#payback x reader

[callsign-mayhem]

heartbreak feels so good (part 1)

Pairing: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Reader Word count: 8081 CW: Shitty boyfriends, angst, fluff, slow burn.

Your boyfriend's callsign is Viper, which is fitting. Bradley doesn't know how much longer he can watch this man destroy you, but luckily for him, he doesn't have to wait too long.

Use of Y/N, but no description of reader. THIS IS A MULTI-PART FIC.

After another day of having your feelings totally ignored by your boyfriend, you were looking forward to some alone time. Elijah was so hot and cold that you felt as though you were in a constant state of fight or flight, just waiting for him to either make your day or ruin it completely. Most of the time, it was the latter, and although good days with him were few and far between, they were enough to make you stay. See, you didn’t half-ass anything—least of all relationships—so when you were in something, you were in it. You told Elijah that much after your first date. You’d been sitting in the front of his beemer eating ice cream, having the first of many deep talks. Between sweet, sticky kisses, you’d told him that you were dating to marry. He told you he was, too. 

He said, ‘I’m yours if you’ll have me, Y/N.’ And that was that.

And it was almost a year ago. You’d survived a somewhat tumultuous winter with him, desperately trying to cling on to the version of him he’d been during the summer. As time went on, he stopped putting his mask on, secure enough in your relationship that he no longer felt the need to pretend to be caring and considerate. The days were starting to get longer, and the weather was warming up again, but Elijah was so far from the man he was at the start that you might as well have been in a relationship with a different person. Every morning, you woke up with no idea what personality to expect that day, whether or not he was going to take all his personal drama out on you, even though you only ever loved and supported him. 

Today had been one of those days, and as you finished up with the F-18 engine currently in pieces in front of you, you silently prayed that he wouldn’t text you asking to come over. He was also a naval aviator, but you were working on different parts of the base today. Thank God. Elijah’s callsign was Viper, fitting since vipers prey on small animals by envenomating them and watching them die slowly. 

Coyote appeared behind you, helmet tucked underneath his arm.

‘Hey, we’re all heading to The Hard Deck for beers,’ he told you. ‘You comin’?’ You grabbed a rag and made an attempt to wipe some of the oil off. ‘I don’t know,’ you sighed. ‘I want to, but then I’ll have to bring Elijah, and I don’t really wanna see him tonight.’ ‘Why do you have to bring him?’ Coyote frowned. ‘He’s a lousy drunk and never lets you have any fun.’ ‘If he finds out I went out with all you guys, he’ll think I’m up to something.’ ‘Like gettin’ with me?’ He joked, wiggling his eyebrows. ‘Probably,’ you laughed. ‘You or one of the others. Or maybe he’ll accuse me of getting with all of you if he’s in a particularly bad mood.’ ‘Listen, if you wanna come, you’re welcome. We’ll just make sure nobody posts about it, and we’ll get you a fake moustache or somethin’.’

It broke your heart to think about all your closest friends having a fun night without you. Over the past year, you’d lost count of the amount of experiences you’d missed out on because you didn’t want to make Elijah upset or angry with you. The worst part was it was a double standard. He went out without you all the time, didn’t tell you where he’d gone or who he was with, and expected you to be okay with it. If you weren’t, you could kiss your peace goodbye; he’d spend the next week making your life a living hell, ignoring you entirely until you apologised to him for being hurt by his actions.

‘You know what Javy? Count me in.’ He grinned. ‘Thatta girl.’ 

It was hard to regret coming out when you felt this good. It had been months since you’d gone on a night out without Elijah, which was to say it had been months since you last enjoyed yourself. As you sipped your second sex on the beach, you mused that some kind of higher power must have been looking out for you because you’d yet to receive a single text from your boyfriend. Most of the time, when you spent the night apart, he’d call you incessantly. It was annoying, sometimes bordering on obsessive, and you didn’t need him to tell you he was checking on you, or rather, checking that you were alone in your apartment. That much was obvious. 

Dating an insecure man was not for the weak.

You were sat at one of the high tables next to the window watching Jake, Mickey, Javy, and Reuben play pool. Nat was opposite nursing a beer, glowing in the golden light of the evening. Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up, smiling at the notification. 

‘Rooster’s on his way,’ she told you. ‘He wasn’t gonna come out tonight, but I told him he didn’t have a choice. It’s not every day Y/N Y/L/N leaves the comfort of her apartment.’ You scoffed. ‘That’s not exactly how I’d put it.’ ‘No?’ Nat raised a brow. 

You hadn’t drunk in months, and despite only being on your second drink, the booze had loosened your lips significantly. 

‘No. It’s not that I’d rather stay home, it’s that staying home makes my life easier because then I don’t have Elijah breathing down my fucking neck.’

Little did you know, Javy had told everyone about your conversation earlier. Not because he was a gossip but because he was worried about you. It was rare for you to open up to the squad about your relationship, but it wasn’t hard to guess what happened behind closed doors. They all worked with Viper, for one, and they were familiar with his temperament. Not only that, but you dropped off the face of the Earth a few months after you started dating him, and it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. 

‘I don’t know why you’re still with him, Y/N. He’s an ass.’ ‘I know,’ you sighed, frowning into your drink. ‘It��s just not as straightforward as just leaving. I still love him. If I can make this work, I don’t have to start all over again with someone else.’ Nat nodded in understanding. ‘I get wanting to make it work, but at what cost? You don’t see your friends, and he uses you as an emotional punching bag. You can’t even come to the beach with us without him checking on you every five minutes,’ she reached over the table and took your hand. ‘He’s killing you.’

This was the first time someone had spoken their mind to you about the situation. While you already knew all of it, hearing it from one of your best friends hit home. Vodka made you emotional, and if not for Bradley, you would have broken down there and then. 

He walked up to the table and engulfed you in a hug, practically pulling you off your stool. You pressed your face into his shirt, inhaling the scent of clean cotton and sandalwood. Half expecting Elijah to spring out and catch you in the act, you reluctantly pulled away. 

‘Hey, Bradley.’ ‘Hey yourself, stranger. Can’t believe you’re gracing us with your presence.’ ‘I know, it’s been a while.’ ‘A while? Try six months,’ he glanced at your almost empty glass and Nat’s empty bottle of Heineken. ‘Can I buy you lovely ladies a drink?’ ‘Do you even have to ask?’ Nat retorted.  ‘What’re you drinking, darlin’?’ He asked you. You smiled sheepishly. ‘Sex on the beach.’  ‘I can make that happen.’ He smirked.

Luckily, you didn’t have to come up with a response to that remark because he turned around and headed to the bar. You locked eyes with Nat, and both of you burst out laughing.

Just like that, all the negativity you’d been feeling dissipated like rain against hot tarmac. 

Bradley came back with the drinks, and the three of you took the opportunity to catch up while the others finished their pool game. You shouldn’t have been as surprised as you were to find out that you’d missed a lot. Bradley had started dating one of the medics, but the relationship had crashed and burned almost immediately. He hadn’t bothered trying to meet anyone else since. Nat, after watching all her friends have such bad experiences in the dating world, had decided she was better off alone. 

‘Honestly, I don’t blame you.’ You told her. ‘You should dump Viper,’ she said with a devilish grin. ‘And we can have a hot girl summer.’ Bradley laughed. ‘Can’t say I ever imagined you saying that, Nix.’  ‘Isn’t that what it’s called now? We can’t be that out of touch, surely.’ ‘I don’t wanna think about how old I am.’ You said, picking up your phone to see if you’d missed any texts from Elijah. You hated to think what kind of argument missing one of his calls would start.  Nat and Rooster shared a knowing look. ‘It rings, you know? Out loud.’

Being this transparent was embarrassing. 

‘I think I’m going to confiscate this for now.’ Ignoring your protests, Bradley swiped your phone and tucked it into his pocket. ‘If he calls or texts, I’ll let you know.’

You were tipsy enough not to try and take your phone back but not tipsy enough to be unbothered by the idea of Elijah calling and you not picking up.

‘If he calls, I need it back straight away,’ you told him sternly. ‘If I don’t pick up, I’ll never hear the end of it.’

Bradley rolled his eyes, but you knew it wasn’t aimed at you. He hated Elijah the most of all your friends. Perhaps sensing some tension, Nat slid off her stool and grabbed your arm, practically yanking you off yours.

‘Let’s go pick a song,’ she suggested. ‘We can get more drinks on the way back.’

Since it had been so long since you last visited The Hard Deck, she let you choose. You picked Rebel Yell by Billy Idol, your mum’s favourite. Admittedly, you’d been missing your home town a lot more than usual lately, perhaps because you were in such a weird place mentally. Things must be worse than you thought if you were considering running home with your tail between your legs. 

As the night went on, you got drunker and drunker. Bradley watched with a bemused grin as you dragged Bob off to the jukebox again, since he was the easiest person to coerce into doing things. How Bradley wished it was him you were clinging to. Not that he was jealous of Bob—because that would be like being jealous of a puppy—he just desperately wanted to be the object of your affection. 

While you and Bob went to change the music, Bradley struck up a conversation with Natasha and Reuben, who erupted into laughter when you pulled Bob’s arm so hard he almost toppled over. 

‘It’s nice to have Y/N out, huh?’ He observed. Nat looked at him like he was the biggest dickhead in the world. ‘Come on, Bradshaw. He might be an ass, but she’s got a boyfriend.’

Bradley sipped his beer, desperately trying to come up with a believable response. Reuben smirked knowingly, which only made Bradley more annoyed.

‘I don’t have a thing for Y/N.’ ‘Whatever helps you sleep at night, man.’ ‘Come on, Payback. You too?’ Reuben shrugged. ‘Doesn’t take a genius to work it out. You look at her like she’s God’s gift.’

The reason Bradley looked at you like you were God’s gift is because you were, but nobody was supposed to know that. 

‘Why do women stay with guys that treat them like shit?’ Bradley asked. ‘Depends on the woman,’ Natasha started. ‘But if you mean Y/N, it’s because she can’t do anything halfway. She told me earlier that it’s because she doesn’t want to start over with someone new, but I don’t think that’s it. She just loves so hard, and it takes a lot out of her. Why would she wanna start the process all over again if she already has someone?’ Bradley was incredulous. ‘Erm, I don’t know, maybe because he’s emotionally abusing her.’

You and Nat were close. In a way, she knew you better than you knew yourself, so she was the best person for Bradley to ask about things. Now, however, he was kind of regretting opening his mouth. Knowing why you were staying with a guy who treated you so badly didn’t make it easier to accept like Bradley thought it would; it only filled him with white-hot rage. 

‘It’s not as easy as just leaving. She has to come to it on her own.’ ‘Yeah,’ Reuben chimed in. ‘You can’t convince Y/N of shit.’ Natasha scoffed. ‘Yup, and believe me, I’ve tried.’  ‘So what, we just sit around and watch him ruin her?’ ‘Y/N’s a smart cookie and one of the strongest people I know. She’ll come to her senses, and when she does, we’ll be here.’ ‘You know, I read somewhere once that you can’t save anyone. You can only hold their hand while they save themselves.’ Nat raised a brow. ‘Damn, Payback. That might be the wisest thing you’ve ever said.’ ‘Hey, why do you sound so surprised?’ ‘You really want me to answer that?’

Bradley had a lot to think about. Realistically, he knew there was nothing he could do. His only option was to let things unfold naturally and have faith that things would work out exactly the way they were supposed to. The only problem was, that sounded too much like ‘sit back and do nothing,’ which didn’t feel right either. 

Bradley needed another drink. 

In fact, he was just about to head to the bar when you came bounding over, dragging poor Bob behind you. 

‘Roooooooooster.’ You cooed.

His heart just about melted when you started batting your eyelashes at him. 

‘What’s up, Y/CS?’

Everyone else was watching the interaction expectantly, waiting to hear what you were going to say next. 

‘You’re really pretty.’ Bradley laughed, hoping you were too drunk to notice the blush he could feel creeping across his cheeks. ‘Thank you. You’re really pretty, too.’ Nat, sensing the need to intervene, came around and gently grabbed your arm. ‘Hey, let’s get you a glass of water, huh?’ ‘But I need to tell Roo how pretty he looks.’

Bradley’s heart fluttered at your use of the pet name. He really didn’t want you to leave, but Nat was right. You needed some water and probably your bed. 

‘You told him already, Y/N. And when you get back, you can tell him again.’

She started leading you away, and Bradley immediately missed your presence. 

A very flushed-looking Bob took Nat’s empty stool. ‘That girl is somethin’ else.’ He murmured, pushing his glasses back up his nose. ‘I don’t think you should let her drink anymore.’ ‘I’m not her keeper,’ Bradley responded. ‘Can’t stop her from doing anything.’ Bob shrugged. ‘Maybe so, but you’re all she talked about. You and the fact that there’s no Fall Out Boy in the jukebox. Pretty sure she called it a ‘fucking tragedy.’’  Bradley leaned forward. ‘What did she say about me?’ ‘You know,’ Bob waved a hand dismissively. ‘You’re pretty. Her boyfriend is gonna kill her if he finds out she’s here with you because he thinks you have a thing for her.’ Bradley was at a loss for words. Reuben, however, was grinning like a fool. ‘What was that about not having a thing for her? Even her boyfriend’s caught on, man.’  ‘How many times do I have to say I do not have a thing for-’

An annoyingly loud ringing sound interrupted Bradley’s sentence. It didn’t sound like his ringtone, but the noise was coming from his pocket. It took him too long to remember that he had your phone in his pocket, and that it was probably Viper calling. Sure enough, when he took out your phone, he was greeted by a sickeningly sweet photo of you and your boyfriend on the beach. You and Nat were still at the bar, and he knew he should just let it ring so you could call him back later. 

But something had a hold of Bradley, and he answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear before he could really process what he was doing. 

‘Y/N’s phone.’ 

A beat of silence, then some of the most colourful language Bradley had ever heard in his life. 

‘Who the fuck is this, and why the fuck have you got my girlfriend’s phone?’  ‘Y/N can’t come to the phone right now. She’s at the bar with her friend, gettin’ another round of drinks, and I just know hearing your voice would ruin her night. It’s ruined mine, that’s for sure. If you want, I can take a message, and she’ll get back to you in the morning.’

Reuben was nearly on the floor, trying desperately not to laugh in case Viper heard him. Bob had paled significantly, like he’d seen a ghost—or worse. 

‘That you, Bradshaw? I just knew something was going on-’

Bradley hung up. The severity of the situation was beginning to hit, and despite the sick satisfaction he’d felt when he picked up the phone, he was regretting his decision already. 

‘Y/N is gonna kill you, Rooster.’ Bob told him. 

Nat made the sensible decision to cut you off, but she said you could stay out with them until closing if you promised to keep drinking water and stop fucking around with the jukebox. That was how you ended up in the corner of a booth with Bradley next to you to stop you from escaping.

Not that you’d want to escape. 

Mickey had joined, and the guys were playing cards while you and Nat talked. She was catching you up on her life, and it made a change to think about someone other than Elijah for once.

That’s when it hit you.

You hadn’t checked your phone in hours, and you dreaded to think how many texts and calls you’d missed. 

‘Bradley, can I have my phone?’

He set his hand of cards down on the table and reached into his pocket. When you reached out to take it, he pulled away.

‘Before I give this to you, I need to tell you something.’

A wave of nausea hit you. 

‘What? What’s going on?’ ‘Viper called about an hour ago. You were at the bar, and I didn’t know what to do, so I answered it.’ Reuben leaned forward in his seat. ‘Oh, this is about to be good.’

You thought you knew what panic felt like, but up until this very moment, you had no idea. Bradley was lucky you didn’t throw up in his lap from the nerves.

‘What?’ ‘I’m sorry, Y/N. I wasn’t thinking-’

You snatched your phone from him, ignoring the kicked-puppy expression he was sporting. A slew of angry text messages that were borderline abusive greeted you. You skimmed them quickly, not wanting to read too many in case you started crying in front of the entire squad. 

What started out as the best night you’d had in a while quickly turned into the worst. Your boyfriend's hateful messages reminded you why you never went out and why this was the biggest mistake you could have made.

The worst part was you saw it coming.

‘Move,’ you said, grabbing your bag. ‘Bradley, let me out now.’ ‘You can’t drive like this, Y/N. Let one of us take you home.’

Bradley sounded destroyed. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. 

‘Move.’

He nudged Bob, who stood up so Bradley could climb out of the booth. You were close behind him, and when your feet touched the floor, you nearly keeled over. Bradley reached out to steady you, but you shook him off.

‘Y/N. You can’t leave like this. How are you gonna get home?’

Ignoring his pleas, you made a beeline for the exit. Nat shoved Reuben into Mickey, trying to hurry them out of the booth so she could follow you, but you were surprisingly fast for a drunk person. Bradley was right about one thing: there was no way you could drive in this state. You ducked around the corner so Nat couldn’t see you and sank to the floor. Hot tears prickled behind your eyes as you did the one thing you didn’t want to do, but the only thing you could do.

You called Elijah. 

He didn’t answer the first, second, third, or fourth time. 

Half an hour passed, and you didn’t move. At one point, you heard Bradley, Nat, and Reuben talking around the corner, coming up with a plan for where to look for you. They knew you were on foot because your car was still in the lot, and since you’d disappeared so quickly, you couldn’t have gotten far. If the situation weren’t so tragic, it would’ve been funny that you were hiding ten paces away, and none of them could find you. 

It was getting very late. People were getting in their cars and leaving or jumping into Ubers. Soon, your Jeep would be the only car left. You couldn’t face the daggers, and you couldn’t drive home, so you picked yourself up and took a slow walk down the beach to where the water met the sand. 

What a beautiful night to have your heart broken. 

There was no way Elijah would ever forgive you for this, no way you’d ever be able to 

convince him that nothing had happened between you and Bradley. The sane part of you knew that it was crazy to feel guilty for simply enjoying a night out with your friends, but the sane part of you rarely won these days. The part of you that loved Elijah was always loudest and knew this could never have gone any other way. 

You were just about to resign yourself to calling a cab when you heard someone yelling your name from the top of the beach. 

You either had the best or worst luck in the world because it was Bradley. 

He made short work of the distance, giving you no time to come up with something to say. He looked otherworldly in the pale moonlight. His hair was slightly mused, and the same insane part of you that loved what it loved was whispering at you to run your fingers through it. 

‘We’ve been looking all over for you, Y/N.’ He sounded very concerned as he pulled out his phone and texted the others to let them know you were safe. ‘I’m sorry, I just needed to be alone.’

You hadn’t even realised you were shivering until Bradley draped his Levi jacket over your shoulders. 

‘You needed to be alone, or you needed to call Viper back?’ The tears threatened to make another appearance. ‘It’s none of your business.’ ‘What makes you think it’s not my business? I care about you and don’t want to keep watching you get hurt.’ ‘Then stop watching!’

Bradley recoiled, and you immediately felt awful. How Elijah spoke to you like that day in and day out without feeling guilty was a mystery to you. 

‘I’m sorry, Bradley,’ you sighed, pulling his jacket tighter around you. ‘I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just very drunk and very emotional right now.’

He softened immediately and seemed torn about whether he should let you stand there freezing or pull you close. You hoped he wouldn’t try to pull you close because you didn’t think you’d have the guts to tell him no. Good feelings had been so incredibly hard to come by as of late.

‘Why are you still with him, Y/N?’ Bradley asked almost pleadingly. 

Wow. He didn’t waste any time getting right to the point. 

‘That’s a loaded question.’ ‘I need you to explain it to me because it’s killing me.’

You thought about it for a moment, and Bradley waited with bated breath to hear what you had to say.

In the end, it was this: ‘I guess we accept the love we think we deserve.’ 

Until you said it out loud, this phrase held little meaning to you. Now that it was out in the open, it was very heavy. In the last few months you’d tried coming up with a decent explanation as to why you were staying with Elijah, and you fell short every time. Turns out all you needed to do was get drunk and have an honest conversation to figure it out. 

Coming to the realisation that what you’d just said was true felt like being in freefall. Everything in your life was changing shape to fit around this ugly truth. The good things in your heart shied away in the face of this monstrous fact. 

You didn’t think you deserved a healthy love. 

Somehow, Bradley was more hurt by this than when you’d snapped at him earlier. He was staring at the ground, unable to meet your eye like you’d just told him he wasn’t worthy of love.

‘You don’t think you deserve to be happy?’

Hearing him say it was somehow even worse.

‘Apparently not.’

You were both quiet for a moment, and then, for whatever reason, you laughed. 

‘This is news to me too.’

The waves crashed loudly, water lapping at your feet as the tide came in. You couldn’t stand out here having epiphanies all night. 

‘Listen, Rooster, I need to go home. I’m sorry for snapping.’ ‘I’ll take you home,’ he said quietly. ‘But we should talk tomorrow when you’re sober. Maybe we could get coffee.’ You shook your head. ‘After tonight, I don’t think that’s a smart idea. I’ll probably be spending tomorrow trying to salvage what’s left of my relationship.’ ‘You’re not serious.’ ‘I am.’

He opened his mouth to protest but then appeared to change his mind. You watched as all the fight he had left in him dissolved. There was nothing left for him to say, and he knew it. 

The irritating birds that constantly chirped right outside your bedroom window woke you up. It was too damn early, and your head felt as though it was splitting open. When you sat up, you were hit by a wave of nausea so strong that you had no other choice but to sprint to the bathroom, smashing into the corner of your chest of drawers on the way. 

Which was to say, it was a bad morning. 

After you had puked up the entire contents of your stomach, you jumped straight in the shower, brushed your teeth, and did your skincare. At least if Elijah showed up at your front door, you wouldn’t look like you got super drunk last night, even though he’d probably already guessed. 

When you checked your phone, there were still no notifications from him, and when you called, there was no answer. This wasn’t unlike him, but it had been almost twelve hours since Bradley picked up your phone, and you would have thought he’d have something to say by now. 

To distract yourself from your impending doom, you threw open all the windows in your apartment, made your bed, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher—all the usual morning tasks. It seemed a shame to waste such a beautiful Saturday, but you doubted you’d enjoy any of your hobbies when you were this anxious and hungover. 

With nothing else left to do, you set about making some breakfast. 

Just as you put your bagel in the toaster, somebody knocked on the door. 

Your stomach twisted itself into an impossibly tight knot. You were rooted to the spot, unable to move until whoever it was knocked a second time. 

You looked through the peephole, expecting to see Elijah standing there with his dark eyebrows knitted together in frustration. It was the only scenario that had crossed your mind, so when you saw Bradley standing there, you were very surprised. 

You took a deep breath and opened the door, greeted by the warm scent of sandalwood once again. 

‘Bradley?’

He was holding two iced lattes, which you were betting were vanilla—your favourite. Elijah hadn’t done that for you since the first week of your relationship.

‘Hey, Y/N. Thought you could use this.’

He wasn’t wrong. You ushered him inside, and he headed to the kitchen, where he 

perched himself on one of the stools at your kitchen island. This morning, he was sporting one of his more toned-down Hawaiian shirts and dark jeans. His eyelids drooped, and you wondered if he’d slept at all. 

‘I was just about to make bagels. Want one?’ ‘Sure, thank you.’

You busied yourself, putting bacon and eggs into a pan while he sipped his coffee, eyeing

you with the curiosity of someone who had come over to check you were all in one piece. Once he was satisfied that you were, he relaxed slightly. 

‘Thank you for bringing me home last night. I really appreciate it.’ You told him earnestly.  ‘You don’t need to thank me. You’d have done the same thing.’ ‘True, but still. And I’m sorry for snapping at you.’ 

Last night was gradually coming back to you in flashes, like a supercut. Each time you remembered a new detail, you cringed internally. 

‘You also don’t need to apologise. Has he called you?’ 

While the eggs and bacon were cooking, you toasted another bagel for Bradley and buttered yours. Even though you’d known him for years and been quite close until you got into a relationship, you were struggling to admit that you were pretty much being ghosted. It was already hard to walk around on base knowing that everybody was aware of how Elijah treated you. When you didn’t respond, Bradley took that as a no. 

‘Well, that’s his problem,’ he spat. ‘You did absolutely nothing wrong. Maybe if he were less of a control freak, you would have felt like you could tell him you were out with us rather than hiding it, and then he wouldn’t have found out the way he did.’

The toaster popped, and you jumped. It felt like somebody had run a cheese grater over your nerves. Bradley ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath, clearly trying to reign in his anger.

‘I should apologise too,’ he continued. ‘I shouldn’t have answered your phone. It was a dick move, and I regretted it the instant I did it.’ 

You buttered the second bagel, put one egg on each of the bottom halves, and stacked two pieces of bacon on top before adding the top part. You didn’t say a word the entire time, and Bradley was starting to get antsy. 

‘Y/N. Please talk to me.’ ‘I don’t know what to say, Roo. I’m struggling even to think straight right now. He knows it drives me fucking crazy when he’s having a go at me and doesn’t respond. I don’t understand why he does it, knowing how it makes me feel.’ Bradley sighed. ‘Because he doesn’t give a shit how you feel. He doesn’t give a shit about anything other than himself and how he feels.’ 

This wasn’t news to you, but again, it was more impactful to hear someone else say it out loud. Really, how long could you keep this up? Whether you thought you deserved it or not, you were starting to wonder if you might be better off alone than with someone who made living feel like walking next to a cliff with your eyes closed. 

You pushed Bradley’s plate across the counter and picked up your bagel. Eating felt impossible, but getting through the day with this headache would be excruciating if you didn’t at least try. 

‘Come and sit down,’ Bradley said. ‘It’s not good to eat standing up.’ Despite everything, you managed to laugh. And this time, it was a real laugh. ‘Why?’ A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. ‘I don’t know. My mum used to say it all the time.’

You did as you were told, and you walked around the island, taking the seat next to him. The two of you ate in companionable silence, periodically taking sips of your coffees. This was how easy it should have been with Elijah. 

When you were both finished, Bradley put your plates, pan, and utensils into the dishwasher. You were too tired to tell him to stop. 

‘Thanks for breakfast.’  You smiled. ‘Thanks for being you.’

Bradley’s smile mirrored your own. Unsaid words hung in the air, but you didn’t know what to say. His leaving didn’t feel right, but if he stayed and Elijah made an appearance, he’d most definitely break up with you. 

But wasn’t this radio silence all the confirmation you needed that things were pretty much over, anyway? You were starting to wonder if this weekend had all happened exactly the way it was supposed to. Your eyes were indeed open, that was for sure. Of course, you’d known that the relationship wasn’t healthy, but this weekend had really driven the point home. 

‘Do you wanna go for a walk along the beach?’ You asked, hopefully. ‘We could grab some ice cream at that little place next to the arcade.’

Bradley didn’t just look happy. He also looked relieved that you weren’t asking him to leave. 

‘I’d love to.’

It was a beautiful Spring day, perfect walking weather. Honestly, it was the last thing Bradley expected you to suggest, so he jumped on the idea before you could change your mind and send him home.

Because he really didn’t want to go home. 

He’d sensed that you didn’t want to talk about Viper, and you’d yet to bring up your conversation on the beach last night. Bradley was beginning to doubt that you even remembered everything you said—all that nonsense about not deserving a healthy love. Bradley didn’t take you as a liar, which meant you believed that you weren’t deserving of happiness. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt quite so sad and also angry at the same time. So many emotions were warring for the top spot in his heart, and as a result, his brain was incredibly foggy.

A walk along the beach with you was perhaps the only cure.

‘Did you hear about Hangman?’ Bradley assumed you hadn’t. ‘No?’ ‘He’s getting deployed. He’s leaving next month.’ ‘How long is he going for?’ ‘Six months.’ You whistled lowly. ‘Damn.’ ‘I know. I think he’s looking forward to it, though. I sure am.’ ‘You know, I don’t think you hate him half as much as you say.’ Bradley chuckled. ‘Maybe not, but being nice to him wouldn’t feel right. Even after everything that happened on the mission.’ 

The two of you walked down the beach, chit-chatting about anything that came to mind. You were about halfway to the ice cream place when your phone pinged. Bradley guessed it would be Viper, but he never could have guessed what the message said. 

It was a photo of you and Bradley walking down the beach, taken from behind. The picture had been forwarded to you from someone else. 

E<3: always knew you were a slut.

You inhaled sharply, obviously hurt by the words on the screen. Not two seconds later, he sent another text. 

E<3: PS: we’re fucking over.

The two of you had stopped walking. Bradley watched over your shoulder as you furiously typed a reply and deleted it again. You turned to face him, and his heart just about broke when he saw the tears streaming down your cheeks. You didn’t need to say a word. He pulled you close to him, wrapping you tightly in his arms. You stayed that way for a while, sobbing into his Hawaiian shirt as he rubbed your back soothingly. When you eventually pulled away, the first thing you did was apologise. 

‘There’s nothing for you to be sorry for, sweet girl. He’s the one who should be sorry.’ You sniffled. ‘I don’t know what to reply.’ ‘Leave it for now,’ he said. ‘We can go get ice cream, take a slow walk back to yours. Then I’ll help you think of something.’ ‘I don’t know if I feel like ice cream anymore.’ ‘Well, that’s too bad because I do. Ice cream is the best remedy for heartbreak.’ ‘Did your mum tell you that too?’ ‘She sure did.’ 

It turns out Bradley was right about ice cream being the best remedy for heartbreak. The two of you sat on the wall, watching the waves while he munched on a mint chocolate chip cone and you butterscotch. It was hard to tell whether it was the best ice cream you’d ever had or if it was because you were with Bradley. If you remembered correctly, you’d had ice cream from this same place with Elijah before, and it hadn’t been this nice.

Thinking back on your memories with him only made you want to cry, so you did your best to shove them to the back of your mind. Despite the fact that he was actually a very shitty person, he’d been a dream at the beginning, and that didn’t just go away. The happy moments didn’t just suddenly turn to ash, as much as you wished they would. 

‘What are your plans for the rest of the night?’ Bradley asked around his ice cream cone. ‘I don’t know, Roo. I’m kinda working on a minute-to-minute basis right now.’ Bradley nodded. ‘Okay, well, what would you say to junk food run and a movie night?’ ‘With you?  ‘If you want to. I just don’t think it’s good for you to be alone.’ ‘I don’t want you to feel like you have to babysit me.’ ‘Is that what you think this is?’ ‘No, but I don’t want to be a burden. Or a charity case.’ ‘Y/N, you’re none of those things. I always want to spend time with you. Just so happens I have a good excuse today.’ You frowned into your ice cream. ‘Okay. As long as you’re sure.’ 

The two of you finished your ice cream and took a slow walk back to your apartment. When you got in, the first thing you noticed was a framed photograph of you and your now ex-boyfriend on the side table in the hallway. When your bottom lip started trembling, Bradley picked up the photo, put it face down, and then proceeded to run around your apartment and take down any others. It didn’t feel like the same place you’d left a few hours ago. It was haunted by memories that would never look right in the light of day. Even the happiest ones from the start were tainted with the ugliness of his cruel words and actions. 

‘This place is so depressing.’ You grumbled.

Bradley stood in front of you with a stack of photos and one of Elijah’s t-shirts. 

‘It’s not. It’s your home, Y/N. We just have to pack away his stuff and put it all in a box.’ ‘An ex-boyfriend box.’ Bradley smiled sadly. ‘Yeah, exactly. It might be over, and he might be a dick, but it was still a big part of your life, and it’s important to keep the memories safe in case you wanna look back on them someday.’ ‘Or in case I wanna burn them.’ ‘That too.’ Bradley chuckled

So you helped him gather all the mementoes from your relationship and put them in an old Dr Martens box. It all looked pretty pathetic, packed away in a shoebox.

‘I found one of his hoodies and a few other things.’ You called from your bedroom. ‘Can you grab me a bin bag from the top of the fridge?’

You heard shuffling, and then Bradley was standing in the doorway holding out the bag you requested. 

‘Damn, he doesn’t even get one of the nice Trader Joe's bags?’ ‘No,’ you giggled. ‘He gets a trash bag because his stuff is trash, and he’s trash.’

You weren’t really at the stage where you believed that just yet, but saying it was really satisfying, and it felt good to laugh. Fake it till you make it or whatever. 

‘Want me to give it to him tomorrow?’ ‘Thanks, but I should really be the one to do it. I haven’t even texted him back.’ You thought about it for a moment and then continued. ‘Would it be cheeky of me to ask if you’ll come with me? Maybe Nat, too? I could use some moral support, and he’s less likely to make a scene if the two of you are there.’ ‘Of course I’ll be there. I won’t say anything unless you need me to or unless he starts. I can’t make that same promise for Nix, though.’ ‘I haven’t even told Nat yet,’ you sighed. ‘I don’t think I wanna talk about it right this second.’ ‘I’ll text her. Don’t worry about it.’

From your spot on the floor, you looked up at Bradley. The evening sunlight was streaming in through the windows, casting an ethereal glow around him. 

‘You should change your callsign to angel.’ A look of pleasant surprise flickered across his handsome features. ‘Why?’ ‘Because you’re literally my angel, Roo. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’

Half an hour later, Bradley convinced you to go on a junk food run with him in the Bronco. He said tonight was a mandatory, post-breakup wallowing sesh because if you bottled up your feelings now, you’d explode later at a much more inconvenient time. 

The two of you had been screaming along to all the classic breakup songs: All Too Well by Taylor Swift (yes, he knew all the words), Who Knew by Pink, What About Now by Daughtry… He’d driven the long way to the store because you got so into it. 

Now, as you scanned the shelves in Target, you asked: ‘What is it about screaming sad songs that makes you feel better?’ ‘It’s cathartic,’ Bradley explained. ‘Helps you relieve the strong feelings.’ ‘You know a lot about heartbreak.’ ‘Well, I’ve had my fair share of sadness.’ You froze. ‘That was insensitive of me, I’m sorry.’ Bradley took the packed of Reeses Pieces from your hands so he could hold them. ‘Can you make me a promise?’ ‘What?’ You asked sceptically. ‘Promise you’re gonna stop apologising to me all the time. You have nothing to be sorry for.’ ‘Sorry.’ You smiled sheepishly.  He shook his head. ‘That’s not what you’re supposed to say.’ ‘Okay, fine,’ you huffed. ‘I promise to stop apologising all the time.’ ‘Thank you,’ Bradley said, releasing your hands reluctantly. ‘Now, pick out five more things.’ ‘Five? There’s already five things in the basket.’ ‘Did I ask?’ ‘I’m gonna get fat.’ ‘Don’t be so ridiculous. Wallowing means junk food, and I don’t know if you’re looking at the same basket I am, but that’s not enough junk food.’ ‘Christ Almighty, okay.’ 

He helped you pick out five more things, and then you headed to check out.

‘What movies are good for wallowing?’ You asked. ‘Well, we have to start with a couple of sad ones and then finish with a happy one.’

The cashier told you your total, and Bradley tapped his card before you could even get yours out. You gave him a withering look.

‘I would’ve paid for that. You paid for the ice cream.’ ‘So?’ ‘So we should take it in turns.’

Obviously, he carried the bags as well, and as you walked back to the Bronco, he couldn’t help but wonder if Viper made you take it in turns. If you were his girl, you’d never have to tap your card.

‘What’s your favourite sad movie?’ He inquired.  You opened the trunk for him so he could put the bags in. ‘Technically, it’s not a sad movie. But there’s this part in Inside Out…Wait, have you watched it before? I don’t wanna spoil it for you.’ ‘The part where Bing Bong gets forgotten?’ You gasped. ‘How did you know?’ ‘Because it gets me every single time.’

The way you looked at him in that moment, like he had hung the moon in the sky—God, it was too much. 

‘We’ll start with Inside Out,’ he told you, opening the passenger door so you could climb in. ‘And then we’ll think of something else.’

Without giving much thought to what he was doing, Bradley found himself buckling your seatbelt for you. You were holding your breath, and it dawned on him how easy it would be to kiss you if he were that sort of guy.

And as much as he wanted to kiss you, he was not that sort of guy. He wasn’t about to take advantage of the fact that some asshole had just taken a sledgehammer to your very beautiful heart. 

‘Can we watch Bridge To Terabithia?’ You whispered.

Bradley hadn’t moved, and you were so close that he could feel your warm breath on his cheek. 

‘Are you trying to break my heart, Y/N?’ ‘Yes. I want you to feel my pain.’ 

He was grinning the whole way around the car to the driver’s side and still grinning when he got in the car. You already had his phone in your hand, searching for more sad songs so you could continue your car concert on the way back to your apartment. He drove the long way again so the two of you could finish your rendition of ‘I Don’t Love You’ by My Chemical Romance, which Bradley didn’t know the words to. He tried his best, though, because you seemed to love it, and he couldn’t deny you anything. 

By the time you got home, the sun had almost entirely set. While he set the snacks out on the coffee table, you went around lighting candles and switching on fairy lights. He’d never seen your apartment in the dark, and it was incredibly cosy. Even though it was relatively warm, you dragged all your blankets and pillows from your bed and made a little nest on the sofa. You were so adorable, it was hard to believe that someone could treat you badly. 

If you were his girl, every night would look like this—except you’d be a lot happier, and there would be no tears. 

Halfway through Bridge To Terebitha, you fell asleep. Bradley had been trying to keep his distance despite wanting to wrap you up in his arms, yet somehow—in your sleep—you’d ended up with your legs in his lap. He’d frozen at first, but once he realised you were dead to the world, he allowed himself to rest his hands on your knees. Really, it was that or sit with his arms crossed, and that would be silly. 

For the duration of the movie, his attention flickered between you and the TV. Every time he tried paying attention to what was happening, his eyes wandered back to your peaceful face. He marvelled at your astounding beauty, the delicate way your eyelashes rested against the tops of your rosy cheeks. Bradley had always admired you, and you’d been good friends for years, but what he felt in that moment was something else entirely. By the time the end credits started rolling, he knew without a doubt that he’d set whole cities ablaze to keep you warm. Feelings as rapidly growing as his should have been terrifying, but Bradley wasn’t scared. Falling in love with you seemed to be as easy as wading out into a calm ocean on a warm summer’s day. 

He knew you’d yet to learn that falling in love and staying in love should always be this easy. He knew it was going to take some time to convince you that you deserved healthy love, that the right person would never run away from you and keep turning around to make sure you were chasing them. 

But Bradley was a patient man, and he would wait as long as he had to.

End of part one.

#top gun #top gun maverick #top gun fanfics #top gun imagines #top gun maverick imagines #bradley bradshaw #javy machado #mickey garcia #reuben fitch #natasha trace #jake seresin #pete mitchell #rooster x reader #coyote x reader #fanboy x reader #hangman x reader #payback x reader #bob floyd #bob floyd x reader #phoenix x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #rooster imagine

[eternalsams]

probably won't lead to anything but I made moodboards of the daggers for rom-com AUs

if anyone wants to use them for their own writings, tag me. otherwise, don't repost

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | Jake Seresin

Notting Hill | Robert Floyd

The Proposal | Natasha Trace

The Holiday | Mickey Garcia

The Notebook | Bradley Bradshaw

Love and Other Drugs | Javy Machado

Pretty Woman | Reuben Fitch

#Jake seresin x reader #hangman x reader #Bradley Bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #Phoenix x reader #Natasha trace x reader #Bob x reader #Robert Floyd x reader #mickey Garcia x reader #fanboy x reader #Javy machado x reader #coyote x reader #Reuben Fitch x reader #payback x reader #top gun #top gun maverick #tgm #eternalsams

[vivalas-vega]

make the friendship bracelets / dagger squad x reader

this is for the top gun x swiftie girlies. I am in the midst of making as many friendship bracelets as I can fit on my arms for the eras tour and had this idea !!! it’s a little short but this is just a fun little drabble :) i hope you enjoy!!!

make the friendship bracelets / dagger squad x reader

add yourself to my taglist

word count: 600

warnings: none :) 

You cleared your throat as you all sat around a booth, knowing this was your moment before everyone started to head home for the evening. “Going to make a speech?” Hangman asked, eyeing you as you looked at everyone expectantly waiting for their attention. You just smiled, reaching into your purse to grab the friendship bracelets you’d spend the past few days making and handing them to their respective owners without a word.

“What’s happening right now?” Rooster asked, looking down at the delicate beaded string in confusion.

“They’re friendship bracelets, Roo,” you said dryly, fighting a smile. 

“Why?” he asked and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why is it a bracelet? I’m not in the mood to get existential tonight… I just thought, well… I’m not making a speech but you guys are my best friends and I’ve never really had best friends before so… friendship bracelets,” you said almost awkwardly as everyone just stared at you before their resolve cracked and they were all excitedly putting them on. Well, everyone except for Bob, he had put his on instantly and had been grinning down at it the whole time.

“What is this, summer camp?” Hangman asked, but you didn’t miss the slight glimmer in his eye as he looked it over.

“Did you pick these colors because of Star Wars?” Fanboy asked and he beamed when you nodded. “This is awesome!”

“I can’t believe you did this! This must have taken you hours,” Phoenix said. “This is so sweet.” 

“This is my favorite thing ever, thank you so much.” Bob said, looking down at his like you’d presented him with the Holy Grail before reaching across the table to squeeze your hand. 

“My daughter is going to be so jealous,” Payback said and you just smirked as you grabbed another from your purse and slid it across the table. “You made one for her?” he asked, looking at the much smaller bracelet in awe.

“Just securing my place as the favorite aunt,” you shrugged and Phoenix shot you a look.

“Hey, a bracelet changes nothing. I’m the favorite aunt,” she said and you laughed softly.

“Whatever you say, Phe,” you said as you slid to sit on the top of the bench and hooked your legs over to hop out, approaching the bar to meet Penny who gave you a bright smile.

“Another one?” she asked, but looked at you confused when you shook your head and instead presented her with a bracelet. “For me? Are you serious?” she asked, slipping it on.

“Of course, you’re a part of our team too.” 

“Just for that, this is on me,” she said, placing a fresh beer in front of you and you turned to look at Maverick who’d cleared his throat.

“Can I help you?” you asked, trying to stifle your smirk.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing…” he replied, nonchalantly sipping his beer but eyeing yours and Penny’s wrists. “Just wondering where mine might be.”

“Sorry, old timer. There’s a height limit on friendship bracelets,” you said and Penny cackled from beside you. “Must be this tall to ride,” you held your hand up just above his height and you couldn’t help but laugh at his shocked expression as you pulled his from your pocket, donning his callsign just like everyone else’s. 

“Oh, I didn’t… I was only joking,” he said but you could tell from the look in his eyes how much it meant to him.

“Of course you were, sir,” you exchanged a knowing look with Penny before heading back to your friends who were now all arguing over who had the best one and you wouldn’t have expected anything less.

#top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #rooster x reader #hangman x reader #phoenix x reader #fanboy x reader #bob x reader #payback x reader #coyote x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #jake seresin x reader #natasha trace x reader #bob floyd x reader #reuben fitch x reader #javy machado x reader

[dragon-kazansky]

Would you still love me if I was a worm? - Dagger Squad

Requested by @cycbaby

Rooster

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

Bradley turns his head slowly to you. You're both sat in bed after a long day. He was reading little to ease his mind when you asked your question.

"What?"

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

Bradley waits to see if your joking, but when he realises you're actually asking, he smiles.

"Honey, I would love you no matter what."

You smile and rest your head against his shoulder.

"Good. I'd love you even if you were a literal rooster."

Bradley bursts into a fit of giggles.

Hangman

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

You're both mid-workout. Jake stops to look at you.

"A worm?"

"Yeah. A worm."

"You'd be the sexiest worm I ever saw," he grins.

"So yes?"

"Hell yeah!"

You smile and carry on with your workout. You'd live him if he was a worm too.

Phoenix

You're laying on the beach with Natasha when you have the urge to ask.

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

Natasha lowers her aviators to look at you.

"Are you actually asking?"

"Yeah," you say, looking at her.

She blinks slowly.

"Yeah, I'd still love you if you were a worm. You'd be a really cute worm. Can I be a worm too?"

You laugh.

"Obviously!"

"We would make really cute worms. We would be a cute work couple in our little garden."

You laugh.

Bob

You were sat at the bar with Bob having a good time when the question came to you.

"Hey Bob, would you still love me if I was a worm?"

Bob chuckles.

"Like a garden worm?" He asks.

"Yeah."

He smiles.

"Of course I would. You would be my worm."

You smile.

"Aww, Bob!"

Bob leans into your side and kisses your cheek. Bob would be a cute worm too.

Coyote

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

"Did you purposely wait until we were in the air to ask me that?" Javy asks, looking out to where your jet was.

"No escape when we are up here. Now answer the question."

Javy sighs down the comms.

"I guess so."

"You guess so?" You ask.

"Well, you're already mine. If you were a worm, I don't think that would change. You'd just be my worm."

You smile.

"That will do, Coyote."

Fanboy

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?" You whisper while Maverick talks.

"What?"

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?" You ask again.

"No."

"What?" You whisper yell.

"You would be a worm!"

Maverick stops talking and looks at the pair of you. Fanboy sinks into his seat. You glare at him from yours.

"For the record, I would still love you," you whisper yell.

Fanboy chuckles.

Maverick glare at the pair of you.

Payback

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?" You ask, taking your shot at pool.

"Hell yeah."

"You would?" You look up in surprise.

"Yeah."

"I would be a worm."

"I know. A cute worm. My worm. I'd love it if you were my worm."

"Getting weird," you laugh.

"I love you."

"Love you too," you say, still laughing.

Maverick

"Would you still love if I was a worm?"

Maverick looks up from his drink and turns to you.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Are we meeting as a worm, or have you turned into one during our relationship?"

"Can I have the answer for both?" You ask him.

"If you had turned into one, then yes. You're just a worm now. If in meeting you as worm, then no."

"Why not?"

"Because you would be a worm. I'm not in the habit of taking worms on a date," he says.

"But I would be the worm."

Maverick pushes your drink closer to you.

"Drink up, sweetheart." He laughs.

#rooster x reader #hangman x reader #coyote x reader #payback x reader #phoenix x reader #bob x reader #fanboy x reader #maverick x reader #top gun: maverick #top gun

[theshortstack]

Things I just know about the dagger squad pt. 1

I don’t know what this is called

Baby on board , BOB

Knows how to play guitar

• loves cats especially the one with 6 toes

• Loves rhubarb pie

• insecure about his glasses

• may get flustered easily but is nowhere as innocent as the squad thinks

• tones down his accent as best as he can because people have teased him about it • loves rainy nights , when home he often sits on his porch and just watches

• has a cut above his left knee from when he got sliced by a fence trying to help a baby deer 🦌

• when he was a kid he had a little orange tabby named brute

• phoenix was one of the only pilots who actually made him feel included and stood up for him .

• loves to sing old country songs but doesn’t in front of people unless he really knows them

• is a swifty but got updated on her new songs by rooster

#robert bob floyd x reader #natasha phoenix trace x reader #top gun maverick reader insert #bob x reader #bob floyd #bob fluff #natasha trace x reader #jake seresin #dagger squad x reader #rooster x reader #top gun imagine #fanboy x reader #payback x reader

[ohthatstragic]

ohthatstragic's Masterlist

started: 5/9/22, updated: 07/02/23

request list

Top Gun

pete 'maverick' mitchell

I'm Very Sure (p.m version) TG:M

Feelings TG:M

Going Down TG:M

Sunday Nights TG:M

Coming to a Realisation TG:M

Bikini Top Malfunction pt.1, pt. 2 TG:M

Ghostin: pt.1, pt.2 - 1986

I Loved Them, Goose - 1986

Meet The Parents - TG:M

Kiss It Better - TG:M

It’s Been a Long Time - TG:M

Green Eyed Monster - TG:M

Comfortable - TG:M

Confessions - TG:M

Cold Feet - TG:M

Sleepless Nights - TG:M

Not Yours to Save - TG:M

You Right - TG:M

bradley 'rooster' bradshaw

I'm Very Sure (b.b version)

Anxious Attachments

Right Beside You

jake ‘hangman’ seresin

• A Change of Heart

beau 'cyclone' simpson

You Made It - 1987

tom ‘iceman’ kazansky

• Nobody But Me - 1986

my requests are CLOSED!

i write for mav, rooster, hangman, coyote, payback, fanboy, bob, phoenix etc. i will try my best x

#top gun one shot #top gun imagine #maverick x reader #rooster x reader #hangman x reader #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick one shot #pete mitchell x reader #pete mitchell x you #maverick x you #maverick y/n #pete mitchell x y/n #phoenix x reader #phoenix x you #coyote x reader #fanboy x reader #bob x reader #payback x reader

[swhatever]

“I’m not carrying you!”

(Padfoot’s little festive action)

Pairing: Poly!Dagger Squad x Gn!Reader

Word count: 772 (quite a lot for me tbf)

Warnings: none other than a bit of playful banter

A/N: Me 🤝 commas. No but fr commas and grammarly come in clutch every time. As you can see I’ve finally got my act together a bit and started writing. I prefer writing fluff over smut any day ajsjsjsjsj. Anyways hope you enjoy some lovely Poly! Dagger squad (I’m Poly if you couldn’t tell asjsjsj) there will be plenty more polyamorous fics to come dw <3 

As always if I’ve forgotten any warnings please let me know.

“Hurry up!” an excited Mickey called out from ahead of you. It was his idea to go on a group walk following this morning’s snowfall. Snowflakes were still flurrying around you, seemingly infinite as they fell from the grey void-like sky. You all promptly agreed to the idea hoping it would tire out the more energetic of you and provide a way to clear your heads for the more stressed of you and, despite the wind chill and the frost settling on your noses, things were going well.

Right now, you were on flat ground and making your way to the hill just outside the airbase in hopes to catch the view of the surrounding area covered in a blanket of white. Most service personnel walked their dogs here - it was nearby and would provide just enough exercise for the dog that it’s satisfied but be easy enough for the owner that they wouldn’t be too tired should they have work the following day. Of course, there was always the beach too but you didn’t fancy having to deal with Bradley and Jake being cold despite telling them not to go in the water. That’s a mistake you will never make again.

Your thoughts of past stupidity were cut short upon the sound of exasperation accompanied by a southern drawl. “Bradshaw stop complaining it’s cold you’ve got like three coats on.” He just scoffs in return knowing that a pointless bicker would ruin the walk. It’s very rare the two don’t squabble in one way or another but oftentimes it’s nothing serious or just a bit of fun which puts your mind at ease.

Too engaged in listening to their conversation, you don’t seem to fully notice the warmth of Bob’s hand slipping into yours, Natasha already occupying your other hand. It’s only when he places a light peck on your cheek is his presence known to you. Turning to give him a soft smile, you notice the cold caressing his features. The way the cold nips at his skin and blushes his nose and cheeks red as his glasses fog up slightly. Snowflakes scatter across the hair that fell out from under the ridiculous hat Reuben hand knitted - the hat that he refused to leave at home because it was “made special for him”. Sentimental, he was nothing if not sentimental. One of the many things you loved about him. You didn’t realise that you’d been staring at him for the past few minutes however, until he spoke up. “Have I got something on my face or am I just that attractive?” he asked cheekily, eliciting a playful nudge from you followed by Natasha chuckling to herself. “Shut up” you followed up playfully, the both of you joining in with Nat’s laughter.

The walk continued on as planned as you made your way up the hill, excited for the view on top. The promise of such beautiful sights along with the warm drinks and food yourself, Natasha and Javy had prepared the day before. Clearly you weren’t the only one excited to reap the rewards of your walk as Mickey ran up to you, scooping you up in his arms as if he wouldn’t complain his legs hurt half way up the hill. Still, you let him live out his fantasy while it lasted, he’d be fast asleep before 9pm at this rate.

After the longer than necessary walk thanks to Bradley’s complaining and Mickey’s expected fatigue after carrying you up a hill, you were almost at the top. Poor Bradley was still having a bit of an issue with how cold it had gotten as you rose in altitude and was complaining how the cold was making his legs hurt. Of course, this provided Jake with the perfect opportunity to prove how much better he is - a frequent discussion point between the duo.

“If you’re so much better than me Seresin, why don’t you carry me the rest of the way? You know, since you’re so much stronger and all.” He taunted, sarcasm evidence in his voice. “I’m not fucking carrying you Bradshaw. Stop whining and just get on with it.” He remarked back, not caving to the childishness as if he hadn’t caused it. The two continued on until you’d all had enough to which Bob let out a groan of frustration.

“If I carry you up will you stop your whining?” Bradley just smiled smugly before hopping daintily into Bob’s arms. Jake just rolled his eyes before continuing on up the hill. You were certain that Bradley’s legs wouldn’t be hurting so much once you’d reach the top. They certainly wouldn’t hurt enough for a snowball fight.

#padfoot’s festive fics #mod padfoot #padfoot writes #poly!dagger squad #poly!gun #javy machado x reader #coyote x reader #natasha trace x reader #phoenix x reader #bob floyd x reader #bob x reader #mickey garcia x reader #fanboy x reader #reuben fitch x reader #payback x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #jake seresin x reader #hangman x reader #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun masterlist #slay

[chanandlersstuff]

Game Night

Pairing: Dagger Squad x Bluebird (platonic)

Summary: Playing games with nine adults would seem as an easy and fun task, but it wasn't or it's dagger squad game night but it just ends up with everyone shouting over each other while Bob is trying to read the rule book out loud.

Word count: 2.009

Author’s note: It's insipire by @hangmanapologist post about game night, so thanks to her. Bluebird is the callsign for the character I created, I'm still developing her and her story. Sorry in advance for the misspellings English is my second lenguage.

Request are open, and you can ask me for more Bluebird x DaggerSquad. Thank you so much for reading, have a nice day.

Game night was a tradition that the Dagger squad tried to follow as much as Football game day. At first it started on the Hard Deck, playing pool and darts while betting money but after one day that Penny couldn't open the bar, they moved the game night to someone else's house. Each of them was in charge of bringing food, drinks and games. Whatever they wanted to consume that night. Extremely organized, just like the Navy taught them to be.

With each game night passing on the calendar, a new game was crossed from the list. First was Twister, because Payback sprained his ankle trying not to fall from the mix of tangled limbs and in the process he kicked Coyote’s hand and he sprained his pink; ring and middle finger. One would think that the best pilots the Navy could offer would have some kind of agility, like a cat, but no. So that game was off the list to prevent future injuries. 

Second was Monopoly, Phoenix beat everyone assess and took all their fake money which ended in a two weeks roast from her part and the rest of the squad could not deal with a bragging Phoenix for far too long. Plus, the integrity of Banker Bob was compromised because Coyote was sure he and Phoenix were plotting or something like that. So it was taken out for the benefit of the group. 

Third was Movie Charades, a game the squad could not play, which they had to learn the hard way, with Bluebird and Fanboy. The pair guessed all the movies before the two minutes that the game required were done, even when it wasn’t their turn. Then they tried to switch it to normal charades but it ended with Bluebird getting frustrated with Hangman, him laughing at her mad face and her accidentally throwing her pen at him. None of the squad let her live the pen accident down, to the point where they all docked down when she moved her hands frantically with a pen between her fingers.

Fourth was Life, it was a funny night full of drinks until it ended in absolute drama. Everything was laugh until the game ended with Mav retiring first with lots of money, three kids and a beautiful life while Bradley ended up alone, almost broke and made bad decision after bad decisions. Normally they would laugh but the problem was that Bradley was drunk, so he ended up ugly crying about it and the whole squad doing something like a therapy group. The drama continued because the whole group, who was beyond drunk at that point, ended up crying about how much they all like each other and how they became a beautiful, disfuncional, family. Mav, the only one sober, watched them all fall asleep in his living room and, as the responsabile father he is, he covered them with blankets and told them he loved all of them very much over a breakfast hangover proof he prepared. So yeah, Life was a game the squad was not mentally prepared to play in the near future.

Now it was a new game night day and the squad was all gathered in Bluebird’s house playing Uno, a game so chaotic it was a surprise it was still on the list. At first everything was funny, skipping here and there, changing colors, Phoenix taking care of Bluebird’s cards because she had to go peeing, Bob being the first one to win because he played in silence and patiently. A few rounds later Phoenix won and then Mav.

The tension started growing when Hangman kept skipping Rooster’s turn and giving Bluebird a free pass to win, plus the benefit of messing with Bradley. At some point the reverse card was thrown and now who couldn't play because someone kept skipping his turn was Jake thanks to Bradley. The blonde pilot was having a taste of his own medicine and he didn’t like it because the mustache man was rubbing it on his face. Slowly, after plenty of UNO shout at the ones who were nearly finishing, the rest of the group ended with no cards to the point the only ones playing were Rooster, Hangman and Bluebird, whose poor soul was so caught up with the idiocy of those two that she forgot her own game.

Every piece of sanity the pair had until that moment was thrown out the window the second Hangman laid a +4 with a winning face. “Draw four, Chicken.”

Rooster, who has only two cards, looked at him smugly and laughed. “No can do, Bagman.” And he laid a +2 with the rest of the cards.

Bluebird stretched her hand to take the six cards that she had to but a hand slapped hers away. “Aw, Jake.” 

“Sorry, Birdy.” He smiled sweetly at her and then caressed her knuckles. "First of all, UNO!" Jake yelled. "You have to draw 6, Chicken, come on." He dropped Bluebird's hand and pushed the cards towards Bradley. "Second, stop cheating, Bradshaw, you know that that bulsshit you want to do is against the rules.” 

“No it 's not.” Rooster turned to look at him. “You wanted me to draw four but I had a +2 so now Blue had to draw six, those are the rules. And the other two we can discuss it, but I was just going to say it before you yelled it like a mad man."

Hangman shook his head. “No, they are not. You have to draw four and your turn is skipped.” He grabbed two cards and handed them to him. "And you are going to draw those two, you didn't say UNO."

“Nah-ah.” Bradley shook his head. 

“Yeah-ah.” Jake mimicked him, but he nodded instead of shaking his head.

“Guys, don’t worry I will draw six. Let’s forget this and keep playing.” Bluebird always trying to keep the peace between those two idiots.

Hangman stood up. “No way in hell, Birdy. I will not keep playing with a cheater.”

“Who are you calling a cheater, Seresin?” Rooster stood up too and they were face to face.

“No one, he was calling a cheater to no one.” Bluebird stood up between the two of them.

“You, Bradshaw. I was calling you a cheater.” The smirk on Jake’s lips was a clear example of how much he was enjoying messing with Bradley.

“Oh Crap.” Bluebird said under her breath. “GUYS, A LITTLE HELP HERE.” 

The rest of the group walked back from the kitchen confused. But seeing the scene in front of them they all tried to cool down the situation. “Why don’t we play another game?” Payback looked at everyone with a smile on his face. 

“Yeah, what about-”Coyote started saying when his friend from a long time cut him mid phare. “Hell no, not until Bradshaw here acknowledges he is a cheater.”

“No, I’m not!” Rooster said. “You are saying that because you want me to lose. Admit it.”

“I want to win-”

“Bullshit, you want Blue to win.” Rooster pointed at her and the rest of the group nodded discreetly.

Hangman chuckled, tilting his head back. “The idea it’s win fairly, not cheating like you.”  Bluebird elbowed Jake in the ribs to stop, but he just laughed.

Phoenix shook her head at their antics. “Why don’t you tell us what happened and we decide who’s cheating-” Bradley opened his mouth but she held her finger high. “or not cheating.”

In a mix of words the pair tried to explain what was happening but they ended up listening to Bluebird’s part of the story. What seemed to be the end of the stupid fight was not it, not by a long shot. One by one they all started shouting what were the rules of Uno, what they can do and what they can not. Phoenix and Coyote sided with Jake. Payback and Fanboy sided with Rooster. Bob was reading the rules out loud on his phone, who no one was listening to, Bluebird was leaning against the wall eating because she was not going to take sides in something that silly and Mav was sitting; sharing food with Blue and laughing at all of them.

After what felt like hours, Bluebird’s head started to hurt. “I'm stopping this madness right now.”

Mav looked up to her and stretched his hand. “Be my guest, Blue.”

“PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE!” Her voice stopped the shouts but they all kept talking under their breaths. “WHO ARE YOU CALLING, HANGMAN?”

He had his phone near his ear, hand in his hip and his feet tapping against the floor. “Uno’s Customer Support Line.” Everyone looked at him surprised. “So, Chicken, here can hear how right I am and how he is a cheater at Uno.” He pointed at Rooster with his head, but he just huffed and shook his head.

Blue pinched the bridge of her nose. “Hang the phone, Seresin, it’s two in the morning. You are not calling anyone.”

“But-” “No buts, you would not like someone calling you at two a.m.” He pursed his lips. “I’m sure mamma Seresin taught you it’s rude to wake people at such an hour.” Cursing under his breath Jake listened to her.

Everyone looked at each other at how with very few words Bluebird handled Hangman and his antics. Maverick, who was watching everything unfold, had to put his hand on his mouth to suppress his laugh. 

“This ends here.” Blue crossed her arms and put on a stern face. “We cross Uno from game night too.”

“At this point we can't play anything.” Fanboy said like a little kid that was being scolded by his mother.

“Not unless some of us learn how to act like human beings.” Coyote looked around the room. 

“Tell that to Chicken here.” Jake looked at Rooster smugly. 

Rooster’s nostrils flare. “I swear to God, Bagman-”

Bluebird took a deep breath. “Stop it, Jake.” Rooster smiled triumphantly. “You too, Bradley.” She looked at him. “You all are acting childish, it’s just a game. We were supposed to be having a good time, laughing, having drinks and food, with each other.” She looked around the room. “Decompress after all the hard work and stress up there, not shouting at each other over cards.” Clearly Bluebird was the one who had more common sense, at some things, off all them. 

The Dagger Squad stayed silent for a couple of minutes, some looking at the floor and others looking at each other. “Come on guys, Blue is right. Let’s forget this and eat.” Phoenix patted one of them in the back and went to sat on the sofa.

It didn’t take them long to sit around the sofa, eat and have fun. After a few minutes, while everyone was laughing Bob spoke after quite some time. “Guys.” The group looked at him, the secret keeper who was considered the cutests from them all by his sweet smile and glasses. “The official page of Uno on Twitter says, ‘If someone puts down a +4 card, you must draw 4 and your turn is skipped. It’s not allowed to put a +2 to make the other person draw 6.’” Jake gave everyone a big smile and raised his arms. 

“Heard that Chicken?” He looked at Bradley. “You know what that means? You are a che-AW” Jake’s comment was cut short by Bluebird, who pinched him in the arm. “Birdy, what’s that for?” He looked at his side, where she was sitting. 

“You know why. Cut it out, Jake.” She said tilting his head to the side and he nodded.

Rooster laughed. “Look at you, Bagman, wwh-psssh-AW” He too was cut short. “Goddammit, Bluebird.” Bradley rubbed the part of her arm where she pinched him too.

“You too cut it out.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Both of you, keep eating and playing nice. Otherwise, I will smack you.” Both grown up man nodded and did as she said.

#top gun: maverick #dagger squad #robert bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x reader #natasha phoenix trace x reader #phoenix x reader #javy coyote machado x reader #coyote x reader #jake seresin x reader #hangman x reader #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #mickey garcia x reader #fanboy x reader #payback x reader #reuben fitch x reader #top gun fanfic #top gun imagine #top gun one shot #maverick x reader #pete mitchell x reader

[callsign-mayhem]

to the moon and back

Pairing: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x Mitchell!Reader Word Count: 5.2k

You are the daughter of Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and the lifelong best friend of Bradley Bradshaw. Nothing has ever been able to get in between the two of you, not even the feelings you’ve been harbouring for him for as long as you can remember. But when you both get called to Top Gun for what seems to be a suicide mission, you realise that life is too short to keep your love for him a secret.

Y/CS - your call sign

Use of Y/N but no description of reader

You couldn’t remember the last time you laid eyes on Bradley Bradshaw, and if you’d known you would be this affected by the mere sight of him then you would have better prepared yourself. He was in his rightful place behind the piano at The Hard Deck, performing ‘Great Balls of Fire’ with all his usual enthusiasm, and then some. His infectious personality had every person in the bar gravitating towards him, belting out the lyrics along with him as though their lives depended on it. You had to draw from every reserve of strength you had so as not to march right up to him and kiss him senseless. You’d missed him so much.

Being deployed had been difficult for you and had felt like exactly the wrong thing at the time, but eventually you realised that it was what you needed. If you’d stayed, it would have only been a matter of time until you spilt your guts to Bradley about the feelings you’d been harbouring for him since you were teenagers.

The song was almost over and so was your time for composing yourself. It was ridiculously warm in the packed bar, so taking a deep breath was no good. You resigned yourself to a few shots of something strong - liquid courage if you will - and headed to the bar to speak to Penny.

‘Y/N!’ she exclaimed, ‘what are you doing here?’ ‘I have no idea,’ you told her, ‘an assignment of some sort. I find out more tomorrow,’ you gestured to Bradley and a few of your other friends from the academy, ‘and apparently I’m not the only one they called. I don’t know whether I should be worried or relieved.’ ‘Your dad was just in here. He know you’re back?’ ‘Yeah, I haven’t seen him yet though,’ you gestured to the bottle of Jack behind her, ‘can I get one of those, please? Or three?’ Penny reached for the bottle and a shot glass. ‘Not wasting any time, huh?’ You glanced behind you to where Phoenix was patting Bradley on the back and getting everyone to cheer for him, ‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen these guys.’ ‘You mean it’s been a while since you saw Rooster,’ she smiled knowingly. You downed your shot and slammed the tiny glass back down. Penny refilled it immediately, ‘That too,’ you admitted with a wince. ‘You already know what I’m going to say.’ ‘Yes, and you already know why I can’t tell him.’

You downed your second shot and just as you were about to do your third, someone covered your eyes with their hand. You knew who it was without having to hear him speak or look at his face because you’d know him deaf and blind. Hell, you’d know him in death.

The familiar rumble of his voice in your ear set your entire nervous system alight: ‘Guess who.’ ‘Hmm,’ you pretended to think, ‘I don’t know. Hangman?’ Rooster scoffed, ‘I haven’t seen you in two years and the first thing you do is insult me? Glad to know some things never change, Y/CS.’

You spun around and looped your arms around his neck, pressing your face into the side of his. He lifted you off the floor and spun you around with all the grace of a bull in a china shop, laughing like a little kid. It felt like no time at all had passed.

‘And you’re still shooting whiskey like it’s water,’ he noted, setting you down gently, ‘so you definitely haven’t changed.’

You drank him in hungrily, trying to act like you weren’t totally out of control on the inside. In one of his dad’s old Hawaiian shirts with his aviators perched on the tip of his nose, he wasn’t exactly a brand new man. Something about him was different, though, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. Even as the two of you had gotten older, you’d always seen him as the goofy kid in the cowboy hat that could make you laugh on the darkest days. Throughout high school and your time at the academy, he’d been the person you confided in about everything, and the only secret you’d ever kept from him was your ever-growing feelings for him. But now, after just over two years apart, he felt more like a stranger than ever before. Nothing had changed, but everything had changed, and you were struggling to figure out how that could be.

‘You want a beer?’ you asked. ‘Sure, but no more shots for you. We gotta be up early and I know if you carry on drinking like that you won’t get out of bed.’ ‘When you’re right, you’re right.’

You got Rooster a beer and a JD and coke for yourself before heading over to the rest of the group. There were a few people whose reputations preceded them but you’d never met in real life, and then there was Phoenix, one of your closest friends from the academy. When she saw you she practically jumped on you and Rooster had to take your drink from your hand so it didn’t spill everywhere.

‘Y/CS!’ ‘Hey,’ you giggled, ‘Phoenix, it’s great to see you too but I can’t breathe.’ ‘Sorry, sorry,’ she relented, ‘how’ve you been? I haven’t seen you since your deployment. When did you get back?’ ‘Couple of months ago,’ you told her, ‘I’ve been in South Carolina.’ ‘You’ve been back months?’ Rooster cut in, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ ‘You know how it is, Roo,’ you said, ‘you get deployed, come home and your whole life is upside down for a while. By the time you’ve settled back in, weeks have gone by and you still haven’t had a chance to see anyone.’

He nodded, but his hurt was apparent. Hangman sidled up next to you and you’d never been more relieved by his incredibly annoying presence. He wrapped an arm around your shoulder, hugging you tight. He was a massive ass, but you’d somehow ended up friends while being stationed together a few years ago. A lot of his bravado was an act, and when he let his guard down he was actually a great person to talk to.

‘Y/N Mitchell,’ he said, ‘Long time no see.’ ‘Can’t say I’m mad about that.’ His usual shit-eating grin was plastered across his face, ‘You and I both know that’s a lie.’ ‘Whatever helps you sleep at night, Seresin.’

Everyone makes small talk for a while and those who have never met before are introduced. You pull a barstool over and sit next to Bob, Phoenix’s new back-seater. She’s the first one to point out the elephant in the room.

‘So anybody know what this ‘special detachment’s’ all about?’ ‘A mission’s a mission,’ Hangman replies, ‘They don’t confront me. What I wanna know is who’s team leader. And which’a ya’ll have what it takes to follow me?’ Hangman winks at Rooster, needling him, ‘Hangman, the only place you’ll ever lead anyone is an early grave.’ Hangman looks up from his next shot and walks over to Rooster until they’re standing face to face. ‘Anyone follows you is just gonna… run outta fuel. But then that’s you all over, ain’t it, Rooster? Snug on your perch, waitin’ for juuuuust the right moment. That never comes.’ Rooster tenses visibly and you grab his arm, ‘Hey, you wanna get another drink? Feel like we’ve got some catching up to do.’

You leave the rest of the group to their game and grab a couple more drinks before heading outside. The Bronco is parked out front looking prettier than ever, paintwork glinting in the late-evening sunlight. If you had a dollar for the amount of late-night drives you and Bradley had taken in that thing, you’d be a billionaire.

You intended to sit at one of the tables outside The Hard Deck, but Rooster had other ideas. You ignored the swarm of butterflies in your stomach when he took your hand and led you down towards the beach and reminded yourself that you had no reason to be nervous; he was your best friend, he didn’t know about your feelings and nothing had changed.

‘I still can’t believe you’ve been back months and you didn’t tell me.’ You cringed, ‘I’m sorry, Bradley. I should’ve called, I know.’ ‘Mav know you’re back?’ Yeah, he’s here too.’

Your father was a touchy conversation subject and you tried to avoid talking about him as much as possible. Once you’d eventually realised that there was no way of convincing Rooster that everything he’d done had come from a place of love and concern, you’d given up trying to keep the peace. It was difficult, letting him fester in his own anger, but it wasn’t your fight. However, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t still holding out hope that things would go back to the way they used to be someday.

‘How’ve you been, anyway?’ you asked, swiftly changing the subject, ‘What’s new in your life?’ ‘The usual. Getting called down here is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in months.’ You laughed, ‘That can’t be true. What happened to the girl you were dating?’ ‘Molly? Jesus Christ, that was over as quickly as it started. I stopped seeing her not long after you left,’ he sipped his beer, ‘what about you? Meet your future husband while you were away?’ ‘Nope,’ you sighed, ‘starting to think I’m destined to be alone forever.’ ‘What about Hangman?’ Rooster asked, Jake’s callsign sounding like ashes in his mouth.

To call your brief fling with Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin a mistake would have been putting it lightly. You’d been stationed together in Alabama for a little while and he was the only familiar person there so, naturally, you’d gravitated towards him and him to you. After getting to know each other better, one thing had led to another and you’d ended up sleeping together after one too many JD and cokes. That one night had led to another and another until you were pretty much dating, although neither of you had ever mentioned putting any kind of label on whatever it was the two of you had going on. Rooster had been up in arms when he found out, yelling at you down the phone that Jake was a complete and total asshole and that you deserved so much better, leading to the worst - and only - fight you’d ever had.

While getting involved with Jake was definitely a mistake and you didn’t plan on walking down that particular path ever again, you still stood by what you said in his defence: you have to get to know him in order to understand him.

‘You already know that’s over.’

Rooster looked at you and you had to remind yourself to breathe. You’d never wanted to kiss him more in your entire life.

‘I’ve got no idea why we’re here,’ he said, ‘but I’m glad you’re with me, Y/N.’ ‘Me too, Bradley. Me too.’

-

The special detachment, as it turned out, was a suicide mission. There was no other way of putting it. Your dad was immensely proud of you and your accomplishments and had never once doubted your abilities as a pilot, but he wasn’t happy that you were on this particular mission. He wasn’t happy that Rooster was on it either. After your first day of training, you went to dinner with your old man so you could catch up and talk about what you’d be in for over the course of the next couple of weeks. You hadn’t realised just how much you’d missed him until you were sitting in front of him, but part of you wished it was under different circumstances.

‘Surely me being part of the team you’re training goes against some kind of rule,’ you said around a mouthful of steak. ‘The stakes are so high, I think mostly every rule has already gone out the window.’ ‘I haven’t been this scared since I climbed in a cockpit for the first time,’ you admitted, ‘but I’ve also never wanted to be on a mission more.’ Your dad smiled, but there was fear in his eyes, ‘I don’t like that look, Y/N.’ ‘It’s the only one I got, Dad, and I got it from you.’ ‘Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.’

-

White hot rage blinded you like a fire poker between your eyes. The minute Rooster walked through the doors you were racing up to him. Jake had to grab both of your arms and pull you off him to prevent you from swinging at him.

‘What the fuck was that Bradshaw?!’ you roared, ‘You got a fucking death wish?!’

He ran a hand through his hair, face flushed from the heat and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. You weren’t just angry at him for endangering his life, or your dad’s, for that matter, you were angry because you understood why he’d done it. And you knew that if you were in his shoes and you were up there with something to prove, you’d have done the exact same thing.

‘Can we not do this here?’

You shrugged Jake off and straightened out your flight suit, leading Bradley out of the room. He followed you outside into the blazing heat of the San Diego sun where you preceded to turn around and punch him so hard in the shoulder that he took a step back.

‘Jesus, Y/N,’ he huffed, ‘was that really necessary?’ ‘I don’t know, was nearly killing yourself and my dad really necessary?’ ‘I had it under control!’ You laughed humourlessly,  ‘Yeah, it looked like it.’ ‘I’m not gonna have this fight with you,’ he said matter-of-factly, ‘I’m sorry for scaring you, but you have to understand-’ ‘I do understand!’ you screamed, ‘But just because I understand, doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed as hell!’

He pulled you flush against his chest and you softened immediately, unable to resist the comfort and security that came with one of Bradley’s bear hugs. If you had it your way, you’d stay in his arms like this for the rest of time.

‘You really need to have it out with Mav,’ you mumbled into his flight suit, ‘this is getting beyond ridiculous - it’s dangerous.’ He kissed the top of your head, ‘I know.’

-

You had to admit, dog fight football was a stroke of genius on your dad’s part. It was the perfect way to relieve any tensions between the team and also take everyone’s minds off the upcoming mission. Jake and Bradley - the two team captains - tossed a coin to decide who would pick first, and Jake ended up picking you. You suspected he did it just to get underneath Bradley’s skin, and judging by the set of his jaw as you marched over to Jake, his plan worked.

You also had Payback on your team, and between the two of you, you were carrying the whole game. You didn’t like to toot your own horn but… toot toot.

‘Come on Bradshaw!’ you yelled, smirking devilishly, ‘You really gonna let me kick your ass so spectacularly in front of everyone?!’ ‘You’ve got Payback! It ain’t fair!’ ‘Oh, so you don’t think we could win without him?!’

He was holding one of the balls and was preoccupied with insulting you, so when you ran at him at full force and snatched it right out of his hands, he was too stunned to try and stop you. Hangman and Payback both cheered, but as soon as Bradley refocused he was on your heels, and he had the advantage of extremely long legs.

Just before you could score, he came up behind you and wrapped both of his arms around your middle, lifting you off the ground and throwing you over his shoulder. You were so startled you dropped the ball and unluckily for you, Coyote was right there to pick it up and score another point for their team.

‘Put me down you cheat!’

Rooster was laughing so hard you could feel him shaking with it as he ran. He didn’t stop running until he reached the water and it was up to his waist, and then he dropped you in. It was freezing but actually quite a relief after running around in the sun all afternoon. You came up for air coughing and sputtering to find him doubled over with laughter, and you took the opportunity to drag him back down with you, pushing his head down further under the water. You knew you wouldn’t be able to overpower him long and before you could even comprehend what was happening he had a tight grip on both of your thighs, yanking you back under.

If not for the fact that it all happened so quickly, you would have spent more time revelling in the feeling of his big hands wrapped around the tops of your thighs. Your whole body broke out in goosebumps, and you knew it wasn’t from the chill of the water. When you both resurfaced you were smiling like fools and laughing like two lovesick teenagers, and you never wanted the moment to end.

‘Hey!’ Hangman called out, ‘Are you two still playing or what? I’ve got a game to win!’ With an eye roll, you yelled back: ‘Yeah we’re still playing, you couldn’t win without me anyway!’

Somehow, Rooster’s sunglasses had remained on his face throughout the entire fiasco, and you reached out and gently slid them off. He blinked against the sunlight and watched in awe as you put them on.

‘Did I say you could wear those?’ he asked. ‘Did I ask your permission?’

The two of you made your way back towards the rest of the squad, and it looked like your team was back in the lead. A sly remark about Rooster’s sabotage failing was on the tip of your tongue, but then he put his hand on your waist and pulled you into his side, ruffling the top of your head affectionately. The skin-on-skin contact was enough to drive you insane, and your words died on your lips.

‘Keep them,’ he murmured, ‘they look better on you anyway.’

-

When the mission got moved up, any calmness you felt dissipated like water on the hot asphalt of a runway. Your dad was now team leader and you had mixed feelings about it. You’d spent your whole life fearing for him, but knowing he was going on this mission really took the cake. And then there was the small issue of you being his kid, which would undoubtedly cloud his judgement when it came to selecting the rest of his team. For one, the chances of him even wanting you on the mission were slim to none, but then there was the worry that if he chose you, it would be seen as favouritism.

The final day of training was over and you’d been told to go and get some rest before tomorrow, and despite your exhaustion, you knew that if you were to lay down in your bunk now sleep wouldn’t come. It was one of those rare moments where the sky over Fightertown was empty and as a result, an eerie quiet had settled over the base. You were still in full flight gear - minus your helmet - sitting on the ground in the shade provided by the wing of your F/A-18. Before settling in for the night you still had to find time to shower, get something to eat and see your dad, but you were paralysed.

You dreaded to think how long you would’ve sat there if Rooster hadn’t suddenly materialised. He sat down opposite, stretching his long legs out so they were on either side of you.

‘What are you still doing out here?’ he asked gently, ‘You feeling okay?’

You were fiddling with your dog tags, a nervous tic you’d picked up in the academy, and Rooster never failed to notice. Looking into your eyes earnestly, he took both of your hands in his.

‘Talk to me, Y/CS.’ You sighed deeply, ‘I’ve never been this nervous about a mission before. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.’ ‘This is the highest-stakes mission either of us has ever gone on in our careers. I would be worrying if you weren’t nervous.’ ‘Yeah, but you know me, Roo. I don’t do nerves.’ ‘You think I’m not shitting my pants at the thought of having to fly tomorrow?’ You laughed despite the lump in the base of your throat, ‘You hide it better than me, then.’ ‘You can’t keep anything off your face, Y/N. I always know what you’re feeling.’ ‘You do?’

Your heart dropped at the thought of him being able to read you so well, but in hindsight, you should have known. You’d literally been destined to be best friends since before you were born, since your dads stayed up late one night talking about their futures, wondering if they’d have kids and how well they’d get along. As far as you knew, he’d never kept anything from you, and you’d only ever kept one thing from him. You lived your life at the same pace, shared the same moral compass and wanted all the same things. You finished each other’s sentences and could have secret conversations through facial expressions, without even having to speak. If he called, you answered. If he needed you, you ran to him, and vice versa.

You didn’t need him to confirm your worst fear: he knew you were in love with him. There was no doubt in your mind and you were a fool not to have seen it sooner.

As though he’d read your mind and sensed the worsening of your anxiety, he changed the subject.

‘What do you say we go and grab a bite to eat?’ ‘Like a last supper?’ Bradley laughed, ‘You can be really morbid sometimes, you know that?’

-

‘It’s been an honour flying with you,’ your dad said, ‘each one of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission. My choice is a reflection of that, and nothing more.’ ‘Choose your two Foxtrot teams.’ Cyclone told him.

You fought the urge to vomit down your flight suit.

‘Phoenix and Bob. Y/CS and Payback.’

You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

‘And your wingman.’

The tension in the air was palpable. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of your neck.

‘Rooster.’

You could feel Bradley’s eyes on you, but judging by the unpleasant feeling that had overcome you, turning around to face him wouldn’t be a smart idea. For one, he more than likely looked just as nauseous as you and seeing him like that would only cause your anxiety to skyrocket. Secondly, he was the one person you could be completely vulnerable in front of and since it was already taking every ounce of your strength not to cry, it was probably best not to engage.

For the next hour, the seconds passed you by like cars on a highway. You listened to Warlock explain the mission for the final time, but his words went in one ear and came out the other. You stayed at Payback’s side up until it was time to go, but just as you were heading out to the flight deck, your dad pulled you aside for the conversation you’d been anticipating since he said your name.

His expression was, as ever, unreadable and you decided that it was probably a good thing that you didn’t know exactly what he was feeling in that moment. If Maverick was nervous, then you really had something to worry about.

He pulled you close and squeezed you tight, and you let out a single, strangled sob.

‘I know you can do this.’ ‘Me too,’ you were clinging onto him for dear life, ‘but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified.’ ‘If I didn’t believe in you completely, I wouldn’t have chosen you.’ ‘I know, Dad.’ ‘I love you, Y/N.’ ‘I love you too. I’ll see you when we get back.’

He kissed the top of your head before letting you go and you headed out to the flight deck together. Payback was already waiting for you, but it seemed as though there was one more conversation to be had. Maverick patted Rooster on the back as he passed, throwing one final glance back at the two of you. All you could do was remind yourself over and over again that you’d be seeing him later and that you’d be going for steaks at your favourite diner back in San Diego before you knew it.

You could tell Rooster didn’t know what to say but it didn’t matter. You already knew, because you were thinking all the same things.

‘When we get home, I have some things I wanna talk to you about.’

He reached out to touch your cheek and you leaned into his hand, almost nuzzling his palm with the side of your face. Hugging him, you decided, would be too final. It would feel like a goodbye, and this wasn’t a goodbye, it was simply ‘see you later.’

‘There are some things I want to talk to you about as well,’ you smiled sheepishly, ‘but if you can read me as well as you say, you already know that.’ ‘Yeah, I know.’ ‘Fly safe, Roo.’ ‘Give ‘em hell, Y/CS.’

-

It wasn’t humanely possible to count how many times you’d flown. It was as natural as breathing oxygen, almost a second thought at this point. Getting into the cockpit of a fighter plane felt more like coming home than walking through the front door of the house you grew up in with your dad.

But nothing could have prepared you for that mission.

And nothing could have prepared you for the immense feeling of sheer panic and terror when your dad was hit. It was as though the bottom of your plane had dropped out and you were in freefall. If that wasn’t horrific enough, Rooster had gone after him. This paired with the chaos of the dogfight was traumatising enough that you’d forgotten how to breathe and what you were supposed to be doing. You had absolutely no idea how Payback managed to talk you down from going after both of them, but he did, as well as calming you down enough so you could fly back to the aircraft carrier.

You weren’t in the habit of being overly emotional in front of anyone who wasn’t Bradley or your father, but when you climbed out of the cockpit and Phoenix was already waiting for you, arms open, you collapsed onto her and broke down. You’d been completely inconsolable up until you got word of Rooster’s signal in an unidentified F-14.

Surprisingly, the relief came after cursing yourself for ever believing that your father could be bested by anyone. At this point, you were almost entirely sure that he was immortal. And as for Bradley, he was much stronger than everyone else realised. He gave Maverick a run for his money, and that was saying something. Phoenix was the only reason you hadn’t collapsed onto the ground when you realised they were okay and coming home, with the help of Hangman, of course. In the back of your mind, you were wondering how long it was going to take to hear the end of it from Jake.

And there you were on the flight deck with Phoenix’s arm around your shoulder and Payback’s around your waist, watching your dad and your best friend make the rockiest landing you’d ever seen. It felt as though all your internal organs were in your throat as you watched the net get thrown out, ready to catch the incoming aircraft and stop it from going overboard. The sound was near-deafening but you hardly noticed with the rushing blood in your ears. As soon as that plane stopped moving, you tore away from Phoenix and Payback and made a beeline towards the F-14, safety concerns be damned.

Your dad climbed out first, somehow steady on his feet despite what he’d just been through. But that was Mav all over, wasn’t it? He didn’t so much as wobble until you threw yourself at him.

‘Dad!’ you shrieked, ‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’

He held you with the strength of someone who had a newfound value for their own life. He cradled the back of your head with one hand and stroked your hair like he used to when you were small.

‘I’m okay, are you okay?’ ‘You’re seriously asking me that?’ He laughed breathlessly, ‘I’m okay now.’ You squeezed him tighter than ever before, ‘I love you, Dad. I love you so much.’ ‘I love you too,’ he replied, releasing you reluctantly, ‘and I want you to know how proud I am of you for pulling that off.’ ‘It’s in my blood.’ He put his hands on either side of your face and leaned in to kiss your forehead, ‘I think you should go and speak to Rooster,’ he whispered, ‘we’ll talk more afterwards, okay?’

At the mention of Rooster, all the wind was knocked out of you. All you could do was nod at your father before he headed over to the rest of the squad, leaving you alone in front of the battered F-14. Rooster had jumped out right after your dad, but he’d given the two of you some space. You locked eyes like they do in the movies, but this wasn’t a movie. The world didn’t tilt on its axis or stop turning altogether; it was more like the two of you were the only ones in it that actually mattered. Everyone around you might as well have been frozen in time.

He was taking long strides towards you, but he couldn’t get to you quick enough so you ran to meet him halfway, not stopping until your face was mere millimetres away from his. He was filthy, covered in blood, and sweat and God only knew what else, but you were blinded by the light behind his eyes. You’d always been totally mesmerised by him, but this was something else entirely. It was suddenly very apparent to you that you would do anything this man asked of you, follow him down to the eye of any storm, love him until you took your final breath.

‘Y/N-’ ‘Don’t say anything,’ you interjected, ‘I already know what you’re gonna say, and I don’t wanna waste any more time.’

And before he could utter another word, you pressed your lips to his. The kiss started out soft but then he ran his fingers through your hair and somehow managed to pull your face even closer, deepening the kiss. He ran his tongue along your lips and you parted them for him, finally tasting him the way you’d wanted to for as long as you could remember. Your veins were thrumming with so much electricity you thought your head might explode. When you eventually parted, the space between you was too much for you to bear (you never wanted there to be any space between you and Bradley ever again) so you looped your arms around his neck just like you always did when you hugged him. His face was full of so much adoration, anyone would think you’d hung the bloody moon in the sky.

‘Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?’ he asked. ‘If it’s anywhere near as long as me, we’re going to be kicking ourselves.’ He kissed the tip of your nose and you damn-near melted, ‘I don’t want to go another day without kissing you like that.’ ‘Neither do I.’

You’d forgotten that the rest of your squad was standing a few feet away, waiting to celebrate with you. When you turned around, they were all cheering for you and Rooster and you could just about make out Phoenix’s ‘finally’ over the sound of Payback’s hoots. You knew you had to go over there and that there would be plenty of time to be alone when you got back to San Diego, but you couldn’t wait until then to tell Bradley how you felt about him. If he hadn’t already guessed.

You had to stand on tip toes to reach his ear, where you whispered: ‘I love you, Bradley Bradshaw. To the moon and back again.’ You felt him shiver beneath your touch. ‘I love you too, Y/N.’

#top gun #top gun maverick #maverick #rooster #phoenix #hangman #payback #coyote #bradley bradshaw #natasha trace #jake seresin #mickey garcia #reuben fitch #tom kazansky #pete mitchell #nick bradshaw #pete mitchell x reader #maverick x reader #bradley bradsaw x reader #rooster x reader #jake seresin x reader #hangman x reader #natasha trace x reader #phoenix x reader #payback x reader #coyote x reader #fanboy x reader #reuben fitch x reader #javy machado #javy machado x reader

[eternalsams]

TGM Masterlist

requests: open

fluff - ✽; angst - ❅; hot - ☆; fun - ♫

❝You’re so beautiful❞ Masterlist ✽❅☆♫

Dagger Squad

Skinny Dip ❅✽♫

Last year was quite traumatizing for the Daggers and they need something to remind them of the good old times.

Let It Snow ♫

Who could've known that renting a cabin in the mountains with the Squad would have been that fun?

Hi, Baby ✽❅♫

You get deployed along with your friends but a part of your heart stays on land.

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin

Bradley’s Girl ❅

You’re the perfect girl for Jake. You’re pretty, kind, funny, smart. You could have him on his knees for you if you’d ask. But you’re Bradley’s girl.

One Last Time ❅

Jake is soon to be deployed and he invited the whole squad for a last night out together.

Cold Feet ✽

On the early days in your relationship with Jake, you kind of forgot to tell him a little detail about you.

Paint It Black ✽

You didn’t want to get married, you didn’t need a ring to prove your love for your man. But when the circumstances want you to, you’re forced to tie the knot with Jake to stay with him. And you’re scared your soon-to-be-husband won’t agree with your only request.

Take It Easy ✽

This is your third date with Jake and nothing’s happened yet. Not that he didn’t want anything to happen, he craved for it. But a little fire birdie told him exactly how to correctly gain your heart.

Country Boy ♫☆

Jake goes back home to his family for a few weeks and has quite a hard time convincing some girl he’s a pure Texas boy.

Treat You Right ✽❅

You got along pretty well with Jake. He made you laugh, sometimes paid for your drinks, was the perfect gentleman with you. But everything was apparently too perfect to be true.

The Song of Achilles ✽

You meet a beautiful stranger at the library and give him some book recommendations.

Campus ✽♫

When you've been stressing over your exams, what could go wrong? The answer would be Jake.

Story of My Life ✽❅

Jake panics when you start pulling away from him and he feels like he's destined to end up alone.

500 Miles ✽❅

When you and Jake saw the two bars on the test, the decision you took was not an easy one. But Jake would walk to the other end of the globe if you asked him to. So what's a few hundred miles compared to that?

The Olive Theory ✽❅

In a world where you learn a detail about your soulmate on each of your birthdays, you think you found your pair years ago but you're completely caught off guard on your 24st birthday.

Money, Money, Money ❅

Jake was a fun guy to play with, until you got feelings for him.

Drivers License ✽❅

You promised Jake to take him to the airport when he'd leave for the Naval Academy, but first you had to get your drivers license.

Need You Now | part2 | alternative ending ❅

You fucked up really bad and shows up on Jake's doorstep in the middle of the night.

You and Jake get that long-awaited discussion. Hearts have been broken, tears have been shed but words might make everything better.

You fucked up really bad and shows up on Jake's doorstep in the middle of the night, except you're not only there to apologize.

Hold My Hand ✽❅☆

5 times you held Jake's hand and the one time you couldn't (+1 bonus).

Your Woman ✽♫☆

When Jake and you decide to shower together, you realize you also have to share the Playlist.

Cherry Pie ☆✽❅

You just moved in San Diego and you needed help with all the boxes and furniture. Naturally, you called Jake to give you a hand and that's it, right?

Till Death Do Us Apart ❅

Your wedding day was supposed to be the best day of your entire life, until it wasn't.

I'll Crawl Home to Her ❅ (series)

NO SPOILERS

Night Comfort ❅

When you come back home panicked, Jake is there to comfort you. Yet you still have to explain to him how scary being a woman is.

Dog Dad ♫

When Jake saw the sparkles in your eyes at the dog shelter, he knew what he had to do. Now he had to hear the incessant bad jokes from Rooster.

Save Your Tears ✽❅

You were supposed to be the best of the bests, not a crying baby, that until you learned how deadly your next mission would be.

How to lose Hangman in 10 days [AU] ✽❅

Jake bet he could make any girl fall in love with him. You bet you could make any man disgusted by a woman. Who's gonna win?

Wedding blurb ✽

"I'm in the mood for some Jake Hangman Seresin like marriage fluff"

Call me Daddy ✽

When your daughter mistaken Jake for her father, you're more than embarrassed. That until she tells you why she called him that.

Filthy Fingers ❅

How could Jake blame you for what you did? That jerk deserved it, didn't he?

One Night to Change ❅ ✽

You and Jake have an amazing first date but when you wake up to cold sheet, you don't know what to do anymore.

Ringless ❅ ✽

When Jake makes the mistake to forget his ring, he immediately regrets it.

Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

City of Stars ✽

Bradley always hears you humming that same song but can’t put a name on it. It’s 24/7 on his mind and it’s starting to drive him crazy. But without forgetting his new best friend, Google.

WHAT ARE THOSEEE?? ♫

During a night out at the Hard Deck, Phoenix notices something very interesting about Rooster.

The Piano Lesson ✽

Rooster is so good with your kid, you might fall head over heels sooner than expected.

Knock Knock ✽♫

Where Mav and Ice moved in next to Carole's house.

Late Night Melody ✽

You don't like being woken up in the middle of the night, but if it's by Bradley, you don't complain a single second. Even more if he's playing guitar.

Behind the Cameras ✽❅

What would happen if a simple naval aviator dated one of the most notorious actress of Hollywood?

Mickey 'Fanboy' Garcia

Hips Don't Lie ☆

Mickey has the opportunity to introduce you to the squad at Maverick and Penny's wedding. Let's say you surprise everyone and brings out the most unexpected side of your boyfriend.

The Girl Who Smelled Like Popcorn ✽

Fanboy finds a new favorite reason to go to the cinema. You.

Southern Nights ♫✽

Your boyfriend is finally meeting your family but it doesn't go as he planned it.

Love Is All ✽

During your first night out after the Uranium mission, you all decide to play a game to know each other a bit better and some things are hard to believe.

Back to You ✽

When Mickey went back to his parents house for the holidays, he didn't expect to see a face that familiar.

Cheeks All Flushed ✽

It's Halloween and Hangman organizes a killer party with his friends. What happens when Mickey develops a massive crush on the makeup artist?

Psycho Killer ✽♫☆

When you saw that mask with those big black eyes and that drooping mouth, you first thought Hangman wanted to play a joke on you. How wrong were you!

Call Me ✽❅

When things get rough, you know exactly who you have to call.

Walk for me Baby ✽☆

You just spent a hundred dollars on nice lingerie, the least you could do was show Mickey what you got yourself.

Don't Forget About Me ✽❅

You're so in love with Mickey it hurts. But he just cannot reciprocate your feelings, can he?

Robert 'Bob' Floyd

Dancing Queen ✽

During the Bachelorette party of your friend, you couldn't help but notice the cute blue eyed guy staring at you from across the club.

Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace

Addicted to you ☆

Natasha always considered herself straight, that until she met you.

The Best Friend's Sister ✽

Who would've thought the notorious Phoenix could date a Bradshaw? But not the one everyone think.

Javy 'Coyote' Machado

Sweet Memories ✽❅

An umpteenth night next to your husband makes you realize what could've been your life.

#hangman #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #hangman x reader #jake seresin x reader #rooster #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #mickey fanboy garcia #fanboy #fanboy x reader #mickey garcia x reader #robert floyd #bob x reader #phoenix #natasha trace #phoenix x reader #coyote #javy machado #coyote x reader #payback #reuben fitch #payback x reader #top gun: maverick #top gun

[edensbuttercups]

Dagger Squad x reader

A/N: I've got a cold, which is fine and dandy, especially when these little scenarios came into my mind at roughly 2 am to keep me company 😌 So here is this cheesy nonsense, jotted down in the middle of the night and with probably a big lack of logic 😌 also, this gif is pure joy Words: 1.9k (total, each snipped it 200-300 words)

Bob:

He told you he was coming over as soon as you called him, wasting no time and heading to the grocery store to buy what was missing, before driving straight to your home. He timidly knocked, knowing the door was open but still wanting to be respectful, alerting of his presence, walking in with a hushed hello, not sure if you were napping or awake. “Hi, Bob.” You called from the other room, voice raspy, but ever so sweet as you called his name. “How are you feeling?” He asked once everything had been put in his place, coming into the room to find you lying in the bed, reddened cheeks from the fever and tired eyes, yet a warm smile at his presence. “Okay, I think.” You hum, leaning into his touch when his hand settled on your forehead. “Hmm… okay, you think,” he repeated, jokingly, “but you’ve got a fever.” It wasn’t too high, nothing to be worried about, but he still would’ve preferred for you not to have it, for you to feel well. “You’re so fresh” you say, his touch still soothing on your skin, your hand reaching up to hold onto it, keeping it settled against your forehead. “That’s cause you’re hot” he muttered in reply, the playful look you gave him making his cheeks match your own in terms of redness. “Thank you.” You teased, shifting in the bed to make space for him by your side, patting the mattress softly. “Soup?” He asked, waiting for you to shake your head before sitting down next to you, wrapping an arm around you. “Later.” you hummed, letting your head fall against his shoulder, eyes glancing up at him and sighing, always mesmerised by the color of his eyes and the softness of his smile. “Later.” He repeated, squeezing you softly and kissing your forehead, closing his eyes when yours did as well. 

Phoenix:

You stood from the couch when you hear the soft knock on the door, moving your feet slowly until you stop in front of it, peering it open to see Natasha on the other side, her expression softening when she sees your face. You looked tired, with red cheeks from the slight fever that had started little over an hour ago, and your light frown did nothing to stop a smile from forming on her face. “You’ll get sick.” You hummed as she walked past you, a small covered tray in her hands, setting it on your coffee table as she sat on the couch. She just shrugged, not really minding either way. “I have a strong immune system.” She joked, patting the space by her side, urging you to sit near her. You closed the door, making your way by her side and pulling up the cover of the tray, seeing a variety of cut fruit waiting under it, smiling at the gesture. “My mum always said that fruit helps when you’re sick, so…” She explained, plucking one of the forks she brought and stabbing a piece of fruit, offering it to you. Natasha had always been kind, and warm, and loving, talking while she shared the fruit she had brought, talking about her day and asking about yours, even if not much had been done between the annoying peaks of fever and the tiredness that had overtaken you for most of the day. When no more fruit was left to be shared, she gently kissed your forehead, frowning once again when she felt your temperature, softly guiding your head towards her lap, letting you lay down as her fingers combed through your hair, her voice gentle as she spoke, sighing happily when your body relaxed into hers.

Coyote:

“What’s this I’m hearing about a petty cold?” He asked, letting his bag fall to the ground as he shrugged his jacket off, hanging it by the door. You smiled at him, standing from the couch and bringing the blanket with you, wrapping it around both of you as you reached him by the door. “Just that. A petty cold.” You hummed, head resting on his chest. You had missed him all day, even if you were used to him being away or busy, both of you having full lives, yet always cutting out some time for each other during the day. Which is why today, home from work, well enough to get through the few chores in the first hours of the day before feeling absolutely exhausted for the next, you missed him so much. He nodded, eyes glancing at the living room, some pillows scattered here and there from all the jostling around you had done trying to get comfortable, and the food on the countertop of the kitchen, sitting ready in some tupperware. “Marla.” You explained when you saw where he was looking, “she saw me take the trash out this morning and figured out pretty quickly that I wasn’t well. So she made us dinner.” You and Javy had always liked Marla, an old lady with a lovable husband, both of them always more than willing to offer help. “We’ll thank them tomorrow. For now, shall I plate the food?” He asked you, sending you a wink as he wrapped the blanket around you instead, walking you to the table. “Yep. Then cuddles?” “Then cuddles.”

Hangman:

You and Hangman hadn’t been dating for long, both of you keeping it low key in terms of how serious you were, mainly because of his job, even if the feelings you shared were very much real, at least on your side. Still, you hadn’t expected him to rush over the moment you told him you weren’t feeling well, the knock on your door coming just 10 minutes after your phone call ended, making you smile when you walked over to open it. “Brought tea, and coffee, and cookies. And, better than the rest, me.” Hangman said effortlessly, handing you a bag with everything he had mentioned, then stepped in, pressing a kiss on your forehead before closing the door behind him. “Cocky.” You hummed, kissing his cheek as you made your way back to the sofa with a loud plop, the movement making your break into a small coughing fit, one hand flying to your chest as you tried to stop. “Didn’t bring any cough syrup.” He added with a frown, shoulders slumping in defeat. “There’s some in the cupboard.” you told him the second you felt air in your lungs again, smiling at him as he handed it to you, the taste bitter but quickly helping with the feeling in your chest. “Better?” he asked, setting the bag with all the goodies on the coffee table and sitting by your side, careful not to cause another coughing fit. “Better, yeah.”

Rooster:

“You’ll get sick too.” You said with a pout, unable to contain the smile, however, when he gently kissed your cheek. “I don’t mind.” He hummed, settling by your side as he flicked the tv on, snuggling happily against you. “So, what are we feeling? Comedy? Romance?” Bradley asked, moving his eyebrows up and down, smiling when he got to make you laugh so easily. “Maybe romance, yeah. Or, even better, a rom-com?” you suggested, snuggling into his side, not really minding what he chose as long as you got to stay by his side. You nodded at his suggestions, occasionally looking away when you felt like you needed to sneeze, groaning when you just couldn’t. You were getting a headache and your back hurt, and as much as you enjoyed the cuddling, you were also a little frustrated. “I got medicine here, if you want.” You heard Bradley offer, leaning to grab a bottle of cough syrup, reading the label before setting it back down, then some painkillers, tissues, chocolates and a heating pad. “Chocolate counts as medicine?” You asked, stifling a laugh. “Sure does. Scientifically proven.” He spoke matter of factly, moving towards you, “and, another scientifically proven medicine? My kisses.” He added, peppering a few quick kisses on your cheek, moving back when you pushed him away. “You’ll really get sick, c’mon. Now hand me the chocolate.” “Yes, ma’am.” He obliged with a giggle, handing it to you.  

Fanboy:

You were sitting on the couch, smiling at your boyfriend as he chopped the ingredients, singing along to the song on the radio as he let the vegetables fall into the broth, grabbing a spoon and getting a taste of it. “Hmm… maybe more onion…” he hummed, heading over to the fridge to grab it, turning around when you chuckled. “No more onion?” he asked, pouting softly. He was making you his mother’s soup, one she always prepared for him when he was sick, so of course he’d do the same for you. “You cried when you cut it before!” You argued gently, watching as his lips quirked up into a smile again. “But it’s worth it! Makes it taste extra nice, I promise.” You couldn’t help but watch as the scene unfolded before you, his expert slicing morphing into a just as expert slicing, albeit with more tears. 

In the end, it had been worth it. You sipped happily on the soup he had prepared, sitting by his side while a movie played, not as preoccupied with your headache anymore, nor with how achey your body felt, only thinking now about the perfect combination of tastes in your mouth and the warm presence of your boyfriend by your side.  

Payback:

“Sorry, can’t make it today, feeling sick :(“ you had texted Payback at 10am that morning, feeling the need to cancel your plans after your head decided on slowly imploding and a light cough started in your chest. You and him had planned this for over a week, your schedules finally allowing for or the opposite morning, which of course meant it was the perfect moment for you to catch a light cold. Cursing to yourself, you lowered your head back into the pillow with a quiet groan, hoping the painkillers would soon start taking effect and stop your suffering. Meanwhile, Payback was worried. He didn’t want to disturb you, the two of you not having dated long enough for him to feel the right to come by your place unannounced, but after that message you hadn’t texted him again, nor picked up your phone, so he was worried. And so, it was a soft knock on your door that alerted you of someone’s presence, waking you up from a nap that had taken you for most of the day, making that nagging headache leave you while you still had to deal with a stuffy nose and a sense of tiredness you just couldn’t shake off. Opening the door, you found Payback standing there, some simple flowers in his hand and some chocolates for you, a timid smile on his face that quickly melted into one of relief when he saw you were okay, or as okay as you could be with a cold. You smiled at him, moving to the side so that he could walk past you, placing a small kiss to your forehead, walking by your side as you found a vase for the flowers and a movie to watch while you shared chocolate and cuddles.

#dagger squad #robert bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x reader #natasha phoenix trace x reader #phoenix x reader #javy coyote machado x reader #coyote x reader #jake seresin x reader #hangman x reader #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #mickey garcia x reader #fanboy x reader #payback x reader #reuben fitch x reader #top gun fanfic #top gun imagine #top gun maverick #top gun maverick imagine

[piratesfromspace]

Imagine: Top Gun Maverick squadron x Reader (pt 2)

By popular demand, here are some more imagines for the Top Gun Maverick squadron! This time, how they dirty talk...

Warnings: very explicit, this is just pure filth. Feminine reader. 

Imagine 1 // Imagine 3 // MASTERLIST

Hangman

“Hey, wanna fuck with a real sailor for once?”

“Shut up, you’re gonna wake the whole base up, I don’t care how good I make you feel, just shush” *Puts his hand over your mouth*

“Do you wanna come? Yeah? Then use your words and ask me. Nicely.”

“Don't move, you will not go anywhere before I'm finished with you.”

Rooster

“Don't worry, I'm gonna take care of you, I'm not gonna leave you unsatisfied.”

“I know you’re on period, I don’t care, I want to taste you”

“Is it good? Should I stop? No? Well I’m not gonna stop then, not until I can feel you clench on my cock again”

“Next time I want to fuck that cute little ass of yours, will you let me? I’ll make it so good for you”

Payback

“Fuck, you’re so wet, I can’t believe I make you feel like this”

“What do you want? Your desires are my orders princess”

“You’re so soft, I love you so much”

“Yeah, just like this, ride this cock princess, it’s yours”

Bob

“Let me touch you, I need it, please”

“You don’t need to shower right now, we’re gonna get dirty anyway”

“you're close, aren't you? Come on let go, come on my fingers, I want to feel you.” 

“Fuck, did you just squirt? That was amazing, do it again”

Phoenix

“Remember your safeword? Good girl, let’s begin”

“You look so pretty all tied up like this”

“I know it’s a lot, but you're doing so well. Such an obedient girl.”

“Now give me another one… shhh I know you can come one more time. Be a nice girl and let me play with you a little more.”

#top gun #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #hangman x reader #rooster x reader #phoenix x reader #payback x reader #bob x reader #top gun imagine #top gun imagines

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Different Kind Of Runway ✨ | Reuben “Payback” Fitch Headcanon

Link to my TGM masterlist

Lt. Reuben “Payback” Fitch married to a supermodel would look like:

Believe it or not, Reuben is quite the fashion guy and how y’all met was cause he managed to go to New York Fashion Week due to his sister being a makeup artist. She had him as her plus one and they both got to attend one of the after parties. It was at the party you met Reuben and he of course knew your face—-you had captivated him on the runway that day when you walked for Tommy Hilfiger.

Spotting his sister, who had done your makeup for the show, you sped over to say hi which is where she introduced you to the man who would become your husband. When you saw him the first thing you thought was, “wow.” He was TALL and you are quite the tall girl yourself (which was how you got scouted at 17 standing at 5’11) but he was taller and the finest man you’d ever seen—and you’ve dated male models before.

“Y/n, I’d like you to meet my brother, Lt. Reuben Fitch. Rue this is Y/n L/n.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I’m Reuben.” Before you knew it you two had talked all night way past the party ending and had went to a bar to continue to the conversation. You found out he was a Naval aviator with a call sign called ‘Payback,’ and stationed at NAS Oceana in Virginia.

“Payback? That’s kinda badass—how’d you get that name?” “Well in flight school I sorta..intentionally made someone buy a round for everyone in a bar but I felt bad and paid them back.” “And here I thought it was because you know how to get revenge if someone wrongs you.” “Well I can do that too.”

You both knew that night you’d want to continue getting to know one another, so you exchanged numbers and planned a date. Being based in New York meant you didn’t have to travel far to see him and vice versa. On weekends he’d come to New York or if you had a week off from shoots you’ll drive to Virginia. Your relationship was like that, and then when you got married you moved in with him but traveled whenever you booked a gig or show.

Reuben is that husband who if he comes with you to a shoot or show he’s taking pics and videos of you on his phone. Sometimes he’ll copy your poses to make you laugh, which the photographer loves when they want some candid shots. Expect to hear him go, “woooork. Yes ma’am, give me face. Show me your best Vogue.” Sometimes the photographer will ask him to join and Reuben will throw you over his shoulder and spin you around in a fit of giggles. Dip you before kissing you, hold you bridal style, and of course do some model poses with your help.

Whenever you are featured on the cover of a magazine like Vogue, Playboy, Sports Illustrated or Variety Payback collects them and will have at least one of them in his office. His coworkers are always like eye boggling it then they see the wedding photo next to it and are like “Holy shit….Payback got GAME.” But who could be surprised, mans is like sex on legs it’s no surprise he and his wife are the hottest couple on the planet.

Because of his job he can’t go to every show or fashion week, but he always tries to make time for NYFW since it’s sentimental to y’all. Paris, Milan, and London are rare but he has attended them once or twice, especially to see you walk Versace, Prada, & Fendi. He doesn’t embarrass you by cheering but he will pull out his phone to record you and just beam at you like a kid spotting the toy he wants for Christmas in the window of a store.

After about 5 years of marriage and 15 years of modeling you had finally achieved the status of Supermodel and had won the award of Model of the Year a couple times—becoming one of the highest paid in the industry with a staple walk that had designers booking you left and right. Unlike most models, you didn’t really attend award shows when you were invited, although you did go to the Met a few times and had Reuben as your plus one whenever you did. You were a very reserved and private person despite your public status & thankfully paparazzi who followed you were unable to get on base. This definitely came in handy when Payback was called back to Top Gun for a special mission.

When the team arrived on base for the first day of training—you had opted out of going to the bar the night before—all were confused as fuck by the crowd of cars and cameraman waiting at the visitors center. “Did the base commander die or is the president flying in?” Hangman chuckled as they took their seats. Fanboy smirked, patting Rueben’s chest, “nah it’s for his woman.”

You’d known Mickey since he and Reuben were assigned together at NAS Oceana. The two of you were as close as siblings with Mickey even coming out to support you at shows when Reuben asked him to tag along. He did fanboy like his call sign and was embarrassed to admit he did follow you on social media, which you found amusing and told him it was nothing to be embarrassed about.

The second the words left Mickey’s mouth everyone turned in their seats to look at Reuben. “Who’s your woman, Payback?” Coyote questioned, and before Reuben could answer he was cut off by Nat’s gasp, her phone in her hand as she pulled up his instagram. “You’re married to supermodel Y/n L/n!!”

You can imagine the questions your poor hubby was bombarded with. And then when he finally introduced you the day everyone went to the beach you knew they were all gonna be a part of your life forever. After the mission concluded you both kept in touch with the squad and would meet up throughout the year.

They like to joke how you are like them just you walk a different type of runway. “Hey, the jet basically struts down the runway like you when it takes off….only its pulling hundreds of miles per hour.”

Whenever y’all go out you get hit on, it’s a common occurrence and usually they back off when they see your ring or Reuben comes in sizing the dudes up. But the best is when you and Phoenix are getting borderline harassed when y’all are sitting down and you give Nat a look. She knows what’s about to happen and gets her phone ready to capture the reaction of the asshole when you stand up, in heels which make you over 6ft and look down on him. Then Reuben, Bob and Rooster come up behind you which has the dude scurry off. Nothing punches an insecure mans ego than when you size them up.

A favorite memory of yours was inviting all of them, including Mav, to the Calvin Klein show you were opening and having to get them all styled with your team. It was such beautiful chaos in the hotel suite with the guys and Phoenix having to get fitted before being hauled into hair and makeup. You had time before you were called to the venue for your own glam and dress, so for your entertainment you vlogged the whole scene. “Javy, could you please tell the people who and what you’re wearing for tonight’s show.” “Well we got the custom Calvin fit going on, curtesy of Mr. Calvin Klein himself. The suit is the finest material you’ll ever see, leather shoes and oh! —can’t forget the shades so the paps are unable to my eyes.”

“Phoenix, you look gorgeous—can you tell us a bit about your outfit?” “It’s a little chilly in New York so your team was kind to give me this beautiful Calvin Klein dress with some knee high boots and matching coat. I actually feel like a movie star—wow *laughs* is it always like this?” “Trust me when I say one can never really get used to it. If someone says so they are lying.”

Before every show Reuben gives you a kiss and tells you to keep your head high and work that runway like it’s your own personal stage. You are so grateful to have found a man who supports you and anytime you walk a show at NYFW you can’t help but wonder how lucky you are that your dream job brought you to your dream man. It’s funny how you both have a runway in your jobs that are an essential part, though it is a different type of runway 😉

……………..

Tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan , @caitsymichelle13 , @poppyalice2001 , @cutelittlepotatofry

#payback #payback headcanon #payback imagine #payback x reader #jay ellis #Reuben fitch imagine #Reuben fitch x reader #Reuben fitch headcanon #top gun maverick headcanon #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun maverick #reuben fitch #reuben payback fitch #Reuben payback fitch headcanon

[siempre-bucky]

your pilot roommate confessing his feelings headcanons | pt. 2

Summary: how the tgm pilots would confess their feelings to their roommate.

in part two: Bob, Coyote, Payback | pt. 1

BOB 

"That's the last of them," Bob panted as he brought in the last plant from the patio 

Bob is a plant guy, he thought the greenery brought life to your shared place 

you thought they would've been fine in the rain storm, but it turned into being the worst storm of the year and Bob was adamant about bringing the delicate plants inside 

he looked so beautiful with his short hair slightly damp, dark green shirt littered with raindrops

you took the opportunity and eyed him up and down while he took off his glasses to clean them with the hem of his shirt

the two of you sat on opposite sides of the open window, breathing in the glorious smell of the rain and watching the lightning show outside beyond the blowing trees 

Bob was on his fourth beer while you were on your third 

he managed to sneak loving glances while you watched the storm, biting back his tipsy giggled 

after his fifth drink, he let out a giggle followed by a hiccup

you looked amused as he leaned back against the wall and covered his mouth with his hand 

"You good, Robby?" You giggled 

he shook his head and moved his hand 

"It's crazy," he marveled, looking out at the storm 

"The rain?" You were beyond confused at this point, Bob was always so put together 

"No!" He laughed, slapping his knee

you pressed your side to the wall and crossed your arms, watching 'drunk Bob' giggle like a mad man

"It's crazy that we've lived together for a year and I never told you…" 

you managed to get a couple of words in through his cackles "Tell me what?" 

His cackles died down to soft giggles, his breathing trying to regulate 

"That I've been in love with you since flight school." 

your stomach flipped and your heart damn near stopped

"Do you really mean that?" You asked cautiously as you moved to be closer to him 

he nodded, a red tint appearing on his cheeks 

Bob thinned his lips while he nodded and looked down at the blanket pooling in his lap, "liquid courage," he smiled shyly, motioning towards the empty bottles

you rose on your knees and sat directly in front of him

"I didn't think someone as perfect as you could love me too," you said with a tiny laugh in your tone

his head shot up to meet your loving gaze, his glasses low on the tip of his nose 

"Can I kiss you, Robby?" 

"Please," he whimpered before your lips covered his 

Coyote

You didn't know that when you gained a roommate, you also gained a private chef 

you and Hangman had the luxury of a gourmet meal every evening by Javy 

saved on eating out every month… 

"You look happy," you chucked from the couch 

Javy emerged from the kitchen with a wide smile, clutching his phone and a piece of paper 

"My mom finally let me have my great grandpa's gumbo recipe," he beamed, waving the paper in the air 

"I can't wait to make it for you." 

for you

he always included Jake's name when he mentioned dinner plans…but he didn't this time 

you slumped in your seat and bit your lower lip to prevent the girlish squeal from coming out 

you were looking forward to it all week, and then you got the crushing text that their training was going to be late and you were better off buying dinner 

Javy bought all the ingredients and did the prep work….and he just so happened to leave the coveted recipe on the fridge

you were on the phone with his mom the entire time, getting her advice and making sure you didn’t mess up 

you could see where he got it from, the same passion when Javy talked about cooking exuded from his mom 

after it was all said and done she laughed in her motherly tone and told you “You know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” 

you nearly dropped your phone into the boiling pot at her knowing words 

his mom taunted the two of you every time she visited, she knew about your feelings even before you did 

“What is that smell?” Javy gasped as he threw his duffle bag on the floor and nearly ran into the kitchen 

You were quick to shove a bowl to his chest, his proud brown eyes looking down at it 

“Is this?” 

you nodded and anxiously waited for him to try the meal you spent hours with his mother cooking 

at first, you couldn't get a read on him, his face remained stoic as he ate

then all of a sudden, his expression softened 

“I love you so much,” he whispered 

“What was that?” you asked 

“The gumbo, I love it so much,” he recovered quickly

“Oh,” you remarked, trying to hide your disappointment 

Jake entered the room just in time to soothe the awkwardness, praising the food and making conversation. 

you stayed quiet as you all stood in the kitchen, listening to Jake enthusiastically tell you the successes of the day's training. Javy barely looked at you, his eyes were trained on his food and you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him 

“I told her I loved her,” Javy mentioned to Jake while they cleaned

Jake grinned and slapped his friend on the shoulder, “When’s the wedding?” he beamed 

“I, uh, then said I was talking to the food.” 

he hit him harder, “Fix it. Now.” 

“I already fucked it up.” 

“No you didn’t,” you said suddenly, sliding in between the two men and placing your empty bowl in the sink

Javy grinned, looking to the floor bashfully, “Could we talk over dessert?” 

after midnight, you and Javy sat on the counter with a tub of ice cream between you, staring at the kitchen light you desperately needed to replace 

“I love you,” he said, breaking the silence, “you, not the ice cream.” 

he playfully nudged your shoulder 

you laughed and nudged him back, “I love you so much Javy. This ice cream is a close second though.” 

Javy scoffed and dotted your nose with the cold dessert 

Payback 

“My living room’s a war zone,” you gasped as you came back to your apartment to see the living room filled with cardboard boxes, bubblewrap scattered across the  

Ruben just grinned as he filled his mile-high bookshelf with his record collection 

“Got the last of them shipped, they’re gonna good so good right here,” he marveled at his work 

you simply rolled your eyes and looked into one of the boxes, smiling fondly you took out a carefully wrapped record, “Remember this one?” you asked, getting his attention

he looked over and took the record in his hands, “This one’s my favorite,” he admitted softly, “you got this for me when we graduated high school…I wanted it for years.” 

Ruben walked to the record player and put it on, the soft jazz bringing a smile to his face 

he opened his arms and wiggled his hips, “Dance with me,” he chuckled 

sending him a laugh in return you put one of your hands in his while the other rested on his bicep 

“This reminds me of prom, still can’t believe no one asked us,” you scoffed, playfully rolling your eyes 

Ruben looked down bashfully

you instantly took notice of the sudden change, “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, I just—I just wish I would have asked you properly. I wanted you to be my real date and not because of some silly agreement we had.” 

heat ran up your neck, your breath hitching in your throat 

you leaned forward and put your head on his chest 

“Can I admit something?” 

“Y-yeah?” Ruben replied in the form of a question

“I was jealous when you asked Carrie to your Navy Ball… I wanted it to be me.” 

“I wanted it to be you too,” he replied instantly, “I was afraid if I asked, you would’ve figured out that I liked you. I wasn’t ready for you to know yet.” 

you pulled away and took a step back, fighting off a giddy smile

“While we were dancing,” he started, walking to the shelf and replacing the record, “all I could think about was dancing with you to this song…not her. I’ve been in love with you for a long time.” 

Ruben came closer and put his arms around your waist, your arms around his neck 

he swayed you side to side, your foreheads connected 

“I’m in love with you too, Ruben. I always have been.”

#bob floyd x reader #bob floyd imagine #javy machado x reader #coyote x reader #ruben fitch x reader #payback x reader #top gun #top gun maverick

[hangmanbrainrot]

Payback RQ: He comes home from work in the middle of the night and tries not to wake you, and fails because someone that tall can’t be anything but clumsy at 2am.

this took me 2 weeks because i suck but here it is!! i hope it is everything you imagined. 🫣

warnings: swearing, technically home invasion implication, but that doesn't happen i assure you, umm marriage!, reuben is nicknamed ben at some points in this fic, kinda fluffy in the beginning, maybe this is a lil funny? maybe sierra successfully does a haha? let me know. not beta'd because sierra is lazy and has a headache. ignore the typos (if there are any?) if you love me. lots of self-referential third person here, ok. shut up sierra.

word count: 945

pairing: reuben "payback" fitch x reader

homecoming

In preparation for Reuben returning from his special detachment, you’d done just about everything you could think of to make sure he felt welcome back home. 

It started at the grocery store. You made sure to buy his favorite cereal, not the heart-healthy business he told everyone was his favorite. No, you decided to indulge his love for cocoa pebbles. Mostly because you knew he’d never ask for them or purchase them for himself. When you’d arrived at the front of the line, the cashier greeted you with a big smile, and carried on polite conversation. She tapped the box before scanning the item to place it into the bag. It was your last grocery item on the conveyor belt.

“I love these,” she made eye contact with you in a way that was lingering, a clear in for a conversation you’d only been passively interested in. It wasn’t the cashier’s fault that you were exhausted after a day of running errands. 

“Oh, I’ve actually never had them, but my husband raves about them from when he was a kid.” The thought alone put a smile on your face, and the action was a reminder of just who and what all of this was for. Your partner would be home soon, and nothing else really mattered much beyond that. 

So, of course, when you’d received a text later that night that his flight was canceled, you’d pouted into a pint of ice cream, and curled up on the couch with your favorite TV show alone. 

Sorry, baby. 🙁 I’ll let you know when I get another flight. Probably tomorrow. I love you

I know. Miss you. Cant wait. I love you too.

And then 10 PM stretched into 11, 11 into midnight, and midnight into 1 AM before you finally called it quits. You knew that, short of flying the plane himself, there was nothing he could really do. No use exhausting yourself for work tomorrow even more than you already would be, with the disappointment of falling asleep yet another night without your partner at your side weighing heavily on your chest while you tried to drift off. You slinked off to bed and retreated under the covers. 5 or so hours or sleep was better than none.

So, when your eyes opened at 2:51 AM, you immediately groaned. Usually, your body let you get a solid 3 hours in before waking you up. But then you heard the very distinct sound of someone bumping into the console table by the front door. It stuck out a little too far, so if you didn’t give yourself a lot of grace, coming in the front door, you’d barely just catch your knee on the corner of it — just enough to hurt. Your eyes met the clock again. 2:52 AM. While Ben had taken you through the many different ways to be prepared for an intruder while he was away, you never thought you’d actually have to use any of it. He was always the muscle of your relationship. He was probably the most easygoing person you knew, except when it came to you. From the moment he’d committed to being your spouse, he was all about you — in all the right ways. Knew how to support you without smothering or hovering, encouraged you to follow your dreams and pursue your career. And taught you how to disarm an intruder, with only your bare hands and… the curtain rod from the corner. Fixing it was a job for your husband, considering he was height and all long limbs.

Shaky fingers curled around the curtain rod, while you did your best Mission Impossible sneak down the stairs, to find the culprit who’d disturbed your sleep and your peace.

“You take whatever you have and you go now, and I won’t call the police,” you shouted as you inched down the stairs, trying to will confidence into your voice. “I haven’t even seen you yet, so it’s perfect. You’ll only get caught if you try to get greedy.”

You heard swearing — and you were certain that voice sounded familiar. Curtain rod grasped tighter, you and your curiosity practically leapt down the remainder of the stairs.

“Baby, what in the hell are you doing?” Your husband’s voice hit your ears and your shoulders slumped almost immediately. 

“Me?! What the hell are you doing, sneaking in the house?!”

“I was trying to s — never mind, can you put your weapon down?”

Brows furrowed, you lowered the curtain rod down by your side, before reaching out to lean it up against the nearest wall. One of your hands came up to rub at your eyes, before you folded your arms over your chest. 

Ben, never one to miss an opportunity for a wisecrack, quipped easily: “Aw, there’s that scowl I’ve missed so much. I thought I’d have to wait until tomorrow morning.”

Before you could fire back, he’d wrapped you up in his arms and tugged you into his chest. Jet fuel and citrus wafted up to your senses. Even as you settled into his embrace, you retorted, “Oh, don’t you even start. You scared me. I thought you weren’t getting in until tomorrow.”

“So, naturally, the next logical conclusion is that someone with a key was breaking into our home, hm?” You could hear the smile on Reuben’s lips when he spoke, a good-natured chuckle passing through them shortly thereafter.

“Shut up, before I start losing that loving feeling and you’ve barely been here five minutes.”

“I missed you too, tough guy,” he muttered, before ducking his head to press a kiss to the top of your own. 

#sierra answers 💌 #ginghampearlsnsweettea #reuben fitch x reader #reuben payback fitch #payback fluff #payback x reader

[startrekfangirl2233-writes]

CONGRATULATIONS STAR!!!

I would like to put in a request 🙋🏻‍♀️

could you do Payback with the “you can take it” smut prompt??

Hi Vinny! You absolutely can request Payback smut! I had a lot of fun with this one and it kinda ran away with me. Sufficed to say I did not meet my 1K word goal. This one is loooong. Love you Vin! @sarahsmi13s  🥰 😘 🥰 😘

Small Town Problems

It’s a hot, sticky, humid day as you step out of your car in front of the barn where your town is hosting their Fourth of July celebration. You heft out the basket containing your Mama’s Macaroni and cheese casserole from the backseat and lock the car as you make your way into the barn. You’re wearing a light gingham sundress, and you can feel sweat dribble down the small of your back with each step you take. The sun’s rays are blisteringly hot, sizzling down until you’re aching for a tall icy glass of lemonade or sweet tea. It’s a relief when you step into the colossal barn. 

It’s only 5 minutes past 5 pm, but you’re already getting side eyes from all the ladies, your mama’s age and older, as you carefully pick your way through the assembled crowd. Their gimlet gaze sears into you as you walk towards the buffet. Their whispers follow you like the plague. You can see your mama’s best friend and your godmother, Delilah ‘Lily’ Fitch waiting near the buffet. She’s your Aunt Lily, and you’ll do anything for her, even coming into town when you can’t stand it. Not since you left the town hero at the altar years ago.

Your families had understood. Your jilted fiance had understood. Hell, Aunt Lily understood, and the man you’d stood up had been her son! But your town never forgot. In truth, as much as you’d loved Reuben, you were only eighteen. Both of you were young; kids who were trying to appease a whole town while trying not to lose each other. Reuben had been able to leave after the wedding fell through, forging a career and reputation for himself, painting himself as the hero while you’d been stuck in the petri dish of gossip and ill will your town became while caring for your mama as her illness progressed. And you were still stuck in that same town a decade later. 

“Aunt Lily!” You don’t have to fake your smile as you set your basket on a clear bit of the long picnic table groaning with food and heft the casserole dish out, setting it in a line with all the others. More likely than not, you'll be taking it home untouched and eating it for the next week. That's what happened at the last town gathering. And the one before that. You shove the basket under the table cloth and fall eagerly into her embrace. 

Aunt Lily always smells like lavender and freesia. She's been wearing the same perfume since you and Reuben were born, and that's one of your strongest scent memories. You can still remember rolling around in the grass with Reuben under the giant Magnolia tree in her backyard while your mama and Aunt Lily had sipped on their tea, the scent of lavender, magnolia blossoms and wisteria floating over the breeze.

"How're you doing, Chickadee?"

"I'm alright, Aunt Lily."

"Are you sure? You're looking a little peaked." Her hands flutter across your brow, checking your temperature before drawing your arm into the crook of her elbow and leading you to the refreshments table. She pours you a glass of sweet tea and waits with eagle eyes until you've drunk a few sips of it before leading you towards the open picnic area. The smell of Carolina barbeque lies rich in the air, the scent of roasting meat, smoke, salt, sugar, and vinegar melding into something that you'll never get tired of.

"Where are we going, Auntie?" Your voice is sweet as you crane your head to see who your aunt is leading you to.

"I know you probably don't want to hear it, but Reuben's back in town. He's on leave. And I thought you'd like to see him again?" Her tone is coy as she drags you along.

Your feet stop moving at her words, your good mood draining away. No wonder everyone was glaring and whispering more than they usually do. The golden boy was back in town, and the best way to celebrate? With a witch burning. You can already see Reuben's tall, broad form under the oak trees to the side. He's laughing with some guys you've both known your entire life, and you can hear the richness of it the closer you get.

"Aunt Lily. Please. Please, I can't."

Your pleas fall on deaf ears as she leads you right to him.

“Hey, Mama!” He's always loved his mama, so you're not surprised at all that his eyes skate over you in your best, but still old, gingham dress. What is surprising is that his eyes come right back to you.

"Hey, Chickadee. How've you been? I heard about your mama. I'm sorry for your loss."

Mama Lily's pushed you closer to him, and you can't avoid the awkward half side hug Reuben squishes you into. He smells like clean linen and summer.

"I'm doing alright. Thank you for your condolences. Mama was really proud of you, you know? She adored hearing all the stories from Aunt Lily about you." Your smile is soft as you peer into his face. He's grinning back down at you. And you know why you let things with him go all the way to a wedding. He's always made you feel like nobody else ever has. You’re not surprised to see all his football buddies melt away as the two of you get to chatting again. You were never very popular at school. The only person you ever wanted to hang out with was Reuben.

“So what have you been up to since the last time I saw you?” He’s smiling shyly at you. You can still see the ghost of the gap-toothed boy you’d loved with all your heart in that smile.

“It’s been a decade, Reuben.” Your chuckle is wry and unamused. “I’m the same as always. I took college classes online and graduated while making sure that Mama was comfortable. After she passed, I’ve been helping Aunt Lily make jams, jellies, and preserves for the store.”

You sigh, looking out at the assembled town, most of whom still gaze curiously at Reuben and you under the oak trees. “I’m still the social pariah, the stupid slattern who let the town’s golden boy slip through her fingers. You're the Naval Aviator, the hero. The boy who could do no wrong turned into the man who could save the world if he chose.”

When his hand clasps around your upper arm, you startle, grimacing at the ever-so-slightly too firm grip.

"What're you doing, Reuben?" Your pleas fall on deaf ears as he drags you away from the picnic through the oak grove. You can probably guess where he's going. The two of you had spent hours there hiding from your responsibilities and the world as children. It was where you'd fallen in love, where you'd lost your virginities to each other and where your entire life had blown up in flames. The small creek winding through the old oak grove at the center of town looks just as you remember. You can hear the faint burbling of the water as Reuben tugs you towards the flat topped boulder on the bank. This was where your childhood happened. This is where you grew up. And this is where you’re staring at the only man you’ve ever loved.

“What do you mean, stupid slattern? Chickadee, we were only eighteen. And we loved each other, but we weren’t getting married for the right reasons. You know that. I know that.” His chest heaves as he cards his hands through his hair.

“Our breakup? The fallout of our relationship? Was as much on you as it was on me!”

“Oh, yeah? Then why was it that they all blamed me? Why was it all on me? You had an entire life you were building!” You’re in his face now, pressing your finger into his sternum with each word. “I was left here. Taking care of the only family I had left. And I left you at the altar. You didn’t agree to my decision until we were standing here hours after the dust settled.”

Your chest is heaving too, and you’re close. So close to him. You can see the emotion swimming in his eyes when he surges forward and kisses you. You gasp, arms wrapping around his neck as he kisses you like you’re the air he needs to breathe. His hands ruck up the skirt of your dress, cupping your ass as he tips you onto the boulder’s surface. 

“I’ve missed you. So fucking much, Chickadee. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. And I hate that I let you talk me into letting you go. I wanted you to come with me.” His hands are soft as he drags your panties down your legs, leaving the fabric hooked on one ankle. You can feel the clink of his belt buckle as he frees his cock from the constraining fabric.

“Gonna show you how much I love you. You can take it. And then I’m going to take you back to that barbeque and show that whole town that you aren’t what they think you are.”

His tongue is hot against your throat as he traces his blunt fingers over your aching slit before plunging his cock in. It’s rough and frantic as the two of you claw at each other chasing mutual release. Each hard press of his length has you seeing stars, your legs wrapped wantonly around his slim hips as he rails into you.

“Gonna cum, sweetheart.” His voice is a barely suppressed growl as you drag him into a kiss and fall over the cliff of your orgasm in his arms. It takes you far too long to come back to yourself, and it’s to the feeling of damp fabric dabbing at your core.

“Reuben?” Your voice is hoarse as you murmur his name.

“Hey, Chickadee. Just cleaning you up.” His tongue sticks endearingly out of the corner of his mouth as he draws your panties back up your legs. “There you are, baby.” 

You can’t believe that he’s real. You can’t resist kissing him one more time as the two of you walk back to the barbeque. Right before you’re before the town’s eyes, he pulls you against his chest and whispers, “If you’re good, Chickadee, I’m going to marry you. And this time, I’m not letting you go. Not ever again.”

Maybe this one time you can forgive your Aunt Lily for her meddling.

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