inspire us again, someone who can be a symbol for all of us.” The man said.

You recognized him as the guy who was talking to Sam after his speech.

“So, on behalf of the Department of Defense and our Commander-in-Chief, it is with great honor that we announce here today that the United States of America has a new hero. Join me in welcoming your new Captain America!”

Your throat dried up as some guy walked out, carrying your father’s shield like it was a damn trophy. Your heart ripped in half. You could already tell this guy was bad news and when he winked at the camera, you nearly threw up.

Tears filled your eyes as you stared at the screen, even though it no longer portrayed the imposter.

You gasped when the bottle shattered in your hand, not even registering how hard you were holding it.

Robotically, you moved to the bathroom, cradling your hand to keep blood off the floor. Then moved routinely as you grabbed what you needed from the drawers and cabinets.

*********

When Neil came home he didn’t expect to see a shattered bottle followed by little droplets of blood on the living room floor and your phone ringing.

But he didn’t panic, instead he set the grocery bags down and went to your phone, seeing “Bird Boy” displayed as the caller ID. He just let it ring as he followed the little droplets to the closed bathroom door.

He looked down at your phone before knocking and saw Sam had called you a lot.

“Baby?” He knocked softly. “Y/N, are you okay? What happened?” When he was met with silence he tried the handle, finding it unlocked. “I’m coming in.” Omaha pushed the door open slowly.

You were sitting on the closed toilet seat with a cut up hand and your other hand slightly shaking with tweezers in it as a small pool of blood was gathering at your feet.

He squatted in front of you, “Doll? You with me?” He wasn’t sure what was going on, maybe you got hit with a bad flashback. But your nod told him it was something else.

He slowly took the tweezers from you, “Wanna tell me what happened?” You inhaled and clenched your jaw as he wiggled a bigger piece of glass out of your hand. “You don’t have to hide it from me…”

As you exhaled, a small sob escaped your throat, “They gave it to someone, Neil. They fucking replaced him, with some Wal-Mart looking asshole.” Omaha clenched his own jaw and exhaled, “I guess that’s why Sam has been trying to get ahold of you.” You nodded, wincing a little as he pulled out some more shards before disinfecting the cuts.

Your phone rang again, but he moved it out of your reach, “After we patch you up. Talk to me about how you feel.” You swallowed, “I want to go UA just to kick this guy’s ass, but I have to focus on this mission, whatever it is. I need to carry on the legacy of Captain America, shield or no shield.”

Omaha smiled and pressed a kiss to your now bandaged hand. “Plus, it’s not like the government cares what I have to say on the matter anyway,” you dryly chuckled, flexing your hand.

He pulled you off the toilet and into a hug, “That’s my girl.” You hummed and kissed his chest, where his dog tags were. “No, but seriously the guy looked like Carl from Up, I swear.” Omaha threw his head back and laughed, “Okay, come on now. How does steak sound?” “With your mom’s corn?” He kissed your nose, “Whatever you want, Star-light.” You giggled and kissed his lips.

Your phone ringing again made you pull away. “I should probably answer him before he flies up here.” Neil nodded, “I’ll get started.” He left to the kitchen and you took your phone to the back porch.

You answered the phone, “Sa-” “Did you see the news?” You sighed, “Yeah, I sure did Sam.” “God, I swear had I known they were gonna do that I would have never-” “Sam, Sam, I know. I know,” you cut him off. “Had I known they were gonna give it to someone I wouldn’t have let you. But Sam, I need you to be honest with me...” “Of course.” “I can’t be involved with this, not until this mission is over. Will you make sure this asshole doesn’t ruin my father’s image? Ruin his legacy?” “You have my word.” You nodded, “Good, good. I’ve gotta go, talk to you later.”

********** *1 Week Later*

Checking to make sure you had everything, you threw on your dad’s aviators and threw your hair into a ponytail. Getting the keys, you got on your bike and sped to the Hard Deck to meet your fellow pilots and boyfriend.

Walking in while sliding your sunglasses on your head, everyone right by the door turned and smiled at you, greeting you as you walked by. And of course you said ‘hello’ back but made minimal conversation as you went to the bar. You didn’t make a big deal out of your presence just yet and just looked around.

“Y/N Rogers, to what do I owe the pleasure?” You turned and smiled at Penny, “Hi Penny.” “Are you here for the same reason they’re here?” You nodded, “Yes ma’am.” She nodded, gesturing over her shoulder with her thumb, “Want the usual?” “Yes, please.” She nodded and went to get you an Angry Orchard.

Sure, the serum allowed you to hold your alcohol, you just preferred the cider.

When she came back she smiled, “Hey, don’t worry about this one. It’s on him. I’ll start yours on the next one.” You followed the direction she had nodded her head in, seeing a dark headed guy in a green jacket. You tilted your bottle in thanks and he gave a nod and small smile back.

You turned to the group of pilots at the pool table and decided to make your way over.

You walk over to see Hangman walk away and hear the conversation between Phoenix and Rooster. “Well, he hasn’t changed.” “Nope.” You just smirked and took a seat on the barstool by the pool table, nobody noticing you.

“Check it out,” Fanboy said as he walked over to Phoenix. “More patches.” You glanced around the pillar, seeing the group of 5 khaki clad aviators. Payback did a roll call, “That’s Harvard, Yale, Omaha… Shit, that’s Fritz.” You looked back over at the group in front of you. “What the hell kinda mission is this?” Fanboy asked.

You stood up, boots hitting the hardwood floor, “That’s not the question we should be asking.”

Everyone turned at the sound of your voice. You smirked a little and gestured to the group with the butt end of your bottle, “Everyone here is the best there is. Who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?”

“Star, that you?” You turned your head, seeing Bob, your best friend. “Robert Floyd, damn it’s good to see you.” You hugged him. “How’s Lemoore?” He shrugged giving you a small smile, “It was good when I left it. How are you holdin’ up?” Bob lowered his voice when he said that last part. You returned his previous smile, “Better than I thought I would be..”

“Well would you look at that? Thought the room looked a little brighter,” Hangman rested his arms on your shoulders and his chin on your head.

“Who’s ass you kiss to be here?” You gave Bob a smile before elbowing the Texan in the ribs. “No, Bagman it’s kick, not kiss, and I do believe you’re on the list.” He painfully chuckled, groaning as he stood up, “Still as pointy as every, Star.” You nodded, “Best believe it.” You winked before waving to Bob and going over to your boyfriend.

“Hey, Doll,” Omaha said when you walked up to him. “Hey, Baby.” He kissed the top of your head and threw his arm around you.

As you talked with Halo and Omaha, the music cut out and everyone groaned. But soon, piano notes floated into the air, their distinct sound floating over everyone’s voices.

Phoenix was the first to notice that it was Rooster at the piano and got everyone’s attention. “Hey, guys, come on.” You smiled and grabbed Neil’s hand to pull him with you.

Rooster was warming up his fingers when the bell rang. You turned and caught the same dark haired guy from before hanging his head, then everyone began chanting ‘overboard’.

Omaha winced, “Poor guy.” You chuckled and saw that Hangman, Payback, and Coyote were going over to throw him overboard.

Once he was thrown out, Rooster finally started the song.

You sang along, Neil spinning you around and laughing. “Imma tell the world that you’re mine, mine, mine!” You practically yelled in each other’s faces, but laughed before pulling each other into a kiss. You looked down and noticed that he didn’t have a drink. “Here, watch my drink, I’ll go get you one.” “You don’t have to,” he pulled you closer. “Yeah, but the bar isn’t occupied right now, it’ll only be a second.” He nodded, “Alright.”

You walked up and found Penny looking out the window. “You alright, Pen?” She blinked and nodded as she looked away from the door to you. “Uh, yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

You looked to where she was looking and saw once again the dark haired man, this time instead of smiling he looked like he wanted to puke. “Who’s that?” “Captain Pete Mitchell, or Maverick.”

Your eyes widened, “Wait, really?” Penny nodded. You looked at Pete and followed his eyes to Bradley at the piano, and you could put the pieces together. You saw your father with the same look every time he heard a song from his childhood and was reminded of Bucky.

You glanced back to see Omaha dancing with Fritz and you moved to go talk to Mav but he left before you could make it to the door. You sighed and turned back to Penny, who already had the bottle held out to you. “Thanks Pen.”

By the time you made it back over to your boyfriend, Rooster had finished the song and everyone was chanting his name.

**********

After it cooled down, you all regrouped at the pool table. “Star, I didn’t even see you come in! Holy shit, how have you been?” Rooster hugged you, rubbing your back. “Could be worse, all things considered. But how about you?” “Not too bad, not too bad at all.” You smiled and rubbed his shoulder.

He took a sip of his own drink before his brows shot up and he quickly swallowed it. “How are you and Omaha?” You smiled, a blush spreading across your face, “We’re good. We’re really good.” Bradley smiled and patted you on the back before going over to play Phoenix and Bob in a game of pool.

“Hey, Star-light,” Omaha said, and you could just hear the smile in his voice. “Hi, Baby.” “You wanna play a round of pool? Loser has to do whatever the winner says?” You hummed and raised an eyebrow, “You sure you wanna make that bet, Honey?” He hummed back, leaning down into your ear, “Win or lose, I feel it’ll be worth it.” Neil playfully nipped under your ear. “You’re on.”

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

NEW SERIES ALERT!!!!

I hope you all enjoy this first part in my new cross over series

We’re in for a ride

How do you think the first day at training will go?

tags <3: @milesdickpic @luckyladycreator2 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp

<3 love ya babes

#omaha x reader #neil omaha vikander #rogers!reader #neil vikander x rogers!reader #lieutenant rogers #top gun maverick #marvel #marvel/top gun maverick #crossovers #dagger squad x reader #call sign: star #falcon and winter solider series #tfatws #john walker #captain america #steve rogers

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rose-pearls · 10 months

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Daylight - Part 2

This is the second part to this story, that was requested. I tried to combine both of the ideas and hopefully you like it @neothegayturtle!

Request: Maybe it’s after Maverick is shot down and Trigger is seeking comfort in Phoenix. Or its after the mission and Phoenix and Trigger finally go on a date (Requests are open!)

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187, @nyx2021, @thestarspangledcaptain (open for every fandom)

Top Gun Taglist: @bisexual-watermelons

The mission was going well, which seemed too good to be true as you arrived with Fanboy and Payback at the top of the mountain. Maverick, Phoenix and Bob were already fighting off the missiles and when you joined them you saw a few other missiles being launched.

Evading them had been fine, you had been trained to do so until you could do it in your sleep but the fact that there were two people you cared about a lot was making it more difficult. Phoenix was handling it well and if you had time to watch her fly, you would, she had always had a way of flying that would leave you breathless. Your father seemed to be doing well and you believed that everything would be fine until you were out of flares.

“I’m out of flares.”, you yell through the comm, and you hear everyone starting to talk but you can only look at the missile following you.

“I can’t shake it, it’s not moving.”, you tell them and for a moment you think that this is it, you would have to go through an ejection again. But just as you get yourself ready to take the ejection handle you hear and explosion behind you.

There is a silence for a moment, that leaves you wondering what has happened until you hear Bob’s voice.

“Dagger one is hit.”, the words feel like someone has stabbed you in the heart and you try to look over your shoulder at where the explosion happened, but you aren’t able to. You only realize that your hands are shaking when you let them fall back from the ejection handles.

“Trigger.”, you hear Phoenix say softly and as you look up at her you feel tears in your eyes.

“Where is he? We need to find him.”, you say, feeling like you are going to lose your mind.

“You need to report back. We will send rescue when we are sure it is safe.”, Cyclone says and you feel sick at the words, thinking of what could happen to your dad.

“But he could be dying, we need to go and see how he is doing.”, you say but Cyclone doesn’t answer anymore.

Phoenix is looking at you with sad brown eyes, but you turn back to the comms, thinking of the only person that would know how you feel right now.

“Uncle Ice, please.”, you whisper, it’s unproper to call him by anything less than his title but you don’t care at that moment.

“I’m sorry kiddo, but there is nothing we can do for the moment.”, you can hear the pain in his voice, and you close your eyes, feeling tears fall down your cheeks.

“He wouldn’t want you to put yourself into any danger.”, Ice whispers and you shake your head at the words.

“Please come back, don’t make me lose you too.”, you hear Ice say after a moment and you let out a shaky breath at his words, taking control of your jet again and moving towards the carrier.

“Daggers, moving back.”, Bob says, and you try to keep yourself calm, at least until you reach the carrier.

Arriving back on the carrier is a blur, hearing everyone congratulating you, but you ignore it all, rushing towards the changing rooms.

The tears are falling down as soon as your back hits the wall, your legs give up and you fall on the floor, sobs leaving your lips. You hold your legs against your chest, hoping to somehow find comfort there.

“Fire.”, you hear someone whisper and you turn around to see Phoenix, she looks at you with red rimmed eyes and you can’t help but let out a sob.

“Nat.”, you can only whisper before she joins you on the ground and brings you into her arms, holding you tightly in her arms.

“It’s okay, I’m right here.”, she whispers, and you can’t help but hold on to her, hoping that she won’t disappear either.

“He is gone.”, you manage to say, tears rolling down your cheeks, Phoenix shakes her head, but you nod in response.

“It’s all my fault.”, you tell her, whispering it again and again like a prayer. Phoenix holds you even tighter at your words.

“It is not your fault, you couldn’t have done anything about it.”, she tells you softly and you feel a new wave of tears coming up at the words.

“It should’ve been me; I should’ve been the one dying and not Clara, I should’ve been the one to be hit by the missile, not my father.”, it’s not the first time you have thought of these words, you think of them every night when the images of Clara lying on the ground come back to haunt you. It’s the first time you have ever said them out loud.

“Don’t say that.”, Phoenix whispers, pained, like it was physically hurting her to hear you say that. You only realize that she is crying as you feel tears on your shoulder.

“It’s true.”, you whisper but Natasha pulls out of the embrace, far enough to looks at you through teary eyes.

“You need to listen to me Trigger.”, she says before taking your cheeks into her hands, making you look into her eyes, and you can only nod in response.

“You didn’t kill them; Hurricane’s death was a training accident that no one could’ve prevented. It shouldn’t have been either of you, the both of you should’ve come back unscathed.”, Phoenix says, and you want to say something, but she shakes her head.

“I know you feel responsible for her as her pilot, but you couldn’t have done anything more than what you did. You told her to eject when she had to, you stayed by her side through all of it. You did what you could’ve done.”, she says, and you feel tears falling down your cheeks at her words.

“I just, I feel so guilty all the time.”, you whisper, and she looks at you with a sad smile.

“I know, but you don’t have anything to feel guilty for. Just like with your dad. He decided to put himself between you and the missiles, you couldn’t have known that he was going to do that. You can’t control everything Trigger, even if you want to and god knows how much you want to be in control of things. There are things and people that you will never be able to control or predict.”, she tells you, eyes full of honesty and you put your forehead against hers, feeling her skin against yours.

“Thank you.”, you whisper, and she just brushes her fingers against your cheekbones in reassurance.

“I’m sorry you had to take care of me, I’m a mess.”, you whisper, and she makes a noise of disagreement.

“Never apologize, I will always be there no matter what it is. You are allowed to break, and I’ll always be there to pick up the pieces and help you put them back together. And we will do that together. It’s you and me Trigger, against the world.”, she whispers, and you look into her loving brown eyes, having never felt more at home and safe then in this moment.

The both of you hold each other, looking into each other’s eyes before you hear a knock on the door and Iceman comes in. Phoenix and you stand up, looking at the man with expecting eyes.

“Maverick is airborne, they have sent out Hangman to help him get safely back.”, Iceman says with a tired smile, and you can’t help but let out a relieved sob, wrapping your arms around Ice. Your uncle, or practically father holds you just as tightly, like he is scared that you could disappear.

“Thank you for coming back.”, you hear him whisper against your hair and you squeeze him tightly.

“Always.”, you tell him, and you feel him smile against your hair, holding you in his arms.

You only have a few seconds before a man comes in telling you that Maverick and Hangman are landing, and it only takes the three of you a minute to get to the landing deck.

He looks tired as he gets out of the F-14, but the relief is there as he sees you in the distance. After pushing a lot of people to the side you manage to get to him and throw your arms around him, holding him as tight as you are able to.

“Good to see you too, kiddo.”, he says, and you can hear the relief in his voice.

“Never do that to me again.”, you whisper, and he nods quickly, his heartbeat still present as you listen to it to make sure he is really there.

Although you wish you could stay with him for a bit longer you know he needs to get too medical and as he leaves with a bright smile at the sight of his wingman you can’t help but smile. Phoenix joins you at your side and you smile at her, unable to hide your relief and happiness.

“You might kill me for this, but I can’t stop myself.”, she looks confused for a moment, but you don’t let her utter a word before bringing her into a bruising kiss. You can hear the whistles from the rest of the crew and the Daggers, but you ignore them as Phoenix smiles and kisses you back.

“You know, we still need to go on that date.”, she whispers, breathless after the kiss and you can’t stop smiling.

“I think we have enough time to plan it.”, you tell her, and she smiles brightly before bringing you into another mind-blowing kiss.

It takes some time but after a few days you finally manage to get some alone time with Phoenix, just the two of you at the local fair.

“You know what I still can’t believe?”, she says, and you look at her with raised eyebrows.

“That Hangman was born in a farm.”, the words make you snort in laughter, and you can’t help but laugh at her disbelief.

“He does have the looks of a cowboy.”, you can’t help but say and Phoenix laughs in response.

“What I can’t believe is how long it has taken us to get together.”, you say and Phoenix smiles widely at your words.

“Well, needed to make sure you were really interested in me.”, she says, and you can’t help but laugh.

“Please, I was the most obvious person.”, you say and Phoenix nods at your words.

“You really were sweets.”, this makes you look at her in disbelief while she tries not to laugh.

“How dare you?! I’m taking Bob to the Era’s tour!”, Phoenix looks at you in betrayal while you leave her behind with a smug smile.

“Don’t you dare! We need to sing ‘The Man’ together, you can’t do that with Bob!”, she yells, and you laugh at her panicked expression.

“Don’t worry, we’ll still go together.”, you tell her, and she lets out a big sigh of relief before bringing you into a sweet kiss.

“No one I’d rather go with.”, she whispers lovingly, and you kiss her back, enjoying the feeling of her lips against yours and the laughter of children around you.

“You know I think that my dad is going with Ice to the Era’s tour.”, you tell her suddenly and her eyes widen at the words.

“What?! Tell me everything.”, she says while linking your arms together and walking around, enjoying your time together.

It hadn’t been easy to come to this point in your life, but you were grateful for every single thing and person you had with you along the road. You couldn’t have done it without them.

I managed to get tickets for Taylor Swift so I'm still in disbelief, but I'm sure that the Top Gun characters would love to go there!

#top gun x reader #top gun imagine #top gun fanfiction #tom iceman kazansky #pete maverick mitchell #natasha trace x reader #natasha phoenix trace #natasha trace #phoenix x you #phoenix x reader #phoenix

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cherrycola27 · 2 years

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Styx and Stones

Part 2:

"It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference" -Taylot Swift

Pairing: Rooster x OC Delilah Grace "Styx" Mitchell

Warnings: Language, drinking allusion to Smut with eventual smut. Mentions of cheating Mentions of a character wanting to unalive themselves. 18+ Minors DNI

"Good Morning Avaitors." Maverick called to the Daggers who had assembled once again at Top Gun. "As you know Fritz is currently on leave for his honeymoon, so the Navy has called back another elite Top Gun graduate to fill in during his absence. She is a former winner of the Top Gun Trophy, and us considered the deadliest Navy Aviator on record with an astonishing seven confirmed air to air kills. And true to her callsign, the only thing separating our enemies from death... is her. It is my pleasure to introduce my niece, Lieutenant Comander Delilah 'Styx' Mitchell." Maverick finished his speech as Styx walked to the front of the group.

As she made her way past them she heard several hushed whispers about who she was and the rumors that followed her.

Styx knew she was good, hell, she was, by all accounts, the best. No one in the Navy had more kills than her. She was a finisher. If the Navy needed something done, they called her, but Styx wasn't the best with authority.

There had been many times she had been reprimanded for not following orders, buzzing towers, or pulling dangerous stunts in the air. Several Admirals had said she was more reckless than her uncle, and there had been many times she had been shipped off for pissing off an Admiral, but the Navy knew she was good and that they needed her, so they always called her back. If she hadn't been on a covert mission the last time the Daggers had been assembled she was sure she would have flown with them too.

The other aviators in the room glanced between her and Rooster while Maverick explained the training exercise for today, they would be going up in dogfights against her today. She knew from the knowing looks that Rooster had probably told them about their history, but she didn't care, what was passed was done and over with. The only thing she could do was to try and correct her mistake.

Hangman and Rooster were the last pair to go against Styx, everyone else had failed miserably against her.

"Rooster just keep your head level. Don't let her get to you." Hangman reminded him while they cruised the air.

"I know Hangman. I don't want to let her get to me. I just its hard." Rooster confessed. He had always been one to let his emotions get the best of him.

"You can do this Rooster, now, game face on and let's get her out." Hangman encouraged him.

"Let's do it man, but where is she?" Rooster asked as there was no sign of Styx.

"I've been here the whole time boys." Styx said while flying out from under Rooster and turning inverted. Something she learned from her uncle.

"Maverick can't deny that you're his kin can he?" Hangman joked. "No he sure can't Bagman." Styx shot back. "Now are we going to fight or am I just going to fly here all day and look pretty?" She teased.

Rooster tensed up at her words. "You want a fight? Then let's go!" He challenged breaking right.

"Rooster, I'm the one who is supposed to leave you, not the other way around..." Hangman stated clearly annoyed that his friend had once again let a Mitchell get in his head. Hangman took off after them in an attempt to help his wingman but Rooster and Styx were tpo caught up in a lovers quarrel to remember he existed. Hangman decided it might be best to let them have it out until the entered into a cobra maneuver and rapidly made their way towards the earth below them.

"Styx, Rooster! The hard deck is 5000 feet, I don't care what shit yall have going on, you need to pull up and pull up now!" He commanded them. Both pilots were too stubborn to listen until Maverick came over the coms "Bradshaw, Mitchell, pull up right now before I ground both of your asses permanently! Thats an order!" He screamed into the coms. Knowing he would make good on his threat both pilots pulled out of the spiral and went back to base.

"What the fuck is your problem Rooster!" Styx yelled and threw her helmet down as she made her way across the tarmac to him once they had landed. "My problem, what about yours?!" He screamed back.

"I don't have a problem, I just want us to be able to work together and not die on this mission!" She told him. "Well maybe if you didn't act like such a show-off all the time, we wouldn't have to worry about dying!" He yelled in her face. "I thought Hangman would be the one to lead us into an early grave, but now I'm pretty sure it will be you!" He screamed at her, his face red with anger.

Styx was taken aback by his words, sure, she was reckless, but she never put her team in danger. She valued the lives of the people she worked with. Any risks she took while flying she made sure that she would be the one in danger, not them.

"I'd rather be a show-off than a prude who can't finish what he started." Styx replied darkly. She knew that comment would cut Rooster deep. She hadn't wanted to go there but he started it.

In that moment Delilah was sure that Maverick was wrong, Rooster didn't love her anymore. In fact the only feelings he had towards her were probably those of rage and hate. After all, the look on his said everything his mouth didn't.

Styx quickly turned around and made a beeline for the locker room. After a quick shower where she scrubbed her skin raw, she changed into some civilian clothes and bolted to her silver Jeep which was waiting for her in the parking lot. It was a great day in San Diego so she had decided to take the doors and tops off her Wrangler to enjoy the weather. She quickly jumped in the driver's seat and cranked the SUV. The engine roared to life as she made her way off base.

Delilah knew she needed a drink, and while there was always the chance that Rooster would show up, the Hard Deck is where Deliah would always go. At least if Bradley did show his face, Del could always count on Penny to let her hide in the back.

"I swear if those don't kiss and make up I am going to choke on all of their unresolved sexual tension!" Hangman complained to the rest of the Daggers who had gathered at the Hard Deck. Rooster and Delilah had been stealing glances at each other from their respective corners the whole night. The team could tell that they both still cared about each other but they were also both too stubborn or too stupid to admit it.

"What if we locked both of them in a room until they hate fucked?" The whole team collectively choked on their drinks as they turned around.

"Jesus Bob! You can't say shit like that without giving us a warning!" Phoenix scolded her back seater. "What?! I was just trying to be helpful. It worked with you and Hangman didn't it?" Bob said shrugging before returning to his snack.

Bob was right, the team had conspired to get her and Jake together and one "hate fuck" as Bob called it and many dates later Natasha and Jake were married.

"It's a good idea in theory Bob," Coyote began. "But Rooster and Styx have history. Like does a hate fuck work if you have already non hate fucked that person?" Coyote continued.

"Well when know it has been a couple years since they have seen each other of talked, so maybe it would be more of a make up slash hate fuck." Payback added. Several members of the group agreed as they began the scheme ways to get Rooster and Styx to not kill themselves or each other.

"What is going on over here?" Maverick asked startling the group. He had come to the Hard Deck and found Styx and Rooster sulking in separate corners away from the group while the rest of the aviators where huddled in a booth no doubt planning something.

"Oh we are just planning on how we are going to get Rooster and Styx to get over themselves... it was Bob's idea really." Fanboy nonchalantly told him.

"Ooohhh meddling in two of my favorite people's lives... count me in." Maverick said a little too gleefully causing some of the others to raise eyebrows. "What?" He defended himself.

"You guys may not no this, but I've never seen Delilah or Bradley happier than when they were together. They brought out the best in each other both on the ground and in the air. I know they both are still in love with each other because they have both told me on separate occasions, but I can't tell them what each other said because I can't force them to like each other. They have to come to that on their own terms." Maverick explained while the others nodded.

"So what's the plan? I think we should just lock them in a room until the admit their feelings for each other... it worked with Hangman and Phoenix didn't it?" Pete asked gesturing to the couple.

"Mav I swear you and Bob must share the same brain cell because that is exactly what Bob said!" Jake huffed.

"Actually I said we should get them to hate fuck, but Mav's idea works too, talking could be okay." Bob replied while popping a peanut in his mouth.

Maverick looked back and WSO stunned. "Bob, I've known you for years, and it still surprises me some of the things that you say. You never fail to address the elephant in the room, and yet it still catches us off guard when you do."

"It's the glasses." Bob shrugged "No one ever suspects the guy in the glasses."

"Another one kid?" Penny asked Delilah as she stared at her empty glass. "No thanks Aunt P, I'm good for now. I'm driving home in a while so I don't want to drink too much, but I will take a water if you don't mind." Delilah replied. Penny grabbed a bottle from under the bar and handed it to her. She also poured Delilah a ginger ale because she knew I niece liked to have something to sip on even when she was finished with the booze.

Delilah kept to herself most of the night perched at a corner of the bar. Every now and then she would steal glances at Rooster. Eventually he must have tired of sulking because he join the other pilots near the pool tables.

As the night went on some of the patrons of the bar got louder and rowdy. Styx had decided she had enough of the crowd and was ready to leave. She turned to get up but was met with a wall of man blocking her path.

"Hey there sweetheart, leaving so soon?" The clearly drunk man asked her looking down.

"Yeah, I have an early start tomorrow so I will just be on my way." Delilah said trying to get around him, but he was much larger than her and blocking her path.

"Well, how about you stay for one more round, let me buy you a drink, a pretty thing like you shouldn't be here alone and you definitely shouldn't be leaving here alone." The man pressed.

"No thanks, I'm good really." Delilah looked around the bar hoping to catch Penny's or Maverick's eye. She was getting some bad vibes from this creep. Little did she know Rooster was watching the whole interaction.

"Princess, I insist. What you have a boyfriend or something I should be worried about, ha, I'm sure you don't because there is no way a man would leave a pretty thing like you here alone. So why don't you take the compliment, set your fine ass back on that bar stool and let me buy you a drink." This guy was not taking no for an answer.

Instead of trying to turn the man down again, Delilah simple tried to push past him, she didn't have time for games or rude men. But what she didn't expect was for the stranger to tightly grab her upper arm and hold her in place.

"I don't think you heard me bitch. I said sit down." The man mumbled low in her ear tightening his grasp causing Delilah to yelp in pain as she tried to push him off of her. "Get you're hands off of me!" She yelled at him.

That was all it took for Rooster to clear the bar and and grab the stranger by his shirt collar. "Hey jackass why don't you pick on someone your own size." Rooster sneered at the man. The man laughed in Rooster's face. "I believe this young lady here asked you to take your hands off of her sir. So I suggest you do it... or else." Rooster threatened noticing the man still had a hard grip on Delilah's arm.

"Or else what?" The man asked getting in Roosters face. "Or else I'm going to do this!" And with that statement Rooster's fist connected with the man's nose. There was a nasty crunching sound followed by a river of blood coming from the man's face. Bradley had broken the man's nose no doubt.

The man let go of Delilah and grabbed his face. He went to attack Rooster but before he could do anything Delilah followed up with a swift kick the the groin causing him to double over. Payback, Hangman, and Coyote quickly scooped up the man and tossed him out with the warning of never to come back.

After he was gone Delilah quickly gathered her things and headed for her car. Rooster followed behind her. "Delilah!" He shouted as he caught up to her. "Are you okay?" He asked looking at her arm, a bruise from the man's grip was already starting to form.

"I'm fine, but you didn't have to do that!" She huffed at him. "Well excuse me for trying to save you from a douche bag! You're welcome by the way." Rooster shot back.

"Ugh same old Rooster thinking I need him to save me. I'm not some damsel in distress! I don't need you to to save me Bradley!" Delilah yelled at him putting her hands on her hips.

"I never said you needed saving. I was just trying to help you! Fuck! I know you are the mythical Styx who doesn't think she needs anyone but for crying out loud would it kill you to be appreciative for once?!" Rooster yelled back at her.

"But you don't want me help, don't want me to 'save you' fine! Mark my words Delilah Grace Mitchell this will be the last time I ever try to save you!" Rooster shouted at her before storming back into the bar.

Tag List: @bradleyrbradshaw @dreamingathighaltitude @shanimallina87

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

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forasecondtherewedwon · 2 years

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Bullshit (You Can Be Mine) - chapter 2

Fandom: Top Gun: Maverick Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin/Natasha “Phoenix” Trace Rating: M (rating has increased) Chapter Count: 2/2

Chapter summary: Fanboy babbles about the laser malfunction while Payback pats him on the back and Phoenix keeps her ear tilted towards the radio, her thoughts hundreds of miles away, sealed beneath the canopy of an F-18 currently being pushed to its limit, riding towards danger with Jake “Hangman” Seresin.

Jake’s on the deck, as punctual and serious about mounting Dagger Spare as the aviators assigned to the primary roles. When Phoenix sees him, she doesn’t realize she’s stopped walking until Bob taps her arm, his helmet clenched in his other hand. He raises his eyebrows at her.

“Go ahead,” she says. She won’t be more than a minute or two behind him. She can’t be.

Bob heads off towards Dagger Three and Phoenix stands back as Jake and Rooster exchange words, looking solemn. There’s this bond between the three of them, something that makes the world feel small even when they’re stationed oceans apart, but she doesn’t intrude right now. Their relationship to one another is always simple, always complicated. Promotions and peacocking and being there for each other, then never mentioning it again so they can keep up this combative façade. The night she wrestled a drunken Rooster out of a bar in the midst of him trying to start a fight with a trio of strangers—rough with him, but terrified because she’d never seen him angry-drunk before—and found out it was the anniversary of his mom’s death. The afternoon she picked Jake up from his grandmother’s funeral after scouring the obituaries to find out where the service was being held and driving across state lines. Rooster crashing her brother’s wedding in one of his fucking Hawaiian shirts because, if she had to be there (guilted heavily by her father), then he would be too, knowing she hated her brother for his vocal, ongoing doubts about a woman’s ability to operate a naval aircraft. The time Jake posed as her long-term boyfriend when she was trying to secure an apartment in a building that didn’t like renting to singles. The time she and Jake helped Rooster move his piano. The time she talked Jake into a tattoo. The time she talked Rooster out of a piercing. The time she spent a week on Rooster’s couch and Jake kept coming by and, together, they ate all of Rooster’s strawberry Pop-Tarts.

Jake tells Rooster to give the enemy hell. Rooster marches off to Dagger Two and Jake turns to find Phoenix standing there.

“Thought I’d have other things to do while I was thinking about you,” he says. “I didn’t anticipate getting grounded here, waiting around with my fucking dick in my hand.”

She cocks her head and smiles, squinting slightly into the sun.

“Don’t pretend thinking about me while holding your dick isn’t something you’ve done before, Bagman,” she teases.

Jake grins. It’s awful—how he’s trying to look ok.

“I’m gonna be thinking about you so hard, you’ll feel it,” he says.

“Like a headache?”

“Why do you have to make it so difficult to be nice to you?”

Because we can’t get sappy, she doesn’t say. Because we can only be strong right now, and if I die out there, you have to understand why I wouldn’t let us say goodbye to each other.

“I have Bob now, and he’s always nice to me. I can take everyone else for granted,” Phoenix says.

“Fucking Bob,” Jake says, shaking his head, but it’s affectionate.

“We’ll have each other’s back up there.”

“Good.”

“Plus, there’s, you know, Payback and Fanboy and Rooster. And Mav, he’s a decent pilot.”

“Knows his nose from his tail, I’ll give him that.”

They smile at one another until the smiles drop away like the horizon.

“I have to go,” she says.

“Yeah.”

When Jake leaves her, it isn’t with some pithy pep talk like he gave Rooster; he moves forward as if to go by her and then grabs her shoulder and kisses her temple. She feels him breathe against her hairline, and then she’s standing there alone.

Phoenix climbs the ladder into Dagger Three.

“All good?” Bob asks, sparing her a probing look between performing his checks.

She settles into her seat and slides her visor into place.

“All good.”

—

There are minutes—maybe ten, maybe thirty—when both she and Jake are safely on the carrier. She’s bathed in sweat inside her flight suit and her hand is cramped from clutching the throttle. Her instinct is to run over to him, but he has to remain at the ready, a silhouette inside the cockpit of Dagger Spare as the sun slips higher in the sky and they all hope against hope for Rooster to make it back. She doesn’t want to rule out the possibility of Mav’s return, but she doesn’t share Rooster’s blind faith in him.

When the order comes down to deploy the reserve aircraft, those minutes feel as though they were just seconds. It wasn’t enough time to sit with the knowledge that she and Jake were both far from danger. Phoenix doesn’t want them out there, not both of them, not with her here. But this is what she and Jake made a promise to be ok with: before they knew they might both fly today, they accepted that it could be just one of them. They’d think about each other. It would keep them alive.

They should go below deck, but they’re heroes and they’re stubborn. With the ground crew’s thick headsets clamped over their ears, they keep back and keep watch. Fanboy grips Payback’s shoulder, Payback hugs Phoenix against him under his arm, Phoenix clasps Bob’s hand and squeezes. The four of them hold each other as the engines of Dagger Spare flare and Jake soars off the carrier. In his wake, she thinks her hearing’s cut out until Bob asks her again, “All good?”

“All good.”

His face says he knows she’s lying. In her defence, he knew she’d lie when he asked the question. She’s glad he asked it anyway.

They do a lot of talking—senseless, dead-end shit—while they hang around the radio. Jake hasn’t said much. He doesn’t have a back-seater he needs to confer with and right now his entire job description is speed. Under any other circumstances, he’d love this, she knows. Well, when the boys come home—when—Jake can brag about flying the fastest rescue mission on record. She won’t roll her eyes, not even when he repeats the story at breakfast. Not even when they get back to North Island and he tells the rest of the candidates, or when he tells them again, or when he tries to tell her for the fiftieth time even though she was right here when it all happened.

Because right here is not up there.

Fanboy babbles about the laser malfunction while Payback pats him on the back and Phoenix keeps her ear tilted towards the radio, her thoughts hundreds of miles away, sealed beneath the canopy of an F-18 currently being pushed to its limit, riding towards danger with Jake “Hangman” Seresin. Clinging to him like a headache.

When his voice crackles through to declare himself a saviour, Phoenix screams with elation and relief. They’re all screaming. She jumps up into Payback’s arms and Fanboy and Bob close in behind her in a TOPGUN sandwich. All three of those assholes are alive. She’s never going to hit Rooster with a pool cue again, no matter how sporadically he says in touch. She’s going to buy Mav as many rounds at the Hard Deck as it takes to inspire a performance of a song it’s rumoured he used to sing. She’s going to ask Jake whether he thinks this timing thing is something the two of them can figure out if they both just try.

They’re on-deck again when he lands, though they stay back because Mav and Rooster are following Jake in—reportedly in a fucking antique. Phoenix still can’t believe it when she sees the F-14 plough into the net and go skidding across the deck. It’s a wreck. It’s a miracle. People are rushing towards the returned pilots and, for the first time today, she leaves Bob and sprints forward on her own.

The swarm around the F-14 is so thick that Bob catches up with her anyway, standing at her back when she gets her arms around Rooster and squeezes him tight. He’s come so far and there’s still so much he’s not ready for; today it’s enough that he’s in one piece. He’s figuring shit out. She’ll be satisfied to be there for him as a friend. Looking over Rooster’s shoulder while they embrace, she catches Mav’s eye. He nods. The more people Rooster lets close, the less intensely she’ll worry about him, want to protect him, want him to love her in a different way than he does for her efforts.

Jake appears and Phoenix makes space for him, space for the boys to once again temporarily lay their cyclical animosity to rest with a handshake. These idiots. Jake doesn’t need validation the same way Rooster does, so she’s happy to put him in his place when he starts getting a swollen head about his kill count. All of them want to be Maverick. Thank god they still have him, because he pulled off the greatest stunt of all: doing all that shit and surviving.

They drop their hands and Jake turns to her. It’s the residual fear that has her heart beating so hard. It’s his stupid, perfectly smug face. They tug each other into a hug. He smells like metal and heat, his gear rough under her chin. How long has it been since she just held him against her? His grandmother’s funeral? Longer? She forgot it felt like this, that the Hangman persona is golden armour that closes around her and makes her untouchable. And they’re inside it, pressed together. She kept telling herself that falling for Jake would be a sign of weakness because what she really forgot is the way they’ve always made each other strong.

They draw apart and other people slap Jake on the back, grab his arms and try to turn him away, but he plants his feet and smiles at her, never breaking eye contact.

“How do you always manage to do the least work and get the most glory?” Phoenix demands.

“It’s all in the timing,” he tells her.

“Huh.” She’s grinning.

“Anyway,” Jake says, “I’m alive, and so are you.”

“That’s a good enough reason,” she says. To do this, she means. To let gratitude and adrenaline slingshot them from Pop-Tarts and drive-ins to maybe letting themselves fall in love.

He gives her a charming smirk, the look in his eyes too transparently sincere to match.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “So why aren’t we?”

—

It’s a little tougher than that.

In spite of the victory, duties onboard the carrier carry on around those directly involved with the mission. It’s busy, and though the party atmosphere does stretch out longer than it technically should (so easily, none of these aviators might’ve made it back), there’s no time to touch Jake’s hand and make a quiet escape. Phoenix drapes an arm over Bob’s shoulder while they boast about their part in the success, and has to pretend her face is flushed from the thrill of the retelling. Really, Jake keeps meeting her eye across the room and smiling beguilingly at her as he chews the lip of a plastic cup. They’re not alone. He needs to quit trying to trick her into believing they are before somebody catches her checking him out.

Eventually, everyone heads off to either complete a neglected piece of post-mission protocol or grab some rack time, like Mav suggests. Nobody here has flown as many missions as he has, but they’ve all done this enough times to know sleep is sound advice. Regardless, Jake starts the good-natured insults about Pops needing a nap after all that excitement. They’re shocked into laughter when Mav flips them a cheerful bird on his way out of the mess.

All of a sudden, Phoenix and Jake are alone. Bob said something about going to get food, but his whereabouts are a background detail to her now. He’s the only person she wouldn’t really have wanted to leave—they’ve just been through hell and back together, operating their aircraft like one person, and, honestly, she loves the guy—so it feels weirdly like permission. Permission to meet Jake’s eye as he wanders over and stands way too close to her. It forces her to look up at him, which is a fucking power trip for Lieutenant Ego here, so she bites her lip to get even; she sees the covetous look in his eyes as he watches her teeth sink into her lip.

He clears his throat.

“We should, uh, get some sleep.”

Phoenix raises her eyebrows.

“After you, Bagman.”

It’s her cabin they stop in front of, of course, and thank god the corridor is empty because his hand is on her waist before she’s even gotten the door open. As it swings inward, Jake’s hands take her hips and twist her towards him. Her arm hooks around the back of his neck and they’re kissing hungrily in the doorway. He backs her into the metal frame, hand slipping up to her lower back, groaning when she tugs his lip with her teeth.

They stumble into the cabin and the only thing on Phoenix’s mind is how fast she can get the bottom half of Jake naked when a crackling, cartoonish snore rips through the air. She and Jake separate so abruptly it’s lucky there isn’t bloodshed.

Whipping their heads around, they find Bob passed out on the bottom bunk she did not expect him to be occupying. What happened to food? What happened to the cute petty officer who made Bob blush with a comment on the power of his laser? Bob’s lying on his stomach, arm dangling off the side and knuckles skimming the floor, and, yeah, it’d be adorable if Phoenix wasn’t beyond ready to find out what Jake sounds like when he shoots his load. She has ambitious plans to make him call her the saviour.

“Unbelievable,” Jake says, so tightly that Phoenix has to hold in a laugh. “He has to know what he’s doing.”

“Drooling?” she checks lightly.

“Cockblocking me.”

Phoenix snorts. She’s suffering too, but… god, it’s Jake. He’s ridiculous.

“I thought we were bros,” he hisses in Bob’s direction, but Bob sleeps on undisturbed, clearly not faking.

“We could try your room?” she suggests.

Jake sighs and shakes his head.

“Nah. The guy I’m sharing with is still off-shift.”

He turns away from the unsatisfactory cabin situation and Phoenix rubs his arm consolingly.

“Can’t win ’em all,” she says, which makes him give her a look like, I’m goddamn Hangman—of course I win ’em all. She rolls her eyes.

“And he stuck you with the shelf,” Jake points out, gesturing to the empty upper bunk, like this ultimate act of passive-aggression on Bob’s part will make her shake her back-seater awake and throw him out on his ass.

“No, that was my call. I prefer being on top.”

Looking agonized, Jake punches his fist gently into the doorframe in frustration.

“Why’d you have to say that?”

“I can’t help it,” Phoenix says soothingly. “I love to see you suffer.”

“God, you’re special. We’re so alike.”

“I’m special because I’m like you?”

His expression slides from pained to seductive, eyes sparkling.

“Two of a kind, baby.”

“Ugh, stop flirting with me. I’m still getting used to the idea of making out with you.” She’s fully used to it, she’s wholeheartedly enjoying it, and she doesn’t actually hate the flirting, it’s just different now that they aren’t doing it to toy with each other and make their peers uncomfortable.

“Can’t,” Jake informs her. “I am never not flirting with you.”

“I’m exhausted just hearing that.” She taps his chest with a finger and signals for him to leave her to do like Bob and pass out for a while.

“Exhaustion isn’t something I experience. My stamina could be considered a medical miracle.”

Phoenix backs him out into the corridor with her whole palm on his chest now, smirking in fond tolerance.

“Goodnight, Bagman.”

“Night, Phoenix.” He grins, then his face goes solemn. Yeah, it’s been one of those days. “Hey…”

“I know,” she says. We almost died. I can’t believe we’re both still here. What’s the normal way to behave? How do we just stay on schedule when I kinda never want you out of my sight again?

“Yeah,” he sighs, and turns to go.

“Hey.” She reaches out to stroke his sleeve, stopping him. Jake looks at her. “I felt you thinking about me.”

Phoenix’s soft smile gets bigger when Jake steps towards her to kiss her one more time.

—

“…but I was thinking…” Rooster is saying, giving her these hangdog eyes. “…that maybe I made a mistake before.”

“Rooster…” Phoenix shakes her head and sighs.

They’ll be leaving within the hour, back to North Island, and she and Rooster have been spending some time talking quietly together. They patched things up between the Hard Deck and the mission, but only superficially—just enough so the other person wouldn’t feel so bad if they died (not that it would’ve worked). Today, they’ve mainly rehashed the mission itself, him giving her a firsthand account of everything she missed by not disobeying a direct order the way he did to go back and hunt for Mav. (She felt sick about it as soon as they learned Mav was alive. She tried to apologize to him yesterday and he wouldn’t accept.) Now, Rooster is redirecting the conversation on a dangerous course. It doesn’t look good, she wants to say. It’s no good.

“Seriously,” he insists, though he doesn’t look very serious because he’s smiling pleadingly in response to her grin of tired disbelief. “We could make it work, Nat. You and me.”

“You’re delusional. No,” she corrects with a laugh and a dismissive wave of her hand, “that’s too harsh. You just wanna get laid.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t say no…”

His smile now is sweet. It’s the smile that always makes her forgive him, or stick to coke when she shows up at the bar to find him already halfway to plastered and without a ride home. She cares about him so much. That won’t ever change.

“We’re going home,” Phoenix says gently. “You can keep it in your pants until we’re back stateside. I believe in you.”

And that, plus the look in her eyes, is enough for Rooster to let that be it. He nods and accepts her lighthearted brushoff. Maybe he’ll go reflect. Maybe he’ll hit the Hard Deck as soon as they’re back and seduce some local with a glissando and a smirk. And this time, Phoenix won’t be jealous. She’ll have…

Jake.

When Rooster leaves the room, she sees him standing at the door.

“I was listening,” Jake says, coming in, before she can say anything.

“And?” Phoenix crosses her arms.

“I won’t lie to you, Trace. I really want to rub it in his face.”

She makes an exasperated noise as Jake grins; on the inside, she’s incredibly relieved that she won’t be getting over her own jealousy just to have to contend with Jake’s. Though it is amazing that he’s being (relatively) mature about something. She’ll savour that while it lasts.

Phoenix groans—she can’t look too grateful—and pushes her forehead into her hand.

“I swear to god…”

“Swear away,” Jake invites, beaming. “Your saviour is listening.” He lifts a hand to his ear demonstratively.

She walks up to him and brushes her lips across his lobe.

“You leave Rooster be and there’s a spot in my bed that you can use for anything other than catching up on sleep.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

When she pulls back, there are goosebumps all over his neck.

Suddenly, Jake and Rooster are chummier than they’ve been in years.

—

What kind of home can you make in less than three weeks? How can a space be yours when you don’t have the time or permission to change the colour of the paint, to send mail from your new address, to hang your favourite snapshots in frames instead of sticky-tacking them to the wall? Phoenix is used to impermanence. The surprise is what Jake’s presence does to her room.

His face is in some of those pictures, and it’s him who finally makes her feel like she belongs here. He takes away the confusion she felt at being called back to TOPGUN as he pulls her shirt over her head, runs his fingers through her loose hair. He rewrites their pompous meeting at the Hard Deck when his lips meet her neck, her shoulder, the base of her throat as he lowers the straps of her bra. Linking her fingers through his, she brings him with her across the floor, up the bed, the two of them rumpling the sheets she tucked neatly into place every morning as an exertion of control during an assignment whose parameters were themselves so oppressive.

For every time she flew the simulated course wrong, Jake touches her right, his hands lifting her hips as he slips her underwear off. For every weapons-lock tone she heard when she lost a dogfighting exercise, she hears one of Jake’s soft groans as she grips his short hair and pushes his head down her body. For all the petty provocations and the name-calling and the missed opportunities to look at one another and just honestly say, I missed you, they listen to each other as Jake’s head moves between her thighs, as his hips do a little later. Phoenix braces her damp palms against his well-muscled back and the wall at the head of her bed as he sends the mattress colliding with it in slow, hard thumps. She calls him kinder things than “Bagman” and he murmurs, “Tasha,” right when she thinks he’s going to lose it but he flips them instead. You prefer being on top? His self-satisfied grins seem never-ending until she teases him closer and closer to the edge.

Though he does smile again when he gets there. She learns that.

If it were the only thing she’s learned since coming back here, it’d be worth the trip.

#my writing #Top Gun: Maverick #Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace #Jake 'Hangman' Seresin #Phoenix x Hangman #Natasha Trace #Jake Seresin #Phoenix Trace #Hangman Seresin #Top Gun: Maverick spoilers #Top Gun: Maverick fanfiction

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annepsilvaauthor · 1 year

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Fighter Weapons — Chapter 5

Pairing(s): Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x OC (Claire Mitchell) / Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Natasha "Phoenix" Trace

Summary: An untold story. A series that shows what happened during the Top Gun of our beloved pilots of Top Gun: Maverick.

Warnings: Subtle sexual innuendos, brief language, alcohol consumption, angst, smut, fluffy.

Word Count: 3.511

Author note: I'm back my loves with another chapter for you! I tried to make the dogfighting as convincing as possible. Let me know if you like it when there's more aviation involved or the aviator drama, or both.

The darlings who don't want to miss any updates ↪️ @missathlete31 @togetherisawonderfulplacetobe @switch3rr @na0my @aprilwithapricots @goldenloverschild

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

ғɪɢʜᴛᴇʀᴛᴏᴡɴ, ᴜsᴀ

At twenty-eight thousand feet, the two planes were circling each other, going in opposite directions. As they jockeyed for position, they passed each other like whiplashes. The earth turned, the horizon appeared and disappeared. At each difficult turn, some grunts from Hangman and Rooster could be heard to keep the blood in their brains in order not to pass out.

The fight was hard, physical and exhausting. The extreme G-forces – 6.5 – flattened them against their seats, making their heads weigh over a hundred pounds. Hangman struggled to turn his head and track the other jet as it passed at Mach One.

“I lost him. Where is he?” Rooster asked.

They had been chosen as a tag team in that first training against Blade. Obviously, they weren't happy with the choice.

“You're my wingman. It's your job to know where he is.” Hangman sneered in his cabin.

“We didn't decide like that.”

“Well, now it's clear. You're the wingman and I'm the pilot.” Hangman waved at him from his fighter a few feet away.

Rooster didn't have much time to vent his indignation, as his radar started beeping loudly.

“Six o'clock…coming fast. Four hundred, losing speed! He's at six and fast! Left! LEFT!”

Rooster shouted into his communication radio with Hangman, but he didn't answer. Hangman took the opposite direction, in which Rooster had to be quick to dodge his own duo.

"The mission is to attack Blade, not me!" he complained breathlessly in the cabin. “Why didn't you do what I said?”

"At that speed, he'd easily intercept you and then me. He knew I was going to the left...it was too obvious.” he explained in a haughty tone.

“Yes! The obvious works most of the time!”

“Not here.”

Rooster, driven by rage, pushed the stick to the left and the F-18 made a surprising turn. He can hear Blade's frustrated grunt over the radio.

“Not bad!” Hangman praised from the other side.

"He almost got us. Let's get out of here. We reached a draw.”

“No way! Going vertical.”

Hangman's F-18 exploded into speed, hurtling into space. Blade was left in direct sunlight, and its canopy was sprayed with a blinding glow.

"He's blind, Rooster! Pick him!” he ordered in euphoria.

“I’m arriving!”

"Rooster, hurry!" He won't stay like this all day."

Hangman maintained his speed towards the sunlight, gaining more and more altitude and feeling the enormous pressure on his lungs. He had trained a lot for that, he had been on dangerous missions, but he was aware that he wouldn't last long in a straight line, just as Blade wouldn't either.

"What the...fuck, Rooster! What are you doing?” He struggled to speak with the heat of the sun hitting him and the gravity.

"It's in the crosshairs! In sight!”

The heat intensified more and more. Beads of sweat formed and ran down Hangman's face. He shook his head to get her out of his eyes. He waited for the beeping sound at his point, indicating that Blade had been hit, but it never came.

Then, Rooster watched as Hangman's F-18 dove downward. He raced out to sea, picking up speed. Over the roar of the jets, the scream of the wind, Rooster reached out to Hangman, but the sound was muffled, like a distant voice in a typhoon.

Blade darted towards Hangman, trying to take aim at the plane, but he was too fast and in uncoordinated movements. It was almost as if he had let go of the steering wheel.

Rooster followed them downstairs and watched the numbers go down on his visor, listening for the alarm in the cabin.

"Hangman, man! You are going to the hard deck!”

“I know what I'm doing.”

Rooster watched the numbers. 20000, 18000, 15000, 10000, 8000 and going down faster and faster. Gravity slammed into him, making his throat itch and his stomach heave.

“Hangman! We are at 6000!”

“If you get to 5000 feet, you're out of Top Gun. It's the law.” Blade reported over the radio.

The alarm grew louder and louder, blaring even inside the cabin. Rooster recoiled in his speed and hovered in the air. If Hangman was going to break the rules and they went out it was no worse than him suffering even more from the pressure on his body in pursuit of a point.

Suddenly, Rooster witnessed a maneuver he had seen only once before, when facing a German fighter. The F-18's engines shut down and Hangman gained negative speed, overtaking Blade's fighter on top. There was no way for the instructor to anticipate or act in time. Hangman used gravity to his advantage. Then the beep sound.

“You're done! Blade dead.” Hangman cheered and whistled in the cabin. "Hey, Rooster?"

“What?” he asked grimly.

“That's how you get to the top of the world.”

Rooster watched his smug smile under his mask and shook his head. He turned the wheel and the F-18 went right, diving back through the clouds towards the base.

When they landed on the flight line, Rooster got out of the fighter and removed his helmet, then walked straight away from his insufferable duo.

Storm was getting off the fighter and Phoenix was taking off her helmet, running a hand over her sweaty face. Strands of black hair fell out of her bun. When she put her feet on the ground, Storm pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dragged Phoenix for a photo, even though she knew she didn't like it very much.

"Storm..." her friend complained.

"Say 'victory'!"

Despite Phoenix's protests, they both smiled with their fingers up. It was a beautiful celebration photo. But she noticed an intruder on the screen and looked back.

She spotted Hangman getting out of the F-18, sweaty, hair slightly tousled, but with that cocky grin on his face.

"You really are a cowboy!" She got his attention. She had heard the control tower almost go crazy on the radio.

Hangman looked back at her, widening his smile and squinting a little due to the strong sunlight, casting a shadow of him. From that angle, he was passable, she thought.

“Fuck the hard deck! I beat that bastard.”

“You two won.” Storm corrected, walking beside them.

“I did it all myself. Rooster sat there perched like a bird in a nest.” He explained loud enough for the pilot to hear from the front.

Fungus and Pork approached them. Phoenix winked and gave a thumbs-up sign with a smile. She watched as the other riders behind her reacted with handshakes, high fives and victory punches.

“You win?” Pork asked the girls.

"Everyone, huh?"

Phoenix heard a few "ooohs" and giggles behind her and exchanged confused glances with Storm.

"No… He kicked our asses." Fungus replied frustrated.

“Thirty seconds. We were like that, he was like that.” Pork demonstrated with his hands. "And I said to Fungus: Where did he go? Fungus said: Who went where?”

“And he was laughing. Right there on the radio, he was laughing at us!” Fungus complained with a grimace.

The other pilots passed in front of them and watched Hangman. He paused dramatically and gave a thumbs-up with a smug smile. The students cheered Hangman's victory, and he handled the attention with the composure of someone used to winning. Rooster walked ahead, ignoring him.

Hangman went on to explain how he had won, all the maneuvers and ambushes, not forgetting to emphasize Rooster's inertia.

“It wasn't like I saw it.” Rooster could not bear to remain silent with the provocation.

“Of course you didn't, you were too busy looking for the target in the viewfinder. Hangman glanced at an invisible watch on his arm. “Rumor has it that you're still up there, looking for the perfect moment.

"You nearly threw us out! We were almost on the hard deck!”

“Keyword: almost. I knew what I was doing. Obviously I wasn't going to miss the great opportunity to be the best in Top Gun on the first day.” He took a long look at Rooster. "You must understand that since you love the obvious, right, Rooster?"

"What's your problem, Hangman?" everyone could see a vein pulsing in Rooster's forehead. “You don't communicate with your wingman and you don't take orders. What kind of pilot are you?”

“I'm not the type that let the whole team die by waiting too long. That's for sure, I'm not.”

"You are rash and showy!"

"And you're afraid!" Hangman kept calm and the smile on his face, unlike Rooster, who huffed with anger. “I'm a lone wolf, but I know my way around. How about you? How long are you going to wait to take action?”

With that statement, Hangman ended the discussion and walked back towards the hangar, being accompanied by Coyote and other pilots. Phoenix approached Rooster and looked at him with compassion. He was panting, frowning and head down. His fists were clenched.

“He beat you on that one, you know? Not because he's better than you, but because you got carried away by him.”

“He's an asshole. You should be there to see how he flew. He seemed to have no love for his life. Or the team.”

“Maybe that's why they call him the Hangman.” She lightly patted his shoulder. “Don't let him get you down. You are good. You wouldn't be here if you weren't.”

“I know.” He looked up and flashed a smile. “Thanks.”

“Thank me tonight. I want a whole song dedicated to me.” She teased and saw him relax his shoulders.

“Just choose.”

They headed for the hangar as well, following the others. Phoenix headed towards the women's locker room with Storm and they took off their flight uniform to get rid of that sweat that was already part of them.

Phoenix chose a stall at the end of the locker room and turned on the shower, soon feeling the cold water wash away all the tension in her shoulders. They won, they did great teamwork as a wingman. But she couldn't forget the times she came close to losing, getting hit.

Those trainings weren't just activities for her, they represented reality. She imagined herself on the battlefield, in a real dogfight. And whenever she got this close to being hit, she thought of Storm. She wasn't alone on the plane. There was a person with dreams, wishes and family in the back seat. And that always terrified her.

If she had been alone in that F-18, she might have been more daring to risk maneuvers that the book didn't teach or that played with danger. But she couldn't. Not with a life on the line. She couldn't risk losing a pilot, not only because she was a great coworker, but because she was her best friend.

So she understood all of Rooster's hesitation in the sky. He was careful, cautious. He wasn't going to risk losing his buddy for the chance of taking down an enemy. He valued the safety of his colleagues. And maybe that led him to Top Gun.

But...a part of her, reaching deep down inside, also agreed with Hangman. She clenched her fists upon realizing this. Phoenix knew the importance of being fast, agile and skillful up there, otherwise she could lose her team too. Boldness was part of her flying style. She knew the predictable could get them killed. She needed the boldness to protect Storm.

She realized that there was a fine line between confidence and daring, and perhaps she was the only one there who understood that.

They left the locker room with just the ivory uniform pants, boots and white blouse, as they wouldn't have any more classes for the rest of the day.

"What's on today's schedule?" Storm asked when they passed through the corridor that gave access to the dorms.

“I hear Hollywood Garden is reproducing some classics.”

"Is that what I'm thinking?" she asked excitedly. Phoenix nodded, slowly returning to her mood. Storm had that power.

"First rule of Fight Club…”

"...don't talk about Fight Club."

They walked towards the girls' dorm as empty as the locker room. It was a good thing they were the only women there, at least they had a lot of privacy.

At night, they left the Fightertown facility in euphoria, eager for some fun that didn't involve risking their lives. Phoenix wore pale ankle boots, dark tight pants, a beige knit sweater, and a leather jacket with a fur collar. It was a cold night in San Diego.

They took an Uber and headed towards the suburbs, where there was a great outdoor cinema. They had a plan. Make friends with random guys until they get a car to watch the movie. Would it be easier to go to a regular movie theater? Yes. But what fun would that be?

The lawn was crowded with cars of all kinds, most with people sitting on the hood or outside, always accompanied. The opening of the film was already playing on the huge screen and they were still looking for someone who looked friendly.

“Are you lost?” The annoyingly familiar voice rang out.

Phoenix looked over to the side and saw Hangman sitting in the front seat of a blue Porsche. His blond hair was impeccable, not a single strand out of place. He wore a white shirt with a dark denim jacket over it looking expensive. And on his face, obviously, that smug smile. Eyes fixed on her.

“No, we are expecting our company.” She lied with her chin high.

“It's pretty rude to keep a lady waiting.Good thing you're not ladies.”

Storm laughed exaggeratedly, feigning humor. Phoenix watched the confusion in Coyote's eyes behind the wheel, but Hangman continued to stare at her like a hunter.

“You are so funny, Hangman. Uff... you should get into a career as a comedian.”

“No, I'm well served as a fighter pilot. But you could just as easily work as waitresses at a country restaurant.” He pointed at their plain clothes. “Although my people are still far more elegant than that.”

“I don't know, Hangman. Someone might slip in your hair.” Phoenix returned.

He stopped smiling, presumably with a bruised ego, and Phoenix felt victorious. Wiping that smug smile off his lips had almost become her life's mission.

"How did you know we'd be here?" Storm asked Coyote.

“So you assume we follow you. What if it was the other way around?”

“Of course, because our life revolves around your navel.”

“Let it go, Storm. They are not worth it.” Phoenix took her friend's hand and was already leading her away.

"I hope your companions don't come! No one deserves to look at that there!” Hangman shot back with arrogance.

Phoenix responded with a finger in mid-air, already with her back to them. His presence was already giving her a headache. How did she manage to have fun with him at some point? She must have been really, really drunk.

“We need a car.” Storm announced after paying for a beer. “We should have asked Uber to stay.”

“No, he had more runs to do.’ Phoenix ordered a beer. "Fuck...did they really have to come here?"

"I bet they heard our conversation in the hall." She looked around at the cars. "Let's do it this way: let's split up. We have a better chance of finding a car.”

Phoenix wasn't too keen on the idea, but she went along with it since she didn't have a better one. Storm headed toward the first few rows of cars and Phoenix remained at the kiosk considering where to start. She found two guys in a truck further back and worked up the courage to go there.

The men were about her age and greeted her with a smile. She invented that she had taken a cake along with her friend and they felt sorry, soon calling her to watch with them. She smiled victoriously and pulled back a little to send Storm a message. Suddenly, a huge body stopped in front of her. She looked up and immediately rolled her eyes.

“That was ridiculous." he commented after a sip of his beer.

"Hangman... your existence gives me a headache. Please go live further away from me." She snorted and went back to writing to Storm.

"Are you really going to be in the car with two strangers?"

"What, are you going to tell me you care about me?"

“No, I worry about them. You are not a saint."

Phoenix decided to ignore his presence there, maybe then he would go away and leave her alone. It worked. He pulled away and she was able to breathe normally again. But to her misfortune, when she looked up, she saw Hangman talking to the two boys. She approached them and noticed the startled way they were looking at her. What was that asshole saying?

"Ahm...you know, we're expecting some people." one of them said avoiding her gaze.

“But you said you were alone."

“As it happens, we're expecting company now. I'm sorry." the other replied embarrassed.

Phoenix smirked and walked away from them, stomping her boots on the ground in pure rage.

"You should at least thank me." She heard the annoying voice again. Was he still after her?

"What the fuck...?"

She suddenly parked on the lawn and turned around, but the unexpected movement caused Hangman to collide with her, pushing her backwards. Phoenix landed on the spiked grass, bruising her bottom. She watched him from below. He was as big as a Greek statue with the movie lights reflected on his face, now without the smirk. She panted in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Arrg! If he just made a joke about that, he would definitely get a slap on that perfect face.

But to her surprise, he offered her a hand. Phoenix considered some possibilities regarding that gesture. Could it mean empathy, no. Not that. It could be that, by accepting his help, she would owe him in some way. It could also mean that she needed him for something, which she didn't. So Phoenix denied his help and got up on her own, which drew a muffled chuckle from him.

“You are so predictable."

"And you are insufferable!" She wiped her pants and glared at him. “Seriously, how do the women at the bar put up with you? Oh, I know, it's because they don't spend a whole day with you. I'm sure they would die of heartbreak."

'You didn't seem to dislike it one bit that day in Lemoore."

"I was drunk. If a scarecrow appeared in front of me and played with me, I would like it!"

“You know, if you could stop yelling at me for a second, I would show you a much more fun and productive way to use that mouth of yours."

She had to swallow her anger at that sentence. And she also needed to gather her strength not to weaken her legs with the firmness and intensity with which he said those words. Hangman was looking at her the same way he had that day at the bar, fixed and intense. She could see that glow of tenderness dancing there in the green, moonlit orbs. Fuck! He was maddeningly sexy.

Hangman took a step forward, standing less than a foot away from her. There, so close and sober, she realized how big he was, massive and hard as a rock, as she felt when she bumped into him. He averted those damn eyes from her eyes to her mouth so many times, Phoenix was getting dizzy. It was too dark here, too close, too dangerous. She needed to get away. But why couldn't she? His eyes held her in place like an anchor.

He reached out a hand to touch her waist, but a shout woke her up:

"I am here! I arrived!" Storm approached them. "Where are the guys?"

Phoenix immediately remembered what he'd done and the comments that night and her expression changed. She was pure rage now.

“No, Bagman here has done us a favor by spoiling our cinema."

“If you weren't so proud, you could watch with us." he commented, returning to the Hangman state.

"And who said we would accept the invitation?"

“Like I said, proud."

Phoenix clenched her fists and counted to five not to play his game and attack him right there, tooth and nail and even boots. Then, she took Storm's hand and started to walk away from him without saying a word.

"What is that? Will you ignore me?" He insulted, but they didn't answer anything.

“Okay, you can try ignoring me. But you're going to miss me in five minutes!"

Phoenix once again offered him the middle finger. What was worse was that she was even more furious with herself for allowing him to destabilize her this way, both ways. But that wouldn't happen again, ever!

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autumntouched · 1 year

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Talk to Me | Ch. 8

Fic Summary: Phoenix isn’t sure she made the right call in leaving Maverick and Rooster behind on the mission. Rooster, Bob, and Hangman try to cheer her up, in their own, very different ways.

Pairings: Past Natasha “Phoenix” Trace x Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Natasha “Phoenix” Trace x Jake “Hangman” Seresin

A/N: Anyone wondered what Hangman and Rooster are thinking about all of this?

Jake leans on the bar, waiting to get Penny’s attention. He watches Phoenix part the seas of tonight’s crowd with Bob stumbling in her wake. She has enough swagger in her khakis but in a dress she owns the place. Sorry, Penny.

The dress on display is absolute perfection, something he imagines a girl wearing to meet his parents as easily as he sees it sliding down her body to unveil the curves it hugs. That is, if the woman wearing it weren’t Natasha “Phoenix” Trace. Rooster comes to perch beside him, interrupting his train of thought.

“I already got this round, son,” Jake warns.

The older pilot crosses his arms and leans them on the bar. “Sure you’re only talking about drinks?”

Bradley Bradshaw is cute when he’s jealous. That little divot in his forehead, high color in his cheeks, danger in his narrowed eyes. He went so far as ditching the Hawaiian shirt, and even Jake has to admit the fit and color of his sweater with its sleeves pushed up over his forearms do him a lot of favors.

“You thinking of a game of fuck, marry, kill tonight?”

He’s trying to get under Rooster’s skin, but Jake has a pretty good idea of where they each stand in that lineup for Phoenix. He makes it his business to know what buttons to push to rattle people off their game. Rooster is all too easy, but Phoenix is nearly unflappable. If anything, she just gets better when he tries to get inside her head. Only one thing gets her hackles up and that person is standing right in front of him.

For the life of him, he can’t figure out what it is between these two, exactly how far they’ve taken their closeness. Rooster and Phoenix, two birds of very different feathers. Despite wearing his tragic, brooding heart on his sleeve in every other case, Rooster manages to be as inscrutable as Phoenix there. He’s smart enough to let her take on her own fights and avoid starting any when it comes to her. It protects her from accusations of fraternization and lets her prove she is more than capable of handling her own.

And although Phoenix is the first to come running to Rooster’s defense, even having the balls to stand up to Maverick for him, she tends to be generous with her protective streak. With everyone except him that is. The joke about Bob’s questionable grasp of sarcasm was barely out of Jake’s mouth before Phoenix was swooping in to take her new WSO under her wing. Phoenix wasn’t Coyote’s biggest fan, but she texted him in the ambulance after emergency ejecting from her own plane to make sure he was okay and reassure him that they would land the bullseye on their next run.

And that’s probably what makes Phoenix’s friends so fucking loyal that they clam up at any probing around her personal life. Payback might spill that she took Bob shopping, but it wasn’t anything someone couldn’t see for themselves. The real things, nothing so much as a blink.

Still, he knows Phoenix would marry Bob, fuck Rooster, and kill him without batting an eye. Or maybe marry Rooster and fuck Bob because he could see Rooster being too clingy for a fuck.

“Go fuck yourself,” Rooster retorts with a smug smile, almost as if offering a word of friendly advice. But there is a hard, knowing glint in his eyes. If Jake takes pleasure in regularly pushing Rooster’s buttons and occasionally lands on one that really hurts, Rooster will wait for the kill shot every time and then go in mercilessly. It’s the only shot he never hesitates on or loses, even if Jake pretends the blow misses its mark.

Someone slaps both of them on the back hard enough to tip them over like a pair of bowling pins. It’s Maverick. “Thought the two of you kissed and made up,” he says.

“Have you seen him kiss?” Jake throws out before he thinks. Oh shit.

But Bradshaw goes bright red and Maverick grins. “As a matter of fact—.”

Glaring out from under his eyebrows, Rooster interrupts, “Where have you been? Are you the reason the bar’s backed up?”

Geez the history between these two. Jake is pretty sure Maverick takes shit from Bradshaw that he wouldn’t take from anyone else. He doesn’t just take it. There seems to be a part of him that loves Bradshaw’s cranky humor and self-righteous posturing.

“I don’t distract Penny during business hours, if that’s what you’re suggesting,” their former instructor says breezily. “A bachelorette party came through earlier. Lucky you missed it.”

Whether it’s Maverick standing with them or finally their turn, Penny hurries over at last. “Sorry, busy night. What can I get you?”

Jake slides his card across the bar. “Hey, Penny. Round of beers for this sourpuss,” he says tilting his head at Rooster, “and the usual crew. Throw in one for the old timer too.”

Penny grins and wags her finger at her sign. “Watch it, Lieutenant Seresin. You’re getting a little close to disrespecting the Navy there.” She winks at Maverick before she swipes the credit card to fill Jake’s request.

Maverick levers himself into one of the bar chairs. “As long as I can still show him a thing or two in the air and he’s paying, I’ll take it. Actually, make that two since he offered. He owes me one for dumping me on my ass last time.”

Penny grins back at him over her shoulder, and Rooster screws up his face like he caught his parents making out.

Jake doesn’t mind the extra beer though. Honestly, Maverick can have a lifetime of drinks on him. Until the captain came along, there weren’t many senior officers he could say he looked up to. Most of them are stiff and unimaginative curmudgeons who got promoted for playing by the book rather than any gift of intelligence or talent. Captain Pete Mitchell is a breath of sweet, fresh air. “Rules are rules, Maverick. No hard feelings.”

Maverick throws his arm over the back of the chair next to his and grins slyly. “Yep, no hard feelings. Thanks, by the way.” Jake’s glad he doesn’t have to fly with the captain tomorrow or he’d be paying for his banter. He nods in a silent salute.

Penny slides the beers he ordered across the bar. “Here you go.”

Jake glances at Rooster. “Could I, uh, also get a Knob Creek?”

Rooster manages not to look put out even though he must know that the drink is for Phoenix. Maybe it’s a little heavy handed, but Jake does owe her. She’s put up with him antagonizing her nonstop over the last weeks to blow off steam so he didn’t explode from the frustration of constantly failing Maverick’s exercises. If he has other motives for wanting to get into her good graces, he would rather not telegraph them so he waves his hand to the bar.

“Get yourself something on my tab,” he tells Rooster. Jake definitely owes him too, as much as Bradshaw gets on his nerves sometimes. Phoenix chased him out to the parking lot after he went too far by throwing Goose’s death in Rooster and Maverick’s faces. Far from his finest moment, and one he was ashamed of as soon as the dust settled. Her dark eyes were all fire, her cheeks flushed and bright. She looked on the verge of foregoing words to punch him. As she dressed him down with a savage eloquence that had impressed even Cyclone, she seemed to stand eye to eye with him rather than a half foot smaller.

Plenty of people have hinted before that his fixation on her as a target for his teasing is some sign of latent attraction. That all seems pretty middle school but maybe what began as a game of who’s best pilot had morphed into something else when he wasn’t paying attention. He had been furious with her for letting Maverick use the sun to sneak up behind him on their first day, for landing him pushups when he'd planned to rub not having to do them in everyone's face, but he had replayed the smirk in her voice telling him she was dead over and over in his head since then. And that same smirk had haunted him listening to the barely contained panic in her voice as she lost control of her plane.

Penny sets the bourbon in front of him and pushes a drink to Rooster. “Here ya go, boys.”

“You really believe the hottest girl in here is with that dweeb?” someone says at his shoulder.

Jake looks over. The guy beside him has the unbridled confidence of a pilot freshly selected for his first Top Gun assignment. Tall with dark hair and long-lashed blue eyes, and with no particular reason for wearing his uniform at this hour except for its magnetic properties when it comes to women, he’s probably already had quite a bit of success sleeping his way through The Hard Deck. He jerks his chin at Bob breaking away from Phoenix, Fanboy, and Payback to head for the bar. “How much you want to bet she’s here on a pity date?” His grin invites Jake to share his joke.

Rooster leans in. “The nurses around here, they’re real nice. They’ll give any pilot a chance. Guess he got lucky.” Penny ducks her head as she refills Maverick’s pint. Jake takes a long draw on his beer so his grin doesn’t give away Rooster’s bait. He hopes this asshole bites.

Asshole motions to Penny. “Ma’am, could I get a malibu sunset and a Jack Daniels?”

Rooster coughs into his fist. Maverick shoots the two of them a look, but Bradshaw gives him the slightest shake of his head. Jake hopes Bob doesn’t make it over before Asshole heads off to get what’s coming to him. Penny must want to see the guy go up in flames as badly as he and Rooster do because she’s back with his drinks in the blink of an eye. Asshole takes them in hand and nods to Jake, “If you’re not going to take the shot.”

Jake raises his glass. “All yours.”

As soon as Asshole is out of earshot, Jake turns to Rooster. “Phoenix is going to be pissed when she finds out you told him she’s a nurse.”

“She has more respect for nurses than that,” Bradshaw says easily. “Besides, if she has enough of a sense of humor to put up with your bullshit, this should be no sweat.” His eyes follow Asshole’s trajectory to Phoenix, ignoring the glare Jake shoots toward him.

Somehow, this all feels like an inside joke between Rooster and Phoenix. Jake’s watched them have whole conversations with one another with only their eyes as if their minds are on a private channel no one else can tune into. It irks the crap out of him for some reason.

Bob lands between Rooster and Maverick. “Phoenix sent me to ask you what’s taking so long.”

Rooster slides a beer over to Bob. “Just watch.”

Asshole sidles up to Phoenix who leans on her pool cue while waiting for Payback to rack the balls. Despite her dress, she’s standing at ease rather than resting on a hip like most of the other women. Asshole doesn’t seem to notice. She gives him a look of surprise when he says something to her.

“Is he…?” Bob wonders.

“Not with a malibu sunset,” Jake snorts, toasting Bradshaw for his genius.

“Twenty bucks he offers to take her up in the air,” Rooster wagers.

Bob shakes his head. “I’d be better off betting you twenty he doesn’t. How long before she shuts this down?”

“Hangman?” Rooster asks.

Jake considers what he knows of Phoenix’s taste in partners, and it’s surprisingly little. He hates that his best guess is based on how she handles him. Jake settles on, “Less than five.”

“I’d give it eight and a half minutes,” Maverick interrupts, catching them all by surprise. He looks over at Jake and grins. “She likes to let people hang themselves.”

Bob and Rooster have a laugh at Jake’s expense. He rolls his eyes at them and pulls the drink he bought for her closer. Phoenix smiles at whatever Asshole says. She reaches for the Jack Daniels and looks nonplussed when he hands her the malibu sunset instead. She takes it and surreptitiously sets it down on the ledge of the pool table.

Five minutes come and go while they watch, and Jake is just starting to wonder if Phoenix is going to play along with Asshole when Fanboy and Payback burst out laughing. The guy goes bright red and gestures toward them at the bar. Phoenix narrows her eyes. Her accusing stare falls on him first. Rooster gives them a wave, and she sticks her tongue out at him.

“Who’s the dweeb now?” Rooster asks, even if Asshole can’t hear.

“Who’s a dweeb?” Bob wants to know.

Maverick slaps the bar. “Nine minutes and seven seconds. Damn it. Almost had it.”

Jake figures now is as good a time as any to make his move. Hopefully Asshole has set the bar pretty low, and he can’t do any worse. “Rooster here’s the dweeb,” he says, knocking Bradshaw upside the head before he sweeps up everyone’s beers in one hand and the drink for Phoenix in the other. “Get a drink on me, Baby on Board.”

He shoulders his way through the crowd.

***

Bradley waves at the humiliated Mr. Big Shot, who glares daggers at him as he slinks back to his curious friends. After finding out who Phoenix is, and by extension the rest of them, he's not likely to try to confront Bradley for setting him up. Being selected for a suicide mission and surviving getting blown out of the sky has its perks, if you could call them that. Not that Bradley can blame the guy for trying. He just didn't need to bring Bob into it like that. Even if Phoenix is actually annoyed at him, she'll understand. He hopes. It's good to ego check the Mr. Big Shots before they become Hangmans.

He still isn’t sure why he hadn’t told Phoenix he would be back stateside. What he tells himself is that he is accepting the boundaries she asked for in their relationship. He didn’t want to seem too eager, too forward, too hopeful. But he knows it isn’t that simple. Because part of him had hoped that dropping back into her life after months of silence would earn him more than a cue stick to the stomach. Maybe if he hadn’t gone and dumped all his shit with Maverick on her, and reminded her of the baggage he lugged into their friendship, she wouldn’t have thought twice about Hangman.

He’d planned to make it up to her after the mission. An apology, a thank you, a hint he was open to cracking a door they agreed to close. There was no point in bringing it up before then anyway. Phoenix was too focused on having her name called to be interested in anything else.

Then they got back. Before she left, Halo had mentioned something about Phoenix not sleeping. It didn’t click until the night he woke to her pounding on his door at the BOQ, begging him to answer, somehow convinced he hadn’t come back with her. He couldn’t quite understand the heaving, gulping gibberish she’d babbled into his chest and shoulder as he held her. Until now, it had always been him needing her, her holding him. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep. In the morning, she didn’t want to talk about it. So he slept with his phone in his hand every night, jolting awake to reassure her he was there. Bradley hates the sense of loss that grips his chest every morning he wakes up undisturbed.

He can hear Hangman’s taunting sneer or sigh of disappointment. Same old Rooster. He’d once again missed the shot, waited too long for his moment. Phoenix needs him as a friend. Anything that she doesn’t initiate between them now is only going to complicate—even compromise—their already complicated friendship. And he means it when he says their friendship matters to him more than anything else.

This morning, he followed her back to her room after breakfast wondering what she would do if he tested the waters with a kiss. She'd seemed to be flirting with him at moments throughout their trip up to Tustin. He can hear her voice, though, exasperatedly complaining that men managed to read someone's basic existence as a sign of interest. But when Phoenix had turned around at her door, the expression on her face was so vulnerable and so grateful that he didn’t want her to question whether the whole morning had been something other than an earnest attempt to help her work through whatever she was going through post mission. Even as he told himself to walk away, his memory flooded with the taste of the heat of her mouth on his, the shape of her toned curves under his hands, the sound of her ragged breathing and throaty pleas as he buried himself deeper and deeper within her chasing that peak when her whole body shuddered and folded into his.

He’d slid his hands into his pockets to hide any inkling that he ever thought about more than friendship between them. Forcing himself to think of Phoenix at her least attractive, he remembered back to their first year of training. There was an annual carnival on base and a right of passage for all the junior pilots was the hurl-and-whirl on the zipper ride. Before the ride took off, the first years were shut one by one into one of the cages and spun to dizzying speeds. You had to make it through the entire rest of the ride without puking.

Phoenix would have handled the hurl-and-whirl, no problem, if Milky Way hadn’t dared her to do five shots before her turn. It was known as a wild ride. She’d tripped getting into the compartment. Everyone stood back as two of the bravest LTJGs spun her round and round. But the ride had taken off with no sound of retching. Somehow Phoenix managed to keep track of which way was up and which way was down for the duration of the zipper’s rotations, and she staggered out victorious. Only the second officer ever to complete a wild ride without having to use a sick sack. She grinned and tossed the flat bag at Milky Way.

Rooster trailed her as she marched off and had barely caught up to her when she turned, opened her mouth, and explosively vomited cotton candy and the fried oreos she’d stolen from him all over his brand new dress shoes. If he had to name someone as relentlessly competitive as Hangman, he would have to say Phoenix. She’d dropped to her knees, clawed a hole in the grass, and buried the mess so no one but him would ever know.

The memory didn’t dampen his regret for having to leave her at her door, but it helped ease the problem rising in his shorts. Though, oddly, not as much as he’d hoped.

Anyway, he has no right to anything but to raise his glass to Hangman for maneuvering into Phoenix’s sights. Almost in opposite ways, the two of them know exactly how to get what they want from people. Much as he hates to admit it, even he’s felt aroused by their subtle, intricate dogfight. There’s no hesitation and no overcorrection. Hangman opening up enough to hook Phoenix’s curiosity and Phoenix nailing just the right moment to catch him off guard.

Only one thing worries him. It’s always dangerous when two pilots have the exact same weakness because neither of them can see the slip coming. Phoenix and Hangman each think they’ll get bored of the other and move on. They see involvement as an itch to be scratched not a commitment to be made. And because it has always worked for them thus far they aren’t looking for the stop sign ahead.

Bradley takes a long swig of his whiskey. At least it’s on Hangman’s dime.

Maverick leans on the bar beside him and follows his gaze to the pool table where Hangman hands Phoenix her favorite bourbon. A look of surprised delight catches her off guard before she hides her smile from him by turning to Bob who returned in Hangman's wake.

“You’re not going to win her over moping from here,” Mav tells him.

“Not moping. Not trying to win her either unless I want my ass publicly handed to me in this bar like that last guy. And before you tell me a wild story about some crazy stunt you did with my dad…”

“Okay,” Mav waves him off. “Spare me the lecture, Bradley.”

Bradley snorts. “She’s actually a lot like you in some ways. Everything down here is just a distraction from what’s up there.”

Maverick tips his beer toward her. “That’s going to be a problem when they want to make her admiral.” And Bradley isn’t entirely sure if his uncle is talking about Phoenix’s love of flying or Hangman who can’t help sneaking a glance at her as he passes Fanboy and Payback their beers.

“How do you know already?”

“You didn’t know Ice when he was younger, but he had the same skills. Natural leader, level head, eye for talent. Cleans up messes before the Navy has to.”

“Sir?” Bradley asks over the rim of his drink.

Maverick grins widely. “Between you and me, the reading out she gave Hangman for coming after you is already the talk of the Officers Club. Guess she didn’t leave much for Cyclone to say on the matter.” He turns more serious. “She’s a good friend, even if…other things don’t work out.”

“I don’t need other things from her,” Bradley says stoutly. “Like you said, she’s a good friend.”

Maverick just raises his dark brows and buries his skepticism in a long pull from his pint.

Not wanting to talk about his feelings for Phoenix or have a front row seat to whatever hawk and dove game Phoenix and Hangman have been at for the last few days just yet, he looks around for something to do. Banging out a few songs at the piano might ease some of his restlessness but that will get Phoenix’s attention, and he doesn’t want her to think he’s trying to compete with Hangman. Even if he is.

As packed as the bar is, it feels like he’s stranded in the middle of the ocean with no land or ship in sight. Maybe he should leave. The others can pile in with Payback.

Bradley glances up to see Penny watching him intently. “Jim, you got the bar a minute?” she calls over her shoulder. “I need to grab something from the stock.”

Jim tosses his towel over his shoulder. “Hurry up. They’re not letting up tonight.”

“Won’t take long,” she promises. Penny smiles at Bradley. “Give me a hand? I’d ask Jim but his back hasn’t been too good.”

“You can ask me,” Maverick pouts.

She leans in close to her apparently now boyfriend. Poor Amelia having to put up with the two of them all the time.

“Why don’t you watch Rooster’s drink for him, Flyboy,” she says lowly before leaning in to peck him on the mouth. Maverick tries to deepen the kiss, but Penny knows him too well and draws away before he can distract her.

She waves Bradley over. “Come on.”

He hesitates until Maverick gives him a little shove, having got the hint that Penny has something to say to him. He glances over at his group. Phoenix has her arm slung over Bob’s shoulders while he holds her cue for her. They seem to be heckling Hangman as he takes a guest shot because he flashes a grin their way before sinking a ball into a pocket. No one seems to notice that Bradley hasn’t joined them yet.

He follows Penny to the back of the bar. The noise becomes muffled as the door swings closed behind them. Every few feet, she pauses to push boxes out the walkway.

“Jim’s health really isn’t what it was, even two years ago,” she grunts. “Going to have to get someone from the high school to help out with the heavy lifting.” Penny straightens and brushes off her hands. “Need your help right over here. Can you grab that ladder for me please?”

Bradley maneuvers a half ladder out from where it’s wedged behind a cluster of cleaning supplies. She leads him deeper into the cramped space. It’s cooler, darker. There’s something comforting in the claustrophobia of the boxes of alcohol and supplies they pass.

Penny stops at a packed shelf and reaches up to touch a box squeezed between the top and the ceiling. “This is it.” But she doesn’t move out of the way for him to set up the ladder. Her face softens, and she rolls her shoulders forward several times. “You’re right, Bradley, she may be a lot like Pete. He never tried to break my heart, and I’m sure he never meant to. But he is who he is, and he was always honest about that. We both would have been miserable trying to twist ourselves into people we weren’t to try to make things work. You don’t have to live your life without her. Just don’t wait to live your life with her, okay?”

He sets the ladder down. “You don’t regret letting go?”

“Well,” she runs her hand over the shelf thoughtfully. “You can’t really let go of something you weren’t actually holding onto in the first place, can you?”

It’s a shocking, yet simple, truth. As much as it hurts like a punch to the sternum. Penny chuckles and tilts her head. “My father gave me that advice but not half so nicely and laced with a lot more profanity. Hang in there, Rooster.” She steps past him so he can shake out the ladder. “Take as long as you want. Just leave the box of grenadine by the door when you head back in. I swear that bachelorette party drank enough of it to turn their pee red.”

Penny pats his arm. “Thanks for your help.”

Where Maverick would have stumbled out of his words and into awkward silence, she is tender and warm without fretting or making him feel like he has to put on a brave face for her. A lot like his mom, actually. So much like Phoenix. He mumbles his thanks and focuses on the task at hand. His shoulder protests when he slides the box onto his bicep. He's still a little banged up from being shot down.

After setting the box near the entrance and putting away the ladder, Bradley pauses. Propping his back against the wall, he lets the cool surface soothe his shoulder muscles and ease the lingering sting of Penny's advice. He loathes the part of himself that still flutters hopefully knowing how upset Phoenix was not to hear from him while he was overseas or that he was coming back stateside. Hangman had mentioned a game of fuck, marry, kill tonight. Phoenix would have both their asses at the hint they were playing some type of game for her. Knowing Jake wants to mess with him for his own entertainment, he tries not to think too hard about the fact that tonight's lineup is most likely marry Bob, fuck Hangman, and kill him.

When Bradley emerges from the storage room, Phoenix is waiting for him. "Could you play a song on the piano for me?"

Masterlist | Chapter 7 | Chapter 9 (to be posted)

#top gun maverick #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfic #natasha phoenix trace #natasha trace fic #hangman x phoenix #phoenix x hangman #rooster x phoenix #phoenix x rooster #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #maverick and penny being parents #hannix

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poopfartblurp · 11 months

Text

texas

javier “javi” maverick jones-gonzalez

age 16

desc: medium long, dark brown hair, tan skin, brown eyes, freckles across his nose. has a cowlick, called the “panhandle”

son of mexico and america, born in 1812 due to a night together after alfred sold ammunition to rosa during her revolution

during the early years of her war of independence, mexico gave birth and raised him alone between fighting. alfred, who was at war, eventually came back to find that he had a son. he stayed along the border for several years, caring for their son while rosa was at war

looks a lot like his mother. same skin tone, hair, eyes, nose, etc. his physic resembles his father

needs glasses but never wears them. he gave his to his dad as a gift after the civil war. his dad says the glasses give him perfect aim. santi squints a lot cause he cant see

he is a smooth, laid back and easy type of guy. the embodiment of southern hospitality. he is very, very cool without even trying

though most of the time he is relaxed, he is not “chill”. he is trigger happy and always on the lookout for danger. keeps a handgun on him at all times, even in parts of the world where its illegal

he is very intelligent and is a huge nerd for space, like his dad. he spends time designing planes and rockets. he is also a big car fan. he doesnt actually care about the size or modeling of a car, but rather likes to tinker with the engine. his liking for planes and cars lets him bond with both of his parents, and often the three of them will hang out just to work on cars or planes

he has a complicated relationship with his mother. he loves her and still actively sees her, but he finds it difficult to be in the same space as her for long periods of time. they are too similar in all the bad ways and can bring out the worst in each other. they are both still sore over his independence, mostly the fact that neither of them ever tried to reconcile

he also has a complicated relationship with his father. he greatly looks up to his dad, to the point of even idolizing him. he’s his father’s right hand, his sidekick, but often their relationship falls to be too militaristic. texas also takes all criticism from america to heart, which makes it difficult for them to have a normal father-son relationship

javi would die for his sister. as much as she annoys him, she is his baby sister and nobody can touch her. from the minute maya was created,he loved her and tried to be the best big brother for her. he influenced her to make the same decisions that he did, but now that she is older and more powerful, he struggles to still have his role as her big brother

fights with his sister often though. it is almost always about politics or philosophy. he has very black or white thinking, while his sister tries to stay open. when they fight, it is long and messy and their dad has to get involved. they rarely fought when they were little, but now that they work in government it happens a lot

speaks with a slow southern drawl, and will accentuate it to irritate maya or his mom. santi and alfred will have long, slow conversations in southern accents to piss people off

speaks very well mannered in spanish. he will go from texan slang thats barely english to eloquent spanish

an incredible dancer. will often compete in traditional mexican dancing competitions

always in a cowboy hat and/ or boots. on special occasions he will wear both

a real cowboy and country boy. he doesnt spend a lot of time in cities and prefers to be alone

his independent streak can be too strong at times, and he never lets people take care of him. if he’s at another person’s home, he’ll pay for his own groceries and makes his own food. if someone else is feeding him, he’ll pay for the groceries. it can be a pain when alfred wants him and cali to work together

#character description

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years

Text

Humans are Space Orcs, “Protective Humans.”

Saw this suggestion in my inbox from a couple months ago lol :)

“I am glad you could agree to come commander, with all of the …. Issues with the LFIL, we have had a really difficult time trying to maintain good relations with the rest of the galaxy.”

“We are glad we could come, of course, anything to help people understand humans a little bit better, plus Dr. Krill has a speaking engagement at the conference, so my coming here was twofold.”

“Ah, yes, your little doctor, when I heard about his particular speech, I have to admit I am very intrigued and excited. Anyway, we are glad that humans could come and help us with our mission. Even with human tourism growing in certain sectors of the galaxy, there are still many places were humans had never been seen, and it is in those areas where we have the most difficulty. They hear the rumors, and they see reports on the news about the worst kind of humans, and they just get scared.”

Commander Vir pulled to a stop standing next to the conference director, A Finnari by trade with a relatively trustworthy face despite being an alien, “Well, then they wouldn't be the only ones. Humans have been practicing paranoia against ourselves for thousands of years.”

Out in the hallway of the conference center, aliens bustled by many of them staring on at the commander and his group of following humans with wide frightened eyes. Some of them pointed in excitement while others shied away to the other side of the hall.

It was still true that less than 7 percent of all aliens in the galaxy had ever seen a human, and for many of these, that fact was no different.

This would be their first time seeing a human.

The commander had to bite back his innate response to smile at them, seeing as most aliens, like most animals, considered the display of teeth to be a threat. So he simply waved a hand garnering a few flinches, and a number of curious head tilts.

Maybe someone should do a seminar on human body language, perhaps then the general public would feel more comfortable around them.

“Anyway, we thank you for coming, but your friend’s lecture is about to begin, and I am very excited to see how it goes.” The commander nodded to the Finnari director, and he, and the other three humans with him, Maverick Ramirez and Dr. Katie stepped into the room where doctor Krill was setting up his presentation.

As was becoming routine at the conference, they received a gasp and an eruption of mutterings as they appeared from the doorway.

Dr Krill looked up from his work, as the humans inched to the side of the door trying not to be too disruptive, “Stop right there you four, and come here.”

In confusion the humans did as directed.

Dr. Krill stood up voice electronically amplified over the sound of the room, “Can everyone hear me, good, that is very good, now today I am going to be talking about a subject that, as the humans say, is very near and dear to my heart. That translates as, it is very important to me.” he motioned the humans to sit down on the stage, and they did as ordered though rather awkwardly, “Now I thought about just speaking to you for today, but have decided that, you aren't going to be able to keep your focus away from the humans anyway, so I might do us all a favor and add them into my lecture as a way to introduce you to them in a controlled environment, and hopefully, after today, you will come to see the humans as I do. Great allies, and an undeniable opportunity for friendship.”

“now , I wanted to do something a little different today, something a little off from my normal structured way of speaking about humans because I find it very displeasing the way the rest of the galaxy sees humans, and I want to change that. I tried determining a fact about humans that is the most forgiving and the most empathetic. Something all of you would enjoy.”

There was a muttering of intrigue about the room.

“Well I am going to start off with a little bit of a lecture. A lot of you may not know that humans give live birth to their offspring, not eggs like the Vrul, Rundi, or the Celzex, but more like the Tesraki or the Drev. however based on the physical structure of the human, and the slow evolution to walking on two feet. Humans are only capable of producing offspring at a reasonable size generally around six to seven pounds, and arguably no greater than twelve to fifteen pounds, though there may be exceptions. Now, as you know six pounds is very very small compared to the end result of a human, and the size of the head has the greatest bearing on this issue. The human head shape requires offspring to be born extremely underdeveloped, so underdeveloped that when they are born they can barely see or hear and have no ability to coordinate their own movements. It takes almost an entire rotation of their planet around their star in order for a human to walk. In essence it takes as much as eighteen revolutions before the average human is no longer taken care of by their parents.”

There was a muttering from the crowd.

“Now based on the surprising helplessness of the human offspring compared to the final product, they tend to be very loud, and very difficult to take care of seeing how underdeveloped they are. Generally if any one of us were saddled with an offspring like that we would probably just give up, but the human brain is so hot wired to love their offspring, that none of those annoying things generally tend to matter. In fact, the power of a human’s bonding abilities is so strong that they can even bond to creatures that are NOT human in nature.”

Another surprised murmuring around the crowd.

“A human will have the same reaction to a nonhuman than they do to their own young, and in that case, this means that a human will protect the offspring of another species with their own lives. Human parents have been known to kill, lift objects five times their size, and fight off even more dangerous predators for the safety of their offspring, and they will do it for yours too..”

This time the murmuring around the room was almost palpable, it was as if they could hardly believe what they were hearing.

That couldn't be right.

“What if I told you that the safest place our offspring could be, is in the arms of a human.”

That caused an absolute uproar of chattering, and Krill had to wait a few minutes before the room calmed down.

The humans were looking between each other with some curiosity hardly believing what they were hearing, not sure where this was going.

“now , I have brought forward a couple of gracious volunteers who trust my judgement enough to help me demonstrate what you are about to witness .”

“Our first volunteer.” He motioned to the side of the stage were a Rundi was waiting, as she walked onto the stage, the crowd noticed at least three tiny shapes running around her feet.

The human turned to look eyes wide, to the crowd they almost looked hungry.

“Dr. Katie, can you tell me what you are thinking.”

The human looked up her wide brown eyes somewhat magnified through her glasses, “I want to hold one so bad.” She turned her head towards the rundi, “Can I hold one…. Am I allowed to do that. I’ll wear gloves.”

The rundi mother seemed surprisingly calm allowing the human to come over and pick up her little ones holding them gently in their hands running a finger over their tiny heads. One of the humans was holding the tiny creature to his chest. Patting its tiny head with one finger.

“You see the protective nature in which the humans hold young that isn’t their own, I picked the rundi first specifically for this reason, simply because they don’t look remotely human. Arguably the humans shouldn't even connect them with their own young, and yet this is the posture of a creature that isn’t going to let anything happen to their charges.” He turned to the humans. “What would you do if someone tried to hurt these little rundi?”

The darker human looked up from the creature he was holding to his chest, “I don't know probably rip their arms off and beat them with them…. But that's probably a bit graphic so… er, i would be very very upset?”

“Great save.” The commander muttered, stroking his hand delicately down the little Rundi’s back, who seemed to be enjoying it rather happily. Of course all the humans were wearing gloves, considering that the rundi had an aversion to water, and humans had a habit of shedding it wherever they went.

They actually seemed disappointed when they had to let the tiny creatures go.

Not that they were disappointed at the next moment when A dark blue-black tesraki brought out a fuzzy little bundle.

One of the humans made a strange squeaking noise. Again begging to hold it.

The humans seemed to be having even more fun than the rest of the crowd was having watching them.

“You see the younger a creature of a different species is, the more likely humans are to adopt it with their social bonding.”

“Look at its little pig nose eep!”

“Hey let me hold it. You don’t have to be a hog.”

“You can fight me.”

“Sharing is caring.”

“What if I don’t care.” The humans jostled with each other for a turn holding, petting or cooing over the creature, though their aggression seemed to terminate at a predetermined distance from the small one, and if it wasn’t obayed, there were other humans to make sure they kept in line.

“You see, I would wager to say that your children are safer with humans than they are with you. Not to call you a poor parent. But humans will take falling impacts, jump in front of speeding vehicles, and their bodies are known to be quite durable.”

The commander was leaning over Dr. Katie’s shoulder stroking the Tesraki’s huge ears with one finger, “So soft.”

“Though the creature does not have to be fluffy, but for some reason humans really enjoy it, despite their own young being hairless. In fact there are many humans that much prefer to have a creature of a different species than they are interested in having one of their own

“Furbaby.” A human whispered as the tiny Tesraki was appropriated back from them.

“My next demonstration we have to thank by way of lord Celzex.”

The humans lifted their heads, eyes widening, “No!”

“YES!”

What came next was an excessive spectacle of human happiness characterized by a lot of squealing from both male and female humans, and a ton of tiny, angry little balls of colored fluff with massive eyes and huge feet.

Dr. Katie sat in a corner holding a handful of the little colored fluff balls in her arms, “Guys….” She moaned, “I think I’m gonna cry, this is pure happiness. I want all of them.”

Maverick lay on the ground flat on her back as at least ten of the tiny creatures crawled all over her. It was pretty clear they were trying to attack, but to the human it caused nothing more than an eruption of giggling.

The commander and Ramirez sat opposite each other trying to wrangle a small heard of the fluffies who ran about in an angry circle.

Needless to say, the humans were very disappointed when they had to be taken away.

Ramirez held out a hand, “Wait, but, no….”

Maverick was frowning looking down at her empty hands like she was missing a finger.

“And now for my last demonstration.” The doctor began.” Motioning his last volunteer up.

What came next was a nine foot tall male Drev, cradling a tiny shape in his lower arms.

Excitedly, the humans rushed over, and the Drev seemed to have no problem handing over his young to the pack of cooing humans.

Maverick bumped Katie out of the way, and took the tiny creature in her arms running away with it across the room.

The other humans trailed after Craning their necks over her shoulder and trying to see the tiny creature who opened its little beak like a baby bird chirping and blinking at them.

“I swear if anything happens to this child I will kill everyone in this room and then myself.”

“I didn’t know they were so frigging adorable. Shit, I want one.” The commander grumbled playing with one of the tiny hands.

“Yeah, who wants a human baby anyway, these ones are way cuter., and they don’t smell.”

“Maverick, if you don't let me hold it, I promise I will have you on bathroom duty for the rest of your foreseeable career.”

Maverick frowned, “Just five more minutes.”

“Fine, five, but then it's my turn.”

The doctor continued to lecture as the humans sat in a circle passing around the tiny drev, “You see in a time of crisis, a human will wrap themselves around their offspring using the rigged bones, and taught muscles of the shoulders, back and ribcage as a shield diffusing impacts and cushioning falls. It is also quite common for an entire pack of humans to form up around younger humans to protect them.”

The commander had appropriated the tiny Drev from Maverick and was softly stroking a thumb against its tiny cheek. The small creature opened its mouth like a baby bird, chirping slightly before nuzzling its head against the human’s chest growing quite comfortable against the warm, soft human.

“Its official, I am the favorite.” The human announced

“But-”

“No no, you see, sleeping, now you can’t take him away.” The other humans pouted and the commander grinned.

“You see it is all thanks to the annoying and underdeveloped nature of the human offspring, that we can thank for human over protectiveness. Now, this effect lessons somewhat as you grow older, but generally speaking it never goes away entirely. A human will bond with anything, a broken piece of equipment, an item of clothing, and definitely you, for sure. Should you be cautious about which humans you trust? Certainly, but we exercise that caution daily with each other.”

He motioned to the group of huddling humans holding the tiny sleeping Drev.

“Just remember this image here the next time some propaganda string tells you humans are monsters.”

#humans are insane #humans are space orcs #humans are space australians #humans are spaceoddities #earth is a deathworld #Earth is space Ausralia

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worryinglyinnocent · 3 years

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Fic: A Fight in the Shadows (3/16)

Summary: After her grandfather Grumman’s death in mysterious circumstances, private detective Riza Hawkeye receives a letter from him, instructed to be delivered to her after his demise. She is floored to discover he was the head of the Amestrian Intelligence Network, and the secrets he’s found out are deep and dangerous. He mentions a conspiracy within the military, and instructs her to gather together a group of individuals he trusts to assist her in continuing his work.

To say that they’re a rag-tag bunch is putting it kindly, but when they finally get their act together and delve into the mystery, they uncover something that will shake the very foundations of Amestris…

An espionage AU with some core canon elements.

Rated: T

A Fight in the Shadows

[One] [Two] [AO3]

Three

The Armstrongs

The next thing to do will be to get trustworthy insiders into the military and the state alchemists. Adding them in from the outside will be nigh on impossible given the lengths that people have to go to in order to be part of the ranks and Roy is too well-known outside the military to be able to infiltrate the state alchemists as an outsider.

Riza had to snort at that line of Grumman’s letter. For all his protests and for all the good reasons he had given her yesterday, there was still a part of her that thought he was definitely the worst secret agent in the world.

What will be best is to find someone already in position who will be sympathetic to our cause. I have already begun the process of sounding out potential candidates, and I believe that the Armstrong family will be able to help. They have been a career military family for generations, going back much further than Bradley’s Fuhrership, and I know that General Armstrong in particular is one of the maverick types who does not care much for following orders she does not agree with, and that she values ingenuity and independence in the soldiers under her command. Her brother, Major Armstrong, the Strongarm Alchemist (I know, I know, I don’t pick the names), is a highly impassioned individual whom I know to be uneasy about the situation in Ishval, and he will give you a link into the state alchemists.

Riza sighed. She hoped that Grumman would be right about the Armstrongs, otherwise her investigation could be over before it began and three minutes after walking out of the Armstrong residence, she and Roy would be thrown in a maximum security military prison never to be seen again.

She opened her blinds, and it took her a moment to recognise Breda hanging out on the corner opposite her apartment block. He looked completely casual, but she knew that he was watching out for anything untoward that might try to make its way in. Although she wasn’t sure how she felt about having a twenty-four hour bodyguard detail, she was comforted that Roy had thought of it and that he was concerned enough for her protection to ask Breda and Havoc to step in like that.

Roy was due to meet her at the Armstrong family home in a couple of hours, and Riza grabbed Hayate’s lead, only half-hearing the excited barks and enthusiastic tail-wagging that resulted. After second-guessing herself several times, she strapped on her gun. Whilst she liked to think that no-one, human or not, would be stupid enough to try and attack her in broad daylight on crowded streets, the incident the previous evening had unnerved her enough to want that extra protection. Something was going on. She wondered if Grumman had got that far in his own investigation or if their enemies had now ramped things up. One thing was certain – whoever they were, they definitely knew that Riza and Roy were involved now.

She didn’t see Breda again after she left the apartment, but she knew that he was there, sticking to Roy’s school of ‘never let them see you’ following. She wasn’t too worried – she was more worried about there being other people she wasn’t aware of following her. Still, Hayate’s walk went off without a hitch, and soon she found herself standing outside the gates of the Armstrong home waiting for Roy.

Home was a bit of an understatement, she felt. She’d walked past this absolutely palatial estate with Hayate several times and had never given a thought to who owned it, assuming from its sheer ostentatiousness when compared with Central Command that it was owned by the military for some purpose or another, maybe housing one of the laboratories that the alchemists frequented. She’d never entertained the notion that people actually lived in it. And had done for generations, apparently.

Riza was so distracted by awe at the ridiculous building that she didn’t notice Roy come up next to her until he spoke and made her jump out of her skin, so she reluctantly gave him a point in favour of not being the world’s worst secret agent.

“Shall we go in?”

“I guess.” Riza looked at the locked gates. “I assume that you have some super-secret way of getting in that’s not just climbing the railings?”

“Of course. We secret agents are always equipped with the latest in gadgetry for cutting through wires and picking locks.”

Riza raised an eyebrow. “You’re making fun of me.”

“Maybe a little. It’s not your fault. The literary world has definitely glamorised the whole espionage thing. Honestly, the thing we do most is paperwork.”

He pressed the buzzer on the wall beside the gate, and Riza took a step back when she heard the sound of what seemed to be a full-on fight to the death going on in the background. Roy was unperturbed.

“Mustang and Hawkeye to see General Armstrong.”

The gate buzzed open without a word and they entered the grounds. As they made their way up the driveway, the sound of the fight to the death that had come through the intercom made itself known in person, complete with smashed furniture, grunting and war cries, and someone begging someone else for mercy.

Riza was beginning to think that Grumman had made a terrible mistake, or that someone else had got to the Armstrongs before she and Roy could.

“Do you think we ought to…” She trailed off as Roy shook his head and continued his leisurely pace up the drive. To be fair, none of the gardeners working in the grounds seemed to be at all concerned by the noise, so Riza accepted that this was an Armstrong thing and she probably shouldn’t worry. Old families had the reputation of being strange, after all.

Both she and Roy were very much disturbed, however, when a grand piano flew out of some French doors and skidded to a stop in the driveway in front of them.

“Oh good heavens, people!”

Riza looked up from where she had thrown herself out of the piano’s path to find a girl of about fourteen or fifteen looking out of the French doors with a shocked expression on her face. She turned and waved back into the house frantically. “Alex! Olivier! There are people outside!”

The sounds of the fighting stopped, and the girl rushed out of the doors and down the drive towards them.

“I do apologise about that,” she said, picking up one corner of the piano as if it weighed nothing and beginning to drag it back towards the house. “I had no idea that we were expecting visitors.”

Riza looked at Roy, who shrugged, and they both followed the girl and her piano up the drive towards the French doors, entering to find the person who could only have been General Olivier Armstrong straightening her uniform and giving no indication whatsoever of what had been going on in the room before a couple of strangers had joined them. Although, from the way her expression darkened when she saw Roy, Riza didn’t think that they were strangers after all.

“Mustang,” the general muttered. “What do you want?”

“Alas, I’m here on strictly professional business, General.”

Riza looked from Roy to Olivier and back again. “Do you two know each other?”

Roy replied ‘yes’ at the same time Olivier replied ‘unfortunately’, and Riza sighed. Definitely the worst secret agent in the world.

“And you are?” Olivier asked Riza. Riza had been on the receiving end of death glares before, but she thought that this one had to top them all.

“Riza Hawkeye, private investigator. I’m looking into the death of Charles Grumman. Roy is assisting me.”

“Ah, your spymaster, Mustang.”

Absolutely the worst secret agent in the world.

Olivier shook her head. “I always thought that death was unnatural. I’m not sure how my brother and I can help with that. Alex will be along shortly. He’s putting a shirt on.”

Riza decided not to ask and followed Olivier out of the room, leaving her younger sister (at least, Riza assumed she was a younger sister) happily rearranging all of the antique furniture without a care in the world. They went into a large dining room, where a maid was setting out tea for four.

“I take it from the fact that you’re here that you believe the military was involved somehow?” Olivier took a seat at the head of the table and gestured for Roy and Riza to join her.

“It’s possible.” Riza wasn’t sure how much to trust this formidable woman. Roy seemed to trust her, although the feeling decidedly did not go both ways. She couldn’t help but think that getting anyone in the military, no matter how maverick they might be, involved was a good idea especially at this early stage when they didn’t even know what they were dealing with, but as her conscience had told her several times before, time was ticking.

The dining room doors burst open and Major Alex Armstrong appeared. Riza would have been startled by him had she not been privy to so many other happenings during the course of her career and especially during the last few days, and she accepted his appearance with a nod.

“Mr Mustang, the flame alchemist! It’s good to see you again!”

There was a moment of awkwardness as Riza glared at Roy and Olivier glared at Alex, until the major coughed awkwardly and took a seat beside his sister, looking down at the table abashed.

“Well, like I said, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to assist,” Olivier said. “I’ve been stationed at Briggs Fortress for the last fifteen years and we keep ourselves to ourselves up there. As long as we keep Drachma out, the top brass of the military doesn’t tend to annoy us too much and leaves us to our own devices.”

“And that didn’t change after Bradley took charge?” Roy asked. His face was sharp and focussed now, and whatever feelings that Olivier might have held towards him, she seemed to acknowledge that.

“No,” she said. “The Northern border policy hasn’t changed, but I know that the policies on all our other borders became offensive again, and of course the Ishval annexation started.” Her brow furrowed, lost in thought, and she turned to Alex. “I know there was talk of the state alchemists being mobilised to intervene in the Ishval rebellion. I assume nothing’s been done yet, but then sometimes news travels slowly in the snow.”

Alex shook his head. “Nothing yet, but the tension is there. We all know what we signed up for when we became state alchemists, but when rumours of extermination are running free, it does make one uneasy.”

“Hm.” Olivier turned back to Riza and Roy. “Do you suspect that Bradley is behind Grumman’s death, then?”

“Perhaps not directly, but we know that Grumman was looking into the top tiers of the military.”

“And you were hoping that, as a general, I would be able to weasel my way into whatever they’re planning?” Olivier scowled. “Spies are rats, Mustang. I’ve always held that view, and you know how we deal with Drachman spies in Briggs.”

“Yes. I’m well aware of your interrogation methods. They’re legendary in our world.”

There was a stalemate then, Roy and Olivier both looking at each other with equal steel.

Roy was the first one to speak.

“All your information on active Drachma agents to look out for comes from the Amestrian Intelligence Network,” he said levelly. “I’ll be the first to admit that there’s absolutely nothing honourable or worthy in what we do. We’re deceitful and underhanded, and we all have blood on our hands. It’s a filthy job, but it’s got to be done. The military would be nothing without the intelligence network.”

Olivier held his gaze.

“And now the intelligence network is turning against the military?”

“If the military is turning in the wrong direction, then we’re happy to course correct.”

The dining room fell into tense, heavy silence, and Riza wished that she was anywhere else but here. Moreover she wished that she knew what to say to fill the silence and bring everyone to an understanding. She met Alex’s eyes across the table and it was clear that he felt exactly the same way.

Finally, Olivier spoke.

“Two days after Grumman’s death was reported I was yanked out of Briggs and ordered back to Central,” she said. “Since then, although no-one has said anything, it does feel like I’ve been held hostage in a way.” She smiled, a grim smile with very little humour behind it. “If they’re hoping that Briggs will fall into disarray in my absence, they’ll be extremely disappointed.” There was a long pause. “Something’s definitely going on. Something that they want to keep a close eye on me for.”

“Who gave the order for you to come back?” Riza asked.

“That would be General Raven. In fact he came up to Briggs personally to escort me back.” She snorted. “I’ve never liked him.”

“You’ve never liked anyone,” Alex retorted. “Ever.”

Olivier rolled her eyes. “I do not respect General Raven.” She gave a little sigh, and for the first time, Riza saw something human and emotional in her eyes, but only for a split second before the hard mask of years of determination in the bitter environment of Briggs fell back into place.

“I suppose that if there’s one thing that the Intelligence network and I agree on, it’s that we will do anything to keep Amestris safe. If the danger is coming from within rather than the borders, then that’s the danger we must defend it against.” She turned to Alex. “I trust you know which of your fellow alchemists can be trusted?”

Alex nodded. “Of those that are still around, yes. We lost several good ones in the exodus. Crystal, Freezing, Whirlwind...”

Olivier snorted again, making her opinion of those who had abandoned the military very clear and Alex tailed off with a small cough.

“Yes. I can certainly make discreet enquiries.”

“And I’ll sound out the generals as to why I’m here and not in Briggs, since they haven’t seen fit to give my command to anyone else yet. I’m not concerned, the fortress can run itself without me. If it can’t then they don’t deserve to be there.”

If Riza found this bald statement alarming then she tried not to show it. Olivier Armstrong was definitely not a person to be messed with and she was very glad that she appeared to be on their side. Well, not exactly their side, but at least not the on the side of the military top brass who were potentially causing all the trouble. Riza had a lot more faith in Alex. For all he was twice the size of his sister in all directions, he was clearly cowed by her ferocity and Riza couldn’t blame him for it in the slightest.

The talk turned to practical aspects then, and Riza was glad of Roy being able to seamlessly pick things up with his expertise. He’d brought along some listening bugs that he’d picked up from Fuery first thing, giving simple instructions on how to plant and activate them. Olivier didn’t look entirely comfortable with the idea of bugging the top brass – she might have agreed to listen in herself but this was entirely too much like the seedier side of espionage for her liking.

Still, to her credit she said nothing even if her expression spoke volumes. Alex was far more at ease with the entire concept. From the comments he was making it felt like he definitely knew a few people who’d be more than happy to help him out and even go further than Roy needed them to.

Whilst Roy plied his trade, Riza fell to thinking about the dissent in the ranks that had begun with the annexation of Ishval, and for the first time, she began to feel a tiny bit more confidence in what she and Roy were trying to do. As dangerous as the situation they were getting into was, the more they looked into it and the more they began to recruit others to their cause, it did seem like the military were on the back foot. That was a dangerous view in and of itself to take in a country that was a military dictatorship under any other name, but Riza had to wonder if Grumman had forced their hand and made them expose themselves before they were ready. If they were already dealing with the tricky situation in Ishval and everything that had happened as a result, and now Grumman had found out their secret agenda, whatever that might be, they might be racing to perform damage limitation.

If she and Roy could stay one step ahead, then maybe they’d be able to get to the bottom of everything. The only trouble was that she didn’t know what they were trying to stay one step ahead of. Was the entire military involved or was it just a small breakaway cohort that included General Raven? The fact that everything seemed to start tying in neatly with Bradley’s Fuhrership seemed to point towards it being a much wider conspiracy that went all the way to the top, and that worried her. Although the common troops would have absolutely no knowledge of what was going on above them and were just following orders, the military was absolutely massive when it came down to it, and if she ended up as public enemy number one, then she didn’t stand a chance against the sheer force that could be thrown at her.

“Riza?”

She startled out of her thoughts to find Roy rising to leave, Alex by the door ready to show them out.

“Sorry. I was thinking.”

“Yeah, we’ve got a lot to think about, that’s for sure.”

They left the way they came in, through the open French doors, the youngest Armstrong giving them a cheerful wave, and Riza kept looking back over her shoulder at the imposing house as they made their way down the drive.

“Are you sure that this is ok, and they’re trustworthy?” she asked. “I feel like we just stepped into the lion’s den and asked if we could clean its teeth.”

“Yes, Olivier has that effect on people.”

“Roy, I’m being serious.”

“I know. I have reservations myself. Olivier’s motto has always been survival of the fittest and I’m not sure how that’s going to affect her viewpoint down here in Central where the conditions are far less extreme than in Briggs. Up in the fortress they have to be tough as nails to survive and those that aren’t simply get left behind as they can’t afford to carry them. That kind of mentality doesn’t necessarily work in the middle of a city with a temperate climate. She rubs people up the wrong way; I think that’s the reason she was sent up to Briggs in the first place. I’m more concerned that the generals will think she’s too much trouble and send her back to be out of the way.”

Riza shook her head. “No, that’s the opposite of what I’m worried about. I think something’s going on in Briggs and they want her out of the way down here, and I’m not quite as confident as she is about the fortress being able to hold its own.”

“Something will go down, that’s for sure. But whether the casualties will be on the Briggs side or…”

Roy stopped dead in his tracks.

“Roy?”

“I’ve had a horrible thought,” he said. “I need to go and see Falman. I’ll meet you at the embassy at three, don’t be late or they’ll scrap our appointment!”

He took off at a run towards the gates, leaving a dumbstruck Riza in the Armstrong driveway, wondering what on earth the horrible thought could have been.

#FMA: Brotherhood #FMA Fanfiction #Riza Hawkeye #Roy Mustang #Fic: A Fight in the Shadows

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megamanxfanfics · 3 years

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Looking back at the 1st Nightmare Arc

Well folks, here we are. It’s the end of the year and I successfully completed Season VI’s first arc! Today, it’s all about celebrating with an honest take on how I feel it all went down. No backstories on what took so long this time. Just all Mega lore and analyzing whatever I’ve managed to create in the Fanon. So let’s dive into it. This was an interesting one:

tl;dr? - Ep. 1: Boring Beginning, Exciting Middle Ep. 2: Steady Solid Stage! Ep. 3: Long Stage, Big Payoff Ep. 4: Strong Start, Very Expository Ep. 5: Another Long Stage, but not Draining Ep. 6: Reverse Pacing Ep. 7: Epic. As. Fuck.

Ep. 1: I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Boring Beginning. I wanted it to start just like the game with the exciting narrative intro, except.. written out, it’s not all that exciting, but instead - expected. The same goes for Gate’s immediate monologue when you press start. I took the safe, easy route and just added stage directions to his discovery of Zero’s “piece”. Regardless, this was “A Broken World”, and I loved that title for a new Season #1. Honestly, I feel like this one really picks up from the middle, onward. Once we get into X’s first mission, the addition of the new reploids from the X5 ending didn’t really help at all. I got rid of them almost as soon as I introduced them, but it was supposed to serve a purpose. It was supposed to show us just how dangerous it is out there for noobies - especially the ones who think they know it all, like Cody. Once X fights High Max though, we almost mirrored the X1 feeling, which is exactly what I wanted. From here on, it’s pretty exciting and interesting to me. Because now X is all intrigued and worried about these new “Investigators” that have sprouted up. Giving X someone to fear again with High Max made for a really refreshing touch, too. Once he gets home to learn about them from Alia, the episode heavily leans on flashbacks from Xtreme 2, but they serve as a nice re-introduction to our 8 Investigators. I also really liked their Re-activation scene. That mirrored the vibe from Mega Missions when Doppler revived his select batch of Mavericks. Once they pinpoint their locations and X finds out that 3 of the Investigators are in Brazil, he wants to go there first. I feel such a hyped jolt of excitement at that Cliffhanger.

Ep. 2: Steady Solid Stage! It took forever to write out, but upon reading it, the pacing is surprisingly smooth as X explores the Amazon Forest. Calling it “The Nightmare Is Real” based on a random Rescued Reploid’s words was a little weak at first, but it comes back around to get real meaning by the end. During the stage, X’s dialogue with Iso kept things interesting, while he pursued that near-impossible sub-tank. [I swear, you can only acquire this with a jump part equipped, or exposing AI with the fire blade or something...]. I really really didn’t want X to use his Ultimate Armor so soon, for nothing, because I’ve added stakes to such a game-breaking power up. If he uses it, he blows out all of his stamina and needs to rest. Period. Using this to rescue Iso was not only a waste, but things probably would’ve gone down very differently, later. Anyway, that fight with Commander Yammark was perfect. At first, I thought it was a little short, but looking back on it, I love how they both get solid blows in, but then come to a standstill when they realize they’re on the same side. Having Nightmare Zero intervene was absolutely the right choice!! It gave us a new hook for something to come back to, as yet again, X had someone new to fear, like in X1. Since it’s an evil Zero, I’ll even say like X2. This is where the title “The Nightmare is Real” works, because... the Zero Nightmare was absolutely a sentient problem. And it wasn’t going away any time soon. X had to retreat and get out of there. Thank God for Alia’s force-teleporting. Pushing Alia's Love Interest during the debrief was also a very exciting development. I knew I wanted to do this, but at first I wasn’t sure if it was too soon to happen right here. Now, I feel like it was just right.

Ep. 3: Long stage, big payoff. Starting with Isoc’s report to Gate was actually not as boring as the 1st episode canon scenes. I made more of an effort to wake the scene up with stage directions or dialogue that makes more sense... Them talking about the possibility of Zero still being alive also sets up mysterious intrigue. Is he still out there?? And if so, how??? Will we see him???? Naming the entire episode, “The Outlier”, however is misleading. I suppose that could connect to Ground Scaravich, who wasn’t one of Gate’s original creations (in my Fanon). Still, giving X & Alia that slice of life romantic wake up scene at the near-beginning was absolutely refreshing. Not only that, but I think it was very necessary. Things are all Doom and Gloom this Season, which is my forte, but this shows that at Home you can still find happiness in Loved ones. The actual stage itself was an absolute pain in the ass and I knew it was going to be. I'm just glad it didn't completely burn me out. His fight with Ground Scaravich was bad ass though. X had the rare upper hand from the get-go as the menacer that Scaravich was afraid of. So he came in with confident energy and tried to beat him down for information. Of course, Scaravich didn’t let up and only revealed worse information, that those Reploids were being used for DNA Data. But that cliffhanger I left at the end, with Zero Nightmare applauding X for his kill...! It definitely helped me pursue a much sooner Chapter 4.

Ep. 4: Strong Start with the Zero Nightmare fight. I had a big challenge here, because I didn’t want X to win yet. We needed to build this feud and drag it out as much as possible. Zero Nightmare was gaining new motivation. He apparently knows about Zero’s existence, but thinks of him as a Fake. And thus we have the title “Where Is The Fake?”. Having X get weakened and willingly teleport away was a really mature choice. I think it shows growth. He could’ve done that plenty of times in the past. But here we go, X is wounded again.. I didn't want this to become a trope or slow us down, but it brought upon some very necessary world building and character development for the new reploids. Very much, the expository episode, this was an important chapter, because it set up things for future episodes and kept me on track, months later when it was time to think about the bigger picture. Kassy & Hal went to the Magma Area while Tack checked out the Laser Institute. The Nightmare System was in full effect now, and the goal was to show how dangerous the Nightmare actually is to some red shirts, before X goes in there. How effective that actually was in my execution, remains to be seen. At this point the episode title remains prominent, because X expresses sincere interest in finding the Real Zero, but they have... zero leads. (Sorry, I had to.) The Villains even had an interesting follow-up about Scaravich’s death and there was an interaction, which vaguely eluded to something new happening, from Metal Shark. So that will be something fun to look forward to. Ending at the beginning of a new stage is always a cool cliffhanger. Believe it or not, I wanted this to go all the way through the Rainy Turtloid stage, which would have given the title prominence for a 3rd time. But that’s okay.

Ep. 5: Another Long Stage, but its not half as draining as the Central Museum. In fact, all of the Reploid Interactions kept it really lively. Especially by the end. The Inami Temple was the first stage that I could hint at our location with the episode title - “Nightmare Rain”. I wish I could’ve done that for the previous episodes, but it’s alright. I took some interesting risks, during this stage write-through. I almost forgot about that frickin Monbando Reploid unit. I took a real risk by giving him an AI, but he keeps things interesting, giving X someone to talk to, which actually added levity to the situation where appropriate. That Nightmare Zero encounter mid-stage was what it was all about for me, though. I'm really proud of that one, using the stage layout to my advantage in an innovative way. All of that Levy stuff with Rescue Reploid 6 was another interesting choice. I have more in store for her, but I'm really hoping there will be more of a payoff, than just an Easter Egg Cameo. We’ll see. I’m looking forward to seeing what else I can do with her in the next arc. Need I bring up X’s Reploid rescues in the Gaia Armor!?? That was a bright idea that I came up with after post-planning. The original plan was to have X revisit the stage later, but I thought about how this Acid Rain was killing them, so... time to settle the issue of an unused Armor. [X6 granting us the gift of using a modified Fifth Armor was nice, but it made me wonder, why can’t he access the Gaia anymore?]. The answer was just that he doesn’t really like it. But he used it to his advantage here, and now I had a new challenge ahead of me. I had to get rid of it. Another challenge was posed when X discovered a fucking portal in one of the tunnels. I wasn’t prepared for that! But thankfully, I was able to come up with a viable excuse rather than just X being scared of the portal. He ran out of teleporter rings!!!! This gave me new Fanon Mega-science to add to the stakes. Teleporter Rings now need a day to recharge, and it was clear that plenty more needed to be made. This gave Alia & Douglas something to do, so in the end, this was all good. But now it was time for X to face off against Rainy Turtloid. He’d have to come back for the others later. [Time will tell, how well or poorly that is handled, depending on how long it takes X to actually get back there.]

Ep. 6: This one basically had Reverse Pacing, but I liked it. It started with a Climactic, Rainy Turtloid fight. I mean, this was Epic and fucking Brutal. Thanks to my brilliant bring-back of the Gaia Armor, now Turtloid had to take it away and break the shit out of it. This is where “The Fight Becomes Dire” and I thought it was amazing. In my planning phase, that was never remotely on the table, but it worked out wonderfully. What was on the table was X possibly using his Ultimate Armor if the battle got too brutal, but I wanted to avoid that. [I had done practice playthroughs where I managed to get X to win in Normal Armor and definitely in Falcon Armor with some select weapon spamming and pattern memorizing. I was open to keeping it simple, I really was.]. But after X got smacked around like a bitch, it was time for payback. Especially considering Turtloid’s motivation to fight was “But I have to listen to Master...” Here we had the interesting case that both Men respected each other and didn’t want to fight, but they had to. {Even though X thought the Reploid Trapping and Nightmare acceptance was reprehensible}. X primarily focussed on that and tried to change Turtloid’s mind, but once his Gaia Armor was destroyed and X nearly died, it was time for some Ultimate payback. I’m really surprised by how epic and dark it got. I’m very proud of it. After the mission, due to some very necessary stakes and power limiters, X had to sit out for a day again, once again slowing our pacing down to a screeching halt. This one hurt me, I think. At least he wasn't injured this time... As I stated before, when I made the decision to include the Ultimate Armor into this Season, I did so knowing that there needed to be a price. It comes with him using up all his stamina. Therefore, he can't spam it with every mission or battle. The same rules applied to his shotokan moves in Season I & II, which have basically been replaced by the Ultimate Armor at this point. With more opportunity at exposition, however, I was able to follow up on the new reploids, who were now in trouble at their respective missions. [This is the stuff I needed to give X motivation for his mission choices during the planning phase, but it just wasn’t there]. And yet, one was debatably set up too soon. I had a new dilemma, where X was forced to sit out, while Kassy & Hal are stuck at the Magma Area, hurt. The choice to show X training the recruits in the meantime was a fun risk to take though. It showed productivity and progress in the downtime, hopefully eluding to the idea that these newbies can fend for themselves, while it inevitably takes X a while to save them in the future. I also got to develop Levy more and even create some juicy tension between her and Alia, which wasn’t originally planned. I had intended for a 2nd sex scene with Alia to happen at some point, but I didn't want it to be forced. Just more of an implied - ‘this is what’s happening while we wait’. But the addition of Levy’s flirting played into Alia’s insecurities, which gave it more of a purpose. And poor Douglas! Hahahaha. I was so tickled when I put that in out of nowhere. We got some much needed levity when he wanted to show X a new part, but instead he overheard them having sex and walked away with a “Nope!” lol!!! Its becoming very clear that I enjoy the in-between mission slice of life stuff Way more than the missions themselves. But then, when we get back to it... after X gave it a night, he and Signas found every excuse not to save Kassy & Hal yet, because my Stage Order plan still needed to be in play... At least Tack discovered that Portal at Sheldon’s stage. This saved my Stage Order Motivation, but it was still weak. If only Zero was around, then they could split the difference. But what I liked about this was that it showed just how bad of shape that X and co. were in. Yet again, the episode title remained prominent. “The Fight Becomes Dire”! The truth is, they were all over the place and X didn't know where to go first. For the first time in a while, our Hunters are overwhelmed and understaffed. And that was really noticeable here. I still think the ending is kinda weak though. There's no real cliffhanger other than knowing that X will pursue Shield Sheldon next. But overall, I liked the flow of this. There's a lot of forced slow downs in the momentum to have us sit with the characters and their decisions. It makes for a very different, sort of dismal pacing, which adds to the atmosphere of this looming Nightmare that won’t go away. One noticeable thing, however is that I failed to follow up on the Villains this time around. I had an ample opportunity to follow up on Gate’s thoughts for losing Turtloid again, who was debatably his favorite creation. I really botched that up, but I simply didn’t think of it at the time before posting. So who knows? That could be possible room for improvement in a future edit. Either way, the Villains are sure to be due for a check in soon.

Ep. 7: Epic. As. Fuck. But it took a minute to get there. Shield Sheldon's stage was more complicated to write through than I originally thought. Its the shortest stage in the game and yet all those damn lasers and their angles made for quite the challenge. This in itself, was a “Laser Light Phenomena”. Another immense challenge that I wasn't expecting was Sheldon's battle completely Flipping the Narrative on X. Admittedly, I really had a hard time finding motivation for those 2 to feud. Especially since he wasn't holding a grudge based on the past. I noticed a while ago, all of Gate's creations are so very willing to sacrifice themselves for Gate's cause. Like, to a nonsensical degree. Maybe that's their degree of Maverickism. They're just crazy... Anyway, this Deadlock Standstill might really play into my favor, since this recent Portal Experience is going to change X's motivations. I... don't want X to take a backseat, but... Rescuing the Reploids is going to be his 1st Priority from here on in. Especially since he wasn't able to save Tack and the bunch. Again, thats where stakes come into play. I didn't come into this episode knowing I was going to make that decision. But when I saw the layout of the "Pocket Dimension" as I'm calling it, and I factored in the time Tack spent in there, trying to rescue the Reploids by himself, there was no way I could have them all just hang out at a narrow ledge by the gate, or stuck in the gateway, scared. I wasn't gonna pull a lame idea that they managed to somehow unlock the gate, like I did with Data. (That can be the one trait that makes Data special and could play into his advantage in the future. But no one else's). Nightmare Zero wouldn't spare them either. He'd absolutely kill them in bloodlust. So... stakes were created. X took too long to catch up to him and thats what he gets. That last battle with ZN though... I'm really proud of where it went. I had some obvious limits this time compared to past Zero fights. That could be an analysis for another time.. But, I was happy to get pretty gorey by the end, there. And that pay off Cliff Hanger was so satisfying! It gives me all the feels.

The 2nd Arc is going to feel very different. But we ain't out of the woods yet. Rereading the 1st Arc served as a dual purpose. Not only could I gush about my favorite moments or be open about my choices and how things came out, but it is starting to reveal where else it's going. Kassy & Hal still need rescuing at the Magma Area. Cody & Data are at the North Pole! Tekk is at the Weapon Center. X still needs to save whoever is in the portal at Inami Temple! Let alone revisiting the Amazon and Central Museum again. Exposition is just waiting to happen, and now that Zero is back?? Things are going to get easier, but also a little bit harder for X. One thing I can definitely say is that seeing him will bring back some Unwanted Memories. And its gonna be very interesting to see how he deals with that. I'm definitely looking forward to writing the 2nd Arc out in the New Year.

Until then, folks. I hope you enjoyed reliving this with me. See you in 2021, which should hopefully prove to be a far more stable year than 2020. [God, I hope I didn’t just jinx everything...]

#Season VI Diaries #Looking back at the 1st Nightmare Arc #Ep. 1-7 #writing wins #writing woes #X #Alia #Investigators #New Reploids #Zero Nightmare #unexpected dilemmas #writing out of pitfalls #stakes #limits #forced slowdowns #dismal atmosphere #navigating dystopian writing

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grigori77 · 4 years

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The Works of Ridley Scott - My Top Ten

So I decided I’d drop another series of big post lumps of spam on you guys by rocking my favourite directors’ works by rating my personal favourites of each, and I figured what better place to start than my absolute number one, so here we go - these are my very favourite films of my absolute cinematic IDOL, the master of British auteur filmmakers. Enjoy ...

10. EXODUS: GODS & KINGS

It takes a really ballsy filmmaker to try and make a big budget live action Ten Commandments movie after Cecil B. DeMille’s monstrous Technicolour epic, but guts is something Scott’s never been lacking in, and the result is one of his most striking offerings of recent years, a meaty revisionist take on the Book of Exodus that jettisons most of the mysticism to concentrate on the gritty human struggle at its heart. It’s the story of two warring brothers and the lengths each is willing to go to in order to achieve their opposing ends, and while Scott typically delivers BIG TIME on the spectacle and immersive world-building, where he really shines is as an actor’s director, here rightly focusing on the deeply complex relationship between Christian Bale’s Moses and Joel Edgerton’s Pharaoh Ramesses II. The end result is a lesser known but no less worthy swords-and-sandals epic than his signature entry to the genre.

9. PROMETHEUS

Like many fans of the Xenomorph saga he helped create, I was excited but also understandably wary of his return to the franchise with a proposed “prequel”, and to be honest as an Alien movie this actually is a bit of a mess, trying a little too hard to apply that connective tissue and ultimately failing more than it succeeds (indeed, as a franchise entry, direct sequel Alien: Covenant is a far more successful effort). Personally, I’ve always preferred to simply consider it as a film in its own right, and as a standalone sci-fi horror thriller this is a CRACKING film, insidious, atmospheric, moody and magnificent in equal measure, Scott weaving a sense of dangerous mystery and palpable dread throughout that grips from enigmatic start to devastating finish. Noomi Rapace is an excellent Ripley-substitute, but the true breakaway star of the film is Michael Fassbender as twisted android sociopath David, just as chilling as the horrors he unleashes on his unsuspecting crewmates.

8. THELMA & LOUISE

To be brutally honest, Ridley’s output in the 1990s was largely unimpressive (White Squall left me cold, while 1492: Conquest of Paradise was technically brilliant but discouragingly slow and disjointed, and I think we can all agree cinema would be better off if GI Jane had never happened), but at least he got the decade off to a strong start with this beautiful, lyrical, heartfelt and undeniably powerful tale of unerring friendship triumphing against fearful odds. It may have been directed by a man, but it was written by a woman (Callie Khouri, creator of TV’s Nashville, who rightly won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for her astounding work) and is unapologetically told from a woman’s point of view, which is finally becoming an accepted thing in blockbuster filmmaking, but back then it was still a new concept, and you have to applaud Scott for being one of its pioneers. It may be most well known these days for giving Brad Pitt his big break, but the film’s focus is VERY MUCH on Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon as the titular friends, forced to go on the run after an innocent night out goes horribly wrong. After becoming one of THE hot ticket date movies of the 90s, it’s still fondly remembered for its heartfelt message, gentle humour and powerful climax.

7. BLACK RAIN

Probably the closest Ridley ever came to capturing his brother Tony Scott’s more popcorn-friendly brand of super-slick, glossy blockbuster fare was this Japan-set fish-out-of-water cop flick, but he couldn’t help adding a real weight and substance to the final product, and the result is one of my very favourite thrillers of the 80s. Michael Douglas was riding high after his Academy Award win for Wall Street, but his performance as hot-headed maverick NYPD detective Nick Conklin has always been my personal favourite, and he shares strong chemistry with a young Andy Garcia as his wise-cracking partner Charlie Vincent, but the film’s understated secret weapon is heavyweight Japanese character actor Ken Takakura as Masahiro, the stoic, by-the-book Osaka police inspector they’re forced to team up with in order to capture rogue Yakuza underboss Sato (a deliciously feral turn from the Yūsaku Matsuda in his very last screen role before his death just months after the film’s release) and bust an international counterfeiting ring. This is definitely Scott’s glossiest film, but there’s hidden depth behind the neon-drenched visuals, the expertly staged set-pieces perfectly countered by a robust story, precision-crafted character work and bucket-loads of emotional heft (especially surrounding the film’s high point, one of the most devastating character deaths in cinematic history). It may not be held in the high regard of many of his more “sophisticated” films, but in my opinion it’s just as worthy of recognition, and I’ll defend it to the death.

6. THE MARTIAN

Scott’s last truly GREAT film (to date, anyway) is also one of his most effortlessly likeable, a breathless, breezy and thoroughly FUN adaptation of the bestselling debut novel of space-exploration geek Andy Weir. Matt Damon must have been born to play Mark Watney, an astronaut in the third manned mission to Mars who is accidentally left for dead on the surface when the crew are forced to evacuate by a catastrophic dust storm; alone and with no means of escape, Watney must use all his scientific smarts to survive long enough for NASA’s desperate rescue mission to reach him. He’s a thoroughly endearing everyman hero we can’t help rooting for, self-deprecating and oozing sass all day long, and in his company the film’s two-and-a-half hours simply RACE by, while one of Scott’s strongest ever supporting casts (which includes Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean and a glorious scene-stealing cameo from Donald Glover) once again proves that he really is one of the very best actor’s directors around. Thoroughly ingenious, visually stunning and frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious, this is definitely Scott’s most endearing film to date, about as perfect a popcorn flick as you’re gonna find outside the MCU …

5. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director’s Cut)

Certainly the most maligned film in his oeuvre, this has perhaps the most troubled production history of ALL his works, famously mauled in post as 20th Century Fox rushed to get the still unfinished feature ready enough for its summer 2005 release, the clunky theatrical cut understandably met with mixed reviews and somewhat underperforming at the box office. Thank the gods, then, for Scott’s unerring perfectionism – he couldn’t rest with that lacklustre legacy, so he knuckled down and produced what is, in my opinion, the very best of all his director’s cuts, reinstating an unprecedented FIFTY MINUTES of missing material which doesn’t just flesh out character arcs but frequently creates an entirely new, far richer and MUCH more rewarding overall narrative, and the final feature was met with thoroughly well-deserved critical acclaim. Not only is this one of my favourite Ridley Scott films, it’s one of my very favourite historical epics PERIOD, a magnificently rich, sprawling saga of blood, sex, honour and courtly intrigue as we follow blacksmith-turned-knight Balian (Orlando Bloom in one of his very best roles) on his quest for redemption in the Holy Land at the height of the Third Crusade. This is still one of the director’s most expensive films, and EVERY PENNY is right there on the screen, each scene designed to perfection and dripping in astounding period detail, while the sweeping cinematography is some of the very best in his entire catalogue, and the battle sequences so expansively vast they even put Gladiator’s opening to shame. So, far from being his greatest folly, this was ultimately one of Scott’s greatest triumphs, and I can’t recommend it enough.

4. BLACK HAWK DOWN

In my opinion, this is the absolute PEAK of Scott’s cinematic achievements to date as an action director – almost two-and-a-half hours of relentless blood, bullets, smoke and terror that’s as exhilarating as it is exhausting, as emotionally uplifting as it is harrowing, quite simply the DEFINITIVE portrayal of the bonds of brotherhood forged by men under fire. The film tells the story of the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, 24 blood-soaked hours in which US military forces were trapped behind enemy lines and besieged on all sides by hostile Somali forces after a botched raid saw two Black Hawk helicopters shot down, precipitating a snowballing military catastrophe and a bitter fight for survival. Certainly the film takes many liberties with the historical accuracy (then again that’s pretty much Hollywood’s standard approach regarding true story war movies), but there’s no denying it perfectly captures the desperate chaos the soldiers must have faced on the day, throwing the viewer headfirst into a dusty, noisy hell and refusing to let him out again. The action sequences are some of the finest I have EVER seen committed to film, but the film has just as much heart as guts, tugging our heartstrings and jerking plenty of tears because we really come to care about these boys and what happens to them. Intense, rousing, explosive, provocative – definitely the action highlight of Scott’s oeuvre.

3. ALIEN

It may have some decidedly humble beginnings, but the opening chapter in the other jewel in 20th Century Fox’s sci-fi franchise crown is now considered to be THE greatest science fiction horror film of all time, and rightly so – it’s a textbook example of a flawlessly-executed high-concept “haunted house in space” flick, a master-class in slow-building atmospherics, sustained tension and some truly hair-raising shocks that are as fresh and effective today as they were back in 1979. Not bad for something that started out as a pulpy B-picture script from Dan O’Bannon (co-writer and star of John Carpenter’s cult feature debut and one-time student film Dark Star). The cast is stellar (ahem), dominated OF COURSE by then pretty much unknown young upstart Sigourney Weaver in what REMAINS the greatest role of her decidedly impressive career, but the true star of the film is the creature itself, the late H.R. Giger’s twisted, primal design teased with consummate skill to maximise the stealthy effectiveness of what has become the definitive extraterrestrial nightmare fuel of sci-fi cinema. Ultimately I’m more of an Aliens fan myself, but I don’t deny that this is a MASTERPIECE of the genre, and I f£$%ing LOVE IT.

2. GLADIATOR

It may have been usurped by Kingdom of Heaven as Scott’s most ambitious film, but his first dabble in swords-and-sandals cinema remains the best of his historical epics, and at the time proved to be a MASSIVE shot in the arm for what had long become a flagging, largely forgotten genre, spawning a veritable LEGION of bandwagon-jumping followers. Needless to say, NOBODY does this better than Scott, who brought the opulent excess of ancient Rome and its vast empire to vivid life in all its bloodthirsty, duplicitous detail, from the back-stabbing intrigues of the Senate to the life-and-death drama of the Coliseum. The script is rich and heady stuff (penned as it is by former playwright John Logan), exquisitely performed by a premium-cut cast (particularly impressive was the late Oliver Reed in his very last screen role) and bolstered by some of the most impressive battle scenes ever committed to film, but the true driving force of the film is the ferocious antagonism between the hero and villain, Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix both making the transition from rising-stars to genuine A-listers with major box office clout thanks to their truly electrifying performances. After his relative creative slump in the 90s, Scott’s first offering of the new Millennium proved the start of a major renaissance in his work, and thankfully it’s shown no sign of flagging since …

1. BLADE RUNNER

Not only is this my favourite film by my favourite director, but also what, if I was REALLY PRESSED, I would have to call my very favourite movie EVER. I’m gonna be waxing most lyrical about this in great detail when I drop my big-screen sci-fi Top Ten on here, so I don’t want to talk about it TOO MUCH here … suffice to say this has been a dominant fixture in my favourites since my early adolescence, when I first stumbled across it on TV one Saturday night, and even though it was the theatrical cut with its clunky voice-over and that ridiculous tacked-on happy ending, I was instantly captured by its searing visionary brilliance and dark, brutally nihilistic power, so when Scott finally released his first Director’s Cut I was already DEEPLY in love with this film. Sure, being a Star Wars fan, Harrison Ford will ALWAYS be Han Solo for me (along with Indiana Jones, of course), but my personal favourite role of his career is Rick Deckard, the sleazy, downtrodden and world-weary android-hunting gumshoe stumbling through his most deadly case in the mean streets of rain-lashed cyberpunk megalopolis Los Angeles circa 2019, while Rutger Hauer effortlessly steals the film as his mercurial nemesis, live-fast-die-young Nexus 6 Roy Batty. This is still THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FILM I HAVE EVER SEEN, the visual effects work still standing up perfectly today, the exquisite design work and peerless atmospheric cinematography rightly going on to inform and influence an entire genre of science-fiction both on the big screen and off, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who hasn’t already seen it. Deliciously dark, fiendishly intelligent and heart-rending in its stubborn refusal to deliver easy answers or present us with a cathartic HAPPY ending (no matter what the theatrical cut might want you to think), this really is as good as cinema gets.

There you have it, my top movies from the man I personally consider to be the greatest filmmaker around tody, and here’s hoping we’re gonna see a lot more from him yet ... Sir Ridley Scott, knight of the f£$%ing realm ...

#Ridley Scott #sir ridley scott #exodus gods & kings #prometheus #thelma & louise #black rain #the martian #kingdom of heaven #kingdom of heaven director's cut #black hawk down #Alien #gladiator #Blade Runner #greatest director of all time

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jadeender · 4 years

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After the Battle

As Ganon once again crumbled to dust Warriors and the others looked on in awe. Hyrule had just single handedly one-shoted their eternal enemy like it was nothing. If Ganon was powerful enough to defeat Callous and Callous was stronger than them all, what did that mean for Hyrule?

That was a disturbing concept to be debated later, the shadowlings had all dissolved leaving the battlefield devoid of bodies but the castle was damaged badly and their friends were injured. The allies regrouped around Ravio and Curse who were taking care of Wind now dealing with his broken leg and Four was still laying in their makeshift triage center unconscious but breathing.

Sine the battle was over and the danger had passed Warriors rounded on Maverick who was still hobbling forward though had finally managed to crack open his eyes slightly.

“What the hell have you been doing for the past weeks? You murdered Curse and fought against us. You better have a good explanation for this besides just you were trying to spy on Callous.” Warriors moved towards him raising his sword. “You know how I feel about traitors.”

“I really was doing it to get on Callous’s good side. Back when I fought against Four he used the same strategy on me, getting into my good graces then using the information against me. I knew Curse would be fine or else I wouldn’t have done it.” Maverick looked at the dark in question. “I’m sorry I had to do that, I know being dusted and reforming isnt easy and its extremely painful but you wouldn’t be dead forever, if I succeeded Callous would. And I did, I know where to find the mirror and even more than that I know a better way. One where he gets to suffer for all the things he’s done.”

Mavericks eyes darkened as he talked and for the first time since they’d be Warriors was actually afraid of what the young dark might do, especially with those red eyes he reminded Warriors all too well of what Conqueror could do, and the fact that Maverick could be capable of the same was disturbing to say the least.

“Any other information you’d like to share from your time away then?” Legend asked somewhat sarcastically. Warriors turned his head slightly to look at the other, Legend had always seemed to empathise with Maverick/ Shadow somewhat but know he seemed on guard.

“Well I learned how to use my powers better but thats of no use to you. Oh yeah and Conqueror is currently dusted by the way, Callous saw to that himself when Conqueror came to the fortress to challenge him.” Maverick added. “If we want to get Callous’s mirror and get rid of him for good we need to move fast, he won’t stay dusted for as long as the others do.”

“We aren’t leaving until the morning, we all need to rest and recouperate tonight, that includes you.” Time said decisively. “Four is still out and Wind is injured. In the morning you can take us but for tonight we wait.”

Maverick sighed but complied his gaze finally coming back to rest on Four.

“Lets get everyone inside and tell the guards that everyone can come back now that the battle is over.” Time said as they all began picking up and heading back.

Warriors went over to Wind who at current was being sassed by Tempest.

“All that and you still manage to break a leg. Come on, couldn’t even manage to kill him while you were falling.” Tempest said as Ravio gave Wind a potion, whom happily chugged it down.

“I was too busy trying not to die and trying to get his mirror so excuse me for not having perfect landing form.” Wind replied to which Tempest just laughed. It was good to see them being able to get along, once upon a time Tempest had done everything in his power to make Wind miserable but now they seemed to have found a common peace.

“You ready to go inside?” Warriors asked leaning down. Wind tested his leg slightly pulling it back and forth as the magic in his potion was already healing the broken bone.

“Yeah let’s go.” Wind stood carefully and Warriors held onto his arm helping the other limp towards the castle.

They walked in silence for a couple minutes before Wind began again. “He didn’t mean to. Maverick I mean. Callous can control minds, he put some sort of compulsion on Maverick forced him to act like. For the first half of the battle he was controlling Maverick directly.”

That was shocking news. Callous had an ability that powerful but was able to be killed. But it did explain how he could control so many shadowlings, previously Warriors had assumed he controlled them through fear or loyalty as with other rulers but that was apparently giving him too much credit.

“That does make sense. Suddenly I’m more inclined to agree with Mavericks bloodlust. If Callous was powerful enough to dust Conqueror without trouble and put Maverick under his complete control the sooner we destroy his mirror the better.” Warriors and Wind entered the castle and soon they reached Wind’s room. After helping Wind into bed he told the younger good night and returned to his own room getting a few hours of sleep.

____________________________________________________________________________

A couple hours later closer to the middle of the day the links and their allies began to awake and gathered for a late breakfast once again with Zelda who used a little of her magic to rid them of their lingering tiredness and ache.

Maverick and Four were sitting next to each other but neither was talking and overall the mood was downcast. They’d won but the fight wasn’t over.

“Now that everyones awake and once we eat we need to get Callous’s mirror as soon as possible. Maverick do you know where it is specifically?” Sky addressed the table from where he sat next to Zelda, together they made quite the pair.

Maverick shook his head. “Even when I was closest to him Callous wouldn’t have told me, it was too dangerous for anyone to know. But the fortress is only so large, and he would have hidden it in his private wing which narrows it down even more. We should be able to find it without too much trouble once we’re there.”

Sky nodded back and looked at the others. “Then we get into the fortress split up and find that mirror, we’ll turn the entire fortress inside out if we have to. Whoever finds the mirror don’t smash it immediately until or unless you see Callous physically in the same room. We’ll make a rendezvous spot once we arrive.”

With the battle plan made the meal went on in relative silence. As soon as they were done the assembled darks used their combined power to transport the group into the dark world, giving the links their first view of the fortress they’d only heard about from Maverick and Curse. A fortress crawling with some of the most vile demons Warriors had ever seen.

#linked universe #merged #altered #things are calm now right?#and the fight is over right?

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the-bi-lion499 · 5 years

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A Story I Kinda Came Up With (Ch1)

Two people are in a cubular room in almost complete darkness. Both people begin to gain consciousness and realize they are both bound to the wall. Struggling against their bonds, they eventually break free and explore the room. Upon realizing they aren’t alone they introduce each other: one says,

“Hey, who are you?”

The other says,

“I’m Sir Maverik Boleson; a knight from the kingdom of the Triple Battalion. Who are you and how did we get here?”

“I’m Bonya; a merchant from the same kingdom, but I have little idea where we are or how we got here.”

They decided to look around the room and try to learn more. They found a small pedestal in the middle of the room. On it was a note of which it was too dark to read and a vial containing some liquid. After a little thought they decided to try to get out of the door. They tried to open it, but it was locked. However, it was in weak condition so Maverik figured he could probably bust it open. He successfully knocked the door off its hinges and caught it before it hit the ground as to not alert any guards. After the door was open the pairing could see they were now it a narrow tunnel lined with torches and a the end of the tunnel was a sturdy looking wooden door. They decided they would try to go and see if the door was locked and if they could see anyone on the other side. Upon reaching the door they saw two guards with spears, helmets, shields and breast plates. They went to test to see if the door was locked but in doing so alerted the guards to their presence. The guards opened the door and shouted,

“GET BACK TO YOUR CELL”

Maverik having no weapon used his one power he did have, his surprisingly large, intimidatingly, muscular figure and charge at the guards. Surprisingly the guards were driven off by this and they ran down the hall to the right. Maverik and Bonya moved into the room outside the door and pondered what to do next. Maverik remembering his time he spent in castles realized they must be near the armory, barracks, and stables. He figured straight was the armory, left was the barracks and right was the stables. After discussing, they figured they had better go to the armory to defend themselves. Once they arrived in the armory they saw spears, helmets and shields with emblems of a kingdom Maverik recognized as an enemy kingdom to his. Maverick grabbed a shield, helmet, and spear. Bonya only could carry a helmet and a shield. They made their way back to the room that led to the different places and heard many sets of feet approaching from the direction of the barracks. Eight guards appeared. Maverick said,

“Go to the stables, I’ll hold them off”

Bonya started running towards the stables, while Maverik prepared to attack the guards. He lunged with his spear at the nearest guard plunging straight through his chest. The guard fell over; dead. Maverik yanked the spear out and turned to the next guard who he swept the legs out from under and sank his spear into him. The third guard however was prepared and parried Maverik’s strike and stabbed him in the leg. Maverik cried out in pain. Upon hearing a scream of anguish Bonya decided she better head back and see what she could do. Despite being injured Maverik was able to fend off many of the other attacks. One attack however caught him it the ribs and sent him to the floor. Another guard tried an attack and Maverik managed to parry and stab the guard killing him. The guards saw how skilled Maverik was and retreated to get back up. Bonya arrived and saw the state Maverik was in. They knew they couldn’t escape while Maverik was in the condition he was in, so they, despite not knowing what was in it, gave him the liquid in the vial. Luckily, the vial partially healed his wounds enough to let them escape to the stables. They escaped to the stables and attempted to break one of the locks on the stables housing a horse. In attempting to break the lock they broke their shields and helmets. They eventually managed to get a horse out of the stables and rode the horse until they got to the end of the pasture and tried to jump to fence but were unfortunately thrown off the horse and it ran away.

Noticing a town not too far away, Maverik and Bonya quickly decided to head in that direction. Once they got closer to the town, they saw a nice mysterious looking forest near the town that would be able to hide them from unwanted visitors. Noting the forest, they then entered the town to look for some supplies. When they got into the town, they saw vendors selling practically anything a person could imagine. There were stores selling food, clothes, hardware, and even a store selling magical items and potions. All they had was a vial and the note telling them to meet in square. They decided to go to the square of the town and look for the person who sent the note. There was a lot of hustle and bustle but there was one man standing still and staring at them next to a post. Curious they started moving towards the man. Once the man realized they were moving towards them, he moved away and seemed to disappear. They went to post where he had stood. There was a note stabbed into the post with an ancient and powerful looking knife. The note read Here Tonight. Feeling hungry, they decided to try to buy some food. As they didn’t have any money, they went to a store to try to sell what little they had. They tried to sell the bottle they had. Unsurprisingly, no one wanted to buy the empty bottle. They then realized they could sell the fancy knife that the mysterious man left behind. They briefly considered the possible downsides of selling the knife, but their hungry bellies prevailed. They went to the blacksmith, Ryken. They asked him how much the knife was worth. Ryken said very quickly,

“This knife is worth no more then 7 silver pieces.”

Being very hungry they agreed. As they were leaving they thought they heard Ryken snicker. They immediately went to a separate shop to buy food. Deciding to leave the town to avoid potentially getting caught. They went in the woods. They walked for quite a while before they found a river in a clearing and decided to make it their temporary home. Upon further exploration, they found some berries. They considered eating the berries but ultimately decided it was too dangerous. They ate their food but wanted to get more money. They devised a plan to trick some people into buying a “potion.” They mashed the berries in a liquid and put them into the vial. They then returned to the town. They went to the apothecary shop and went to talk to the shop owner. Bonya said,

“Great Apothecary, we have a strong potion for you if you will buy it from us.”

The Apothecary replied,

“Oh, and what potion is that?”

“THIS,” they showed the apothecary the potion. The apothecary examined the liquid for several seconds before laughing and saying kindly,

“You think you can fool me? This is clearly just berries you mashed up. Good thing you didn’t eat any though because this is highly poisonous. However it is in fact a key ingredient in many antidotes, so I will buy it from you for 10 silver.”

“Deal”

They said in unison. Maverik and Bonya decided to save the rest of their money. They returned to their clearing and waited until nightfall. Once night came, they preceded into the town square. Though it was dark they made out the silhouette of a shady figure man. They assumed they were there to meet this Shady Figure Man. They approached him and once they got close enough to him the figure said,

“Good, you made it. Now, if you’ll return my knife, we can begin”

Bonya responded,

“Oh, you wanted the knife back?”

“Of course I wanted it back. Not only is it a family heirloom, but it also contains great power. What did you do with it?”

Bonya responded quietly with,

“Sold it for 7 silver pieces. In our defense we were really hungry.”

“Ugh, ok. Well, get the knife back in the next 2 days and meet me here.”

And just like that, the figure disappeared into the night. Distraught and disheartened, Bonya and Maverik returned to their and decided to wait until morning before attempting to retrieve the knife.

Morning came and they woke. Feeling hungry they ate some of the left over food they had left at their camp. They decided to head back into town and just ask for the knife back. Once they arrived in the town they realized that posted all over the town were pictures of them with text saying “WANTED: BONYA AND MAVERIK- REWARD 10,000 GOLD PIECES- DEAD OR ALIVE” They lowered their gaze so as to not attract the attention of the people milling about the square. They went into the store where they sold the knife and Bonya said,

“HEY, you scammed us. We need our knife back it’s a family heirloom.”

The store owner turned around and said,

“And why should I care about that. Sellers beware.”

Maverik stepped in and said,

“You have to give it back or ELSE!”

“Do I now,” said the owner, “Or do I just have to call some guards because I’m pretty sure you guys are wanted by the King.”

Before they could do anything, the man yelled,

“GUARDDDDSSS, GUARDDDDSSS!!!”

Bonya and Maverik bolted to the door, but before they could leave 5 guards came in bearing spears, shields. Hoping for the best, Maverik charged the first guard. His knight training kicked and he knocked out the guard and took the guard’s spear. The other 4 guards pulled out swords. The first guard lunged and was caught in the stomach by Maverik spear, but the second guard stabbed Maverik in the leg. Falling to one knee, Maverik bellowed and stabbed the second guard. The third guard stabbed Maverik in the chest send him to the ground in pain. Not knowing what to do Bonya grabbed one of the swords on the ground and managed to fight off the guards for a while before one of the guards stabbed her in the gut. As the guards were about to kill them a knife flew into the head of one of the guards. The Shady Figure Man leapt forward and tackled the guard and pulled the knife out in a fluid roll before throwing the knife at the other guard. Before he could retrieve his knife, the final guard backed him into a corner. Noticing a sword on the ground, The Shady Figure Man flipped a sword into his hands and killed the guard before he could even flinch. The man looked at Maverik and Bonya laying on the ground wounded and said, while picking up his knife,

“You aren’t ready, I will find you when you are”

He disappeared out the door.

#writing #story #pls read this #i worked hard on this #ask me questions #ch 1 #there's more to come

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