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roosterforme · 3 months

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Explicitly Yours | Bob Floyd x Reader

Summary: When Bob met you, he fell for you hard and fast. He thought you might be his perfect match, the one that would make his days feel full instead of lonely. He never would have dreamed you had a secret. But secrets are known to be revealed at the most inconvenient of times, and Bob's surprised hesitation could cost him the thing he wants most.

Warnings: Smut, oral, fluff, angst, misogyny, language, mentions of adult film industry

Length: 11k words (what have I done?)

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Former Pornstar!Female Reader

This was written for International Bob Floyd Fucks Month hosted by @attapullman. Check my masterlist for more! Banner by @thedroneranger

Bob was fresh off of a long deployment when he returned to work at North Island on Monday morning to find he would begin training as part of a new taskforce. He was tired and antsy, still overstimulated from being around so many people on the aircraft carrier, but he was also realizing how lonely he was.

He'd arrived back to a sterile, empty, dusty apartment, slept for two days, and now he was back to work. He couldn't even have a cat or a houseplant. He really would like to have a cat or a houseplant. Mostly he thought about how nice it would be to have a girlfriend. A sweet one who would wait for him to return home so his apartment didn't feel so sad. One who didn't mind that sometimes he preferred it to be quiet. One who would let him dote on her a little bit when he was home.

When he was told to report to Classroom Six in his uniform instead of the tarmac in his flight suit, Bob knew it was going to be a long day. That idea only grew as soon as he walked in and was accosted by his friends. "You're back!" Natasha screeched, streaking across the room like a brunette cannonball and slamming into his arms. "It's not even fair that we weren't deployed together. I missed you!"

"Missed you too, Nat. Thanks for all the emails."

Then he felt Bradley, Jake and Javy all jostling him around until his glasses were crooked on his face. That's probably why he did a double take when he saw you. There was no way you were that beautiful. His glasses must need to be adjusted on his face. But he was wrong. You looked the same after he pushed his wire frames back into place.

He swallowed hard and whispered, "Who's that?"

The guys all looked at him with matching smirks, and Javy told him your name. "Civilian. She's Warlock's new assistant. Got reassigned from a different department last week."

"She's real cute," Jake added. "And she looks so familiar."

"Why does she look so familiar?" Bradley asked, and Bob realized that the whole group was staring at you where you were conversing quietly with Warlock. "We've been trying to figure it out for a week."

You didn't look familiar to Bob. You just looked pretty with bright eyes and a friendly smile, both of which were trained on him now. Of course you were looking his way now, because everyone had mussed up his hair and wrinkled his uniform. He didn't mind so much that you caught him staring, because you were the kind of woman who must get that a lot.

"Lieutenant Floyd," Admiral Bates said as he stood, and Bob saluted his superior officer immediately. "Welcome back."

"Sir," Bob replied, doing his best not to let his gaze drift back to you. "Thank you."

Then Warlock called the room to order, and Bob ended up sitting in the front row, directly across from you. Barely six feet away. You were so pretty, it wasn't even funny. The curve of your face and your neck and the way you moved were mesmerizing. Smooth and fluid. Confident. Beautiful. You kept Warlock on task and seemed to have all the pertinent information about the class memorized. But all of it was lost on Bob, because he was way too distracted.

By lunchtime, he had sweat through his undershirt, and he was sure his uniform shirt wasn't looking much better. The way you turned to look directly at him with a slightly guarded expression when you stood made him blush. It must be obvious to you that Bob couldn't keep his eyes off your face.

"Hi," you greeted. "Lieutenant Floyd."

Bob swallowed hard before something that sounded vaguely like Hello came out of his mouth.

Your smile was tinged with a little sadness as you stuck out your hand. "I've been looking forward to meeting the last team member. Welcome back from deployment, Lieutenant."

And then you were walking away, but Bob was still sweating.

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

For the next four days, Bob got there early to ensure he had that same front row seat. He had a full blown crush. Heart pounding, palms damp, unable to focus on anything other than his crush on you. When he wasn't at work looking right at you, he was daydreaming about you. When he wasn't daydreaming about you, he was asleep and having actual dreams where you were his girlfriend. In one of them, you gave him a back massage, and he woke up with an erection.

He could barely even look at you for the nauseous feeling that took up residence just below his pounding heart, but he couldn't look anywhere else. He'd never been like this before. Sure, he'd been attracted to many women in the past, but this was something else entirely.

"But why is she so familiar looking?" Jake asked Bradley at lunch. "You sure you didn't fuck her?"

"Oh, I think I'd remember fucking someone that looked like that," Bradley replied with a chuckle. "Wait... did you fuck her?"

"I don't think so?" Jake replied, looking a little panicked. "She's not the one I went home with on my birthday, is she? Because you know I can't remember that night. And if I fucked her and can't remember it, then I deserve to be executed."

They both erupted into laughter with Javy, and Bob felt deflated. One of the three of them was definitely going to ask you out sooner rather than later, and instead of getting an occasional guarded glance in his direction, Bob would have nothing.

That night at the bar, he sat with his cup of peanuts and talked with Nat about work while everyone else played pool. "I guess we have another week or two of lectures ahead of us, but I can't wait to get back in the air."

"Yeah," Bob replied, glancing around the room in case the Hard Deck was your Friday night scene. It wasn't really his, but he came for his friends. And if he got to spend another week or two in the classroom, he wasn't going to complain; there would be no way for him to look at you when he was in the cockpit.

"Bob!" Javy called as if he'd been trying to get his attention for a few minutes. He was waving a pool cue. "Take over for me. I need to go shoot my shot."

As Bob stood, he watched Javy head off into the crowd toward a woman who looked like you. He did a double take, his heart leaping up into his throat as Bradley started to push him closer to the pool table. Javy saw you. He was going to ask you out. A feeling of devastation filled his lungs, but then the woman turned around, and it wasn't you. Her smile wasn't nearly as pretty, and she didn't have the same eyes.

Relieved, Bob sank the seven ball before running the table like he was some sort of pro. But he knew deep inside that he was going to have to ask you out himself or miss out on even having a chance with you.

Every day the following week, he tried to give himself a pep talk. He could do this. Even if you said no, it would be fine. It would be good practice for him. But he knew it would not be okay. He liked the sound of your voice and the way you moved, and he thought about you in every room of his apartment doing a wide variety of things. Some of them made him blush.

He couldn't tell if it would be worse to never even try or to have to live with himself after you looked at him and said you weren't interested. At least if he kept things quiet, the guys couldn't find a way to make fun of him. And although they all liked to talk about you at lunch, to his knowledge, none of them had asked you on a date. Maybe they were as intimidated as him.

On Wednesday, you dropped your pen, and Bob picked it up for you. He got a "Thanks, Lieutenant Floyd," in response along with a cautious smile. Then on Thursday, he helped you move the projector before class started, and you said, "Thanks. You're a lot stronger than I am." He felt like he floated to his seat after that.

On Friday, disaster struck. You were organizing your stack of notes at the end of the day when Bob stood. But then Bradley was there, leaning on the table in front of you after everyone had been dismissed. "Hey, so the guys and I were wondering if you ever made it out to the Hard Deck on Friday nights? I'd love to buy you a drink."

Bob nearly collapsed back into his seat as he watched your eyes searching Bradley's face like you were trying to tell if he was lying. "No, actually. I play Dungeons & Dragons most Friday nights."

A strangled sound escaped Bob. "You play D&D?" he asked before he could think better of it.

"Yeah," you replied easily, giving him a little smile. "Been into it for years."

"Me too," he added, and you set down everything you'd been holding.

"It must be hard to be part of a campaign when you deploy on occasion?" you asked, and Bob was convinced he wouldn't notice if a freight train was about to hit him.

He nodded and took a step closer, watching you stand up. "It can be, yeah. But I've been in the same campaign for a few years, so I'd like to think I'm an integral enough part of it that everyone else doesn't mind waiting for me."

You laughed. It was so pretty. "I'm sure they don't mind one bit, Lieutenant Floyd."

"You can call me Bob," he blurted out, eyes going wide as you licked your lips and grinned.

"Okay. Bob."

He could do this. He was already part way there, he thought. Just a little further. "Maybe you and I could get coffee this weekend and talk about our characters?"

When he was met with silence and your softly parted lips, he wanted to disappear. But your expression was trained on his face, and even though you still seemed a little hesitant, you asked, "Like a date? Because I'm free on Sunday."

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

You were laughing so hard, you had to set your coffee cup down next to your scone, and Bob was basking in the sound of it. "No, Bob! That's why I made my character a Rogue! Because I could never be such a scoundrel in real life!" He just listened to your laughter taper off while he grinned in the middle of the crowded cafe where you only seemed to be focused on him.

"Well, that's why I made mine a Sorcerer. I don't know if you knew this about me, but I can't actually cast spells."

You started to laugh again. "Could have fooled me." But he must have been looking at you for too long, because you brought your hand up to your lips and asked, "Do I have crumbs on my face or something?"

"No, your face is perfect," he replied without considering his words, but your look of slightly embarrassed delight outweighed the tinge of mortification he felt.

You searched his eyes, seemingly always trying to gauge his sincerity. Then you surprised him when you said, "You're really sweet. It's refreshing."

Bob looked down at his hands, unsure how to respond but pleased nonetheless. "Will you let me take you to a movie? Or dinner? Or both?"

"Yes."

The following morning at work, you were as focused on Bob as he was on you. The sweaty palms and erratically beating heart were back, only exacerbated by your alluring gaze and the promise of a second date on Thursday night. You agreed to dinner at an Italian restaurant, and Bob was already excited.

"Why are you acting so strange?" Nat asked at lunchtime. "You're like both weirdly quiet and also talking so much?"

Bob laughed and said, "I went out on a date yesterday." And when he said it was with you, her eyes went wide. "We're going out again on Thursday."

"Bob!" she gasped, and now all of the guys were looking at him, and there was no way he would ever recover from this as Nat told them he got coffee with you.

"Welcome to the big leagues, buddy," Jake drawled, while Bradley glared at him. "Just wish I could figure out why she seems so familiar. Like it's just stuck in the back of my mind somehow. Like I know her."

"None of you know her as well as Bob does," Nat said with a laugh that made him smile. Before you and he parted ways at the coffee shop, you'd squeezed his hand in your smaller one, and it was already one of the sexiest moments of his life.

"Fuck you, Bob," Bradley grumbled.

But it didn't matter. Bob really liked you and the fact that you talked about your Dungeons & Dragons character for a full hour. And your pretty face and your laugh. And the way you seemed interested in what he had to say. You were checking off all of the boxes for him. Smart, funny, kind of nerdy, interesting. He wondered how many dates he should take you on before asking you to be his girlfriend.

On Wednesday, as soon as Warlock dismissed everyone, you handed Bob a folded up note.

I can't wait for dinner tomorrow night. Here's my number.

He waited until he was home and sitting on his couch before he texted you. Less than a minute later, you responded. And that's how he spent the rest of his night. He didn't even eat until after nine, too wrapped up in what you had to say. Those intrusive thoughts and daydreams and real dreams about you in his apartment were starting to seem like they could be a reality. That's what he wanted. He could already picture you on the couch, wrapped up in the afghan his mom made, watching a movie with him. Or in his kitchen, helping him make dinner.

He fell asleep on the couch in his uniform, too absorbed in this conversation to even go to bed properly. But that was fine, because suddenly it was Thursday, and not only would he see you all day at work, he'd get to eat with you and learn more about you.

Once again, Bob slid into that front row seat, and you had to work at keeping the smile from your face all morning. When you did look his way, he felt his breath catch in his throat. He was sure he'd pass out if you kissed him, and suddenly that was the only thing he could think about. Warlock talked about aggressive maneuvering, and Bob thought about your lips. Warlock talked about safety protocols, and Bob thought about your lips touching his.

It would be a miracle if he made it through dinner, but he had to try. You stood and started walking out of the classroom at the end of the day, but you turned back and said, "I'll meet you there at 7:30."

Bob offered to pick you up, but you said you'd drive yourself, and now he had more than two hours to kill. He took a long shower and fixed his hair before dressing in the outfit that Nat had pre-approved for him. He made sure his glasses were straight and that he had his credit card. The only other thing he could do was hope the conversation would come as easily for him this time, as it had over coffee.

He shouldn't have been worried about that. What he should have been worried about was the way his heart stopped when you walked through the front doors of the restaurant and directly for him, wearing a pretty blue dress with your face all made up like he was someone to impress.

"Hi, Bob," you whispered. Then you kissed his cheek at the same time that he started to turn his head, and his lips nudged yours. He stood there shocked as you slipped your hand into his, and you started to tug him toward the waiting table when his name was called.

His ears didn't stop burning the whole night. His brain kept circling back to the idea of another kiss. An intentional one. A kiss after a second date was not something he'd ever attempted before, but he was going to do it tonight. Based on the way you were looking at him, he had to.

"Do you want more wine?" you asked, holding up the bottle.

"Yes, please," he replied, because that would definitely help his cause.

You smiled as you poured him some. "You have lovely manners." When you set the bottle down, you added, "And really pretty eyes."

Bob counted to three and then said, "I know we didn't even eat dessert yet, but I really like you. And tomorrow is your D&D night, but maybe you'll let me take you to a movie on Saturday?"

After dinner, in the parking lot next to your car, Bob kissed you. Intentionally. The first tilt of his head was hesitant, and when his lips met yours, he started to get nervous and pull away. But you let your fingers tangle in his hair, and you chased him for another kiss. "Which movie are we seeing?" you asked as you rubbed your nose gently along his.

"You can pick," he replied before kissing you again. "I just want to be around you." And then his hands found the small of your back and you inched yourself closer until your chest was touching his and your knee was bumping his leg.

You were smiling when he finally pulled his face away from yours. "I'll text you my address and the movie I want to see."

Bob smiled, too. "And then I'll pick you up, and we can go to the theater."

This was probably the best week of his life. He watched you pull out of the parking lot, and you waved to him through your window after you blew him a kiss. He went home and thought about what he might be able to cook for date number four. Perhaps you'd want to do the movie on Saturday and then have dinner at his place on Sunday? He'd figure it out. Either way, he was excited for more.

"A third date?" Nat asked on Friday when everyone was taking a break in the classroom. "Damn, Bob."

He eyed you where you stood talking quietly with Warlock, and you glanced his way, a soft smile on your lips. "I really like her. She's different. In a good way. And she makes me feel comfortable."

Nat rubbed his back in slow circles. "Make sure you put your arm around her during the movie. She might be expecting it. But if she doesn't snuggle against you, then you should remove it."

He nodded and swallowed. "Right. I can do that. Is it too soon to invite her over to my apartment for dinner?"

"I don't think so," she replied softly. "And maybe you should buy some condoms."

Bob's cheeks immediately flushed, but he didn't mind too much, since it was just Nat. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"She seems sweet. Just tell her what you're feeling when the time comes."

Now everything was making Bob a little nervous as he drove through your neighborhood on Saturday night. He passed modern beachfront house after modern beachfront house, and then his GPS told him he had arrived. He saw your car in the driveway, but the house was gorgeous and must be worth a ton of money. Maybe you had a roommate?

He parked his old truck and headed up the sidewalk with butterflies in his stomach and a bouquet of flowers in his hand. You opened the door before he even knocked, and then you were in his arms and invading his senses. "Are those for me?" you asked, kissing his cheek and poking the flowers.

"Yes," he whispered, silently begging you to let him hold you for a few more seconds while he caught his breath and got himself under control. You turned him on in every way, and he'd never encountered this before.

Your soft voice next to his ear as you chuckled and said, "Thanks, Bob," was not helping. You led him inside, and your house was incredible. There were no signs of a roommate, but there was a view of the ocean from the windows along the back of the house. He watched you bend in your little dress to find a vase for the flowers, and he felt completely overwhelmed.

"Ready to go?" you asked, reaching for his hand a minute later. Your eyes were eager and sincere as you gazed up at him. Your fingers were laced with his, and Bob realized if he wanted to get to the next step with you, he needed to get through tonight.

"Yes." He kissed your lips softly, and you leaned against his arm as he walked you out to his truck.

You spent the drive to the movie theater telling him all about your Friday night playing Dungeons & Dragons, and of course Bob felt more relaxed. He bought the tickets, and you got the popcorn, and when he put his arm around your shoulders, you snuggled against him, so he kept it there. By the end of the movie, the empty popcorn bucket was on the floor, and you had your palm resting on his thigh.

"Did you like it?" you asked softly while the end credits scrolled.

"Yes, I liked it," he promised, accepting another of your kisses.

"It's still early. Want to grab a drink somewhere?"

Bob really only knew one place, because he spent an awful lot of his free time there. "Should we hit up the Hard Deck? And then I can take you home and hopefully get another goodnight kiss?"

You had one eyebrow raised as you considered him. "Even after the third date? You're not going to try to make a move?"

Embarrassment flooded his cheeks as he muttered, "Not yet." And then your lips were all over his like he'd answered your questions correctly, even though he felt like his thoughts on the matter were actually probably wrong according to most people.

Eventually the two of you made your way to the bar, but visiting the Hard Deck was a mistake that he didn't see coming. You were tucked perfectly against his side as Bob walked across the parking lot and listened to you tell him how much you liked working for Admiral Bates. Then you ordered two vodka sodas, and Bob had to pluck your credit card from your hand to keep you from paying for them.

"Hey!" you complained, but he just smiled.

"I'll give it back later." He was rewarded with another kiss on the cheek, this one very close to his lips.

"Well, look who's here," Jake drawled obnoxiously over the music from the jukebox and the noise from the crowd. "Bob and his friend."

You rolled your eyes and laughed, but you kept one hand linked with his as the drinks were set down. "Should we say hi to your friends?" you asked, and Bob nodded even though he really wanted to just find a small table on the other side of the room. But Nat looked excited, and the other guys looked annoyed, so Bob thought a short detour might be fun.

"Hey," Bob greeted everyone as you sipped your drink.

"How was the movie?" Nat asked, elbowing Bradley in the side before he could say anything.

"Pretty good," you replied. "You know, for one of those Academy Award bait films."

Bob laughed and looked at you. "I liked it a lot, actually." Or maybe he just liked sitting with his arm around you for two hours at a time, but he wasn't going to say that in front of everyone else.

Javy tapped a pool cue on the ground and asked, "Do you like to see a lot of movies?"

You nodded with a bit of an apprehensive look on your face that had Bob just about ready to pull you over to the table that another couple was vacating. "Yeah... I like films," you replied softly.

And then Jake's jaw dropped open and he slapped the edge of the pool table. "Oh my god!" His green eyes were wide as he looked you up and down from head to toe with a smirk that made Bob want to stand in front of you. "That's why you look so familiar! You're Roxy Luxxe."

"Oh, fuck," Javy said as he dropped the pool cue on Nat's foot, and Bradley choked on his beer.

But Bob just stood there and watched your posture stiffen and the look of apprehension on your face grow. "Who?" he asked softly, but you wouldn't meet his eyes.

"She's a porn star, Bob!" Jake said a little too loudly as he hooted. "A very memorable one, too. Played up different movie genres. Everyone I Did Last Summer. Sisterhood of the Traveling Sluts. Laid in Manhattan. Some real classics!"

"I retired," you said firmly, holding eye contact with Jake even though your voice sounded strained. "I left the industry five years ago."

"Guys," Nat said with a warning tone as she looked at Bob who was frozen in place, his head swarming with wild thoughts. An adult film star? You? But you worked at Top Gun and played D&D and liked scones. You went on three dates with Bob of all people.

Now Nat was physically moving Javy, Bradley and Jake back toward the game of pool, snapping her fingers at them as they continued to ogle you in your pretty dress. "So..." you whispered, turning toward Bob, looking anywhere but at his face. "That was... yeah..."

He had no idea what to say right now, and the longer he went without saying anything, the worse he felt inside. You used to have a job making adult films? Bob couldn't even handle watching those without blushing and stuttering. You must have had sex with dozens and dozens of different men and probably women too, and Bob suddenly realized he could go home and watch them for himself if he really wanted.

"Right," you said, finally looking at him as your eyes started to fill with tears. "Well... no hard feelings, Bob. I'll see you at work on Monday." Then you set your drink down, covered your mouth with one hand and made a beeline for the door.

Bob looked at the drink in his hand, and then at the one you set down. He left his on the table next to yours and followed you out to the parking lot. He looked around, calling your name and checking to see if you were by his truck, but you didn't respond. You were gone.

Roxy Luxxe. That name was made up, and he didn't think it suited you as well as your real name. That one was perfect, and he liked it. He liked you. He could drive back to your house, but if you didn't want to talk to him, then what was the point? He'd already embarrassed himself by clamming up. But even worse, he thought he might have embarrassed you.

"Damn it," he muttered, angry at Jake and all of them for making you feel small, and angry at himself, too. He got in his truck and drove himself home.

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

Well. You got three perfect dates before it all blew up in your face. Three amazing dates with Bob who was going to look at you like you were no longer worthy of his time now. Sure, you would have told him eventually. After another date or two, you would have brought it up in such a way that perhaps could have been a little bit more flattering or at least slightly tasteful. But of course you should have been expecting this. It wasn't the first time. Getting older only did so much for your face, and it didn't matter how much you changed your hair and makeup: Once Roxy Luxxe, always Roxy Luxxe.

You really thought none of them recognized you. It was almost refreshing that Bob had never heard of your alter ego. He probably never saw a single video of you having sex with Sam Slick or Dickie Divine. He didn't know exactly what your tits looked like, because you'd never taken your shirt off for him in person. He didn't know how you sounded when you faked an orgasm. As you ran down the block and got an Uber, you could hear Bob calling for you.

You weren't ashamed or embarrassed. You were not. This was your life, and you made every decision along the way for yourself. Nobody else. You put yourself through school. You bought the house of your dreams. You had an amazing job at Top Gun now for fuck's sake. But Bob was the first guy you met in a long time who made you think you could have a relationship with someone who wouldn't judge you for your past.

You walked from your Uber into your house and kicked your shoes across the entryway. More tears were filling your eyes, but you didn't want to cry again. Not over this. "But he was sweet," you whispered to your reflection in the hall mirror. His friends were kind of assholes, but he wasn't. Even if he didn't want to be with you now, which was understandable, those three dates were something else. Dungeons & Dragons discussions and coffee and pasta.

You sighed wistfully at the flowers in your kitchen. Maybe a few more years and you'd look even less like Roxy Luxxe. That might make things easier to navigate. You made yourself a cup of tea and grabbed some crackers and sat out on your back deck where the moonlight reflected off of the ocean. The way Bob had wrapped his arm around you during the movie made it easy to imagine him here with you, keeping you warm. Instead you grabbed a blanket and snuggled in as you thought about how he would have been an excellent boyfriend.

"You win some, you lose some," you told the night sky. If he was bothered by your past which you had designed so you could have a future, then he wasn't the one for you. You fell asleep outside in your dress, and the rising sun eventually woke you up. When you stretched and stood, the chilly air sent you running inside and toward your shower.

The memories of last night were hanging out in the periphery of your mind. Going to work tomorrow was going to be awful. If you didn't like Admiral Bates so much, you'd request to work under someone else. But then again, why should you have to go to work feeling bad? Yeah, it was going to sting to see Bob, but it was still your job, and you deserved to be happy.

You showered and took your time until all of your skin felt fresh and new, and then you threw on some oversized sweats after you moisturized. After breakfast, you could see if one of your friends from D&D was free to hang out. You were finally just about to check your phone to see if Bob had attempted to reach you when you heard a knock at your door.

Bob's truck was parked in your driveway just behind your car. You could see it through the front window. According to your phone, he tried to call you twice, and he'd send you a handful of texts. But now he was here and knocking again. It was obvious you were home, so you wrenched your front door open and stood before him with your chin held high.

"What do you need?" you asked, already feeling weak at the sight of his pretty blue eyes and his glasses.

"Hi," he said softly, just staring at you. He looked exhausted, like maybe he hadn't slept. Then he fumbled around in his jeans pocket and pulled out your credit card. "This is yours."

You plucked it from his hand and started to close the door. "Thanks for returning it. I'll see you at work."

Then he said your name. Your real name. "Wait. Please?"

You pressed your lips together. "What do you want, Bob?"

The soft rise and fall of his solid chest held your attention while he started stuttering. "L-Look. I'm really sorry about last night."

You nodded. "Me too." It wasn't like you wanted to know, but you couldn't stop yourself from asking, "I take it you went home and looked up my videos?"

His eyes went wide as you crossed your arms over your chest. "I didn't."

You actually believed him, but you felt like making yourself hurt anyway. "Your friends have all seen me naked. Watched me getting fucked."

He seemed surprisingly calm as he half shrugged and kind of nodded. "So what?"

As you shifted your weight from one foot to the other, you said, "I'm not ashamed of anything I've ever done, okay? And I would have told you about it after another date or two... before we slept together." When he remained silent you added, "I started out in the adult film industry when I was eighteen. I quit when I was twenty five. I just turned thirty last month, and I guess I was silly for thinking enough time had passed. But last night was a prime example of why I haven't even tried to date anyone. Ever, really."

Bob was gaping at you now. "Not ever? But you're... you're so..."

"I know," you said, cutting him off before he could finish. "I'm hot enough to do porn, but nobody wants to date me."

You started to close the door again, but he scrambled. "N-No, that's not what I was going to say. I was going to say you're flawless. A-And I shouldn't have let you leave the bar like that last night."

Your fingers loosened on the door, and soon it was drifting away from you, opening wider for Bob as he stood there with an eager expression. God, you just really liked him. And he seemed like he was being sincere. "What would you have done differently last night?" you whispered.

He started to reach for you before tucking his fingers in his jeans pocket. "I would have taken your hand in mine as soon as I saw tears in your eyes." You bit your lips as he added, "And I would have told you that I like you so much. And if you wanted to leave, then I would have driven you home right away and walked you to your door."

He liked you so much. If there was a chance that Bob could be the kind of guy who still liked you with your past as Roxy Luxxe but also wasn't just trying to get in your pants and meet her for himself, then you wanted to give him a shot. "What would you have done after you walked me to my door?"

He was breathing deeper like he was nervous, and you wanted to touch him. "I would have asked you for that goodnight kiss that I'd been hoping for all day."

You were rushing for his arms, clearly surprising him in the process, but he held onto you as you gave him just the softest kiss. "I would have let you have it." Bob's hands found their way to the most respectful spot on your back, and you kissed him a little deeper.

As soon as you broke the kiss, his fingers flexed against your back, and he said, "I want to go on another date with you. A bunch more. But I want you to be sure about me. I don't really care about Roxy Luxxe. I'm sure she was lovely, but I like you." You laughed. You couldn't help it. And he smiled as he asked, "Maybe you can think about it today and let me know at work tomorrow?"

"Okay."

He nodded and let out the breath he was holding. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

Your back felt cold where his hands used to be as you watched him walk back to his truck. He waved to you as he pulled out of your driveway, and you waved back with a different feeling in your heart than you had twenty minutes ago.

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

Bob was disappointed to find he would be in the air on Monday. When he arrived on base, he changed into his flight suit instead of his khaki uniform, wondering what that would mean when it came to seeing you. He'd slept poorly, wondering what your answer would be, hoping you'd say yes to another date.

"Hey, Bob," Jake drawled as Bob zipped up his flight suit. "How was your night with Roxy Luxxe?" He had a devilish smirk on his face, and Bob's skin was crawling. All of the other guys were looking at him now, and he knew his face was beet red.

"I guess she was as good as she looks on film if she rendered you speechless," Jake added with a laugh.

"Whoa, no," Javy said, shaking his head at Jake before looking at Bob. "Cut it out, man."

Bob counted to five, took a deep breath and then raised his forearm, and at least Jake had the decency to look panicked. Bradley stepped into the fray as Bob used his arm on Jake's chest to push him back against the lockers. Sure, Jake was more muscular, but Bob was no slouch, and he had a couple inches on him. "Don't call her that again. Don't even talk about her. While you're at it, don't look at her either."

Jake raised one eyebrow and nodded slightly, and Bob released him, walking right out of the locker room and making a quick detour to the classroom. But you weren't there. He ran his hands through his hair before he headed outside to find Nat.

"Hey, there you are," she said gently. "You okay? After the bar and everything?"

"I'm fine," he replied, still looking around. "Have you seen her?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed, pointing behind Bob, and he whirled around in time to see you walk out of the tower with Warlock and Cyclone. You looked as pretty as you always did, and Bob found himself wanting you the same way today as he had last week. All of the daydreams about making breakfast together after holding you in his arms all night were still there. So were the thoughts about you snuggled up, laughing on his couch. But now he could also imagine taking walks on the beach where you lived.

Your gaze met his, and he watched you excuse yourself from the admirals before heading his way. Nat squeezed his bicep, and muttered good luck before making herself scarce, and then Bob was standing there with you a respectable three feet in front of him.

"Lieutenant Floyd."

He smiled softly. "Good morning."

"So..." you began, looking down at his boots and pressing your lips together. "I'm free on Wednesday night. Or pretty much all day Saturday." Your eyes trailed up his body until you were nervously examining his face. "What did you have in mind for our fourth date?"

He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He'd been so apprehensive, afraid you were going to tell him to beat it, he hadn't bothered to come up with an actual date idea. "Cooking dinner at my place?" he blurted out.

You nodded like that sounded good to you. "Wednesday night then?"

He couldn't remember if he already had plans, but if he did, he'd cancel them immediately. "Yes. Wednesday. The day after tomorrow. Wednesday."

Your soft laughter filled him up as you turned and started to walk away, giving him just one word. "Wednesday."

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

You showed up to Bob's place with just a bottle of wine. He promised to take care of the rest. An hour later, a completely homemade pizza with fresh mozzarella and herbs was baking in the oven, and you had your arms draped around his neck. His lips tasted like the pinot noir the two of you had started drinking while you made the pizza, and his body felt strong and sure. As of right now, you thought you'd made the right choice by coming here.

"I really like you," he whispered for the third time this evening, and you believed him. You liked yourself. Why shouldn't he?

"I like you, too, Bob." You reached up and adjusted his glasses before letting your fingers trail back through his hair. As his hands slid slowly down to your hips, it was easy to imagine how he might be in bed. Authentic. Meticulous. Earnest. Just like he was at work. The thought thrilled you to no end, but you were also afraid of the way you'd feel afterwards if you rushed it just to get the first one out of your system. So you let him hold you like you were important.

The timer buzzed, and Bob laughed as you jumped further into his arms. You buried your face against his neck. "It's not funny." But you were laughing, too, and his lips met your hair. "Okay, it's kind of funny."

His stomach was growling, so you slowly pulled yourself free of his arms so he could put on his oven mitts. "Looks good," he remarked, but your gaze was fixed on him. "What do you think, Honey?"

Bob's eyes went wide as he set the tray down, like he couldn't believe what he'd said. Your heart was absolutely thundering in your chest. "Looks good," you whispered in agreement. You hadn't looked at it. You were sure it was fine. You'd eat anything anyway. But he called you Honey, and you didn't mind it one bit.

You shared the pizza side by side on his couch along with the rest of the bottle of wine, and Bob listened to you tell him about your friends you meet up with on Fridays. And then he told you about his deployment as he finished the last few drops of wine.

"I never really talk about this with anyone but Nat. This is nice," he said softly.

"Is it lonely?" you asked, your voice barely a whisper as he set down his glass and looked at you.

You didn't want to rush him, because you could tell what he was going to say was important. And it was. His voice was a little rough as he looked at you and said, "Somehow it's lonelier when I come home. It's worse than being on an aircraft carrier in that I can't really have anything for myself here. There's nothing waiting for me. And a lot of the time, I feel like it would be too much to ask someone to do that. To wait for me. It would be a lot for someone to accept."

When you crawled onto his lap, he didn't stop you. And when you tilted his face up to make him look at you, his cheeks flushed pink, but his hands found your hips again. "I understand exactly how you feel."

Then you kissed him, and you didn't stop for probably hours or maybe days. It felt that good. When you ended up beneath his warm body, you were so happy he came to your house on Sunday morning with your credit card. "Bob," you whimpered, and that seemed to bring him back from wherever his head was while he kissed his way down your neck and along your chest. His hair was a mess from your fingers, and his lips were a little puffy from the kisses, and you were pretty sure he wouldn't let you down again even if his friends were idiots.

You'd broken the spell, but he didn't seem to mind as he stood and pulled you to your feet. "It's getting late. We have work in the morning. Let me walk you to your car?"

At this rate, you were afraid you'd let him do anything he wanted, because he held your hand the whole way there. And he kissed you just right and told you he'd love to spend part of Saturday with you.

"Come over," you told him, and he promised he would.

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

It was chilly as Bob watched the sunset over the ocean from your back deck, but his body was warm from the combination of having you and your fleece blanket wrapped around him. You fit perfectly in his arms. Frankly, you seemed to fit pretty perfectly in his life. He wouldn't mind spending all of his Saturdays like this, listening to your gaming recap from the night before while you occasionally kissed the side of his neck. Your fingers were laced with his, and when you asked if he wanted to share a bottle of wine you got when you were in Napa Valley, he responded with a different question.

"Is there any chance you'd want to be my girlfriend?" You shivered in his arms, so he wrapped you up a little tighter. "I can't stop thinking about you being the one waiting for me to get home from a deployment."

You didn't speak right away which made him apprehensive. He'd somehow been the one to push things too fast. This was something he'd never managed to do before. You tightened your grip on his hand as you said, "Bob... people are going to recognize me. It's going to happen sometimes, no matter what I try to do about it, and I-"

He cut you off with a kiss. "I don't care about that, Honey." Then more kisses. The bottle of wine in your kitchen was left forgotten as you carefully slipped one leg over Bob's lap and sat straddling him. You kept the blanket wrapped snug around both of you, your body nestled against his as your foreheads met. "I just really like you."

The sun had disappeared below the horizon. Everything was pink and purple and dusky and dreamy as your cheek nudged his glasses making him smile. "If you think you can handle being my boyfriend, then I'm not going to try to stop you."

Heart pounding, he asked, "So is that a yes?"

"Yes." Your kisses were slow and soft, and Bob kept chasing the smile on your lips, because he couldn't get enough. With his eyes closed, all he could hear was the ocean below and the soft sounds you made. All he could feel was your body everywhere. You smelled familiar. You tasted good.

As you ran your fingers through his hair, your other hand trailed down to his shoulder, along his bicep and then across his chest. When Bob dared to let his hands dip from your waist to your hips and butt, you scooted a little bit closer. He realized when your fingers skimmed his abs that he had an erection.

Embarrassed, he tried to break the kiss and move his hands, but as soon as he started to move, you pulled away first. In the dying light, he could see your wide eyes and the alluring rise and fall of your chest. Part of your lace bra strap was showing, and your nipples were obviously hard. His cock throbbed in his jeans as you asked, "Do you want to stop?"

He knew you could read the desire on his face. When he started to shake his head, you rubbed yourself against his jeans where he was hard for you. "No," he grunted, head tipping back as he panted. "I don't want to stop."

"Good," you whispered next to his ear, lips barely grazing him. "Neither do I." You took his hands in both of yours and brought them back up to your body, encouraging him to touch every curve.

He gasped your name as he watched you slowly rolling your hips against him, seemingly in no hurry as you bit your lip. When he reached for the hem of your shirt, you didn't stop him, and he tossed it aside. Your body looked magical in the twilight, and as he reached for your bra clasp, realization hit him.

You were used to a certain caliber of partner for these kinds of activities. Standards he probably couldn't meet. "You're hesitating again," you whispered, voice breaking a little bit on the last word. "If you don't think you want to do this with me, I completely understand, Bob."

It was getting difficult to read your expression in the darkness, but when you stopped touching him and pulled your arms to your sides, he started to panic. "It's not that," he promised. "But you've been with... p-professionals. Guys who know what they're... doing." He ran his hands through his own hair. "And I'm not the most experienced. I've only had two partners."

"Oh, Bob," you moaned, and his cock ached at the sound. He wanted you. His whole body was screaming for it, and then he watched as you unhooked your own bra and let it slide down your arms and fall from your fingers. Your body was flawless, back arched, every curve designed to make him crazy. He made a sound somewhere between a groan and a whine as you leaned in closer and kissed him. "You'll be so much better."

Your bare skin was everywhere as the blanket slipped from around you. Bob's hands splayed across your back to keep you warm, but the supple feel of you had him thrusting against your core as he gingerly ran his thumb along the side of your breast. "So much better!" you whispered before pulling his bottom lip between yours.

He was still a little nervous, throbbing against you in his pants like a teenager as he cupped your breast in his rough palm. When you trailed your lips down his neck, he said, "I just want to be good enough for you."

Bob was thankful it was dark and you couldn't see him blushing as you nipped his earlobe and giggled. "Bob. You're better, because you're real. And you're turning me on, because we're not faking anything." You moved your right hand down between your bodies and squeezed his cock through his jeans as you sucked on his neck. "There's nothing fake about this."

He was gasping as he reached for your hand. "Honey." He couldn't take too much more teasing, or at this rate, he'd finish before his pants were off. "Can we go inside?"

You were off his lap and reaching for him with both hands, pulling him to his feet and closer to you. "My bedroom sound good?"

"Yes."

It was honestly difficult to walk. You led him through the sliding glass door and inside where the soft lighting somehow made your topless body look even more stunning. You brought him down the short hallway to your room, walking backwards and looking up at him with a smirk as you unzipped his jeans. He made another unintelligible noise as he watched the way your breasts swayed and bounced with each movement.

Your bedside lamp provided the only light, and Bob was still looking around, trying to get his bearings, when you pulled his shirt and undershirt off. "Oh," you gasped, running your palms up his flat stomach to his slightly broader chest. "God." He couldn't fathom that you liked what you saw and felt enough to leave you panting his name, but you definitely were. Then your hand was down the front of his unzipped jeans, and he grinned as you tried your best to wrap your hand around his length, your eyes growing wide. "Bob."

And now he wasn't really nervous, because this actually felt really easy and good with you. You were giving him all the queues that you wanted more. You were kissing him as you stumbled to the bed. You were trying your best to get your hand around his cock, but you couldn't. He picked you up and hauled you up to the pillows, and you squealed. All he could see was your beautiful smile as you kissed him over and over, only pulling away to run your nose along his cheek and whisper his name.

He watched you shimmy out of your yoga pants and underwear and push them aside, and it was no wonder you were able to make a career out of using your body the way you did. But if most of that was just acting, then he wasn't going to let you down now. He watched as your head tipped back, and you pressed yourself up against his hands when he gently squeezed your breasts. Mesmerized by all of this, he let his hands drift down over your ribs and along your sides until he was met by your hips.

Bob worked his hands slowly back up your body and down again, pausing to press his lips to your breasts as you arched for him again. You felt soft, and you were sensitive, running your bare foot up and down his leg as you whimpered. When he squeezed your hips again, he let his gaze fall below your belly button.

His voice was soft and deep as he asked, "Is it okay if I taste you, Honey?"

You instantly spread your legs a little wider, grabbed him by his hair, and said, "Please."

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

Bob's hands were huge, with thick veins and graceful, calloused fingers. All he was doing was touching you and kissing you, and you were very fucking worked up. This was already a treat, just being with a guy who wasn't grabbing at you and trying to shove his cock in your mouth. But it was more than that. It was the soft tone he used when he said your name and the way he was looking at you.

Gentle but strong. That was how you'd describe your newly minted boyfriend. You smiled at him as he stroked his fingers down your sides. You hadn't had a boyfriend in years, and Bob was so sweet and handsome, it was absolutely outrageous.

"Is it okay if I taste you?"

All of that and he wanted to go down on you? "Please." Your voice was needy, and your body was so ready for him. You eased your thighs further apart so he could see all of you, and you let your fingers tangle in his soft hair. You were so excited, and when the wire rim of his glasses brushed the inside of your thigh, you shivered with pleasure.

Then his lips met your pussy, and you almost went through the fucking ceiling. Those big hands were at your waist, holding you in place on the bed as he licked up along your slit, slowly tasting every inch before he hummed softly. You wanted to watch, but you could barely lift your head off of the pillow as he licked up again and again before kissing your clit.

When you managed to prop yourself up on one elbow, you got a great view of his big cock hanging out of his unzipped jeans when he lifted his head away from your body. "Does it feel good?" he asked, and you laughed. He pulled away from you further, concern on his face as you started to reach for him.

Your nails scraped along the day's worth of stubble on his cheek as you sat up and kissed him, tasting yourself. You licked at his lips and chin, cleaning up the wetness before you whispered. "It feels better than good."

A few seconds later, you were on your back again, legs over his shoulders as he ate your pussy with fervor. All of your nerve endings were singing his praises. He had you spread with his rough thumbs, and when he looked up at you, even his nose was wet. Your hands were fisted at your sides while you gently rolled your hips against his mouth and whined at the perfect feel of him. "Shit. Fuck," you gasped. He sucked on you with just the right amount of pressure, and your toes were literally starting to curl. "Bob!"

All you got in response was another hum of pleasure that made you squeal followed by some seriously lewd, wet sounds. His broad shoulders pushed against the backs of your thighs, and you felt him teasing at your opening with the tip of one finger. Tongue circling your clit, he glanced up at you over his crooked glasses. His cheeks were pink, and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead as you reached for his hair again. "I want you to fuck me."

"Okay," he agreed, nodding his head like he hadn't brought you close with his mouth. He looked a little dazed and pussy drunk, and you thought you could fall in love with that expression on his handsome face.

"Come here," you whispered, kneeling so you could kiss him. "You taste like me," you added, licking his cheek and chin. "And I love it."

"Honey," he growled, and when you looked down, you could tell he was aching. You pushed him onto his butt and helped him the rest of the way out of his jeans and snug briefs, his thick cock bouncing for you. Then you looked at him there in just his socks and glasses, and your entire body clenched with a need you'd never known before.

You took his cock in both hands, leaned down and kissed away all of his precum while every muscle in his abs and both legs tensed up. "Holy shit," he gasped. When you tugged on his shoulders, he moved with you, covering your body with his own. His weight and warmth against your bare skin felt essential to your happiness, and when you kissed him, he said, "And you taste like me."

His cheeks flushed a pretty pink as you ran your tongue along his lips. You couldn't get enough. He shifted his body slightly, and his cock came to rest on your slick clit, making you moan into his mouth. You arched away from him, moving your hips back and forth a few inches at a time, using his body to bring yourself pleasure as you clung to his arms. "God, Bob. You haven't even been inside me yet, and I'm a mess."

The veins in his neck and forehead were more prominent as he panted, a bead of his sweat rolling down to the tip of his nose. You licked it away as you shifted your hips so he was positioned at your entrance. He was thick, and even though you were soaking wet now, you had to use one hand to help guide him. You shook your head from side to side, your body taking him slowly. He buried his forehead to your neck, and the bite of his glasses against your collar bone kept you grounded.

"Honey," he moaned, clutching at your hips as he finally, finally bottomed out. You were completely full, already clenching around him softly and enjoying the rough feel of his trimmed hairs against your clit. He thrusted a few times like he couldn't help himself, and you kissed his forehead. "Am I hurting you?"

His neck was a little slick against your fingertips. You'd been fucked too rough or without enough lubrication to the point of it being painful several times before, but this was the exact opposite. "Bob, you feel incredible." He lifted his head and kissed your lips, rewarding you with another thrust. Your legs tangled with his as you pushed his hair back from his forehead and kissed him harder.

His lips found their way to your neck and breasts, and his thrusts started coming quicker, but every smooth movement left you gripping at him, your body begging for more as you whimpered and whined. He murmured your name against your skin, sucking on your nipples until you were seeing stars. And each thrust filled you somehow better than the last. And every movement left you grinding your clit up for more.

You were going to come. You were going to come so hard. You could feel it. The buildup was delicious. Lips and stubble and glasses on your breasts. Hands on your hips. Bob everywhere.

"I'm not wearing a condom. Honey," he panted. "I'm not wearing a condom."

"It's okay," you whined loudly, suddenly gasping and clawing at his shoulders for leverage. "You can come wherever you want."

He chose inside you. And you came, hard and long and loud, hands on his face while you kissed him. You knew he was going to be so much better. You called it from the start. From when he surprised you by asking you out for coffee. He was immediately better than anything else you anticipated for yourself, and even when he fumbled, he recovered. You ran your lips along his cheek and back to his ear and whispered, "You're so much better than faking it."

He rolled both of you onto your sides, facing each other while he was still deep inside you. "Please don't ever do that. Fake it," he said, voice deep and raspy as he ran his rough palm along your cheek. "I want to know I'm good enough for my girlfriend."

You smiled and tucked your head under his chin, and he wrapped his arm around you. His skin was warm beneath your lips, and his words were soft and gentle. When he climbed out of bed, he asked where he could find a washcloth, and he came back with it a minute later, ready to help you get cleaned up. He even held your robe out for you and waited while you used the bathroom, but you did that quickly, finding you wanted to be right next to him as much as possible.

Bob looked delicious in his briefs and undershirt, and you wrapped your arms around his waist as you asked, "Do you want to go back out under the blanket? With the bottle of wine? We could look at the stars. Listen to the ocean before bed."

He kissed your forehead. "As long as I'm with you."

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

Six months later...

After eight weeks away, Bob was excited to get home. He really hoped this was the start of his deployments feeling lonelier than the time between them did. Especially since he was going home to you and the house where he moved all of his stuff as soon as you asked him to live with you. He couldn't wait to hold you all night and hear all about your Dungeons & Dragons campaign and ask how you'd been enjoying work.

As soon as the aircraft carrier started docking in San Diego, he was at one of the lower railings along with the other aviators, and he spotted you immediately. You were bouncing around at the front of the crowd shouting his name and waving like a lunatic, and he had missed you so much. "Hey, Honey!" he shouted, and you just jumped higher.

"Damn, Floyd. That's your girl?" asked one of the guys he'd flown with.

"Yeah," he replied, never taking his eyes off you. "That's my girl."

Six and a half minutes later, he was practically running down the long ramp with his duffle on one shoulder to the spot where you were waiting for him.

"Bob!" you screeched as he scooped you up in your tiny dress and kissed you until you were as breathless as he was. "I missed you. I love you so much, and I missed you."

"I want to go home, Honey," he said, kissing you again. "Take me home."

"Gladly," you gushed, grabbing his hand and leading him toward his own truck. "I have big plans for your big cock," you announced to everyone around you, and Bob felt his cheeks warm up. "Well, and the rest of you, too. We can make a pizza together and eat out on the deck."

"Anything you want," he promised, tossing his bag in the truck bed and pushing you against the door. "And I love you, too."

You only let him kiss you for a few seconds, before you were pushing him away. "I know you do. Let's go home." You held his hand on the short ride, and when he pulled in the driveway, you yanked him right out and led him inside the house.

This felt incredible, knowing you wanted him as badly as he wanted you, running hand in hand to the bedroom. Then you stopped short and turned to face him as he bumped into you with a laugh. "You know how you're kind of your alter ego right now when you're in your uniform? Lieutenant Floyd?"

"Yeah?" he whispered, leaning down to kiss you, but your lips curled into a smile as you backed away.

"Well... I thought you might like to meet my alter ego?" you asked softly, easing that little dress up to your hips and along your torso before pulling it over your head. You were standing there in the tiniest black thong and bra set known to mankind. "Do you want to meet Roxy Luxxe?"

Bob just nodded and reached down to palm himself through his khaki pants as he gaped at you and grunted, "Uh huh." If Roxy was just a playful extension of his girlfriend, then yes, he wanted to meet her.

You bit your lip and coaxed him toward the bed, running your hands down your body to your hips where you played with your underwear. "Good. Because she wants to meet you, too. And she wants you to know she's only going to be available exclusively for Bob Floyd's enjoyment."

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

Thanks for reading this long one-shot! I wanted Bob to get to fuck a former pornstar, because nobody deserves such a treat the way Bob does! But then I got attached to them and had to make it special. Bob and the artist formerly known as Roxy Luxxe are adorable together. Thanks to @mak-32 @beyondthesefourwalls @thedroneranger and @sylviebell for your help!

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mads-weasley · 2 years

Text

Little Hen

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Wife!Reader

A/N: I'm obsessed...there's nothing left to say. I don't own any of these wonderful characters except (y/n). Enjoy!

Summary: Rooster takes his little hen to The Hard Deck to make memories like he did with his father

Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, like your teeth are gone...

(y/n) - your name

(y/n/n) - your nickname

(y/h/c) - your hair color

(Y/n) sighed through the phone, stuck at work for another hour. "Bradley, are you sure it's a good idea to take her there? It is a bar after all."

"Yes, babe. Some of my favorite memories with my father were made at a bar."

She knew this meant a lot to him, especially how he lost his own father not long after those memories were made. He'd told her about his fear that he'd be killed before their daughter, Carole, even remembered him. She was now 4 and was just like he was as a kid.

She was adventurous, competitive, and most of all, a complete daddy's girl. The 4-year-old had Rooster Bradshaw wrapped around her tiny little finger. If she wanted a stuffed animal, he got it, and when she asked for a Hawaiian shirt to match him, (y/n) could've sworn she'd never seen him order something so fast.

Bradley had also formed the habit of calling Carole, "Little Hen" after her mom, whose callsign was Hen.

"Okay little hen," Rooster said getting her out of her car seat, "do you want to meet some of daddy's friends?"

She threw her little arms around his neck as he held her. "What about mommy? She's your friend."

He chuckled, swinging her around in a circle. "Mommy is my best friend, but I have other friends too."

"Whoa, Daddy. I'm dizzy." She announced, leaning far back away from him.

"Don't worry, hen, Daddy's got ya." With a content sigh and a bright smile, he kissed her cheek and opened the doors of The Hard Deck.

The room erupted into cheers when the pair walked in the doors. Jake, AKA Hangman, was the first to come over to the pair.

"Hangie!" She yelled, leaning towards him, her little arms extended.

Rooster handed her to Jake with a smile. "Hey, kid! Have you been listening to your mom and dad?"

She shook her head, glancing over at her dad, who was just watching the interaction. "Nope."

Jake burst into laughter, tickling her as she joined in with her own giggles. Rooster's heart was about to explode with love at the sight of his beautiful daughter. The only person missing from this moment was (y/n). She got caught up at work and couldn't join them for the movie night they had planned, so they decided to have a Rooster and Little hen night. He's brought out of his thoughts by Carole calling him.

"Daddy! Jake wants you to play!" she said, full of excitement.

With a sigh, he took off his aviators and gently placed them on her face as he walked towards the piano. The glasses were way too big on her, so they were slanted to one side, and they looked so cute. Bradley took her from Hangman and placed her on top of the piano. He stretched his hands slightly before playing.

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain." he sang, looking goofily at Carole. "Too much love drives a man insane. You broke my will, oh what a thrill."

Carole somewhat knew this part, so she sang along with everyone else.

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

Her laughter echoed across the bar, lifting everyone's spirits even more than her dad's playing did.

"I laughed at love cause I thought it was funny, you came along and you moved me, honey. I changed my mind, looking fine."

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

Little did Rooster or his Little Hen know that (y/n) was leaning against the doorway, listening with tears in her eyes. They were the two most important people to her, and hearing them both so happy made her happy.

In the middle of the piano solo, she pushed off the wall and made her way over to the piano.

"Kiss me, baby." He sang

She came from behind him and planted a kiss right on his unsuspecting lips. Eyes widening in surprise, he turned and smiled when he saw who it was, continuing to sing.

"Woooo-ooooo...that feels good." He pulled her onto his lap haphazardly, making Carole laugh. "Hold me, baby."

By this point, he had completely turned away from the piano and towards his wife, muscle memory kicking in as he kissed her. "I wanna love you like a lover should. You're fine, so kind. Imma tell the world that you're mine, mine, mine, mine-ine!"

With her mom's help, Carole jumped down off the piano and took a seat on Bradley's leg that (y/n) was not occupying. Smiling down at her, he continued to play.

"I chew my nails and I twiddle my thumbs. I get nervous but it sure is fun." He turned to (y/n), singing against her lips, Come on, baby, you're driving me crazy," then turned to Carole for the grand finale.

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!!" The group yelled in unison.

Bradley leaned down and dramatically kissed her on the cheek before kissing (y/n) lovingly. Carole jumped off his lap and ran in front of them.

"Daddy! That was awesome! Can we do it again?"

As Bradley sat with his wife in his arms and her head on his shoulder, watching their daughter have a moment of her own, he couldn't help but think of his dad. All his life, he just wanted to be like him, and his life looked very similar to how his did at Rooster's age. Knowing from experience that everything can change in a split second, he vows to take in every moment he has with his family.

Saying goodbye to their friends, Rooster looks over, noticing that his Little Hen is finally asleep in (y/n)'s arms. He looked over to Jake, smiling.

"Thanks for wearing her out, man. It sure saves Hen and me the trouble of finding a way to get her down."

"I'm just doing my wingman duties, sir." He mock salutes, giving Bradley a hug.

(Y/n) waves bye to everyone, careful not to wake up Carole, and walks out to Rooster's car. He's not too far behind them. Approaching the car, he hugs (y/n) from behind, nuzzling his head into her neck once their Little Hen is in her car seat.

"I love you," he murmured into her neck.

She placed her hands on his that rested on her waist. "I love you too, Roost, but where is this coming from?"

"You're such an amazing mom, (y/n/n)."

"And you're an even better dad. Your dad would be so proud of you, Bradley."

Turning around in his arms, she engulfed him in a hug that he gratefully returned as a tear slipped down his cheek. When they pulled away, (y/n) wiped the tear away, giving him a sloppy kiss. She leaned into the car and kissed Carole on the forehead.

"I'll see you at home, Rooster," she yelled, walking to her car.

Leaning out his truck's window, he saluted her. "Roger that, Lieutenant Hen. I love you."

"Love ya, Cap."

Bradley rolled up the window and looked back at his daughter sleeping peacefully. "Daddy loves you, Little Hen."

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tgmsunmontue · 7 days

Text

More than movie magic... 18/?

Hangster AU. Explicit (eventually). Jake is a Hollywood actor and Bradley is a stunt coordinator. Jake's about to make a few self-discoveries. So is Bradley.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN

Chapter 16 is pretty much the only explicit chapter (so far), so you can skip it if you like, but it's not explicit by my standards, and it's very soft/tender.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Well hey there…” Jake says, and now that he knows Bradley likes his Texan accent he makes no effort to temper it, but Bradley looks annoyed instead of amused or aroused and Jake hopes the annoyance isn’t directed at him. Not already.

“Hi. Can I talk to you real quick?”

“Uh, yeah, of course…”

Of course there are catcalls and Jake rolls his eyes, but his heart is beating fast, thundering in his ears, terrified that this is somehow going to be his shortest lived relationship ever. He doesn’t know what he’s projecting exactly, but Bradley’s reaching for him, lacing their fingers together and pulling him to the side, just out of the way and out of earshot from most people although he notes pretty much every eye in the room is turned their way.

“Hey. Hey calm down. We’re fine. You’re fine…”

Bradley has shifted, putting his back to the room, as if he’s protecting Jake from everyone, eyes flicking over his face and his expression is concerned. Fuck.

“Jake… you with me?”

“Yeah, sorry. Just… heard those words before and it’s generally not the start of a good conversation.”

“Sorry. Shit. I’m so sorry. I just need to tell you something, and I feel like I’m going to be apologizing a lot today. Nothing either of us did though, okay?”

“The photos?”

“Yeah. Mav’s seen them.”

“Mav?”

“Sorry. Pete. He’s on his way here because he called me from the air and he’s incapable of believing I can make my own life decisions.”

“Okay. That’s okay. I’ve met Pete before.”

“Yeah. You met professional-Pete, not parent-Pete. Different beast unfortunately. Just… if I could have kept him from meeting your mom until after we were married or something that’s how I would have played it, but, uh…”

“You’ve thought about us getting married?” Jake blurts out, surprised.

“Uh. No? Well. Not in detail exactly.”

All his feelings around Bradley second guessing his decision to be with him have just dissolved, and he knows he had no reason to doubt it, but also knows his brain isn’t a rational place sometimes. Instead he’s watching Bradley blush and look awkward and he’s definitely falling in love with him.

“I generally don’t start relationships with people I can’t imagine myself spending the rest of my life with? I’m thirty-five, I have a better idea of what I’m looking for. And I can imagine a future with you, so… here we are.”

“Oh. So why would Pete be worried about that?”

“God. This is not the place for that conversation. Just. I’ll tell you, but we have fifteen minutes before we’re meant to be on set and I need to tell you something else… He’s bringing Tom. His partner. Um.”

Jake has to admit he’s confused. Pete having a male partner doesn’t really explain why Bradley seems as worked up as he is.

“Okay. So it’s a man. You seriously don’t think I’d have a problem with that do you?” Jake asks, staring at him and gesturing between the two of them. Bradley is shaking his head though, like there’s more and Jake waits.

“Tom as in Tom Kazansky.”

“What?”

Okay then. That’s a name and a half. Jake knows who that is of course, but he never met the man, Kazansky being pretty much a recluse since his health scare a decade previous when Jake had only just started making a name for himself. Jake isn’t even sure he’d recognize the man, the photo used in any media one from over twenty years ago.

“Yeah. They’re… shit. Thought I’d have time to tell you and prepare you for how weird they are. They have… a complicated relationship. They’re both incredibly stubborn and agree that they love each other, but they also… well. Tom got cancer, so he called it all off, said Pete could find someone better, and that started a whole other fight, but it was the most ridiculous thing, arguing over who loved each other more. They’re both hopeless, but neither of them can see it.”

“Oookay…” Jake says slowly, his mind racing, because quite frankly he doesn’t care about Pete or Tom, he just wants Bradley to stop freaking out. “Bradley. They aren’t going to scare me off anymore than my family has scared you off.”

As he’d hoped that makes Bradley laugh and he can’t help his answering grin.

“I like your family.”

“Well, that’s good. God. We’ve got to get to set. Marcia is going to have my head.”

“I need to talk to her too, give her a heads up about Pete,” Bradley says, and he’s glancing over his shoulder then, eyes scanning the room and Jake reaches for his face and gets his attention before kissing him.

“Go. I’ll see you in the arena shortly. Hope you appreciate that I don’t have to do makeup today!”

… … …

He’s distracted as he watches Jake walk away, but only a little, because he needs to find Marcia and Arnold, let them know that Pete is coming, but only to visit him and not to be an ass and tread on another turf, despite that totally being Mav’s MO. He knows Mav is getting on and mutters about retiring, but whenever he’s not working Bradley has to deal with more of his bullshit than usual.

“Bradley, you haven’t eaten anything!” Aunty Kaye calls out, and he startles a little, turning toward her, because she’s not wrong, but he is going to be late to set.

“Uh, no, haven’t really had time yet. I did grab a protein bar. Thank you for that by the way,” Bradley says, and he hopes he isn’t blushing too badly.

“Hmm. That’s not proper food.”

“No, I know. I just had a phone call. My dad is coming to visit. Both of them I guess. They’ll probably be here for lunch actually. Assuming they don’t get lost…”

“Well I look forward to meeting them. Hmm. Do you know why I like you Bradley?”

“Um. I thought maybe you liked most people?” Bradley asks, suddenly feeling like he’s smack bang in the center of a minefield with no idea how he got there. And of course he can’t be rude and just run away, he’d much rather incur Marcia’s wrath than Aunty Kaye’s at the end of the day.

“Oh, I do dear. But I liked you before I’d even met you.”

“Oh.”

Now he’s confused.

“You stand up to him, you wouldn’t let him try anything risky or dangerous and he complained about it bitterly,” she says, laughing. “But you know what I thought?”

“What?”

“That that sounded like someone who would keep Jake safe and unharmed. I’m his mom, of course I want him safe. He gets into enough trouble without thinking he can do risky stunts.”

“Yeah. Of course.”

“You don’t let him railroad you into things, I admire that too.”

“Thanks?”

“Here, on his own turf, watching him do something he was born with in his blood? You trust him to know his limits. He needs that too.”

Bradley just nods, not sure if he’s even allowed to speak.

“So. I like you. However if I ever find out you’ve deliberately hurt him, either emotionally, physically or mentally I want you to know that you won’t see me coming. I will find you. Now, I can’t really threaten you with bodily harm, however I can threaten you with my disappointing looks, which my children assure me are the worst thing they’ve ever experienced. Of course, if Jake screws this up he’ll also be on the receiving end of one of such looks. However, I feel like you’re a man who doesn’t give up easily. Some days you’re going to have to dig-deep, because my baby can get in his own head and think the worst of everything and everyone, but I think if he were easy you wouldn’t be as interested as you seem to be.”

Bradley gapes like a fish, mouth opening and closing and he has no idea what to even say, where to start with everything she’s just said. All it’s highlighting is that he and Jake really need to have a proper talk. Not just about their relationship, but maybe about potential baggage that they have, because he thought maybe he was the only one. He should have known that wasn’t going to be the case.

“I’ve already told Jake that I think he’s worth it.”

“Good. Maybe he’ll believe you.”

NINETEEN

#Hangster #Sereshaw #more than movie magic #Top Gun Maverick

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ereardon · 10 months

Text

That Summer || Part Eight [Bradley Bradshaw x Reader]

A Bradley Bradshaw AU

Synopsis: One night during the summer you turned eighteen, you woke up to a surprise. Your father, a retired Navy Admiral, had posted bail for the son of a former colleague who was now orphaned and had gotten himself mixed up with the law. Instead of letting him get lost in the judicial system, your father signed himself up as Bradley Bradshaw’s guardian to prevent him from going to juvie. You were explicitly told to stay away from the boy in the attic room. But as the summer went on, you and Bradley struck up an unlikely friendship that turned into a forbidden relationship. Bradley tipped your world upside down, challenging everything you had once thought you knew. How could the two of you think it would end any differently than it did when your father called the cops the night he found the two of you in bed together?

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Reader

Warnings: Cursing, angst, smut

Chapter summary: Y/N celebrates her 18th birthday and Bradley gives her a gift she'll never forget; Bradley and Y/N take their relationship to the next physical level and he makes a promise to her he's dead set on keeping

Wordcount: 2.3K

Series masterlist here; Part Seven here

You had never been in love before Bradley.

What you didn’t know was that love like the way you and Bradley felt about each other wasn’t standard. It wasn’t normal for two teenagers to feel that way about each other and mean it.

What you didn’t know was that you would spend the rest of your life trying to recreate how you felt that summer. For the way you felt that night as Bradley’s arms wrapped around you and he told you, for the first time, that he loved you.

What you didn’t realize was that loving Bradley was short and sweet and perfect. And it would crumble. Before your very eyes.

***

He knew, the moment he said it, that he shouldn’t have.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love you. He did. Bradley Bradshaw was sure of only a handful of things in his life — that California was superior to most, if not all other states; that his mother was his best friend, even in death; that more restaurants should carry hot dogs and meatballs as main courses.

And there was one other thing that he was absolutely certain about. It was that he loved you, with every fiber of his being. With every breath he became more infatuated and tied to you.

The two of you were bonded. Bradley knew that no matter what happened, you would own a part of him forever. He would never be complete again. And that was OK. He loved you, and he wanted to give you the world. But he had nothing to his name. So he would settle with giving you a piece of his soul.

He gave you everything he could. He promised he would.

He just prayed it was enough.

***

“The dress code is white tie,” you said, snapping your seatbelt and adjusting the mirror.

Bradley frowned from the passenger seat. “What is that?”

You rattled on about what exactly it entailed and Bradley’s stomach sunk further. He was suddenly, overwhelmingly, anxious about this. Dancing in front of a room of strangers? Watching his every move so that he didn’t betray what you two had? Trying, and failing, to learn the steps of some arcane waltz that was exclusively designed to trip people up?

But he couldn’t tell you any of those fears. You were excited. He could see it in your face. The way the light hit you as the two of you pulled onto the main road, headed for town and the custom tailor your father swore by. For the first time in a long time, Bradley saw you happy outside the confines of your bedroom or his.

He felt it was his duty to maintain that happiness. If only for a fleeting moment.

“That sounds great,” he said as you finished telling him about the meal.

You looked over with a grin. “Really?” He nodded and you reached out, taking his hand in yours. “See,” you said. Beyond the windshield, the island stretched out in front of you, seemingly endless.

But everything ends. Roads would turn to vegetation and then sand and then water. And if you kept going straight the two of you would be shuttled off into the abyss of the ocean.

“I knew they’d come around,” you added and Bradley smiled at you gently, feeling your fingers squeeze his. “They’re going to love you just as much as I do. It’ll all work out, I promise.”

You meant it. He knew you meant it.

But he also knew you were wrong. The minute your father found out that Bradley was the person you were sneaking off to see under the cover of nightfall, it was all over for him. For both of you.

It was only a matter of time.

***

“Happy birthday, Pumpkin.” Your father kissed the top of your head and placed a small box in front of you at the kitchen table. “From me and your mother.”

You smiled at him and slid a finger under the wrapping, revealing a familiar robin’s egg blue box. You gasped and your father chuckled.

Inside was a small diamond pendant necklace. You lifted it up softly, letting the diamond swivel around and collect the light.

“Thank you daddy,” you smiled. You looked at the opposite end of the table. “Mother, thank you.”

She nodded curtly.

Louise brought out a perfect three-tiered coconut cake, way too much for four people, and you blew out the candles in one swift breath.

Your father raised his glass of champagne. You and Bradley did the same, as well as your mother. “To my daughter on her eighteenth birthday,” he said warmly. “You’re perfect. And we love you so much. Cheers.”

Bradley caught your eye from the other side of the table. He smiled and you felt it in your toes.

Eighteen. You had your whole life ahead of you. But all that mattered in that moment was making it to tonight. Because you and Bradley had plans.

***

The door eased open. You turned from where you had been staring out the window at the waves crashing along the shore during high tide.

Bradley tried not to let his jaw drop. You were practically ethereal. Pale, silvery moonlight illuminating you from behind. He stepped inside, closing the door softly, trying to gulp as silently as possible.

You fiddled with the sleeves of your white lace robe, suddenly nervous. But when Bradley crossed the room, sliding one hand beneath your chin, drawing your eyes up to his, all of that fear and anxiety drifted away. It was just the two of you. That’s all you would ever need. Just Bradley.

“I didn’t get to say it earlier,” he whispered, “but happy birthday.”

You smiled and Bradley’s thumb reached out, tracing over the corner of your lip. “Thanks.”

His other hand came out, brushing over your waist. You shivered unintentionally. “We don’t have to do this,” he murmured.

You shook your head. “I want to. I want you, Bradley. All of you.”

Bradley nodded, dropping his hand to take yours, walking you over to the side of the bed. He reached up to unbutton his shirt and you leaned forward, doing it for him. Carefully, you undid the row of buttons on his linen shirt, sliding your hands along his bare chest, nudging it off his shoulders.

He reached out, fingers grasping the silky tie of your robe. Bradley looked up at you, waiting for the go-ahead. You nodded and he slid it open softly, reaching out and letting the robe slip from your shoulders and arms, pooling onto the ground. Bradley’s eyes went wide as he took in your matching white panties and lace bra. Gently, he leaned down, kissing your shoulder as your head reached back, a small sigh exiting your mouth. Bradley’s hands ran over your exposed skin, warming you, and your fingers reached for his belt, pulling at it.

He leaned back with a smile. “Slow down, Birdy.”

“Need to feel you.”

A groan fell from his lips and he quickly shed his belt and shorts, standing in front of you in a pair of blue boxer shorts, cock already standing at full attention beneath the fabric. You reached out, petting him over the cotton material, and Bradley moaned sinfully. Your fingertips slid into the waistband and you looked up at him, waiting. He nodded and you pulled them down, letting his thick cock spring free.

The two of you stood facing each other. Bradley reached out, holding your hips, pivoting you wordlessly toward the bed. He laid you down gently before crawling on top of you, his lips everywhere: your collarbone, the top of your breast, your stomach, the squishy part of your thigh where it met your hips.

You moaned quietly as Bradley unclipped your bra, taking your nipple into his mouth, massaging your other breast with his hand. “Fuck,” he muttered, nipping at the delicate skin. He looked up, brown eyes locked on yours. “You’re perfect.”

Excitement coursed through your veins. Your body was desperate for Bradley. “Brad,” you whispered. “Need you now.”

You could feel his cock flutter against your thigh, the tip already wet. It made you want to press your thighs together, craving the friction. “Honey,” he murmured softly. “Let me at least get you ready.”

The truth was, he needed a moment himself. The truth was, Bradley had never done this before.

You ran your fingers through his hair.

“I’m ready. More than ready.”

Bradley nodded, easing his fingers into the waistband of your panties, pulling them down and tossing them off of the side of your bed. You opened your legs wider, allowing him to settle himself between them. He was quiet for a moment, one hand on your thigh, the other gently holding his hard cock. A hesitation.

“Are you OK?” you asked.

Bradley looked up. “There’s something I have to tell you.” He let out a breath. “I’m a virgin.”

Oh. Oh. That explained it. The way he was looking at you. Wanting to take things slow. You sat up, kneeling on the bed facing him. You reached out softly, one hand cupping his cheek. “Bradley.” His name on your lips made him want to pass out. It was gentle. Caring. Bradley knew he might never meet another person who would love him the way you did in that moment.

He wanted you, all of you. He wanted so much it terrified him. And the worst part was that he knew you wanted more, too. You wanted him. A life with him. You wanted things he couldn’t give you. You wanted stability and comfort and a home. You wanted a whole life that was outside of Bradley’s reach.

“We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready,” you murmured. “Whatever you want to do, I’m happy.”

He shook his head. “I want to.” I’m just scared.

“Are you sure?”

His eyes latched onto yours. “I love you, Birdy. More than anything else in the world. More than I ever thought was possible. So yes, I’m sure. I just, I needed you to know.”

You leaned forward, pressing your lips against Bradley’s. His warm hands came out to your sides, leaning you back gently, settling you on your back on the mattress. One of his hands nudged your legs open and you gasped into Bradley’s mouth as you felt the hot tip of his cock brush against your wet entrance.

He groaned as he pushed the head inside of you, a literal whimper leaving his mouth. “Oh, oh God.”

“Bradley,” you whined, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and upper back.

“Fuck, you feel amazing,” he whispered against the skin of your neck, pushing further inside of you, splitting you into pieces. “Birdy, oh shit!”

He slid further inside of you, thick cock stuffing you full, your walls fluttering around him as you stifled moans into the skin of his shoulder where you pressed your mouth. Bradley’s hand came up and gripped your neck, holding onto you. Clinging to you.

Once he was all the way inside, you opened your eyes. Bradley sat staring back at you, his brown eyes blown wide. “Baby,” he whispered.

You knew what he wanted. You nodded. “Please,” you begged and he obliged, pulling out a few inches before slamming back into you, eliciting a simultaneous moan from both of you. His rhythm was clumsy, asymmetrical, as he pulled back, thrusting into you repeatedly. But it didn’t matter. Your feet climbed onto Bradley’s back as you curled yourself around him, his pants and sighs in your ear causing your walls to tighten on him. “Bradley!”

“Fuck, Birdy, I’m not going to last,” he moaned as he slid further inside of you. “Where should I?”

“Inside of me,” you begged and Bradley’s pace picked up until he was shooting cum inside of you, a messy jumble of moans and praises falling from his mouth as he stilled inside of you. You wrapped your arms around him tightly, holding him to your chest where he had collapsed against you. “I love you,” you murmured against his sweaty, salty skin. “I love you.”

You held him close, his face buried between your neck and shoulder. And you knew that you would never forget holding Bradley in your arms.

Finally, he pulled out slowly, groaning lightly. The two of you cleaned up in the adjoining bathroom before you slid into bed under the covers, patting the space next to you. “Stay,” you asked.

He nodded. “I will. I promise. But first, I have a present for you.”

You frowned. Bradley had no job. No income. He had nothing to his name. How could he have a gift for you?

Bradley bent down, fiddling with the pocket of his discarded shorts, before slipping under the covers next to you. He grabbed your hand, dropping something from his fist into yours.

It was cold. He pulled his hands away and you opened your hand, revealing a plain gold band placed on your palm.

“It was my mother’s wedding ring,” he said and you looked up in shock. “It’s the only thing I have of hers.”

You shook your head, pressing it back into his hands. “Bradley, no. Absolutely not. I can’t accept this.”

“Y/N,” he said and there was a finality to the word. “Yes, you will. She would have wanted you to have it. I want you to have it.”

“Is it, um?” You didn’t know how to ask.

“Not yet,” Bradley whispered. “But someday, Birdy, yes. Someday I’m going to ask you to marry me. I promise, no matter what happens, I’ll make you my wife.”

You slipped the ring onto the fourth finger of your right hand instead of your left. It fit perfectly. You looked up at him. “I love it. Thank you.”

He leaned forward, pressing his lips to yours softly. “I love you. I’m always going to love you. I'm sorry it's not much," he added. "But it's all I could do."

Your fingers tightened around his, the cool metal brushing against his skin. "It's perfect," you murmured. "It's more than enough. You're more than enough."

Tag list (or turn on notifications for my library page @ereardon):

@double-j @topguncultleader @hangmandruigandmav @blue-aconite @minamisulemisa @shawnsblue @seresinhangmanjake @babyminghao @crthurston @shanimallina87

@angelbabyange @taytaylala12 @mizzzpink @wkndwlff @mygyn @sadpetalsstuff @xoxabs88xox @averyhotchner @oneelleandaneye @teacupsandtopgun

@rosewritesitout @atarmychick007 @khaylin27 @wittywhispers @wildlyobserving @eyesthatroll @localhockeygirl @xomrsalliej4787xo @rosiahills22 @teacupsandtopgun @sexytholland @djs8891 @rxmtoon @cactajuice @purplevortexx @dempy @lemur46 @louie-bug @arson-tm @valkyrja-siren-blog @avengers-fixation @fudge13 @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby @not-two-shrimp @abaker74 @evans-dejong

@eli2447 @ducks118 @cherrycola27 @leigh70 @hotellnights

@babyminghao @taytaylala12 @bradshawseresinbabe @theweekndhistorybook @mandylove1000

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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 1 year

Text

One Captain's Daughter (Part 2) - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / OC (Amara Blackwood-Mitchell)

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Light Angst, Daddy Issues, Arguing, Complicated Family and Relationship Dynamics; Referenced Past Relationship; Romantic Longing; Female OC from Third Person POV

This work, all of my other works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.

Summary: It's the first day of training on base and Amara really needs a glass of wine. Rooster tries to talk to her about the past.

Part 1

Master List

Amara arrived early to base the next morning, wanting to make sure that she made a good impression with Cyclone. Because there was no way in hell that her father was. Amara hadn’t seen him that morning, but she was quite sure that he was lurking and ready to strike like he always was with some kind of ridiculous show.

She walked with Warlock towards the empty hangar for the initial briefing. Amara never really understood why they couldn’t simply clean out one of the extra office spaces or conference rooms in a building so that people didn’t have to yell over the planes, but that wasn’t her department.

“Maverick didn’t inform you of his training plans, did he?” Warlock asked Amara, who shook her head.

“No, sir. He doesn’t tell anyone his plans. That would allow them too much time to think,” Amara replied back as her heels clicked distinctly on the pavement. “Or perhaps, too much time to try and stop him.” She paused briefly, sending Warlock a small, apologetic smile. “I did try to tell him to be on his best behavior.”

“I’m sure that Cyclone would appreciate that.”

“For the three seconds that it will last,” Amara murmured knowingly.

She stood to the side next to Hondo, who offered her a pleasant nod in greeting. As Warlock addressed the naval aviators, Amara glanced over the twelve of them. She silently connected faces to names to stats to reports, running through the possible simulations in her head. But when her gaze fell on Bradley, he was already staring at her.

His soft brown eyes were wide with shock and it took a significant amount of control on Amara’s part to regulate her breathing in that moment. Even though they left things off on a bad note the last time, she was still silently drawn to him. And he appeared to be just as drawn to her, if the subtle part to his lips meant anything.

Warlock’s mention of her callsign caused the two of them to break the eye contact.

“Honda was sent here by the Pentagon to make sure that this mission fits within greater US policy in the region. Although she is a military contractor and not an answer, you owe her your respect, unless you want to be answering to the Pentagon.”

Amara nodded in recognition, but did not move to speak. She could feel a number of the aviators turning to look at her. Some it was a quick glance, just to familiarize themselves with her face and move on to the more important details. Though there appeared to be about two aviators that intended to burn her with their laser focus.

One she knew was warranted. Rooster had every right to look surprised to see her standing there in the same hangar. She’d at least had a heads up that he was going to be there, which was a courtesy that was not extended to him.

The other she knew was trouble. She assumed that Hangman recognized her from the bar yesterday because she wouldn’t exactly categorize his gaze as leering. At least the main adjective, anyways, since he seemed like the type to have lingering eyes. But he was also calculating, analytical. Trying to fit her into the puzzle that was this mission.

And if Rooster didn’t look away soon, Hangman was going to connect the pieces there.

“Honda will be here for the duration of our training exercises and will be reporting back to the Pentagon on such matters. So, I would be on your best behavior in front of her for your own sakes,” Warlock added, mostly as a warning to the aviators.

Amara turned when she heard her father’s boots on the ground. She quietly prayed that he managed to not piss off Cyclone or Bradley or anyone for however long the rest of this briefing was supposed to last. But her prayers went unanswered as soon as he dropped the book into the trashcan. Literally. Amara checked her watch.

Two minutes. Maverick lasted two minutes before falling back into old habits.

“And we’re off,” Hondo murmured.

~~~~~

Amara sat in the ready room and set up her laptop in the corner.

Rooster, Payback, and Fanboy were up first for the dogfight exercise, and something told her that her dad was going to do something . . . well, Maverick-y. She glanced around the room as the other naval aviators lounged about, observing their interactions.

Because her honest job description was naval aviator babysitter/school counselor.

“Good morning, aviators! This is your captain speaking. Welcome to basic fighting maneuvers,” Maverick’s voice filtered in through the radio. “As briefed, today’s exercise is dogfighting. Guns only, no missiles. We do not go below the hard deck of 5000 feet.”

Oh, how the tables turned, Amara mused to herself. Ice would have something to say about that.

“Working as a team, you have to shoot me down, or else.”

“Or else what, sir?” Payback asked, and Amara swore that she could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Or else I shoot back. If I shoot either one of you down, you both lose.”

“This guy needs an ego check,” Hangman scoffed, causing Amara to glance over at him.

Pot calling the kettle black if she’d ever seen it before.

“Yeah, we’ll see to that!”

Note: cocky naval aviators a few minutes before they get their asses handed to them.

“Sir, what say we put some skin in the game?”

“What do you have in mind?” Maverick questioned, playing along.

“Whoever gets shot down first has to do two hundred pushups,” Payback offered up, causing Amara to shake her head.

Note: naval aviators’ arms at risk of falling off due to running mouths.

“Guys,” Rooster warned over the radio. He was probably the only person aware of what they were getting themselves into with a bet like that.

“That’s a lot of pushups.”

“Well, they don’t call it an exercise for nothing, sir,” Fanboy joked, backing up his pilot.

“You got yourselves a deal, gentlemen. Fight’s on, let’s turn and burn.”

The distressed curses that flew out over the radio a few seconds later had Amara shaking her head. To get to this level, the naval aviators had to be self-assured of their abilities. But sometimes it was nice to see or hear someone bring them back down to earth. Even just for a few seconds.

The dogfight exercises went on with Amara taking notes, and silently congratulating herself when she correctly guessed who was going to be out first. She tried to simply keep her head down and focus on her work—that was why she was dragged out here in the first place—but she could feel plenty of eyes on her. And the loud scrape of a chair caused her to look up.

And there he was—Mr. Blond, Green-Eyed, Jackass from Texas Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin.

Just her luck.

“Can I help you, Lieutenant?” Amara asked, returning her gaze to her laptop.

“I’m just curious is all,” Hangman drawled, slipping into the seat across from her. “How a lady like you wound up working here for the Pentagon.”

“Is that supposed to be a flattering statement or an insult, Lieutenant?”

“Just making an observation. Like you seem to be,” Hangman continued, leaning forward slightly.

“Making observations is part of my job.”

“Of course, but you seem to be making all the right ones,” Hangman replied, standing up from his seat and walking around the table. Amara followed him with an unimpressed expression before going back to her notes. “Like right here. You wrote that you expected Phoenix and Bob to get shot down first, and you were right.”

“Is there a point to your statement?” Amara asked, sounding bored.

“Simply that you’re very good at what you do, Honda.” He leaned a bit on the table, causing Amara to purse her lips together. “What’s your secret?”

“My secret?” Amara asked, assuming he was referring to her callsign.

“How you’re so good at guessing who’s going to be shot down first,” Hangman translated.

“It’s not a matter of guessing so much as plugging variables into an equation. I do my research, make a hypothesis, which is then tested in the air. Nothing complicated about it, Lieutenant.”

“And what does your research tell you about me?” Hangman asked her.

He glanced down at the name on one of the files out on the desk—Amara “Honda” Blackwood—and made a mental note of it. He would be checking that later.

“Let’s just say you live up to your callsign, Lieutenant,” Amara stated stiffly.

It wasn’t a compliment, though she knew that he’d take it that way.

“Well, I’m never one to leave a lady disappointed in my performance,” Hangman replied coyly.

“Hangman,” Rooster barked angrily from the couch.

Hangman turned and shot a smirk in Rooster’s direction, who glared straight into his soul. Amara simply rolled her eyes and went back to work, not in the mood for a testosterone display or a measuring contest. That wasn’t her job to deal with that bullshit.

“You’re up.”

“Shame. I was just starting to have a little fun.” Hangman stood up to his full height and turned back to Amara. “I do hope that we have more time to talk later, Honda.”

“Perhaps when you’re done with your two hundred pushups, Lieutenant,” she quipped, not sparing him a glance.

Phoenix and Bob had already headed out while Hangman slowly sauntered away. Amara rolled her eyes and went back to her typing, shaking her head. But when the door shut, she found her eyes meeting Rooster’s again.

The anger and frustration behind his eyes that was directed at Hangman quickly melted away and that same longing and nostalgic look that he sent her back in the hangar returned. And Amara was sure that her gaze wasn’t far off of that one.

They both looked like they wanted to say something but the sound of the door opening again made the eye contact break.

Payback and Fanboy entered the room, talking about tactics for the next run. Rooster quickly got sucked into the conversation and Amara focused on her notes as the radio crackled to life once more. It was a reminder that they were both there to do a job. Not to rehash old shit.

And while Amara did want to talk to Rooster, it was just better for them to stay separate in a professional setting. After all, her very existence was testament to the fact that fraternization between civilian contractors and naval aviators wasn’t without its consequences.

~~~~~

All Amara did was walk up to the control tower for five minutes. That was all she did.

But between the time that she left the ready room and the time that she arrived at the control tower, someone had decided—wrongly, very wrongly—to pair Rooster and Hangman up for the last dogfight exercise of the day. Against Maverick.

What could possibly go wrong?

She felt like she should have just started the paperwork for an incident report, just in case the inevitable occurred. Especially, because Hangman just had to try and poke the bear. Or rather the rooster, but either way he was looking to get his head bit off about it. But then Maverick was there to interrupt the conversation.

“Just get the exercise done,” Amara silently prayed as she watched the monitors, typing away. “Please just get the exercise done.”

But she knew, in the back of her mind, that would never happen. Because there were three naval aviators in the air with egos bigger than the size of their cockpits and an incessant need to prove a point to the other naval aviators up there with them.

She paused, trying to remember if she bought cheap wine the night before. Either way, she was going to need some when she got home.

“Mitchell and Bradshaw have dropped below the hard deck!” one of the technicians called out.

Cyclone and Warlock turned around, with Cyclone striding across the room like he was ready to send a very strongly worded email to Ice about every little mistake Maverick did today. Warlock approached the monitor slower with a knowing look in his eye.

“How far below the hard deck are they now?” Cyclone demanded gruffly.

“About 500 feet now, sir, but they’re still rapidly dropping.”

“Pull up, dumbasses,” Amara muttered under her breath.

She stood up, watching as two planes—carrying two idiots who, although they were idiots, were still very near and dear to her heart—spiral towards the ground on the monitor.

“Pull up.”

“They’re still dropping,” Warlock commented grimly.

Amara watched the graphics on the screen with her notes completely forgotten. She didn’t even realize that she had walked up to the bigger monitor with her arms wrapped around herself.

4000 feet.

Her eyes watched the two red dots helix towards the ground in a death spiral, completely ignoring the commands in their ears and warnings that were undoubtedly showing up on their dashes. Her nails dug into her arms as she watched them fall farther towards the ground.

3000 feet.

“Pull up, for fuck’s sake,” she muttered to herself.

2000 feet.

A dip below the hard deck would result in a loss in the exercise and a stern scold and reminder about it before the incident was inevitable pushed aside for the bigger issue.

But Rooster and Maverick were past that point. Death spiraling. At top speed. With no signs of stopping.

“Pull up,” she repeated as a lump forming in her throat.

1000 feet.

“Pull up! Pull up!”

Amara flinched as she heard both Maverick and Rooster gasping for breath through the comms. But a quick glance at the monitor informed her that they luckily hadn’t crashed into the ground and were instead flying along the valley. Rooster was chasing after Maverick, who seemed to have pulled out of the death spiral first.

“Fucking idiots,” she cursed quietly, rubbing the side of her face anxiously.

If anyone else in the room heard her, they didn’t comment on it.

“You got him, now drop down and take a shot!” Hangman shouted over the comms. Amara glanced up to see that Hangman was still hovering above the hard deck, trailing behind Rooster and Maverick from a safer altitude.

“It’s too low!” Rooster argued back.

“Too late, had your chance,” Maverick replied, causing Amara to sigh. And only a few seconds later, the auditory kill noise—Rooster’s—echoed from the comms. “That’s a kill.”

“Dammit!” Rooster snapped.

“Same old Rooster,” Hangman taunted, a chuckle on the edge of his lips.

Amara let out a breath that she wasn’t aware that she was still holding as she returned to her seat. Quietly putting her head down, she went back to work, wanting to avoid Cyclone’s hissy fit as he collected the readings from the last run. No doubt that her father would be getting a scolding about that last maneuver.

Though she didn’t write it down, Amara made a mental note to herself—Don’t put people who can’t talk about their problems in a healthy manner up in flying death traps together.

Fucking hell, she needed a drink.

~~~~~

Amara walked out to her car, eager to get out of her heels and have that drink.

Cyclone, as she expected, was not thrilled about the whole situation, and she assumed that Maverick had an ass-chewing waiting for him in his debrief. But Warlock had assured her that she wasn’t needed for that and dismissed her. He probably took pity on her. And though Amara was typically annoyed with that set up, today she was thankful for it.

But as she turned down another lane of cars in the parking lot, Amara paused when she spotted Rooster walking towards her. She stutter-stepped to a slight halt while Rooster looked like his shoes just spontaneously melted into the ground.

So much for a quick getaway.

“Hey,” Amara called out softly, adjusting her hold on her bag.

“Hey,” Rooster returned in the same tone.

They stood silently in the parking lot, as if they had both spontaneously forgotten how to interact with another human being in the last five seconds.

“How’re your arms?” Amara asked awkwardly.

“My . . . arms?” Rooster repeated, looking confused.

“From all the pushups.”

“Oh . . . right.”

“Right,” Amara echoed, nodding in confirmation.

“I . . .” Rooster began, causing Amara to straighten up a bit. Hope that she would later scold herself for bloomed in her gaze before promptly dying off when Rooster continued with, “I didn’t think that you would be here.”

“Oh . . . yeah.” She looked down at the ground, clearing her throat. “But, uh, I just go where the Pentagon sends me,” Amara replied, shrugging her shoulders as she met his gaze again. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that, I just . . .” Rooster fumbled for an answer, clearly struggling, “. . . didn’t expect you to be here.”

“You said that already,” Amara reminded him, causing Rooster’s cheeks to go pink.

“Right.”

“Right,” Amara murmured, a small smile tugging at her lips despite her best efforts. Well, at least she wasn’t the only one who seemed a little uneasy in this situation. “I suppose that I probably should have given you a heads up that I was in town.”

“No, no, it’s . . . you don’t owe me anything. And everything with you tends to be classified anyways.”

“. . . Yeah,” Amara agreed, shifting her weight on her feet. “Look, can we . . . I’d rather . . . can we just put all of our personal shit to the side?” Amara sighed, meeting his gaze again. “There’s enough shit going on right now and I’d rather just get the job done and done right. Can we agree on that?”

“Yeah, of course,” Rooster replied immediately.

“Good,” Amara breathed out, nodding slowly. She glanced over at her car before turning back to Rooster. “Have a good afternoon, Lieutenant Bradshaw.”

Amara started for her car as Rooster blinked, frowning at her formality and cut and run tactics.

“Lieutenant Bradshaw?” Rooster repeated back, clearly a bit taken aback and even a little hurt.

“Would you prefer me to call you Rooster?” Amara asked, pausing in her quick escape.

Amara did not share a fondness for the use of callsigns outside of work. Sure, it was part of the field and a rite of passage and very important to aviators, but honestly, all it reminded Amara was the fact that naval aviators never took themselves out of the field, out of the cockpit. They were always naval aviators first and everything else second.

Which made her the only person to call Rooster ‘Bradley’ in the last decade or so.

“Are you mad at me?” Rooster asked her, causing Amara to pause.

“No.”

“Are you lying to me?” Rooster questioned, sounding exasperated.

“Bradley,” Amara stressed. She looked around to see if anyone else was lingering in the parking lot. “What do you want me to say?”

“Maybe just answer the question that I already asked you,” Rooster suggested, as if it were obvious. “Are you mad at me?”

“A little, alright?” Amara conceded. “You happy?”

“No, I’m—” Rooster cut himself off with a sigh, running a hand down his face. “I’m sorry about how I handled everything back then.”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Amara interjected, holding up a hand. “I’m not going to have that kind of conversation here where anyone could hear us and where we’re supposed to be professionals in our shared workplace.”

“I’m trying to apologize.”

“And I don’t want to hear it right now, okay?” Amara replied, sending him a look to stop talking. “If you want to talk about what happened, then we can talk, but not here. I’m not having that kind of conversation in the base parking lot that our coworkers walk through.”

“Are you free tonight then?” Rooster suggested, trying to salvage the conversation.

“I’m meeting up with my dad tonight.”

She watched Rooster go through the five stages of grief before his gaze hardened like it always did when her dad was brought up. It was just another reminder of why her and Bradley were not a good mix, a safe bet, or a winning idea. There was too much history, and not enough happiness to drown out the pain apparently.

“Tomorrow?” she offered him.

“Tomorrow,” he agreed softly.

“Until tomorrow then . . . Bradley.”

Amara turned around again and headed towards her parked car. Rooster watched her go for a moment before his eyes flicked up to see Hangman staring at them with a curious stare. At Hangman’s presence, Rooster suddenly understood why Amara wanted to flee the scene and moved to do the same.

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sarahsmi13s · 1 year

Text

Footloose

(not my gif)

bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw x fem!pilot!reader

characters: bradley bradshaw, the dagger squad, jake ‘hangman’ seresin, javy ‘coyote’ machado, pilot oc “stark” (mentioned), penny benjamin

warnings: fem!reader, language, oc death, insecurites, mentions of cannon danger, accident and injuries (minimal descriptions), if i missed any i apologize

word count: ~3.1k

quick summary: known for the way she dances in the skies, Y/N earned her the name ‘footloose’. (credit to none other than Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin) which she finds incredibly ironic, because she cannot and will not dance on the ground to save her life.

***********

“So, how about we go dancin’ tonight?”

“Hangman, shut the hell up,” you groaned, throwing a scrunched up plastic bottle at him. You were both waiting for your turn to go against Maverick. The blond just laughed and threw the trash back at you.

“Come on, you seriously never dance anymore! When was the last time you danced?” You crossed your arms and looked away from him. “Wait, have you not danced since flight school?” Jake concluded, leaning forward with a smirk, resting his elbow on his knee. “Why?” You shrugged, slightly getting irritated because why is it a big deal to him, “I just don’t feel like it I guess.” “But you were so good at it!” “Can you just drop it, Hangman?”

“Footloose! Hangman! You’re up!” You huffed and got up, leaving Hangman in the dust to get in your plane.

You hastily brushed shoulders with Rooster, muttering a ‘sorry Roo’ as you continued your way.

Bradley looked at Jake confused, “What was that about?” Jake looked at him, opening his mouth to explain, but he just shrugged, not wanting ‘Mother Hen’ to be on his ass. Rooster nodded, accepting his response because you were relatively closed off.

Now, Rooster (well, a lot of people for that matter) had no idea of the irony behind your call sign, he only knew it was because of how you flew.

You also, never planned to tell him, not because Bradley would pressure you into dancing or make fun of you, but because Bradley was the exact type of person to dance no matter what music was on.

And of course like a teen romance movie, that’s what you loved about him. His outgoing and natural performing personality, that he definitely inherited from his parents, drew in people like no other.

You knew it was ridiculous to think the difference in your personalities would repel the pilot from ever liking you romantically. It was hard not to sometimes. But, you know, like they say, opposites attract.

And damn, was Bradley attracted to you. He admired the way you flew. That if you were out with the squad you made sure everyone was comfortable and felt included. You also could light up a room and you threw quips back at Hangman that he stumbled to retort.

How could he not like you?

**********

With a surprise storm grounding everyone, you all went to the Hard Deck.

You all were in civilian clothes, your hair thrown up into a messy bun and still soaking wet with both sweat and rain. “At least we got our training in before the rain hit,” Hangman said, clapping you on the shoulder. You nodded, a playful smirk on your lips as you sipped your drink, “Yeah, but we were 100 pushups in when it did hit.”

Rooster chuckled from across the pool table. You playfully glared at him, “What’s so funny Bradshaw?” He shook his head, “I’ve seen you run miles in the rain, Footloose. You love the rain.” You huffed out a laugh, a smile playing on your lips.

He was right after all. You grew up in a place where rain didn’t happen often, but when it did happen, it was for multiple days and you loved to sit on your porch and just watch it hit the highway and create puddles in the grass. If you were on a walk or run and got caught in the rain, you didn’t rush to get back home; unless of course it was a downpour and you couldn’t see two feet in front of you.

You nodded your head and tipped your beer bottle to him, “Got me there, Rooster.” “Hell, I bet you dance in the rain!”

Jake choked on his drink, causing everyone to look at him.

“You good, Hangman?” Coyote asked, patting his friend on the back. “Yeah,” he met your eyes, the pleading look making him shake his head. “Yeah, I’m good.” The relaxing of your eyebrows and jaw told him you were grateful for him keeping your secret. (not that it was a big deal)

*******

As the early afternoon turned into early evening, the rain did not let up.

Nobody had really come in given the weather, so it was the squad and a handful or two of regulars.

You all played pool and drank here and there. You were currently perched on a window sill watching the rain.

“You look lonely.” You jump slightly, having been lost in the sound of the rain hitting the window. You turned to see Rooster leaning on the window, a small smile on his face as he looked at you.

You smiled and leaned forward rested your chin on your knee, “I was ‘til you came along.” Bradley chuckled and shook his head, hoping his tan and slight sunburn from this morning hid his blush. “I’m honored.” You smiled at him and looked back out the window.

Rooster kept his gaze on you. “Calming isn’t it?” He hummed, “Yeah, sure is.” “Nothing lulls me to sleep quite like a good rain.” He nodded, “Is it the noise?” “Sure is. If it’s too quiet my head feels heavy and my ears feel clogged.” “So that’s why you have a fan,” Rooster chuckled and looked out the window. You laughed, “That’s exactly why I have a fan.”

You and Rooster sat in silence, just watching the rain and some lightning way off in the distance. But, the lights flickering drew you both to look back towards Penny, who was looking up at the lights. “That’s not good.” Then both the lights and music cut out, eliciting a groan from everyone in the bar.

You watched Rooster eye the piano, a grin forming on his face. “Well, don’t keep them waiting, Rooster. Get over there,” you chuckled as you shoved him to the piano. He laughed as well, jogging the rest of the way.

Everyone cheered as Rooster sat down, stretching his fingers and testing random keys. You leaned back against the window, smiling as the music sounded in the bar.

*********

Rooster made it through 4 songs before the power flickered back on. The mustached pilot stood on the bench and bowed, relishing in the calls of his name before hopping off and making his way back over to you.

“Enjoy the show?” You raised an eyebrow playfully, “You could say that.” Hangman and Coyote made their way over to the pool table by the window you and Rooster were at.

“Either of you guys wanna play?” You both shook your heads, “I wouldn’t want to bruise that precious ego of yours, Jake.” The two friends just shrugged and Hangman added an eye roll, racking up the balls and starting their slightly tipsy game of pool.

A song that was queued up caught your attention and apparently caught Bradley’s as well. He held a hand out to you, “Care to dance?” He nodded toward the dance floor where people had begun to dance to Take My Breath Away.

Your words hitched in your throat, “Well, uh-” Your flush ran up your neck to your ears.

“Oh Bradshaw, didn’t you hear-” Hangman’s words accompanied by a series of giggles caused your stomach to drop. But before you could stop him-

“Footloose doesn’t dance.”

You looked at Jake, anger flashing in your eyes before turning to Rooster, fear extinguishing the anger. Was he going to make fun of you? Was he going to ask a million questions that you didn’t want to answer?

You thought, ‘Screw it.’ And walked past Rooster to go outside and down to the beach.

Rooster was just confused, tilting his head like a puppy. Did he hear that right? “Wait, what did you say?”

Hangman swallowed the gulp of beer in his mouth. “Footloose doesn’t- shit, you weren’t supposed to know about that…” Rooster scoffed, “Why does it matter if I know about her not dancing?”

Coyote raised an eyebrow, “Um, Rooster, have you met yourself? You dance all the time, you sang your heart out less than 10 minutes ago.” “Also, Footloose is like majorly in love with you. So she figured that, since you’re so outgoing and always dancing, which is kinda obnoxious… she was scared you’d make fun of her. Even though, to be honest, you’ve never been that type of guy.” Jake was just spilling all your secrets at this point.

Rooster smirked, “Wait, was that a compliment?” “Don’t hold your breath, it’s the only one you’re getting.”

Bradley shook his head, chuckling a little before a frown of realization settled on his face. “Why would I make fun of her? I literally couldn’t care less if she danced or not.”

Jake just shrugged, “Just don’t tell anyone I told you, alright Chicken? Same goes for you too.” The blond poked Coyote in the chest with his pool cue, “No one was supposed to know. I can’t have the one pilot that somewhat tolerates me being pissy at me.” The two nodded, Javy making a zipper motion over his lips.

“Do you know why she doesn’t dance?” Jake shrugged, “When I met her in flight school she’d dance every once in a while, usually when she was drinking. But by the time we met back up at Top Gun, she barely talked about dancing.” “So quite literally like the movie?” Javy asked, suddenly just as intrigued as Bradley.

Jake pinched his nose, “I don’t know. Maybe, I don’t know how religious she is. She’s never talked about it. Not like I haven’t pried, cause of course I have, but she just shoots me down.” Bradley nodded, looking out the window, seeing you standing in the rain. “Shit, she’s gonna get sick.”

Rooster jogged to the door and outside, “Footloose! Footloose!” He groaned and picked up pace when you didn’t respond.

“Y/N,” he grabbed your shoulder. “Hey, let’s get you inside. You’re gonna get sick.” You shook your head, “Roost, I’m fine.”

He moved his eyes to where your hands were rubbing the goosebumps on your arms. “You’re cold,” he observed aloud. When you didn’t move, not even to look at him, he stepped in front of you.

“Hangman told me everything…” You bit your lip, nodding, “Pretty embarrassing, huh?” Rooster frowned again, shaking his head. “No, I don’t think so…” You just shivered in response and he wrapped you in a hug.

He sighed before saying, “I’m sorry if I ever made you think I would make fun of you for not dancing. I would never do that. I couldn’t care less if you danced or not.” You sighed and slid your arms under his Hawiian shirt, “I know. Just with past experiences-”

“Those people were assholes. It’s none of their business whether or not you dance. Why would that ever be a deal breaker? Cause it certainly isn’t a deal breaker for me…” The last part was muffled by your hair as Rooster planted a small kiss on your head.

You pulled back and he was afraid he said something wrong. But his nerves melted away when you gave him a small smile, even when it didn’t quite reach your eyes yet. He gave you a smile back and moved some hair out of your face, “I’m kinda glad Hangman spilled that little secret.” Your brows pulled together, “What do you mean?” Rooster stretched his back slightly, bobbing his head to the side slightly, “Cause now I can do this.”

Bradley captured your lips and you kissed back with little hesitation.

He could taste the rain that had been running down your face and you could taste the remnants of his alcohol from earlier. Your fingers gripped his black undershirt and pulled him closer. The hand that had rested on your face moved to hold your bicep and the arm still wrapped around your shoulders pulled you onto your tippy toes, allowing you to deepen the kiss.

When you both pulled away, Rooster still held you on your toes and your hands rested on his ribs. “Bradley Bradshaw,” you said, voice slightly raspy from the intense kiss. “Yes, Honey?” “I’ve never been kissed like that before… Do it again.” The brunette happily obliged, “Yes, ma’am.” You smiled and giggled as he kissed you in the rain. It was so cliche but neither of you seemed to care.

You pulled away again, this time he placed you back on your feet. You smiled, “I’m gonna have to thank Jake later.” You felt him tense slightly at the mention of Hangman, but before you could voice it, Bradley spoke. “I’m sure I would have gotten to you eventually.” He planted a loud kiss on your wet forehead.

You close your eyes and smile at the feeling before looking him in his eyes. “You want to ask me, don’t you?” You could see the need for answers swimming in his eyes, but you knew he wouldn’t push it. He just cleared his throat, “Let’s go inside, yeah?” You studied him for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, we don’t need the two best pilots getting sick now do we?”

You walked back to the bar, you tucked right under his arm, your hand intertwined with the one on your shoulder.

As soon as you stepped in, Penny was right there with towels. “You idiots, get in here,” she said with a stern look, but you could hear the laugh behind it; much like a mother scolding her teens that knew better.

“Get in front of the heater.” She ushered you both toward the shop heater, and gave you each another towel. You thanked her and she nodded, patting you both on the knee while giving you a wink.

Rooster laughed as he dried his face and neck, “You think she saw?” You pulled your hair out of the bun, “I think everyone did.” You shook your hair. “Dude!” You laughed at Rooster's shocked expression. He smiled and shook his hair, flinging water everywhere much like you had.

“Hey, Y/N.” You looked up, wiping your face, “Yeah, Jake?” “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I don’t know why I-” “Jake, it’s fine. Plus, it wasn’t the only thing you seemed to spill to him.” Jake cringed, “Yeah, but hey! You guys are together now, so you’re welcome!” He clapped his hands together. “Am I-” “Forgiven? Yeah, I guess, but you buy my rounds for a week.” He nodded, “Done.”

You stood up and he knew what you were about to do. “Y/N-” He took a step back. “Hold on. This is a new shirt.” “I think he deserves it!” Javy said from the pool table.

Jake looked back at him and you pounced. “AH! Okay, okay!” He groaned and hugged you back. “And to think Fitch is ‘Payback’,” he looked down at his damp shirt. You just patted his shoulder and sat back down with Rooster, watching him run the towel over his hair.

He stopped and looked at you, not even looking as his hand found yours with ease. You smiled, this time it reached your eyes, and you laid your head on his shoulder.

Rooster bunched the towel in his hands. “Why don’t you dance? You don’t have to answer, it’s just Hangman said you danced all the time in flight school.” You sighed and he was quick to reiterate that you didn’t have to tell him.

“No, no. It’s okay.” Your other hand played with his thumb that had begun rubbing your knuckle.

“It was right out of flight school when I was going on a mission. My engine got taken out, and we were already too close to the hard deck for comfort and before I could even start trying to save the plane, the other engine started to go. My RIO and I had to eject, but if we wanted rescue we needed to be out of enemy territory. So, I pushed as hard as I could, getting just into friendly territory when the engine went out completely. Both of us knew we couldn’t save it so we ejected immediately.” Rooster nodded, listening as intently as he could.

Your breathing shuddered before you began and he moved his arm to rest around you. “But it wasn’t soon enough, we didn’t get far enough away and the explosion sent hot shrapnel into my legs.” Rooster always wondered where those scars on your legs came from.

“When we hit the ground, we passed out from the impact.” You shook your head, swallowing, “By the time I woke back up, I was being hauled onto the rescue chopper and Stark was right next to me, just fine. I was rushed into surgery and by the time I woke up from that, I was informed that when Stark landed she broke some ribs, which caused internal bleeding and they couldn’t stop it in time…” Bradley pressed a kiss to your temple, “I’m so sorry.”

You swallowed and wiped the tear that escaped, “After my stitches were removed I started physical therapy. I was told I’d never walk, much less fly, again. But I proved them wrong, I mean look at me. I graduated from Top Gun for heaven's sake. I just focused so damn hard to walk and run better than I could before my accident, I forgot how to dance. It seems ridiculous, I know, but it’s true.”

You chuckled humorlessly, “It’s like my brain seemed to push dance moves to the bottom file cabinet drawer and my legs just can’t do the moves.”

Bradley squeezed your shoulder, “Thank you for sharing that with me. And I know you definitely still have some rhythm because you alway tap your fingers and bob your head on occasion.” You looked up at him, wide-eyed, “I do?” His jaw dropped, “Wait, how did you not- you seriously never realized you do that?”

You shook your head, astonishment on your face and it reminded Bradley of a child that learned they could do a really cool trick. He smiled and booped your nose, “You’re fucking adorable.” He smile widened when your nose crinkled at his touch.

As you stared up at him you got an idea, “Rooster, you big stud?” The man’s heart jumped up in his chest, “That’s me, Honey.” You smiled, eyes glancing down at the scar on his neck as your index finger traced it, “Will you teach me how to dance?” “I show you my moves, Honey.” He dipped down and captured you in a kiss.

***********

hey look at that! you’re still here! thank you for reading! <33

i know this idea is a little silly but i thought it was cute

and i’m very willing to write a part 2 to this if you guys want

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

thank you for being here babes <33

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #top gun maverick #x reader #pilot!reader #footloose #miles teller

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callsignrascal · 2 years

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Cocoa and Fireworks

Summary: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw and Y/N ‘C/S’ L/N have been best friends since their days at Top Gun. Practically inseparable if you ask anyone else. After overhearing some shocking news, Y/N escapes to the roof the New Year's Eve party for a little peace and quiet and before long is joined by our favorite Hawaiian shirt-wearing aviator.

Pairing: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x Fem!Pilot!Reader

A/N: hey best friends, im so totally new to the whole writing or even just the tumblr thing ... so bear with me :)

Y/N - Your name

C/S - Callsign

The party was too hot and too loud, and when the third girl tried to press herself against Rooster, she muttered something about needing air and escaped onto the far corner of the balcony. She could still hear the party, so she climbed on the railing and swung herself up on to the roof banging her ankle ungracefully against the cornice as she did so.

The New Year’s Eve party was supposed to be the biggest party of the year. Rooster and Hangman started planning it as soon as Halloween ended, and everyone was talking about it. Y/N had done her part in the preparations. She sent out invitations to people she didn’t even know. She entertained Hangman as he explained exactly the way in which he was going to kiss Phoenix at midnight. Hell, she even got Penny to let them host it at her house while she was gone on a trip with Amelia and Maverick. Granted they cleaned up afterwards and didn’t break anything.

But then on Christmas morning everything had changed and Y/N had other things to focus on… namely, Bradley Bradshaw. The problems started when Y/N overheard Phoenix urging Rooster to “tell C/S how you feel.” She was big on self care so she walked away before she could accidentally hear anything else.

The next few days passed without incident, but Y/N found it increasingly challenging to act normally around Bradley. Y/N decided to just avoid him rather than face the situation. By the time New Year’s Eve arrived, she was emotionally exhausted and wanted some space and a little quiet. Preferably accompanied by a book and some hot chocolate. Needless to say, parties planned by Jake Seresin and Bradley Bradshaw were never quiet, and they tended to consist of beverages a lot stronger than the warm one she’d wanted to enjoy.

So here she was, on the roof of Penny’s house, in the cold winter of San Diego. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath. In her haste to leave the party she hadn’t considered bringing a jacket or blanket, and now she was very cold. She shivered, teeth chattering.

Then came a familiar voice from the balcony below her. “Cold, c/s?” Y/N felt her heartbeat quicken. She leaned over the edge of the roof and looked down at the man she’d been trying so hard to avoid. “Here, take this..” Rooster offered, and he passed Y/N two steaming mugs. She took them, surprised. They were filled to the brim with hot chocolate and marshmallows. Mostly marshmallows.

Bradley swung onto the roof far more gracefully than Y/N had. Not only did he neglect to cause himself bodily harm on the way up, he also managed to look remarkably god-like while doing it. At that thought, Y/N felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks. She stared intently at the mugs in her hands to avoid looking at Bradley.

But then Bradley was beside her, draping his ridiculous Hawaiian shirt over Y/N’s shoulders and taking one of the mugs of cocoa from her hand. He settled himself next to Y/N, who couldn't stop herself from turning to look at the boy seated next to her. “Hey...” she said softly, “…thanks for the cocoa.” Bradley nodded, but he looked upset. No, upset wasn't the right word, he looked concerned.

“Y/N…” Rooster muttered, “You’re not mad at me are you?”

“No-“ Y/N thought about why he was asking before continuing, “Wait, should I be?”

Bradley shook his hands nearly spilling cocoa on the both of them. “No! I mean, no.” He thought to himself and sighed. “I don’t know.”

Tilting her in head in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just- it seems like- I don't know, maybe I'm paranoid…” Bradley stared into his cup of cocoa just like how Y/N was doing moments before. He struggled to find the right words. “I just feel like you've been avoiding me, and I want to know what I've done to upset you.” Bradley ranted, looking genuinely hurt.

Then it dawned on Y/N that she had, in fact, been avoiding Bradley. “Roo… I’m sorry.” She apologized quietly, afraid that he’d shatter if she raised her voice even a little bit. “I guess I have been avoiding you. It hasn’t been on purpose, I promise.” She leaned back onto the palms of her hands in exasperation. “I’m not angry. I’ve just needed some space to figure things out.”

“Am I allowed to ask what sort of things?” Bradley asked slowly.

“I-“ Y/N thought for a moment. She knew she would have to tell him about what she heard eventually. She couldn’t go on and lie to him any longer, he was her best friend. She just wasn’t sure how to say it. “I’m not sure if now’s the best time. I mean you have a party to host, alcohol to be consumed, plus I’m sure you won’t want to miss Hangman’s genius plan.” She turned her head, looking anywhere but his eyes.

“C/S…” Rooster’s voice was low and quiet as he wrapped an arm around her. “You’re my best friend. You’re more important than Heineken and indulging in the advances of drunken Navy sailors. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“I heard you and Phoenix talking on Christmas.” Y/N muttered under her breath.

She felt Rooster tense up. Wallowing in his silence.

“I’m sorry, Roo, please don’t be angry.” She begged as he continued to stay quiet. “It was on accident, I mean, I was walking into the break room and I heard you guys talking and I didn’t want to interrupt, but I heard my name and…” Y/N trailed off, not wanting to make anything worse.

After a couple of moments of silence, she turned and really looked at Rooster for the first time since he had climbed onto the roof. His face was bright red and he was blinking quickly to clear blurred tears from his eyes. So tight was his grip on the mug in his hand that Y/N worried the ceramic might shatter into pieces.

“Bradley?” She whispered softly.

After what seemed like forever, the other pilot met her eyes. “I’m so sorry, C/S…” He choked out. “You weren’t supposed to know because I didn’t want things to be awkward between us.” He spit out in a rush. “I thought I heard you run off and I know it’s because you don’t feel the same and I can live with that!” He put his cocoa down on a flat part of the roof and stuck his head into his hands. “Just please, please, don’t stop being my friend because I don’t think I can live with that.”

For a brief fraction of a moment, Y/N sat in shock as realization hit her. Bradley liked her. He was afraid that she, Y/N, didn't like him back. Bradley was a complete dumbass. And then Y/N began to laugh, because it was New Year’s Eve, and they were on the roof, and Bradley Bradshaw liked her, and everything was going to be just fine.

She laughed until her sides hurt and she couldn’t breathe, and Rooster just sat there in confusion which only made her laugh harder. When she finally regained control, she looked up at Bradley. “I like you, dumbass.” She reached up and poked his forehead. “I liked you when we met at Top Gun, and I like you now.”

Bradley’s face turned into a large toothy grin that reached the corner of his eyes and Y/N couldn’t help but smile back. They sat there grinning like idiots until she remembered the (not-so) hot cocoa in her hands. “Nice job on the hot chocolate, by the way.” She said casually, and then it was Bradley’s turn to laugh.

The moment was interrupted by clattering on the balcony below them as the entirety of the party poured out onto the (rather small) structure. “Oh, shit!” Bradley exclaimed, “The fireworks!” Y/N too, had forgotten about the dozens of fireworks James had set up that morning. They were set to go off at midnight, and had been positioned as such that the best view could be had from the balcony of a house in Fightertown, U.S.A.

“Well-” Y/N started to say, but was interrupted by a chanting on the balcony below. The countdown to midnight had begun.

“TEN... NINE...”

Bradley slid over to Y/N and tugged the cup of cocoa from her hands.

“EIGHT… SEVEN… SIX…”

Y/N thought for a fleeting second about Phoenix and Hangman somewhere on the balcony below, and hoped their kiss was as perfect as Hangman had planned it to be.

“FIVE… FOUR…”

Bradley had taken her hands, and she could feel the man shaking with anticipation. Who knew such a decorated fighter pilot would get so nervous over a crush?

“THREE…”

Okay, Y/N might have been shaking slightly as well.

“Two…” Bradley counted along with the crowd below, and his was the only voice that mattered.

“One.” they said it together as the fireworks show continued. Before they knew it, each of them were leaning in and their lips were on each other’s. Not sure if the fireworks they felt were figurative or literal.

In the sky above them, fireworks exploded in loud bangs, one after another, but neither of them noticed. They were too busy, lips pressed together, tongues exploring. Bradley wrapped his arms around Y/N, who tangled her fingers in the other boy’s sun-kissed brown hair. The kiss tasted like cocoa, and marshmallows, and alcohol. There was a fair amount of nose bumping and other awkwardness, but neither of the two minded because the moment was theirs and it was perfect.

At last, the fireworks stopped and the two drew apart because oxygen was, in fact, necessary for their continued consciousness. They sat there, blushing and grinning, until a loud bang startled them and Y/N nearly slid off the roof. Bradley reached out and held her as the sky above them lit up -- the grand finale -- because Jake had been so sure he was going to get that kiss from Natasha that, of course, he had left some fireworks go off after midnight.

So there they sat, arms, legs, and fingers pressed together and entwined on the roof of Penny’s house and watched as fireworks exploded above them, outlining the sky in blue and gold light. Go Navy, right?

Y/N let her head fall onto Bradley’s shoulder and he held her just a little tighter. She weakly knocked their mugs together as a silent toast. No words were spoken but they knew what it was for.

Cheers to the first New Years together, and for many more to come.

#top gun x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfics #top gun fanfiction #rooster top gun #rooster #rooster x you #rooster imagine

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sineala · 3 years

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Tony Stark and Arthuriana

Coming to you by special request, a very long post about 616 Tony's interest in Arthuriana, with a focus on all of Tony's run-ins with Morgan le Fay!

I feel like I should disclaim the extent of my knowledge here, which is that I still haven't managed to read anywhere near every issue of Iron Man -- at least, not yet, anyway -- so I'm just going by the things I know I've read, and Morgan le Fay's Marvel wiki entry is frustratingly under-cited, so it's very possible I've missed something relevant, but I'm pretty sure I've got the big stuff down. My other disclaimer here is that I'm not as big an Arthurian nerd as Tony is, which is to say that most of my familiarity comes from modern retellings -- T. H. White's The Once and Future King, Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave, Rosemary Sutcliff's Sword at Sunset -- and not so much the usual classic sources on the Matter of Britain, though I've read bits and pieces of them.

(This is because I wanted to read versions of them that were as close to the original as possible but so far have not ended up finishing any of them because, well, that's hard. So I've never read the Mabinogion because I do not know Welsh. I've got the Norton Critical Edition of Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, which is probably the best student edition if you're looking for something without modernized spellings, as I was. I've also got -- well, okay, it's my wife's but I'm borrowing it -- a relatively recent Boydell & Brewer edition (ed. Reeve, tr. Wright) of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), which is, you guessed it, in Latin with a facing English translation. I haven't gotten very far in it because, in case you didn't know this about Latin texts, the beginning is pretty much always the hardest, so I gave up and read some Plautus adaptations instead. Anyway, if for some reason you too want to read Geoffrey of Monmouth in the original Latin I'd recommend that one, but I can't recommend any particular English translations because I've never read one by itself. I bet you didn't think you'd be getting Latin prose recommendations in this post. I mean, maybe you did; it is me, after all.)

Okay. Right. King Arthur. Here we go.

We've got:

Flashbacks to Tony's childhood in late Iron Man volume 1

A brief discussion of Morgan's origin story and Avengers #187

Iron Man vol 1 #149-150: Doomquest

What If vol 1 #33: What if Iron Man was trapped in the time of King Arthur?

Iron Man vol 1 #249-250: Recurring Knightmare

Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1-4

Avengers vol 3 #1-4: The Morgan Conquest

Civil War: The Confession

Mighty Avengers vol 1 #9-11: Time Is On No One's Side

In terms of universe-internal chronology, we know from Iron Man #287, from 1992, that Tony has been a fan of King Arthur since childhood. This is an issue of a fandom-favorite arc which features Tony having a lot of childhood flashbacks, including the famous "Stark men are made of iron" line (in #286) that for some reason MCU fandom decided it loved; I mean, seriously, I've seen that quoted in way more MCU fic than 616 fic. But slightly later, in #287, we get an entire page devoted to Tony's love of King Arthur.

The narration reads: "Over the next few years, I learned as my father intended. Discipline of body. Strength of character. But in what free time I was allowed, I worked my way through the school's library. At thirteen, I discovered Mallory [sic], who showed me a whole new world. A world of dedication to a cause greater than oneself. Of chivalry and honor. And the fantastic deeds -- of armored heroes."

The art shows Tony as a child sitting under a tree, reading a book labeled Mort D'Arthur by Mallory [sic] -- no, don't ask me why nobody at Marvel checked how to spell either the name of the book or its author -- and daydreaming of King Arthur, the Sword in the Stone, knights, et cetera. Just in case you somehow missed the extremely blatant hint that we are meant to understand that Tony's knight obsession heavily influenced him becoming Iron Man as an adult, we see one of his armors mixed in with all the drawings of knights. So, yes, canonically Tony is Iron Man at least partly because he's a giant King Arthur nerd, which I think is so very sweet. I love him. He's such a dork!

(This issue is currently in print in the Iron Man Epic Collection War Machine, should you need your own copy.)

This isn't actually the only reference to Tony as a King Arthur fanboy in this era of canon, either; a little later, in IM #298, we see that one of Tony's passwords is actually "Mallory." (Yeah, no, they still couldn't spell. But it's cute.)

But in terms of actual publication order, this is definitely not the first time we have seen in canon that Tony is into Arthuriana, as I'm sure you all know. I would assume, in fact, that giving Tony a childhood interest in Arthuriana is because Doomquest is one of the most beloved Iron Man story arcs of all time, and that all started at least a decade before IM #287 here was published.

The villain of Doomquest -- the one who isn't Doctor Doom, at least -- is Morgan le Fay. Yes, that Morgan le Fay. Yes, Arthur's evil half-sister Morgan le Fay. Yes, all of this King Arthur stuff is canonically real history on Earth-616. Morgan's first appearance in Marvel, per the wiki, was in Black Knight #1 (1955), which I have not read, and judging by the summary I feel like this is probably just supposed to be a straight-up comic retelling of Arthurian legends for kids; I don't think Marvel really had the whole Marvel Universe in mind as a concept in 1955, so I'm not sure this was meant to connect to anything else. I feel like this is another one of those instances of Marvel discovering that they can write comics about characters in the public domain for free -- like, I'm pretty sure that's how we also ended up with, like, Norse, Greek, and Roman mythology wedged into 616.

As far as I can tell from the wiki, the first time Morgan tangled with the Avengers (or indeed the larger 616 universe) in any way actually predated Doomquest -- it was in an early arc in Spider-Woman (#2-6) and then Avengers #187, which came out in 1979, actually right when Demon in a Bottle was happening over in Iron Man comics. If you read #187, Iron Man is not in it because he's off the team due to his drinking problem and also his accidentally murdering the Carnelian ambassador problem. So Wonder Man's filling in instead. This issue is part of Michelinie's rather sporadic Avengers run, which makes sense, I guess, considering where we see Morgan next.

Anyway, Avengers #187 is the classic issue where Wanda is possessed by Chthon, but what you may not remember from Chthon's backstory (I sure didn't!) is that he was summoned by Morgan le Fay because she was the first person who tried to wield the Darkhold to summon him. As you can imagine, this did not work out especially well for her and her followers and they had to seal Chthon away in Wundagore Mountain, which was where Wanda found him. (The Spider-Woman stuff is only slightly earlier and also appears to be about Morgan and the Darkhold; the Darkhold is not one of the areas of 616 canon I am especially conversant with, alas. It's on my to-read list.)

Doomquest, as you probably know, was a classic Iron Man two-parter in Layton & Michelinie's first Iron Man run that set up Tony and Doom as rivals; Doomquest itself was IM #149-150, in 1981, and then in their second IM run they came back and did a sequel in 1989, Recurring Knightmare (IM #249-250), and then the much later four-part sequel to that was the 2008 miniseries Iron Man: Legacy of Doom, which was also by Layton & Michelinie but generally does not seem to be as popular as the first two parts. They've all been reprinted, if you're looking for copies; I have a Doomquest hardcover that collects the first four issues and then a separate Legacy of Doom hardcover. Currently in the Iron Man Epic Collection line there's a volume called Doom, which confusingly only collects the 249-250 part of the storyline (as well as surrounding issues), because for some reason the first Layton & Michelinie run isn't in Epics yet but the second one is. So the beginning of Doomquest isn't currently in print, as far as I can tell. I'm sure you can find it anyway.

So what's Doomquest about? Okay, so you remember how Doctor Doom's mother's soul is stuck in hell for all eternity? Well, Doom's obviously interested in getting her back, and the strategy he has embarked on is to try to team up with other powerful magicians who can help him out, and he thinks Morgan le Fay would be a good choice, for, uh, his quest. Doom's quest. A Doomquest, if you will. (If you've ever read Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph & Torment, you're familiar with the part where he later ends up waylaying Strange for this and they go to hell together. And if you haven't read Triumph & Torment, you really should, because it's amazing.)

So Doom is off to his time machine to go team up with Morgan le Fay and Tony thinks Doom is up to something -- Doom has been stealing components for his time machine from a lot of people, including Tony -- and he follows him and it turns out one of Doom's lackeys has a grudge and wants to trap Doom in the past forever, and Tony gets caught up in it. Now they're both in Camelot. Surprise! #149 is actually all setup; they don't get to Camelot until #150.

IM #150 begins with Doom and Tony thrown back into the past; there's a fandom-famous splash page of them locked in combat, only to realize that they have found themselves in Camelot.

They are then discovered by knights; Doom would very much like to attack them, but Tony, who naturally would be happy to LARP Camelot forever, persuades him to play nice. Also Doom thinks Iron Man is only Tony's bodyguard so he keeps referring to him as "lackey," much to Tony's annoyance. Somehow everyone thinks they're sorcerers. Can't imagine why. The knights take them to meet King Arthur himself, and Tony has clearly had his introduction all ready to go, as he introduces himself in a timeline-appropriate manner, says he's here to apprehend Doom, and demonstrates his "magic" by levitating Arthur's throne. Doom's response is essentially "I'm the king of Latveria," which is, y'know, also valid. So they're guests at Camelot for the night while Arthur figures out what to do with them.

We then have a page devoted to Tony alone in his room, musing sadly about how alien he feels, how he doesn't know if he'll ever get home, how he could never fit in here without his beloved technology. Then a Sexy Lady shows up to keep him company for the night, and he decides maybe it's not all bad. Thanks, Marvel. I guess they can't all be winners.

Doom is using his evening much more productively; he compels one of the servants to tell him where Morgan's castle is, because he's still interested in having that team-up. Then he jets off. Literally. He has a jetpack.

The next morning Arthur's like "one of you is still here and one of you has punched a hole through the castle wall and flown off to join Morgan so I guess I know which of you is more trustworthy." He then explains to Tony who Morgan is, because Tony professes ignorance, because clearly we had not yet retconned in Tony's love of Arthuriana. Tony offers to go fight Doom and Morgan with Arthur; meanwhile, Morgan and Doom have teamed up and Morgan has offered to help get Doom's mother out of hell if he commands her undead armies against Arthur because for Reasons she can't command them herself anymore. So that's a thing that happens.

So, yes, it's Tony and Arthur versus Doom and Morgan. Fight fight fight!

Tony tries Doom first but then decides to hunt Morgan down, and in the ensuing fight we get what I think is Tony's first ever "I hate magic," a complaint that we all know he still makes even to this day.

Anyway, Tony freezes a dragon with Freon (mmm, technology) and Morgan gets upset and disappears, so the battle comes to an end, and of course Doom is extremely mad at Tony because he blames Tony for Morgan not sticking around to save Doom's mom, because I guess Doom trusted her to keep her word? Weird. (Like I said, for the next chapter of Doom saving his mother, go read Triumph & Torment.)

Doom says if he and Tony work together, the components in both of their armors can send them both home. So Tony has to trust Doom. Which he does, because he really has no other choice. They build a time machine and Tony makes Doom agree to a 24-hour truce when they get back, so they can both get home. So it all works out okay, and they end up in the present, and Doom tells him, ominously, that they will meet again. Okay, then. That concludes the original Doomquest. It's fun! You can see why fandom likes it.

So that's all well and good, but you might have noticed that Tony's ability to get home hinged on Doom actually being trustworthy. And Doom was. But what if Doom hadn't been? What if he'd just stranded Tony in Camelot forever As you may have surmised from the form of that question, that is in fact a question Marvel asked themselves, because, yes, there's a What If about this! What If v1 #33 is "What if Iron Man was trapped in the time of King Arthur?"

The divergence point from canon, as you can probably guess, is the very end of Doomquest. Instead of Doom bringing Tony home, he deceives him and leaves him in Camelot. And since Tony cannibalized a lot of the tech from his armor to make the time machine, he doesn't have a way to go home.

This is not a story where Tony comes up with a way to go home after all. He really doesn't get to go home. But instead of drowning his sorrows in mead -- because, remember, Demon in a Bottle has already happened and Tony is sober now -- he decides he might as well just play the hand he's dealt. So with what's left of his armor, he defeats some enemies that Morgan rounds up to send against Camelot. And for his services, he's knighted. He is now Sir Anthony.

Tony acknowledges that he is both living the dream and would also like very, very much to go home.

He does end up having some fun in Camelot; it's not all miserable. But he obviously doesn't want to be there.

So if you're at all familiar with King Arthur, you know how this goes, right? Arthur fights Mordred and Mordred kills him. And that does happen in this version. Except Tony is right there, and with his dying words, Arthur asks Tony to rule Camelot... and Tony agrees.

So, yes, Tony Stark becomes king of the Britons after Arthur's death and he never goes home again. The end. Man, I love What Ifs.

Heading back to main 616 continuity, there is still more of this arc to go. The original Doomquest was only two issues, yes, but it was popular enough that Layton & Michelinie did a sequel a hundred issues later, in their second run of Iron Man, and that's Iron Man #249-250, Recurring Knightmare. (In the intervening issues were Denny O'Neil's IM run, specifically the second drinking arc (#160-200), and then Layton & Michelinie came back and most famously gave us Armor Wars (#225-232). I would have to say that Armor Wars is definitely the standout fandom-favorite arc of their second IM run; for their first one, I think a lot of people would have a hard time choosing between Doomquest and Demon.) But anyway, yes. Recurring Knightmare.

Recurring Knightmare is... well, the best way I can describe it is "a trip." It is definitely a sequel to Doomquest, and it is also definitely not a sequel you would ever have expected to see for Doomquest.

Much like #149, #249 is pretty much just setup. Fun setup, but the big action is in the next issue. We open with Doom in Latveria, on his throne, pondering which of his servants he should have disintegrated. Anyway, he's just hanging out there when a mysterious object appears. In California, Tony is suited up and entertaining the crowd at a mall opening when the same object also appears! He takes it to his lab. Please note that this is after the Kathy Dare incident, so Tony is still recovering and is walking with a cane. Doom sees on the news that Iron Man has found the same object, which cannot be carbon-dated, and he shows up at Tony's house. He criticizes Tony's taste in art.

Anyway, Doom basically orders Tony to work with him. Tony refuses, and then Doom sends some robots to attempt to steal Tony's version of the object because he thinks if he has them both he will be powerful. Doom manages to steal it, and when he puts the pieces together, both he and Tony disappear.

So where do they go, you might ask? Camelot?

Not exactly. The future! There is a great callback to the Doomquest splash page.

It turns out they are in London in 2093. Merlin brought them there. Tony still hates magic. And in the future, King Arthur is still there, except he is now a child, because he has been reborn. But he does remember Tony from Doomquest, at which point Tony kneels. Doom, of course, is not impressed. He asks why they have been brought to the future.

The answer is that things are going wrong in the future. If you do not personally remember United States politics in the 1980s, I need you to google the words "Strategic Defense Initiative" right now. I'll wait.

Back with me? Okay, so this is a future where Reagan's Star Wars program actually happened the way he wanted it to, and the satellites are still hanging around the Earth in the future and messing everything up, and Arthur and Merlin need Tony and Doom's help to stop them. Doom once again flies away with his jetpack, of course.

Tony is game to help, but he's not in an armor that can stay in space for long. This is when Merlin takes him and Arthur to the mall and Tony manages to get everything to upgrade his armor at Radio Shack. You see what I meant about this issue being weird.

Tony is out in space trying to disarm the SDI platform, which is where he runs into his future descendant, Andros Stark, who is in armor you will probably recognize from Iron Man 2020. He is referred to as "the resurrected spawn of Iron Man 2020" so I assume he's actually directly related to Arno rather than a direct descendant of Tony; Wiki confirms that Arno is his grandfather. This is all from way before Arno was contemporaneous with Tony in canon. Anyway, he's fighting Tony.

Oh, by the way, Future Doom exists. Future Doom would like to rule this future Earth and for some reason Andros would like to help him. Meanwhile, Present Doom finds out from Merlin that he can't leave except by magic and he can't leave without Tony, so he is reluctantly on Tony's side.

They need help from the Lady of the Lake, except the lake has been paved over and is now a parking lot. Merlin makes the lake come back and then of course they get Excalibur. Arthur is a kid, so he can't wield a longsword; Doom assumes he's going to take it because he is basically a king, and he's pretty grumpy when the sword picks Tony. Tony then uses Excalibur to destroy the space lasers, and I bet that is a sentence you never thought you would read. It's pretty cool. Tony concludes that magic has its good points. Tony stops Andros and Doom stops, uh, himself, and the world is saved and they get to go home. Also, Doom finds out Tony is Iron Man, but when Merlin sends them back he conveniently erases their memories, so neither of them remember anything about this and Tony's secret is still safe. And that's the sequel to Doomquest.

And if you think that's weird, wait until you see Legacy of Doom.

Iron Man: Legacy of Doom is a four-issue miniseries from 2008, also by Layton and Michelinie. Even though it's from 2008, it's set during a much more classic time in Iron Man, continuing on from where we left off in this Doomquest saga. We start with a framing story in 2008. Tony, who has Extremis now, is busy scrapping some of his older armors and reviewing his logs when he suddenly remembers that there was a whole thing with Doom that happened that he seems to have forgotten about until right now. So the whole thing is narrated by Tony in flashback.

Tony's in space fixing a satellite when a hologram of Doom shows up and summons him to Latveria. It's not really clear why Doom needs Tony's help in particular here, but Doom tells Tony that he's discovered that Mephisto would like to bring about the end of the world, which Doom finds, and I quote, "presumptive." So Doom has his Time Cube, and with it he takes Tony to hell.

(Yes, I promise this is relevant to Doomquest. There will be some Arthuriana shortly.)

Doom brings Tony to Mephisto, and it turns out it's a setup! Doom trades Tony for an item he wants from Mephisto, leaves, and Tony's going to be trapped in hell forever! Oh no! (I mean, he's not. But it's quite a cliffhanger.)

At the beginning of issue #2, we find out what the Arthurian connection is, which is that we learned that after the events of Doomquest, Morgan had been granted sanctuary by Mephisto in exchange for a shard of Excalibur that she had somehow stolen. Doom still wants Morgan's help with some magic -- he doesn't mention what it is here, but he says he needs someone of Pendragon blood, and that'd be her -- so he traded Tony to Mephisto in exchange for, I'm guessing, Morgan and the Excalibur shard.

I have probably mentioned this elsewhere, but Legacy of Doom #2 is one of my favorite issues of Iron Man ever, solely because of the next scene. We return to Tony in hell. Howard Stark is also in hell, and he is now a demon, and Tony has to fight him. Mephisto brings popcorn and watches. This is the one time in canon when Tony actually confronts his father, and okay, yes, it's a fistfight in hell and Howard is a demon, but that's comics for you. Howard spends several pages insulting Tony -- specifically insulting his masculinity, but that's a whole other essay -- until he finally insults Maria too, and that's when Tony fights back, because his mother taught him to be good. Honestly if you're a Tony fan I'd recommend this issue just for that scene.

Anyway, we go back to the Doom and Morgan plot, and Morgan casts the spell Doom wanted, which was fusing the Excalibur shard with Doom's armor. Then Doom sends her back to Camelot rather than hell, because he's still mad that she never helped him get his mom out of hell like she said she would.

Tony freezes Howard with Freon -- yes, the same trick he pulled on the dragon back in Doomquest -- and tells him, "You're no father of mine." It is immensely satisfying.

(I had been going to mention that I thought it was a shame that neither canon nor fandom seems to have really engaged with this confrontation, and I know canon never believes in narrative closure but fandom sure does -- and then, anyway, it occurred to me that since the framing story of Tony remembering this is set when Tony has Extremis, there's a very good chance that he no longer remembers remembering it. Goddammit, Marvel.)

(If I got to retcon one canon thing about Tony, I think "the entirety of World's Most Wanted" is up there. I mean, okay, a lot of things are up there, but WMW is definitely on the shortlist.)

Okay. Tony has now engineered his way out of hell, and he's back with Doom in Latveria. Doom has Excalibur. Doom would very much like to fight him. While wielding Excalibur. You get the sense that this is going to be bad. Another cliffhanger!

Legacy of Doom #3 opens with Tony destroying Doom's lab to buy time and running away from Doom and Excalibur. I should probably mention that Doom still doesn't know Tony is Iron Man (anymore), so he thinks he is dealing only with Iron Man, Tony Stark's lackey. Meanwhile, some scientists at SI think there's something weird going on with space. Meanwhile meanwhile, Tony is in a forest taking a breather when a mysterious old man walks up to him.

It's Merlin! Surprise! Merlin wants Tony's help to stop Doom from doing whatever he's doing with Excalibur. The sword makes you invincible and the scabbard makes you invulnerable, so Merlin sends Tony to Scotland on a fetch quest for the scabbard. Doom has now magically sent the sword in search of the scabbard, so the sword flies away to meet it and Doom follows. Turns out the thing that's wrong with space is a thing that's going to hit Earth at the exact place Tony and Doom are. What a coincidence! So Tony and Doom get trapped in a stone circle and fight some stone warriors and then Tony ends up with the scabbard. And by "ends up with," I mean it fuses to his armor. Next issue!

Legacy of Doom #4 is when things really, really get weird. A giant demon made of eyes (???) appears, and this demon is apparently what Doom had been preparing to fight (because it's mad that Doom stole one of its spellbooks), and now he can't, because the sword and the scabbard aren't together. Thanks, Shellhead.

That's when Merlin shows up and says all is not lost. They can defeat the demon... if they put the sword into the scabbard.

"But I'm the scabbard now!" Tony says, uncomprehending.

"Yes," Merlin says. "You are."

Then Tony gets it.

So, yes, Doom has to, um, penetrate Tony. With Excalibur. I love comics. I love comics so much.

So that's a thing that happens.

And then Tony flies off and, I guess, resolves to never, ever think about any of this again.

We head back to the framing story, in which Tony, now having remembered all of this, flies to Britain, buys the land the lake is on, and paves it over, presumably so it will be there for Merlin to bring back in Iron Man #250. The end.

Whew.

Okay, yeah, I know I didn't have to summarize the whole thing, but Legacy of Doom here really is one of my favorite Iron Man miniseries. And I just want to share the love. Please read it. It's great.

But the Arthuriana fun doesn't end there! In fact, now we get an Arthurian-themed arc that actually isn't in Iron Man comics. It's in Avengers! Iron Man is involved, though.

(There is also apparently a Morgan arc in Avengers #240. I actually haven't read it. It seems to be yet another Spider-Woman arc. I get the impression that this isn't really Arthuriana other than having Morgan in it fighting Jess, though, so it doesn't seem quite as relevant. Morgan also apparently has some appearances in FF, Journey into Mystery, and Marvel Team-Up, but those seem like more of just basic villainy. Also, probably not involving Tony.)

Kurt Busiek's 1998 Avengers run, volume 3, is in large part the kind of Avengers run that is a nostalgic love letter to older comics. Heroes are heroes and villains are villains and good triumphs over evil. The Avengers all live in the mansion and are BFFs. I love it. It does assume that you are already a fan of the Avengers, because it starts out by summoning pretty much everyone who has ever been an Avenger and is available to the mansion, and that is... a lot of people. Thirty-nine, by my count. Also, when the entire team is magically whisked away, we are treated to the following narration, as Steve disappears: "And Captain America's last thought, as the world goes white around him, and he with it -- is that Iron Man would hate this."

The narration doesn't tell you why Iron Man would hate this, or how Captain America would know that Iron Man hates this. This is not explained later on. But if you have read comics -- or if you have read the above summary of Doomquest -- you know that Tony is absolutely, one hundred percent, thinking, "I hate magic." And Steve knows it.

The reference is not relevant to the plot; if you don't get it, you'll be fine. But that's what I mean when I say this is a nostalgia run. There are definitely Easter eggs for people who have read a bunch of comics. Busiek does this a whole lot in his work -- there's a reason you can buy an annotated edition of Marvels -- and, yeah, it happens here too. Just know that there will be references you're not getting, if you're new to comics.

Anyway. So Busiek's run actually starts out with an Arthurian arc, #1-4, "The Morgan Conquest." The name is a dead giveaway. Yes, Morgan le Fay is back. Again. For once, Doom is not involved.

The Avengers are all back from their sojourn on Counter-Earth after fighting Onslaught -- don't worry about it -- and mysterious things are happening. There are a lot of monster attacks. So pretty much everyone who has ever been an Avenger is summoned to the mansion, at which point we learn from Thor about some mystical artifacts that are being stolen. (They are the Norn Stones and also the Twilight Sword. That sounds like something from a Zelda game, doesn't it?) The Avengers go to try to stop this, end up in Tintagel, and then they run into Mordred. He wants to capture Wanda, presumably for Magic Reasons. Morgan le Fay casts a spell on all of them, reshaping reality. Yes, all of them. Surprise!

So now all the Avengers are living in a medieval castle and/or town; Morgan is their queen, and thanks to the power of mind-control they are all basically living in Ye Olden Times. The Avengers are all some variety of knight, except for Wanda, who is chained up in the dungeon so Morgan can steal her magic and use it to fuel all this reality-warping.

Wanda calls for help, and that snaps Steve (Yeoman America!) out of the mind control (or altered reality or whatever you want to call it) pretty fast, because Steve's always been very good at resisting mind control, and then Steve promptly goes and snaps Clint out of it, because I guess Steve is also good at inspiring people to snap out of mind control. "Oh, man!" Clint says. "Not another alternate reality! Not again!" (I assume he's referring to Counter-Earth? Maybe?)

So Steve and Clint go around reassembling the Avengers and orienting them as to reality. They get Jan and Monica easily, but then Steve insists on trying to get Tony because, I guess, he likes Tony and would really like to hang around Tony, who is half-naked and asleep in his bedroom, and certainly I am reading nothing whatsoever into this. Clint tells Steve it's not going to work. Tony has historically been fairly susceptible to mind control; it was only pretty recently at this point that he'd been doing Kang's bidding in The Crossing. But the more serious impediment is that this is Tony Stark and he would obviously like to LARP being a knight forever and ever. Tony, therefore, does not believe Steve, and throws him and Clint out of his bedroom and into the barracks.

"Iron Man's a good guy, normally," Clint says. "But he's waaay too into his whole nobleman/lord of the manor trip. That spell musta hit him right where he lives!"

Clint speaks the truth, clearly.

Anyway, they go around and manage to make pretty much every Avenger in the room other than Tony snap out, and attempt to rebel against Morgan while Tony is stil fighting them because he is Still A Knight. There's a lot of punching, because some of the Avengers still aren't free; they weren't ones Steve found.

The day is saved when Wanda manages to channel Wonder Man and break free. This gives the Avengers a fighting chance against Morgan and the Avengers are all lending Wanda their power when Tony finally snaps out of it and is on the side of good.

Then they take Morgan down, go home, and attempt to figure out which of these thirty-nine people should be on the active Avengers team. Hooray.

But that's not the end of Morgan le Fay showing up to screw around with Tony's life! There's more to come! Not much, but there is one that I know of, and at least one more memorable reference.

(I haven't read all her appearances or anything, but one of them definitely involves Tony; I can't swear that he doesn't appear in any of the other books Morgan shows up in, but it'd be a cameo for him, because I only know of one more arc that she's in in a book that Tony stars in.)

In a few more years, we have now entered the part of Marvel Comics history where Brian Michael Bendis writes all the Avengers books at the same time for, like, seven years running. It was sure A Time. There were a lot of word bubbles.

And the thing about Bendis is, Bendis looooooves Doomquest. If you're familiar with the very end of his tenure at Marvel where he made Doom be Iron Man after Tony got knocked into a coma in Civil War II, you have probably figured out already that he likes Doom. But he also likes Doomquest, specifically.

I mean, if nothing else, the giant splash page in The Confession where Maleev redrew the climactic Doomquest fight while Bendis had Tony talk about how deeply meaningful to his understanding of the world this all was -- and how it allowed him to predict Civil War -- was probably a big clue, right?

As far as I am aware, Morgan le Fay makes exactly one more appearance in Tony's life. And that's in Mighty Avengers vol 1 #9-11. Only one of those issues is named, so I'm going to assume the arc is named after it: Time Is On No One's Side.

You remember Mighty Avengers, right? The deal with the Avengers books at the time was that after Bendis exploded the mansion and made the team disband in Avengers Disassembled, the main Avengers book was no longer called just Avengers. Instead, the main Avengers book was New Avengers, and that was the only Avengers book. Then Civil War happened, Steve got killed, and New Avengers became the book about what was left of the SHRA resistance (i.e., Steve's side) after the war. So about halfway through New Avengers, Mighty Avengers starts up, and Mighty Avengers is about an extremely fucked-up and grief-stricken Tony Stark trying to run the official government-sanctioned Avengers team, with Carol's help. This is the comic with the arc where Tony turned into naked girl Ultron. You remember.

So, anyway, there's this Mighty Avengers arc where Doom is Up To Something (there are symbiotes and a satellite involved) and somehow Tony and the Avengers end up in Latveria, punching Doom. Also, by the way, Doom is visiting Morgan in the past because he likes her. The Avengers attacking his castle made him have to come back to the present, so he's kind of cranky. And he fights Tony, and in the course of the fight, his time platform explodes and sends Doom and Tony and also the Sentry to... the past.

This is one of those times where you should definitely look up the comics if possible because the way the past is visually indicated here is that it's colored with halftone dots the way you would expect old comics to be colored, although they have modern shading and color palettes. It's very charmingly retro.

So the three of them are stuck in New York in the past, and naturally they would like to leave. There's one person in this time who has a time machine and it is, of course, Reed Richards. Doom and Tony have a lot of banter in this arc; I think it's entertaining.

Sentry has to be the one to break them all into the Baxter Building because of that power he has where no one will remember him. So they do that, travel forward in time, and end up in Latveria in the present again except Doom is gone and also things are currently exploding where they are.

Doom, of course, has made a side trip to visit Morgan again and he asks her to help him build an army, because I guess this is what their relationship is like. So the rest of the Avengers are captured by what look to me like Mindless Ones and are in a cave in magic bondage, because comics. Jess comments that at least they aren't naked, because she too is remembering that memorable New Avengers trip to the Savage Land. Doom threatens Carol in some creepy sexist ways and eventually it turns out that Tony and the Sentry are fine and everyone kicks Doom's ass. Business as usual.

And the last page of the arc is Morgan alone, wondering where Doom is. So technically Morgan and Tony don't come face to face here, but I think she counts as being at least partially responsible for ruining Tony's day here. And then Secret Invasion happens and Tony has a very, very bad day.

There are a few more Morgan appearances after this, but, as I said, I don't think any of them involve Tony. She shows up in Dark Avengers, apparently, which was one of the post-Civil War Avengers titles I didn't read, and I know that recently, on the X-Men side of things, she's been in Tini Howard's Excalibur one, which I have only read a little of. No Tony there. Just a lot of Morgan and Betsy Braddock and Brian Braddock and the Otherworld.

If you are interested in Morgan's other appearances, you might like this Marvel listicle that is Morgan le Fay's six most malicious acts. I pulled some of the Darkhold backstory from their discussion, but it's not really focused on Morgan and Tony.

So there you have it! That's everything I know about Tony's love for King Arthur and every run-in I know about that he's had with Morgan le Fay! One of two terrible people in Tony's life named Morgan! Actually, I don't think we've seen Morgan Stark in a while. I wonder if he's alive. There should be a Morgan & Morgan team-up. I should probably stop typing and post this.

The tl;dr point is that you should all read Doomquest and its sequels, especially Legacy of Doom. They're great!

#posts i actually wrote

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kaunis-sielu · 3 years

Text

A Favor

“Auntie!” Anya says the second you answer your phone, “I need your help!”

“What’s wrong?” You’d learned quickly that her version of an emergency and yours were very different.

“My principal wants to talk to my parents!”

“Why?”

“Because I’m sick of Ted Cramer being a bully so I punched him.”

“Okay, so why are you calling me?”

“My parents are out on a mission!”

“Oh.” Keeping who Anya’s parents are a secret is the only thing keeping her in normal school, which was something both agents had wanted for their daughter. “I’ll grab one of your uncles and come in.”

“Not uncle Bucky okay?”

“Why not?”

“Um, last time he was here the principal called him a terror or something and uncle Bucky got really sad.”

“Okay, not Bucky. Are you in the office now honey?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell the principal we’ll be there soon.”

“Um, could you just say you’re my parents? They haven’t met them and you don’t travel as much as my parents do, and you look a lot like me. Since you work behind the scenes people won’t know.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Please!” She begs, “otherwise they’re just gonna demand my parents come in and then they’re gonna be recognized and I’ll have to leave all my friends!” She sounds so upset that you cave,

“Okay fine.”

“Thank you! Okay I gotta go, I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon honey.” You hang up then and grab your purse to head out and find one of the boys. You know that Bucky, Steve, Scott and Bruce are all home. Bucky is already out and you don’t think Scott is around enough to be a good Clint substitute. You round one of the corners and nearly crash into Steve, “ah!” You cry startled at the sudden appearance of the Captain.

“Sorry, you okay?” He asks and you nod.

“Hey, I need a favor. Well, actually Anya needs a favor.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yea, just in trouble and needs two people to come to the school.”

“Let me get changed.” You haven’t told him all the information yet but he’s already ready to jump in and help Anya. It’s one of the reasons you adore the man, always ready to help his family.

“Oh, okay I’ll meet you downstairs?” He nods then disappears into his room, you make your way down to one of the cars and as you’re walking up he appears out of the stairwell. He’s in a black shirt, jeans and a grey jacket that either belongs to him, Sam or Bucky, you’ve seen all three men wear it so you’re not sure who it belongs to.

“You want me to drive or do you wanna?” He asks and you pull open the passenger side door in response. “Alright.” He chuckles then gets into the car and heads for Anya’s school.

“So just a heads up she’s asked me to pretend to be Natasha, well actually Natalie Rushman.”

“Why?”

“Nat and Clint are gone so often and since I don’t go out on missions to fight I’m home more than anyone. If Anya needs someone to come in again I’m the best option, I’m not a familiar Avenger. You might be more of a problem, having to explain how I know Captain America.”

“I wear a mask and I’ve got my undercover hat in the back.” He tells you with a grin and you laugh softly.

“Alright, if asked I’ll just say I work for Stark.” You say as he pulls into the parking lot. You climb out of the car and make your way into the school, Steve’s hat is low and somehow it does make him look less like Captain America and more like suburban dad.

“Hi, how can I help you?” The woman sitting at the front desk asks, it was too easy to get into the school, you glance up at Steve and see a small frown on his face. He must be thinking the same thing.

“Hi-“

“Mom! Dad!” Anya cries rushing you and Steve who you share a surprised look with Steve as Anya wraps her arms around your waist and buried her face in your stomach.

“You must be Anya’s parents, I’ll let Principal Decker know you’re here.”

“Thank you.” You tell her and the second she turns away you conjure rings for your and Steve’s fingers.

“Good thinkin’ Sweetheart.” He mutters into your hair.

“Anya, can you tell us a little more about why we were called in here?”

“Ted Cramer wouldn’t leave me alone, he keeps pulling my hair and poking my side and taking my stuff. When I told Mr. Sanders he just told me to ignore it so when Ted grabbed me at recess I punched him.” She looks up at you and that’s when you see the forming bruise around her eye.

“Anya who hit you?” Steve asks, his voice low.

“Nick Sanders. He’s best friends with Ted.”

“So why are you the only one in the office?” You ask, irritation building.

“Because the boys are in with the nurse.” A male voice says and you look up to see a man in a suit standing in front of you. “You must be Mr. and Mrs. Rushman. Principal Decker.” He reaches a hand out for Steve’s and he shakes it coldly.

“Bradley actually, Clark Bradley. My wife kept her last name and since she did all the work we decided to give Anya her last name.”

“My apologies, let’s move this to my office?” He offers and when he goes to touch you to guide you into his office you shy away, Steve wraps a protective arm around your shoulder and when Principal Decker gestures for you to sit Steve stands behind your chair arms folded tightly.

“So you’ve called the other children’s parents?” You ask hoping that he isn’t going to disappoint you but considering he’s already pretty much ignored you you don’t have a whole lot of hope.

“Considering Anya is the one who started the fight we’re a little more concerned with dealing with her behavior first.”

“That’s not the story we heard.” You tell him, glancing over at Anya who looks furious.

“Well, you can’t always believe everything children say.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve says through gritted teeth, “did you just call our daughter a liar?”

“No, no, I just think it’s unwise to just assume you’re getting the whole story.”

“I told them the whole story!”

“Anya if you can’t be respectful then I’m going to ask you to sit in the office.” Principal Decker warns and she folds her arms tightly over her chest, that’s when you notice the rip in her shirt.

“Anya, turn around please.” You tell her and there’s a large tear in the back of her shirt. “Did this happen when you were defending yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Fighting Mrs. Rushman.” Principal Decker interrupts.

“Maybe Anya should go out into the hallway.” Steve growls and you reach behind you to take his hand.

“No,” you counter, “Anya needs to be here to hear this just as much as Principal Decker does.” Your voice is steady, calm, “we have taught Anya to defend herself if someone has touched her when she has asked them not to. Ted Cramer has been an issues all school year, I know because I’ve already emailed Mr. Sanders about it.” Not a lie, as her godmother Natasha has you in their parent email so that you can step in if needed. He opens his mouth to speak but you hold up a hand, “I am not finished.” His mouth closes again, “We won’t be pressing charges against the school for allowing sexual harassment to continue,”

“Sexual harassment? Hold on a minute, they’re 10!”

“He has been pulling her hair, touching her and taking her things all year.”

“Little boys do that when they like little girls! He just has a crush.”

“I see you’re married Principal Decker,” You say gesturing at his ring, “do you poke your wife? Do you pick on her? Take her things? Touch her when she asks you to stop? Because if you do you’re an abuser.” His mouth drops open. “Am I pleased that Anya felt her only course of action was to hit someone to get them to leave her alone? No, I’m furious that her teacher and principal did not listen to her and made her feel like she had to defend herself. Now, how long will she be out of school? My husband and I have jobs to do and frankly you’re an ass.”

“Mrs. Rushman!” He sputters but you stand and hold out a hand for Anya’s.

“How long Principal Decker?”

“Three days.”

“Very well. Anya go get your things.” You turn then and make your way out of the principal’s office Steve behind you.

“Damn Sweetheart.” He mutters and you give his hand a little squeeze. Then he disappears with Anya to gather her things. You head out for the car, leaning against the sleek black thing in the sunshine. Hopefully Clint and Nat won’t be too upset with how you and Steve handled this.

“You! Are you that little Rushman bitch’s mom?”

“Excuse me?” You ask standing up straight as a woman comes storming toward you.

“You heard me. I’m gonna kick your ass.” She takes a swing at you that you see coming a mile away. You duck under her arm, step behind her and throw and elbow into her shoulder blade throwing her off balance. She stumbles forward and you turn to face her again as she whips around.

“My daughter took on three boys and only had a black eye and a ripped shirt. Where do you think she learned to fight?” You ask calmly as the woman rushes you again, you wait and shove her away as you sidestep her again she goes stumbling. Technically it was Natasha but the woman doesn’t need to know that. This time when she rushes you you don’t move, instead you catch her arm and spin her into the car pinning her against the hood.

“Mom?”

“Hi Anya. Clark.”

“Everything alright here Sweetheart?”

“Yea, this is one of the boys mom. She doesn’t seem pleased with how we decided to raise our daughter to not be a passive little thing who lets boys do whatever they want.”

“Fuck you!” The woman screams and you twist her arm painfully.

“Language. You’re at an elementary school.” You say coolly, “Anya honey get in the car please.”

“Anything you need from me Sweetheart?”

“Mm, her husband doesn’t seem too pleased.”

“Let go of my wife you fucking bitch!” He roars his truck squealing to a stop behind your car. He comes bolting out of the car and Steve sighs.

“Honestly. Who do they think taught our kid to kick ass?” Steve grumbles placing himself between you and the large tatted man.

“He’s gonna kill you!” His wife says from where you still have her pinned to your car.

“Friday, are police on their way?” You ask your watch.

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” You say before a loud crash happens behind you.

“I told you to calm down.” Steve says and when you glance behind you you see the other man groaning against his car, a body shaped dent in the hood.

“Mick! Mick! Do something!” The woman yells struggling against you as the police roll up.

“I don’t think Mick is gonna be getting up anytime soon.” Steve says with a sigh. The two police officers come up and she starts screaming about how you’d attacked her. The police take her from you and when they attempt to cuff you too Steve speaks up.

“You probably shouldn’t do that.”

“Are you threatening us sir?”

“No, but she does work for Stark and the whole thing was caught on that camera so maybe check the security camera before you go slapping cuffs on people.”

The two officers call for an ambulance to check on Mick then one goes inside to see what was caught on the camera. When he comes out with a flash drive you’re free to go.

“Thanks Auntie. Thanks uncle Steve.” Anya says from the backseat as Steve pulls out of the school parking lot.

“Don’t thank us quite yet. You still have to tell your parents that you were suspended.” Anya groans loudly before pulling her phone from her pocket. “On speaker please.” You instruct, she’s a tricky thing.

“What? Don’t you trust me?”

“Considering I just played your mom and Steve your dad, no I do not.” She groans but does as you ask and calls her mom on speakerphone.

It’s not the worst conversation and you’re glad that Nat and Clint found that you and Steve played them entertaining. You make sure to tell them that you’ll make sure she gets her schoolwork done before she goes back next week.

“So, I was thinking we deserve ice cream.” Steve says once Anya hangs up with her parents.

“I think that sounds like a great idea. What do you think Anya?”

“I love ice cream. Uncle Steve you should ask Auntie out.”

“Oh, um.” Steve stutters and you glance over your shoulder at Anya.

“Anya you don’t just get to decide things like that for people.”

“But he likes you, and you like him Auntie.” Before you can say anything else Steve chuckles,

“Well she’s not wrong.” Steve says and your gaze whips over to him.

“What?”

“I do like you. So, what do you say? First date at an ice cream parlor with our niece?”

“That sounds perfect.”

#steve rogers #captain america #oneshot #imagine steve rogers #captain america x reader #Steve Rogers x reader #steve rogers one shots #steve rogers oneshot #avengers imagine #avengers one shot #clintasha #clint barton x natasha romanoff

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havingamentalbreakdowneveryminut · 3 years

Text

Secrets: Chapter 1

I watched as Dina switched seats with Bradley, subconsciously cursing her for leaving me and Syd alone with Bradley Lewis.

I watched as Bradley smugly took one of Dina's fries. Dina has got be kidding with this guy.

I reached for the straw of the milkshake me, Syd, and Dina had been sharing, only it was the same time as Syd reached for it. My head immediately turned to look at them, just to see they were already looking at me-- Oh yeah I forgot to mention I have little crush on one of my best friends...

Okay, so maybe it's not little, but can you blame me they are like really attractive. The only problem is they probably don't like me back.

Right now we are at a diner that Syd's mom works at, because Dina had some news, she said it was good news. But, dating Bradley Lewis is never good news.

"So--" Bradley said, watching as me and Syd's heads snapped in his direction.

"Dina's just great isn't she." Bradley said, smiling sweetly at us.

"Yup." I said, giving Bradley my fakest smile turning to Syd for help but they had their head down and were mixing the milkshake with the straw. I bit my lip, looking around the diner. Only Dina would leave us with a douchebag and take her sweet time to get the ketchup as she spoke to one of waiters.

Bradley chuckled realizing Syd still hadn't said anything. "Jesus. Do you ever smile?" he said, still scarfing down Dina's fries. I turned to Syd not really expecting a reply, they glared up at Brad continuing to play with the straw, not even gonna lie it was kind of hot.

Only a couple seconds later Dina came back sliding into the booth next to Brad, I was relieved for about 30 seconds, until they started talking to each other.

"So what have we decided?" She said, happily. Putting the ketchup - that she was taking 1 decade to get - on the fries. Brad smiled, chewing before replying.

"Whatever you want babe."

I think I just threw up in my mouth.

I looked at Syd from the corner of my eye to see them staring at Brad with irritation and anger. I knew it was best not to bother them when they got like this, so I took a sip of the milkshake trying to ignore the couple flirting in front of me.

"Oh shit!" Brad exclaimed, making me look up from the milkshake to see Dina and Brad trying to quickly stop the bleeding coming from his nose. I don't understand why they were acting so dramatic it was just a nose bleed and they were acting like he just got shot.

I didn't miss Syd's scared reaction though.

------

Once Bradley and Dina got the bleeding to stop, I turned to Syd giving them a soft look they stared at me with an 'I'm sorry' expression for a little bit, before getting up arubtly mumbling "I have to go" before rushing out of the diner.

I watched them go, with a sad expression that Dina must have caught because she gave me an apologetic expression, I gave her a small smile, before standing up and grabbing my backpack.

I turned to Bradley. "Brad." I said, bitterly. Before turning to Dina with a smile "See you tomorrow Dina." Before walking around the table and whispering in her ear.

"If he hurts you, I'll kick his ass." Causing her to giggle, as I walked out of the diner.

------

I walked home with music blasting in my ears. I loved music there is never really a time where I'm not listening to music-- well except when I'm with Syd and Dina. Syd and Dina were my only friends in this shitty town, that I've lived in since I was 3.

Not only do I live in a shitty town but I also live with shitty parents, they both work at a company that pays them A LOT of money, they work in the company with Bradley Lewis' parents. Which sucks, because that means we have to have dinners with them and listening to Brad explain why he is the most popular guy at school isn't exactly the best way to end your night.

I sighed as I finally reached my house, it was 2 stories tall and I live here with my mom, dad, little sister, and older brother.

I walked into my house, hanging my backpack up on the coat hook, being caught by surprise when my little sister runs out of her room and hugs my legs.

"Y/n, you're back!" Lea said, with big smile on her face. I smile down at her, "I am." I chuckled, before bending down to pick her up.

Lea was 4, but she was very smart and mature for her age. She was the first person I came out to as genderfluid, and even though she didn't quite understand it, she tried her best to respect it unlike my parents--

"Y/n?" Speak of the devil.

"Yup!" I said, looking up to see my mom standing in front of me with her arms crossed, as she looked over my outfit. I rolled my eyes at her, before turning back to my sister.

"Go find Leo and see if he wants to play with you." I smiled at Lea, as she ran down the hall to go find my older brother Leo. After I knew that Lea was gone, my smile was immediately gone.

I avoided my mom's glare as I walked past her and into my room, I could hear her footsteps following me but I ignored them as I walked over to my book shelf and picking up a book to read, before turning around looking at my mom with an annoyed expression. "What?" I said.

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Why are you dressing like that?"

I looked at my mom with confusion before looking down at my outfit.

(You can choose one of these two outfits if you'd like)

I looked back up at her, "Like what?"

She sighed in frustration. "Like-- like one of those goth people!"

I stared at her for a moment, before putting the book down and making my way downstairs I really didn't want to listen to her lecture right now. I opened the fridge grabbing a bottle of water, getting ready for yet another fight with my mom.

"Y/n, you do not walk away from me! Especially, when I'm talking to you!" My mom exclaimed pointing her finger at me as I drank my water looking at her with a bored expression.

"I know why you're doing this to me." She said, matter of factly. I glared at her. Oh, does she?

"You know you will always be a girl right? Nothing you do or say is gonna change that. You have the body parts of a girl, the mind set of a girl. You even look like one. You are a girl and you are gonna start acting like one. I don't care about all this internet stuff about the-- nonbinary people. You. Are. A. Girl." She finished. I looked back up with tears in my eyes, not daring to let one slip.

"Fuck. You." I said, getting up and speed walking to the front door, and running out of it. I walked and walked and walked, until I finally stopped and ended up at my favorite spot it was in the forest, it had a big rock right in the middle, that I liked to sit on and think away, from everyone and everything. I finally let the tears slip, knowing I was alone and I could finally let go inviting the darkness of the forest in. I had never really been scared of the dark as I always found comfort in it.

I got up and start wandering the forest touching the trees, I know it sounds weird and impossible but it felt like I had this weird connection with nature, I sometimes come across animals while in the forest, I don't walk up to them - I know better - instead I just admire them from afar.

I spotted a wolf-- Wait. A wolf? They don't even live in Pennsylvania. I stared at the wolf in confusion, and only a few seconds later it turned it's head to look at me. I stared into it's brown eyes, it looked like it was trying to tell me something.

"Y/n?" I heard someone say my name causing me to jump in surprise and look around in confusion. "Over here dumbass." The same voice said again, I slowly turned. No way. It can't be the wolf. There is no fucking way.

"Yes there is a way." The voice- wolf said.

"How the fuck are you talking right now." I said, in disbelieve.

"Okay, I know this probably freaking you out, so I should just take my human form." The wolf-- voice said. Human form?! What the fuck was this thing?! A fucking shapeshifter? I felt a tap on my shoulder that pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see a person a little bit taller then me, they were wearing a loose oversized plaid lapel jacket, with skinny jeans, and turtle neck underneath, and combat boots on it's feet. They looked pretty warm to be honest.

"What. The. Fuck." I said, backing away from the so called person.

"Hi." It said in a cheery voice. Why the fuck are they so happy? I'm freaking out.

"You are y/n y/l/n right?" They asked. How the hell did it know my name?!

"...yeah. Who wants to know?" I said, in a nervous voice. Dammit! Come on y/n you have to be tough.

"No you don't. I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm Jamie." They said, in a softer voice, holding out it's hand for me to shake. I slowly shook it's hand looking at them suspiciously. They pulled their hand away happily, sighing in content.

"So!--" It said, causing me to jump. I watched as they looked around the forest. I stared at it with a blank expression. "Well, you gonna show me where I will be staying?" They asked, stating it as if they expected me to.

"Huh-- what, I don't even know you." I exclaimed, furrowing my eyebrows together. Jamie gave me a confused expression.

"...I just told you my name like 2 minutes ago-- Man, do you even listen?" It chuckled, getting distracted by a bird, leaving me confused in my thoughts.

What. The. Fuck. Is going on?

Okay so that was the first chapter I hope it wasn't too bad. I feel like I'm going to like writing this fic a lot. Since I actually took the time to think and write these characters correctly. By the way Jamie is agender and they use they/it pronouns. Just in case you didn't catch that. Syd’s POV will most likely be in the next chapter. I will write y/n povs first and then Syd’s POV of what happened if that makes any sense. - Dove <3

#sydney novak x reader #i am not okay with this #genderfluid #gender nonconforming #fanfiction #lgbtq #dina ianowt #nonbinary

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amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines · 3 years

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Steve//love? hope? or a bit of both?

Request: Can I maybe request something where after billy's death Steve takes care of the reader and they fall in love

hey! i hope you like it!! i kind of got a little bit carried away (i always do), but i think i pulled it back though!

- You and Billy were unlikely friends

- You saw how he bullied people and used girls and you definitely didn’t approve

- But between working together at the community pool

- And being neighbours

- The two of you somehow became friends

- And just friends

- No matter how hard he tried to make it something more

- But you knocked him back...always

- You had more of a thing for Steve

- Not that you told anybody that though

- Especially not Billy

- You saw how much they hated each other

- And if Billy got even the slightest hint that you liked Harrington, you’d never hear the end of it.

- So that secret stayed with you

- Its not like you were going to do anything about it anyway

- You’re not entirely sure Steve knew who you were to be honest

- Anyway...

- So you and Billy saw each other practically everyday

- Apart from when you worked different shifts (which was very rare)

- Or if he was on a date (that one was not rare)

- But he did always make time for you

- And then he starts avoiding you

- And acting weird

- And just being off

- So, one night you decide to follow him

- Because he’s being reallllllllly weird

- Like, he’s possessed.

- One minute you’re following him out ‘Bradley’s Big Buy’

- And the next thing you know

- You’re throwing fireworks at a creature in the middle of the mall

- There’s an odd mix of people with you

- Steve, for a start

- And Steve’s co-worker Robin

- Someone you’ve had a few conversations with while she hands you your ice cream and gives Billy a dirty look

- But you can tell she’s cool

- Nancy and Jonathan are there too

- With their little brothers and their friends

- Nobody really notices you at first

- But then again, you all have slightly bigger things to deal with

- However they quickly notice you when they hear you scream

- You can feel yourself running towards Billy

- But arms are around your waist before you’ve barely made it three steps

- And the next thing you know you’re slumped on the floor sobbing into Steve Harrington’s chest

- In any other situation, this would be your dream

- Maybe not the crying part

- But the fact that he’s cuddling you

- But right now, you just want to see Billy

- To poke him in the arm or chest or something and for him to wake up and tell you

- ‘i’m just kidding babe’

- And you’d roll your eyes at the use of the word ‘babe’

- But life would carry on as normal and everyone would be okay

- You don’t really remember much of the next few days

- You’re too busy being lost in your grief

- Like a really large void has opened in your chest and you can’t do anything to stop it from consuming every part of you

- The only things you really remember are:

- Billy’s screams

- Something you can hear/see every time you close your eyes

- Signing a contract that forces you to keep your mouth shut about everything

- Not that you know anything about it

- But it makes you feel sick every time you think of it

- And the lack of people at the Hargrove/Mayfield household

- The only person that you’ve seen go into the house is Billy’s aunt

- Somebody he saw twice a year if that

- On the morning of day three of your grief

- There’s a knock on your bedroom door

- Thinking its your mom bringing you more food you’re barely going to touch

- You mumble a quiet ‘come in’ and peak your head out from under the blanket

- You’re surprised however when you see Max and Steve

- Steve looks a little awkward

- And like he hasn’t slept for days

- But he offers you a smile anyway

- Max looks more nervous that awkward

- And like she’s on the verge of tears

- She tries to force a smile, but she can’t quite make it

- Instead she sighs and looks at the floor

- You probably look worse than both of the combined

- But right now you don’t really care

- Steve takes the lead and shuffles his way into your room

- Placing a bouquet of flowers on your desk chair

- The Steve stood in your bedroom looks completely different to the one you knew at school

- He’s more of a shell of himself

- Before he was confident and cool

- Now he’s a lot more on edge

- And something about the way he carries himself makes you think this isn’t the first time he’s had to deal with something like this

- You sit up and they take that as an invitation to come in

- Steve remains where’s he’s stood, leaning against the wall

- But Max sits beside you and cuddles into your arm

- She liked you as soon as Billy introduced you as his girlfriend

- And you’d snorted in reply and told him ‘in your dreams’

- You were the first one of Billy’s friends that never seemed annoyed with her

- You would actually volunteer to hang out with her and her friends

- And she always liked that about you

- It made Billy babysitting a lot more fun if you were there

- Steve is the first to break the silence

- ‘max asked me if i could come over with her. but i wanted to see how you were doing. and also to say thank you for helping the other night’

-His words stumble over each other but you get the jist of what he says and are grateful that he came over

- Even if it is a bit awkward

- ‘we’re also really sorry for your loss’

- Him and Billy may hated each other

- But he didn’t deserve to die

- He should have been able to grow as a person

- To apologize and seek forgiveness

- Plus Steve knows you were close

- He doesn’t really understand why

- But he hates seeing you like this

- He may not have noticed you while at school

- But he noticed you when he would go to the pool on a rare day off

- And he noticed you when you’d come into Scoops

- Sometimes you’d be alone and he’d have to stop himself from jumping over the counter and sitting with you

- Sometimes you’d be with Billy and he’d have to stop himself from jumping over the counter and punching him in the face

- And sometimes you’d be with other friends

- But you would always be laughing

- He really wants to hear you laugh again

- ‘thanks’ You mumble and look at your duvet

- Max is the next to speak

- Something about cleaning out Billy’s room before his dad found something he wouldn't like

- She then hands you a jacket that you didn’t even realize she was holding

- Its denim, so its definitely his

- And then you remember you’d claimed it when he told you it was too small for him

- It still smells like him and you have never been happier for forgetting something at his house

- You make a mental note to put it somewhere safe after they’ve left

- ‘thanks’ You mumble again and tuck it beside you.

- ‘how are you holding up?’ You ask Max but she just shrugs in reply.

- ‘what about you?’ You turn your attention to Steve and he looks at you surprised

- ‘i’m good.’ All three of you know he’s lying

- How can anybody be good after that?

- But you can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it, so you don’t push it any further

- ‘and everybody else?’

- ‘the same’ He nods. ‘there’s talk of the byers moving with el’

- Silence takes over the three of you

- You’re all looking around your room

- But you’re thinking of three different things

- You’re remembering Billy lying on your bed while you were getting dressed for work

- He was only waiting for five minutes

- But he made it feel like an eternity because of how much he complained

- He didn’t stop until your shoes were on and you were walking out the door

- At the time it annoyed you

- But right now, you missed his complaining

- Max is remembering watching him sneak through your window at 2am

- She remembers teasing him about it the next morning

- But it was a subtle way to say she saw and she wasn’t going to tell

- Especially because of the bruise on his cheek

- Steve is thinking about when he was back at school

- Billy had just turned up

- And Steve knew it was just a matter of time before he was no longer King Steve

- He had heard countless of rumours about Billy and he’d only been there for less than a week

- But he remembers one that he’s only just realized was about you

- Someone had seen the two of you talking outside your house

- ‘he’s going to break her heart’ They’d said

- Whoever had said it was right.

- Eventually the silence got too much and they both left

- You promised Max that she was welcome to come round any time

- Both of them were

- And you meant it

- The next time you saw them was Billy’s funeral

- For the amount of women that Billy slept with, there was a definite lack of people in the church

- You were sat at the front beside Max

- But you noticed the rest of the party, as well as Steve, Nancy, Jonathan and Robin sat near the back.

- After the wake

- You shrugged Billy’s jacket on, despite only going next door

- To your surprise

- Steve was sat on your porch holding another bouquet of flowers

- Once he noticed you, he stood up and fiddled with his jacket a little

- However once you sat down beside him

- He slowly sat again and handed you the flowers

- ‘thanks for coming today’

- ‘oh’ He says surprised ‘no problem’

- ‘will you thank the others for me?’

- ‘yeah of course.’ He replies. ‘how are you?’

- You just shrug in reply but he understands

- ‘about that nigh-’

- ‘steve? i have literally so many questions. but please...not tonight’

- ‘sorry’

- Instead of answering

- You just lean your head on his shoulder.

- To the outside world

- You probably look like a couple of teens coming back from a first date

- And right now, you wished life was that simple

- You shove your hands in your pockets but something catches them

- You frown in confusion and pull it from your pocket

- Its a mixtape with your name scrawled on it

- As soon as you recognize the handwriting you smile and lift your head up

- ‘whats that?’ Steve asks while watching you trace the writing carefully

- ‘mixtape. it must be from billy’ You sigh and shove your hands back in your pocket to see if there’s anything else

- There’s a few gum wrappers (and a condom...gross. He definitely put that in there to annoy you)

- But there’s a small note and your heart rate increases

- ‘hey babe. i made this for you to play when you eventually bone harrington (god knows why you want to). you know you really have to be more subtle if you want to keep something like that from me. if you want any practice before you do the deed, i’m more than willing to help’

- ‘whats that?’ Steve looks over your shoulder and you quickly shove the note back in your pocket

- ‘oh, its just a stupid note’

- ‘was there something going on with you two?’

- ‘ha! he wishes’ You laugh, but its only now do you realize you’re crying

- ‘you two just seemed close’

- ‘nah. just friends. we both liked very different people’

- ‘oh’ If this was any other night and not the funeral of your best friend, you would have thought he sounded hopeful. ‘are you going to listen to it?’

- ‘probably later.’ You blush slightly

- ‘we could listen to it in my car’

- ‘excuse me?’

- ‘not like that.’ He laughs and you feel your heart sink a little. ‘just, driving around town has been a welcome distraction this past week. sometimes we all meet up in one of the empty parking lots on the other side of town just to hang out and feel normal. i just thought it might help’

- ‘yeah...that sounds nice’

- He helps you up stand and tries to grab the mixtape from you but you quickly shove it back in your pocket

- ‘knowing billy he would have put some very inappropriate songs on it’

- ‘yeah. i don’t want to know what sort of stuff he liked’ He laughs

- You know he was only joking

- But the way he says it makes you frown

- He notices how sad you look once you’re both sat in his car and he sighs

- He’s still trying to be better at a lot of things

- Reading signals is one of them apparently

- ‘why don’t you tell me your favourite memory of him’

- So you do

- You tell him about the time Billy thought he’d locked you in the cleaning supply closet at work

- When in reality it was somebody who looked nothing like you and when you tapped him on the shoulder he screamed like a baby.

- And you laugh like you used to when you’d walk into Scoops and brighten up his day

- He hopes he’s going to hear it a lot more

- And so do you

#steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #stranger things #stranger things imagine #steve #steve imagine #steve x reader

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roosterforme · 1 year

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A Love You Don't Find Everyday Part 16 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You unfortunately let Phoenix talk you into going to the Hard Deck on a night when it was swarming with sailors. And there's only so much that can be done to keep both Bradley and Jake safe during their special mission.

Warnings: Angst, fluff, and swearing

Length: 3500 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Check out my masterlist for more!

You knew from Bradley's emails that he was flying his mission today, you just weren't sure what time. You only seemed to be able to think about him and Jake, wondering what they were doing and if they were staying safe.

Your wedding was less than two weeks away now, and you were leaving work early to drop off your permits with the county office. That was the last thing you had to do. Your plan was to finish writing your vows and making the photo collage this weekend. Then you'd truly be all set for the wedding, and one of Bradley's gifts would be complete.

Now he just needed to make it back in time so you could pull off the most spectacular surprise of all time, with a little help from Mav.

When you got home, you played with Tramp and argued with Phoenix over text about whether or not you should go to the Hard Deck tonight. It just wasn't the same without Bradley there, but it was even worse now. You knew you were a little antsy, but you wouldn't even be able to tell anyone that it was because your wedding was coming up!

But she got you to agree to go if she picked you up on her way there. So now you were scrambling to get changed into some cutoff shorts, a cute top and your boat shoes before she arrived. You were still eating the sandwich you made and feeding Tramp his dinner when she let herself in the front door.

"You look cute," she said, giving you a look. "That looks like something you'd wear out with Bradley."

"I know," you said between bites of food. "I need to do laundry tomorrow."

Phoenix just sighed. "You sure you don't want to throw on a sweatshirt or one of his massive tees? There's a carrier docking like right now. The bar is going to be swarming with guys."

You just rolled your eyes at her. "This is hardly inappropriate, and it's like a million degrees outside." But now you understood why she was wearing jeans and a baggy shirt. The guys could be a bit relentless when there was a ship in port. "Hey, maybe I can get a free drink," you said with a shrug.

But five minutes into your night, you realized you had made a mistake.

"Why did you bring me here?" you growled at Phoenix as you waited in a massive crowd of people to get a beer. "I could be sitting in my backyard with a drink that I didn't have to physically fight someone for!"

But she just shrugged. "It's not as crowded by the pool table."

After a few more minutes, you groaned and told her, "I just want one fucking beer!"

The guy in front of you turned around and smiled at you, and then you heard him add another beer to his order with Penny.

Your cheeks felt a little warm as he turned around and held a bottle out in your direction. "Here you go, gorgeous. One fucking beer."

You were flustered, not quite sure what to do. So you reached for it, and he pulled it back with a grin. "Just tell me your name first."

"I'm engaged," you responded with an eye roll.

"Wow, that's such a pretty name," he said with a laugh, and you had to keep yourself from laughing at how ridiculous this was becoming.

"I can buy my own beer, but thanks anyway," you told him, trying to push past him to the bar while Nat shoved you from behind.

"You can have it. I don't even mind if you're engaged. I'm only off the carrier for the night," he told you with a smirk. Now that Nat was ordering her drink, you decided to take the free beer from this guy because he was being such an asshole.

"Oh? You don't mind?" you asked with your best attempt at a charming smile.

"Not at all. And my name's Will. You don't need to tell me yours, but I just wanted you to have something to scream later."

You just grimaced at him before putting the bottle to your lips and chugging the entire thing in front of him. He watched with interest as you wiped your lips with the back of your hand and leaned past him to slam the empty down on the bartop.

"Well, thanks a lot, Will. The beer was delish. I'll just be going now," you told him, grabbing his hand and holding it up so you could give him an awkward high five.

"I'll be at the pool table," you told Phoenix before turning on your heel and squeezing your way back through the crowd. But you realized Will was following you.

"Hey, wait up! Let's go outside!"

"Seriously?" you mumbled, not sure what else you needed to do to turn this man off to the idea of you. But that's when you spotted the guys playing pool.

"Hey, come on," Fanboy called to you across the table to you. "I need a partner."

But you reached Coyote first and wrapped your arms around his waist right as he was saying hi to you. "Oh, hey," he said with a laugh, patting you on the back. "It's nice to see you, too."

"There's a guy," you mumbled, glancing over your shoulder. "He bought me a beer and I accepted it when I really shouldn't have. Oh shit, he's still coming! I thought he'd leave when he saw me with you."

"What guy?" Payback asked, tossing his pool cue down on the table and turning to look.

Will stopped short when he saw you with Coyote, Payback, Fanboy and Bob.

"I thought you were joking about being engaged," he said, holding his hands up. "Since you took the drink."

"She's not joking, man," Coyote said, keeping his arm around your shoulders.

Will just shrugged and said, "Your girl's a tease," before he started to turn away.

But now Payback was starting to look like he wanted to punch the guy, and you felt terrible for letting this happen.

"You want me to pay you for the beer? Fine," you said, digging in your pocket for some cash.

But Payback set down his glass and said in a very calm voice, "We'll consider the drink you bought her a peace offering. Now apologize for calling her a tease, and you can be on your way."

Will looked at him for a minute before turning to you and Coyote. "Sorry." And then he walked back into the crowd.

Just then, Nat strolled up with four beer bottles in her hands. "You guys missed the funniest thing! She got a free drink from some guy who told her he wanted to fuck her even though she said she's engaged!"

You just cradled your head in your hands. "That's what he said to you?" Bob asked, going pink in the face.

"Where the fuck did he go?" Payback snarled, cracking his knuckles.

"Everyone calm down!" you said, pushing away the bottle Phoenix tried to give you and grabbing Payback's hand. "I'm never coming here when there's a carrier making a port of call ever again! And next time we go out, I'm wearing a trash bag."

But soon everyone went about their business again. And you were happy you didn't feel alone when Bradley and Jake were both gone. Fanboy handed you a pool cue, and you joined the game.

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

Bradley and Jake woke up and did the exact same thing as each other all day long. They showered, ate breakfast, got some fresh air, went over their final flight briefings, ate lunch, and then dressed in their flight suits.

If you had told Bradley then that the day would change so dramatically for just one of them, he would have found it hard to believe. But that's that way things always seemed to go.

"You ready?" he asked Jake who was still getting his helmet bag packed up. "What do you have in there anyway?"

"Mosty snacks," Jake said. "Maybe someday I'll have something a little bit more special inside. What's in yours?"

"Mostly snacks,' Bradley said with a laugh. "And a picture or two." He pulled out a printout of a selfie he had taken of you and him holding Tramp between the two of you in your backyard. Jake looked at it and shook his head with a grin.

"You two thinking about having kids?" he asked, putting his helmet on.

Bradley laughed. "If I had it my way, she would already be pregnant."

"Yeah," Jake replied, shaking his head. "I don't know why I even asked you that. Angel already told me you want kids right away."

Bradley put his helmet on as well, and they both started walking out to the airstrip. "I find it really disturbing that the two of you have 'girl talk' sessions."

Jake scoffed. "You don't seem to mind it when you put your foot in your mouth and I'm there to bail you out, Bradshaw."

Bradley really couldn't argue with that. He loaded into his F/A-18 and started on his safety checks, missing the days from last year when you were on the other end of his radio communications. But he checked in with some faceless voice in the tower, and he listened to Jake do the same. And soon they were airborne, launching off of catapults one and two with Bradley taking the lead position.

Bradley checked in with the Comanche for a radar update, and then soon he and Jake were entering enemy airspace for a mission that should have been a quick in and out again. They would need to conserve all four of their missiles for the mission to be a success, so just knowing a dogfight scenario would come down to guns and flares had Bradley a little wary.

"You all good?" he asked Jake, turning to see him over his right wing.

"All good."

And then it was time to attack, and Bradley fell back into the comfortable way that his mind seemed to take over and keep him calm without the rest of his emotions fighting for dominance. Was he thinking about you? Of course he was, but you were always at the back of his mind. Was he still focusing on what needed to be done with almost exact precision? Yes, because he wanted to stay alive.

"Attack," he informed Jake at just the right moment, and then Jake split off to the right, behind a mountain range and out of sight.

They were in constant radio communication as they each eliminated two perimeter targets, and then Bradley flew along a river while Jake flew parallel to the mountain range. This would put Bradley at the coastline first, but Jake should have been close enough for Bradley to see him.

"Hey Hangman, how far?"

"About twenty miles."

He had no idea how Jake had managed to fall so far behind, but he would make up twenty miles in less than two minutes. However, now Bradley couldn't see him, and he had to make a decision about lingering for his wingman or conserving his fuel.

Bradley punched back on the throttle, easing his speed back. He kept checking his mirrors and turning around to look for the telltale glimmer of the dying sunlight on the canopy of Jake's aircraft. It wasn't easy to catch unless you were looking for it.

But he waited, checking in with the carrier a few times, when finally, he saw what he hoped was Hangman.

"Out over the water," Jake told him. "Coming in hot."

"Copy," Bradley replied, throttling back up to his previous speed. He made sure both he and Jake were cleared for landing and then went down first, hooking the tow line, and waiting for the deck crew team to pull his aircraft safely to the side, making room for Jake to land.

Bradley was just opening his canopy when he saw Jake buzz the tower, which was very unlike him. Then he heard Jake say, "Complete engine failure," through the radio in his helmet before it cut out.

"What the fuck is going on?" Bradley asked the ground crew as he scrambled down the ladder. But everyone was frozen in place, awaiting instructions. The intercom started blaring over the deck, and Bradley ripped his helmet off just as Jake brought his jet around again.

It was too late to get the barricades ready if he was truly in full engine failure, and it was also impossible for Jake to get enough altitude to eject.

"Fuck," Bradley whispered as Jake came down at a strange angle that made him cringe and cover his mouth. It sounded like he had lost both engines, and trying to get onto the deck was the only option.

Bradley stood back with the deck crew as they raised an additional cable to try to catch the tail hook. But he knew the angle was too extreme, and Bradley watched in horror as Jake hit the deck a little too hard before skidding over both of the cable lines. Since he had no means to lift off and try for a second landing without his engines, everyone had to watch Jake's aircraft skid the length of the runway and then go careening into the Pacific Ocean.

It felt like someone had sucker punched him, and Bradley sputtered for a few seconds before he started to make a run for the end of the carrier deck. There were crew members everywhere, and even more flooding out of the tower. The closer Bradley got to the end, he was finally able to see Jake's Super Hornet, half sunk in the water sideways. But it was too far away for Bradley to make out where exactly Jake was.

He turned around, trying to find someone who could make sense of what was happening, but it felt like everyone was moving in slow motion. Nobody was moving fast enough to get Jake out of the water before he drowned as the cockpit started taking on water.

Bradley could hear himself screaming out questions that didn't quite make sense even to himself. But nobody was answering him. Before giving it too much thought, he started yanking at the laces of his boots and pulling them off one at a time. Then he was ripping off his gear and unzipping his flight suit, stripping down to just his compression shorts.

The deck was about sixty feet above the water, which should only be marginally painful for Bradley, as long as he jumped straight. Otherwise he would just be creating more problems. But now Jake's aircraft was starting to sink, and he hadn't opened the canopy yet.

So Bradley took a running jump into the freezing cold water to try to save his teammate, only partly because he knew you'd probably never forgive him if there was something he could have done but decided not to.

The water was ice cold, and all of Bradley's skin was burning from the impact as he was sloshed around by the waves as he tried to kick to resurface. He was gasping for air as soon as he broke the surface, and then he was off and swimming as fast as he could toward the F/A-18 that was mostly underwater.

When he reached the cockpit, he could tell it was still sealed. But then he saw that Jake was fighting against the water pressure to get the canopy open. The further underwater the plane sank, the harder it would be to open it. Bradley took a deep breath and went under, pounding on the canopy until he had Jake's attention. He needed Jake to open all the latches, and then he could try to help him pull it open.

Jake was scrambling with the last latch, and Bradley went back up for another breath of air. This time, when he went under, he planted his feet against the metal panel and pulled as Jake pushed. The cockpit immediately took on water as soon as they opened it just a few inches. He watched Jake get soaked and hit in the face with a wave of salt water, but then it became a little easier to pry the canopy open a few feet.

As Jake started to squeeze through the opening, the Super Hornet started sinking in earnest. Bradley knew getting Jake to the surface in his gear would be the hardest part of this entire disaster, so he pushed himself up to the surface for one more good breath of air.

This time his lungs were burning as he dove down deeper, his hands connecting with some part of Jake's flight suit before he pushed off of the metal with both feet. He was kicking for everything he was worth, trying to keep a good hold on Jake's arm or leg. But Bradley's lungs were on fire. He could barely stand the pain. He was starting to lose his vision as he kicked harder and harder. He hoisted Jake over his head and pushed him to the surface, letting himself float up as his limbs gave out.

When Bradley felt the cold air hit his face, he opened his eyes, suddenly alert again. Jake's body was refusing to float from the weight of the soaking wet flight suit, and his eyes were closed. Bradley got his fingers on Jake's neck to find his pulse and made sure he still had a strong heartbeat, then he grabbed him under both armpits and kicked relentlessly to keep him above water.

And thank god there was finally a diving crew jumping in now. Bradley kicked until he heard a woman telling him to stop, and that she had him while another diver had a hold on Jake. Bradley sank back into her grip, letting himself go boneless. And eventually they were all being raised back up to the deck where Bradley finally realized exactly how fucking freezing cold he was.

Someone bundled him in blankets while he watched Jake's flight suit being cut off of him. "Oh, fuck," Bradley whispered, dropping to his knees on the airstrip and staring at the surreal scene in front of him. Jake's forehead was bleeding profusely and his lips were blue from the temperature of the water. But at least his eyes were open, and then he rolled onto his side and started coughing up water.

Bradley sat quietly on the deck for a moment, but when a smile broke out on Jake's face, he couldn't help but smile too.

"Well, that fucking sucked," Jake sputtered as he rolled onto his back again.

Bradley laughed. "You scared the shit out of me, man."

"You're insane," Jake said quietly. "Angel is going to be so mad."

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

You were exhausted and irritable by the time Phoenix dropped you back off at home. Your night had been terrible right off the bat. You shouldn't have accepted the beer from that guy just to try to get under his skin. You really hated guys like that, the ones who couldn't take the hint when a girl wasn't interested in them.

You brushed your teeth and got changed for bed, leaving your glasses on your nightstand before lifting Tramp up into bed with you. Should you start a new pill pack? You had been looking at it sitting next to the bed for the past few days. If you didn't take it now, your cycle would be a mess if you changed your mind in a few days. But if you didn't take a pill and also didn't change your mind... well, you were ready now.

You tossed your unopened birth control pills into your nightstand drawer, next to your new necklace charm and a stack of paper airplanes. Bradley had been telling you for months, ever since you thought you might have gotten pregnant in La Jolla, that he was ready when you were. That it was up to you.

You took a few deep breaths to calm your nerves. Sometimes the pain you felt from missing Bradley was as much physical as mental, and right now, your body was aching. It almost felt like you'd been out in the sun too long after getting bashed by ocean waves. You felt stiff and achy and uncomfortable. You were trying not to think about the fact that you had no idea what was going on with Bradley and Jake's mission. But you supposed no news was good news, at least as far as a deployment special mission was concerned.

So you turned off your lamp and snuggled up with Tramp, spinning your engagement ring on your finger and reminding yourself that Bradley would be back soon with Jake in tow. Hopefully just in time for your perfect, surprise wedding.

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

Too much excitement! Holy shit. And how's Bradley going to feel about Baby Girl discreetly going off birth control?

PART 17

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astridthevalkyrie · 3 years

Note

Do you think AOT is better than FMAB?

sorry not sorry for the blunt answer but no, never, not in a million years, not even close, not for a number of reasons.

few reasons under the cut, because apparently I’m doing this instead of focusing in class. obviously there will be spoilers for both shows, and obviously some of this will be based on personal preference.

1. Genocide/Oppression

so both shows have some vivid imagery of nazi germany. bradley is addressed as the fuhrer in fmab, and the eldians wear stars on their sleeves in aot. and even if the aot writer wasn’t pretty much confirmed to be a nationalist and raging anti-semite, it’s rather painfully obvious which show handles it better.

in aot, the eldians are oppressed because they can turn into titans and were originally trying to take over the world or something, which is so blatantly anti-semitic that it’s terrible. shows are allowed to tackle these kinds of topics, but they should handle them well, not be a stand in for nazi propaganda. this is something so many fucking shows do wrong whenever they make an oppressed group of people - there’s always somehow a reason for having them be oppressed. take bbc merlin. wizards are oppressed because they can do magic and so they’re dangerous, just like how eldians can turn into titans and so they’re dangerous, and that’s a bad thing to imply, because it implies that jewish people somehow deserved what happened to them and that’s a fucking dangerous idea to put into an already anti-semitic world.

and that’s exactly why i was so relieved and appreciative of how fmab did the battle of ishval. it is clear who the bad guys are in that scenario, and it’s clear that it was never deserved and that the soldiers who carried it out are war criminals and deserve to be put into jail. riza says as much herself. while i think scar shouldn’t have been as guilted as he was (sure, he shouldn’t go after innocent people, but him killing winry’s parents is not comparable to what happened to him and doesn’t put all of them on equal footing), i was pleasantly surprised that he lived and wasn’t killed off in some stupid form of “redemption.” if roy deserved to live, so did scar, a hundred times over.

2. Characters

characters in fmab are done ridiculously better than in aot. let’s compare similar characters!

edward and eren - the protagonists

up until the third season onwards, eren is very one dimensional and uninteresting. he’s entertaining, but his one and only goal is killing the titans and it’s super frustrating because they lay down the groundwork for more, but it’s never really addressed. show more how he cares about his friends, show him dealing with his trauma through anger and how it’s unhealthy. (actually, a lot of problems could be fixed if they showed more of the cadets’ training days. i feel like i wasn’t feeling as betrayed by annie and reiner and bertholdt because i never really felt they were that close to eren.)

ed is a delightful main character. he too is angry and doesn’t mind talking with his fists, but at the same time, he’s starchly against killing anyone and has multiple goals. ofc his primary one is getting their bodies back, but when he finds himself in the conspiracy about amestris, he doesn’t hesitate before making that his problem as well. every relationship he has is wonderful. i could get bored with eren on the screen, i wasn’t bored with ed.

armin and alphonse - the deuteragonists

i’m sorry but armin is literally just “the smart one.” that’s it. he’s also the dreamer but it only comes up when they’re about to do something dangerous.

i feel like i don’t even need to go into how good of a character al is? he’s very obviously multifaceted and the epitome of sweet and badass at the same time.

winry and mikasa - the love intests-ish

i don’t like referring to either of them like that, but while mikasa is the tritagonist (or deuteragonist, her and armin can interchange there), winry is not.

and surprise, surprise, this is actually where i’m not so sure winry comes out on top. mikasa is, in my opinion, the most interesting out of the trio. she also has a very single-minded goal, but seeing her interact with other characters (armin, jean, levi) who either fall in line or disagree with that goal is fun to watch. she’s also obviously super competent and i have a thing for competent characters.

winry is a good character and i love her, but it’s always bothered me how out of place her scenes feel in relation to the entire show. and as much as i know it doesn’t deter her agency, there’s just something off about ed telling her to have an apple pie waiting for them. it actually brings in one of my few problems with fmab. while its female are pretty good, they’re far from perfect, and that’s because nearly all of them exist because of their relation to the more important male character. winry is ed’s mechanic and the elrics’ family friend. riza is roy’s lieutenant. lan fan is ling’s bodyguard. izumi is the elrics’ teacher. i’m not saying that’s all they are, but this is a major part of their role in the story (olivier and mei stand out as female characters with goals relating to themselves and not a guy around them.)

so who’s the better character? mikasa is more fierce and winry has better lines that aren’t just calling out the protag’s name. i’m gonna give it to winry, but by a short shot.

roy and levi - the op fan favorites

this one’s much easier. roy is not just a badass who’s also the hero’s direct superior like levi is, he’s a person with clearcut goals and weaknesses and he has to make sacrifices and work for what he wants. levi has all the makings for a great character, a tragic backstory and a chill personality, but he doesn’t have a reason to stay in the scouts, he just...does. out of loyalty to erwin, i guess? it’s not clear and it’s even worse if you don’t watch the ova. roy’s reasons are clear and relatable. he also has a dorky and endearing side, plus the political side of things he brings to fmab is interesting and an equally important part of the story. his fight with envy is satisfying and thrilling. levi’s fight with the beast titan, while it is super well animated and cool, kiiiinda falls flat because there was no set-up for him being the one to take the beast titan down (should have been connie). it also ends a bit too fast, honestly.

but hey, you say, aren’t you the one writing 15k worth of fanfiction for levi within two weeks? didn’t see you writing that much for roy. yeah, well, unfortunately, my attraction doesn’t determine the better character and i never said i was proud of this, please leave me alone.

there’s more comparisons i could make - carla and trisha, hohenheim and grisha (ha, trisha and grisha rhyme), roy can also be compared to erwin, there’s multple side characters, but fmab wins, you guys get it.

3. The Story, Plot, Deaths

listen, i get it. aot is a bloody, brutal show and you’re not supposed to get attached to characters. i’m not gonna complain about pointless deaths, because that in itself is the point. it’s like twd or got, it’s gonna have lots of death. but the deaths don’t have to be so stupid. i’m specifically thnking of levi’s squad, because the way they die is so dumb. gunther should not be taken down by a cadet, petra shouldn’t be flying so close to the ground, oluo should know not to engage the female titan alone. these were elite titan killers, they knew not to be stupid. there were ways to kill them off without making them look so stupid. and if there’s not, consider not killing them off just for shock value.

fmab’s deaths mean something, especially since one of its central messages is that life is precious, no matter whose it is. everyone’s life means something and no one dies in vain.

there’s more i could go into, but i just spent my entire classtime doing this and now my second one for the day is about to start, sooo i think i’ll stop here. thanks for the ask!

#fmab #anti aot #anti fmab #at some parts #aot is anti-semitic please be careful when watching it and think about the media you're consuming

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petersasteria · 3 years

Text

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 - 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝

Pairing: Harry Holland x Reader 5,170 words

𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒

Harry felt so free. He just turned 18 and he was able to move out of his parents’ house and live on his own. The apartment building looked old, but it was home. His first ever home where he’s alone. Everyone was supportive of him, of course. They always knew he was independent.

He felt homesick from time to time, but that was normal. The apartment next to his was empty and it kind of saddened him that no one was living there. The rest of the units were taken, but they were all older than Harry. In short, it was difficult to make friends with people because the people there were either divorcee’s or really busy people who work at offices. He was on the young side.

Because of that situation, you could picture his excitement when he saw a moving truck outside his apartment building. Harry smiled excitedly and silently prayed that the person moving in was the same age as him and that they were moving in the apartment unit next to his. Otherwise, he’d be lonely in that building.

Well, he wasn’t totally lonely. Every morning Mrs. Johnson would smile at him when they get their mail together and sometimes invite him inside her apartment for tea and they’d talk about their families. She was a lovely old woman. Mr. Bradley would knock on Harry’s door from time to time to ask if he could babysit his son in case the babysitter cancelled. Then of course there’s Rick ‘The Maverick’ Nelson. He insisted that Harry should call him maverick. A maverick is a noun and it means an unorthodox or an independent-minded person which is totally the opposite of Rick ‘The Maverick’ Nelson. He’s a divorcee and every weekend, his 8 year old daughter would come over. Harry didn’t really care about the kid going there, but what he did care about was the fact that Rick would always drink. It made him worry about the 8 year old. So whenever the 8 year old kid was around, Harry would give her a few sweets and sometimes would take her to the park nearby (with Rick’s permission, of course).

As soon as Harry arrived on his floor, he was ecstatic to see a girl around his age bringing in the last box in the now occupied apartment. Harry knew he had to introduce himself because he finally had someone his age to talk to. He was truly happy!

He decided that he should look for something in his house to give to you, so he rushed inside his apartment and immediately looked for something. A pan? No, Sam uses it whenever he visits. Body lotion? He uses it because of his skin care routine. Cologne? He only has one. A house plant? His mum would be upset if he gave his one and only house plant away. Harry settled for a box of pizza. He called and thirty minutes later, the pizza was delivered to his door. He fixed his hair one last time and left his apartment to knock on the apartment next door.

The door opened and Harry smiled, “Hi, I’m Harry! I live next door. I bought you some pizza as a welcome gift.” He handed the pizza to you despite your awkward smile.

“Um, thanks.” You said as he handed the pizza to you. Both of you just stood there for a minute. He was just looking at you all giggly and smiley, but you were looking elsewhere, avoiding his gaze. “Well, uh, thanks for the pizza.” You told him with a tight-lipped smile.

“You’re welcome!” Harry grinned.

“Okay… you can go now.” You said, backing up a bit, getting ready to get inside and close the door.

“I’m actually not busy. I could help you unpack or something.” Harry said. He was desperate.

“That’s okay. I don’t have a lot of things, anyway.” You shrugged off.

“But there was a moving truck awhile ago.” Harry pointed out.

“Believe it or not, when I got here, someone was moving out. Hence, the moving truck. I only got here in an Uber with four boxes and a foldable mattress.” You awkwardly chuckled. Harry blushed in embarrassment and said, “Oh, I see.”

“Yup.” You said. It was really awkward.

“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Harry said and smiled. “If you need anything, I’ll just be there next door.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Thanks again.” You said with a small smile.

“Okay. Bye!” Harry said.

“Bye.” You smiled before quickly getting in and closing the door. Harry sighed and bowed his head down.

“That went well.” A voice said from across the hall.

Harry looked up and turned around to see Mr. Bradley and his son. Harry awkwardly chuckled and waved at them.

“She’s pretty.” Mr. Bradley’s son said. He’s 5 years old.

“She is.” Harry nodded in agreement.

“Ask her out.” Mr. Bradley said and winked.

“Maybe next time.” Harry said with a smile.

“Good luck!” Mr. Bradley’s son said with a cute smile.

“Thanks, little dude.” Harry smiled too. The 5 year old’s smile was contagious, after all.

Birthday

Harry didn’t want to be nosy, but he was really curious as to why you had a bouquet of flowers on your doorstep. He looked around to see if anyone was looking before picking up the bouquet. ‘To: Y/N’ was written in beautiful cursive. A million thoughts were running through his head and he didn’t know how to react: who was it from? Do you have a boyfriend? Why isn’t your boyfriend around? Is he hiding as a surprise?

His thoughts were cut off when you arrived.

“What’re you doing?” You asked. Harry slightly jumped in shock. He turned around and looked at you and looked at the flowers and looked at you again.

“N-Nothing! I just saw these on your doorstep and I was just going to give it.. to you.” Harry smiled and handed you the bouquet. You took it from him with a suspicious look on your face.

You read the card and smiled a bit before turning to him with a b;ank expression, “Thank you for handing to me.”

“You’re welcome. What’s the occasion?” He asked.

“Nothing special.” You shrugged as you moved around him to unlock your door.

“Flowers are involved… it has to be a special occasion. Is it an anniversary?” He asked once more.

“I’m single, so it’s definitely not an anniversary.” You chuckled humorlessly.

“Um...a secret admirer?”

“Nope.” You shook your head. Harry opened his mouth to guess again, but you cut him off. “It’s actually my birthday. The people who raised me sent me these which is surprising because they’re usually super cold and shit.”

“Oh, happy birthday! Why didn’t you say so? Let’s celebrate!” Harry cheered.

“I don’t celebrate my birthday, sorry. Thank you, though.” You nodded at him.

“Why not?” Harry frowned. “It only happens once a year and-”

“Exactly. It only happens once a year and there’s not much to do, anyway. If I threw a party, the whole place would be a mess and no one would clean it up except for me.. the celebrant. Plus, I have to spend money for the food and drinks for people who I secretly find annoying, but I invite them anyway so that they won’t nag me for not inviting them.” You rambled.

“And I totally get that, but it could just be the two of us, y’know?” Harry suggested. You stared at him, “...Is this your way of asking me out? Because I don’t want to date anyone. Not right now, at least.”

Harry blushed, “O-Of course not! We could celebrate as friends.”

“I only know your first name and that you live next door.” You crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow.

“This is our chance to get to know each other then.” Harry smiled. “What do you say? Wanna celebrate? There’ll be no party and it’ll just be you and me. My treat, so that you don’t have to spend. It’s my birthday gift.”

You thought about it for a while before un-crossing your arms and nodding, “Fine. Let’s celebrate.”

“For real?!” He exclaimed.

“Yup. A little change won’t be so bad, I guess.” You gave him a small smile. “I’ll put these inside first and then we can go, okay?”

“Okay.” Harry smiled as he watched you go inside your apartment. A few seconds later, you exit your apartment, lock the door, and turn to Harry.

“So, where are we going?” You smiled.

Mother’s Day

You were making a fresh batch of cookies when you heard a knock on your door. You stopped what you were doing and waited for the knock to repeat in case you were just hearing things. When you heard the knock again, you washed your hands and made your way to the door.

“That’s weird. I’m not expecting anyone today.” You told yourself before opening the door. You were surprised to see a woman you’ve never seen in your life before. She was smiling at you and she had two boys with her.

“Um, hello.” You greeted politely.

“Hello, love! Harry never told us that he had a girlfriend.” The woman smiled excitedly. You looked at her dumbfounded. “I’m Harry’s mum. You can call me Nikki.”

“And I’m Dominic, Harry’s dad. But you can call me Dom.”

“This is my youngest, Paddy.” Nikki said with a smile.

“Hey.” Paddy nodded at you.

You smiled, “It’s nice to meet you all, but there must be a mistake. I don’t live with Harry nor am I his girlfriend. I’m his neighbor, Y/N. Harry lives next door.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Nikki blushed.

“It’s okay.” You chuckled. “It was an honest mistake.”

Just then, Harry’s apartment door opened and his eyes widened when he saw his family on your doorstep instead of his. “Mum! Dad! Paddy! That’s the wrong apartment.” Harry said, clearly embarrassed. He turned to you and said, “I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

You shook your head and waved your hand, “It’s alright.”

Harry smiled and turned to Nikki, “Let’s go?”

“Yes, please! I’m starving.” Paddy said.

You all laughed and you said, “Well, I’ll leave you guys to it.”

“Let’s leave Y/N now. She’d want to spend Mother’s Day with her mum.” Harry said. You wanted to tell him that your mum was out of the picture, but you kept your mouth shut; not wanting to receive any look of pity and not wanting to answer questions about your personal life. Instead, you just smiled and nodded your head politely. You closed your door as soon as they left after you wished them a good lunch and a ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ to Nikki.

A few hours later, you hear another knock on your door. You opened the door only to reveal Harry with a small paper bag.

“We had leftovers at lunch and I figured I’d let you have it. My fridge is full, anyway.” Harry said and handed you the paper bag.

“Oh, thank you.” You smiled. Harry nodded and was about to leave when you stopped him, “Wait!”

He turned to you quickly and said, “Yeah?”

“I have an extra batch of cookies. Wait here.” You left and went to your small kitchen as Harry waited out in the hallway. He took a peek at your now furnished apartment and frowned at the sight of no visitor. Surely, you had one whilst he was away, right?

You came back and with a plastic Tupperware of cookies and gave it to Harry, “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Harry smiled and left.

His Birthday

Harry knocked on your door and he smiled when you opened it, “Hey Y/N!”

“Hey!” You smiled.

“Sam, my twin, is here and he cooked some food. Thought I’d give you some.” He handed you a Tupperware of food. You took it gratefully and thanked him.

“What’s the occasion?” You asked him.

“Mine and Sam’s birthday.” Harry said with a smile.

“Happy birthday!” You smiled.

“Thanks. There’ll be a party later tonight and I’d love for you to come.” Harry said.

You smiled sadly and said, “Parties aren’t really my thing and I have work tonight.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Harry said, covering up his sadness.

“I’ll make it up to you. Are you free tomorrow?” You asked casually. You felt bad for him.

“Yes, I am actually.” Harry said. “But Sam is sleeping over.”

“You shrugged, “Take him with us. It’s his birthday too, after all.”

The next day, you kept your promise and took them to your favorite restaurant as a birthday treat for them. It was really fun and you got to meet Sam.

A Random Day

You were going back to your apartment when you saw Harry exiting his apartment to take out the trash. He looked up and smiled at you, “Good morning, Y/N!”

“Morning, Harry.” You greeted back. “I’m surprised you’re up early.”

“Same here.” Harry laughed. “My parents are dropping off Paddy here in an hour and I have to clean up a bit.”

“Oh, okay. Do you need help? I’m free.” You shrugged.

“That would be really nice, thank you.” Harry smiled gratefully.

“Okay, well, I’ll let you throw your trash first and I’ll get changed in my cleaning clothes. I have a lot of cleaning supplies in my storage closet. Living alone is lonely, you know. Cleaning keeps me occupied.” You chuckled lightly.

“I’m excited.” Harry laughed. You exchanged a few more sentences before Harry threw his trash and before you got in your apartment to gather your cleaning supplies and change your clothes.

Five minutes later, you knocked on Harry’s door with your cleaning attire and cleaning supplies. “Wow, you have the whole cleaning package.” Harry chortled as soon as he opened the door and saw you.

You shrugged, “What can I say? I’m Monica Geller.”

“Okay, then.” Harry smiled and let you in before closing the door. Both of you started cleaning up and before you knew it, there was a knock on Harry’s door. He opened it only to reveal his parents and Paddy. They entered the clean apartment with a shocked expression on their faces.

“It’s so clean in here.” Nikki said in awe.

“Y/N helped.” Harry said and looked at you gratefully, mouthing a small ‘thank you’. You smiled back and mouthed back, ‘you’re welcome’.

“Hello!” You greeted with a smile.

“Hello, Y/N! Thank you for helping Harry.” Nikki smiled. “It’s so nice of you to do that.”

“It’s no problem, really.” You smiled. “Well, I’ll leave you guys to it.”

“Thanks again, Y/N.” Harry said before you left.

“Anytime, Harry.” You grinned before waving goodbye to everyone and going back to your apartment.

Those happened for years and throughout the years Harry has known you, he realized that you’ve never had visitors in your apartment. It was such a mystery to him as to why you never had anyone come over. He never even saw any family member of yours. He’s been in your apartment a few times, but other than him, no one else went there.

The holidays were coming and the snow was covering the ground. Harry decided that enough was enough. He wanted to confront you about it. It wasn’t his business, but it was bothering him. It was lonely, after all. He just wanted to give you company.

He was on his way to his parents’ house for the holidays and he didn’t want to leave without asking you what the matter was.

He knocked on your door and you smiled when you answered it. “Hi Harry! Aren’t you supposed to go to your parents’ house?” You asked.

“Yeah, I’ll go tomorrow. I just wanted to hang out with you before I leave.” Harry explained.

You nodded, “Come in, then.” You opened the door wider for him to come in. He went in and took in your apartment’s interior. You didn’t even have Christmas decorations on.

He went in and made himself comfortable on the couch. You closed the door and joined him. “What’s up?” You turned to him and asked.

“Just wanted to talk, that’s all.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“Yeah, actually.” Harry bit his lip nervously. “I just noticed that throughout the years of us being neighbors, you never had anyone come over to your apartment. Y’know, it’s always quiet and you don’t go home during the holidays. I’m not trying to be nosy or anything. I’m just… concerned and curious.”

You oursed your lips and nodded. He saw this and said, “I’m so sorry for sounding like I’m prying into your personal life or anything. I’m just concerned.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“You kinda remind me of Becca from Pitch Perfect. Closed off and all that.” Harry said and you chuckled at his analogy.

“I’ll take that as a compliment because I love Becca.” You said with a smile. Then it went silent. The comfortable silence filled the room as you thought about telling Harry or not. You decided to tell him because you’ve been neighbors for so long and he’s the only person you’ve been talking to in the building.

“Fine, I’ll tell you.” You said, breaking the silence. Harry didn't say anything. He just turned to you and patiently waited for you to talk.

“I grew up in an orphanage. My mother couldn’t take care of me, so she dropped me off there. It was like Meet The Robinsons minus the genius and the looking like the Cornelius thing. To be clear, I was Goob and not Lewis. Except, I don’t have a bowler hat and this is getting way off topic.”

Harry laughed and nodded for you to continue.

“Anyway, based on my story about me being Goob, I wasn’t adopted by anyone. I was interviewed a couple times, but I guess no one ever liked me. So, I grew up in the orphanage and stayed there until I was 18. The people weren’t bad there, but they weren’t good either. I can’t really describe them, so all I can really say is that they’re cold people.”

“When I turned 18, though, they gave me the biggest surprise ever. I was given a huge sum of money and a key to a decent apartment. I packed up my things and left that day and moved here immediately. I’ve never looked back since.”

“Remember the flowers on my doorstep?” You asked and he nodded. “It was from the orphanage. I was surprised that they remembered.”

“What about your friends from school? Or the ones who were adopted? Surely, you had contact with them.” Harry asked.

“Those who were adopted became bitches and we were kids. Those were empty promises. I expected a call from the first kid who was adopted, but after a few more kids you start losing hope that they’d call, y’know? Besides, I heard from the orphanage that one of those kids is in jail now for robbery. Big yikes.” You said casually.

“Big yikes, indeed.” Harry nodded in agreement.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’m leaving this apartment next year.” You told him which took him by surprise.

“Next year? Why? Where will you go?” Harry frowned.

“I got a promotion, but they want me in Singapore.” You explained.

“Well, it’s Christmas in three days and now that you’ve told me all about you, I really don’t want your last Christmas to be alone.” Harry said.

“I’ve been alone for as long as I can remember, Harry. I’m used to it, really.” You chuckled lightly.

“You don’t have to be. I’m going home to my family tomorrow and I’d like to take you with me. It may not be the family that you want, but it’s the family you need. So, what do you say?” Harry asked.

“I don’t want to ruin your holiday. Besides, it’s family members only and if it didn’t already occur to you, I’m not family.” You said.

“You’re a family friend, though. That HAS to count.” Harry said. “I hope you know that I won’t stop until you say yes.”

You playfully rolled your eyes and said, “Okay, I’ll go, so that you can shut up.”

“Good.” Harry grinned. “I promise you that we’ll have so much fun!”

The next day, you and Harry were on your way to his childhood home. The drive was a bit long, but it was fun and filled with singing. You arrived there 45 minutes later and you were extremely nervous. You’ve met all of them except for Tom and Tessa. You didn’t even know he was related to the Spider-Man actor mainly because you didn’t know Harry’s last name and you’re not active on social media. And like Becca, you don’t watch movies.

Both of you got out of the car and brought your bags to the front door. Harry unlocked the door and both of you went into the cozy house. You looked around and immediately noticed the smell wafting through the house. It smelled of fresh baked cookies and cinnamon.

“Harry and Y/N are here!” Paddy announced and everyone went and greeted both of you. A familiar face smiled at you and said, “Hi, I’m Tom. Harry’s older brother.”

“I’m Y/N.” You smiled. “You know, you look familiar.”

“I do?” Tom furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yeah. The kid from ‘The Impossible’. You look like him. I don’t watch a lot of movies, but I remember faces of the cast.”

“Oh, that’s me, love.” Tom chuckled.

Your eyes widened, “Really?! Wow. That’s so cool! What’re you up to these days?”

“I still act and I’m in Spider-Man.” Tom said. “Do you really not know?”

“She doesn’t watch movies.” Harry said. “So she doesn’t know your movies.”

“Or movies in general.” You chimed in causing all of you to laugh.

“We’ll let you guys get settled in, then.” Nikki smiled. “Sam, show Y/N her room.”

Sam smiled at you, “Hello, m’lady. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“Hello and it’s been a while indeed.” You chuckled as you and Sam went upstairs to the spare room that was cleaned up especially for you. As soon as you got settled in, you went downstairs to hang out with everyone.

Your time with the Hollands has been wonderful. They never made you feel like an outcast, they treated you like you were one of them. Tom made you watch a lot of movies, especially the ones he was in. You and Sam cooked and baked together. You played with Paddy and Tessa. You went last minute shopping with Nikki and you helped Dom in brainstorming ideas for a new book.

It was now Christmas Eve and you were preparing dinner with Sam when suddenly you felt someone giving you a side hug. You slightly turned your head and smiled when you saw Nikki. She smiled back before pulling away.

“I’m sorry about that. It just felt right.” Nikki said shyly before helping out in the kitchen.

You never experienced a mother’s hug before. In fact, you’ve never experienced a hug before. It was nice for a change and it was at that moment you knew that Harry was right. His family was a family that you needed. Sure, they weren’t perfect and you were sure that they had arguments here and there, but you could see that they really took care of each other and loved each other. It was also obvious that they would do anything for each other.

As you sat down for dinner, you couldn’t help but think that you were on the outside looking in. Honestly, you didn’t mind observing. Laughter filled the table and warm smiles were shared as they passed the food around. And for the first time in your life, you felt like you belonged.

After a week, you and Harry were packing up again to go back to your apartment. “Thank you so much for having me. I’m truly grateful for it.” You smiled at them while you stood on their doorstep. Harry was busy loading up your things in his car.

“It’s no problem, Y/N.” Dom said.

“Yeah, and you’re welcome to stay here as well. We love having you around.” Nikki smiled. “It’s quite sad that you’re going to Singapore next year. If I had known that you were going next year, I would’ve told Harry to bring you every Christmas since you’ve met.”

You chuckled and said, “I’ll be keeping in touch, Nikki.”

“I know.” She said and stepped forward to hold both of your hands. “It’s just sad that I’ll lose someone who I think of as a daughter. While I had so much fun with you every time I visit Harry and while I especially had fun having you here for a few days, I have to let you go to have fun on your own in Singapore.”

Both of you teared up and hugged for a while. Harry cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry to cut this moment short, but we have to go, Y/N.”

You pulled away and wiped your tears, “Okay. Thank you again for having me!”

“You’re most welcome.” Nikki smiled, kissed your cheek, and wished you good luck in Singapore. You walked to the car and Harry stayed behind to say goodbye to his family.

“You should tell her how you feel, Harry.” Tom chimed in. “Y’know, before it’s too late.”

“I don’t feel anything about her, Tom.” Harry lied. Of course he felt something for you.

“I’m not stupid. I know the look of love when I see one.” Tom chuckled.

“He’s right.” Nikki said. “Listen to me; I’m your mum.”

“I’ll think about it.” Harry said. He bid his goodbyes once more before jogging to the car and getting in. The drive back home was just as fun as the drive going to his childhood home.

Harry didn’t know what to do. It’s been three days since you got back and he hasn’t seen you. You were too busy packing your things and giving some of your things away. Packing for Singapore really made you busy. Harry wanted to help, but that would make it real. He didn’t want it to be real. One thing was for sure, though. He promised to drive you to the airport.

As much as Harry hated it, the day he dreaded most finally came: your flight to Singapore. Some of your things were already shipped there while your other things were donated or sold. Harry parked the car and helped you get your things from the car.

He walked you inside and stopped when you reached a point where Harry wasn’t allowed in anymore. “It seemed like yesterday when you were moving into your apartment with just four boxes and a foldable mattress.” Harry said, making you laugh. “Now you’re going to Singapore with two big suitcases and a carry on. You leveled up.”

“Thank you.” You playfully bowed your head.

“Before you go, there’s something I want to tell you.” Harry said nervously.

“My flight’s boarding in five minutes, but sure. Tell me.” You said to him. He took a deep breath and looked in your eyes.

“Y/N, I love you.” He said seriously, your eyes going wide as saucers. You clearly didn’t expect that. “I’ve loved you even before and I’ll love you from here on out. I’ll support you and I’ll be here for you whenever you need me.”

“Oh, Harry.” You smiled sadly. “I love you too, but…”

“But what?”

“I can’t do this whole relationship thing. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Aren’t you willing to try?” Harry pleaded, but you shook your head.

“It doesn’t always work, Harry. I’m sorry.” You said sadly.

Harry nodded and asked, “Will I ever see you again? Will you come back here?”

“I don’t know, but all I know is that I can’t stay here.” You frowned. You looked at each other with sad eyes and you leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Goodbye, Harry and thank you.”

“Goodbye, Y/N. Thank you too.” Harry pulled you in for a quick hug before letting you go. He watched as you walked away. His heart was broken, but something inside him told him that yours and his story hasn’t ended yet.

He was right.

It took him five months to think about it and it only took his cousin’s wedding to finally decide what he should do. Your last encounter with him at the airport didn’t affect your friendship which he was grateful for.

Harry didn’t even stay at the wedding long because he walked out after his cousin and her husband said their ‘I do’s’. He rushed home in a cab and packed his things and rushed to the airport to buy a ticket to Singapore. He successfully got a ticket and rushed to the gate where he needed to be. His phone rang and he hurriedly took it out of his pocket and answered it as he ran.

“Hello?”

“Harry! Where the bloody hell did you go?” Tom hissed.

“I can’t talk right now. I’m at the airport.” Harry said, out of breath from all the running.

“Airport?! Where are you going?” Tom shrieked.

“Singapore. I’m going after her, Tom.” Harry said with a smile. He got through the gate and is now boarding the plane. “I’m on the plane now.”

“How long are you staying there?” Tom asked.

“I don’t know, but I’ll let you know when I land.” Harry said. “Bye!”

“Wait!-”

Harry hung up before Tom continued speaking. Harry got seated and in truth, he was excited to see you. He could almost imagine the look on your face when you see him. Hours later, his plane landed in Singapore and after a few minutes of getting off the plane and finding his suitcase, he hailed a cab and immediately told the cab driver where you lived. He remembered that you weren’t working today and he was so happy.

Harry paid the cab driver when he arrived at your apartment building and he was nervous. He got out of the cab and went into your building. He searched for your apartment number and was elated when he saw it at the end of the hall. He grinned and knocked on the door and waited for you to answer.

You opened the door and gasped when you saw him. He smiled shyly and said, “Hi, there.”

“Hi Harry.” You smiled brightly and pulled him in for a tight hug. He pulled away after a minute and you asked, “What’re you doing here?”

“You said you couldn’t stay in London, so I came to you.” Harry grinned. “Although, I have to go back after two weeks because I need a visa if I’m staying here with you and-”

“Shut up and kiss me.” You smiled and pulled him in for a long awaited kiss.

* * * *

𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @sufwubi @abrielleholland @purplepizza-summerrain @marshxx @lizzyosterfield @justanamesstuff @croissantwriting @blueleatherbag @euphorichxlland @givebuckyhisplumsnow

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @justasmisunderstoodasloki @allyz @miraclesoflove @god-knows-what-am-i-doing @drie-the-derp @hollands-weasley @itstaskeen @call-me-baby-gir1 @the-panwitch @iamaunicorn4704 @geminiparkers @holland-styles @calltothewild @herbatkazmiloscia @whatthefuckimbisexual @theonly1outof-a-billion @piscesparker @unsaidholland @musicalkeys @lost-in-the-stars03 @hufflepuffprincess24 @hollanddolanfangirl @parkerpeter24 @bellelittleoff @agentnataliahofferson @aqiise @lexirv @blairscott @pearly-pisces @u-rrose @speedymaximoff @theliterarymess @beequeen8020 @justafangirlduh @sarcasticallywitty15

#harry holland #harry holland imagines #harry holland one shots #harry holland imagine #harry holland one shot #harry holland x reader #harry holland x y/n #in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh

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red-becca · 3 years

Text

The History Of Wrong Guys

If you wanna know where I got inspiration for this, either listen to the song with the same title or watch a Creek animatic with the same title, as well. I actually did write a Creek one before. Back when Red was just a background character and a Craig punching bag. But now, Red is her own character for me. I actually wish I could draw/ animate bc I want an animatic of this. But writing about it is good too.

Second, I see Tweek and Red as besties... Just cause. For funsies. I did it back when Red and Craig were cousins and I still do it now because I see it as an interesting dynamic.

And last thing, before you go at me, the list of wrong guys at the near end is just crackships I may have shipped at some point and just put there for fun, hehe. So, yeah. Please, don't come at me.

---

"Thanks again for managing to get me a job here, Tweek! Now, we get to hang out twice as much now without me feeling like I disrupt your work!" Red laughed as she waited for Tweek to finish tying her apron from behind.

"Pft..." Tweek jokingly tied her apron really tight on her waist, making her let out a small noise of pain. "Yeah, well... You can thank me for getting you this job by working hard, alright? Not by ogling at boys. Which I know is the real reason you got this job..." He playfully rolled his eyes before giving her a wink. "Also, you never disrupted me at work, girlfriend. In fact, I'm glad to have a girl best friend like you who takes the time to visit me during work."

Red let out a long breath as she untied the tight knot he made, tying it up herself properly. "So much for helping me with this apron..." She pouted then snickered, giving him an eye- roll back. "And please... That is the last thing I'll be doing. I am so done with guys now after what happened with my last boyfriend. I've had too many boyfriends at this point that I could write a whole book about them." She rolled her eyes again, putting her hands on her hips.

Tweek just gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Red, don't you worry. You'll find that right guy who'll sweep you off your feet, I just know it. I mean, just look at me. I'm not exactly the typical uber masculine male nor am I... Okay, you get the point. I don't want you berating me about bringing myself down and all. Ironic, really, since you do it a lot to yourself." He rolled his eyes afterwards.

"Mmm, no, not really..." Red laughs softly at him, making the blonde sigh heavily. "What? You didn't really make a clear point, okay?"

"Fine. My point is that... We all get a chance at finding the right person for us, no matter who we are." Tweek smiled before snickering. "Like take Craig as an example... For being such an asshole, he got a long- time boyfriend. Then again, I'm not that purely nice, either. But you get my point now, right?"

The redhead just rolls her eyes at the mention of the raven's name, making her exit the employee's room before him. "Ugh, please... Asshole is an understatement to what Craig is. Fucking asks me to be his girlfriend and yet he never treated me like I was... Why I stupidly said yes back then, I have no idea..." She sighed as she sat behind the counter, resting her head on the palm of her hands. "And how you get him to treat you so nicely, I don't know either."

Tweek just chuckled at her actions. "Well, that's how true love works. This might sound really corny but we end up acting differently around the person we love."

"So, what you're saying is that Craig never loved me when he asked me out back then?" She playfully pouted at him as he nodded at her. "Okay, ouch. Brutal honesty that I already knew. But still, ouch." She pretended to look hurt, putting a hand on her chest.

"Mmm, yes. No point in sugar coating things for you, Red." Tweek pinches one of her cheeks hard. "You're a big girl now, after all."

"Gah! Hey!" Red groaned, slapping his hand away. "So, are we working or what?! Seems like I'm just even more of a distraction now that I'm working with you!"

He snickered. "Well, yes. Go on and do the honors of opening up, then. Since you're so excited to get to work and stuff..." Tweek stood behind the counter, right next to where she was standing.

"Tch, well... I don't just want to paid for not doing anything, you get me?" She raised a brow at him, turning the sign at the door as she did so. And she was gonna say more to him until she heard a thud from the door, making her jump. "Jesus Christ!"

A tall looking male wearing glasses was the person who bumped into the shop's doors, giving the girl who was looking at him from inside a small wave before going inside himself. "Heh, sorry about that, Red... Still getting used to these glasses of mine..." He said as he adjusted them. "Ironic how I need them to see yet ever since I started wearing them, I bump into stuff more..."

Red blinked rapidly, giving the stranger in front of her a confused look. "I, uh... It's okay, I guess?" She let out nervous laughter. "I'm sorry, but who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"Red, are you serious? I get glasses and suddenly you don't recognize me? Wow, Superman's disguise actually works, then." He snickered, taking off his glasses for her to recognize him. "It's me! Kevin!"

The female went red soon after she realized who it was, giving him a quick onceover. "Kevin?! As in... Kevin Stoley?! No way! When did you get so much more taller?! And hotter too?! I mean-!" She immediately covered her mouth after she said that.

Kevin started blushing with her, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he puts his glasses back on. "Heh, yeah... That's me. Kevin Stoley, the name my parents gave me. And wow... You really think I'm all that? Thanks, I guess... We've only not seen each other for like a month... I couldn't have changed that much, have I?" He looks back at her with a shy smile.

His smile got her heart racing, opening her mouth as she tried to say something but nothing came out. "I... Uh... Yes?" She managed to squeak out, giving him a few shy giggles as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Well... As long as it's a good change, I guess it's fine..." He replied, chuckling once before everything between them suddenly became awkwardly quiet.

That was until Kevin's friends came into the store after him, Bradley smacking him behind his back as he passed him. "We're gonna be sitting over there if you need us, alright?" He said, pointing to the table where two other people have just sat in. "Though we don't mind if you take a while... What with you being distracted and all that~" He teased which immediately got him a punch on the shoulder from Kevin.

Kevin gave out nervous laughter, dismissing what Bradley said with a frantic waving of his hand. "Ignore what my friend just said there, Red. I'll be back with all my friends' orders, okay?" He gave her the same smile from earlier before running off back to his friends.

Red sighed happily as she watched him walk away, a hand on her chest as her heart started to race again and a small smile formed on her face.

"Well, well, well~ Guess who's ogling a guy at work after she said she wouldn't?" Tweek teased as he stood behind her. "Also, told ya that you would find the guy that would sweep you off your feet, Red~ Just didn't think it would happen right after I said it." He chuckled, patting her shoulder.

Red scoffed out loud as her hair matched her face, brushing his hand away from her shoulder. "Tch! No, I'm not! What are you even talking about? Nuh-uh! No way! I'm just surprised to see him again! That is all and it! End of story!" She huffed, grabbing a broom and started to angrily sweep the floor.

Tweek sighed at this, playfully shaking his head. "Alright, you fucking tsundere. Whatever you say there..." He gave a playful eyeroll before walking back to the counter.

"I am not a tsundere!" Red yelled on the top of her lungs, making Kevin and his friends look her way. "Oops, sorry about that, you guys!" She nervously laughed at them.

Tweek chuckled softly at this, trying not to burst into laughter at her actions. "Pft, sure, you aren't a tsundere... But you definitely are an idiot with how you're holding that broom in your hands..."

"Huh?" She looked at the broom in her hands and went bright red when she saw that she was holding it upside down. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" She mumbled to herself as she cleaned the floor while holding the broom properly this time.

"Okay, girl... Time to focus on doing a good job at this job of yours... No distractions..." She said inside her head, only to immediately get distracted to wave at Kevin. The redhead shook her head and slapped her face repeatedly in hopes of getting her to focus. "Oh, no! No! Girl, don't you dare! I swear to God, I am warning you!"

She groaned at her thoughts, making her look back at Kevin again. "Fuck... No... You are definitely crushing on him, girl! But you can't! You shouldn't! And yet... Here you are falling for him..." Red bites her bottom lip as she looks and stares at Kevin before shaking her head again, a small smile on her face. "I mean... Why not, right? This shouldn't hurt..."

Red continued thinking to herself as she went back to sweeping the floor, her thoughts being on how women have been making bad choices since the beginning. And she wondered if Kevin was going to be another one of hers, making her sigh and get lost in her thoughts.

So lost in her thoughts, she was unable to notice Kevin walking over to her again which makes her bump into him accidentally. "Oh my God! I am so sorry!" She shouted, panicking as she got back into reality and also, continuously apologized to him.

Instead of being weirded by this though, Kevin just chuckled. "Red, Red... It's okay, calm down. I did just randomly sneak up on you and all that..." He reassured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She let out a small squeak at what he did, making her blush heavily and shyly look away from him.

"Anyway... I was going to tell you my friends' orders and mine but seeing as you seem to be not feeling well, I might just tell them to Twe-" Kevin was about to walk towards the counter but Red was quick to stop him by grabbing him by his arm.

Red immediately cuts him off, grabbing a notepad from her pockets and then the pencil from her ear. "Oh, no! There will be no need for that, Kevin! I'm fine, really! So, please... Tell me what your order will be." She gave him a small smile.

He gave her a smile back along with a nod before telling her what him and his friends have ordered. "You got everything?" He asked as he finished with telling his order, raising a brow when he saw Red just staring at him. "Umm, Red? Everything okay? Is there... something on my face? In my teeth, maybe?" Kevin wiped his face to see if there was anything on his face.

"Hmm?" Red snaps out of her dazed state, shaking her head to get herself feeling normal. "Oh, no! You have nothing in your face, Kevin! You're fine! So fine even!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, blushing madly in realization at what she yelled. "Anyway! Yes! I got everything you told me written down! I'll be the one who personally delivers your order to you once it's ready!" She nervously laughed and gave him a quick wave before walking back towards the counter.

As Kevin watched her walk away, an idea suddenly came to his head. "Hey, wait! Red! Can I ask you for one more thing?"

"Kev!" She suddenly yelled in shock, making her cover her mouth again then turning to face him again. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry about that... Yes? What is it, Kevin?"

"Well, uh..." He suddenly got tongue tied, laughing nervously while rubbing his neck. "I was hoping that maybe... I don't know... Hang out during a break or... You know, after your shift is done with..." He nervously swung one of his legs back and forth. "That is if you want to, obviously..."

"Oh, wow... Really?" She got flustered at his request, a small nod coming from him at her question. "Why, yes! I would love to! Sure thing! You got it!" She gave him a few awkward finger guns while walking backwards.

"Alright! Sounds great!" He gave her a small smile along with a thumbs up before heading back towards his table. "See you later, Red!"

Red gave the Kevin's order to Tweek before looking back at Kevin with a loving stare. "Kev..." She took in a deep breath as she sat behind the counter, thinking about nothing but Kevin.

"You know, I used to think you were quite the nerdy, dorky geek... That was a month ago... Look at you now, though! Who exactly is brand new handsome guy I am looking at?" She giggles at her thoughts. "You're actually kinda cute when you're not so shy, Kev..." She sighed happily before turning to Tweek, who had yet another teasing look in face which made Red frown then start helping him with making Kevin's order.

"Are you literally forgetting what you were just lamenting about earlier today, girl? You've literally just been here before! Have you really come back for more?" She looked over at Kevin while still working on the order. "He might just end up being another chapter in your book about the history of wrong guys..."

"Well, then again... He used to be not that much of a catch, right? Not your type whatsoever... But look at him now! He's changed into something I just can't ignore so easily!" She groaned to herself at her dilemma. "Oh, Kevin! Honestly! If only you knew how much I've been hurt like this before! Is there something more to you than what I've always thought?" She huffed before turning her back to Kevin and started helping Tweek with the order. "Oh, whatever... I'll just see if you can surprise me any more than you already have..."

"Hey, Red?" Kevin suddenly approached the counter again, making Red gasp in shock and quickly fix herself before facing him. "Hope I'm not being too much of a bother for telling you this..."

"Oh, no! Are you kidding me? You could never be a bother! So, what is it that you need? If it's about your order, well..." Red grabbed the order that she and Tweek just finished. "Why, we just finished it, actually. Here you go." She smiled as she gave him a tray of his order.

"Oh, why thank you! I'm impressed you two got this to us so quick! What with it being just the two of you..." Kevin laughs a bit while one of his friends grab the tray and bring it to their table. "But, no... You see, in all this excitement, I had completely forgotten to order for Esther. She wants a tall skinny mocha..." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "So, yeah... I hope it doesn't bother you and Tweek much if I gave you another order to do..."

"Esther? Who is that? Most likely his girlfriend, right?" Red looked over to Tweek, who just shook his head and had an annoyed look on his face. Then she looked back at Kevin with a smile. "Like I said earlier, you could never be a bother! I will personally do Esther's order myself!" A faint groan from Tweek could be heard. "Esther's mocha... A mocha for Esther... Alright then, no more surprise orders, right?"

He shook his head. "Nope! No more surprises here! And oh, be sure to get it out as soon as you can, if you don't mind? The last thing I want is for Esther to be really mad at me..." Kevin finishes with a hearty laugh.

"Yep, definitely his girlfriend..." She thought to herself, a fake smile hiding the pain she felt. "Oh, don't you worry! I promise you we will get Esther's order ready quickly!" She does the same laugh he did.

Kevin didn't say anything more, just gave her a small nod in response before going back to his table.

Tweek slowly scooched right next to her, leaning close to whisper into her ear. "Yo, Red... I don't mind getting an extra order all of a sudden but... Did you have to reassure Kevin that we could get it out so quickly?" He raised a brow when he noticed that Red wasn't moving. "Uh, Red? Everything okay?" He yelped when the girl suddenly puts her hands on his shoulders.

"He has a girlfriend, Tweek! Waa!" She shook the male around as she freaked out about the revelation. "Why do they have to be so nice when they're..." Red lets him go then looks back to Kevin with a frown. "Unavailable?"

"Kevin? Unavailable? What? Pretty sure he is available because-" Tweek tried to explain to her what Kevin and Esther's relationship but gets cut off by Red.

"Oh, Tweek! Don't get my hopes up like that! I couldn't possibly steal another girl's man! Not again! I am a changed woman, after all! The last thing I wanna be with Kevin is star- crossed lovers! Because well... We all know how that ends..." She made a slicing motion across her neck.

The blond took in deep breaths as he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Red... Listen to me, Esther is-"

"His girlfriend! I know, I know! No need to rub more salt in my wounds!" She whined while Tweek groaned, completely giving up on trying to explain that Esther and Kevin were actually siblings. "But you know what? I'm not gonna let this bother me! In fact, I'm better off without him! We're better off as friends!" She beamed before immediately hugging Tweek and turning into a sobbing mess.

"Shh, shh... It's okay, Red..." He sarcastically cheered her up as he slowly pats her back, hoping she would figure out the truth later seeing as he couldn't be the one to tell her.

Red sniffed as she pulled away, wiping away her tears. Meanwhile, Tweek went back to work in order to get to work on getting Esther's mocha to her. "Damnit, Tweek! I've been hurt like this before! Why does it hurt so much more when it came to Kevin?!" She groaned loudly again before grabbing a photo album from under the counter. "When I said that I have had so many boyfriends that I could make a book about them, I meant it. I really have a book about the guys I have dated who were just the wrong guy..." She sighed as she flipped through the pages of the book where there were old pictures of Red with her exes who were Kenny, Pete, Jimmy, Stan, Craig, Token, Bridon, Kyle, Clyde and Butters. To name a few examples...

"And now, a new addition to the book... Kevin Stoley... Who has a girlfriend named Esther..." Red grumbled underneath her breath, tearing a piece of paper from the book she held in her hands. "Damnit, why am I so damn stupid and easily fall for guys like this?!" She huffed before finding herself angrily eating the paper she tore up.

"Uh, Red?" Kevin suddenly spoke up once he noticed what Red was doing while he picked up Esther's mocha, very confused at what he had just seen and wondering if he had seen something he wasn't supposed to see.

She froze at the sound of his voice, turning to face him then spitting out the paper in her mouth. "Hey, Kevin... How's it hanging?"

"Pretty good, really. Hope you found that paper delicious..." He laughed which makes her blush in embarrassment. "Anyway, I came here because well... My sister would like her receipt, please..."

The word "sister" started echoing in her mind, a smile slowly forming on her face in excitement. The exciting thought in her head caused her to completely space out.

"Umm, Red?" Kevin waved his hand in front of her face, even more confused at what was going on. "Can I get my sister's receipt, please?"

Red simply put a finger up. "Excuse me for one moment, please..." She turned to Tweek with an annoyed expression. "Hey! Did you know that Esther is Kevin's sister?! If you did, why didn't you tell me?!"

Tweek sighed and shook his head. "Look, I tried to tell you earlier about it. But no, you were just too caught up on being heartbroken and stuff..."

"Hmph..." Red huffed, giving Kevin the receipt he wanted. "Here you go, Kevin..."

"Thanks, Red." He smiled at her. "So, uh... Me and my friends are gonna head out now... See you later, I guess?" The male waved before starting to head out.

Red gasped at what she heard, turning to Tweek with a cheesy grin. "Tweek, you know I love you, right?"

He sighed at her words. "Just go on your damn break already, Red... Don't let me stop you..." Tweek chuckled as he shook his head, giving the girl a few pats on her shoulder. "Also, have fun..." He smiled at her.

"Thanks, Tweek! Like I said, I love you!" Red happily beamed, quickly taking off her apron and running off to Kevin. "Hey, Kev!"

"Yeah, Red-?" Kevin yelped when Red suddenly tackled him to the ground with a hug.

#sp red tucker #red sp #red x kevin #red mcarthur #sp kevin #kevin stoley #kevin x red #sp red #red tucker #south park red #sp revin #revin #south park #south park ships #sp ships #oneshot

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