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senawashere · 1 month

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Carolina?

Summary: Who is Carolina? Is she the other woman? And why Bradley is talking about her in his sleep?

A/n: I wrote this like 2 or 3 years ago for another character and i wanted to post again🤭

Warnings: tooth rutting fluff actually. Maybe a bit angst. And a bit smutt at the end. Hehehehe.

Bradley always talked in his sleep,most of life. So you were ok with it. But one night,everything chances.

You slowly wake up to a chill in the air, realizing that Bradley has closed most of the windows once again, as usual.

The room is dark, and the digital clock on your nightstand shows 4:28; you've only been asleep for four hours.

As you turn to the side, you see Bradley curled up in the blankets, lying on his side with his back turned to you. You approach him, pulling the blanket closer for warmth, and snuggle up to your husband, wrapping your arm around his abdomen. You drift back to sleep with you melting in his embrace, emitting a low, soft purr from his curled lips.

He feels so warm and resilient against you that you bury your face into his back, inhaling his scent, placing a few kisses on his shoulder blades before laying your head on the pillow. You hear Bradley's gentle murmurs as he returns to his dreams. When you open your eyes, you lift your head slightly, leaning towards him in hopes of understanding what he's saying, but his words are jumbled.

"Brad?" you whisper, wondering if he's about to wake up.

"Baby..." he murmurs, and then you hear something inconsistent.

"I'm here," you say softly, kissing his shoulder. He usually calls you "baby," so you assume he's talking to you.

"Baby... My baby..." he repeats, and as you smile at the thought of him dreaming about you, everything shatters with a single word.

"Carolina... Carolina, baby… my…girl"

Wait a second, who is Carolina?

It wakes you up faster than an alarm. As you sit up, looking at your still-sleeping husband, talking about someone named Carolina in his dreams, you're left puzzled. You don't know anyone by that name, so she must be someone Bradley knows, and that's concerning.

"Carolina... beautiful..." the words spill from his lips, almost inaudible but piercing your ears like a punch to the chest.

Lately, he's been so confused, but you haven't thought much about it, attributing it to all the work he put into his job and getting promoted. However, now you see it in a different light.

And yes you know his mother’s name is Carol but the problem is Carol and Carolina are not the same.

Or are they? No probably not.

Could Bradley be spending time with another woman? The thought of him cheating on you didn't cross your mind. Everything seemed so perfect; you were planning the moving somewhere else next summer, and he didn't seem regretful of his decision to marry you.

But then who is Carolina? And if she invaded his dreams, how important could she be? More important than you? It made your stomatch flip.

Afterward, you struggled to sleep, tossing and turning in bed for hours.

Bradley stops talking afterward, turning his face up, and while you lie awake next to him, going through every possible theory in your mind, he simply sleeps peacefully, unaware of your racing thoughts. As the sun begins to rise on the horizon, you're already out of bed, perched on a kitchen stool with your laptop, hoping to find a clue Bradley left behind as you delve into the history.

But what if he's really doing this? If he's cheating on you, he wouldn't be foolish enough to get caught like this. Right?

You make tea and reluctantly check his socials that he follows almost everyone he knows. You hate stalking your husband with the thought of him cheating on you but now you want to know if something strange is happening. Unfortunately, or fortunately, nothing suspicious comes up. Most of the accounts are from people who works with, either with people you know,his old friends, or his family members and some of his dads old friends.

No sign of another woman.

That’s good. Right?

Bradley wakes up to an empty bed. It's strange that you're not cuddling him or holding onto him like a koala bear. He blinks his swollen eyes a few times, adjusting to the low light, and straightens the other side of the bed where your body used to rest. Since the room isn't even that cold, he knows you've been up for a while.

Yawning and rubbing his eyes, he throws on a sweatshirt and slowly exits the room, sliding his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. He notices you immediately, curled up on the edge of the couch, looking out of the window. Your forehead is creased, indicating something is bothering you.

"Hey, honey, the bed was cold without you," he murmurs, walking towards you with slow steps, sitting beside you on the couch near the window.

You look at him, your jaw clenched,on verge of tears and even though you didn't want to start like this, the truth about the morning overwhelms you.

"Who is Carolina?"

Confusion is evident on his face. It's not the kind of thing that someone doesn't know what or who is being talked about. Carolina is a real person, and Bradley knows exactly who she is.

"What's this about now?" he asks, leaning back, putting some distance between you two, his arm dropping over the back of the couch,confusion is clearly visible all over his face.

"Do you know anyone named Carolina?" you push, narrowing your eyes.

"I do... well, I mean... it's not what you think honey really..."

"You talk in your sleep, Bradley."

"What?" his eyes widen.

"You often murmur incoherently, but last night, you kept repeating the name Carolina, and... you even called her baby. You called her baby! You only call me baby. "

The revelation dawns on him as you watch, and he takes a slow breath, exhaling gently. This is going to be more complicated than you anticipated.

"I'm telling you, but promise not to think I've lost my mind, okay?"

"You're scaring me, Bradley," you breathe out. "Tell me. Please."

"Okay, okay," he says, inhaling deeply and then nodding slightly. "Do you remember... the day when we thought you might be pregnant, about like five months ago?"

"Of course, I remember," you nod,biting your lip.

Your period was late, and you had vomited in the morning. Bradley had taken a test, and you both sat on the cold tile floor of the bathroom, waiting for the results. It came back negative.

You felt relieved, but a part of you wondered how it would have been if you were pregnant. Something in your head told you it wouldn't have been a big deal, but the timing wasn't right because you two were just about to get married and it would have been nice to get married first before having a baby.

"A few days after that... I had a dream."

"A dream?" You furrow your brows, unsure where this is going.

"Yeah. It was about you and me, and... we had a baby. A little girl. It wasn't something crazy; you were breastfeeding her in our bed, and I was watching you, and then I was holding her, rocking her to sleep and she was sleeping in my arms... It felt real, and when I woke up... I felt like something was missing."

You listen to him carefully, your lower lip tense, and your heart pounding in your chest.

"Since then, I've been having similar dreams. At least twice a week. Always the same baby, always with you inside, but we do different things. Sometimes we bathe her,sometimes we play tickling,sometimes we walk in the park, and sometimes she sleeps in a stroller... Once my mom and dad were in it and one time I saw Mav and Penny too, God, it felt so real," he confesses with a shaky breath. "The last few times, we didn't even have her with us. We gave her a name."

"Carolina? Her name is Carolina?" you softly ask, pushing yourself closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Yes. She looks a lot like you, but her eyes are like mine. A perfect mix of both of us, and... I couldn't shake it off. Sometimes I wake up after a dream, and I feel like something has been taken away from us, it feels so real,I miss her even though I don't know her."

"Why didn't you tell me about these dreams, Baby?" you whisper, placing a small kiss on his shoulder.

"It felt super foolish, and I didn't know how it would make you feel. I knew we talked about trying for a baby after the wedding, and I thought bringing it up would upset you," he shrugs, planting a gentle kiss on your forehead.

As you sit on the couch, silence falls between you two, your head resting on his chest, his arms around you. This wasn't the outcome you expected. None of your theories came close to the truth Bradley just revealed.

"I was thinking about the same thing...for a while." you say.

"About what?"

"About having a baby. If the test had come back positive, how would it have been?"

"And...?" He leans back to look into your eyes.

"I wouldn't have aborted it," you admit honestly, and Bradley takes a slow breath, gently kissing your forehead. "Do you want to... start trying for a baby before we talk about,Bradley?"

"It can wait," he replies, looking as if he's afraid to say something that might upset you. "If we continue what we're doing, it's okay..."

"But I want to know what you want, Bradley. Tell me."

He takes a deep breath, running his tongue over his lips before speaking.

"I think I want it." The way your heart explodes at his words is undeniable. Realizing that he feels exactly the same way now brings tears to your eyes.

"It would probably mean a blow to the squad if we start now and succeed," you laugh, watching his eyes glimmer.

"That would be the best thing that ever happened," he chuckles, confessing, "just the thought of going on adventures while our baby grows under your heart... God, I could just cry just thinking about it."

"So," you grin, slyly teasing him as you hold his chin with one hand. "Carolina?"

"It could be something else if it's a boy."

"I like it," you murmur, nodding. "We can add it to the list. But before we start making lists, we should probably start trying for a baby, don't you think?"

He doesn't need more encouragement. As you both laugh and kiss, you find yourselves in your bedroom in an instant, clothes flying off as you fall onto the bed. Giving him a passionate kiss before he undresses you, you can't help but whisper, "I love you."

Ekkkk full of cuteness🥹🥹

I'm tagging people who might be interested:@ohtobeleah @sebsxphia @callsigns-haze @sailor-aviator @sorchathered @greenorangevioletgrass @teacupsandtopgun @roosterforme @floydsglasses @lyn-js @bradshawssugarbaby @torchflies @its-dee-lovely @its-the-pilot @friedchips94 @bradshawsbaby @hardballoonlove @perfectprettypisces @topguncortez @hangmanapologist @bradshawsbaddie @shanimallina87 @djs8891 @themusingofagothicsoul @the-romanian-is-bae @mamachasesmayhem @jessicab1991 @iefitzgerald-blog @charcole-grey @waterriseslew @desert-fern @promisingyounglady

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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 1 year

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Three Generations - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Rooster is a Dad; Female Reader with No Name or Physical Description, No Y/N, Third Person POV; OC Bradshaw Kid without Physical Description (minus a reference to his smile being similar to Rooster's)

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

Summary: Rooster is married. Maverick found out when the paperwork got filed with the Navy, but he doesn’t have a chance to ask Rooster about it until after the mission

Master List

Sequel: A Day with Duckie

Maverick remembered the text that he received from Ice about four years prior to the mission.

The kid’s married.

Three little words that felt like bullets straight to Maverick’s heart. Bradley was married. Married. Maverick shouldn’t have been surprised, really. Bradley was more than old enough for marriage. Especially for a naval officer. But it still hurt, it still stung that he wasn’t there to see it.

Ice gave him Rooster’s wife’s name but he couldn’t find many photos of the two of them together. Rooster’s wife’s profiles were all set to private, but Maverick did find some photos posted by one of the bridesmaids. He printed them out and hung them up in his hangar, next to his old photos of Rooster. Even if he cried like a baby while he did it.

It wasn’t until after the mission, when they were sitting alone in their hospital room together, that Maverick had a chance to ask Rooster about his wife.

“You got married?” Maverick asked Rooster quietly.

Maverick gestured to his own left ring finger, which made Rooster fiddle with his gold band. Staring down at his wedding ring for a moment, Rooster tried to figure out how to respond properly to Maverick’s question. Nodding slowly, Rooster turned back to Maverick.

“Yeah, I did,” Rooster answered quietly.

“Congratulations,” Maverick replied softly.

“Thank you,” Rooster returned, fiddling with his ring again.

“How did you meet?”

“She was in the Navy. She worked in intelligence, though. We met through mutual friends and I asked her out. We went on a date to a karaoke bar and never looked back,” Rooster explained, smiling at the memories. “I asked her to marry me about two years after that.”

“And you’re happy?”

“Extremely,” Rooster replied without missing a beat. “Her and Kai, they’re my whole life.”

“Kai?” Maverick asked curiously.

Rooster, seemingly realizing his slip, shrunk a bit into himself. He looked nervous. Incredibly nervous. Fiddling with his wedding band again, Rooster slowly turned back to Maverick.

“Kai is my son.”

“You’re a dad?” Maverick asked, unable to stop the emotion from dripping into his tone.

Not only had Maverick missed Rooster’s wedding, but he also missed the birth of Rooster’s child, and all of the little milestones along the way. And that ache in his chest quietly intensified, though Maverick tried to not let it show.

“Yeah, I am.”

Rooster reached for his phone, pulled up a photo, and passed his phone over to Maverick. He grabbed Rooster’s phone and stared down at the photo. And Maverick would have been lying if he said that he didn’t get a little choked up at the sight of it.

Rooster and a woman that Maverick knew was Rooster’s wife were standing together with a little baby boy sandwiched between them. A little boy that had his father’s smile—albeit one with a few missing teeth—and a matching Hawaiian shirt. Rooster’s wife smiled widely at the camera with her cheek smushed against the top of her son’s head.

And Rooster looked happier in that photo than Maverick had seen him since before Carole passed, even though Rooster wasn’t looking in the direction of the camera. No, Rooster was far too busy smiling at his little family.

“Are they coming to see you?” Maverick asked, handing the phone back to Rooster.

“Yeah, uh, their flight lands tomorrow morning. Phoenix said that she would pick them up from the airport and bring them here,” Rooster explained, placing his phone aside. Rooster paused before turning back to Maverick. “And . . . can you . . . can you not mention the part about me defying a direct order and everything that happened afterwards?”

“I won’t,” Maverick promised, earning a thankful nod from Rooster. “But, at some point, Brad, I think that you should be honest with her about it. As much as you can, given the sensitive information, anyways. Not that I’m in any position to give anyone marriage advice but . . . you should be honest with your wife.”

“I will,” Rooster returned quietly. “It’s just that she gets really stressed when I’m in the hospital. I don’t want to overwhelm her.”

“Are you scared about her reaction?”

“A little bit,” Rooster admitted honestly.

Maverick chuckled, reminiscing about how Goose always looked when he was worried about telling Carole about whatever shenanigans they got into back in the day.

“I’m sure that you’ll be fine.”

~~~~~

Maverick and Rooster were discharged from the hospital the next day.

Phoenix, along with Rooster’s wife and Kai, were supposed to pick them up. Rooster spotted Phoenix’s car and walked after it. The passenger door flew open and Rooster’s wife. She walked around the car to see that Phoenix was helping Kai out of the back seat.

Kai slid out of Phoenix’s car and immediately perked up when he spotted his dad quickly making his way over. But knowing her son, Rooster’s wife snatched him by the back of his shirt before he could run out into the parking lot.

“You have to hold Mommy’s hand when you’re in the parking lot,” she reminded her son.

She looked up and down the road before leading Kai across it. But once Kai safely stepped up onto the sidewalk, she released his hand and let Kai run to Rooster.

“Daddy!” Kai yelled happily, running into Rooster’s waiting arms.

Bradley bent down and scooped Kai up. Holding Kai to his chest, Rooster pressed a kiss to Kai’s hair as he rocked his son back and forth in his arms. Almost like Rooster was trying to soothe himself with his son’s presence.

“I missed you so much, Kai.”

Rooster pressed another kiss to Kai’s head before turning to his wife. She looked like she was trying to hold it together and just barely managing it. But when she caught Rooster’s gaze, she let some more emotion show. Wordlessly, Rooster held out an arm to her and she immediately ran into his embrace, officially reuniting the family of three.

“I’m alright,” Rooster assured her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m okay.”

As Rooster reassured his wife and son that he was fine, Maverick walked around them to stand beside Phoenix. After his wife and Kai were soothed, Rooster turned to introduce them to Maverick.

“Guys, this is Maverick. Mav, this is my wife,” Rooster stated, wrapping his arm around his wife’s waist.

“The man who pulled your papers?” Rooster’s wife asked sharply. Maverick winced at her tone.

“We got past that,” Rooster assured his wife, which caused her to immediately relax.

“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you then,” she replied with a much warmer tone. Rooster’s wife walked over to give Maverick a proper hug that Maverick was happy to return. “And to put a face to the name after all the stories.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Maverick replied, releasing Rooster’s wife.

“And this is my son, Kai,” Rooster added, bouncing his son lightly on his arm. Smiling at his son with complete and utter adoration, Rooster nudged him in the side. “Kai, this is Maverick.”

“Hi,” Maverick greeted Kai softly.

“Hi,” Kai returned shyly, resting his head on Rooster’s shoulder.

“Mav’s a pilot like me,” Rooster explained to his son, causing Kai to pick his head up again. “And he used to fly around with your Grandpa Goose.”

“Really?” Kai asked his dad, earning a nod from Rooster.

Kai stared over at Maverick with newfound curiosity and Maverick tried to not choke up at the clear similarities between Kai and Rooster. Kai wasn’t so much his dad’s twin, but he had that same expression and look in his eye that Maverick saw all the time on a younger Bradley. Offering a small encouraging smile to Kai, Maverick decided to approach.

“Yeah, your Grandpa Goose used to sit in my back seat,” Maverick replied, nodding along. “And he was the best at what he did.” Trying to not burst out into tears at the fact that he was talking about Goose while Baby Goose was holding Grandbaby Goose, Maverick managed a small smile. “Your grandpa’s callsign was Goose. Your dad’s is Rooster. What bird do you want as your callsign, Kai?”

“Mommy calls me ‘Duckie’,” Kai informed Maverick, ending his sentence with a giggle.

“Yes, because he’s impossible to pull out of the water once he’s in,” Rooster explained, shaking his head playfully at his son. “And he pretends that he can’t hear us.”

“No,” Kai giggled, clearly lying.

“He’s also a great liar,” Rooster quipped, tickling Kai’s stomach.

Kai squealed and pushed his dad’s hand away, but he couldn’t stop giggling. And Maverick tried to not burst out into tears again. Baby Goose had a baby. The little baby that he used to babysit and take for extra ice cream had a little baby of his own now.

God, Maverick was getting old.

~~~~~

After spending the day with the rest of the Dagger Squad, Maverick and the Bradshaw family of three retired to Maverick’s quaint residence in town. Rooster grew up in the house after Carole’s death and his old bedroom was perfectly preserved from that time.

It was only about a half an hour before Kai’s bedtime when Rooster approached Maverick in the kitchen.

“Can you watch Kai for a second?”

“Yeah, of course,” Maverick agreed, nodding along immediately. “But why? Where are you going?”

“I just thought that I should tell her,” Rooster explained, keeping his voice low. “There were too many close calls as it was with the rest of the Dagger Squad, so I need to tell her. About the mission and . . . my little stunt.”

“The couch is very comfortable,” Maverick joked, earning a tired sigh from Rooster. “You’ll be fine.”

“I hope so,” Rooster replied, straightening up.

Rooster thanked Maverick before the two rejoined Kai and Rooster’s wife out in the living room. Rooster managed to find an old Connect 4 game in the cabinet and his wife tried to teach Kai how to play. They were sitting around the coffee table with Kai studying the layout closely.

“Can I play with you, Kai?” Maverick asked, moving to sit down beside Kai.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, not taking his eye off of the board.

Maverick saw Rooster lean down to whisper something in his wife’s ear before she nodded. Turning to Kai, Rooster’s wife leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder, causing Kai to look up.

“Behave for Maverick, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Rooster and his wife got up and headed out of the room to talk. Kai turned to Maverick once his parents were out of sight.

“Why did they leave?”

“They just needed to talk about some things. Adult things. Nothing fun,” Maverick stated, causing Kai to nod with a slight pout. Maverick moved to take the seat that Rooster’s wife was sitting in and picked up a yellow piece. “Did you take a plane to get over here, Kai?”

“Yeah,” Kai stated, smiling up at Maverick.

“Do you like flying?”

“Yeah.”

“Has your dad ever taken you flying before?” Kai shook his head dramatically, causing Maverick to nod along. “You just fly with your mom then?”

“Yeah. Daddy gets scared,” Kai informed Maverick, leaning on the coffee table.

“Well, it’s a little scary when you’re a pilot and someone else is flying the plane,” Maverick replied, very well acquainted with the control freak tendencies that popped up when a naval aviator flew commercial. “And your daddy just wants to make sure that you and everyone else is safe.”

“Mommy tells him to relax,” Kai replied, emphasizing the word with a wave of his hand.

Kai must have seen his mom do that exact routine at least a thousand times because he seemed to know the part by heart. He had the expression, the wave of his hand, and the tone down perfectly. Maverick couldn’t help but laugh.

“Does he listen to her?” Maverick quipped, failing at hiding his amusement.

“Sometimes,” Kai answered with a giggle.

“Like you?”

“Yeah.”

Maverick was about to ask Kai another question when Rooster’s wife’s voice echoed around the house. The door to Rooster’s old bedroom did little to muffle the shock and sheer incredulousness of Rooster’s wife’s question.

“You did what!?”

“Have you ever seen the moon, Kai?” Maverick asked the toddler, quickly getting up to his feet.

“Yeah,” Kai replied as Maverick scooped him up into his arms.

“Well, looking again wouldn’t hurt,” Maverick reasoned, setting Kai on his hip. “And maybe we’ll even see a few stars too.”

“Oh-kay,” Kai agreed with a sigh, laying his head on Maverick’s shoulder.

“And where was your brain during all of this!?” Rooster’s wife snapped loudly.

“Yeah, let’s go look at the stars, Kai,” Maverick stated quickly, hurrying out the back door.

“Was that Mommy?” Kai asked, staring back at the house.

“No, I don’t think it was her.”

Sequel: A Day with Duckie

3K notes · View notes

tongue-like-a-razor · 1 year

Note

hi babe, I have a request not sure if you are taking but- I was wondering if you could do something like Bradley's little girl, goes to the doctor to get a shot, and Bradley's there to comfort her while she's crying

Aww this was a such a cute request, I just had to do it! Thanks for sending it in :D

A Little Pinch

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Wife!Reader

Summary: Rooster tries to hold it together for the sake of his daughter while she gets a shot.

CW: needle (not graphic), fluff, dad Rooster

WC: 875

Masterlist

“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” Bradley mutters, holding your daughter in his lap as he kisses her head. “I’m right here and I promise you’re going to be okay.”

Your daughter is bawling in anticipation of the needle the doctor is preparing but you know that this shot is going to hurt your husband more than it will hurt her.

Rooster looks up at you with tears in his eyes as he pats your daughter’s head. “It’s going to be quick, sweetheart,” he says gently, trying to console himself just as much as he is trying to soothe her.

Your daughter shakes her head and turns on his lap, burying her face in his chest. Rooster gives you a desperate look, wrapping his arms around the little girl to comfort her. In his big arms, she feels safe and her sniffles grow quieter as her breathing steadies.

“You’ll have to hold her arm down tightly so that she doesn’t move,” the doctor says, approaching the three of you.

Your daughter begins to wail anew, thrashing in Rooster’s embrace. “No!” she screams.

Rooster takes the beating without so much as a wince, looking on at her sympathetically as he tries to unstick her hair from her wet cheeks. “Sweetheart,” he whispers, taking her face in his hands. “I know you’re scared, and that’s okay. Being scared is natural. It’s important to be scared sometimes so that we can avoid danger, right?”

You daughter nods, sniveling.

Rooster smiles at her. “But you trust daddy, right?”

She nods again.

Rooster sighs. “It’s going to be a pinch,” he tells her honestly, in response to which your daughter lets out a whine. “But it won’t last long!” Rooster continues. “Remember that time you fell off your bike and scraped your knee?”

Your daughter bobs her head up and down, crying a little harder.

“It won’t hurt nearly as much as that, okay?”

Your daughter whimpers quietly.

“We’re going to count to five, and then it’ll all be over, okay sweetheart? Will you help me count?”

Your daughter sighs shakily, but her crying has subsided. “I can count to twenty,” she says between sniffles.

Rooster chuckles. “I know, you little smarty pants,” he responds, ruffling her hair. “But the pinch will only last until we count to five. How does that sound?”

Your daughter nods again, then sniffs softly as he turns her back around on his lap.

“I’m going to hold on really tight and I won’t let go, okay?” Rooster mutters in her ear.

“Okay,” she agrees.

“Ready to count?” he asks.

“Ready.”

You smile at your daughter as she looks up at you and hold out your fingers as the two of them begin to count.

“One, two” - somewhere between one and five, your daughter starts to scream, but Rooster holds her tightly and continues counting - “three, four, five.”

“All done!” the doctor says.

Your daughter is crying while Rooster cradles her in his arms. “It’s over, sweetheart,” he whispers.

“That hurt!” your daughter wails.

“I know, baby. I know.” He stands up, holding her firmly to his body. “But you did it! My brave girl, I’m so proud of you!”

Your daughter hugs him back. “That’s it?” she cries. “Is it over?”

“It’s over, princess,” he whispers, blinking back his tears as he kisses the side of her head.

You stroke your husband’s arm as the doctor puts a Band-Aid on your daughter. Rooster looks like he’s about to pass out which is, on the one hand, a little funny considering his profession and the amount of stress he faces on a daily basis, and on the other, making you fall in love with him all over again.

Rooster puts his arm around your shoulders and pulls you into his side, still holding your daughter at his hip. “You okay?” he asks you gently.

You bite your lip and smile at him. You seem to be handling the situation much better than your husband, and you wonder whether it’s because you feel as though he is suffering enough for the both of you. “I’m okay,” you say. “Are you okay?”

He blinks wearily. “I think I’m okay,” he responds. “I might need a lollipop or something.”

You chuckle as your daughter chimes in, “I want a lollipop!”

“Oh, you definitely deserve a lollipop,” Rooster says happily, waving at the doctor as the three of you exit the office. “You probably deserve some stickers too. Maybe a trip to the toy store?” he says, turning to look at you hopefully.

You daughter starts bouncing in excitement on his arm. “Toy store! Toy store!”

You shake your head with a laugh. “Sure,” you reply.

Rooster lets out a giant sigh as the three of you step outside. “I’m so glad that’s over,” he says.

You smile at him warmly. “You were very brave, too, darling,” you say.

Rooster puts a hand on your daughter’s back to hold her up as he leans over to give you a kiss. “It wasn’t easy,” he mutters against your lips.

You laugh. “Well, I’m proud of you.”

He grins at you. “I probably deserve a treat, too,” he says with a wink.

“Daddy! You’re getting a lollipop!” your daughter reminds him.

Rooster Tag List:

Please feel free to let me know if you no longer wish to be tagged in Rooster fics/if you no longer consume Rooster content <3 The rest of the tags are in the comments!

@simp-for-fictional-people

@ollyoxenfrees

@iamabeautifulperson18

@living-in-my-imagination88

@wintercap89

@mavrellover91

@gingerbreadandpaper

@lonelywitchv2

@cashwheelersgirl89

@callsign-jupiter

@kindablackenedsuperhero

@everything-i-love-in-life

@malindacath

@rosiahills22

@wandering-wah

@olliepig

@m1llydins

@emilyniamh3679-blog

@footwatter

@books-for-summer

@harper1666

@coffeeaddictedmay

@diabeticgoth

@katiebby04

@problematic-420

@wishfulhope

@elizabitchsshit

@inarabee

@boringusername3

@zombiedixon89

@izz-ayes-world

@ratedtvpg

@mak-32

@sunnysofia

@a-nostalgic-disaster

@aaliyahjovel

@anyonehaveanyorangeslices

@bcon24

@lovemesomevesey

@daydreamingalways

@gerudolivinliv

@emilybradshaw

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topgun-imagines · 11 months

Text

Something In The Orange

Requested: no

Summary: When Mav pulls Bradley’s papers, you have no idea. You only find out when your boyfriend dissapears in the middle of the night.

Word count: 3.6k

Warnings: smut, blowjobs, handjob, oral sex (male & fem!receiving) fingering, penetrative sex, foul language, loss of virginity, angst, break ups, crying, fights, insecurity, complicated relationships, drifting apart. Please let me know if I missed anything! 18+

Pairings: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x fem!reader

Bradley was the first person that you ever really loved. The two of you had met during your junior year of high school. Ever since then, the two of you had become inseparable. You finally started dating the summer before your senior year. Bradley had applied to USNA and you had a scholarship to go to law school in Texas. Even though you had only been together for just over a year, you felt like you would spend the rest of your life with Bradley.

Now, you were riding shotgun in Bradley’s blue Bronco. You were on the way back to his house. His fingers were intertwined with yours as he pulled up to the sidewalk. Your boyfriend pressed a kiss to your knuckles as he shut the truck off. Hopping down, he rounded the front of the truck and opened your door for you.

The two of you walked hand in hand toward the door. The house that he, Mav, and Ice were staying in had light blue siding and a large white front porch. There was an American flag hanging from the roof of the porch and a large elm tree in the middle of the unfenced yard. Ever since Carole passed a few months ago, Mav and Bradley had been staying with Ice.

You were quiet as you slipped into the darkness of the house. The two of you giggled quietly as Bradley led you up the stairs and into his bedroom. The sound of the door clicking softly behind you mixed with your laboured breaths was all that could be heard in the tiny room.

Tonight was finally going to be the first time that you and Bradley had sex. And while Bradley had some experience in this field, you had no idea what you were doing.

Bradley’s hands settled on the side of your face as his lips moulded together with yours. You melted into the kiss, allowing his tongue to slip into your mouth when it traced the seam of your lips. A quiet, high-pitched whine escaped you as his tongue tangled with yours.

He pulled away a few seconds later, laughing quietly as his forehead knocked against yours. “You gotta be quiet baby.” There was a sheepish smile on your face as a blush crept up your chest. Mav and Ice were right down the hall. You didn’t need them to hear anything of what was about to happen.

Suddenly, Bradley’s mouth went bone dry at the sight of you sinking onto your knees. You stared up at him as you brought one hand up to palm him through his jeans. He tossed his head back in a moan as you squeezed him softly.

Your boyfriend was panting when he looked back down. Slowly, you started to pull the zipper of his fly down. Then, as if you were teasing him, you popped the button on his jeans before dragging the material down his legs. That left him standing in front of you in nothing but his boxers. The sight made your mouth water.

With wide eyes, you glanced up at Bradley. He nodded encouragingly and sucked in a sharp breath when you began dragging his boxers down his legs.

His cock slapped against his stomach as you pulled the fabric down. There was a look of concertation on your face as you reached a hand up and gripped the base of his dick. It was one that Bradley had seen so many times before, usually when you had your nose hurried in a book. This time, however, was much less innocent.

You began moving your hand up and down his length, stroking him until he was fully hard.

By the time you were satisfied, there was a few drops of precum leaking from the head of his cock. The tip was an angry red colour. The whole time your hand was moving over him, you had been transfixed by the sound of his desperate moans and whimpers.

Bradley noticed the hesitant look in your eyes as you stared at the way his hips bucked in desperation. His hand settled against the soft skin of your cheek. “It’s okay, honey. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

You instantly began shaking your head. You wanted this.

Sucking in a shaky breath, you steeled yourself before tentatively wrapping your fingers around his cock once more. You gripped him firmly, leaning forward until your breath was ghosting across his tip.

When Bradley felt your puckered lips press a soft kiss to the crown of his cock, he had to stop himself from cursing aloud. You slowly began to grow more confident. Eventually, you were licking a stripe up from his balls to his tip, slipping the plush head inside your mouth afterward. That time, Bradley did curse.

You began suckling on the first few inches of his cock. You hollowed your cheeks as you began bobbing your head up and down, trying to recall any tips or tricks you had heard from your friends.

Bradley groaned above you, head tossed back against the door as his hand wove into your hair. A surprised moan vibrated from your mouth and through his cock when he tugged on your roots. Your tongue traced the vein on the bottom of his cock as you pushed yourself further and further down him until you were gagging around his length.

A choked gasp escaped him as he pulled you off his length. Bradley was panting as your hand continued to move slowly up and down his shaft. There was a devilish look in your eyes as your hand trailed down to his balls. You grinned as you squeezed softly, rolling them around in your hand.

“Get up, Honey,” His eyes were hooded, pleasure clouding the now-dark irises. You obeyed, standing before him as his hands gripped your hips. Harsh enough to leave bruises. You slipped your shirt over your head, grinning at the way Bradley’s eyes were focused on your tits. Your breath caught in your throat at the intense look in his eyes when he made eye contact with you. “I’m gonna make you feel real good.”

You allowed Bradley to lead you back toward the bed. Your knees hit the back of the bed, causing you to fall onto the soft sheets. Bradley knelt between your spread legs. Butterflies swarmed in your stomach at the hungry look in his eyes.

Before you knew it, Bradley was slipping your shorts down your legs. Your breathing grew heavy as he began peppering kisses over the supple skin of your thighs. He kissed his way up to your center, leaving delicate purple marks in his wake.

Soft moans escaped you as he began to press gentle kisses over your clothed cunt. The cotton slowly soaked through.

Bradley looked up at you, eyes silently asking if you were sure about this. When you nodded your head softly, he grinned. Seconds later, the fabric was being dragged down your legs slowly. Your eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of his tongue trailing up the inside of your thigh.

The next thing you knew his lips were wrapped around your clit, causing your hips to buck wildly off the bed. You moaned loudly. Bradley's eyes darted up to yours, a cocky smirk on his face. “You gotta be quiet, baby.” He reprimanded you gently.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Bradley ate you out like a starved man. He had your legs thrown over his shoulders, one hand gripping your leg while the other pinned your hips to the bed.

You did your best to control your moans, even going as far as biting your own hand to keep yourself quiet. Bradley’s tongue laved over your dripping hole. A high-pitched whine fell from your lips at the feeling of him slipping his tongue into your hole.

You could feel the pressure building in your lower stomach. The feeling kept building and building, so much so until you couldn’t hold back any longer. Just as you were about to fall over the edge, the feeling disappeared completely. “I want to cum around me.” His words alone we’re almost enough to send you over the edge.

He slowly crawled up your body, hands skimming gently over your soft skin. His hard cock brushed against your lower abdomen as he settled on top of you. You grinned up at him and he gave you a reassuring smile in return.

Bradley pressed a plethora of kisses to the side of your neck. Pleasured gasps tumbled from your mouth as your back arched off the bed. “Condom,” You moaned out. “Bradley get a condom.”

Feeling his body weight disappear for a few seconds, your eyes fluttered shut as you waited for him to return. When you felt the bed dip beside you, a flush began rising up your chest. Your eyes opened slowly, taking in the sight of Bradley kneeling above you, fisting his cock slowly. You moaned at the sight, watching as he rolled the condom down his length.

Nerves filled you as Bradley lowered himself onto you. “You ready baby?” You nodded, sucking in a shaky breath as he ran the tip of his cock through your folds. When it swiped over your clit you let out a sinful moan. Bradley groaned at the sound.

He stared deep into your eyes, reassurance shining through. Slowly, inch by inch, he eased himself into you. Your lips parted in a silent scream, suddenly overwhelmed by the intrusion. Bradley lowers himself down, cradling you to his chest as he whispered sweet nothings into your damp hair.

Before you knew it, Bradley was seated balls deep inside of you. You panted harshly at the stretch, eyes screwing shut at the foreign feeling. “Tell me when.” Your boyfriend's voice was low and raspy as he fought his hardest to restrain himself. You were clenching so beautifully around him that he almost lost it the second he slid in. You nodded distractedly, willing the slight discomfort away.

After a few minutes, you nodded softly. “Please just,” You murmured quietly, still trying to catch your breath. “Just be gentle.” Bradley smiled down at you. You knew that he would, you just needed to remind him.

Bradley began slowly rocking into you, only slipping out a few inches before pushing back in. You moaned at the feeling, eyes rolling back as his tip brushed against a spot so deep inside you it made you want to cry.

The only sounds that could be heard in the small bedroom were the sounds of yours and Bradley’s joint moans mixing with the sound of skin slapping on skin. Your boyfriend's hips rutted into yours quickly, drawing cry after cry from your parted and cracked lips.

Dropping his head into the crook of your neck, Bradley let out a deep groan at the feeling of your wet cunt clenching around his cock.

The feeling from earlier returned. You could feel the hot white pressure building, a coil tightening more and more with each of his sharp thrusts. You hardly noticed the way his pace grew sloppy. His warm breath fanned across the skin of your neck as you arched off the bed.

The sound of Bradley letting out a high-pitched whine had you gripping his cock like a vice. “Please Bradley,” You begged breathlessly. “‘M gonna cum,” Bradley nodded, eyes screwed shut as his hand drifted down to your core. “Fuck!” You exclaimed at the feeling of his fingers circling your clit in tight, precise patterns.

That coil was winding tighter and tighter, right up until one final nudge of his cock against that little spongy spot inside you sent you falling quickly over the edge. Bradley followed close behind, hot spurts of cum filling the condom as your cunt milked him dry. He continued to rock into you, working the pair of you through your intense highs.

He stilled inside of you a few seconds later. The pair of you continued panting as you wound your arms around his back. You stared up at the ceiling, a blissed-out grin on your face. you were so glad that you and Bradley had finally done that. All the nerves and worries from earlier had disappeared completely once Bradley first slipped in.

That blissed-out smile soon turned into a wince when he slipped out of you. He crawled off of you and dropped the used condom into the trash can. Bradley disappeared to the washroom. You followed on shaky legs. Bradley stood in front of the toilet, finishing his business before stepping over to the sink.

You sat down on the toilet and shot him a lazy grin. Once you were finished you flushed the toilet, cringing slightly at the sight of blood in the bowl. You had heard that that could happen but it didn’t make you any more comfortable.

Hand in hand, you and Bradley made your way back toward the bed, collapsing onto it in a fit of giggles. You snuggled together under the covers, your head resting on Bradley’s sweaty chest and his arm tucked under your shoulders.

Your eyes slowly fluttered shut, the post-sex haze making you feel sleepy. You tucked yourself under Bradley's chin, snuggling into the crook of his neck. “I love you, baby girl,” You heard him whisper. His arms tightened around you, pulling you closer into his warmth. “Please don't ever forget that.” You hummed quietly, murmuring something along the same lines. Your words were slurred as you allowed sleep to pull you under.

“I love you too, Brad.”

The roar of Mav’s motorcycle was what woke you up in the morning. You stretched with a yawn, frowning when you felt the empty bed. You sat up, blinking quickly as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes. There was an orange glow streaming through the bedroom window and a quick glance at the clock told you it was just before 6 o’clock.

You got dressed slowly, guessing that Bradley and Ice were sitting downstairs having breakfast. However, the house was eerily quiet. Usually, when you stayed the night, you were woken by sloppy kisses being peppered across your face or the sound of Maverick and Ice laughing downstairs.

As you headed down the stairs, you continued to grow confused. You couldn’t even hear the scraping of utensils against plates. You rounded the corner into the kitchen, eyebrows furrowing when you found Ice sitting at the counter alone. He had a note clutched in his hands.

“Ice?” The sound of your voice caused his head to whip up. There was a sadness in his eyes, one that suddenly made you question why Mav sped off so fast this morning. “What’s going on?”

You sat down across from him, eyes the paper in his hand suspiciously. “Morning kiddo.” He had a sad smile on his face.

Worry grew in the pit of your stomach. “Where did Mav go? And,” You paused, glancing around the room in search of your boyfriend. “Where’s Bradley?” Ice almost didn’t want to tell you what happened.

He sighed, glancing between the note and your curious and oblivious eyes. “Look kiddo,” The Capitan started. He really didn’t know how to explain it to you in a way that wouldn’t destroy you. Honestly, he wasn’t sure that that was possible. “Just, just read this.” He handed the paper to you. It appeared as if had been crumpled and balled up multiple times. There were dark spots that you guessed had come from tears.

The letter was addressed to you and Ice. You found it odd that there was no mention of Mav. As you read through it, any hope that you had that everything was going to be okay died. It was from Bradley, explaining that due to the recent actions of Maverick, he couldn’t stand to live anywhere near Ice or Mav. He didn’t want them to have any say in what he did with his life. Nowhere in the letter did it explain why he wanted that.

“So,” You choked out, staring at the letter as you spoke to Ice. “What is this supposed to mean?” You stared at him, hands beginning to shake and tears welling in your eyes.

The older man stared at you with sympathy. “Bradley left last night,” A sob bubbled out of your chest. “Oh honey,” He cooed, pulling you into his chest as you cried. “Mav did something stupid and Bradley decided to leave,” His hand moved up and down your beck softly. “It’s not your fault.” He promised quietly.

You pulled back, breathing fast and hiccuping as you tried to calm yourself down. “Please Ice,” you practically begged him. “Please tell me that you’re kidding?” There was a sad smile on his face. You broke down into tears once again. “No,” You gasped out. You could feel your heart pounding on the inside of your skull. “He wouldn’t leave. Not after last night.” The reminder of what happened last night froze you in your tracks.

How could he do that after what happened last night? he knew how important that was for you. Apparently, it didn’t mean as much to him. Out of all the ways that you would have guessed this morning would go, either eating breakfast with your boyfriend’s makeshift family or sneaking out when no one was looking, you never thought that Bradley would have disappeared in the middle of the night. You never imagined waking up to find out that your boyfriend had left you without a goodbye after the night that you had spent together.

You had been there for him when Carole passed, holding him for weeks after he dealt with the loss of his mother. And now, he couldn’t even say goodbye or explain to you why he was leaving. There was hardly even a mention of you in the note he left. You thought that you at least meant a little more to him than that.

“What happened last night?” Ice’s question drew you out of your daydream. You shook your head. You felt as if you were going to be sick. Before Ice could stop you, you were rushing to the backyard, pacing around the deck as you sucked in laboured breaths.

The sliding door closed softly behind you, alerting you to the man's presence. Ice took a seat on one of the chairs, patiently waiting for you to explain why you were suddenly so distraught.

A humourless laugh escaped you. You couldn’t even begin to feel embarrassed about what you were about to admit, too consumed with a mixture of worry and betrayal. “We slept together last night. For the first time.” It was hardly a whisper and in the background noise of Miramar waking up, it was almost drowned out completely. And yet, Ice still heard you loud and clear. He heard the tremble in your voice as you spoke and he saw the way your hands shook.

Ice remained silent, watching as you stopped pacing. You set your hands on your hips, staring out over the fence at the rising sun. With a sigh, the Capitan stood from his seat and walked over behind you. “I just can’t believe he would leave.” You whispered brokenly. Bradley meant the world to you. It sucked learning that you didn’t mean enough for him to stay.

The pair of you stood on the edge of the deck in silence, Ice’s arm wound around your shoulders as he tried to comfort you. “I know,” He whispered. “I’m so sorry.” Tears fell down your face in steady streams as you came to terms with what happened.

Bradley had left. And as you stared at the orange hue tinting the sky, you knew that he was never coming home. You didn’t even get to say goodbye to him. Ice held you as you cried, wishing that this was all just a bad dream.

You spent the rest of the summer trying to move on from Bradley. It didn’t work, you knew it wouldn’t, but you couldn’t deny the small sliver of hope in your mind that one day Bradley would come home. He never did, and so, in the fall, you boarded a plane for Texas. Ice had dropped you off. He saw the distant and longing look in your eye. The spark that had once been there had now died.

While you were away, you and Ice kept in contact. You hardly spoke to Mav. Ever since Bradley had left, the man that had once been like a father to you wanted nothing to do with you. Ice could have told you why but honestly, you didn’t want to know. Bradley hadn’t even bothered trying to contact you. You didn’t know whether you appreciated that he stayed gone, or if you resented him for ever leaving in the first place. Even if you didn’t want to admit it, you knew it was closer to the second option.

Years later you graduated law school and went on to become a lawyer. Time went on and eventually, you didn’t think of Bradley every day. There were some days when the memory would pop up again, reminding you of all the pain you left behind. Each time it happened, you wished that you could forget everything about that small town. But, you could never be able to forget Bradley Bradshaw. After all, he was the first man you ever loved.

a/n: Thank you all so much for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this as much as I loved writing it ☺️ requests are open.

Tagging: @topguncultleader @t0kyoreveng3rs @soulmates8 @there-goes-thefighter @blueoorchid @dreamgirl3300 @atarmychick007 @alexxavicry @bradleybeachbabe @chaoticassidy @genius2050 @ice-doc-val @nyx2021 @aviatorobsessed @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @natt-67 @anglebabyange @oliviah-25

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bradshawsbaby · 2 years

Text

The Better Man

Pairing: Rooster x Wife!Reader

Author’s Note: I’ve honestly been struggling a little bit with my writing as of late. I want to write, but I’ve been so low on energy these past few weeks. And then when I do write, I feel like I’m unhappy with the end result. But the idea for this one came to me while I was taking a walk today, and I wanted to get it down. I write so often about Bradley defending Mrs. Bradshaw, but I wanted to showcase a time when she stood up for him as well. Hope you like it!

Warnings: Brief language, alcohol consumption, a really dickish former classmate.

“Oh, God,” Phoenix groaned, her voice cutting through the din of the Friday night crowd at The Hard Deck. From her position at your group’s table, she had a perfect view of the main entrance to the bar. “Not that guy.”

At her pronouncement, everyone else turned and craned their necks to see who she was referring to.

Hangman, Payback, and Fanboy seemed to know who Phoenix was talking about, as they immediately frowned and began muttering a few choice words under their breath, shaking their heads and averting their gazes.

Your husband seemed to recognize him as well, and from his reaction, you could tell he wasn’t an old friend. Bradley’s arm, which had been draped casually over your shoulders, tightened noticeably and his face darkened slightly, his eyes narrowing for a moment before he, too, turned away.

“Who is that?” you asked, keeping your voice down despite the fact that you knew no one outside your group would be able to hear you over the music and loud conversations permeating the bar.

Coyote and Bob turned curious gazes towards their fellow Dagger Squad members, clearly having no idea who this guy was either.

“Luke Robbins,” Phoenix told you, pursing her lips as if the name tasted sour on her tongue and taking a sip of her beer. “Call sign, Crunch. He went to flight school with me, Rooster, and Hangman. Payback and Fanboy know him, too, from the incredibly brief time he was stationed on our carrier.”

“Not brief enough,” Payback muttered, to which Fanboy nodded in vehement agreement.

“That popular of a guy, huh?” you replied, raising an eyebrow. Your friends and your husband seemed to have nothing but universal disdain for this Luke Robbins.

“He’s an asshole,” Bradley chimed in, lightly stroking your arm with his fingertips as he reached out for his beer with his other hand. “Always thought he was the best of the best and didn’t need help from anyone. Not to mention how quickly he’d throw everyone around him under the bus so that he could climb another rung on the ladder.”

“Never got him anywhere though, did it?” Hangman smirked, sipping his beer and leaning back in his chair. “Last I heard, good ol’ Cap’n Crunch has never been invited to TOPGUN.”

“So what’s he suddenly doing here?” Fanboy frowned, glancing across the room, where Robbins and the group he’d come in with were now stationed at the bar.

The rest of the guys shrugged indifferently, but Phoenix let out another groan. “Didn’t Cyclone say something about a training detachment visiting North Island for a couple weeks? Don’t tell me Crunch is part of that squadron,” she rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. Hopefully it won’t have anything to do with us and we can just ignore him,” Bradley said, glancing down at you and shooting you a smile that held no trace of the annoyance he’d felt when Crunch and company had first entered The Hard Deck.

You and your friends returned to your earlier conversation, laughing and just enjoying each other’s company. You and Bradley had returned from your honeymoon a week earlier, and it was good getting to catch up with everyone.

The evening was going quite nicely until a voice sounded behind you that had your husband stiffening beside you, and the rest of your friends glaring in irritation.

“Well, well, well, what have we here?”

You turned in your seat slightly to see the fighter pilot known as Crunch standing behind you, a pint of beer in hand. He was smiling one of those smug “I know no one here likes me, but I’m going to come over and be annoying anyway” smiles. You disliked him instantly.

When no one responded, he went on. “Funny how things don’t change. The gang’s all here. Rooster. Phoenix. Payback. Fanboy. Oh, and Hangman. That’s new, I guess,” he smirked. “Plus a couple spares,” he added, glancing over at Coyote and Bob.

Phoenix’s eyes narrowed. “Coyote Machado and Bob Floyd. Fellow TOPGUN graduates. That’s probably why you don’t know them,” she shot back with a cool smirk.

Crunch’s lip curled momentarily, but he didn’t strike back. “And who’s this?” he asked a second later, his eyes suddenly landing on you. “I know a girl with hands as soft as those is no fighter pilot,” he laughed obnoxiously.

Bradley glared, instinctively pulling you closer to his side. “This is my wife,” he told Crunch, an edge of warning in his voice as he grudgingly told him your name.

As much as you couldn’t ignore the tension hanging thickly in the air, you also couldn’t deny the little thrill that went through you when Bradley introduced you as his wife. You didn’t think you’d ever get over it.

“Wife, huh?” Crunch grinned, smacking Bradley on the shoulder in a gesture that could have been friendly, but clearly wasn’t. “Good for you, man.” Turning to look at you, he winked and leaned in closer, as if he was about to share a secret. “Back in the day, Bradshaw here had no game with the ladies. Hardly ever left with one at the end of the night.”

You blinked and maintained a straight face, despite your aggravation at this jerk clearly trying to belittle and embarrass your husband. “I guess Bradley just wasn’t trying to sleep with any woman who breathed in his vicinity,” you replied, gazing back at him with a serene expression.

Fanboy snorted at that, sputtering slightly on his beer.

A look of annoyance flashed through Crunch’s eyes as he looked back at you. He seemed unhappy that he hadn’t been able to ruffle any feathers at your table.

“Surprised they asked you back to TOPGUN, Bradshaw,” he suddenly said, loudly enough that a few people at the tables around you glanced over. “Surprised they invited you to begin with, in fact.” He seemed satisfied by the tightened jaws and clenched fists that he was now seeing from the Dagger Squad.

Grinning meanly, he glanced at you once more. “Not sure if you’re aware, sweetheart, but your husband here was always the slowest in our flight class. The slowest. The most hesitant. Never good for making a snap decision. Kind of makes you think that Chicken would have been a more fitting call sign, no?”

You could feel the tension pouring off your husband in waves, your own pulse racing in your veins as you felt the heat of anger rushing to your cheeks. Behind you, you could feel rather than see the glares of your friends. Sliding a hand underneath the table, you rested it on Bradley’s thigh, offering him your support and comfort.

Crunch truly was the worst kind of person, determined to ruin everyone’s night for no other reason than for his apparent twisted pleasure. Why he couldn’t just walk away and leave you all in peace was beyond your understanding.

“But I understand, Bradshaw. I do,” he went on, feigning sympathy. “You didn’t want to make a mistake up there. Fuck something up and end up six feet under. You know, kind of like your old man.”

That was the final straw. Fury burning in his dark eyes, Bradley slammed his fist on the table and rose immediately, knocking his chair back in his haste. The rest of the Dagger Squad followed suit, not going to stand for such an insult being thrown your husband’s way.

None of them, however, moved as quickly as you.

You’d risen from your seat, too, as soon as your husband had stood up, rage firing through your veins as you stared at Crunch’s smugly satisfied face. And before anyone else could so much as blink or move a muscle, your fist was colliding with his nose, harder than you ever would have believed yourself capable of. So hard, in fact, that you felt the force of it vibrating up your arm and all the way into your shoulder.

Crunch staggered back in response, immediately clutching at his nose, from which a thin stream of blood was already starting to trickle.

“That’s for my husband and my father-in-law!” you exclaimed, pointing an angry finger at him. You didn’t even realize you’d taken a step closer to him until you felt Bradley wrapping an arm around your waist, pulling you back. “Both of whom are better men and better fighter pilots than you could ever hope to be!”

Your ears still ringing from both anger and the shock of what you’d just done, it took a second to register the sound of raucous cheers and laughter echoing around you. Not only were your friends applauding, but so were many of the bar patrons around you.

Eyes narrowed in humiliation and still clutching his bleeding nose, Crunch turned and hurried off, muttering something under his breath about “Bradshaw’s wife” being a “psycho bitch.”

You waited until his back was turned and he had moved off before shaking out your hand, which you were confident would be black and blue tomorrow. How did people go around getting into fist fights on a regular basis?

“That was amazing!”

“Most badass thing I’ve ever seen!”

“Wish one of us had had the balls to do that during flight school!”

Your friends were all congratulating you and telling you how incredible that had been, but the only person you had eyes for at that moment was your husband.

Bradley gazed down at you, his eyes still dark, but no longer with anger. Now they were sparking with something much deeper, something much more instinctual and hungry.

His eyes never leaving your face, Bradley lifted your hand to his lips and pressed soft kisses to your throbbing fingers, which sent a shiver shooting down your spine and straight to your toes.

“Baby,” he whispered, holding your battered hand close to his chest and massaging your swollen knuckles with gentle fingers. “That was hands down the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he told you, his voice hoarse as he continued to gaze down at you in amazement. “And also—thank you.”

You could tell from the thickness in his voice that it wasn’t just what you had done that had moved him—it was why you had done it. Not only would you never allow anyone to disparage your husband like that, but you would also never stand for anyone trying to mar the memory of his parents.

“Get a room, you two,” Coyote called out suddenly, teasingly chucking a napkin at the both of you.

You and Bradley were brought back to the present moment, glancing over at the knowing grins being aimed at you from the rest of the Dagger Squad.

“What do you say, Mrs. Bradshaw? Should we do just that?” Bradley grinned, taking your hand in both of his.

“I think we should, Lieutenant Bradshaw,” you nodded, laughing as Bradley suddenly lifted you over his shoulder to the sound of the hooting and hollering of your friends.

Once you got home, Bradley spent the rest of the night taking very good care of you and showing you just how much your defense of the Bradshaw name meant to him.

#mr. & mrs. bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #mrs. bradshaw #the dagger squad #rooster x wife!reader #rooster x reader #x reader #x female reader #top gun #top gun: maverick #miles teller

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multifan2022 · 10 months

Text

Used to be yours #2

I just want to thank anyone who has stuck around to read this.. I posted PART 1 on January 18th!! So with my deepest apologize i give you part 2 164 days later .. I hope you all love it.

That night after a few hours that honestly felt too short spent with Mav and Henley, you had been trying to get ready to go to the club Phoenix was insisting on going to. Key word was try, because you didn't make it further than your panties before your husband was palming your breasts and pushing them back down. Did you understand? Yes. Did you put up any type of argument? State how you would be late? No.. Absolutely not. Because if there was anything you knew, it was Bradley was just as thorough in the bedroom as he was in the sky. And it had been months since you had been in front of each other, and there was really no better way to celebrate your alone time.

You're already thinking about how Nix is going to make comments about the beard burn on your neck and chest as Bradley continues to kiss his way down your stomach. His teeth sinking into the extra meat of your thigh as he looked up at you. When his tongue ran up your slit you both moaned together. Bradley was the only man you had ever met that would admit that he absolutely loved eating his woman out. Not that you had been with anyone besides him and Hangman. But you had overheard conversations he had with guys on random deployments while on facetime or calls. Or listened to him recount a story here or there. He was 100% down to tell people his second favorite place in the world was between your thighs.

It was everything from the way you tasted and sounded, to the way his fingers dug into the flesh of your legs as he held them apart. Honestly it was the same for you, the feeling of said fingers digging into you was great. The way his beautiful hair felt fisted in your hand, wonderful. How his moans as you gasp, clench or pull his hair, would vibrate through you, perfect. You swore there was no one luckier on the planet than you. So now as he went to town feasting on you like a man dying of thirst, you scolded yourself for speaking.

“The beard is new.. Not really Navy regulation.”

Bradley chuckled and pulled his mouth away just a little, replacing his tongue with his finger as he looked up at you. He could see that you were questioning yourself as to why you said that. “Do you really wanna talk about Navy regulations right now Babe?” You shook your head, laughing lightly “Your right.” It caught both you and Bradley off guard when your hand wrapped into his hair and you all but shoved his face back into your pussy. The filthy moan he let out, the way his fingers dug into your thighs as you held his face where you needed him sent your confidence skyrocketing. Riding his face until you were ready to let go, before riding his cock too.

That's how you ended up at the club a good hour after Nix and what was, unfortunately, shaping up to be the others of the dagger squad. Natasha and her girlfriend Steph can't stop raving over how good the lace body con tank top and black jeans you decided to wear look on you. For now you had a silky black shirt over it, but the club was warm and you were already starting to get hot. Normally you would be gushing back about whatever they have on, or saying thank you an embarrassing amount of times. Because no amount of love from Rooster can make up for spending years being told you would never be good enough. Normally you also wouldn't be absolutely brain dead and drooling over your husband. Because honestly what gave this man the right to look so fucking hot?

His hair was still slightly wet from his shower, showing off exactly how curly it truly is as it hung just right. His beard really shouldn't have looked as good as you thought it did, and sure some would disagree but they are wrong. His shirt was unbuttoned just far enough to be obscenely hot, showing off his chest hair and two necklaces. Both plain chains but one was his fathers and one had been gifted to him by Henley. The offensive shirt was white, black and pink with gray designs in the white boxes. The shit litterally hung off him in a way that screams fuck me. He was completely oblivious to every woman that stared at him as he made his way back towards you from the bar.

He noticed the way your eyes tracked over him as Nat shook her head smiling and said something about being on the dance floor. In his hands he had two shots each, one hand held his favorite shots. He handed you one of the kamikaze shots and sat the other two down. Shooting those back you stuck your tongue out at him. You preferred sweeter drinks but never complained for real, it was all in fun. “I know, I know.. I got us these to wash those down with. They are vodka jolly rancher shots, got you a blue raspberry.” He said as he smiled at you, taking those shots back to before he grabbed your hand and followed Nat and Steph.

An hour later when Jake and Javy were walking in you didn't notice. “Love tonight” The David Guetta party remix was blaring and you were jumping and dancing with the girls. Bradley hadn't even noticed until they settled at the bar next to him. Javy clapped him on the back in greeting as the bartender started their tabs and took more drink orders. “I didn't think you would be here! Figured you would be too busy with your lady.” Jake said, turning to look at Rooster who clenched his jaw and nodded. “I took care of things before and will do so again later I'm sure.. Not like she's going anywhere, we bought a house on base so her and our daughter are staying.”

Again Jake and Javy shared a look, “Man you got a wife AND a daughter. How did none of us know?” Bradley shrugged apologetically at Javy as the bartender sat a beer and a frozen strawberry margarita in front of him. “It's gonna cause some tension.. So I kept it to myself, and wasn't expecting to stay, ya know.. But I better get this back to her so she can drink it while it's frozen..” Bradley was thankful to have an exit, he really didn't want to be away from you when you realized Jake was here. He didn't care that he left the two men confused and watching after him. “Why is it gonna cause problems?” Javy said almost not realizing it was out loud until Jake shrugged. But as Rooster made it back to his table, and the ladies made it back, it all clicked for Jake.

“What the fuck..” He said as he watched a familiar y/h/c woman slide up next to Rooster, sitting down in his lap with an ease that screamed comfort. He watched the way your head tilted down just a little to listen as Bradley whispered in your ear. He could see the way you tensed from across the club. The way you went to move your head but Bradleys big hands grabbed your chin and shook his head while smiling. The way you leaned in and pressed your lips to his before keeping your back to Jake and sipping on your drink. Javy looked between his best friend who was about to shatter the glass his old fashioned was in, and the couple in question. Before he could ask, Jake answered “Thats Y/n..”

Javys jaw almost hit the bartop, “Like Y/n, Y/N? Long lost love Y/n? The one who got away Y/n? Y/n..” Jake held his hand up quickly cutting off whatever long tangent Javy was about to go on. Nodding he watched as Roosters hand explored your body from your perch on his lap. He knew he shouldn't but he found his body walking towards the table you guys were sitting at. When he slid into the seat and put an arm behind Phoenix she scoffed and looked at Rooster with that look on her face that says she's shocked by his audacity.

Jake's eyes were on your face as you watched Bradley, who watched Jake. “So Rooster.. Gonna introduce us to your… Wife..” The word felt like it stuck in his throat as his eyes trailed down your neck and over what he could see of your body. You could feel his eyes on you, and honestly it made you want to hit him. Turning you leaned slightly over the table to shake Javys hand and introduce yourself. That's when the questions started, Javy knew who you were to Jake, now he wanted to know how that rolled over to Bradley. “Where did you guys meet? How long have you been together? How old is your daughter? When can I meet her, can I be Uncle Yote?”

Everyone chuckled slightly at his enthusiasm. As an only child to a single mother, he loved anytime his family expanded even a little. Your fingers twirled Bradleys hair a bit as you answered, you knew you were probably going to hurt someone's feelings. Unfortunately for that person, you didn't really care. “Bradley and I met at his tap out ceremony. I was there to see someone else, but instead met the love of my life.” Jake watched, a sick feeling in his stomach as Bradley smiled softly at you and kissed your jaw. “Our daughter, Henley is nine and sure? I kinda figure eventually MOST of you will be like an aunt or uncle to her. Tasha is already Auntie Nix so it wont be that big of a deal.” Jake did the math quickly, shaking his head as he took a sip of his drink before speaking. “Damn Bradshaw, Ive always joked about you staying on your perch, guess you jumped off pretty quick for this one..”

Your head snapped to the side to glare at him in a way that made him want to sink into his seat. “What the hell does that mean, Hangman.” The way you sneered at his call sign made his skin crawl, he didn't figure you would be happy to see him, but he was starting to get the feeling that maybe you hated him. His brain racked as he tried to recall when the last time you spoke was. And when he did, he opened his mouth and proceeded to continue digging his hole deeper. “Sweets, listen.. Had I known Bradshaw was your baby daddy, I wouldn't have said what I said.. It was immature, I'm sorry.”

He missed the way Bradleys hand tightened around his beer at the pet name. His eyes only on yours, when you were younger all he had to ever do was apologize and bat his eyes at you and bam. Forgiven.

Now though, you looked like you could skin him and use him as a rug.

The chuckle that came from you was not filled with mirth, it was filled with disdain and hatred as you tried to calm yourself. Your hand in Bradley's hair, and his on your back were the only things keeping you grounded at the moment. When you looked back at Jake there was a coldness in your eyes that he had never seen before. Your tone was frosty as you spoke, “Bradley is her father, but unfortunately biologically she shares DNA with someone else.. And that person.. Well let's just say he isn't worth wasting my breath over.. He left me out to dry.. He is dead to me.”

The others at the table were shocked, well besides Nat who was thrilled that you were finally getting to say your piece. She had spent many nights, mostly tipsy ones, encouraging this with the hopes that she would get to witness it one day. When the music changed and you stood she stood as well, pulling her girl with you both as you announced you were going to go dance. Bradley was smirking down at the table as he moved your empty glass to the side and pushed the condensation around on the table. Javy felt like he was missing huge pieces of information, Jake did too.

Jake was doing everything he could to not demand more answers. He wanted to know everything that went wrong, every side step he should've taken. Every argument he should have walked away from, even the ones he should've pushed harder on. He wanted to ask which part of his behavior had pushed you so far away. Jake Hangman Seresin wanted to know everything he needed to not do again if there was ever a possible chance you would be with him again.

Meanwhile Bradley was loving how torn down the blond looked. Not that he was happy someone else was hurting, just happy that he knew you were getting what you needed. This would help make you happier. This was part of what you needed to heal from Jake and be able to completely move on. But even with all that happiness stirring around in him, old habits die hard. With that in mind he couldn't help but make small jabs at the man. So he leaned back and spread his arms and legs while allowing his head to fall to his shoulder.

Both Javy and Jake could tell he wanted to say something, but it seemed like he got lost for just a moment. And he did, the moment his eyes found you smiling and dancing with the girls, it was like everything slowed down. Everything in his universe was attached to you in some way. He would never be able to dig deep enough into himself to cut you out completely. The beautiful, thick woman dancing in front of him was his world. The moon, the stars and every galaxy out there. But he forced himself to look away and at one of the few people he actually had real, true negative feelings for.

“I guess I should thank you Hangman.” He said with a side smirk and slight edge to his voice. He could see the anger and confusion boiling in Jakes eyes as he wondered where he would go with this. Chuckling lightly Bradley continues “Well, had you not been such a selfish prick and ditched her, after begging her to come, at our academy graduation I wouldve never met her… Hell she would probably be married to you. So thank you, for leaving her hangin.” Bradley chuckled once again while tipping his beer bottle towards Jake.

Javy was shocked, he had never heard this part. Just that you and Jake had fallen out of touch. So to find out in reality, Jake had ditched you and then spent years complaining about how he loved and missed you? He turns to start asking his own questions but stops when he notices his best friends face. Jake has turned red from the neck up, his jaw is clenched to tightly Javy wouldnt be surprised if he cracked a tooth. The bottle in Jakes hand is held so tightly its liable to crack.

Its taking every ounce of self control that Jake has to not throw himself over the table. He already wanted to rip Bradleys arms off and beat him with them. But now it was worse. Jake wanted to not only beat Bradley until he couldnt move anymore, but he wanted to show Bradley. Show Bradley that maybe.. Just maybe a piece of you had always been waiting for him to come back. That maybe Jake had a fighting chance in a race he didnt even know was happening.

Just as he went to answer, a redhead came up and practically threw herself in Jakes lap. “Hey there.. If I wear that hat, can I ride you cowboy?” Jake had never been so turned off in his life. It wasnt the woman in his lap, shes gorgeous and any night before this Jake wouldve spewed off something charming and taken her in the bathroom or maybe in his truck. But he was physically having a hard time not shoving her off his lap. It felt wrong to do in front of you in a way that didnt make sense to him.

He had no problem parading girls in front of you when he was younger. Girls back home all threw high school, he always took someone different to each dance, both proms. It was never you. He had both you and Jade when he was in the Academy. Jade thought you were just the pathetic girl in town he took pity on. That you had this silly little high school crush on him, and Jake only entertained it because he pitied you. While none of that came from his mouth, Jake never disagreed. It was an easy way to get away with having his cake and eating it too.

Especially because you didn't even know Jade existed.

“SO.. Anyways.. I'm gonna go dance with my wife.. Have a nice night guys.” Bradley practically ran from the table, he was half hard just from listening to you tell Hangman how you felt. There was never any doubt in his head that you would leave him for Jake, but the reassurance was alway nice. The other part was that you never really got worked up like that, so to see you angry was hot. Bradley was suddenly happy that Nix had wanted to come to this club. This club that had ladies dancing on private stages in the corners. This club that had expensive, but semi-private rooms in the back for… Activities.

Earned it by The Weeknd came on just as he reached you, his arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you back into him. It was natural to wrap one arm back and around his neck as the other rested on his arm. “God, that was so hot baby.” His voice was deep and raspy as he ground against you, letting you feel just how hot he thought it was. You just wanted to focus on being back with him, Jake needed to go back to the furthest recesses of your mind where he belonged. So you turned around, wrapping both arms around his neck as the two of you danced with each other. He kept one hand on your hip or lower back at all times, ensuring that you couldn't pull away from him.

He wanted to feel you as close as he could, until that wasn't enough and he brought his mouth down on yours. It was a filthy and debauched kind of kiss, the kind that others saw and thought “Wow save it for the bedroom” but here, in this kinda sketchy club nobody cared. Well besides the blond standing across the room, it didn't matter that Jake had that girl pressed up against him talking. He didn't even catch her begging him to get a room in the back. If he was honest he couldnt even remember if he asked for her name. He wanted to march over to you and tell you that he had loved you for as long as he could remember. That he was stupid and young and let you walk away but thought you would always find your way back to each other.

He wanted to tell you that he didn't care that you had a child, that he would love your daughter like his own. Jake wanted to tell you how he visited your fathers grave every time he went home, paid someone to make sure it stayed clean. That he looked for you, asked people if they knew where you were every single time he went home. He looked everywhere for you.. But now as he watched you bite your bottom lip and start pulling your husband back towards a hallway that he hadn't noticed, he knew it was too late. His mind processed that you were so far gone from him, that he probably wouldn't even be able to salvage a friendship.

But his heart was unable to hear, “Where's that hallway go?” He asked cutting off the woman in front of him. He didn't even know what she had been talking about, part of him felt bad, but the more prevalent part couldn't care. The redhead turned and giggled, saying she would tell him after they had one more drink. Even though it only took ten minutes for that drink to happen, it was ten minutes too long when she finally answered him. Semi-private rooms she said.. Rooms people used to have sex in a kind of private but still open way. His mind was exploding, he couldn't imagine his best friend, the one who blushed when someone asked to kiss her, having sex where others could see her. But as the redhead whose name he couldn't be bothered to figure out now pulled him back towards the hall, he came to the realization that he probably doesn't know you anymore.

He didn't pay any attention to the hostess charging his card. Didn't pay any attention to the rules she was reading out loud. He didn't care about the girl that was giggling and hanging on him as they started walking. All he could focus on was looking threw the sheer colored curtains as they passed rooms with couples or groups in varying positions. It wasn't until they walked into a room and the woman shoved him down onto the couch that he found you.

In the ‘room’ directly across from his.

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1-800-imagines · 11 months

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beach day | rooster bradshaw

with rooster being back at top gun teaching, it meant unlimited beach days for you and your twin boys. they were the perfect age to hang out at the beach all day as they were 4.

since the hard deck was on the beach, you usually camped out there rather than the condo you were renting, only really going inside when the boys were hungry. penny even started keeping your beach stuff at the bar for the three of you.

you sat in a chair watching nick and thomas make sandcastles to their hearts content. sometimes, on weekends, rooster would be able to sneak in and hang out with the three of you. those days were becoming less frequent as a mission was approaching and rooster was basically living on base.

you definitely missed your husband but knew the mission was crucial. you were honestly surprised that maverick wasn’t here. the boys hadn’t seen him in a few months and they were constantly asking for grandpa mav.

rooster had texted you that he and the other pilots were riding with the air force for the day and doing drills over the ocean. since you were so close to the base, you knew they would be flying over you. the boys loved to point to the planes overhead and pretend that rooster was in it. you knew they’d be extra excited that he actually was in it today.

your phone buzzed, it was a text from rooster:

bradley bradshaw ❤️: ‘heading out soon. love you’

you texted back that you loved him too even tho you know he wouldn’t see it until he was grounded again.

currently, the twins were building a sand castle village. “hey boys!” you said happily, “daddy’s gonna fly by soon.” you grinned.

the boys scrambled to their feet and ran over to sit on your lap to watch the sky.

sure enough, the sound of an airplane was flying over head only moments later. “look for daddy!” you called which made the boys beam in delight.

“i think you found him.” said a very familiar voice coming from behind you. the boys whipped around and thomas screeched with excitement, “daddy!!”

nick nearly tripped while trying to get off your lap and get to rooster. when the twins got off, you stood up and smiled at your husband, “well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

rooster had picked up both twins in his arms and he grinned at you, “wanted to surprise you darlin.”

he leaned in and gave you a kiss while the twins laughed. thomas wrapped his arms around roosters neck.

“howd you get a break?” you asked.

“they flew mav out to take over for today. they needed his expertise for some of the maneuvers.” rooster explained.

“does that mean grandpa mav will be staying with us?” you asked. which as soon as you said grandpa mav the boys cheered out.

“I think so, if they don’t have him sleeping on base like I was. i’m sure he’ll come crash with you guys for a few days when I have to go back.”

“well we can at least do a family barbecue or something,” you smiled, “besides he’ll probably stay with penny knowing mav.”

rooster nodded and leaned in to kiss you again, “i love you honey.”

“i love you more, bradshaw.”

and with that he took off and ran into the ocean with the twins, making your heart happy. the twins screamed and nick called out, “come in the water mommy!”

you shrugged off your coverup and walked to the water with your three boys, there wasn’t a better feeling in the world than being with the three of them.

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who wants a part 2?

#rooster x y/n #rooster bradshaw imagine #rooster x wife!reader #rooster top gun #rooster bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun maverick #top gun rooster #top gun imagine #top gun fic #bradley rooster bradshaw imagine

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mads-weasley · 2 years

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Little Hen

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Wife!Reader

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

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

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

(y/n) - your name

(y/n/n) - your nickname

(y/h/c) - your hair color

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

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

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

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

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

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

"Kiss me, baby." He sang

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Love ya, Cap."

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

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cherrycola27 · 1 year

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Fallout

Summary: what happens after Rooster's worst fear becomes his reality?

Pairing: Rooster x Reader

Warnings: Language, Ejection, Pregnancy Complications

There were very few things in this world that unnerved Rooster Bradshaw.

The thought of losing his wife was one.

Something happening to their unborn child was another.

But the thing that he couldn't get over, the fear that lived deep in his mind, for as far back as he could remember, was having to eject over deep water and the canopy malfunctioning.

The thought crept into Rooster's mind on every over water flight. The fear that he would die like his father did. It became even more prominent after you had gotten married, and now that you were expecting a child in a few months, it seemed even worse.

He told himself it was a freak accident that killed his father, that planes were safer now, but no matter how much he told himself that, he could never shake the eerie feeling of it.

It was supposed to be a routine training day. A few test flights with the new recruits over water. He wasn't even supposed to be flying, but Coyote woke up with the flu, so he filled in.

The scene played out in front of him in slow motion.

The birds came out of no where.

Left engine on fire.

Right engine gone.

The desperation he felt has he tried to regain control of the aircraft.

He couldn't save it.

Maverick screamed at him to eject... and so he did.

And then it happened.

His worst fear realized: the canopy didn't open all the way.

His life flashed before his eyes. He thought of you. The widow you would be come. And thought of his child and how they would never know him.

When his body made contact with the canopy, the last thought that crossed his mind was: "I tried so hard to live like my father, and now I'm going to die like him."

Maverick watched and heard the scene unfold in horror. He saw Rooster's plane catch on fire. He heard the fear in his voice as he tried desperately to save it. Rooster had once told him his biggest fear was dying like his father, and now he was living it.

For Maverick it felt like losing Goose all over again.

He remembers screaming for Bradley to eject. Bradley telling him to tell his wife he loved her, and then before the coms went dead, he heard it, the unmistakable sound of Rooster's body colliding with the canopy.

Maverick felt his heart drop. Bile rose into his throat as he desperately tried to contact him.

"This can't be happening again. I can't lose him. I can't tell another wife and child their husband and father is gone. I can't lose him Goose." Maverick thought.

His ears were ringing as people around him scrambled while search and rescue was deployed.

Maverick gripped the microphone crying out for Rooster to respond, but he didn't. He didn't even realize he had collapsed on the floor until he felt Hangman and Payback lifting him up and dragging him out of the room.

It was a typical Wednesday afternoon for you. You were finishing up some decorating in the nursery when you heard the knock on the door. "I wonder who that could be?" You said cradling you five month along baby bump.

You padded your way to the door, and when you opened it to find both Hangman and Maverick standing there with sorrowful eyes. Your heart dropped and the grip on your stomach tightened.

You don't remember much of what they said. After Maverick told you "There's been and accident." Your screams and tears filled your ears. You would have collapsed right there at your front door had Jake not caught you.

The two men escorted you to Jake's car and helped you in so they could take you to the hospital. You felt sick. On the ride there, you heard them talking to you, but it was all a blur.

You remember hearing Maverick explain what happened in bits and pieces... bird strike... both engines failed.... ejection over water... he hit the canopy.

You knew that was Rooster fear. He had told you how his father died from a very similar situation and how he prayed it would never happen to him. But it did. However, he was alive, for now.

No one knew exactly what condition he was in. You were trembling as Hangman and Maverick lead you into the hospital.

Your thoughts were racing as they tried to find out about Bradley. You were sure if they weren't holding onto you, you would drop to the floor in panic.

The doctors escorted you to his room. The doctors tried to explain to you what happened, but you couldn't hear them over the pounding of your own heart in your ears.

You felt sick as you looked through the glass.

Rooster lay there in the hospital bed. His right arm was in a sling. You could see some bruises along his face, some cuts dotted his forehead and there was a fresh set of stitches in his chin in almost the exact same spot his other scar was.

"Y/N" Maverick said gently touching your arm.

"What? I'm sorry what did you say?" You ask snapping back to reality.

"The doctors said he has a broken arm, a few bruised ribs and a concussion. He's lucky to be—that it wasn't worse than this." Maverick says. You hear the crack in voice. You know that this hard for him to, for him to see Rooster like this, to have witnessed the same thing happen to him that happened to Goose.

But he's right. Rooster was lucky. He could have died over the water, just like the man he tried so hard to emulate.

"They are keeping him sedated for now for the pain. They'll wake him up tomorrow. You don't have to stay here, I can take you home and get you in the morning or meet you over here." Maverick tells you.

"No, I'm not leaving him. I can't." You say trying to fight off fresh tears.

It had been six weeks since the accident. Rooster had been cleared by medical to fly again and he was itching to get back into the cockpit.

He was suiting up to do a test flight. "You ready to get back up there?" Hangman asked patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah. I was going crazy on paper duty." Rooster smiles at him before grabbing his helmet and taking off.

He went through his preflight checks and was strapped into his seat.

He took a few deep breath as the canopy came down. He could hear coms in his ears. His jet was positioned to take off and then it hit him.

The panic, the fear that he couldn't breath.

His chest tighten as black spots clouded his vision.

"Lieutenant Commander, are you ready for takeoff?" Range control asked him.

"Rooster are you okay?" He heard Hangman ask.

"Pull yourself together Bradley." He thought to himself.

He reached out for the throttle but his hand was trembling.

"Fuck!" He cursed before opening the canopy and climbing out of his jet.

Maverick tried to talk to him once he reached the tarmac, but Rooster sped past him to the locker rooms.

He slammed his gear into locker, grabbed his keys and headed home.

You had busied yourself preparing for the arrival of your child. You had three months left in your pregnancy and for the past week and a half you hadn't been feeling the best. Your OB said everything was fine but you weren't convinced. You had wanted to say something to Bradley, but after his accident he had been so—so distant with you. Cold even.

You knew he was stressed and there was some underlying tension with everything. You hoped that once he was able to fly again he would be better.

You knew today was the day he would finally get back up in the sky and you were so happy for him.

You prayed that this was what he needed to get back to normal. You couldn't take much more of him shutting you out. These past six weeks had been hard on both of you, physically and mentally.

You let out a deep breath as you felt another pain in your abdomen.

"Listen here kid... I love you, but if you could not play soccer with my organs, that would be great." You told your unborn child.

You were in the kitchen getting ready to start dinner when you heard your husband's keys in the door.

He came in and toed his boots off in the hallway. You wiped your hands off and went to greet him.

"Hey baby how was your—" he brushed past your out stretched arms and went straight for the fridge grabbing a beer and downing it in one gulp before placing his hands on the kitchen island. His shoulders shrugged and he let out a deep breath.

"Oh no baby. Did medical not let you fly today? I'm sorry. I'm sure they had a good reason." You say going to rub his back.

He abruptly shifts away from your touch. You can tell he is tense.

"They did clear me to fly but I couldn't do it. I got ready for take off and I panicked. So I jumped out of my plane and ran away like some scared little kid." He grumbled out.

"Baby. It's okay Bradley. Maybe just need a little more time to—"

"I don't need more TIME!" He yells at you smacking his fist on the counter.

You jump back from him and feel a tinge in your stomach.

"Rooster you went through something very traumatic, no one is going to fault you if you aren't ready. No one is going to be upset if you need more time to process or if you need to talk to someone" You try to calm him.

"I don't need more time Y/N! I've spent six weeks cooped up in this house or in an office doing paperwork! I need to get back in a plane." He growls turning to face you. His face is flushed in anger.

"Bradley you almost died for crying out loud! That's not something you get over. It takes time to heal. It isn't a race. Physically you may be fine, but I'm worried mentally you aren't okay!" You say at a decibel louder than you intended as another sharp pain shoots through you.

"You haven't been yourself lately! You're cold, and distant, you don't talk to me about anything. You... you aren't... you're just—"

Another prick of pain cuts you off.

You can feel the heat rising to your cheeks now. You don't want to argue with your husband. You just wish he wouldn't be so hard headed.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD! I am going to lose it if one more person makes a comment about my mental health! I am a Naval fucking Aviator! I am one of the mentally strongest people in the world. Do you not realize that? I'm a pilot who's spent six weeks on the ground! Of course I haven't been myself! And did you ever think that maybe I don't want to talk about what happened?

And I've been distant because the week after I got discharged you smothered me trying to take care of me! I'm a grown man, I didn't need you fussing over me! I don't need you trying to psychoanalyze or treating me like a child!

All you wanted to to talk about was what happened and how I was feeling. I was feeling like I wanted to let it go and pretend it didn't happen but you wouldn't let it rest!" He screams at you and points and accusatory finger at you.

Your cheeks are burning and tears brim your eyes. You ball your hands into fist and open your mouth ready to scream at him. But instead your words die your throat as a searing pain rips through you and you crumple on the kitchen floor.

Rooster instantly softens and jumps to your side.

"Honey what's wrong?" He asks as panic sets into his body.

You grab your stomach and gasp out. "It... it hurts."

The color drains from his face. You're barely six months along. It's too soon for you to be going into labor.

Without hesitating Rooster scoops you up bridal style. He slips on some slides he keeps by the door and runs you to the Bronco. He carefully buckles you in as more pain racks your body.

Rooster breaks God knows how many traffic laws to get you to the ER.

He rushes you in while cradling you in his arms.

"Please someone help. My wife... she collapsed... she's having abdominal pain and she is pregnant!" He all but yells at the doctors and nurses. They quickly take you in a room and start asking him questions. You're too much pain to speak.

"How far along is she?" Someone asks "6 months... um 27 weeks." He stammers out.

"Has she had this pain before?" A doctor asks.

"Um... um... I don't know she... she hasn't said anything to me... I'm not sure. He stutters out.

"Her BP is extremely high and her heart rate is spiking. Fetal heart rate is high too. Pushing meds now. Someone get her and the baby on a heart monitor stat!" A doctor yells. Rooster panics not knowing what to do.

"What's happening?" He ask to no one in particular as the medical staff moves in a flurry around you.

"Sir, sir! I'm sorry you can't be in here right now we need space to work!" A nurse says as to him as he is pushed out of the the room.

He sighs heads to the waiting room. He does the only thing he can think to do... he calls Maverick.

The phone rings once before Pete answers.

"Mav." Rooster breathes into the receiver trying not to cry.

"Rooster what's wrong?" Maverick asks him.

"It's Y/N. She collapsed. We are at the emergency room. They won't let me back there with her." Rooster tells him as tears slip down his face.

"I'll be there in fifteen." Maverick tells him before hanging up.

Rooster send a message to the Dagger Squad group chat. They all love you. And he knows they would want to know. He presses send on the message and runs a shaky hand over his face.

"This is all my fault." He thinks. "If I hadn't shut her out. If hadn't been so mean, if I hadn't yelled at her." He mentally kicks himself.

Less than fifteen minutes later the entire ER lobby is filled with Maverick, Penny, Amelia, and the entire Dagger Squad. Rooster tells them they didn't have to come to which Phoenix responds "We are family Rooster. Family is there for you you no matter what."

Rooster pulled her into a hug. "Maverick, can I talk to you?" He asked.

"Sure Rooster. Let's take a walk and get some coffee." Maverick said hopping up.

"We'll call you if we hear anything." Hangman said before the duo left.

When they were out of earshot of the group Rooster explained what happened.

"It's all my fault Maverick. I came home so mad at myself and I took it out on her. I've been awful to her these past few weeks. I shut her out, and she tried talking to me about it today and I... I just lost it on her. The last thing they said was her blood pressure was extremely high, and so was her heart rate and the baby's. I did this to her. I stressed her out. I'm the reason she is here." Rooster sobbed as Maverick pulled him in for a hug.

"Bradley, this isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself. Y/N is strong. She is going to be okay. When you get to see her, you need to apologize. Tell her everything you did wrong and beg for her forgiveness. And I think you should talk to Doc on base. You aren't weak for seeing a counselor." Maverick told him.

"You're right Mav. She even said I need to talk to someone. God I told her she smothered me and I didn't need her to take care of me. I'm such an idiot. She is going to hate me after this." Rooster berated himself.

"Rooster. You made a mistake. You've been under a lot of stress. Y/N loves you. She could never hate you. Now calm down. Everything is going to be okay." Maverick assured him.

The pair of pilots made their way back to the waiting room. Bradley's foot tapped nervously against the floor.

"Bradshaw." A nurse called out. Everyone jumped up.

"Um, just the husband?" The nurse said looking at the group.

Rooster quickly followed her to the room you were in.

"Y/N baby!" He greeted you moving forward to take your hand.

"Hey honey." You smiled at him.

"Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw." The doctor began.

"Your wife's blood pressure was dangerously high, her heart rate and the baby's was much higher than we would like them to be. Has she been under a lot of stress recently?"

"Yes. I'm an aviator and had an accident at work." Rooster states.

"I see, well, we'd like to keep her overnight to make sure there are no signs of pre-eclampsia and to monitor her and the baby." The doctor continues.

"Mrs. Bradshaw. Stress coupled with your blood pressure is most likely what caused your pain. I can see from your chart that your OB saw you last week for the pain but everything seemed normal then. If it continues to stay elevated like this, there is a possibility we are going to have to put you on bed rest, we will know more in the morning." The doctor states before leaving the room.

"You went to the OB last week for pain and didn't tell me?" Rooster asks you once you are alone.

"You were so stressed about work. You barely talked to me. I— I didn't want to worry you. I wasn't sure you would care" You confess.

Rooster almost breaks at your words.

"Honey, you and this baby are the most important things to me. As long as I have you two I don't care if I never fly again. I'm sorry for how I've been. I shouldn't have lashed out at you. I should have paid attention. I should have been there for you." Rooster cries.

You wipe the tears from his face.

"You're here now. That's what matters."

He leans down to kiss you.

He doesn't leave your side for the entire night or the next day. Thankfully you are cleared to go home but you have to be checked weekly by your OB as a precaution.

Rooster works to take extra good care of you and himself. He talks to the counselor on base multiple times to fully process everything instead of trying to bottle it up.

A few weeks later he is able to get back into a plane and fly.

Three months later he is by your side for the birth of a healthy baby boy.

Later in the evening while you're sleeping he picks Nicholas up from his hospital crib and holds him close to his chest. He looks at his son and looks at you. Then he looks towards the setting sun and thanks his father for watching over him that day and bringing him back to his family.

Tag List: @dreamingathighaltitude @shanimallina87 @luckyladycreator2 @mak-32 @katieshook02 @samhapner6 @rosiahills22 @thedroneranger @roosterforme

#top gun maverick #top gun #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster top gun #rooster x you #rooster x y/n #rooster x reader #rooster x wife!reader #rooster fluff #lt. bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #top gun rooster #top gun fic #tgm fic #tgm #top gun 2

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senseless-writing · 2 years

Text

Unforgiving Anxieties

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x wife!reader

Summary: Rooster has to leave again, which isn’t something new. But this time, he’s leaving his wife with a baby at home, and Y/n isn’t sure if she can handle the stress that comes with parenting all by herself.

Warnings: Small spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick. LOTS of angst, but plenty of fluff to back it up

A/N: WOAH. Not the Witcher, and not an OC? Who am I?? Idk guys, but this has been on my mind for days, so I just had to write it. Let me know what you think :)

Masterlist

----------

Rooster thought he would have more time before his work pulled him away from his family again. Truly, he did. But things never worked out the way you wanted them to, and such was even more true for aviators in the US Navy.

Still, it never got better. To kiss his wife goodbye, hold her close, and promise “yes, baby, I’ll be safe,” “no, honey, I won’t put myself in any unnecessary danger,” was harder than any dogfight he’s ever been in. She’d pretend not to cry, he’d pretend not to notice, and he’d always leave with the same thought in the back of his mind that maybe, just maybe, flying wasn’t worth leaving her time and time again.

But then came Elijah. And for a while, at least, things were different.

Elijah Nicholas Bradshaw was the light of his parents' lives. Nearly six months old, no baby was more doted on them him. With a closet full of mini Hawaiian shirts to match his daddy, and an unlimited amount of affection from Y/n, the kid seemed to have a permanent smile on his face. Rooster even had to upgrade his phone to unlimited storage to make room for all the photos he took.

But paternity leave for the Navy was only twenty-one days. Eventually, he had to go back to work, and it tore him apart to leave every day, even if he got to return at the end of the night. It was hard, almost indescribable, but manageable.

Until now. Things were different now. He’d been called back to Top Gun without so much as an explanation as to why he had to leave his wife and half-year-old baby, other than the small detail that it was most definitely a dangerous mission.

He could’ve said no. Should’ve said no. But then he thought of his father, thought of how close he got to having him back whenever he was in the air, and remembered why he loved doing what he did. So instead, the Bradshaws went through the motions yet again. Except this time, Eli was in his mother's arms as Rooster said goodbye.

“Please be safe,” she mumbled against the crook of his neck, the pair clinging to one another on their front porch. He could feel the subtle drops of tears against his skin, but he pulled her closer and pretended not to notice. Elijah giggled at the feeling of being squished between his parents.

Rooster pressed a rough kiss to his wife’s head. “I will.”

“And keep me updated,” she spoke quickly, her words full of anxiety. “I know most of it is classified, but I just want to know-”

He gently pulled her away from his chest, cupping the sides of her neck to angle her face towards his own. “Breathe, baby,” he sighed, urging her to do the same. His thumbs brushed across the apples of her cheeks to rid them of tears, though he knew it was a futile attempt. “I will tell you everything I can, okay? I promise.”

His wife nodded up at him, her tears mixing with the fear and despair and pride and something he couldn’t recognize swirling in her eyes.

Rooster cracked her a smile, a dull sort of chuckle falling from his lips. “Hey,” he whispered against her lips. “No crying for me, baby. It’s just a classroom. The only thing I’ll suffer from is sunburns and acute boredom.”

It was a lie, and they both knew it. But it brought out a watery laugh from his Y/n all the same.

When she was done laughing, and he was done admiring her, the look on her face was something akin to determination. “Here’s what's gonna happen,” she spoke to him softly. These words were only for him and their little family of three. “You’re gonna go, and you’re gonna learn whatever it is they think they can teach you. And then you’re gonna complete this super-secret mission that everyone wants to pretend isn’t happening. And when it’s all said and done, you’ll come home to me. To us. Got it?”

This was the wife he knew. Strong and fearless and overly demanding.

He loved it.

“Yes ma'am,” he said with a smile, still holding her face close to his.

After a moment, he decided to move on to the baby in her arms. Eli, ever the mama’s boy, grumbled a little about the movement, but quickly settled against his father's chest. Rooster was immediately pressing kisses to his cheeks.

“And you, my little man. Are you gonna be good for mama while I’m away? You have to, being the man of the house and all. You gotta look after our girl.”

Y/n tucked herself into his side as she watched, and Rooster wrapped his free arm around her.

“Don’t grow too much while I’m away,” he whispered into his son’s ear, and that made Y/n laugh softly again.

“It’s only a couple of weeks, Roos.”

“Babygirl, he’ll be six months by the time I get back. I’m missing a milestone.”

“There’ll be more.”

Rooster wasn’t sure if he liked how casually she said that. As if the idea of him not being there for every important moment in their lives, of him missing the memories worth making, was something she’d already made peace with. But he didn’t have too much time to dwell on it, not with her practically shoving him towards his running car. It felt like forever, and it felt like seconds, them saying goodbye. But time passed, as it always did, until he was driving away with clenched fists and a heavy heart.

He didn’t regret his job, and he knew his wife didn’t either. But sometimes, none of that mattered.

It still sucked.

----------

“You look like you haven’t slept in days, honey.”

“Wow, Roos, you really know the way to a girl's heart.”

“You’re always beautiful, Y/n, but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she sighed, brushing some stray hair away from her face. The bun she wore wasn’t holding much at this point, and though her eyes were still sparkling as they normally did when on a face time call with her husband, the bags underneath them were hard to miss. “Well, you’re not completely wrong. Eli is supposed to be sleeping in his own room from now on, which means I spend most of the time in there instead of in bed.”

Rooster shifted his phone from one hand to the other with a concerned look on his face. The tip of his nose was burnt from the San Diego sun, and Y/n couldn’t help but smile at how cute he looked. “Is he not sleeping well?”

“No, he’s sleeping fine. It’s me who can’t settle down.”

His eyebrow lifted in question, and Y/n let out another sigh.

“I just have this feeling,” she admitted, somewhat embarrassed. “That if I’m not watching him at all times, he’ll stop breathing. Which is irrational, but I literally can’t turn my brain off. I won’t sleep even if I do lie down, so I might as well watch him.”

Rooster immediately felt horrible. Worse than the 200 push-ups he’d been forced to do last week, or the uphill climb Mav was teaching them. It was like he had one job, one real job, and he wasn’t able to do it.

“Y/n,” he struggled to find the words.

“I know, I know. It’s stupid.”

Another punch to the gut.

“I should be there. It’s a tough transition, and meant to be a two-person job.”

Her eyes were all-knowing, and what Rooster wanted more than anything in the world was to drown in them. “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

“I’m supposed to be with you,” he said with a pout.

“You will be,” she giggled. “In a few weeks from now, when you’re done doing whatever it is you're doing. Maybe by then, I’ll be a little more chilled out.”

“Stop saying that. It’s okay to be nervous. Can’t you call your mom, see if she’ll watch him for a bit so you can sleep?”

“I could…” she seemed unsure, and Rooster rubbed his face in discomfort.

Something told him his wife wasn’t being completely honest with how much this was affecting her. She didn’t trust anyone with their son that wasn’t herself right now, and he feared she would run herself into the ground before asking for help. And he wanted to offer it. He wanted to say that he was there for her, that he would help her in any way he could.

But he wasn’t there for her, and he couldn’t help. So what was he to do, other than offer useless words?

“Please just try, baby, okay?” he said instead, hoping whatever he said would be enough. “Your mom's great, and I’m sure she’d love to spend some time with Eli. Just have her promise to wake you if anything seems off.”

Her nose scrunched at the idea, but she nodded all the same. “Alright, I’ll give it a shot. Does that ease your mind at all?”

“I was hoping it would ease yours.”

“You’re impossible, Bradley Bradshaw, do you know that?” she rolled her eyes at him.

“Impossibly in love with you, Y/n Bradshaw.”

She laughed at him for that. A full-out belly laugh that shook the camera within her grasp, and Rooster couldn’t help but laugh with her. He thought she was absolutely stunning when she was like this. Carefree and happy and amused by something stupid he’d said. And, with utmost certainty, he knew he’d continue to make a goddamn fool of himself for the rest of their lives if it kept her this way.

“I miss you, baby,” he said once their laughter died down.

“What, your flying buddies aren’t good enough company?”

Rooster thought of Hangman, an ultimate pain in the ass with all bark and no bite. And he thought of Pheonix, who picked on him for fun, and Bob, who almost seemed to not understand the meaning of the word.

They were his friends, and he loved them. But they weren’t his wife.

“Nobody’s better than you, sugar bear.”

“Ugh, you know I hate when you say that.”

“I know,” he teased. “I just wanted to see your face scrunch up like that when I did.”

“You know what Bradshaw? I’m going to bed.”

“Promise?” he said with a somewhat serious edge to his voice.

She smiled up at him. “Mhm, it’s straight to dreamland for me. Eli’s already asleep, and I checked on him right before you called.”

The angle of her phone dropped to focus on the baby monitor at her side. It was a grainy picture, but the view of his son's wild sandy hair as he slept peacefully was enough to make Rooster’s heart soar.

“Alright, baby, I won’t keep you then. I love you.”

“I love you too. Be safe, okay?”

“I will.”

----------

It would be two more weeks before Rooster was reunited with his wife. As soon as he landed (rather roughly) on the carrier, he was calling her to let her know that the mission was over, and he was on his way home. She asked how it went, he said “as smooth as a car crash,” and she laughed and laughed until tears were slipping from her eyes.

The reunion itself, despite the seriousness of the situation, wasn’t nearly as tearful as one may think. In fact, they never were when it came to the Bradshaws. Goodbyes were miserable, but hellos were all smiles and laughs and dancing in the kitchen to music that wasn’t there. And at the end of the day, they ate dinner on their back porch and marveled at their son, who was too busy rubbing dirt on his face to notice how happy his parents were.

But with the night came anxiety. They put Elijah to bed together, with the baby in Y/n’s arms and Y/n in Rooster’s. It was everything she’d wanted for weeks, but it couldn’t ease her aching heart. When Rooster directed his wife to bed, she couldn’t help but worry.

Her brain wouldn’t turn off.

Rooster could feel it throughout the night. Every 45 minutes or so, even with his consciousness muddled by sleep, he noticed her slipping out of bed. Quietly, as if she didn’t want to wake him, but that didn’t matter. He was attuned to his wife’s every movement, even in sleep. Which meant that every time she pulled herself out of his arms to go check on their son, he layed awake, waiting for her to return.

It was the fifth or sixth time that he finally decided to say something.

“Honey?” he said groggily, pulling her back against his chest when he felt her move to get up. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothings wrong,” she whispered back. “I just want to make sure Eli’s okay.”

“He looks fine, baby, see? On the monitor, he’s sleeping like…well, like a baby.”

Y/n didn’t laugh at his joke, barely even cracked a smile. Her hands were still gripping the comforter, itching to stand and check for herself. Rooster couldn’t think of the words to ease her mind, not when he knew they didn’t exist. He wanted her to rest, and there was only one way she would.

“How about I go check on him, hm? You stay here, and I’ll make sure everything’s alright.”

“No, no, no, that’s okay, I can just-”

“Y/n,” he shushed her, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I’m back now. You don’t have to do this alone anymore. Let me go check.”

She nodded to him as he rose, though he could tell she wasn’t fully convinced. With light feet, Rooster padded across the carpeted floors, all the way to the room across from theirs. White noise echoed from the crack in the door, and he pushed it open slightly to slip into the room.

He was immediately drawn to the crib in the far corner. Before he could realize it, a smile was spreading across his drowsy face. His perfect boy was fast asleep, sprawled on his back with arms and legs strewn haphazardly around him.

Y/n said that Eli slept as he did. Rooster always pretended not to agree with her.

He laid his hand flat on his son's chest, the baby still so small that it nearly covered him entirely. He could feel Eli’s chest rise, up and down and up and down. It was smooth and easy, and although Rooster hadn’t been worried for a second, the small part of his brain still relaxed at the feeling. So he leaned down, pressed a soft kiss to his chubby baby cheeks, and made his way back to their bedroom.

He found his wife sitting up in bed as she anxiously watched the monitor. “He’s all good, baby,” he reassured her, climbing in bed and moving the monitor back to its rightful place on their bed stand. “Let's go back to sleep.”

She let out an uncomfortable sigh, as if she didn’t completely believe him. He reached out to her, then, and pulled so her back was to his chest. “Come here, come here, come here,” he chanted softly, and she giggled at his foolishness. “Please sleep.”

She pushed herself deeper into his arms as he pressed kisses to the back of her head. “Okay,” she relented. Rooster could feel her settle, and God in heaven, he hoped she stayed that way.

But she didn’t.

With Rooster asleep, Y/n was left alone with her thoughts. It started slowly, at first. Little pricks of anxiety that spread through her brain like vines on a tree. But little by little, it grew. It grew until her fears were the only things she could think about, and even the arms wrapped around her waist weren’t enough to pull her back to Earth.

Instead, horror stories flooded her brain. Fears of SIDS cases after six months, of waking up to a blue baby and realizing it was her fault they lost the one thing that meant more to them than anything else in the world. Because she was the mother, she was the one who should know when something was off, right?

She could feel it in her soul, right down to the aching heart and burning skin. It was that sense that everyone tells you about, the sense that alerts you to a disturbance in your child. Her baby was alone right now, alone and scared and hurting because something is most definitely wrong.

Y/n tried to pull herself from Rooster’s arms. Who cares if he checked less than ten minutes ago, because I’m the mom and I know my baby needs help. But the man was just too goddamn persistent, even in sleep, and had the muscles to back it up. So if he wanted her to stay put, that’s where she would be.

She was quickly running out of patience, though, and so was her anxiety. Her chest was heavy with dread, her airway closing as panic began to run its course. And suddenly, it was no longer I need to see if my baby is okay, but instead, I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t breathe.

“Rooster,” she wheezed, squeezing his wrist where it lay firmly on her stomach.

The man didn’t so much as flinch, and Y/n tried again to grab his attention. “Bradley!”

Her nails were digging into his skin at this point. That was what awoke him first. However, he quickly noticed the quivering mess that was his wife in his arms. “Woah,” he struggled to understand what could have happened in the short time since he fell asleep. “What’s wrong, what happened?”

Rooster sat up to get a better look at his wife’s face. It was covered in tears and flushed from what seemed to be a lack of oxygen, a look that he’s seen hundreds of times on panicking aviators. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air as she tried to explain, but all that came out were desperate sobs.

“Please,” she breathed out, and he shushed her as best he could. With his arms, with his lips, and with his words; he wasn’t sure what other kind of comfort he could offer.

“It’s okay, you’re okay. Take your time, breathe, and tell me what’s wrong.”

She cried harder again, and he cradled her head close to his chest.

“You’re going to make yourself sick, baby. Relax,” he nearly begged her. He felt like cold water had been dumped over the both of them with the way they shook. Her with fear, and him with confusion. “Everyone’s okay.”

“No!” she burst out through quivering lips. “No we’re not, Eli’s not okay! I need to see him right now, Roos, something isn’t right.”

“We just checked on him-”

“You checked on him! I need to check on him! Please, please just help me. I need-”

“Wait here,” he said suddenly, springing from their bed.

Y/n called after him, wanting to follow, but her legs were too shaky to stand. She wasn’t used to feeling this helpless; had never allowed herself to. But now, with anxiety plaguing her in a way it never had before, the invincible strength of “military wife” was collapsing around her like a fragile house of cards.

By the time Rooster rushed himself back to their room, his wife was lost to a puddle of tears and exhaustion. He couldn’t quite describe the hazy look he saw in her eyes, and wasn’t sure if he’d be able to ease it.

But maybe Elijah could.

“Here honey,” he hushed in a frantic tone. “Look for yourself. He’s perfectly fine, see?”

Y/n’s shaking hands reached out to hold their now wide awake son, but Rooster was admittedly nervous that she would drop him. So instead, he simply raised the baby closer to her chest, moving until the three of them were huddled together on the bed.

It was easy to see that Elijah was confused as to why he was now awake. His cute little eyebrows even furrowed in child-like confusion, an expression that his parents would laugh at for years to come. But the poor boy never cried. His patience was a mystery to all.

Rooster used the arm that wasn’t holding Eli to tuck Y/n’s head against the crook of his neck. He breathed deeply, hoping that it would encourage her to do the same. Her arms clung to him and the baby nestled between them, and her trembling failed to cease, even after 20 minutes of him pressing soothing kisses to her temple.

“Y/n?” he whispered softly, lips still pressed to her head. “Can you hear me?”

He knew she was barely settled from a panic attack, and wanted to make sure she was coherent enough to understand his words. He also didn’t want to rush her or force her into anything she wasn’t ready for.

Y/n nodded. A small movement, but one he was able to catch. Her eyes were still firmly locked on the rising and falling chest of their child.

“Y/n, this isn’t normal.”

“Maternal anxiety is a part of motherhood,” she said to him in a hoarse, monotone voice.

“But debilitating anxiety? That’s not healthy, honey.”

Y/n didn’t respond. At least she was calming down a bit, which Rooster thought was a start. Her breaths were still shaky, but more even than before, and her hands finally relaxed over his own. More than anything, he wanted to know why she was so nervous. Why this fear, which was normal for most parents to have, suddenly became something that plagued her every waking moment.

He didn’t have to wait long for the answers he sought.

“Elijah is the best parts of us,” Y/n said after an excruciating minute of silence. “The very best parts.”

Rooster could wholeheartedly agree with that. At only six months old, Elijah was kind, compassionate, and stubborn as hell. He’d always thought it was impossible for babies to have that much personality in such a small period of time. In fact, in the past, whenever parents described their kids in such detail, he was sure it was all a figment of their imagination. But now, he saw firsthand how special these little ones can be.

His wife looked up at him, then, with anguish still in her eyes. “But more importantly, he’s a part of you.”

That threw him for a loop.

“What?” he whispered, running his fingers up and down her spine in what he hoped to be a soothing gesture.

“Every day, Bradley, you run off to who knows where to risk your life doing something that you love. I’ve always supported you in that, never asked you to stop. And I never will, because every time you go after something you want, with that fire and willpower that I love so much, I’m always incredibly proud of you.”

Rooster knew that. More than anything else in the world, he knew that.

“But I can’t,” she sighed, looking away, before meeting his gaze with something new on her face. Acceptance, perhaps. Or maybe a lack thereof. “I can’t keep you safe. Protect you. I can’t be sure that when you go to work, doing what you love, you’ll come back to me at the end of the night. And I think that every time you walk out that door, it kills me a little more inside.”

That hurt him more than he wanted to admit. Not because he felt she wasn’t supporting him, in a way, by being afraid. Quite the opposite, actually. He felt horrible that his wife thought the only way to truly support him in advancing his career was to hide the thoughts from him that kept her awake at night.

That wasn’t to say they didn’t have these conversations before. There were plenty of nights, in their early years of dating, when they stayed up and talked about every thought and fear that entered their minds. The thought of him not returning was painful for both of them, for different reasons of course. But when danger was a part of the job, and relaxing moments were few and far between, it was easier to laugh and kiss and celebrate life than dwell on the parts of it they couldn’t change.

Maybe it was easier to pretend. Or maybe, at times, they weren’t pretending. But it was a blurred line, and it was one the couple had learned to ignore a long time ago.

He laid a kiss on her quivering lips, only because he couldn’t find the words to say. She let him, and they sat like that for a moment. Not quite kissing, but simply with their lips pressed gently together. Breathing in the same breath, foreheads leaning together as if it was the only thing keeping them upright. Elijah was already asleep again, peacefully in his father's arms.

Y/n pulled away to whisper her next words to him, as if they were a confession she wasn’t quite ready to make. “But I can protect this baby.”

Her thought hung in the air, and Rooster ran it through his mind over and over again until, oh god, he hated himself a little more for realizing what she meant.

“I just feel like I have no control over my life anymore,” she cried to him. She couldn’t look at him anymore, too focused on the baby in his arms. Rooster wasn’t sure if he could look at himself either. “I have no say in whether my husband stays or goes, no control over whether my child has two parents or one. I can’t even control my own fucking emotions, for Christ's sake.”

She wiped her tears away with a sharp swipe across her face. Rooster wanted to tell her to stop, to be careful with the face he loved so much, but she had more to say, and his voice was still firmly lodged in his throat.

“But if I watch this baby, if I just watch him and make sure he’s alright, then I can be sure I always have a piece of you with me. I can be sure that a part of you lives on if…if everything I love falls out of my control.”

And like a dam, Rooster broke. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he leaned forward to hide his face in the crook of Y/n’s neck. Seeking for comfort he didn’t deserve, for comfort he should have been providing. But his wife wrapped her arms around him without question, which only made the tears flow faster.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked, the movement of his lips pressing butterfly kisses against Y/n’s collarbone.

“Don’t be. Please, I don’t want you to feel guilty. I never did.”

“I��m not feeling guilty,” he reassured her. “I’m just…sad.”

He smiled up at her with tears still on his face. It was a small, insignificant smile, but he wasn’t surprised to find that she was already doing the same. It was a silly confession. In most cases, the word wouldn’t at all fit the occasion.

Sure, there were better ways to put it. He was anguished at the fact that his wife, his beautiful, radiantly happy wife, was straining under the burden he’d put on her shoulders. He was embarrassed that the mother of his child was sometimes forced to do the job of parenting for the both of them. He was overly torn between his love for flying and his love for his family. He was enraged that he had to choose at all. And he was terribly afraid that the life he’d chosen for himself would doom Y/n to the same fate as his mother, who never truly recovered from the heartache she faced at the hands of his father.

But most of all, he was just sad.

“I love you,” he said, because it was the easiest thing for him to say.

She rested her head against his own, which was still on her shoulder. “I love you too.”

“I know I can’t tell you to not be afraid. And I know…I know you won’t let me step down.”

She was objecting before he could continue. “You worked so hard to get where you are, Bradley, I won’t let you slow down now. You’ve already lost years of your career, and even if you and Mav made up or whatever, you can’t just-”

“Breathe, baby,” he reminded her. The last thing they needed was for her to have another panic attack all over again.

She huffed, clearly annoyed at him, but obliged. Rooster fought off the urge to laugh at her stubbornness.

“I don’t know how to fix this,” she admitted at last. “I can’t…these nerves are eating me alive. It’s never been this bad before.”

Rooster lifted his head from her shoulder to cup her face with his free hand. Their faces were both red and puffy from crying, though he didn’t care about that. Not with the exhaustion still clear in his wife’s eyes. She leaned into his touch until he was nearly holding the entire weight of her head in the palm of his hand.

He’d hold her whole world in his arms if she asked him to. If she needed it.

“You don’t fix this,” he said with the sweetest look on his face. Y/n practically melted. “I do. And that starts with you getting some sleep.”

He watched, in real-time, as panic spread across Y/n’s entire face. Her hands tightened their hold on his wrists as if to pull Elijah closer to herself. Rooster immediately shushed her quietly.

“I know, I know,” he whispered, allowing her to pull the baby closer. She leaned down to press her already trembling lips to Eli’s forehead. “But you need to sleep. Anxiety only gets worse with sleep deprivation.”

“Is that something you learn in pilot school?” she mumbled cheekily against the baby’s head.

“Yes, actually, it is.”

Y/n didn’t reply, though the ghost of a smile spread across her lips.

“Come here,” Rooster beckoned, sliding until he was completely leaning against their bed frame. With his legs fanned out in front of him, and baby pulled to rest comfortably against his chest, he gently urged Y/n to lay with her head against his lap. She was hesitant, but obeyed, and once she settled, he wrapped their comforter tightly around them both. “We’re gonna stay right here, Eli and I, while you rest for a couple of hours.”

“What if you get tired, or fall asleep? You just got back from a mission, Bradley, you should be resting.”

“I don’t need it, baby,” he said honestly. He was fine with lying awake and holding his two most important people in his arms. “What I need is for you to get some rest. But if I feel like I might fall asleep, or if there’s anything wrong with Eli, I promise I’ll wake you.”

Y/n didn’t seem convinced.

Rooster tried again. “Honey, if he so much as hiccups, you’ll be the first to know. After me, of course. And if you wake up throughout the night feeling afraid, we’ll be right here to show you that everything’s alright.”

He ran a hand through her hair, down her back, and up again. She finally closed her eyes, an act that was somehow full of reluctance and relief at the same time. “This isn’t a permanent solution,” she mumbled, though she was already rubbing her face against the soft fabric of his sweatpants.

“We’ll deal with that later,” he reassured her, all the while continuing to rub calming circles on her back. “When we both have more leveled heads.”

Perhaps Y/n wanted to argue. Maybe the words were even on the tip of her tongue. But by the time she opened her mouth to speak them, sleep had already taken over. For the first time in weeks, both mother and son were peacefully sleeping, unable to be plagued by the fears that came with the life they lived.

And Rooster was more than content to see it.

#top gun #top gun: maverick #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #x female reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #dad!bradley bradshaw #rooster x wife!reader #bradley bradshaw x wife!reader

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senawashere · 6 days

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We're on this together. (Chapter 1)

Bradley Bradshaw × Fem!Wife!Reader

Summary: Nobody warned you for how hard it is to become a mother,same for Bradley.

TW: infertility,mentions of miscarrige,mentions of hospital,mentions of getting pregnant,mentiones of ivf. Mostly angst.

Tears were streaming down your face,your hands were trembling. Searching for Bradley's number in your contact list has never been this difficult.

Your fingers slid across parts of the screen you didn't want to touch, making your frustration even worse.

The phone line rang at a deafening volume. Once, twice, three times until it goes to voicemail.

His stupid voicemail.

"Hi,its me Bradley. Please drop your message!"

Taking this as a sign, you chose not to try again.

After all, talking to Bradley about it right now would only make him worry for nothing, considering he was busy on deployment and miles away from you. He was about to return this week.

It wasn't something he could solve. Maybe it was but not right now.

Within a few minutes your phone rang. As his name popped up on the screen, a heart emoji next to it and his photo of him grinning stupidly, you felt terrible for doing this to him.

Not only did you let down your own dreams, you were about to let down his too.

You replied, remaining silent. You expected your voice to sound like a lump in your throat.

"Baby, are you there? I couldn't get to the phone in time at first."

You were motionless, your lack of words showed him that. "I'm fine", giving yourself some time, you suddenly started to feel everything you didn't feel until you got home.

"I was at the doctor's today."

"Why are you talking like it's the end of the world? Are you okay?"

Throughout his breathing, it was easy to imagine him even stopping whatever he was doing to pay better attention to you; Not because it wasn't there before. You should have called Penny or someone, they would know how to take care of you.

"Wait, is it about babies? Tell me you're joking," he finished with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. You could imagine and hear it perfectly.

In the past, when you received good news, you would pretend that something bad was coming, now it's just another thing you regret doing.

You were selfish for talking to him, he was so far away; You could talk to him about it when he got home.

Talking and doing this and that now would cause him more anxiety than he ever had in his hectic daily tour life. Still, he was the only one you needed.

"No, quite the opposite."

The call suffered a long pause, filled with his deep sighs and persistent tears streaming down his cheeks.

You didn't let a single tear fall until you got home, but did you verbalize it? Putting it into words made things different; it felt more real.

"Fuck," he mumbled, clearly a little out of place.

“I can't have kids, Bradley,” your words were interrupted by the growl you were trying to hold back.

He could tell when you were talking to him that everything hit you at once. Over the years, he was able to recognize even small details.

''I'm the reason we tried and it never worked. I cursed it."

"No, baby," he took a deep breath. "Please don't blame yourself. You know it's not your fault." You ran your fingers desperately through your hair; This is what it must be like to feel useless on the phone. Just what you imagined before you made the call. It was bad to announce this to him. "Are you alone? I can ask someone to check on you. They’ll do that, okay?

“Please,” You didn't want to spend the rest of the day by yourself. Also, even though you didn't want to talk to anyone but Bradley, you knew Penny would understand you better, she knew how to make you feel less bad, it would be nice to be around her. And once she mentioned she went through something like that so maybe she would understand you.

Being alone with your harsh thoughts will not be a good option anyway. "I thought about calling her, but I finally gave up, I didn't know what to do, I still don't. Calling you still doesn't seem like a good idea, but I didn't know what to do."

Your weak voice was killing Bradley. If it made him sad to hear that, he couldn't imagine what it was like for you.

"You did great, baby, this is a tough situation but we're on this journey together. You can ask for anything baby, remember?" He smiled, a muffled smile came over the line; It made you feel a little better.

"We can still have children, you know that."

You wanted to tell him that what works for others may not work for you, that your condition may not be that malleable because your condition is genetic. Still, you didn't know if they were true or not, all your thoughts might just be the result of your momentary frustration, but they might also be true.

You need to talk to Bradley about this, everything that's going on in his mind. You didn't want to do this over the phone anymore.

“We can try,” you sniffled, still avoiding the tears you didn't even know were falling. "We can try." You repeated, trying to convince yourself.

"Talk to me, baby. Try to distract yourself a bit, huh? Please. Do you want me to turn the call off? Maybe you can take a long bath with your favorite bubbles or eat something different. That might help."

Even though it sounded wrong, his desperation to help you was adorable. Talking to him made everything perfect, his voice was soothing, you could hear him talking for hours. Now it was no different.

“I just want to hear your voice,” you said, lying on the cold floor of the main room. It would be nice to sleep. It seemed reasonable to forget the previous hours for a few minutes. "You are busy?"

"Not exactly."

"Then tell me how the mission went."

His voice sounded flatter and softer, you could imagine how uneasy he was even from the phone, it was possible to imagine him striding around the room with the phone in his hand. He talked about the mission details the night before. The contrast of how you described your previous day with what happened at the right moment was painful, happy and suddenly you were breaking it.

Everyone knew that Bradley dreamed of having kids, that kids were running around the house and so were you, you wanted to have kids with him even more but with you he would never have one.

"Can I say something?" You asked, taking a deep breath,cutting through his words. "I love you,I love you so much."

Everything was unfair, you both tried so hard. He, too, had become weak from trying, just like you.

"I love you too, baby. This," you could see him in your mind, pausing and gesturing with his hands, "this won't change anything,okay? I still love you so much as the day i fell in love with you."

"We are on this journey together."

"We are on this journey together.”

—-----

Your body trembled.

A cold hand was wandering around your waist as you slowly opened your eyes, feeling a ridiculous headache fill your vision. Your eyes found Bradley crouched on the ground in front of you, and he looked good compared to you. His eye bags were not purple from the 4 hour sleep he was getting,or his hair wasn't messy after the cold,rainy and windy weather out there.

"What are you doing here?" You frowned. Bradley chuckled as you laid your head down once the headache made you feel like you were going to throw up. He could answer your question but you were flattered, he wouldn't think you noticed he was there because he knew you needed him.

So he ignored it, helping you get up.

"Come on, get up. It's cold on the floor, I'll put you to bed." He tried to get you to stand up for him - he failed; but you shifted your weight onto his body, wrapping your arms around his neck, which he found worriedly cute.

“I need you,” you whispered, drunk and sleepy, burying your face in his coat. Let its scent warm you. He smelled amazing.

It was a relief to hear him say that. He didn't want to get into an argument about how it would affect his job in the near future, as you had fought before for the same reason. "I know my baby." He kissed your hair, hugged your waist, and carried you to your room. “She wants to lay down with me.”

He laid you down on the bed, doing the same as he lay on your side, face up and facing the white ceiling.

They both knew it was necessary to speak, but neither knew who should speak first or what they should speak about.

You ran your fingers over his stomach, placing your palm under his shirt, warming his cold hand with your body. You moved closer to his body, nestling into his side as he wrapped his arm around you.

"Tell me, what's on your mind?" He said without looking directly at you.

"There's a lot", your mere words made his throat dry. “It's weird knowing your body can't do what it's supposed to do, especially when you want it to,” you gasped through sobs, his grip pulling you closer to his chest for comfort. "I'm afraid you'll stay with me and a few years from now you'll realize you made the wrong choice." These words hurt him. It hurt him so much to see you blaming yourself.

He hugged you even tighter and asked you to look at him. "I'm not going to leave you, okay? I'm in love with you. That won't change, and it's not your fault. We can try IVF as if it will work, and it's worked for a few people, and we'll have a happy and healthy baby. We have the money for it. If the money I make as a pilot isn't enough, i can even find a part-time job. I can enter just for you, I'm married to you and I love you so much, why should I leave you?"

There were tears in your eyes and you hoped he was right. "What if it doesn't work? If my body miscarries? If we try and never succeed? I don't know if I'm ready to try again-"

Before you finished your sentence, he grabbed your cheek and gave you a messy kiss. He was far from okay, he was desperate, you didn't know how to decipher whether he was trying to silence you or show his emotions. The salty taste of your tears accompanied by the burning in his throat didn't help at all.

You put your hand on his chest and stop him. He was in distress, he probably wanted to stop you with a waterfall of negative thoughts but he didn't know how.

“I don't want to try, I just don't know what to do yet, and it's killing me right now.” You were complaining.

He kissed your forehead and let you lie down.

"We will find a way. It's still new, we can think better or find other ways. Adoption is also a good option, but of course if everything happens at the right time."

You stayed silent for a while, imagining a parallel where Bradley was right and things worked out. Although you were still not convinced by this, you agreed with him. After all, there would be no other way, and you still wanted to have children.

“Adoption sounds good,” you mumbled against his chest. You hadn't thought about it yet, it hadn't even crossed your mind. “There is no risk and there is no way we can go wrong.”

You felt relieved that he was there for you, guiding you to feel better about this.

"You see?" he asked with what looked like a weak smile. "We'll find a way because I don't plan on having kids with anyone but you, so it has to be with you. Whether you like it or not." He joked, drawing a smile from you as he touched your nose with a wet kiss.

It was incredible how he managed to make even the most difficult moments seem lighter.

"Good, because I still want to have your stupid kids.”

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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 1 year

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Endings and Beginnings - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: Pregnancy, Second Person POV ("You"), No Physical Description about Reader

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

Summary: It's Maverick's retirement party but Rooster's far more concerned about you, his pregnant wife, than anything else.

A.N. Rooster is retired in this story and it's set a few years after TGM.

Edit: Part 2 is now out!

Master List

Maverick was officially retiring from the Navy. Or finally, depending on who you asked. The Hard Deck had been cleared out for the party and several generations of naval aviators, active and retired, and their families were spread out around the space. Drinks were poured continuously, there was pizza and snacks and even a cake with a Tomcat on it for later.

“Are you sure that you’re okay to be here?” Rooster asked you softly, grabbing your hand.

“I’m fine,” you assured your husband. “Just pregnant.”

“Very pregnant,” Hangman added, causing Rooster to glare over at him. Phoenix whacked Hangman on the arm your behalf, causing the blond to huff and complain. “What? It’s true!”

“I’m fine,” you repeated, squeezing Rooster’s hand. “I’ll sit down if I need to and there’s plenty of water and snacks that I can eat.” You released his hand and nudged him in the direction of Maverick, who was chatting with a few pilots his own age. “Go, mingle. Shoo. It’s a party. Party.”

“Only if you promise to let me know if you need to go home or to the hospital or—”

“—Rooster, I’m fine. The baby isn’t coming for another two weeks. Now, go. I think Mav’s been trying to subtly introduce you for an hour now.”

“Keep an eye on her for me,” Rooster told the others before heading over to Maverick.

The newly retired pilot was all smiles as he chatted with his old friends. But as soon as Maverick spotted Rooster walking over, he quickly moved to pull him over to the older crowd of pilots.

“She finally kicked you over here?” Maverick asked, referring to you.

“Apparently, I’m hovering too much,” Rooster joked with Mav.

“Well, it’s a perfect time to reintroduce yourself to everyone.”

Maverick gestured around the half-circle of former naval aviators. Slider, Hollywood, Wolfman, Chipper, Sundown, Merlin, and Viper all nodded to Rooster and Rooster shook their corresponding hands. It had been a long time since he saw any of them, what with the whole paper incident, but Slider still dragged him in for a noogie like he was eight-years-old.

“So, you were Maverick’s RIO in that whole business?” Merlin asked, referring to the mission.

Even though the mission was still highly classified three years later, the fact that Maverick and Rooster had barely made it out alive wasn’t. Well, that and word got around when an old smashed up Tomcat was unloaded off of a carrier.

“How was that?” Merlin continued.

“Most terrifying experience of my life,” Rooster responded, half-joking, half-serious.

“I understand completely,” Merlin mused, causing Maverick to smile and shake his head.

“That’s not why you turned in your wings, is it though?” Viper asked with a knowing expression.

“No, no,” Rooster replied immediately. “When I got married and my wife and I started to plan for having our family, I decided that I wanted to be there for every step. And I didn’t want her to worry about me coming home at the end of the day. So, I finished up my service requirements and retired.”

And, well, for a kid who lost his father to the Navy, Rooster’s reasoning didn’t raise a single eyebrow. Every naval aviator knew the risks involved in their line of work and while technological advancements helped decrease training accidents and fatalities, they were still always a possibility.

He wouldn’t—couldn’t—let his child learn about him from pictures, like he had to with his own father.

“And Maverick says that you’re switching to commercial?” Wolfman spoke up.

“Yeah, I have one more test to take and then I’m ready to fly, but I probably won’t start until we’re settled with our baby,” Rooster explained, nodding along.

“Your first one?” Viper guessed with an all-knowing smile.

“How could you tell?” Rooster inquired, earning a chuckle from the other fathers in the group.

“You got that look in your eye.”

“Not too different from the rookies at flight school,” Hollywood added with an amused smile.

“It’ll pass eventually, but the first one always gets you jittery,”

“Being a father is like learning how to fly—utterly terrifying at first, and there’s definitely a learning curve to it, but once you’re up there and you’ve leveled out, you won’t even remember what it was like before you learned in the first place.”

“I keep telling him to relax. He’ll be a natural,” Maverick spoke up, squeezing Rooster’s shoulder.

Rooster glanced through the crowd to check on you and found you sitting at one of the tables with your feet propped up on the opposite chair. You looked calm, but uncomfortable—though you’d told him that ‘nearly nine months pregnant’ and ‘comfortable’ did not go together no matter the situation.

“But speaking of, I should probably go check on my wife,” Rooster replied, his nerves and ‘Mother Hen’ tendencies, as Hangman called them, shining through.

“Of course.”

“Don’t let us keep you.”

“It was an honor to meet all of you again,” Rooster offered in goodbye, before checking on you.

The retired naval aviators watched him go and then turned to Maverick.

“God, he looks just like Goose,” Slider replied quietly.

“And with the mustache and the Hawaiian shirt too,” Wolfman agreed, sharing looks with the other retired naval aviators.

“Yeah, he does,” Maverick stated softly, watching Rooster weave through the party. “Just wait until you see him at a piano.”

Rooster slid through the crowd over to the back tables. You were still sitting with your feet propped up, a full glass of water in front of you, and your usual easygoing smile on your lips. Bob, Phoenix, and Hangman were keeping you company and spread out around you.

“You alright?” Rooster asked, walking to your side.

“I’m fine. Just wanted to sit down for a little bit. Baby Bradshaw seems a little excited about the party,” you stated, your hands resting over the swell of your bump. Rooster placed a hand under yours, where Baby Bradshaw tended to kick for the last few days. “How’s Mav doing?”

“I think he’s enjoying himself a lot. He hasn’t seen his old TOP GUN buddies in a while, so it’s nice for them to all come out to see him.”

“Well, Penny can be very convincing when she wants to be,” you mused with a smile.

Wordlessly you moved Rooster’s hand to the side, where the baby was pressing on you. Though you were growing tired of being pregnant, you didn’t think that you’d ever get tired of the way that Rooster just flipped a happy switch whenever he felt your baby.

“What are you all doing over here?” Rooster asked, turning back to the others.

“Actually, we’ve got a poll going about the baby,” Bob explained to Rooster.

“What are the votes?”

“I think it’s a girl,” Phoenix declared confidently.

“Which means that it’s a boy,” Hangman stated, just as confident.

“You only said that after you found out that Rooster and I think it’s a girl,” Phoenix retorted, causing Hangman to shrug his shoulders.

"So what?”

“I think that it’s a boy too,” you offered up. “The way that I’m carrying says that it’s a boy.”

“It’s not an exact science,” Rooster pointed out.

“No but call it mother’s intuition.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that.”

“God, you’re so whipped,” Hangman grunted, earning an elbow to the side from Phoenix.

Rooster and you ended up leaving the party among the first wave of people—mostly elderly and people with small children. But not before you received a whole bunch of random baby gifts from all of the people who missed your shower a month earlier.

“Do you want a hot bath when we get home?” Rooster offered, glancing over at you as he drove home.

“Maybe,” you sighed, shifting in your seat.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just uncomfortable. Nothing either of us can do for that.”

“You want more of that tea that Penny got you then?”

“Yeah, maybe that’ll help,” you murmured, leaning back in your seat. Your hands rubbed up and down your bump, trying to soothe yourself. “I think that Baby Bradshaw just got a little overexcited about meeting everyone all at once. But maybe some tea and a bath will help.”

“Coming right up,” Rooster assured you.

You pulled into the driveway and Rooster walked around to help you out. Usually, yo would just push his hand away and insist that you were more than capable of getting yourself out of the car, but this time you happily accepted his help.

“Are you sure that you’re alright?” Rooster asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” you replied, pecking his cheek. “Just slow.”

Rooster walked with you to the front door, keeping a protective arm around your waist. You walked into the kitchen and Rooster instantly moved to heat up some hot water for your tea. You leaned on the countertop, just looking completely uncomfortable with your existence.

“I’ll grab the bags out of the car and then I’ll start your bath,” Rooster promised, pressing a loving kiss to your forehead.

“Thank you.”

Rooster jogged down to the car and gathered whatever bags were sitting in the trunk. He left the go bag in the car, just in case, before heading back into the house. He wasn’t even completely through the door when he spotted you waddling towards the stairs.

“I’ll run your bath, babe, just sit and relax.”

“I’m not going to take a bath,” you called back, moving up the stairs slowly.

“You need help?”

“No, I just need to change.”

“Oh, okay,” Rooster replied, setting down the bags.

“Also, don’t walk through the kitchen yet,” you warned him, grunting a bit as you walked.

“Why?” Rooster asked, moving to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

“There’s amniotic fluid all over the floor and I haven’t gotten a chance to clean it up yet.”

“Amniotic . . .” Rooster trailed off before the realization hit him like 10 G’s all at once. “Babe!?”

Part 2

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tongue-like-a-razor · 1 year

Note

Heyy bestiee I hope you well! But I was hoping maybe you could do a little thing for roosters brood? Like obviously there daughter is roosters little princess and could do no wrong in his eyes because she’s his only girl but I was wondering if you could like maybe do a little something when the reader and rooster find out that they are having a girl and youse are so shocked in the doctors and the doctors like is something wrong and the reader is like definitely not we have 7 boys im the only woman in the house just some daddy rooster fluff 😍

Aww what a cute request! Since we're in a Rooster's Brood mood, let's do one more XD

Princess Bradshaw

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Pregnant Wife!Reader

Summary: Rooster and his wife find out they're finally having a girl!

CW: pregnancy, ultrasound, fluff, part of the Rooster's Brood universe so....lots of kids

Rooster's Brood | Masterlist

You glance at your husband anxiously and he gives you a calm smile. It says that, no matter what gender the ultrasound shows, he will be the happiest man in the world. You should be happy too; the anatomy scan has indicated that your baby is healthy and growing as expected, and that’s all you could ask for.

But when the sonographer asks you again whether you’d like to know the sex of your eighth child, you hesitate. Bradley is standing near the examination table with his hand on your foot. He gives you a reassuring squeeze.

You nod at Bradley. “We’d like to know.”

The ultrasound technician presses the scanner into your belly and you wince trying to hold in the liter of water you’d been instructed to drink before your appointment. You feel Bradley’s hands close around both your feet as you close your eyes in discomfort.

“Well,” the tech says. “I don’t see a boy.”

Your eyes fly open and, before even looking at Bradley, you whip your head around to look at the sonographer. “What? What does that mean?”

She shrugs, looking at the monitor. “It means it’s a girl.”

You let out a sharp sigh – a sigh of disbelief – and then look back at your husband. Bradley is looking at the screen in shock, as if there is something on it that he could decipher. You watch him slowly bring a hand to his face, covering his mouth. Then, his other hand goes up and suddenly he’s got both hands over his cheeks and a dumbfounded expression on his face. A moment later, his large hands are hiding his face entirely and he’s turning away. He takes a few steps away from the table.

“Bradley?” you say gently.

“Is everything okay?” the tech asks with concern.

“We have seven boys,” you say quietly, not sure how else to relay the significance of this moment.

“Ah,” the tech replies as Bradley finally turns back around.

Even in the darkness of the room, you can see that his eyes are glistening. He sniffs, running a hand under his nose, and then he swallows, watching you with tears in his eyes.

“I’ll give you two a moment,” the tech says, rising from her seat and heading for the door.

The moment she’s gone, Bradley takes two giant steps toward the table and, just as you’re trying to peel your back from its surface, he takes your face in his hands and kisses you so fiercely you almost forget how badly you have to pee.

“A girl, baby,” he whispers, still clutching your face between his palms. “A girl,” he repeats, a slight crack in his voice.

You pull back slightly to meet his gaze. His eyes are still on the wet side as he smiles broadly. “She’s a little troublemaker too,” you say. “Kept bouncing off the walls of my uterus to get away from the scanner. My bladder feels like it’s going to burst.”

Bradley watches you wistfully. “She’ll fit right in, then.”

You smirk back at him. “I have no doubt.”

Bradley puts a hand on your belly just as you finish wiping the gel off. His thumb strokes your abdomen while he gazes lovingly into your eyes. “Thank you,” he says, his eyes filling with tears again. “Thank you for giving me the world.”

You give him a hug and he wraps his arms around you. “Uh, Bradley, I still have to pee.”

Bradley kisses your cheek and says, “Just one more thing.” He helps you off the table and squats down before you have a chance to pull down your shirt, taking a hold of your hips to plant a gentle kiss on your stomach. He looks up at you with a mischievous squint. “One more,” he says, kissing you again.

“Bradley!” you yelp, even though the soft brush of his lips over your bare skin is giving you goosebumps.

“Okay, okay.” Bradley chuckles, standing up.

You rush out of the room with a squeal. When you come out of the bathroom, Bradley is standing outside the door, waiting for you.

“Alright, sweetheart,” he says. “Let’s get you home so I could give you a nice backrub. Unless you want a different kind of massage.” You give him a pointed look while he smirks at you mischievously. When you roll your eyes with a smile and walk ahead of him, he calls out, “What? I meant a foot massage, obviously!”

You glance over your shoulder as he catches up to you. “Well, that’s disappointing.”

He laughs, taking you by the waist and bringing his head down to your face. “Baby, the last thing I want to do is disappoint you.”

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topgun-imagines · 1 year

Text

Pain Meds

Requested: yes

Summary: After an incident during training you put your husband on bed rest until he feels better. The only problem is that the painkillers hurt his stomach.

Word count: 1.3k

Warnings: Mentions of death. Mentions of plane crashes. Wounds. Stitches. Pills.

Pairings: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x wife!reader

“No,” Bradley’s face was hard and impassive. You sighed. Your husband had been refusing to take his pain medication for over an hour now. A few weeks ago, Bradley had entered a flat spin. You weren’t cleared to know exactly everything that had happened but from what you had been told you knew that something had malfunctioned, causing the engine to stall which resulted in your husband entering a flat spin. The ejection had been hard; the terrain was rough and unrelenting which caused Bradley more than a few injuries. Safe to say, you were horrified. You knew about how his father died and imagining how Bradley must have been feeling in that moment broke your heart. He had been cleared from medical care a few days ago but was still on leave to give himself time to fully recover. You had put him on bed rest the second he walked through the door. Your eyes focused on Bradley again. Every now and then, you could tell when a certain move caused a jolt of pain to run through him. Yet he still refused to take his damn medication.

You let out a sigh. “Bradley please,” Practically begging him at this point, you held out the pill bottle once more. It was still mostly full after nearly a week of what was supposed to be two pills a day. “I just want you to feel better.” It killed you to see the pain that your husband was in. Knowing that he had an opportunity to help himself, to relieve the pain that he was in but refused to take it bewildered you. He sat in front of you silently, refusing to meet your eyes. With a sigh, you stood up. You set the pill bottle on the coffee table in front of his before moving to walk back into the kitchen

Bradley let out a dejected sigh. “Wait,” He called softly, halting you in your spot. You turned back to face him. His eyes were cast down onto the floor. “It��s not that I don’t want to take them,” He started softly. You made your way toward him and sat down. Taking his hand in yours, you squeezed it softly. His eyes drifted up to yours. “They make my stomach hurt,” He practically whined. Hearing that come from a grown man made you chuckle slightly. When Bradley heard your soft giggles his head snapped back up to you. “Hey!” Your husband was pouting now.

Your laughter slowly died down as he tried to disguise his amusement in a glare. “I’m sorry, baby,” Setting your hand on his cheek, you rubbed your thumb over his cheek, brushing over the corner of his mustache. When he continued to pout you rolled your eyes fondly. You could never deny his puppy dog eyes. “I’ll see what I can do.” He smiled widely at you. With one final kiss pressed to his forehead, you stood from the couch and headed into the kitchen. You knew Bradley got stomachaches easily and you had picked up on a few things that he appreciated.

Opening the medicine cabinet you groaned quietly. You were all out of the one kind of medicine that Bradley preferred. It was the only kind that ever seemed to work for him. You checked the fridge quickly to see if there was any Ginger Ale, another thing that was perfect for both you and Bradley. To your surprise, there was none. You could have sworn you bought a case the other day. With a sigh, you plucked your keys off the counter and headed back to the living room.

“I’m gonna run to the store,” You called, slipping your shoes on. When Bradley didn’t respond you grew curious. He wasn’t ignoring you, was he? “Brad?” You spoke softly. Heading back to where your husband was on the couch, your heart melted at the sight in front of you. Bradley was asleep, arms crossed under the pillow and lips parted as he snored softly. With a small smile, you adjusted the thin blanket wrapped haphazardly around his waist before kissing his temple.

With Bradley asleep, you decided that you would walk over to the store. It wasn’t that far, plus it gave your husband some extra piece and quiet. You slipped out of the house quietly, beginning the five-minute walk. You and Bradley had decided to buy a house in Miramar for the time being. After the Uranium Mission, the higher up’s decided that the Dagger Squad would remain as a permanent detachment. Maverick had essentially moved in with Penny at this point and many of the other members had purchased homes around the base. Your home was in the perfect location; not too far from the Hard Deck, the base, and everyone else’s home.

You stepped into the cool air conditioning of the store and immediately headed over to the medication isles. It was a relatively small store, but seeing as it was on a Navy base it was stocked with an abundance of painkillers. After a quick scan of the shelves your eyes landed on the pills you were looking for. Grabbing the box, you picked up a pack of Ginger Ale before heading to the till. You smile at the cashier as you paid, grasping the bag that she handed you before heading back towards your house.

When you returned home, you found Bradley in the same state that you left him in, mouth hung open as snores poured freely from it. You shook your head fondly before moving past him to the kitchen. You poured one of the cans into a glass before grabbing two of the painkillers.

Back in the living room, Bradley was beginning to stir. He had always been a light sleeper, his years in the Navy making it very easy to wake him up. “Bradley,” You hummed softly, setting the glass on the table and running your hand through his honey curls. A small grunt was all you got in response. “Brad, baby, I’ve got something for you,” You watched as his eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks softly. He groaned as he sat up, wincing due to his stitches. It hurt you to see him in this much pain. “Here babe.” You spoke softly. Bradley brought a hand up to wipe the sleep from his eyes. He took the pills from you gratefully, sipping on the Ginger Ale to help swallow them.

Once the pills were down, your husband wound his arm around you and pulled you into his chest softly. You tried not to lean into him too much, wary of his healing wounds. The steady beating of his heart under your ear calmed you slightly. He was alive. He would be fine. His hand began rubbing soothing circles on your back as he guided the pair of you to lie down on the couch. Your eyes slowly shut. A scent that was entirely Bradley filled you. Above you, Bradley was messing with the television remote, trying to turn on a random movie to play in the background. Once one was picked, his hands returned to the small of your back. “What would I do without you, pretty girl?” He whispered into your hair. Bradley pressed a light kiss to your temple.

You grinned and laughed quietly. “You’re lucky you never have to find out,” All you heard in response was Bradley’s soft hum. Slowly, your hands dipped below the seam of the T-shirt he was wearing. You began tracing over the edges of the forming scars softly. Snuggling further into him, you pressed a kiss to the center of his chest. “I love you, Bradley.”

One of his hands squeezed your hip softly. “I love you, too, baby girl.”

a/n: Thank you for reading! Requests are open.

#rooster #rooster fic #bradley rooster bradshaw fic #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #rooster x wife!reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fic #nick bradshaw x reader #rooster fanfic #rooster bradshaw fic #rooster fluff #rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun fluff #miles teller

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bradshawsbaby · 10 months

Text

Homecomings and Heart-to-Hearts

Pairing: Rooster x Wife!Reader

Summary: Bradley returns home from a mission carrying the weight of a burden he doesn’t know how to set down.

Word Count: 6.4k

Author’s Note: I was inspired to write this story after watching Miles’ performance in Thank You for Your Service. The idea came to me right as I was going to sleep, and I couldn’t get it out of head.

Warnings: Angst, deployment, references to injuries sustained during a mission, near-death experience, implied sex, allusions to breastfeeding, insecurities, hurt/comfort, family fluff.

Every deployment and mission was different. And that meant that every homecoming was different, too.

You and Bradley had both learned to expect the unexpected when it came to orders from the Navy. Despite the fact that your husband was permanently stationed on North Island, it was always possible that he was going to receive instructions for a special mission or deployment at any given time. That’s what happened when you were one of the Navy’s top fighter pilots. No matter how many times you tried to remind yourself that that’s just how it was, however, it never got any easier.

Six weeks ago, the orders had come in for a classified mission that required the skills and experience of the best of the best. You had been able to tell the news as soon as Bradley walked through your apartment door, before he had even been able to open his mouth or put down his things. It was written all over his face.

“They’re sending you away?” you asked softly, trying to keep your voice from shaking as you rocked your four-month-old son in your arms. It was always painful when Bradley left, but this would be his first deployment since Nicholas had been born and you didn’t know what you were going to do without him. The thought alone had your heart racing and tears filling your eyes.

“Only for six weeks,” Bradley rushed to reassure you, dropping his bag to the floor and immediately wrapping an arm around your shoulders, his other hand coming up to support the back of Nick’s head as he dropped a kiss onto your son’s forehead. “I’ll be back before you even know I’m gone,” he tried to smile, running his fingers through your hair as he leaned in to give you a kiss as well.

You knew he was just saying that to comfort you, but you almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous the notion was. As if you wouldn’t feel his absence every second he was gone. You would be counting down the minutes until his return from the moment you saw him off, and the apartment would feel empty and cold until he was back to hold you and Nick in his arms once more.

“I’m coming home to you, honey, I promise,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your temple as he lifted Nick out of your arms and cradled him close to his chest. “Don’t let him get too big while I’m gone,” he added, trying to swallow back his own emotion as your son wrapped his hands around one of his fingers and babbled up at him, a little bit of drool dribbling down his chin.

This would be Bradley’s first time having to say goodbye to both you and your baby boy, and you knew the thought of it killed him. Behind his golden brown eyes, you could see the ghosts of his past haunting him, and you knew he was thinking of all the times his dad had had to say goodbye. Right up until that final time.

“I’m going to take pictures every day,” you whispered, resting your head against his shoulder as the two of you gazed down at your perfect little miracle, who was now chewing on Bradley’s finger while staring up at you with eyes that were identical to his father’s. “Videos, too. You’re not going to miss a single thing.”

Bradley turned to look at you, and in his eyes you could see the same skepticism you had felt when he told you you wouldn’t even know he was gone. And yet, he nodded and smiled slowly, kissing you again. “I’m going to miss the two of you so much,” he murmured softly, sighing as he rested his forehead against yours.

“We’re going to miss you, too,” you told him, your eyes welling up once more. “But like you said, it’s only six weeks, right? The time will fly by,” you lied, trying to be strong. You knew he needed you to be strong.

“Yeah,” Bradley nodded, rocking Nicholas back and forth as your son’s eyes started to flutter closed. “It’s gonna fly by real quick.”

Time hadn’t flown by. In fact, it had felt like the longest six weeks of your life. Every time you started to set the table for two, or woke up in the middle of the night to feed Nick and saw the empty space beside you in your bed, your heart broke all over again and you couldn’t help the tears that escaped and coursed their way down your cheeks. Communication with Bradley was almost nonexistent, and the truth was that you didn’t even know where in the world your husband was. The mission was classified for a reason, which meant that even you weren’t privy to all that it entailed.

Every time your phone rang, the hairs on the back of your neck rose and you could feel your stomach drop out from under you. You were terrified it was going to be Vice Admiral Simpson, informing you that something had happened to Bradley during the mission. One night, you felt so anxious that you actually turned your cell phone off and slept in the nursery with Nick, trying to push away all the intrusive thoughts of what could be happening to your husband and all the ways the mission could go wrong.

But all of that worry and anxiety was over now because Bradley was coming home today.

You had been up all night last night, preparing all his favorite foods and desserts to celebrate his homecoming. And this morning, you’d been up before the sun, too excited to get much sleep.

“Daddy’s coming today, Nick!” you’d cooed happily as you lifted your son out of the crib and got him ready for the day. It was his very first homecoming experience, and you wanted it to be a special one.

Decked out in his “Daddy’s Wingman” onesie and shorts, and a pair of baby aviators you had found online a few weeks ago, Nicholas looked just as handsome as his father as he rested on your hip at the hangar, where you were waiting with all the other Navy families anticipating their loved ones’ return.

“Daddy’s going to be here so soon,” you told your son, bouncing him gently with one arm as you held the Welcome Home, Daddy! sign you’d finished the other night with your free hand.

Nicholas giggled softly and wiggled in your hold, but you barely felt his movements over the erratic beating of your own heart. No matter how many homecomings you had attended over the years, it was always like this. Every time you stood there to welcome Bradley home, it felt like the first time. You just couldn’t wait to hug him and kiss him and hold him in your arms again.

“They’re coming! They’re coming!” a little boy exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down as he pointed in the distance and then looked back at his mother.

An excited buzz filled the air as the news filtered across the hangar, everyone standing on their tiptoes and shielding their eyes to try to get a glimpse of their husband, wife, father, mother, brother, or sister. Even after all this time, it sometimes still baffled you just how many people it took to man an aircraft carrier.

It took a few moments, but amidst all the happy reunions happening around you, you finally caught sight of Bradley and the other Daggers making their way through the crowd.

“Nick, look!” you exclaimed happily, pointing in the direction of your husband as your son slowly followed your gaze. “It’s Daddy!”

As Bradley and the others came closer, however, you noticed that while they were smiling, they all had strained looks on their faces, exhausted lines around their eyes and mouths. They were happy to be home, but something had happened. That much was clear.

Your stomach did an uncomfortable flip when you looked from face to face and realized instantly that one was missing.

Where was Coyote?

Bradley didn’t stop or slow down as he approached you and Nick, just immediately barreled into you and wrapped you both tightly in his arms. You could feel the tension still radiating through him as he buried his face in your neck, inhaling the scent of your skin and the perfume he loved so much on you.

“God, I missed you so much,” he mumbled, his mustache tickling your skin as he pressed his lips to the side of your neck.

“We missed you, too,” you whispered back, squeezing your eyes shut and clinging to him with your free arm.

The two of you stood there like that for what felt like ages, just holding one another, until Nick finally began squirming and fussing against your side.

Pulling back, Bradley smiled and took Nick into his arms, peppering his face with kisses. “Hey, buddy,” he greeted him, chuckling as he noted the baby aviators that were now sitting askew on your son’s face. “Cool outfit,” he told him, running his hand over his belly. “Look how big you got. I told Mommy not to let you get so big,” he teased, glancing over at you and smiling.

It was a tired smile.

“You must be so exhausted. We should get you home,” you said gently, resting a hand on his back. You still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach that you couldn’t quite shake. You glanced over at where the rest of the Dagger Squad was loosely scattered, and noticed that Coyote still hadn’t joined them. Was he still on the carrier? “Is everybody doing okay?” you asked quietly.

Bradley looked down at you and could see instantly where your attention was focused. “Coyote’s being taken to the infirmary,” he replied, his voice low. There was a heaviness in his tone that had you whipping your head back in his direction right away.

“Is everything alright?” you questioned, growing worried. You thought of Coyote’s happy-go-lucky smile and infectious laughter and immediately wanted to cry at the thought of anything happening to him.

Your husband was quiet for a moment, shifting your son in his arms and looking over at the other Daggers before directing his focus back to you. “He got struck by enemy fire while we were over there. It didn’t take long for search and rescue to find him, and he’s going to be okay, but they want to monitor him on base for a couple days.”

You didn’t know how to feel about that news. On the one hand, you were of course thrilled to hear that Coyote was safe and was going to be okay. But on the other hand, it was horrifying to be so bluntly reminded of the risks and dangers that your husband and friends faced every time they were deployed for a mission.

Wordlessly, you wrapped your arms around Bradley’s waist and buried your face in his chest, inhaling the scent of jet fuel and aftershave. You were comforted by the feel of his strong arms wrapping around you, and of your son’s chubby fingers tangling in your hair.

“C’mon, let’s go home,” Bradley murmured against the top of your head, slipping his hand into yours as he allowed you to lead him to where you and Nick had parked the car.

It was a quieter homecoming than many of the ones you had experienced in the past, the stark reality of Coyote’s injury still hanging over Bradley like a shroud. He was almost completely silent during the drive home, and only managed to get down a few bites of the lunch you’d prepared before he was slipping into the shower and crawling into bed.

“I’m sorry, baby, it tastes amazing, but I’m just so exhausted,” he murmured, squeezing your hip and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“It’s okay, I understand. Get some rest,” you told him, watching him out of the corner of your eye as you began clearing the table.

He ended up sleeping for the whole rest of the day, and all the way through the night. Sometimes you forgot how much these missions took out of him, both physically and emotionally.

The next morning, Bradley was up before you were, making a couple cups of coffee and heating up the breakfast you’d made the other day.

“Mmm, morning,” you mumbled sleepily, your eyes still half-closed as you stumbled into the kitchen, wearing a pair of sweatshorts and one of Bradley’s UVA Alumni T-shirts.

“Morning, honey,” Bradley greeted you, planting a kiss on your lips before taking a sip of his coffee and reaching for the toast that had just popped. “Here you go,” he added, sliding a mug of freshly brewed coffee towards you, prepared just the way you liked it.

“This is a nice way to wake up,” you grinned, lifting the mug—Bradley had chosen your personal favorite—and blowing gently before taking a tentative sip. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a rock,” Bradley chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry I slept all night, baby. I know you had dinner ready, and I really wanted to spend time with you and Nick,” he apologized.

“It’s okay,” you insisted, shaking your head. “We’re still here, and we’re not going anywhere, so don’t worry. I’m just glad you were able to get some rest.” You paused for a moment, setting down your coffee mug, before asking, “Any updates on Coyote?”

Bradley sighed softly, running his fingers through his hair so that his dark locks stood up at a funny angle. “Yeah, he actually texted all of us this morning. He’s doing a lot better, and feeling good, so they’re probably going to release him soon.”

You let out a relieved breath. “Well that’s good,” you said, stepping closer to your husband. Glancing up, you noticed that there was still a troubled expression on his face. “Bradley, are you okay?”

“Hm?” he asked distractedly, his eyes clearing as he looked at you. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, probably still just a little out of it after the trip home.”

Biting your lower lip, you watched as he turned and began buttering his toast. “Okay. But you’d tell me if something was bothering you, right?” You could only imagine the toll it had taken on him, witnessing one of his closest friends being shot down by enemy missiles.

“Of course,” Bradley nodded, kissing your cheek before carrying his food and his coffee to the table and taking a seat.

You couldn’t shake the feeling that there was still something he wasn’t saying, but you decided to let the matter rest for the time being, sitting down opposite your husband and enjoying a little bit of uninterrupted time before Nicholas woke up.

The rest of the day was peaceful and uneventful. Bradley had a couple weeks of leave now that he had returned from the mission, which meant that he got to spend all day with you and Nick. You couldn’t even put into words how much it warmed your heart to watch Bradley as he lay on the floor to play and do tummy time with Nick.

“I seriously can’t get over how big he’s gotten,” Bradley marveled, his eyes widening as your son rolled from his back to his stomach with ease, and then pushed up from his tummy onto his elbows. “Look at that, honey! He wasn’t doing that when I left!”

Smiling, you nodded as you sat down beside them on the living room floor. “I took him to the pediatrician just last week, and he gained another pound and a half since his last check-up. Dr. McCarthy says he’s hitting all his milestones. He just started rolling over like that a couple weeks ago.”

A trace of sadness passed over Bradley’s face as he gazed down at your baby boy. “I’m sorry that I missed it,” he murmured, reaching out to stroke Nick’s downy head. His hair was starting to come in thick and dark, just like his daddy’s.

“I took lots of videos,” you promised, reaching out to lightly squeeze your husband’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you’ve missed out on anything.”

Bradley took your hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it, smiling up at you. “Thank you, baby.”

The remainder of the afternoon flew by quickly, and after putting Nicholas down for the night, you and Bradley spent the rest of the evening making up for lost time and showing one another just how much you’d missed the other.

“I love you so much,” you whispered against his bare shoulder, pressing kisses to the scar that lacerated his skin.

“I love you, too, honey,” Bradley whispered in return, squeezing you tightly as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, when you awoke, Bradley was still fast asleep beside you. He didn’t even stir as you climbed out of bed to go check on Nick in the nursery. As you were sitting in the rocking chair, nursing your son, your phone began buzzing with text messages from Penny. A couple deliveries for The Hard Deck had gotten delayed, and she was wondering if you were free to run some errands with her that afternoon. You assured her that you would check with Bradley and get back to her as soon as possible.

Just as you rose to find a change of clothes for the baby, Bradley stepped into the nursery, a sleepy smile on his face. “Morning, my loves,” he murmured, kissing you and then pressing a kiss to the top of Nick’s head.

“Nicholas, can you say, ‘Good morning, Daddy?’” you teased, bouncing your son on your hip as you took one of his hands and waved it in Bradley’s direction.

Nick gurgled happily in response, and both you and Bradley laughed.

“Any big plans for the day?” Bradley asked, lifting the baby into his arms so that you could go through the dresser drawers and pick out an outfit for him to wear.

“Actually Penny was just texting me. She wanted to know if I was free to help her run a few errands this afternoon. Would that be okay?” you asked, laying out a simple blue and white striped onesie for Nick.

Turning, you glanced up at Bradley. He seemed to be doing better since he’d first arrived home. He wasn’t as tense or preoccupied, and his mood had improved considerably when he learned that Coyote had been officially discharged from the infirmary. But still, you knew how much of a handful the baby could be when you had to take care of him all on your own, and you didn’t want to spring that on your husband when he was still getting acclimated to being back at home.

“Of course,” Bradley nodded, rocking your son back and forth in his arms. “You hear that, Nick? We’re gonna have some father-son bonding time while Mommy goes out to help Aunt Penny. Does that sound good to you?”

In response, Nick spit up all over Bradley’s shoulder.

“I’m going to choose to take that as a yes,” Bradley winced, grinning at you when he noticed that you were trying to hide your laughter behind your hand.

“It’s definitely a sign of his love and affection for you,” you giggled, taking the baby out of your husband’s arms so that you could clean him up and get him changed. “I think a little father-son bonding time sounds perfect. And I’ll only be gone for a few hours. I’ll text Penny to let her know that I can meet her in a little bit.”

“Sounds good,” Bradley nodded. “In the meantime, I think I’ll go take a quick shower,” he chuckled, pointing at the drool still coating his shoulder.

A few hours later, you were showered and dressed and ready to go meet Penny.

“Okay, so I fed Nick not that long ago, but if he gets hungry while I’m out, there are bottles in the fridge that you can warm up. And his diapers have been giving him a little bit of a rash lately, so I’ve been using this cream that Dr. McCarthy gave me whenever he needs to be changed. Oh, and—”

“Honey, relax,” Bradley laughed, resting his hands on your shoulders. “You’re going to be gone for a few hours, not a week. I can handle this.”

You bit down on your lower lip sheepishly, looking over at where Nick was currently relaxing peacefully in his sway swing. “I know,” you nodded, smiling as you leaned forward to press a kiss to the corner of Bradley’s mouth. “You know me, I always just get crazy whenever I have to leave him.”

“We’ll be fine. You go have some girl time with Penny, and we’ll have some man time here,” he grinned, kissing you gently.

“Okay,” you smiled. Turning towards Nick, you beamed as you knelt beside him to smother him in kisses. “Enjoy your man time with Daddy, my love. I’ll be home in a little while,” you told him, giving him one more kiss before rising back to your feet.

“I’ll see you in a little bit. Call me if you need anything,” you said, giving Bradley another kiss before grabbing your keys and your purse and heading out the door.

“We’ll see you soon! Tell Penny we said hi!” Bradley called out as he closed the door behind you.

As much as you hated being away from your two favorite guys, you had to admit that it was nice getting a few hours “off” to spend time with a dear friend, even if you were driving all over San Diego to run errands for the bar. You kept checking your phone every ten minutes or so, but there were no texts or calls from Bradley, so you figured everything must have been going fine at home.

Hope you and Nick are enjoying your man time! Don’t miss me too much! 😉

It was just a silly, teasing text, but when you received no reaction or reply, you started to grow a little antsy. Was everything fine at home? You had only been out for a few hours, but you also knew that Bradley had been under a great deal of pressure and strain these past several weeks. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of your stomach, and when Penny offered to pay for lunch as a thank you for helping her out, you told her that you’d have to take a rain check.

“We’ll talk soon!” you promised her, giving her a quick hug before jumping into your car and driving just slightly above the speed limit to get home as quickly as possible.

As you were hurrying into your apartment building, you checked your phone one last time and saw that you still had no messages or calls from Bradley. Fumbling around in your purse for your keys, you skipped the elevator and took the stairs two at a time until you reached your floor.

You hoped that you were wrong, but you just couldn’t shake the feeling that something had happened. Call it women’s intuition, but you knew something was off. Heart pounding, you approached your apartment door and that’s when you could hear the wails coming from inside. You recognized that cry instantly. Nicholas didn’t cry like that often, that throaty, inconsolable wail, but when he did, it could be extremely challenging to figure out exactly what it was that was causing him to be so upset.

“Oh, God,” you mumbled, trying to shove your key into the door, but in your hurry, you kept choosing the wrong one.

“There you are,” came the rude voice of Mr. Lanfranchi, one of your neighbors a couple doors down. From the moment you and Bradley had moved in, he’d seemed determined to have a problem with you. When you turned, you saw that he was standing in his open doorway, arms crossed, scowling at you. “That kid of yours has been screaming for over an hour. About time you showed up.”

Although you would have loved nothing more than to tell Mr. Lanfranchi where he could shove it, you decided killing him with silence was a better solution as you turned your back on him and finally managed to get the right key in the lock. Slamming the door behind you, you dropped your purse and practically ran in the direction of your son’s cries.

“Bradley?” you called out, a hint of panic in your voice. “Baby?”

Pushing open the door to the nursery, your heart plummeted at the sight before you. Nicholas was lying in his crib, kicking his legs and loudly sobbing, while Bradley was sitting on the rug, head in his hands as he stared down at the floor. For a moment, you just stared at the two of them, not sure who needed you more. But then your feet carried you to the crib and you were lifting Nick into your arms, trying to rock him back and forth gently, even as he continued to wail in your ear.

“Oh, no, it’s okay, my love,” you cooed soothingly, rubbing his back as you tried to calm him down. “Sh, sh, sh. Mommy’s home. Mommy’s here. It’s okay.”

Looking over at Bradley, you saw that he had lifted his head and was peering at you through bleary eyes. He looked exhausted, but also deeply troubled. The tension you had seen in his shoulders when you’d picked him up on base had returned, and he had a defeated look about him that broke your heart.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he was mumbling, burying his face in his hands and then raking his fingers through his hair wildly. “He—he hasn’t stopped crying. I haven’t been able to get him to stop crying,” he told you, sounding almost numb.

You remembered the first time Nicholas had gone into one of his crying fits like this while you were home alone with him. It had been incredibly draining and emotionally taxing. You had felt like crying yourself. You could only imagine how Bradley was feeling right now.

“It’s okay, baby,” you said, trying to reassure both your husband and your son at the same time. When you felt Nick’s diaper was dry, you tried to figure out what else could be the cause of his upset.

“Bradley,” you said gently, carefully kneeling down on the floor near his feet, Nick still cradled in your arms. “Honey, look at me. Is he hungry? Did he eat?”

Bradley pointed across the nursery, where an empty bottle was sitting on the table near the rocking chair. “He seemed hungry earlier, so I fed him a bottle. He was doing okay, and then he just started crying and he hasn’t stopped. I—I don’t know what’s wrong,” he admitted, and you realized that that admission terrified him. He looked desolate as he gazed down at the baby. “I don’t know how to help him.”

“It’s okay,” you told him, reaching out with one hand and gently squeezing your husband’s. “It’s okay, Bradley.” You thought you had an idea what the trouble might be now.

Rising up, you laid Nick down on the changing table and began to gently massage his belly in a clockwise motion, singing a calming song to him in a soft voice. It was a song you often sang to help him go to sleep at night. As you continued to rub his tummy, he slowly started to quiet down, his desperate wails turning to softer cries. Lifting his feet in both hands, you began to bicycle his legs slowly, kissing the soles of his tiny feet as you did so. Slowly but surely, his cries soon turned to whimpers, then to little hiccups, until finally he stopped crying altogether and simply blinked up at you with tired eyes, all tuckered out.

Bradley stood up slowly, staring down at Nick and then gazing up at you in awe. “How did you do that? What was wrong?” he asked, still looking a bit shell-shocked.

“He had a gas bubble,” you explained, carefully lifting the baby into your arms and cradling the back of his head. “It happened once before when I gave him the bottle. He’s okay now, baby, I promise,” you assured him, noting the worried expression that was still on your husband’s face. “I know it can be overwhelming when he cries like that. I had no idea what to do the first time he did it when I was alone with him. But it’s all okay now. See?”

He just continued to stand there, staring intently at Nick with a sad look in his eyes. “I couldn’t even help my own son,” he murmured, reaching out to lightly touch the baby’s back before dropping his hand again.

“Bradley, no, you—”

Before you could even get a full sentence out, Bradley was turning and walking out of the nursery, his head clutched in his hands. Your heart broke when you saw the defeated slump to his shoulders, and the heaviness he seemed to be bearing.

Not wanting to alarm Nick, who seemed to be on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, you continued to whisper soothingly to him, rubbing his back and rocking him in your arms until his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. Cradling his head carefully, you lowered him into the crib and watched him for a few minutes to make sure he really was sound asleep, then stepped out of the nursery on quiet feet and closed the door halfway behind you.

Concerned about Bradley, you immediately went in search of him. You checked the bedroom first, but when you didn’t find him there, you moved to the living room, where you discovered him sitting silently at the end of the couch.

“Honey,” you said softly, kicking your shoes off and curling up beside him on the couch. “Talk to me. What’s the matter?” You knew it had to go deeper than just Nick’s crying. Something had been off ever since Bradley returned from the mission.

“I’m a terrible father,” Bradley said quietly, tears stinging his whiskey-colored eyes as he turned his face away from you, seemingly too ashamed to even look you in the eye. “Nick was in pain, and he needed me, and I didn’t know what to do. I just froze. I didn’t even call you or anything. What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing!” you exclaimed, reaching out to cup Bradley’s face in your hands so that you could turn his eyes back to yours. “Nothing is wrong with you. Do you hear me? Babies cry. A lot. And sometimes it’s hard to know why. That does not make you a terrible father,” you insisted, looking directly into his eyes. “Do you hear me?”

“I didn’t know what to do,” he said again, shaking his head slowly. “I keep messing up.”

“Bradley, baby, you haven’t messed up anything,” you told him, running your fingers through his hair. He seemed so shaken up by this, and you were trying to understand why.

“It’s my fault that Coyote got hit,” he said quietly, lowering his gaze and staring down at his lap.

“What?” you asked, startled. Resting your hand over his, you leaned in closer and rested your head on his shoulder. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“It is,” Bradley told you insistently, his whole body tensing up beside you. “I was mission leader. I was the one making the calls, and I made a bad one. I thought we were clear. Bob and Fanboy weren’t picking anything up on radar. But that SAM just came out of nowhere,” he murmured, almost more to himself than to you. “I didn’t see it coming.”

“Oh, baby,” you said softly, cradling his cheek in your hand. “You can’t take all that responsibility and put it on your shoulders. You did the best you could. You said it yourself, even Bob and Fanboy didn’t pick anything up. You couldn’t have seen it coming.”

“But I should have!” Bradley’s voice was firm as he gazed at you, an agonized look in his expression. “I should have! Coyote could have been killed, and it would have been my fault. I feel like I just keep letting everyone down. And then today, I couldn’t even take care of my own son!”

You took a moment to process your husband’s words, to process the pain and the feeling behind them. It would be easy for you to sit here and tell him that it wasn’t true, that he shouldn’t feel that way, but who were you to tell him how he should feel? If that was how he felt at that moment, then he deserved to be heard.

“Baby, I can’t pretend to know exactly what you’re going through right now,” you began slowly, trying to collect your thoughts. “I’ll never be able to fully understand what it is you go through every time you go up in one of those jets, every time you fly some classified mission that I’m sure I don’t even want to know the details of. And I’m not going to sit here and tell you not to feel the way you feel, because you’re allowed to feel whatever you need to. But I do want to tell you that I think you’re an amazing man. An amazing husband, an amazing father, an amazing friend, and an amazing fighter pilot. You deserved to be mission leader because no one cares about that squad more than you do. You would put your own life on the line for any of them, and that is what makes you a good leader. Coyote knows that. And I know that he would never blame you for what happened. You didn’t let him down, baby. You didn’t let anybody down. You all came home, and that’s what matters most.”

Bradley swallowed, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs as he silently drank in your words, tears that refused to fall coating his dark lashes.

“You didn’t let Nick down either, honey. It’s hard, taking care of a baby. Trust me, I know,” you said, trying to laugh softly to lighten the mood. “Do you think I have all the answers? Believe me, I don’t. I only figured out what to do today because the last time it happened, I called Penny sobbing and begging for her to help me. I felt like the world’s worst mother that day.”

“You’re an amazing mother,” Bradley insisted suddenly, lifting his head and taking one of your hands between both of his own.

“And you’re an amazing father,” you replied evenly, arching a pointed brow as you looked at him. “One tough day doesn’t change that. Our son is so lucky to have you,” you whispered, caressing his cheek lightly as you leaned in closer.

Bradley took a deep breath, turning his head slightly to press a kiss to the palm of the hand that was resting against his cheek. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you what was bothering me when you asked. I just—I felt ashamed of what had happened. And—” He paused, struggling to get the rest of his words out. “And I didn’t want you to stop thinking of me as a hero,” he confessed.

“That would never happen,” you assured him, crawling into his lap and holding his face in your hands. “You’ll always be my hero.”

“And you’ll always be mine,” Bradley murmured softly, wrapping his arms around you tightly and pulling you in for a kiss.

Kissing him deeply, you rested your hand on the nape of his neck and ran your fingers through his hair, feeling his body slowly relax as the tension and anxiety oozed out of him. When you finally pulled back for air, you rested your head in the crook of his shoulder and whispered, “I love you so much, Lieutenant Bradshaw.”

You could feel his chest rumbling as he chuckled in response. “I love you more, Mrs. Bradshaw.”

“Not possible,” you teased, tilting your head back and grinning up at him.

Just then, the sound of the baby monitor that you kept in the living room came crackling to life as Nick awoke from his little hysteria-induced nap. You could hear him babbling and whimpering slightly, clearly in need of being held.

As you shifted to move off Bradley’s lap and go to your son, however, your husband stilled you with his hand. “I’ve got him,” he told you, sliding you easily off his lap and rising himself.

“Okay,” you smiled, nodding up at him. You knew this was something he needed to do after all that had gone on that afternoon.

Bradley smiled at you in return before walking out of the living room and down the short hallway to the nursery.

Within a few moments, you heard the sound of your son’s soft cries cease completely, which made you smile happily. You waited another couple minutes until you couldn’t take it anymore, and then you tiptoed quietly down the hallway and poked your head into the nursery.

Your husband was standing next to the crib, rocking a happily gurgling Nicholas in his arms as your son grasped onto one of his father’s large fingers.

“Daddy’s here, Nick. Daddy’s right here,” Bradley was whispering softly, gazing down at your son with a look of unadulterated adoration, a look that absolutely melted your heart. “I’m home now, and I’m not going to leave you or Mommy again for a very, very long time. I promise I’m going to be right here for you always.”

With tears in your eyes, you stepped into the nursery and wrapped your arms around both your boys, your heart full to bursting with how much you loved the two of them. It was more than words could describe.

“Thank you, honey,” Bradley murmured softly, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as he wrapped one arm around you.

“For what?” you asked in surprise as you lifted your head to gaze up at him.

Bradley smiled, lightly brushing his fingertips across your cheek. “For always being my safe place to land every time I make it back home.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #x reader #x female reader #rooster x wife!reader #mr. & mrs. bradshaw #top gun #top gun: maverick #miles teller

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