#You know you have to see Penny at Thanksgiving right???

[loaksky]

i don’t celebrate thanksgiving, but could you guys imagine college!ellie taking roommate!reader home to jackson because she’d be alone for the holiday? short lil oneshot to get back into the groove of writing. do i hate this? yes.

recommended songs: alabama haint — penny and sparrow + what once was — her’s

warnings: language, a few brief mentions of family issues, suggestive content (kissing among other things) + mild sexual content, a lil misunderstanding and angst bc who am i if i don’t ??, CONFESSIONS because i’m a sloot for them. i think that’s it? not proofread ofc heh

it’s the weekend before thanksgiving, sunday to be exact, and ellie’s packing her backpack for joel’s. the energy in the the room’s a little off despite the fact that you’re normally reserved, and even though the two of you have only met this year, ellie’s learned to read you pretty well.

“you goin’ home for thanksgiving?” ellie asks absently, trying to make small talk as she rolls a sleep shirt and some pajamas haphazardly to stuff at the top of her bag.

there’s a pause that makes her brain itch before she sees the way you shake your head from where you’re hunched over a textbook at your desk.

“my family’s all over the place right now,” you answer honestly.

and ellie doesn’t know if you mean that figuratively or literally, but the lack of emotion in your voice tells her that maybe she shouldn’t pry. she can’t help it, though. because you’re her sweet and quiet roommate who’d been serious (and maybe a little scary) at first, but turned out to be a goofball with a little bit of prodding.

so seeing you like this, checked out and maybe a little stressed, ellie treads cautiously.

“so you’re gonna stay here?” she asks.

you don’t even spare her a glance.

“yeah.” your shoulders shrug. “no point in dropping so much money for a plane ticket if i’m going to be sitting home alone anyways.”

ellie makes a noise in the back of her throat and you throw look over your shoulder.

“sorry,” you offer softly, smile sheepish. “that was a little depressing.”

ellie shakes her head.

“no, i get it,” she assures you. “my family’s not really...”

you blink at her as she trails off.

“conventional? i guess?”

another quiet blankets the two of you and ellie’s speaking before she can even filter through the repercussions of her next words.

“you’re always welcome to...y’know...come with,” she says, scratching the back of her neck. “it’s not even a two hour drive.”

you hope ellie can’t tell that your cheeks are burning.

“you don’t have to, of course,” ellie blabbers. “but joel’s cool, so’s my uncle and his wife. it’d be nice, i think. and jackson’s pretty fun around this time of year...”

“i don’t wanna imp—”

ellie breathes a laugh.

“don’t,” she warns you, tips of her ears burning. “you’re more than welcome, seriously.”

it’s how you end up in the passenger seat of ellie’s old 4runner, heater on blast while sublime plays on the radio.

the car ride had consisted of ellie munching on cold fries the two of you had picked up from mcdonald’s before the interstate and you finally opening up about how your parents are divorced and how the holidays are a lot more stressful than they are pleasant.

ellie really feels for you, definitely knows the feeling losing her mom at a pretty young age and being adopted in middle school by a single, bereaved father. she tells you that they’d found each other when they needed the other the most.

and you don’t particularly know why you’re so nervous when ellie finally takes the exit off the interstate and you guys make your way through the suburbs. perhaps it’s the domesticity of meeting her family, or that you’re over a hundred miles away from familiarity, but your fingers are trembling when she turns into the neighbourhood and cozy brick homes line the frost-laden streets.

she’s pulling up and parking on the curb in front of a warm two-story that has a blue pickup truck and a gold SUV in the driveway when she notices.

“hey, hey,” she whispers, noticing the way you’re wringing your hands to stop the shaking. “you okay?”

her hands are warm when they close over yours and her thumbs is brushing over your skin soothingly.

“i’m being dumb,” you admit.

ellie’s eyes are crystal clear under the setting sun.

“don’t say that,” she says softly. “you wanna take a second?”

you swallow and shake your head.

“no, we can go,” you assure her.

she’s searching your face for any tell, but when you offer her a soft smile, she’s leaning back in her seat and nodding. before she completely pulls away, you’re stopping her.

“thanks, ellie,” you say gently. “this was really kind of you.”

she flashes you an easy smile, squeezes your hand a final time before climbing out of the car and rounding the front to help you out.

and truthfully, you realize you were nervous for nothing. because when the door swings open to reveal an older man aged with smile lines and greying hair, ellie seemingly softens infinitely.

“hey, kiddo,” he greets, crushing her in a hug so tight, she’s spluttering out a laugh.

“joel, i can’t breathe,” she wheezes.

you’re standing there awkwardly, backpack slung over your shoulder when joel finally loosens his hold on ellie and glances over her head.

“who’s this?” he asks, but the smile he wears is knowing.

“________, my roommate,” she introduces quickly, cheeks warming an awful shade of red as she begs every force above that joel won’t blow her cover.

because, okay, maybe ellie’s talked about you on the phone way more times than she’d care to admit out loud. talked about how intimidating you were at first, then graduated to talking about how you were actually so cool. and maybe she’d brought up the fact that she thought you were pretty. like...super pretty. and that maybe she was crushing a teensy bit.

“nice to meet you,” joel replies simply, sparing ellie this time around.

you let go of the breath you hadn’t realized you were holding onto, offering a smile that makes ellie wonder if she’ll survive the week with you in such a new proximity.

“nice to meet you, too,” you almost whisper, relaxing as he reaches for the backpack slung over your shoulder.

“here, let me take this for you,” he says.

and it doesn’t take you long to realize where ellie gets it from. her kind spirit and fierce yet gentle heart. joel is soft-spoken, a little rough around the edges, but a warm energy that radiates through the home he’s made for himself and ellie.

it makes infinitely more sense enter tommy and maria, her uncle and aunt who tell you the silliest stories about the starry-eyed girl in her youth over dinner. who bring out her boisterous laughter when they sing old 80’s music over dishes and evening TV.

“your family’s so cool,” you say in awe, wrapped in one of her coats she’d dug out of the closet under the stairs.

you’re nursing a mug of hot chocolate that steams in the icy air of jackson on her back porch.

ellie breathes out a little laugh.

“they’re something,” she jokes, watching you over the rim of her mug.

you make her heart thud hard in her chest as she takes you in, bundled in pieces of her that make her think that she wouldn’t mind making you hers.

“i miss times like these,” you whisper.

ellie shifts closer, catching you by surprise when her thumb swipes over the curve of your top lip.

“sorry,” she hums quietly. “you had...uh...”

you let out a hollow laugh and shake your head, tell her that it’s fine as a silence blankets the two of you.

“i’m glad you like them,” ellie admits softly. “sometimes i get a little self-conscious because, y’know, everyone expects a nuclear family and...”

“i’d take this any day,” you assure her, and the true implication of your words is latent, but something hopeful pricks her tummy.

i’d take this any day...with you.

and locking eyes with you usually scares her, usually makes her queasy with nerves because there’s always something searing in your gaze, but it’s like you see each other for the first time, no barriers.

ellie’s so close she can feel the warmth of your body coiling and drawing her in. her breath’s caught in her throat as she chances a glance at your mouth and her own lips begin to tingle.

she’s on the brink of asking if she can kiss you, but the back door is sliding open and two familiar faces are surfacing.

“williams!”

ellie’s daze melts away as she shifts to put distance between the two of you at the arrival of her friends.

“jess!” she calls. “dina!”

the moment clings heavy, but ellie writes it off. maybe she’s jumping the gun, reading too much into tender moments. it’s colored on your face, though, as she stands to meet her friends halfway, that the two of you are tethered and you feel it too.

ellie’s friends are another reflection of her character. they take you under their wings in the days leading up to the holiday with jesse teaching you to ride his minibike and dina telling you stories of their childhood while excitedly painting your nails pretty shades of autumnal colors because both jesse and ellie vehemently decline.

joel graciously relinquishes his kitchen to the four of you the day before thanksgiving. lets you guys gather around and bake an array of different desserts for tomorrow’s dinner over a few beers and winecoolers.

perhaps ellie’s a lightweight, you come to find, when she’s a lot more giggly and rosy-cheeked than she’d ever let anyone see. she’s feeling a little bubbly and you definitely don’t help the fact when you gaze upon her so fondly as you smear away the streaks of flour across her cheek.

jesse and dina are merely observers, watching with knowing grins as ellie practically melts against your touch.

and as the desserts cool on the kitchen island and the two of see jesse and dina out, ellie can’t keep her hazy eyes off of you. the two of you vote on a movie and she’s taking her usual seat in the right corner of the couch. it starts out with the two of you on opposite ends, but as the film plays, the space between you and ellie diminishes and she swears you can hear the way her heart’s pounding behind her ribcage with your ear pressed to her chest.

it’s uncharted territory considering ellie’s never been big on physical touch and she can’t even be sure that there's anything there, but you have to know. ellie’d mentioned past girlfriends, wasn’t really subtle when it came to wandering eyes on campus, hell, she’d even—

suddenly your arm’s tightening around the narrow of her waist and you’re nestling impossibly closer and christ, ellie can’t help herself when the coarse pads of her fingertips brush your jaw to catch your attention.

your gaze is illuminated by pixels and there’s a hitch in your breathing as you search her features for any hesitation. it’s long gone, you find, when ellie’s mouth is slotting yours, lips warm and tongue still flavored with sparkling wine.

ellie kisses like you’re air and she needs you to breathe. it’s almost embarrassing, way her body reacts to your proximity, how hot she us under the collar and achey as you move to straddle her. her fingertips are skimming down your spine, past the small of your back to take a—

your teeth sinking in the plump of her bottom lip and the way your soft palms find purchase against the rigid expanse of her tattooed abdomen is sobering. has her bony fingers cupping the flesh of your jaw.

“wait, wait,” she whispers, chest heaving and breaths shallow as she looks up at you.

the dust is starting to settle and you take in ellie’s kiss-bitten lips, swollen and slick. her pupils are blown wide, sweater riding up to reveal reddened flesh like you’ve branded her. you lean back.

“fuck,” you whisper. “fuck, i’m so sorry.”

ellie’s mouth is drying.

“why are you sorry?” she whispers.

you seem to chew on your words, eyes teary and expression scared.

“why are you sorry?” ellie repeats, not caring enough to mask the hitch in her voice as she pries.

“you’re always so fucking good to me, ellie,” you whimper. “you’re a great roommate and an even better friend and—”

ellie blows out a deep sigh, falls slack against the cushions as she levels you with an indiscernible look in her eye.

“don’t do that,” she breathes.

“ellie.”

“c’mon, you know me better than that,” she says, tone tinged with annoyance. “you don’t have to let me down easy. you can be honest.”

and color you confused because how couldn’t she fathom that you’ve fallen and head first at that? she’s reading it all wrong, you realize, when defeat shutters over her pretty face.

“i—”

the floorboards outside the den creak and ellie’s pushing you off just as the door squeaks open to reveal joel’s aging face.

he reads the room a moment, decides to blow by the sheen in your eyes and ellie’s rigid posture.

“tommy and maria are leaving, kiddo,” he says. “if you wanna say bye.”

ellie nods, stands and leaves you in the television-illuminated room.

you realize she won’t come back for you when the telltale sound of the front door closes and the stairs seem to groan under her weight.

it’s half past two in the morning when you slip from the den, glass of water condensating on a coaster as you try to collect yourself on the screened-in deck out back.

the icy chill stings your lungs, makes you gulp in breath after breath. the night’s starting to dawn you, the gravity of the situation overwhelming you enough to choke.

“fuck,” you whisper, that familiar feeling of dread squeezing your chest.

meanwhile, ellie can’t sleep. has been staring at the ceiling of her childhood bedroom for the past two and a half hours. you’re all she can think of. pliant curves of your body settling over hers to fit like you two were made for each other, the smell of your subtle perfume, the taste of your mouth.

and she wants to be annoyed, angry at the fact, but she’d brought you all the way here, extricated you from your comfort zone and showed you parts of her she wouldn’t dream of revealing to anyone else.

she recalls the resignation in your tone on the drive up, how you’d divulged the dysfunction of your family and the troubles you carried with you as a result. it’d be your first holiday with someone other than yourself for a while and she’d be damned if it soured because she couldn’t push her feelings aside.

the tv’s off and the blanket’s folded when she musters up enough courage to enter the den again, heart sinking to her ass when she slides back into the kitchen and finds that the sliding door to the back deck is cracked ever so slightly.

she’s seen you in a lot of ways these past eleven-odd months she’s known you, but she’s never seen you like this, hands over your heart and chest heaving like you’re trying to ground yourself.

when your watery gaze swings to her, ellie’s melting, cushion sinking as she settles next to you.

“sorry,” you whisper shakily. “i don’t—”

ellie’s shifting to face you, arms winding around your shoulders as one hand comes up to cradle the back of your head.

“let’s talk about it later,” ellie offers softly. “we can just go to bed for now and—”

“i really, really like you, ellie,” you say in one breath, and it has her body locking up, the audible catch of her inhale sounding near your ear.

“but?”

“no buts,” you admit. “just that i don’t want you to think that i kissed you because you’re being nice to me. well, i guess you’re always nice to me. it’s one of the reasons why i…”

and ellie doesn’t mean to tune you out, but you’re so fucking cute and so sweet and she shouldn’t have doubted you or herself because you’re hiccuping and shivering and—

you taste better the second time around. now ellie’s a little less unsure, still a little nervous because you’re the first girl to make her feel like this and she doesn’t want the bubble she’s built around the two of you in this corner of her little world to burst, but kissing you feels so right.

she’s dragging you back inside, past the den and up the stairs, and maybe the two of you do things you shouldn’t in her twin size bed in her childhood room when her dad’s only a few walls away, but she can’t help herself. not when you’ve always been an arm’s length away and she can finally have you.

it isn’t until the two of you lay under the dim glimmer of the glow-in-the dark stars pasted to her ceiling, her face pressed in your neck, that she says it.

“i really, really like you, too,” she whispers. “i realized i didn’t say it back.”

but it’s not like she needs to. you knew that already.

neng ©️2023

#ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x female reader #ellie williams fic #ellie williams #ellie williams au #ellie williams tlou2

[jtl-fics]

In honor of April Fools day I will talk a bit about an AU with my favorite fool - (Redacted) Smith that I will probably never write fully but have thought about a bunch of scenes for.

I call it 2 Fluent Freshmen.

Due to a clerical error at both the school and during the local government's push to digitize their documents Smith is noted down as being 2 years older than he actually is and (perhaps a clerical error or maybe no teacher can say if they've had him in class or not) Smith also has enough credits to graduate. Gran has passed away early and there's nothing for him in Washington other than more anxiety.

Wymack & Dan come to Smith when he is 16 and Smith takes the chance to escape from his family IMMEDIATELY. Sure the Foxes are the worst team and sure there's some drama going on with Kevin Day having joined them after his injury but a full ride scholarship is a full ride scholarship!

Smith is rooming with 2 upperclassmen and his only other fellow freshman - Neil Josten. He is not hiding the fact that he can speak Russian, he is hiding the fact that he is 16. Smith ends up pretty close to Seth and Allison due to sharing a dorm / position respectively and just doing his best not to get to close to crazy Andrew Minyard. He does get a bit close with Neil but it's not something he's trying to do.

He's trying to keep his head down and get through the year.

It's a little hard when he is sat on the couch with the Kathy Ferdinand show. It's a lot harder when Riko Moriyama shows up and doesn't realize he's there and just...sits in Smith's lap?? Smith remains as blank faced as ever and what the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT HE FUCKED UP?

Do you know how hard it is to intimidate someone when you're sitting in the lap of some dude? The answer is VERY. Kevin can't take him seriously at all, especially after Smith made a comment that Riko's ass was bony.

Riko goes after them the same but Smith doesn't really get that his anger is at Kevin. "Hey, I'm sorry I called your butt bony on national television. That was rude of me. You should try some squats though." and like what the fuck is Riko supposed to say in the face of some dude genuinely apologizing to him.

It buys enough time that no one is grabbed or slammed.

Seth and Allison drag him out to the bar that night and after a few minutes sitting with Allison Smith realizes that he actually does have to pee and oh god someone's trying to assault Seth! Smith calls upon the powers of Gracie Hart and Seth has a black eye and a concussion but he graduates.

Neil wants Smith to come with him to the Thanksgiving because Neil has latched on a bit. Smith ends up going and also ends up going upstairs to go to the bathroom because oh god he cannot handle Nicky's parents hearing him take an anxiety shit. He's making his way to the end of the hall and sees a penny on the ground so he bends over to grab it.

And Drake Spears is unbalanced from missing his swing and falls right out the open window to the ground below where he breaks his neck. Naturally, Andrew is watching this scene unfold from the stairs and just starts to laugh his ass off. Smith turns around after flipping the penny over (it was tails side up and therefore not lucky) unaware of what has happened.

Smith asks if Andrew wants to use the bathroom. Andrew insists that Smith goes on ahead. The Hemmicks keep asking if they saw anyone upstairs and Smith has no idea what they're talking about, Andrew does but plays dumb out of spite. A day later it's wild that Nicky's parents got arrested. Like they seemed so normal, how did they kill someone and dump him in the side garden??

The Winter Banquet happens and well...it's dark. It's dark and Neil has brown hair and brown eyes and Smith has brown hair and brown eyes. Riko is not the best at judging heights so he calls Smith to threaten him and tell him that he's joining the Ravens for a Winter Break training camp. Jean is doing the most anyone has ever done not to laugh right now.

Riko only realizes his mistake when he's finished threatening Smith with his father and Smith ruins it. Smith is elated to have somewhere to stay over winter break. He can't mention he has nowhere to go so he'd thought he'd spend the break homeless. Now here comes Riko Moriyama inviting him to a camp where room and board will be provided?

What a nice guy. To thank him Smith compliments the gains he's noticed on Riko's ass. "The squats are really helping you, or are you doing something else?" he asks.

What the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT THAT HE FUCKED UP? Tell Smith that he's been doing squats and leg lifts before asking that he hand the tickets back and go get Neil???

Fuck that.

He'll just turn Smith against the Foxes and-

Well Riko kept talking about Smith's dead dad and so Smith may have a slight misunderstanding about the full scope of this training camp. He may think that there is some sort of seance element to it at this point and he's kind of excited at the idea of talking to his dad. "I've never spoken to a dead man before, this will be fun." and it's delivered flatly with no expression.

Riko starts to wonder if maybe Smith is the Butcher's son? Did the Butcher have two sons? He's sweating all the sudden.

It does not help that Smith brings a Ouija board to camp or that his dad was a legit Butcher before he died so Riko's tentative questioning only sends him further into an anxious mess about if Nathan had twins and Riko, due to being kept away from the family business, might just not be aware of it?

Smith has a nice Christmas break.

The last scene I've got dinging around in the noggin is in Binghamton. Smith has been left behind at many a stadium at this point. There's a solid and fast rule.

Neil cannot get on the bus without Smith. They are buddies. This is the buddy system. So when the riot starts and Neil seems to be getting pulled away in the crowd?

Well Smith grabs his hand and pulls him towards the bus, "Buddy system."

The bus starts and they're on their way shortly after. Neil's an anxious wreck but that next morning he wakes up to the news that the Butcher of Baltimore died in an FBI raid the night before as well as his men.

Smith watches the news with Neil, "Wow, that's scary." as he sips some orange juice.

#2 Fluent Freshmen AU #AFTG AU #AFTG Fic #Fluent Freshman AU #Neil Josten #(Redacted) Smith #Andrew Minyard

[hypermania]

transcript of the full thread:

"A very long thread: To the League fans, We found out this news along with you on Friday. I see the pain and anger and worry out there, which for the LGBTQIA+ fans of the show is of course compounded by what’s happening across the country right now. #ALeagueOfTheirOwn

So the first and most important thing to say is: Before anything, before you fight for the show or each other, please take care of yourselves. Reach out to your community and ask for help if you need it. You aren’t alone. Please be kind to yourselves.

As I’ve been thinking about what’s happened, I come back to a quote from Penny Marshall’s film: “The hard is what makes it great.” Making this show is so hard and so great. There’s quite a bit to say about what’s been hard, but at this point that’s in the past.

Of course, if we have an avenue to do it well, we will continue the show, and I love seeing the noise you’re making in support of that. The noise matters!

And it’s hard for me to imagine there wouldn’t be a home for a show that thanks to you was in the Nielsen Top 10 for three weeks, was the top show on Amazon for a month and in the top five for six, that was recognized by critics as something special, that’s been recognized…

…with awards from GLAAD, HRC and a million other organizations, that was on a million year-end top ten lists, and that has a built in and deeply passionate audience.

Amazon is pursuing different kinds of programming, but to the rest of the world this show is a hit and has huge value and even greater potential. But first things first, we have to win this strike and get a fair deal before we can explore what comes next.

But for a moment, I want to talk about what happens if the world didn’t quite change quickly enough for you to have all the seasons of this show that we want to give you.

If we don’t find a good path forward, I will still know that League did what it came here to do and, in its own small way, changed the world.

And that’s because of all of you, and the light you continue to shine on the show — How you let it matter to you, how you let it become a mirror, how you let it change you.

I’ve never experienced a response to a show that’s as deep, personal, creative and meaningful as what the fans have done with League. When we were making the season 1, we all wondered and worried about whether people would accept it on its own terms next to the film.

They have, and you did that, and so much more. You lit up the internet on your first watch throughs of the show, when you realized where it was going (and made all of us laugh in the process).

You wrote enough fan fiction for 100 novels and created an outpouring of art and creativity that could fill its own museum — I’ve truly never seen anything like it.

You lifted up a 95 year old who had just come out of the closet and made her into a celebrity who gets recognized wherever she goes. Every time any member of the cast appears at anything, you turn it into a convention.

You stop Abbi wherever she goes, and though I’m a happily inconspicuous person, and you constantly find me and stop me and give me gifts that now have a shelf in my house.

When thousands of you appeared to see D’Arcy at the stage door of The Thanksgiving Play over its run, you turned it into the hottest queer bar in New York. You made Max’s suit and Chante’s beautiful performance into a movement.

A mob of you went to Pittsburgh and saw all of our locations. You dressed as the characters and made our characters into one of the biggest halloween costumes of last year.

You came out, you changed pronouns, you started living more openly, you gave sermons in church about the show, you opened bars, and you got a truly mind boggling number of tattoos that say “to the five” and “rob the bank.” What else am I forgetting? I'm sure you'll remind me.

But most importantly, you made a community, you found each other and found joy, which of course is what the show is about. In many more ways than I would ever have let myself imagine while we were making it, you literally bring the show to life every day.

Thank you for making our work mean something bigger. We’ve heard from so many different kinds of people around the world who are watching League.

But, in a time when all queer people are personally and politically under attack across the country and HRC has declared a “state of emergency,” my biggest fear is that the many queer fans of League will take this reversal as one more invalidation, one more blow, one more…

…effect of the general politicization of our identities. Most of us grew up feeling invisible, and as we gain strength, the predictable backlash forces are trying their hardest to get us to go back underground.

In case anyone needs to hear it: You are not small, niche, modest, off-putting or marginal, and neither are your stories. You are multitudes, you are building, and your stories are universal. You are the most rapidly growing audience and consumer group in this country.

You are powerful. You are the future, and the people who don’t recognize your importance now will feel be clamoring to catch up in a few years. As Chante said so beautifully when we received the Human Right Campaign Visionary award, you are the main characters. Be proud.

Be angry if you that’s how you feel, but know that we are going to win, and don’t ever let this moment or any other make you small. The biggest lesson of the characters in this show is that, in a world that had no space for them at all, they LIVED. (Continued)

They found love, they did the things they loved, they won. You’re doing the same thing, and just like them, you are heroes. We are still fighting for League. But whether we win or lose this one, I’m so proud.

From the time when we began working on the season, Abbi, Deta and I said to each other — Let’s not hold anything back, for as long as we get to be here, let’s do this the right way.

We got so many notes wondering if the exploration of the queer world of the 1940s or Max’s world would be better saved for season 2, if people needed to start somewhere a little more familiar. I’m so glad we didn’t listen, cause now I’m sitting here without any regrets.

And no matter what happens, the people behind League aren’t going anywhere. Give us a minute, we will be back with more for you to watch and read and feel. We’re going to win.

And you’re not going anywhere either, because what you’ve built and what you are is bigger than this show. It’s the story of our community, that comes to us through the hidden history that League shows just one small part of: The bars got raided and shut down.

But the people didn’t go anywhere, and they opened a new bar, and out of those spaces came music, cinema, dance, culture — What we now see as mainstream was birthed from the spaces our predecessors were forced to hide in. They made joy there."

#aloto #a league of their own #will graham #mp #long post

[beachbabey]

your instagram but you're married to bob floyd

Liked by h.n.g.m.n, cs_fanboy and 14 others

y/n.floyd: the fratboy pose is kinda hot ngl

view all 12 comments

trace.nat: no, don't de-yassify my boy like that

rooster_bb: dad energy, it's the squint and the trucker cap

-> y/n.floyd: *daddy 👀

-> coyote.jm: she sat right next to me as she wrote this, on military time 😒

liked by ice.ice.kazansky, reubenfitch and 29 others

y/n.floyd: yeah but does your husband send you cute selfies of him at work?

view all 7 comments

r.bob.floyd: love ya honey ;)

cs_fanboy: I send you selfies all the time :(

-> r.bob.floyd: yeah @/y/n.floyd what about our son??

h.n.g.m.n: where's the baby on board sticker I bought you?? 😔

liked by r.bob.floyd, rooster.bb and 34 others

y/n.floyd: but you haven't seen my baby, but you haven't seen my man <3

view all 57 comments

r.bob.floyd: @/trace.nat what does it mean to be 'lana del ray coded'?

-> trace.nat: dw about it 💕

coyote.jm: looking hot rob!!

liked by petemitchell, reubenfitch and 103 others

y/n floyd: still feels like yesterday, love you forever robby <3

view all 77 comments

r.bob.floyd: thanks for making this sailor the happiest man alive, love you baby xx

rooster.bb: the way bob still blushes when you wink at him is kinda cute ngl, but you didn't hear that from me

reubenfitch: my favourite couple

-> trace.nat: literally couple goals 💕

liked by r.bob.floyd, trace.nat and 133 others

y/n.floyd: whos the birthday boy?

view all 53 comments

ice.ice.kazansky: have a good one bobby!

cs_fanboy: birthday boy is currently singing (screaming) suspicious minds in a fully packed bar, wish you were here @/y/n.floyd

-> y/n.floyd: omg please tell me someone recorded it PLEASE

-> cs_fanboy: I gotchu baby <3

reubenfitch: happy birthday, my second favourite wizzo ❤

-> r.bob.floyd: see this is why you weren't invited 😐(jk, love you bro)

liked by ice.ice.kazansky, petemitchell, rooster.bb and 31 others

y/n.floyd: they're holding mav's bike as blackmail for pt training

view all 12 comments

h.n.g.m.n: @/petemitchell just give us a week's break and you can have your precious set of wheels back

-> petemitchell: I'll give you 2 days and you only have to do 25 laps on the field

trace.nat: I can't believe you'd rat us out like this @/y/n.floyd

liked by trace.nat, cs_fanboy and 15 others

y/n.floyd: better hold on tight, spidermonkey

view all 7 comments

coyote.jm: what archive did you full this from?!?!

-> y/n.floyd: freshman year of college, it was his first play 🥰

rooster_bb: west side story??

-> r.bob.floyd: omg how did u know?

liked by petemitchell, h.n.g.m.n and 29 others

y/n.floyd: aftermath of mav's thanksgiving

view all 27 comments

r.bob.floyd: I sincerely apologise to anybody who didn't get to try Penny's mac and cheese, it was just too good

cs_fanboy: he sneaked into the kitchen, i caught him stuffing like two slices of pie in his mouth lmao

-> r.bob.floyd: not cool man :/ i saw you chugging like five glasses of sweet tea

#bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x you #bob floyd x fem reader #bob floyd #robert floyd x reader #robert bob floyd #bob floyd sm!au

[ashintheairlikesnow]

hey hey hey I have had a hell of a day (Actually Hell) because I did too many fun things (a problem apparently) and then also we put up the christmas tree leading to the inevitable christmas tree installation arguments (they pop up every year like clockwork!)

anyway i have been overstimulated and stressed (just want to emphasize that there is NO pressure here whatsoever! id like to avoid any semblance of that actually and I know you're already working on 12 days so take your time) and it would be very cathartic to see chris dealing with similar issues (the Wonderful guy. we are pretty similar.) thanks a lot for reading this, even if you don't write anything !

Sorry this took so long, Anon! I swear I've been trying to get this written for literally almost two months now

CW: Some references to Chris's past, overstimulation, anxiety

"Hey, where did Chris go?" Laken blinks and looks around, but the living room of the house they rent - filled with laughing, happy people - shows no sign of Chris's telltale lavender hair with its new-penny copper roots.

One of Brit's friends just shrugs at them and gestures, vaguely, in the direction of the kitchen. "Dunno. He wandered off a while ago, maybe that way?"

"Oh, okay. Huh." Laken steps back, the circle of laughing people closing up tight as soon as they do. Their dark eyes scan the room, but there's no sign of him.

He'd been doing great - all but holding court, one of the most popular people at the party. He's sort of famous, since the Olympics, and people had been peppering him with questions and compliments, crowding around wanting nothing more than to be friends with the ex-pet who stood up to the bad guys on live TV. They'd seen him dancing, too, the music loud enough to nearly make the walls shake. The easy, unselfconscious dancing they loved in him the most.

He'd seemed to be enjoying himself, at the time, but...

Where has he gone?

They weave around people, stopping to pick up an ornament that has fallen off the tree. The scent of pine is subtle and ever-present, and they carefully work the ornament's little loop back over a branch, ruefully watching a couple of pine needles come loose and drift down. The damn thing is already starting to turn a little brown around its edges, thanks to Laken's roommate having insisted on buying it literally the day before Thanksgiving.

Laken doesn't even celebrate Christmas, not since they stopped going to Mass on Christmas Eve years and years ago. Still, in a house they rent with three others, they're the only one who doesn't at least pay lip service to the holiday.

And even if they don't give a fuck about Christmas, they do like having an excuse to throw a party.

The tinsel wrapped in spirals around, over, and below the ornaments glitters in the light, and the look makes them think of Chris, and how his eyes have always looked just the same, to them, when they're out at night and the moon hits the green of his irises just right.

Their search leads them to Ben, contentedly sitting on the couch, a drink in one hand and his phone in the other, quietly reading something there while the party is in full swing around him. He glances up and then instinctively, immediately, uses a finger to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Hey, Laken. What's up?"

"Is Akio not coming tonight?"

"Oh... no." Ben blushes - it's adorable, and Laken can't help the smile playing around their lips. "He's got some kind of meeting with the gymnastics team, or his coaches? Or... something like that. He said sorry, though."

"Nah, no problem. But, hey, so. Uh, have you seen Chris, like within the last ten minutes or so??"

Someone puts Christmas music on and Laken shudders as they hear that damn 80s pop song start up again. If they have to hear that fucking song one more time...

"Nope. Not in a while." Ben shrugs, taking a drink. Whatever he has in that cup is pinkish-red and probably far more alcoholic than it tastes. Laken's roommate had insisted on a signature cocktail. "You could check outside? Sometimes when there's a lot of people, to Chris it's... too much."

Laken nods, still scanning the crowd, but their stomach knots a little with the first hit of real anxiety. Ben is right, Chris can get overwhelmed by too much noise and movement, but also he's been drinking tonight - they saw the same red punch in a cup in his hands earlier - and he has a tendency to get... hazy, when he drinks. Flirty in ways that aren't natural to him. Willing to let people hug him that he doesn't like, unable to bring himself to stop them. Sometimes his stammer smooths out, which makes people who don't know him feel more comfortable and people who do know him nervous. He starts tipping his head to the side in a way that makes the sweep of his growing-out hair hide the scar on his forehead, biting his lower lip when he smiles. It makes Laken feel a little sick to see it happen and realize Chris doesn't even notice when he's doing it.

The last thing they need is to have to come up with an explanation for Chris losing track of himself again, or why he's eating olives off the charcuterie board Brit brought knowing damn well he'll just go to the bathroom and get sick all over the place again, or... fuck, what if somebody hits on him and he's too drunk to stop it?

That hasn't happened since college, but...

They pull their phone out, uneasily checking for a text, but there's nothing. If he went outside, he'd text, right? He does, he always does. Texts can be easier and Chris is always a little nervous about being outside alone.

He insisted on coming tonight, said he was feeling good lately, but-... what if-...

They flinch when fingers touch their arm, only to see Ben must have stood up when they weren't looking. He slips his own phone into his jacket pocket and looks Laken over more closely. "Hey. It's okay, he's probably fine. You know he gets weird when parties are really going. It's like a light switch, enough to too much, I totally get it. It's why I'm on the couch fucking around on Kindle instead of, you know... talking to people." Ben says it like talking to people is literal hell, and... okay, Laken can see how that might be the case. "He probably just needed to get away from it and wandered off."

"Uh, yeah. I know." Laken rubs at the back of their neck, fingers moving through the soft, shorn undercut beneath their longer black waves. "I'm sure that's it. Just... you know, sometimes he... when he gets nervous..."

"I got you." They adore Ben, sometimes, for how often they don't have to finish the sentences they don't want to say. He knows what words haven't yet spilled, unwilling. Sometimes he acts like he belongs to us, not like he loves us. Sometimes I can't trust him to find his way back on his own. Sometimes I feel like Jake, and I hate feeling like Jake.

Words die in their throat.

Ben squeezes their arm, gently. "Let's split up and search around. I'll go outside, you go around the house, okay? We verify how he is, then whichever one finds him tells the other. Sound good?" Ben smiles, and Laken relaxes a little, finding a smile for him in return.

"Yeah, sounds good. Thanks, Ben."

"No problem." Ben has always understood Chris, thanks to his little brother being similar in some ways. He understands Laken's worry, too, because better than anyone else here - he knows how Chris sometimes gets lost in his past, especially if he's drinking, worse the maybe twice Laken's ever seen him try an edible or a pill.

What if he got drunk and someone offered him something and he took it? Drunk Chris sometimes isn't a Chris who can easily turn down anything he's offered.

This party was a stupid idea.

Laken takes a deep breath and squares their shoulders.

Chris is not a child.

He is a goddamn grown man and Laken is not his keeper. They're not his parent and they're not a babysitter. They're definitely not his fucking... owner or whatever the bastards that hurt him would have called it. They're his partner. He can handle himself, better than they could if they'd lived his life, and they need to trust him to either know his limits and to get away if he can't say no, or to come to them if he wants to ask for help. Otherwise, they're not any better than the bullshit he's been buried in for longer than he's known them.

Ben goes to check outside, slipping silently out the sliding door onto the back porch where a small crowd has congregated in a cloud of skunky smoke, while Laken heads upstairs, peeking their head in to room after room with no sign of him anywhere. They see some movement under a pile of coats, but that's... definitely not Chris, based on the very female voices who yell at them to give them some fucking privacy, please.

"Sorry, Brit," Laken calls, closing the door tightly. "And, um, Leigh. Just looking for Chris-"

"Well, he isn't in here or we'd have kicked him out already," Brit says, cranky but without any real anger in her voice. Laken doesn't recognize the redhead whose eyes pop up from beneath the pile of coats next to her. "Check a different room."

"Yeah, I will. Uh... keep having fun, I guess-"

"That's the plan! Now leave, please!"

The door latches as they close it, and they exhale. There's one room left, at the end of the hall, and they can hear a familiar murmuring from behind the door when they press their ear up against it.

Laken knocks, rapping gently with their knuckles, and turns the knob when they hear no answer - but no demand to stay out either. The murmuring goes silent. They sigh, and the door swings open, light cutting across the carpet until it reveals their wayward boyfriend.

No one has claimed this bedroom yet, so it's bare and empty except for a couple unpacked cardboard boxes, Brit's exercise bike by the window, a couple of her yoga mats, a laundry basket with a few folded towels, and a bare mattress the last housemate had left behind on the floor when they moved out.

Laken's lips press together, eyes scanning the room. Chris's phone is on the mattress, along with an empty beer bottle, but Chris isn't. "Chris? Cariño?"

A muffled rustling makes them jump, heart in their throat, and then they realize the sound came from the closet, where the folding doors are closed. Laken pulls them open to reveal Chris curled up, knees nearly to his chin, an open bottle clutched in one hand, his chewy necklace in the other. He'd chosen the bat one tonight, and his hand is closed around it in such a tight fist Laken can tell his knuckles are white even in the dark.

Chris doesn't look at them. He's swaying, rocking forward and back, his eyes focused on something far, far away from them. There's red lines on his left wrist, where he's dug his nails in, scratching not quite deep enough to draw blood, but close. Laken takes a deep breath, shifting into a crouch.

"Talk to me, Chris."

"No." The answer is flat, and they watch his thumb rub over the little nub of the silicone bat's nose, the points of its tiny ears. "No, no, no. No."

At least he's saying it out loud.

That alone makes the knot of anxiety in their chest start to loosen. If he can say no, he isn't gone, maybe just... standing a little farther back, inside his own head, than the surface.

"Okay. Okay, that's fine. No talking, that's fine. Are you okay, baby?" Laken keeps their voice just above a whisper and lays their hand on the wood trim that frames this shitty excuse for a closet, the floor creaking under them. "You... kind of vanished on me, there."

Chris's eyes flick to them and then away again. "Loud," He manages, and he sounds like he's forcing the word out between gritted teeth. Maybe he is. "Too, too, too... too loud. Too much, too... many."

"I guess Ben called it." Laken sighs, pulling out their phone and sending Ben a quick text that they found Chris and everything's fine. they get a thumbs-up in reply almost immediately. Ben must have been as anxious as they are, if he was just watching for their text to come in. "Do you want me to call Jake to come get you, or..."

"No!" He snaps it, and Laken tries not to wince. He's just struggling with the noise of the party, they tell themself, he's not actually angry. Chris almost never gets angry, and even then it's only at himself. Which... is worse, somehow. "No. Just... Quiet, it's... it's it's quiet."

"Right. Do you want me to stay with you? Be quiet with you?"

He shakes his head, but he doesn't say anything else. His mouth moves, but no further sounds come out.

"Chris, did..." They want to ask, did someone say something to you? Sometimes people said things, referenced pets or something in a way that set him off. But even if someone had... he probably wouldn't tell them, at least not now, not when every word seemed to have to filter through layer after layer of self-protection in his mind. "Never mind. Is there anything I can do for you? Water, or..."

He shakes his head. "No. Just. Um. Quiet... quiet, now. Please?"

"Yeah." Laken leans over and presses a kiss to his hair. He tips his head against their lips and they exhale in relief. "I love you, Chris. Come back if you can, but if you can't, that's okay, too. Just don't hurt yourself, okay? Things should start winding down in a couple hours." They take the little plastic bat and push it against the hand that's still scratching at his shoulder, until he takes hold of it again, pressing it against his mouth and running it back and forth, back and forth.

Chris is quiet, but as they open the door to head back into the hallway, they hear a quiet, "Love, love you," from Chris, barely audible.

They smile as they close the door. Down the hall, the sounds of the party hit them like a brick, beckoning them back to the noise and the cheer and the awful fucking Christmas music still blaring at top volume. Someone yells something out and the whole damn crowd cheers, making Laken wince at it feels nearly deafening.

Maybe Chris has the right idea.

-

@finder-of-rings @endless-whump @arlin-always-writing @newandfiguringitout @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @gonna-feel-that-tomorrow @boxboysandotherwhump @oops-its-whump @whumpyourdamnpears @cubeswhump @burtlederp @whump-tr0pes @whumptywhumpdump @whumpiary @orchidscript @outofangband @hackles-up @grizzlie70 @mylifeisonthebookshelf @keeper-of-all-the-random-things

#whump #chris the strawberry blond romantic #recovery whump #recovering whumpee #overstimulation tw #autistic whumpee #referenced alcohol use #laken mamani #referenced dubcon #angst #fluff #comf #I guess this is the one that wins out first of the drafts? #we'll see if kauri or vince wins out next

[indynerdgirl]

For my fellow Top Gun: Maverick fans:

So we all know about Mach 9 day, right? That the final Darkstar test flight takes place on Oct 22 according to the calendar we briefly see Mav knock on in the opening sequence.

But there's also another day on the calendar that the fandom is overlooking (or maybe I just haven't come across fics/other fan creations that include/mention it) - HALLOWEEN! 🎃

According to this calendar, Halloween falls on a Thursday during the first full week of training. Just think of all the shenanigans our favorite Naval aviators could get into on Halloween:

- Penny having a costume contest at the Hard Deck & everyone tries to out do each other

- They all make a bet during a training exercise and the loser has to wear an embarrassing Halloween costume when they all go out later

- In a Cinderella-esq situation, someone has a fun evening with a stranger who refuses to take their mask off & is now trying to figure out who it was/is shocked when they find out who they spent the evening with

- Maybe personnel bring their kids on base for trick-or-treating or the base hosts a safe trick-or-treating/trunk-or-treat type event for the community and the Daggers have to help - cue a single parent meet cute

- Ghost stories on the beach

- Pumpkin carving contest

- Watching scary movies

- They all go to a haunted house & someone talks a big game about not getting scared and then that person ends up freaking out the most (it's Jake - you can't tell me that's not Jake 😆)

- The squad turns one of the base hangers into a haunted house, with or without permission

And there's another thing that I haven't seen too frequently and that's Thanksgiving!🦃

While we don't have an exact timeline of when everything happened after Oct 22, it seems fairly safe to assume that they're probably back from the mission right before Thanksgiving.

So some ideas for Thanksgiving are:

- Mav being all MavDad and inviting all his baby birds to his place for Thanksgiving

- Mav & Bradley's first Thanksgiving since reconciling

- Penny & Mav having their first Thanksgiving as a couple, with Bradley & Amelia

- Someone getting invited home for Thanksgiving by someone else

- Daggers attempt a Friends-giving & it turns out none of them can actually cook

Do with these ideas what you will and have fun! And if you do end up creating something with one of these, please tag me! ☺️🎃👻🦇🧛🏻🥧🍂🦃

#tgm #top gun maverick #top gun #mach 9 day #top gun fanfiction #tgm fanfiction #dagger squad #penny benjamin #pete mitchell #pete maverick mitchell #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #natasha trace #natasha phoenix trace #robert floyd #robert bob floyd #mickey garcia #mickey fanboy garcia #reuben fitch #reuben payback fitch #javy machado #javy coyote machado #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #amelia benjamin #the hard deck

[sebastianstangirl01]

Hi! I saw that requests are open and this one has been on my mind for a while.

With Bradley Bradshaw x daughter!reader, maybe elementary school age? where he surprises her at school after getting back from deployment.

Thanks!

Christmas Miracle

Title: Christmas Miracle

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x child!reader

Summary: Y/N thought her dad was going to miss Christmas, so imagine her surprise when he surprises her at her 2nd grade Christmas Program at school.

Warnings: none

Growing up Y/N has always loved Christmas.

Her and her dad would always go all out decorating the house like it came right from the North Pole, making Christmas candy, building gingerbread houses, drinking got coco, and singing Christmas Carols on the piano.

In all her 7 years of life Y/N and her dad Bradley spent Christmas together just themselves, but after reconnecting with Maverick he joined in on their Christmas last year with Penny and Amelia now they have become one big family.

But this year is different.

Bradley has been on a deployment for an emergency mission, air support. Y/N hasn’t seen her father in person since Thanksgiving, she’s been staying at their house with Maverick who moved in to take care of her.

He’s tried to keep the 7 year olds spirits up by doing everything they normally do during the Christmas Season, but it isn’t the same without her dad and Maverick knows that. But he refuses to let the little girl he loves wallow in self pity.

Maverick knew how much Y/N didn’t want to do the Christmas Program this year at her school, but he also knew that she would regret not being a part of her favorite time of year just because she is sad. And he knew that Bradley wanted Y/N to do her Christmas Play.

“Papaw Mav?” Y/N asked as she sat curled up into Maverick’s side as ‘Rudolph’ played on the TV

“Yeah sweetheart?” Maverick replied squeezing his arm around her shoulders

“Do I really have to do the Christmas Play tomorrow?” Y/N asked playing with her fingers making Maverick sigh

“Come here, peanut.” Maverick said grunting as he lifted Y/N onto his lap making her face him. “You know you love the Christmas play, why don’t you want to do it this year? I already promised your dad that I would video the whole thing for him.”

Y/N’s big blue eyes the spitting image of her grandmother, started to fill with tears and her bottom lip started to tremble. The sight was enough to break Mavericks heart in two.

“But daddy won’t be there. I don’t want to do it if daddy won’t be there. He always takes me out for ice cream after, and we sing Christmas songs. It’s not the same without him.” Y/N said and a big tear fell down her cheek, Maverick immediately wiping it away with his finger before kissing her on the forehead and pulling her against his chest.

“I’m sorry sweetheart. You know how much your dad wishes he could be here. He loves you so much and the last thing he wants is for you to be sad, especially on Christmas.” Maverick consoled her rubbing gentle circles on her tiny back. “How about this? We call your dad right after the play and he can see you all dressed up in your Christmas dress and then I’ll take you to get ice cream.”

“I guess that’s ok. Can we get daddy ice cream too?” Y/N asked making Maverick chuckle

“Honey I don’t think the ice cream would still be good but the time your dad got home. But when he does, we’ll all go get ice cream together. How does that sound?” Maverick asked letting you lean back on his lap and play with his dog tags.

“Good.” Y/N nodded and Maverick smiled gently rubbing her cheek making Y/N giggle

“There’s that rotten giggle I love so much! Let’s get you ready for bed, you’ve got a big day tomorrow.” Maverick said getting up keeping Y/N on his hip

The next day Y/N was sitting with her class on the floor of her school gymnasium, she was wearing a sparkly red dress with black tights and red buckled shoes. Penny had curled Y/N’s hair and pulled it into a half up half down style with a red and silver sparkly bow.

Maverick and Penny were sitting in the stands with Amelia, all of them smiling at how cute the kids all looked in their Christmas outfits. Maverick had his phone ready to record, but he wasn’t just recording Y/N’s play.

Early this morning Bradley had called and told him that he was going to be coming home, the mission was over and he would be back in time for the Christmas play but he wanted it to be a surprise for Y/N so Maverick hasn’t told her yet. Bradley had just texted Maverick to tell him that he made it to the school and was about to come in.

Y/N was sitting on the floor criss crossed playing with the skirt of her dress unaware of the principal approaching the microphone with a smile on her face.

“Hello everyone, thank you for coming out to our 2022 Christmas Program! The students and staff have worked so hard to put on a good show for you all, to kick off the Christmas Season! Before we dismiss and you check your children out for Christmas Break, I would like to take a second to remember the men and women who cannot be here with their family members this Christmas because of their bravery in service of our Military.” The principal announced and everyone started to clap

Y/N clapped along with the rest of the gym but she could feel herself becoming more and more sad at the thought of her dad not being here with her.

“But I would like to recognize a special member of our military who has just landed back stateside and came here to surprise his daughter. Everyone please help me welcome back, Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw!” The principal announced making Y/N’s head snap up as everyone started cheering and clapping

She looked up at Maverick instinctively and he just smiled and pointed to the front of the gym. Y/N followed his gaze and saw her dad standing there with a teddy bear and a big smile on his face, still dressed in his flight suit.

“Daddy!” Y/N exclaimed as she got onto her feet and ran towards him as fast as her little legs would carry her. “Daddy!”

Bradley smiled and bent down scooping his little girl into his arms and spinning her around, Y/N buried her head into his neck and held onto him for dear life.

“Daddy, your home!” Y/N whimpered with happy tears falling down her cheeks

“I couldn’t miss Christmas with my favorite girl in the world! I love you so much.” Bradley smiled kissing her cheek

“I love you too daddy.” Y/N whispered into his neck

Taglist:

@daughterofthereaper02

@luckyladycreator2

@calpurniatypes

@littlebadariell

@qnfluvr

@raefoxiegirl

@maverick-wingman

@avada-kedrava-bitch

@army24--7

#top gun maverick #pete mitchell #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x daughter reader

[perpetuelledaydreaming]

Are we still friends? | chapter six

summary: Ice knows best.

listen to: you belong with me -tay swift (playlist here)

word count: 1.9k

series masterlist + read the next chapter early on my ko-fi!!

“Has he told you?”

You flinched at the voice, your head snapping towards Iceman as he leaned on the door from the patio of his house and you watched Rooster playing with his grandchildren. Sarah was talking with Penny while Mav was talking with Ice’s kids, Tom and Vivian with Tom’s husband 

“What?” you asked him, furrowing your eyebrows at the question. “Does he have a mission or something else?” 

You thought he was talking about Maverick. He always had a mission that you never knew about until he was about to leave. Mav didn’t like goodbyes but as Iceman smiled you immediately knew he wasn’t talking about Mav. 

“Has he told you he loves you?” he asked once more. 

You snorted, although, in reality, you’d wanted to chuckle bitterly at Ice’s question. It had been a while since he’d brought it up, not even in your last dinner you’d talked about it. When Mav met Ice, at least what you were told since you were a kid, they didn’t get exactly along. But after everything that happened while they were in Top Gun, incluiding Goose’s death, they became close. 

So close that ever since you could remember you’d called him Uncle Ice, Rooster did too. You grew up like that, dinners at Ice’s place in San Diego the first Saturday of every month, and even Christmas or Thanksgiving were celebrated there too. You were all a family and you appreciated it, especially when Mav had to go to missions or tours, you were always left to be taken care of by Carol or Sarah and Ice, they were your second home. 

Therefore, as Ice watched you grow up there was always something he’d notice and that he’d let you know once you turned twenty-one. 

He was certain that Rooster was in love with you, against all evidence. 

“The only person who thinks that is you, old man,” you answer with a smile while walking toward him. 

“So, you’re not dating?” you winced as you detected the strain on Ice’s voice, even though you tried to ignore it for his sake, it still made your heart sink the thought of him being sick. 

“Nope,” you don’t hesitate for a minute. “You know I would’ve told if he did,” 

It was true. You knew that if your wildest dreams came true, he would’ve been the first one to know and you wouldn’t have wasted a second calling him to tell him. He’d been waiting for it for years, just like you. Although you’d given up a long time ago. 

“Is he dating anyone?” Ice asked, breaking the silence. 

You swallowed while shrugging your shoulders, turning to see Rooster carrying the small toddler while he laughed uncontrollably. “He’s dating everyone as much as I know,” you muttered. 

“You?”

You looked up at Ice as he raised his brow, your lips quirked up slightly as you thought of Jake, he had actually been someone you started to rely on, even discussing a few techniques in order to improve each one’s control on the mission. 

“I got the first date,” you breathe out. 

Hangman, apart from being an actually good colleague, had also been stealing glances from you the last days after you’d talked that day on training. He would murmur how pretty you look too, everything on the down low so no one noticed. 

“Navy?”

“Yeah,”

Ice squinted at you. Then, a smirk spread across his face. 

“He’ll tell you soon,” he answered calmly. 

You chuckled at how sure he seemed, a little bit too confident and a little bit too cocky, just like your father described Ice when he was younger. 

“Why would he tell me soon?” you asked, amused by how sure he seemed. 

Ice laughed as he placed a hand on your shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. “There is no greater terror than watching someone you love fall right in front of your eyes,” he says. 

You stayed there for a second as you ponder his words. Tom ‘Ice’ Kazansky was rarely wrong in your book, you’d always asked him about many things, in school when you didn’t know something you could call him, if you needed life advice then you would also call him, if anything happened after Mav and Rooster (or sometimes before) he would be the first one you’d call. You couldn’t remember a thing that Ice had said to you that wasn’t right or true. 

Except this. 

Then, you looked back at Rooster, his amber curls and honey burnt eyes, his sunkissed skin, and his laugh. The sunset washes him in a golden light that perfectly captures his personality. He was literal golden sunshine for you. Then, his eyes met yours, honey burnt eyes gazing at you, raising his eyebrows and lips quirked up. For a second you felt like crying because it wasn’t fair that your feelings were crashing the wall that you’d built like the wave of a tsunami. 

You swallowed hard, realizing that tears were pooling around your eyes before looking at Ice while shaking your head, pretending that the whole notion of whatever may happen between Rooster and you didn’t touch a nerve. 

 “You know you’ve been saying this for years and it hasn’t happened, it’s getting kind of embarrassing,” you muttered while you placed your head on Ice’s chest and he hugged you softly while laughing. 

“Don’t ruin a nice moment,” he replied and you smiled at him again. 

Soon, the wind got too cold for the kids to be out as the sun came down. The rest of the night you spent it talking with Vivian about her new job at a Law firm in Los Angeles before going to talk with Tom Jr. and his husband about the kids, they were practically your nieces and nephews and you’d barely seen them since they were born because of how often you spent on your missions. Then all of you helped to put the place together, washing the dishes as you always did when you finished a nice family dinner, dancing with music from the 80s as you dried the dishes and put everything in place. 

It wasn’t until then that Rooster got a chance to talk to you when you took your purse and checked messages, there were a few from other friends, including Bob and Phoenix, and one from Hangman. You flinched as you heard Rooster’s phone, hiding your phone in your purse. 

“Hard deck?” he asked softly while you smiled up at him. 

“No, I think I’m going home to rest a bit,” you replied as your eyes scanned the room.“Where did my dad go?”

Rooster smiled as he got some of your hair out of your face, his fingertips on your cheeks so soft that it felt as if he was touching porcelain. 

“He’s got a hot date with Penny,” 

You laughed. “I see,” you muttered softly while watching him, his eyes lit up as he watched your lips quirking up into a soft smile. 

It was easy, it was so easy to get lost in his touch and his smile. You swallowed hard, finally looking away from him and pointing at the door, finally making his hands drop from your face as you gave a step back. 

“You’re coming?”

Rooster watched you softly, a puzzled look in his eyes but before he could speak, Iceman placed a hand on Rooster’s shoulder and smiled at him. You blushed as you looked at how Ice’s blue eyes went from Rooster to you, raising his brows. 

Rooster looked at Ice for a second and then nodded as if there was an underlying and unspoken agreement between them. 

“I'll stay with Ice for a little longer,” Rooster said softly before you looked at eyes with furrowed eyebrows. 

“Sure,” you replied before you kissed Ice on the cheek while giving him a look, hoping he would be discreet with your conversation but Ice simply smiled at you before Rooster followed him into his office. “See you home,” you muttered before the door closed. 

Rooster didn’t arrive until much later at night as you were still studying some of the instructions and replaying every one of your trials wondering how you could still do the mission without fucking it up as you usually did in the last few days. 

“Weren’t you talking about how you were going to rest?” his voice interrupted you. He laughed a bit as he saw how you raised your head, hair bunched up in a ponytail. 

“I can’t believe you bought that,” you chuckled as you made space on the couch for him to sit down and Rooster quickly followed your orders. 

He sat there quietly for a few minutes as you continued replaying another video, you enjoyed his presence there, Rooster was always there. Nonetheless, you were too focused on the video to notice Rooster smirk and then he snatched the Ipad from your hands while you yelped. 

Rooster was soon placing the Ipad over his head while he looked at you with a mischievous grin, you glared at him from the couch while raising your brow.  

“What do you think you’re doing?” you said through gritted teeth. 

Rooster just giggled like he did when he was younger, you tried not to smile but you knew that Rooster was aware that you’d failed. 

“You’ll drive yourself crazy,” he says, ending the sentence with a yelp as you try to tackle him, failing miserably as he laughs. A mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Rooster, it isn’t funny,” you growled as he nods, still managing to avoid your hands as he raises his Ipad ever higher than before. “Oh, you’re acting like your sixteen,” you bite back. 

“You’re acting like your sixteen,” he mocks you while you glare at him, nostrils flared up and red in your eyes, the twinkle in his eyes made you want to scream. 

“It’s on,” you mutter as you finally tackle him. 

Both of you fell to the couch, laughing as you tumble with the pillows and rolling as you wrestled for the Ipad. Someway, in between Rooster’s laugh and your yelps, you were straddling him and his hand slowly clasped around yours as both of you lay on the couch, you over him. Soon, the laughs died down as you sated at the other. He reached up and rested his thumb along your cheek and then your bottom lip as you stared at Rooster. It suddenly dawn on you how warm his body was against your skin, how he always ran hot in comparison to you, and how especially now, as you pressed your body against him, you found comfort more intimately than with anyone. 

You could feel Rooster’s breath on your face as he gazed at you while you stare into his eyes. Was he feeling how erratic your heartbeat was? Could he read in your face how nervous you were? Would he say how wrong this seemed? How friends didn’t act like that?  

Then, you heard your phone ringing, causing the two of you to spring apart. 

You ran away from the scene as if you were escaping something while you looked for your phone and answered your dad while Rooster stared at you. Neither of you said anything that night, not even when both of you fell asleep on the couch together. 

Bodies fitting perfectly together, as they always did. 

***

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @thehouseofevangelista @sergantbarnesbitch @tallrock35 @maverick-wingman @notanordinaryprincess95 @hey-its-kayla-claire @lonelywitchv2 @abaker74 @tallyovie @shadowsndaisies

***

author's note: as always thank you for reading. this was a soft chapter but next one is angstyyy.

***

feedback is always welcomed!!!

donate: help me pls with a glass of wine?

#bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw smut #bradley bradshaw angst #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley bradshaw blurb #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #rooster #rooster x reader #rooster angst #rooster headcanon #bradley bradshaw headcanon #rooster x you #top gun maverick #rooster top gun #rooster x y/n #miles teller #miles teller smut #top gun spoilers #top gun pilots #top gun smut #are we still friends?

[allycat75]

Hey Boston Dumb Fuck!

Don't think we have forgotten about the wifey's (and thus, your) antisemitism.

While there is everything to criticize and condemn about Israel and their treatment of Palestinian citizens, let us not forget Hamas and other terrorist groups have but one goal of wiping every Jew off the face of this planet. And those who have nothing to do with the conflict and want to see it end peacefully, are running scared because it seems ok to openly hate Jews right now.

Does this make the wifey and her cadre of deplorables giddy? Has more of your soul atrophied as you have had to compromise everything you thought you were or wanted to be?

I wonder how Jinx feels about having an antisemetic, racist spokesperson (remember, you are the company you keep). Afterall, the fairly (or is it formerly?) respectable People Magazine printed the fluffiest of fluff pieces with the wifey and your soulmate and real cash cow of the family, Dodger, about them "bonding". Forget the sweetest dog in the world looks annoyed as fuck with her, if it isn't even photoshopped completely (why not, everything else about this undesirable circumstance is phony and empty).

Wasn't there supposed to be a commercial campaign starting soon with you and Dodger? Does Jinx know how problematic you and the wifey are? I would start paying more attention because they may be your only revenue source for awhile and I think most people would prefer their dog's food to be Nazi-free, even in this day and age.

PS- since you may need to be penny pinching this year, have fun waiting in lines with the riff-raff at WDW for Thanksgiving, but please no leaked pictures. Last year you looked like her super-creepy uncle and your mom looked miserable. Don't do that to her again!

#Coward #you are the company you keep #boston antisemite #boston racist #dodger deserves better #Your Privlege is showing #Blaming the fans is tired and wrong #the internet is forever

[parkerpenny]

piece of peace

ao3 link:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/45710020

Relationships: Penny Parker & Morgan Stark, Penny Parker & Tony Stark, Penny Parker & Pepper Potts, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: Penny and Morgan have an impromptu sleepover post-bad dream while spending Thanksgiving break at the Stark's cabin. Tony is just happy he gets to see Penny be the amazing big sister he knew she would be.

or,

Penny reflects on her little pieces of peace.

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

 The sweet sound of chirping birds woke Penny up from her light sleep, a peaceful sound she didn't get to hear in the noise of the city. On the other hand, maybe it was the soft snores of the five-year old that currently had her tiny hand curled around the teenager's well-worn Midtown t-shirt.

   Penny was spending her Thanksgiving break with the Stark's at their lakeside cabin, a "well-deserved, all-inclusive vacation," according to Mr. Stark after a successful month and a half at MIT. Of course, by "all-inclusive" he meant free food, which appealed heavily to the girl after experiencing the mediocrity of dining hall food and midnight ramen.

  She was overjoyed to spend more time with the people she grew to think of as her family, with May and Happy making their way to the cabin that afternoon along with some of the Avengers for Thanksgiving dinner. As far as she knew, Steve and Natasha were making an appearance, as well as Clint and his family, and Rhodey of course.

    Her attention was brought back to the present by a small yawn, stifled by a tiny fist. Morgan had had a bad dream during the night, and instead of seeking out her parents, she had knocked gently on Penny's door and asked to stay with her for the rest of the night. Penny was surprised that the girl had come to her first, and didn't hesitate to scoot over in her bed, patting the mattress for Morgan to climb up next to her.

     Penny had missed Morgan so much while she was away. It wasn't a huge amount of time to be separated from each other, but the young Stark had been insistent on calling her big sister every night to update her on every single detail of her day, right down to the intricate details of which stuffed animals and dolls attended her latest tea party.

   Penny grew up without siblings, so at first she had no clue how to deal with the fact that this innocent little human being wanted to look up to her and idolize her. It took all of two days for Penny to think of the girl as her very own little sister, and she knew in her heart that she would do anything to protect her, should anything ever happen.

     Tony had told Morgan bedtime stories about the adventures of Iron Man and Spidergirl after Penny had been dusted five years ago. He wanted the girl to grow up knowing about her big sister, the sister he never dared hope she would get to meet, but a man could dream. To keep Penny's memory alive, the memory of the girl he saw as his own daughter, in his youngest child. The day they first met, Morgan had immediately run up to her talking a mile a minute and asking her questions about her being a  "super secret superhero."

     After some hesitation on the teen's part, unsure of where she fit in after basically coming back from the dead and being desperately reassured by Mr. and Mrs. Stark that she was just as much a part of their family as Morgan, Penny looked forward to every second she got to spend with her new sibling. She felt honoured to be a part of a family, and adored being able to watch Morgan grow up, helping her with her Kindergarten homework and playing with her in the yard. The girl pretended, for Tony's sake, not to notice the way he got misty-eyed whenever he watched the two girls interact with each other. Penny knew the lengths he went to so that he could get Penny back from the Soul Stone, and she cherished every minute she got to spend with her father-figure after almost watching him die on the battlefield.

    "Penny? Are you up, Penny?" a soft voice grabs her attention from beside her. "Morning, Mo. Did you sleep okay?" Penny brushed the little girl's wild bed head out of her face, the toddler looking up at her with the same brown eyes as her dad. "Yeah, of course I did! You kept the monsters away." she whispered, and Penny's heart melted. She smiled and ruffled her hair, hearing footsteps outside her bedroom door.

    A soft knock came at the door, and after telling them to come in, Tony peeped his head in the door before opening it wide, revealing himself and Pepper. "Daddy!" Morgan wriggled out of Penny's bed and stumbled sleepily towards her parents. Penny just laughed and sat herself up.

   "I noticed a certain little monkey was missing from her room so I figured this would be the best place to check." Tony bent down to pick up his daughter. "Hey! I'm not a monkey, daddy!" Morgan faked a pout. "Well last time I checked, you are currently hanging off of me like a monkey, care to explain that one, Maguna?" The toddler giggled and reached out for her mother, Pepper taking her into her arms. "Good morning, sweetheart, and good morning to you too, little bug." Penny scrunched up her nose, but smiled at the nickname Pepper had given her ages ago, remembering the first time the woman had said it while she was sick and staying at the Tower before the Snap.

    "Morning, Mrs. Stark!" Penny said while rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Pepper sighed, clearly wanting to correct her to just call her by her first name, but recognizing a losing battle when she sees one. The teenager definitely shared the same sense of stubborness as her husband, and once again she finds herself wondering how they aren't actually related by blood.

   "I'm heading down to start breakfast, I'll see you two downstairs." She carries Morgan toward the kitchen, leaving behind Tony and Penny. "So, kiddo, should I be offended I didn't get invited to the surprise sleepover?" Tony ambles over towards his oldest daughter, sitting down at the foot of her bed. "Morgan had a bad dream, she came in and asked if she could sleep in my bed, so we had a little slumber party to keep the monsters away."

     The older man got that look in his eyes again, the soft one that she sees whenever he sees his two kids together, and really whenever he sees her or Morgan any time. There was a mix of joy, peace, disbelief, and so many other emotions that Penny didn't feel like putting a name to. He had changed a lot while she was gone, Penny guessed that having a kid would do that. At the same time, he hadn't changed one bit. He was more emotional than before, more willing to show how he was feeling and to express it outwardly. Penny was a very tactile person, so she would never turn down the more frequent hugs, the "I love you's" that were said out loud instead of being implied through gestures and actions over words. 

  It was the first thing he said to her, after she had come through the portal at the Compound. He had held her face in his hands, gently as if she might disappear again, and pulled her into a hug so tight it was almost crushing. "You're here, you're really here, you're real and you're here and it worked. I love you so much, you're my kid, and I love you so much, Penny." He had said as if he couldn't get the words out fast enough, voice barely above a whisper.

  "You're a great big sister, I always knew you would be." Penny looked at him, a smile on her face. "I'd do anything for Morgan. She's the best." Tony smiled back and patted the girl's shoulder. "Just like her sister, of course." He stood up, ruffling the teen's hair quickly. "Pep's making pancakes, better get up quick before Little Miss eats them all herself."

  Penny pushed the blankets away, standing up as Tony walked over and waited by the door. She slid her feet into a pair of slippers that May had knit for her before she went to MIT and met her father-figure in the doorway. He slid an arm around the girl and Penny curled into his side, relishing in the comfort of a hug of her childhood-hero-turned-almost-dad. He pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "Ready, Underoos?"

  She heard the telltale sign of a car pulling up in the driveway. Someone must have arrived early, she was guessing it must be either May and Happy or Rhodey. She smiled to herself, looking forward to spending the day with her family. Not a single person was related to her by blood, but that didn't matter. They loved her and she loved them all in return, and they looked out for each other. At the end of the day, that's what was important.

  She felt a pang of grief in her chest, thinking of everyone she's lost. Her parents, her uncle Ben. None of whom would be here to celebrate Thanksgiving with her. But she knew that they would be proud of her, and would want her to be happy with the family she found for herself. She knew they would always be with her, even if they weren't really there. So she turned her focus back to Mr. Stark, grinning at the smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen and the sound of footsteps coming up the porch.

  "Ready, Mr. Stark."

#marvel #mcu #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfic #irondad #spiderson #female peter parker #penny parker fic #morgan stark #tony stark #peter parker #irondad fic #fluff #domestic fluff #pepper potts #spiderman #spidergirl #fem! peter parker

[crinkled-emotions]

If you're up to it, would you be interested in writing a fic where Rooster is stomach sick and tries to power through it at the Hard Deck and ultimately ends up throwing up on the ground, leading to him getting really embarrassed? If not, it's okay! I love your writing :)

I'm not currently taking Rooster requests BUT this was so up my alley I literally went oH FUCK and took this straight to Pooty where I then proceeded to dump ideas on her and then I remembered I had this sitting in my drafts!

It's my OC, Dee, and Rooster again, I'm on a bit of a kick because I'm finally nearly ready to post the prologue. If you wanted to write Hangster please let me know I'm in such a Hangster mood too!

(it's the Rooster is a slut [affectionate] agenda)

This was a little more graphic than usual but I've been playing it safe lately so y'know. Do what you will with that information.

This is a nice little filler fic while I finish up chest infection fic and also that tumblr prompt that I got overly attached to lmao.

-

Dee's parents had flown in a couple of days prior and now that they had recovered from the flight, they were insisting that Dee and Bradley take a night for themselves, child-free. The moment the Daggers caught wind of this they were inviting Dee out (oh, yeah, Rooster can come too) and they collectively met at the Hard Deck. Jake and Sav were also having a kid-free night, courtesy of their next-door neighbour. Penny and Maverick waved from the bar but didn't interrupt the Daggers when they reunited at the pool table.

Dee smacked Rooster's ass as she made her way over to Bob, pausing to give him a hug before turning to Phoenix and they fell into easy conversation. Rooster ambled over to the game of pool happening at that moment, snatching a cue from where Jake was leaning on it.

"Ah, sorry, Bagman, didn't see you there," he said without a hint of apology in his tone. The other aviator went to complain when he smirked.

"Kid-free night and you're here? You poor bastard."

"I nearly stayed home myself, Dee deserves a night on her own and I was falling asleep while she was getting ready."

"Sav tried on at least three pairs of jeans before we left the house; I'm convinced they were all exactly the same."

Mickey burst out laughing.

"Man, you have no idea. My mom once took me shopping with her and I'm telling you, she held up the exact same thing in both her hands and asked me which I thought was better."

"Try having daughters," Rooster grumbled but deep down, he adored his girls and his son.

"Amen to that, man," Reuben agreed, clinking his beer against Rooster's when Penny appeared and placed a cold one in his hand.

"First one's on the house. Good to see you out and about, Rooster," she said as she walked back to the bar. Rooster thanked her, taking a sip.

-

"How are you going, Dee; is it still chaos?"

Phoenix rounded the table Dee and Savannah were sitting on, bumping Sav's shoulder playfully as she joined them. Dee shrugged, picking at her beer bottle label.

"It's the same as it generally is; Roo's still asleep when I get up, and he's getting the kids ready for bed by the time I get home. By the time we're even thinking about alone time, we're both exhausted. I feel bad; he's home, and we haven't-"

"-oh, good, I don't think either of you want another baby right now," Phoenix deadpanned and Savannah snorted, rolling her eyes. Dee laughed.

"You're definitely right, but I miss him. There's this thing he does, with his-"

"-I'm gonna stop you right there, I can barely look at him straight after his and Jake's antics at Thanksgiving," Savannah said, a grimace on her face. She and Jake had also chosen to go kid-free for the night. Their eight month old, Ronan, was with their neighbour for the night. The ladies all burst out laughing, Dee glancing over at her husband. He was looking at her too and when she raised an eyebrow Bradley winked. She snorted, winking back and turning back to her conversation with Sav, Phoenix and now Bob who had ambled over.

-

The next time she glanced up, she took one look at Rooster across the bar and put her water down. Bradley's face was flushed and his flannelette shirt was hanging on a nearby stool. He was talking to Javy and Reuben, leaning on the pool table, but there was something off that Dee couldn't decipher from so far away. She nudged Mickey's arm, gently interrupting the banter with Jake and Natasha.

“Are you fucking- oh, shit. I gotta go, but thanks for the chat. I miss hanging out with you guys.”

“You too, Dee. Have a good night.”

Mickey tuned back into the conversation with Jake and Natasha, letting Dee make her way across the bar to her husband. He wrapped his arms around her, leaning into her smaller frame.

“Ready to go home?” She asked into his tank top. When he shook his head she glanced up at him in question; she'd gotten the vibe he'd had enough when he'd passed her at one point and passed her his half-full beer.

“I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

Dee pulled away, brushing a hand through Rooster’s hair and frowning.

“Right now? Are you drunk? Look, I get we've been lightweights since the kids came, but-”

“-we should- fuck, I'm-"

“Okay, c’mon.”

Dee took him by the hand, leading him out of the Hard Deck. Penny and Maverick, still sitting at the bar together, waved at the couple in passing. Maverick’s brows furrowed at his godson’s condition but Dee shook her head.

"Bit off more than he could chew; gonna go puke on some shrubs outside and he'll be ready to go again."

As the couple walked toward the front doors Dee put a hand on Bradley's back, grimacing.

"You’re running a fever,” she whispered to him as they neared the Bronco.

“Wouldn’t be surprised.”

His face was pale, a hint of green, and Dee steered him to the nearest bush.

“Alright, there you go,” she said softly, running a hand over his shoulders. Rooster leaned on the wooden barrier, wincing when his stomach cramped. At least he’d made it outside. He whimpered, throwing up again but with a little less intensity.

The first time was always the worst. Dee could remember it all too well from her morning sickness days.

“I know, honey. Slow down, I don’t want you to tear your throat.”

“I can’t,” Rooster croaked from where he was still trying to catch his breath after the last bout. When he caught a break he scrubbed at his nose, going to wipe his mouth with the end of his shirt. Dee stopped him, pulling a baby wipe from a travel pack in her purse.

“Still wiping vomit, even when we don’t have the kids with us,” she snorted. Rooster suddenly looked guilty.

-

“Baby, I’m so sorry, I totally ruined it-“

“-what are you talking about? I spent time with the team, Mav showed me some of your baby pictures, and we socialised with people who are taller than our belly buttons. Ugh, the fact that I said that- I feel like I've been watching Bluey through my eyelids on repeat.”

He snorted. Dee helped him upright, sighing as she swiped at his moustache. Her hand snuck up the back of his shirt, feeling for the fever she’d thought she felt earlier. Sure enough he was burning against her palm and she frowned.

“Did you feel sick earlier? How long have you had a fever?”

“I dunno, I thought I just didn’t eat enough before drinking.”

“Okay, let’s get you home. Are you going to projectile again?”

“I’d just like to say a blanket apology now, because we both know the next 24 hours are not going to be pretty.”

“Ha! That’s cute.”

Dee tossed the baby wipe she’d used on her husband into the nearest bin, grimacing as she pointed at it.

“Why couldn’t you have hurled in that?”

“I. Uh. Panicked?”

“Good for you, Roo, meanwhile I’ve gotta find something to rinse the puke off the ground with.”

“It’s literally the puke spot for the Hard Deck. Jake was there last month; even poor Bob made an appearance once.”

The colour drained out of his face again and Dee pushed him back toward the bush when he put a hand on his stomach, the other held to his mouth in disgust. Dee moved her hand firmly between his shoulder blades, making sure he wasn't going to fall on his ass.

“Okay… there you go, honey.”

-

With Bradley sitting in the Bronco, very quiet for someone who made her laugh so hard she'd recycled her coffee into her cup on more than one occasion, Dee made her way back into the Hard Deck. Sav had found her husband and was sitting on his lap, undoubtedly whispering something very not-safe-for-hard-deck in his ear by the way he blushed. Dee had never seen Jake Seresin blush and quite frankly, she kind of hoped she never had to again. It was unsettling.

"Penny, hey. Listen, can I ask a favour- oh. Uh. Thanks."

Penny handed Dee a plastic bucket as well as paper towels, winking.

"I've done this a couple of times. You can keep the bucket, I've started buying them in bulk."

"You're a car-saver, Penny!" Dee called before jogging back through the crowd.

By the time she got back to the Bronco, Rooster was hanging out of the door but he hadn't actually been sick. He glanced up at Dee and winced.

"So... not the ending you were expecting to tonight?"

"Hey; my parents are here a week and a half. I'm not pissed; well, I'm not now that I know you're not drunk."

"I wasn't- pass that here."

Rooster reached for the bucket Dee had, tucking it into his arms.

"Alright, you hold on to that, let's get you home. Good thing I can drive the Bronco."

The Bronco only really came out when it was the two of them; other than that, it followed Rooster around on his deployments if possible. Now that he was permanently stationed out of North Island and Dee and the kids had moved to San Diego, most of the time the Bronco was a daily commute vehicle.

-

By the time they were pulling into the driveway, the house quiet because all three kids were with Dee's parents at the airbnb they were staying in. Dee unbuckled her seatbelt and reached over, detaching Rooster from the bucket.

"Pass it over, babe, I don't want to see you until you're in the shower."

As unwell as he was, Rooster glanced over and winked at Dee, holding a fist to his mouth again.

"Bucket-"

"-oh, fuck, gotcha-"

Dee passed the bucket back, rubbing a hand between Bradley's shoulder blades.

"Let it out," she sighed, resting her shoulder against the steering wheel to keep an eye on her husband. When he had control of his stomach again, she took the bucket and got out of the Bronco, taking the bucket with her to unlock the door. Once Rooster was inside she directed him to the downstairs shower and went into the laundry to start clean up.

-

#Top Gun: Maverick #Top Gun Maverick #TGM #Sickfic #hurt/comfort #Bradley Rooster Bradshaw #Bradley Bradshaw #Rooster #emeto

[forabeatofadrum]

There’s nothing ironic about show choir (19/30)

AO3

–

Prompt: Heal

–

SIMON

Of course Baz settles on a song.

“The home refers to Watford,” he explains.

I roll my eyes.

“Yes, I got that much.”

The directors approve and it’s time for the two of us to actually rehearse. Most of the time, we rehearse at Ebb’s, since I still don’t want to set foot in Vitis’s choir room and Baz constantly complains about the fact that he had to see Ruta’s.

We can also rehearse in our rooms. Baz can spell it soundproof. But I think that as long as the weather allows it, we should go outside. Baz also gets a kick out of it. He’d never given Ebb the time of day, but ever since she told him about his mother, he’s different around her.

We have a month before the festival, and we’re definitely going to ace it. My voice is great, and so is Baz’s. Now that we work together, I can actually tell him so without an added insult. I try to be nicer to him by telling him he’s great and by bringing him my gran’s cake. If I don’t, then Ruta will have my head.

I was complaining about this duet to Penny and then she told me that she was the one who came up with it, together with Agatha. The traitors!

“I am not a traitor,” Penny had said, “I just think you and Baz need to heal the wound that has formed between you two, instead of rubbing salt into it.”

“There’s always been a wound between us, Pen!”

“Yes, but it’s gotten worse.”

So I am nicer to Baz now. For Penny and whole of Ruta’s sake.

Yet, Baz hasn’t really gotten the hint. He’s still scowling and sneering and being generally unpleasant, but it’s thawed a little bit. And when I sing, he actually attentively listens. Dare I say he looks mesmerised?

Okay, fuck, no not that. I am the one who’s mesmerised by his voice. I don’t get why Madam Bellamy has never put him on lead. His voice is perfect! (He’s perfect, with his perfect hair and his perfectly-fitting uniform on his perfect looking body and his perfect skills!)

He’s a great singer and the directors were right about our voices matching. Even Baz has to admit that. It’s one of the only nice things he’s said.

We don’t talk outside of the rehearsals though. We’re not friends or anything.

Yet, one day, when I see Baz on our way to class, I wave. It’s automatic! I can’t help it.

He freezes, looks around, and then awkwardly waves back.

Agatha, who is next to him, looks surprised. Penny also lets out a laugh.

“It’s just a wave,” I mumble.

“It’s a start,” Penny says.

I suppose she’s right.

–

End notes: So. The song? You, my dear reader, would probably like to know which song it is. Well, the truth is that I am not fully sure. It’s either Home by Phillip Phillips, or Homeward Bound by Simon & Garfunkel OR it’s Homeward Bound/Home by *drum roll* Glee!

Basically my thought process was “Oh shit I need a song!” so I used random number generator 1 to 6. That gave me 4. Then I randomly generated a number between 1 and 22. That led to 8. Season 4 episode 8 of Glee is Thanksgiving and Homeward Bound/Home is my favourite song of the ep (I mean, it wasn’t really a competition, this is the Gangnam Style episode). I just didn’t expect to draw an episode where the best song is a mash-up, so yeah. What song do you prefer?

#carry on countdown #COC 2022 #carry on #simon snow series #snowbaz #holy fuck I wrote #2022 #multichaptered

[youbegmetostop]

Taken from @pohjanneito

RULES: Post the first paragraph of your last 10 fics posted to AO3. (Sort by date posted.) If you have less than 10 fics posted, post what you have.

melt your headaches, call it home (TGM, Hangman & Bob, gen)

Jake is on the way to the base gym when his phone pings, a text from an unknown number that just says <PHOENIX DOWN, MIA. DONT KNOW MORE>, and his heart stops. The text must be from Rooster; he and Phoenix are both deployed on the Reagan right now. He wonders how many strings Rooster had to pull to get a text out to him. And then he thinks, Bob.

2. a look, a laugh, a smile, a second (TGM, Penny/Jake, Explicit)

“You know, I think you might owe me a little something,” a familiar voice says, and Penny looks up from cleaning glasses to see Hangman standing on the other side of the bar, a flirtatious smile on his face.

3. you said the brains I had went to my head (TGM, Maverick/Cyclone, Mature)

Beau sighs, closing the file he’d just been handed and pinching the bridge of his nose. Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Of course. The bane of his goddamn existence.

4. so come take my hand, come on (RPF, Tom Cruise/Christopher McQuarrie, Explicit)

Chris sighs, setting down his book and checking his watch. It’s after 1am, and the treadmill has been humming for at least two hours, a steady thrum from down the hall. He swings his legs over the side of the bed, padding down to the workout room in his socks and pajama pants.

5. holiday from real (RPF, Jon Hamm/Lewis Pullman, Explicit)

They pour themselves into a limo, loose and warm from all the champagne at the reception. Lewis slides in close to Jon, nuzzling at his neck and dragging his soft skin against Jon's stubble. He makes contented noises, and Jon slides an arm around his waist as the limo starts to drive away. They're staying at the same hotel, ostensibly in separate rooms, which makes it easier for moments like this, sharing cars and pretending they’re not about to do exactly what they’re doing. Jon kisses Lewis' temple, nosing at his hairline before turning his face to kiss Lewis properly and deeply. Soft contented sighs turn to slightly louder groans, and Jon reaches a hand down to palm at Lewis' dick. Lew presses his hips up into it, and then Jon is sliding to his knees on the floor of the limo, struggling to unbutton Lewis' dress pants.

6. cathedrals (TGM, Maverick/Penny, Explicit)

“Penelope Benjamin!” Pete exclaims, mock surprise in his voice, hands to his chest. “I never would have pegged you for the type.” She grins and kisses his cheek, waving the joint in his face again.

7. you can trust me not to think (TGM, Penny/Jake, Explicit)

“Are you happy?” Penny asks, nestled against Jake’s solid form, their legs tangled together in post-orgasmic bliss.

8. a new heart for christmas (TGM, RoosMav, Teen)

They dock at North Island in the last week of November, three days after Thanksgiving. There had been an attempt at Thanksgiving dinner on board—they’d departed too abruptly for proper provisions to be loaded, and all they had were the same old rations. Still, the mess crew did the best with what they had, and they had all piled into the officers’ mess, plates loaded with boxed mashed potatoes, Salisbury steak topped with thick gravy, and a cobbler made of canned peaches and graham crackers. It didn’t matter though—they were all still so pumped full of adrenaline and joy at being alive that they probably could have been served cat food and no one would have noticed.

9. i and love and you (TGM, RoosMav, Explicit)

From the time he’s very young, all Bradley wants is to find true love—the kind of all-consuming, soul-satisfying love he hears about in his mom’s stories of his father. So it is, perhaps, the greatest injustice of his life that he’s pretty sure he’ll never get that. It’s hard to build any sort of meaningful relationship with someone when everyone you fuck finds their true love almost immediately after. And so far, it’s never been him.

10. grateful for what's understood (TGM, Penny/Jake, Teen)

Penny wakes to soft kisses on her shoulder and a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She leans back into it, pressing against a firm torso, and her eyes fly open as she remembers who’s in her bed. She takes a few deep breaths and then rolls over to look Jake in the eye.

#fanfic #my fic #top gun maverick #rpf

[crystalelemental]

November’s always been a wildcard for Masters, what with no holidays except American Thanksgiving to celebrate. 2020 gave us a Time Trial and the sole Prestige Event (don’t remind me…), 2021 was the Poke War Game, and 2022 was the Unova Villain Arc. What do you foresee us getting this year? More Paldea? Maybe the new story arc?

I'm not entirely sure. I'm going to discount the possibility of the main story getting its next direction, because nothing in the Dev Letter suggested it. So I'm going to assume one of three things.

One: Volo time. We don't know for sure what he'll be, so it's very possible it's just...PokeFair. I personally don't expect this, it feels rare that they double up on any particular region two months running, but it's not impossible. Though I personally want Field Master Fair, to partner with Cynthia.

Two: Paldea. Nemona showed up shortly after Hisui, so Paldea feels like it could do the same thing again. If this happens, I fully expect Arven and Penny. That friend group is by far the most popular aspect of those games. Penny and Sylveon would be huge; Fairy's not the best in the meta right now and regardless of role, she could really shake it up. Arven needs to be Support if he's going to stand a chance. I'm sorry dude, but this year alone we've gotten NC Marnie, SC Zinnia, and Akari, all of whom are bonkers overpowered. Even if you keep up on the damage, you're not taking a slot from that core.

Three: Special Costume event. While they did away with this last year, it wouldn't surprise me to see it make a comeback now that there isn't a Villain Arc situation to fill the month. Truthfully? This is my most hoped for outcome. Special Costume events tend to have some really fun sync pairs, and generally great costume designs, with the majority of recipients also being first-timers (this past set being the exception). I think it'd be fun to get a nice, eclectic costume banner before Hisui returns to wrap up the Volo stuff in December, personally.

#ether-gearhead

[lilyellowsongbird]

Janis Joplin - The Blueprint

Back in middle school, in my search for my music, I found Janis Joplin. Once I listened to Piece of My Heart, I started on my path to being the weird hippie I am today. I heard the boisterous, raunchy guitar and Janis' signature voice and I was enraptured. That song was the first bread crumb that led me to the wonderful world of classic rock. As I've grown into the woman I am today, I see parts of myself that I unintentionally molded after Janis. She was quite literally the blueprint for me. Ratty hair, loud voice, social outcast, a woman who just wants to live her life and make her art. My mother always says she doesn't know where I came from, this Penny-Lane-esque wild child where her sweet spot in the middle used to be. I know where I came from: that moment when I heard Janis Joplin giving her heart and soul to her lover.

Joplin's second album with Big Brother and The Holding company has always been present in my life since. Of course, all of her discography has a special place in my heart, but Cheap Thrills has a particular place right at the front. Janis' rough, rowdy voice is electric, filling any room when her music is played. No one sings like her; trust me, I've looked. I've seen people compared to her, but none of them come close. None of them have that scratch, that pure honesty that she has in her voice. They're loud, but they're too perfect.

When Janis wrote, she wrote with an understanding of the world. As a blues based performer, her music mostly revolves around lost love and sorrow, but there is hope within her songs. Just as much as the world is dark and full of terrible woes, there is life and love and joy and hope. There is so much in this world and Janis captured that with her lyrics and her voice.

I once saw a comment on a youtube video bashing Janis. They said she just screeched and that she stole her music from blues artists. That is just entirely false. Janis openly spoke about her influences and inspirations. She credited Bessie Smith as her main inspiration. Everything she had she got from Bessie, and she expressed her gratitude frequently. Unlike some rockers we know (coughcoughjimmypagecoughcough) Janis acknowledged her roots. And as to the screeching allegation, all I can say is no matter how perfect your voice is, if you don't have passion, your voice is useless. I would rather listen to an imperfect voice sing with conviction than a flawless voice sing with nothing behind it but the pride of hitting notes. Janis could hit the notes, but she sang with her heart, and that is what mattered most.

My mother always wanted me to meet her cousin Whit. He was a hippie back in the 60s. All of the stories she told me, I wanted to meet him so badly. A few years ago, I walked into the kitchen one Saturday morning and my mom sat me down. "Cousin Whit died this morning. Your grandpa just called and told me." My heart cracked, but I felt guilty about grieving him. I had never met him, I had no real attachment to him, and yet it hurt so much. I decided to take my shower and move forward. I had no choice. While I was in the shower, I got a text from my mom. Turns out my grandpa misheard. It was his cousin Whitfield, a distant relative, not our cousin Whit. He was still alive and healthy, playing the guitar at a farmer's market.

My mom went to visit him this past summer with my grandpa. She talked all about me and my strange hippie habits. She mentioned my love of Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell. "Joni Mitchell" he said, leaning back in his chair with a smile and a sigh of memory. He proceeded to tell my mom about the time he hitchhiked to Birmingham Alabama, my home town, to see Janis perform at one of our universities. After her recounting of their lunch, I knew I had to meet him as soon as I could. I hoped to go at Thanksgiving or New Years, to drive all the way to Chapel Hill just for a few hours with him.

In early October, I got a worrying text from my mom as I left my night class. I called her as soon as I got home, thinking my great grandma or my grandpa had died. No, it was Whit, the one person I didn't want to die. I hadn't met him yet. I was so close, and suddenly he was gone. All of those stories, all of those beautiful memories of my favorite artists at their peak, gone in a moment. I went over to my friend Emma's dorm and just sat on her floor, on the verge of tears, telling her all about Whit and my great grandma's house and how much it hurt that I couldn't meet him. In his obituary, they mentioned his love of Bob Dylan, another important artist in my life. Suddenly, it hurt even more that I couldn't talk to him, even for five minutes.

I hope to meet his sister one day soon, maybe during spring break. Maybe she'll have even a fraction of his stories. Still, it hurts that I'll never meet him.

When I think about it, this pain is all because of Janis. She stuck with me throughout my life, bringing me joy and validating my sorrows. She's the reason I found the music I love. She's the reason I wanted to meet Whit. She always knows exactly what to say when I need it. Kozmic Blues is my favorite of song of hers. In it she sings "You're gonna live your life/and you're gonna love your life/Oh, babe, someday you're gonna have to cry". Regardless of one missed opportunity, you have to live your life. We can't expect to go through life without pain; it's a side effect of being human. But we can make the most of what we've got. Janis understood that, and I think I've just started to understand it.

#janis joplin #classic rock #70's music #60s music #psychedelic rock #blues #nonfiction #memories

[kulturekonnect1]

WAYS TO LESSEN ABANDONED SHOPPING CART USING SOCIAL MEDIA THIS HOLIDAY

Black Friday is creeping up and you know what that means... shoppers will be taking advantage of every holiday deal and attempt to save every penny they can. Not to mention, these holiday deals will BOTH be in stores AND online. Holiday deals have jumped on the digital train and consumers are loving it. Doorbusters are not only a literal term to wait outside the stores after your delicious Thanksgiving meal, but also the moment you are waiting online for the "add to cart" option to appear on your sweet deals the week of Thanksgiving. So, the biggest question that companies have every holiday is how can they decrease shopping cart abandonment? 

There are many ways you can influence buyers to hit the "place order" button to make that purchase. But this year, we'd like to throw some light on how social media can help you curb the bridge between the purchase and the buyer's final action with these four simple tips.

1. Offer Social Logins

The first thing you will want to do is offer social logins. What are social logins? Social logins allow visitors to use existing login information from social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or Google  to sign into third-party sites. It's most used to authenticate the user, or verify the user's identity. This is convenient for your customers since they won’t have to go through the trouble of filling out the long registration forms.

77% of users believe that social login is an excellent registration solution. It makes the process easier and faster, plus you’ll get access to their e-mails so you can send them offers and updates. Perfect, right?

Click here to get a free social media marketing audit.

2. Re-targeting with Social Ads

Let’s be honest, if you’re selling something online you are most likely utilizing Facebook Ads. Set up a Facebook pixel that will save all of your website visitors as a custom audience on your page and target your ads for better results. When they see their desired product on their social media they are most likely to have a recall and go back to their cart and make that purchase.

Hold on a beat! What exactly is a Facebook pixel? A Facebook pixel is code that you place on your website. It helps you track conversions from Facebook ads, optimize ads based on collected data, build targeted audiences for future ads, and remarket to qualified leads—people who have already taken some kind of action on your website.

It works by placing and triggering cookies to track users as they interact with your website and your Facebook ads.

3. Social Media Offers

Cart totals can scare customers away. The solution to this is social media offers. Post regular offers for your custom audiences and have some of them be exclusive to your social media followers. It is psychologically pleasing to use a coupon code even if it is not a big blowout discount. Deals like "buy one get one" or "shop for $50 get $10 OFF" have proved to be successful. You want your social media followers to feel valued and providing exclusive offers do just that.

4. Make Those Reviews Count

Many customers compare products when they are shopping. Most of them rely on other customer reviews of the product. A great way to use reviews is by posting them on your social media. Also, Don't be afraid to ask for those 5-star reviews. Many people will not take the time on their own... but with a little nudge they will write up something quick. When a customer reads through positive and negative reviews, they tend to feel more confident in pressing the "buy now" button.

Make the most of the long weekend and play with social ads for time-sensitive content. Follow these 4 simple tips and you will most definitely see a decrease in shopping cart abandonment this year. Happy Holidays! Happy Shopping!

Click here to get a free social media marketing audit.