#addie’s blurbs

[byersbootyshorts]

Comforting Zack when he’s upset

From the minute Zack get’s home from the museum you can tell something’s wrong. Usually he gets home and can’t wait to ramble on about what bones he’s been analysing. But today he just walks straight to your bedroom, without a word.

You stare at the closed bedroom door, deliberating whether or not you should go in. Finally, you decide to go and ask him what’s wrong.

Knocking on the door, you say softly, “Zack? Can I come in?”

You hear the bed creak as he shifts on it, but he says nothing.

“Zack, please,” you persist. “Is something wrong?”

Once again you’re met with silence. You sigh, unsure if you should continue to pry. But then the door opens slowly. Zack smiles weakly at you before turning back to the bed and sitting its edge. You follow him, placing your hand on his thigh.

Zack leans his head on your shoulder. His eyes seem empty, like he’s numb behind them. Still, he doesn’t say anything.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” you ask, moving your hand to stroke his hair.

“Nothing,” he mumbles.

“Now, you and I both know that’s a lie,” you say. “Please, Zack.” You kiss the top of his head lightly.

He breathes deeply before whispering, “I had to work on a child’s skeleton today. A little boy.”

Your eyebrows drop into a sympathetic expression.

“It’s weird. I didn’t think it would affect me. But seeing the bones all laid out, half the size of the bones I’m used to working on, I don’t know. It just got to me.”

You feel his body tense up and pull him into your arms. He‘s rigid for a few moments before he relaxes and hugs you back.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” you reply, unsure what you should say to make him feel better.

“I don’t know if I can even look at it again. But I don’t want to let Dr Brennan down,” he says, his head burrowed in your neck.

This time you know exactly what to say. “I don’t think you’d be letting Dr Brennan down. But what about the little kid?” you begin. Zack lifts his head from your shoulder and gives you a puzzled look.

“Wouldn’t you be letting the kid and his family down if you didn’t find out who killed him. If you didn’t get justice for him,” you explain.

Zack’s eyes soften as he looks at you.

“You’re right,” he says.

“I always am,” you laugh. “I know it’s hard, but you have no idea how important your job really is, Zack.”

“I’m just a stupid little squint,” he mumbles.

“No, you’re a genius little squint,” you smile, pulling him in and kissing him softly, your heart warming as you feel his lips morph into a smile.

#zack addy #dr zack addy #zack addy x reader #zack addy blurb #bones #bones tv #bones fanfiction

[smellslikemultifandomimagines]

z teasing reader because he likes her🫶🏻

[❤︎] pairing: Trevor zegras x gn!reader

[❤︎] warnings: Trevor being an annoying little shit lmao

[❤︎] word count: 416

thanks for participating in the nhl sleepover!

[requests for nhl players previously listed are still open though!!]

If there was one word to describe Trevor Zegras, it would be a tease. A complete and utter teasing bastard. He knowingly pushes your buttons, watching with content and adoration at every reaction he could possibly draw from you. Every pout and crinkle of your eyebrows is met with his annoying grin and contagious laugh. 

“Trevor, give it back!” You protest, arms reaching around him in a lame attempt at snatching your tablet back. He had stolen your iPad from you, swinging his body around to look at the content on the screen. 

“Oh, what’s this? Fanfiction? Or, oh, I know! Your secret fan account you have on me?” Trevor smirks, his eyes brightening when your face flushes. You clearly were not on anything like that; nothing but half a word document was open for your assignment you needed to finish. Trevor holds the tablet above your head, using his height as an advantage over you. 

“Trevor,” you grumble. “Give it back.”

“Oh, Trevor! I love you so much. Notice me, my sexy boy!” He fake moans, tears starting to pick his eyes from how hard he’s laughing. Rolling your eyes at his antics, you stand on the table to try and grab it from him, but he’s quick at swivelling around you to the other side of the table. His eyebrows rise and fall quickly, a shit-eating grin stuck on his stupid face. 

“You’re so full of yourself,” you stalk your way over to him, careful where you place your feet, so you don’t fall. 

“Oh, come on, just admit that you have a crush on me,” 

“Sad for you because I don’t,”

Trevor gasps, clutching at his chest with his other hand. “[y/n], my dear, how could you say that? We’ve been married for 5 years, and you don’t even like me?!” In his dramatic cry, you snatch the iPad from him. 

“Well, then, I’m sure my husband would understand that I really have to get back to work,” you nudge his shoulder with your foot, taking his hand at his offer. His touch is light, but he supports your body in his arms as he sets you on the ground. Your hand softly lowers down his torso, a flush sending straights up to your cheeks — his, too, by the looks of it. 

“I’ll be finished in an hour, then you can go back to annoying me, lover boy.” The nickname completely bemuses him, but he gives you a small nod in return. 

#addie's nhl sleepover 2022 #trevor zegras #trevor zegras imagine #trevor zegras blurb #anaheim ducks #ducks11

[iiiiiiis-things]

earth42!miles morales instagram while dating you

pairing: (aged up) earth42milesmorales x femblack!reader

cw: cursing, that's it??

blurb: miles morales instagram only posts while dating you

a/n: yeahhhhh i lied i literally wrote this in an hour and i wanted to upload it right at the moment sooooo... maybe i'll have sum else for monday idk, also y'all kno damn well miles would barley post on insta which is why i made it so short 😭??

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slut4y/nnnn

liked by slut4moralessss and 1976 others

slut4y/nnnn no caption needed.

slut4moralessss my man my man my man ‼️‼️‼️

liked by unknown.bestie and 1983 others

load 1610 more comments

slut4y/nnnn

liked by slut4moralessss and 3469 others

slut4y/nnnn my bae needa come over

slut4moralessss i'm otw 🏃🏾‍♀️💨

liked by slut4y/nnnn and 733 others

milesmoralesissofine.com man when you gon stop playing wit that girl feelings nn play wit me 😂😂😂

➤slut4y/nnnn the fuck ?

➤slut4moralessss mannn @homegirls come HANDLE this hoe 🤣🫵🏾

➤milesmoralesissofine.com lmao girl not fighting yo own battles is crazy

➤y/n.isminenotyourzmorales bitch IK you ain't js disrespect my bestie 😂‼️

➤unknown.bestie girl sit yo big fugly ass down sumwhere 😂😂

➤mrs.stealyonigga😘 baby don't you tt demarcus ?? cs he shoull been pussy drunk ova here 😭‼️

➤milesmoralesissofine.com y'all doing all this talking bc y'all behind a screen 😐

➤unknown.bestie man u js mad cs yo nigga at my hmg house @mrs.stealyonigga 😂🫵🏾

➤mrs.stealyonigga😘 shoull dfk is head all in between my legs........ 🥰🥰

➤y/n.isminenotyourzmorales girl u sound dumb how you got a nigga but in another nigga COMMENTS atp js gon head nn sdfu ,, u den made the wrong decision fw my bitches js gon head nn drop the addy 🤣💯

➤unknown.bestie oh IGHT

➤y/n.isminenotyourzmorales pussy ass hoe

load 2984 more comments

slut4y/nnnn

liked by a.aaron and 2863 others

slut4y/nnnn "if she want titties i pay for em" -lil baby 🥷🏾

slut4moralessss you calling me flat chested ? 😐

➤slut4y/nnnn yes.

➤slut4moralessss fuck u- 😒

liked by y/n.isminenotyourzmorales

a.aaron dis what u using yo money fo??

➤slut4y/nnnn yes.

rio_morales aww ima start planning a wedding 🥰

➤slut4y/nnnn yes.

load 1983 more comments

slut4y/nnnn

liked by rio_moralessss and 1673 others

slut4y/nnnn if she step on my shoe one mo time-

slut4y/nnnn whatchu gon do ? 😂

mrs.stealyonigga😘 boy hush u ain't finna fwh 😂😂😂

unknown.bestie nigga sdfu 4 u get jumped 🤣‼️

y/n.isminenotyourzmorales chileeee ANYWAYS 😂💯

rio_morales miles u act like u finna actually hurt her

➤a.aaron he told me he would kill for her so i don't think-

➤slut4y/nnnn damn uncle aaron you too ? 🤦🏾‍♂️

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you have reached the end of this user posts

#across the spiderverse #earth 42 miles morales #into the spider verse #spiderverse #miles morales #y/n #earth 42 miles x you #earth 42 miles morales x black!reader #earth 42 miles fluff #earth 42 #earth 42 miles morales x reader #i love this man #instagram #earth 42 miles x black!reader

[russellsppttemplates]

My girls (Lance Stroll)

Lance gave Juno one job: to make sure his girls were looked after while he was away at a triple header

Note: english is not my first language. My baby fever has been through the roof lately, and while I was working on this, another blurb came through for dad!Lance, so I joined them.

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Tw: reader is pregnant

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog @hiireadstuff @c-losur3

"Have you seen Juno?", Margot asked her older sister while she did her homework, "where's mummy? She usually is where mummy is", Addalynn smiled, "I just need to finish this question and then I can go downstairs with you, wait a bit for me, please", she asked.

Margot waited for her, standing by her desk and watching curiously as her older sister wrote on her notebook until she finished, tidying her desk and storing the notebook back in her backpack, "we can go downstairs now", she smiled, holding Margot's hand and going down the stairs with her, the patter from Luna's paws and nails on the floor telling them you were in the kitchen.

You had only read about it in books, and since Luna had only been in your family for a little over a year, you never experienced being pregnant while having a dog. So far, besides your two daughters, you also had a four-pawed shadow following you around, "Luna, you can't get all tangled between my ankles, okay? Mummy can't see you that well anymore, only your tail every now and again", you giggled as you looked for her snout, hearing the girls approaching you.

"I knew she'd be here", Addy whispered to Margot as she called the dog, sitting on the floor to play with the dog.

"Are you hungry, girls? I can make you something before we sit down for dinner", you offered, figuring that dinner would still take a while to be ready.

"No, we just wanted to play with Juno", Margot said, pulling on the rope material so Juno could pull back.

"I finished my homework, too, and we knew Juno would be where you were", Addalynn added as you blushed slightly, "she's following daddy's request to look after you!", both girls giggled.

"She's looking after all of us - but I think she does come to stay with me whenever she wants a rest", you winked, "she knows I won't go too far too quickly", you offered.

When you finished dinner and tidying up with the girls' help, they were quick to go to the living room, turning on the TV and finding the channel.

"Is daddy on track yet?", you asked, ushering Juno to her spot on the sofa by your left before you sat down next to the girls on your right.

"Lizzie was saying they're going to start soon", Addy added as she unfolded the blanket on top of her and Margot's legs, "do you want some of the blanket too?", she asked.

"I have mine here, love, thank you, though", you smiled, arranging it under your bump carefully as you stretched your legs on the footstool, "Oh, forgot my pillow", you mumbled, changing your position.

"I'll get it, mummy!", Margot offered, getting the pillow you needed and placing it under your feet, "is it good?", she checked.

"It is, sweetheart, thank you", you smiled at her attentiveness as she climbed back on the sofa.

"Daddy is going really fast!", Margot pointed out, "is this the one where he could win?".

"This is practice still, the one where he can go for the pole position is much later and you will be asleep by then", you stated, not wanting to bend their bedtime routine even more than you were already doing.

"Okay", they said in unison, respecting your orders. Overall, they were pretty good at following what you asked them to do, usually only throwing tantrums when they were really tired and understanding what could and couldn't be negotiated pretty well. Of course they were still kids and had their developmental needs and challenges, but you also had an inkling that Lance had spoken to them about how they needed to behave extra well since he wouldn't be coming home for three weeks.

.

You rolled to Lance's side of the bed, finding Luna already looking at you, "the girls are not up yet?", you mused, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

Getting up gently, allowing your back and hips to stretch properly and readying yourself to go back to spending most of the day in a standing position, "Good morning, baby girl, you're up too, at least, you can keep me and Juno company", you smiled, rubbing your bump softly as you felt her movements, little feet kicking your ribs gently for now.

The silence didn't last for too long as when you were getting yourself dressed, Juno's ears popped when she heard noise, leaving you briefly to go to the girls' bedrooms. Putting on your lounge wear set and making sure it would be stretchy enough around your bump you stepped into the corridor to find your two curly haired girls petting Juno.

"Good morning, mummy! Did you sleep well?", Addalynn asked, coming close to give you a hug.

"Good morning, my loves. I did, did you?", you kissed the top of her head before kissing Margot's as well, hugging her too, "I'm going to let Juno out in the garden so she can do her business, are you coming down now?", you wondered as you picked out comfy clothes for them.

"I'll go in a bit - I need to pee!", Margot let you know before speeding to the bathroom.

You opened the back door for Juno first and then started making breakfast.

The doorbell rang, making Juno go up to the door with you, and once you opened it, she barked loudly at the man holding a box, "Juno, it's okay!", you assured her as she took a protective stance in front of you, "she's harmless, really, but she will bark at anyone she doesn't know, I'm sorry if she scared you", you told him.

"It's fine, no worries, I used to have one just like her when my children were younger", the delivery man, "Y/N Stroll, right? These two boxes are for you, may I?", he asked, wanting to help you by at least putting the package on top of the table near the door.

"Sure, thank you! Juno, come here!", you called the brown labrador so she wouldn't get in the way.

"There you go", he said, "I hope you have a good day!", he waved as he walked back to the car.

"Thank you, you too!", you waved back before closing the door.

The girls walked down the stairs, Addalynn in the outfit you picked out and Margot holding her clothes on her hand, "who was that, mummy?".

"A delivery man - we got two packages. Do you need help getting dressed, love?", you asked Margot, who nodded as she looked at the smaller box.

"Can we see what's inside?", Addalynn quesioned.

"Sure, you girls do that one while I do this one", you encouraged, ripping the tape on the box on the table to see a beautiful bunch of flowers along with a card.

I can't wait to be back home, I miss you girls so much!

There are some flowers for you and the girls and a little treat for Juno, too - figured she wouldn't be the most gentle with a plant!

I love you!

- Lance

"Mummy, this one has flowers, too!", Margot showed you two smaller bunches of flowers and a bag with some dog treats.

"These are from daddy! This one is for me, each of those is for you and then some treats for Juno", you explained, showing them the card so Addalynn could read it out loud as you carried the flowers to the kitchen so you could put them in water.

"Let's take a photo and send it to daddy, okay? Smile big, my loves!", you cheered, snapping a cute photo of the girls, Juno and the flowers and sending it to Lance.

Even though it was late where he was, your husband still sent you a text with many heart emojis and then another one reading "these are three of my favourite girls, and I would like to see the other two 👀".

Taking a selfie in the mirrow on the hallway, perfectly showing your baby bump, you sent it back to Lance, earning the same reaction to the first one you sent.

After having breakfast, you sat on the sofa to watch the qualifying session, the girls laying out their Lego sets, "daddy didn't tell you in which position he was starting?", Addy mused.

"No, I told him we would watch it today and I stayed away from the news, too, so I have no idea what's going to happen", you offered, pressing play on the remote to start the program.

Juno was quick to recognise Lance, getting up from her spot where she rested her head on your legs, tail wagging, "yes, Juno, that's daddy!", Margot squealed.

"Does that mean daddy got P3?", Addalynn asked as the voice over as they filmed the paddock spoke about a penalty, "yes, he goes up a place", you smiled.

Later on the night, your baby girl couldn't seem to settle so sleep wasn't coming by easily, "if your sisters find out that you're keeping me up so we can watch daddy's race, we're going to be in trouble", you spoke, fluffing the pillows as Juno looked up at you, "you can't tell anyone either, okay?", you warned the dog as you set up you iPad on your bedside table.

Lance ended up in second place, the podium celebrations showing his happiness as he sprayed the champagne on the other drivers, "mummy's tired, baby girl, and daddy is flying back soon", you tried to soothe her by rubbing your bump, hoping she would slow down enough for you to sleep once you turned off the streaming channel.

.

Lance couldn't wait to be back home, getting his luggage from the plane as soon as he could before he walked to his car, putting all his belongings inside and driving home to his family. Triple headers were hard as it was, but now that he had his family waiting back home, they were even harder.

He closed the garage door and parked the car, taking his luggage to the laundry room before expecting to meet the girls at the corridor but finding the whole floor empty.

Lance found you napping on his side of the bed, the girls napping on your side and Juno by the feet of the bed.

Smiling at the view, he walked up gently to you, Juno alert as she sensed someone else in the room and barking before noticing it was Lance, stepping closer to him to rub her snout on his legs, "hey, Juno, you did a good job here from what I can see!", he scratched her ears.

The girls stirred in their sleep, blinking their eyes a couple of times before looking at him, "hey, girls", he whispered.

"Daddy!", they yelled, making him kneel on the floor so he could hug them closely, "I missed you princesses so so so much", he said, inhaling their scent and squeezing their bodies closer to his.

"We missed you too, daddy", Margot said, kissing his cheek while Addalynn nodded, snuggling herself closer to Lance.

You turned on your side, opening your eyes to see Lance and the girls, "you're home already?", you croaked out, a sleepy smile on your lips.

Lance climbed up on the bed so he could hug you close, "I am, love", he greeted as his arms wrapped around your body.

"Hello, my love", you whispered against his lips before kissing him, feeling his hands rub your bump

"Hey, darling", he said once he let go of the kiss, "baby girl has grown so much these past weeks, hm?", he smiled, pecking your lips, "you're so beautiful, Y/N - isn't it true, girls? Mummy looks so beautiful", he added as they nodded, "I have all of my beautiful girls with me", he pulled them into the hug, squeezing you together for a family cuddle.

#lance stroll imagine #lance stroll fic #lance stroll x reader #lance stroll fanfic #lance stroll fluff #f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 x reader #f1 fluff

[satellite-evans]

Bubby.

Pairing: Chris Evans x reader

Summary: when Chris' daughter gives him a nickname, suddenly the other ones don't matter

Word count: 552, a cute little blurb <3

Warnings: Fluffffff ( are we surprised lmao)

A/N: sooooo I'm back with another fluffy blurb! I'm sorry that it's a short one again, but I'm trying to slowly bring my motivation back to life lmao. So, I hope you enjoy it! Please tell me what you think. Recommendations, vents, questions, and many asks are always welcome.

English is not my first language, so I apologize if I made any (grammar) mistakes.

Happy reading xxx

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site.

Chris was a person who received many nicknames over the years. Hottie, frat boy, America’s golden man, and many more. But there was one that stuck out to him the most; if he was honest, it was his favorite. And the nickname was given to him by none other than his daughter, Adeline.

“Bubby! come here, I missed you bubby!”

the first time she said that Chris and you weren’t so sure who she was referring to. It was the first time she used that word and it could be anyone. It could be you, dodger, Chris, or even her baby doll who she formed a strong connection with.

“Who are you talking to, Addy? Are you talking to mommy, huh?”

“No mommy, you’re so silly,” she said while laughing. “ I’m talking to my bubby, to daddy!”

Saying that Chris was surprised was an understatement of the feelings he was going through. It was like his whole body was in shock, trying to understand and process what he was supposed to feel and react to. Was he happy? Should he cry? Was he supposed to laugh and tickle his daughter to join him? Chris was clueless. But thank god his wife reacted before it became too awkward.

“Omg, you’re so cute, Adeline. That is such a good nickname for your daddy, right Chris?” you turned to look at her husband and saw a smile forming on his face. This was such a big milestone for your husband and your daughter, that you felt so lucky to witness it.

“Oh my god, yes! I love it. Thank you, Addy. You picked such a good nickname for your daddy, my smart little girl.”

With that being said, he attacked his little girl with kisses and tickles, making it another day in the Evans household, where the home was filled with laughter and joy. But this nickname didn’t particularly stop in the cozy home. Wherever they went, Adeline never forgot to call Chris “her bubby”. During family dinners, at the park, dropping her off at the kindergarten, and the one where the entire world found out, at his sexiest man alive interview.

“Hi, I’m Chris Evans and you’re at PEOPLE’s se-”

“You’re not Chris, you’re bubby!”

The voice of your daughter disturbed Chris and made everyone laugh, including your husband and you. Chris insisted that both of you were present since it was so important ( to other people) he wanted his family present.

“I know honey, but the world knows me as Chris, so I have to introduce myself like that, don’t I?” He asked his daughter, who took place on your lap behind the cameras.

“Sorry bubby, please continue.” The crowd awwed after Adeline said that, showing how kind and polite she was, even at a young age.

At that moment, Chris was more proud of getting the title of sexiest man alive. His daughter and his wife were next to him, looking at him with the same adoration in their eyes.

He didn’t care if the world would call him the sexiest man alive; he was and always would be, Adeline’s bubby.

#chris evans #chris evans imagine #chris evans fic #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x reader #chris evans fluff #dad!chris evans #fluff #chris evans x fem!reader #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fic rec #dad!chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n #dad!chris evans x mom!reader

[justfandomwritings]

The Only Thing (Hangman - Part Two)

Pairing: Jake Seresin x Female!Reader; some Rooster x Seresin!OC

Word Count: 11.2k

Summary: Jake Seresin is madly in love with (Y/n). This is not an opinion or a feeling; it is a fact. A law of the universe that will never change. As long as the world is in motion, as long as the sun is in the sky, and possibly even after, Jake Seresin will be in love with her. So why, for the love of all that is good in this world, are they not together? Rooster intends to find out.

Warnings: Angst, Objectively excessive amounts of pining, also Jake Seresin can be an asshole sometimes but so can his sisters, cursing. An emotional amount of found family. Also Christmas is featured, but in a very non-religious celebratory way. Also no Beta-reader, sorry.

Notes: Thank you to everyone who partook in Part One. I hope you all find Part Two, and I hope you all love it. There will be a spinoff oneshot of little tidbits from Jake and Addie's life growing up together and falling in love, etc. etc. If you have any thoughts on particular moments you'd like to see either in that or just in general as blurbs lemme know.

The Only Thing Masterlist

“Not that star! It’s falling apart. Use the new one we bought last year!”

“Seriously Ma, you couldn’t have said that before?” Hangman huffed and readjusted Ronnie higher up on his shoulders. “Bradshaw, get Ronnie whatever fuckin’ star Ma’s talking about.”

Rooster snorted but began rummaging through the ornaments and assorted other tree decorations without much protest. There was a newer looking star topper still in the box at the bottom of the storage bin labeled ‘Tree Stuff’, and Rooster pulled it out.

Holding it up in Debbie’s general direction at the far end of the hall, he asked, “This one?”

“Yes, honey, that’s the one.” Debbie gave him a thumbs up then, satisfied, darted back into the kitchen to continue cooking.

Rooster handed the star up to Ronnie on top of Jake’s shoulders and took the older, beat-up star off her hands.

The Seresins were a very last-minute family when it came to decorating. Mostly, it was that the sisters, Ronnie in particular, considered decorating for Christmas to be a family affair, and they collectively refused to decorate anything at all until their brother was home.

Hangman had, of course, written this off to Rooster as the three of them wanting him to do all the heavy lifting, and while Ronnie and Andy adamantly refused the accusation, Kate nodded along when Hangman’s back was turned. It’d made Rooster chuckle which earned Kate a glare from her brother.

Debbie was milling around the kitchen with Andy, baking and mixing an assortment of things that could be made in advanced of Christmas Day, while Kate draped bannisters in garlands. and Ronnie, Hangman, and Rooster decorated the tree.

They were finally finishing up the tree with the star on top when the front door burst open without any knock or warning.

“I brought candy!”

Rooster would recognize (Y/n)’s voice anywhere by now. As much as he’d heard it over the last couple days with Hangman, he was sure he could pick it out of any crowd.

“I’ll help her.” Rooster quickly volunteered as Hangman was still acting as a step stool for Ronnie to reach the top.

“Thanks,” Hangman bristled as he was forced to walk into the needles of the tree so Ronnie could reach.

With a chuckle, Rooster wandered into the foyer to find (Y/n), arms laden with far too many paper bags.

“Jesus! Did you buy out the whole store?” Rooster rushed forward to take some of the bags out of her hands before a catastrophe occurred.

(Y/n) laughed and pawned off most of the bags on the pilot. “I work at the bakery part-time during the Christmas rush, and Mr. Donaldson always gives me all the imperfect batches that he can’t sell.”

Rooster followed (Y/n) to the kitchen to see what Debbie wanted done with all of it.

“Aren’t you going to keep some of this for yourself?” Rooster lifted the bags of candy in his arms as indication.

(Y/n) shrugged, “No, I'm always here for Christmas anyway. My family don’t really celebrate Christmas.”

“Not Religious?”

“Eh, we all just hate each other. Dad hates my brother. My brother hates me. I hate Mom. Mom hates my brother and me… You get the picture.” (Y/n) waved off Rooster’s question as they entered the kitchen, and Rooster wasn’t sure whether she thought it was unimportant or if she wanted to stop talking about it.

“Besides, why would I want to be anywhere else but here?” (Y/n) loudly announced as she entered the kitchen.

Debbie smiled warmly at (Y/n) as she entered. Her fingers were covered with cookie dough, but she leaned in to kiss (Y/n) on the cheek in lieu of her usual hug. “We wouldn’t want you anywhere else. It wouldn’t be Christmas without you.”

“No cause who else would bring the peanut butter fudge.” (Y/n) turned and eyed the bags in Roosters arms before carefully selecting one in particular and holding it out in her fist as far from her body as possible.

Andy didn’t seem to care about the dough all over her fingers. She greedily snatched the bag from (Y/n) and gave her a one-armed hug in reward, only just avoiding her fingers getting in any hair. “You’re my favorite sister.”

“I won’t tell Kate and Ronnie.” (Y/n) teased.

“Bradley, dear, if you could just set the rest of those on the side table over there.” Debbie pointed to a table that was littered with assorted baking and desert making supplies.

“Of course Debbie,” He’d finally gotten past calling her ma’am, and the smile his familiarity brought to Debbie’s face cemented him using her name.

(Y/n) wandered over to start sorting the bags into different piles. One for fruit candies, one for mint, one for chocolate, etc. She glanced over her shoulder with a faux-sneaky look and passed one of the bags to Rooster. “Try this one. It’s the best candy in the store, and Jake’ll steal it if he finds out I brought some.”

Rooster thanked her, popping one in his mouth. It was some kind of mix of raspberry and chocolate and something else. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was utterly delicious. The grin on (Y/n)’s face, like school kids who were stealing sweets before dinner, was enough to make him break out in a massive smile in return.

“I’m right, right?” She whispered, stuffing her hand down in the bag and palming several for herself.

“Absolutely,” Rooster quietly agreed, putting an arm around her shoulder and squeezing in what was meant to be a show of affection.

“Hey!”

They both turned, sheepish and wide eyed like they’d been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Hangman was standing in the doorway with his eyes narrowed in on them.

For a brief, shining moment Rooster was genuinely worried. There was an angry look to Hangman’s brow. Rooster couldn’t tell what it was directed towards, but he had just had an arm wrapped around Hangman’s girl, leaned in inches from her face, as they whispered and smiled at each other. The thought of how it might’ve looked to the other pilot was enough to make him pale.

“Are those the raspberry ones you two are hiding?” Hangman pointed an accusatory finger at the bag half hidden behind Rooster.

“Nope,” (Y/n) stole the bag from Rooster’s hand and took off, shouting unconvincingly as she went, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”  

Hangman rolled his eyes and waved a hand after her. “Little does she know I bought a box on her lunch break that’s hidden in my room, and I’m not sharing.” Kissing his mom on the top of her head as he passed, Hangman wandered over beside Rooster to observe the assortment (Y/n) had delivered to them.

Hangman’s brow was still a bit furrowed.

“Hey, man,” Rooster didn’t whisper, but he did speak under his breath so the other Seresins wouldn’t hear, “I’m sorry if I crossed a line with (Y/n).”

Hangman turned his head and raised an eyebrow, his expression thoroughly disinterested. “You cop a feel or somethin’ I didn’t see?”

“No, never, I-”

“No harm in makin’ friends, Rooster. I know that’s all it was to her. You tellin’ me it’s somethin’ more to you?”

“God, no.”

Hangman turned back to the candy nonchalantly, “Then what are you apologizin’ for? I’m an asshole, but I’m not that kind of asshole.”

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

Hangman’s sisters were very invested in his love life. Mostly, they were very invested in finally getting him and (Y/n) together. It was pretty much the first thing Rooster learned about each of them upon spending time alone with them. Kate had pushed him to knock some sense into Hangman. Ronnie had interrogated him to make sure her brother wasn’t seeing anyone else. Andy had taken to calling (Y/n) her favorite sister or sister-in-law when Hangman wasn’t around.

Clearly born out of a deep love for their brother and a want to finally see him happy, they had all seemingly made it their life’s mission to make him see reason, and with Rooster in town, he had inevitably been drafted in to help.

“I think you may have actually got through to him.” Kate dragged Rooster through the house to the dining table where Ronnie and Andy were already sitting. “But Jake needs a lot of hand holding with things like this. He can’t possibly admit he might have been wrong and making himself miserable for years for no reason.”

Debbie was out running errands, and (Y/n) was helping set up the town’s Christmas Eve parade, which of course meant Hangman was helping set up the town’s Christmas Eve parade. So it seemed prime-time for the Seresin sisters to congregate.

“This is the year. I can feel it in my bones, Kate.” Ronnie was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement at the prospect. “This is the year we finally get him.”

“Get him how?” Rooster took the seat across from Kate and next to Ronnie.

Andy leaned across the table with the closest thing to a serious expression Rooster had seen from her since he arrived. “Every year without fail we plot some storybook, romance novel worthy moment for Jake to finally see reason and declare his love for (Y/n), and every year it fails.”

“It’s a Seresin family tradition at this point,” Kate informed him with a matter-of-fact nod.

“We’ve staged them on a blind date with each other.” Ronnie counted off one on her fingers.

“Jake figured it out when he got there, and they just ended up hanging out.” Andy explained.

“We’ve trapped them in elevators. Twice” Two and three.

“The first time she fell asleep with her head in his lap because she was so tired, and the second time he pried the doors open like fucking He-Man or something.”

“We tried to make Jake jealous and set (Y/n) up with the hottest, richest guy we knew.” Four.

“He got so sad that year and said he hoped the other guy could give her everything she deserved.”

“Yeah, that one was depressing. We’re never trying that again.” Andy and Ronnie nodded along in agreement to Kate’s interjection to their list.

“We trapped them at the top of the ferris wheel the year the town rented one around Christmas.” Five.

“It freaked (Y/n) out too much to be romantic.” Andy added, unhelpfully, “She would not be a good fighter pilot.”

“So what are you three doing this year?” Rooster cut them off when it became clear the list was going to continue.

In a simultaneous motion that would’ve been absolutely horrifying in any horror movie, all three sisters looked up and smiled at his question. “See,” Kate addressed him, “we don’t know. We’re hoping that’s where you come in.”

When exactly Rooster became part of some romcom movie, he wasn’t sure. He was unabashed about the number of romcoms he’d watched over the year, with and without girlfriends present. So he felt pretty educated saying that sitting around a table coming up with a plan to set up two people who were already in love with each other was pretty romcom-esque. It’s just usually in the romcom they didn’t realize they were in love yet.

Rooster didn’t see how any ‘plan’ would work. None of them would resolve the real problem.

Hangman and (Y/n) were both very much in love and very much aware of the fact that they were in love. Neither of them needed to be told or reminded that they had feelings for the other. They were even both aware of the fact that the other was in love with them. There was no moment of realization to be had here. They both knew, and it didn’t seem to change anything..  

Hangman – shockingly – wasn’t selfish enough to ask her to make the sacrifices it would require to follow him, and at the end of the day, Hangman was still going to be a TopGun pilot, and he was still going to be constantly moving, constantly in danger, and constantly away. No romcom movie moment was going to change that.

And (Y/n)… Well Rooster wasn’t sure about (Y/n). He liked her, a lot actually. He could certainly see why Hangman was in love with her, but he just didn’t know her well enough to know what made her tick, to know why a woman so clearly in love with a man who was so clearly in love with her wouldn’t just say ‘screw it’ and show up at his door in San Diego, why she wouldn’t have confronted Hangman at any point in all their years of being ‘not-together’. He couldn’t see what was stopping her, but something clearly was.

Hangman’s sisters were absolutely convinced that they just needed to get through to Hangman, but Rooster wasn’t so sure. There was something nagging at him about (Y/n), telling him that, if they really wanted to make this happen, he needed to talk to her. Easier said than done since she never left Hangman’s side.

He asked the sisters if they could make that happen, if they could separate the two of them for longer than a couple minutes so he could talk to her, and the trio had exchanged long glances before they all burst out laughing like he’d just told the greatest joke they’d ever heard. Kate, promptly, informed him that while their mother made them go to church every Sunday as kids, none of them believed in miracles.

It was oddly endearing watching the sisters plot and scheme, not for their brother’s demise or embarrassment, but for his happiness. Their words did not match their angry, sinister tones. They said things like ‘Why won’t he just tell her he loves her?’ and ‘She already knows he loves her!’ and ‘Well, why won’t he just let her love him back, that asshole!’ and ‘I just want them to be happy and make babies!’ were snarled like insults. They all spat on Jake’s name like it was a vulgar word, while simultaneously trying to come up with ways to make him smile.

Rooster’s heart ceased up in his chest, and he knew he needed to get out of there. “I’ll be back.”

Andy and Ronnie waved him off, barely noticing as he left. They were still batting around ideas about what to do for Hangman. Kate was a different animal. Rooster could feel her eyes on him as his shoulders hunched in time with his constricting chest.

He made a swift exit onto the patio, inhaling fresh air deep into his lungs in an attempt to open up his chest. He was out there alone for less than a minute before a hand touched his shoulder. He should’ve known it was coming, but it still made him jump and turn around defensively.

“Sorry,” Rooster’s voice cracked slightly on the word, and he quickly diverted his eyes away from Kate.

“Are you okay?” Kate asked, leaving her hand where it fell on his arm. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s just that…” Rooster wasn’t sure why, but he felt like he couldn’t stop the words coming out. It was something in the water, or in the town, or just in the house. Something that made him want to open up. “I don’t know. Seeing the way you guys are with Jake, it makes me think about what my siblings would’ve been like if my dad hadn’t…”

Kate placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, pulling Rooster’s eyes up to hers “Well, you don’t have to wonder if you don’t want to. I know, we all know, we aren’t replacements, and we won’t try to be. No one can replace what you’ve lost. But just because what you’ve lost is irreplaceable doesn’t mean there aren’t… alternatives.”

It was a sensitive subject, and Rooster could see the way Kate’s eyes darted around, searching for the right words. “We don’t need you to think of us as your real family or as replacements for them. If it helps you open up or cope, we won’t be offended by you thinking of us as a backup, Bradley. I know you’ve only been here for a little while, but we care about you. We will be what you need us to be. So don’t think you have to betray your family to stay here, and don’t think you’re hurting us by thinking of your family first.”

She gave his shoulder one last squeeze then stepped away. “We’re all here for you, even Jake. He wouldn’t have brought you here if he didn’t want you to be part of this, and we wouldn’t be spending so much time with you if we didn’t want it too.”

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

It was the Eve of Christmas Eve, and Rooster woke up to (Y/n) already at the Seresins’ frying up some eggs for breakfast. Even on leave, Rooster woke with the sun, yet somehow (Y/n) was already there.

She loudly announced that she was kidnapping Jake so they could go into the city to shop for Christmas presents. Rooster was welcome to join or stay at his own risk.

“Do you want to come? Everyone else will be out, so there won’t be much to do here. But if you really wanna stay, you can use my car. It can’t make the trek to the city, but it gets around town in a pinch.”

When she asked, an image of Kate the night before, ‘He wouldn’t have brought you here if he didn’t want you to be part of this, and we wouldn’t be spending so much time with you if we didn’t want it too,’ flashed through Rooster’s mind.

Jake brought Rooster here, not just to his family home, but to (Y/n), and as he stood – finally alone with her – in the kitchen, Rooster saw it for what it was: the most open and honest way Jake could place his trust in Rooster. It was as good as if Jake had ripped his heart from his chest and put it in Rooster’s palm.

“Of course I’ll come along. Can’t leave you alone with Jake that long. That would be torture.”

(Y/n) beamed. She had a witty retort, but Rooster didn’t hear it. He was too distracted by the way she turned back to the stove, still smiling away, as comfortable in his presence as she was in any of the Seresins.

She looked as ready and willing to accept him into the family as Kate the night before, and Rooster wondered if the two women, or more likely (Y/n) and Jake, had talked about it. If Jake got her permission to bring him here, or if Jake let her deliver her final verdict when he drove her home after the barbecue. Either way, Rooster knew he wouldn’t still be here if she didn’t want him around. But (Y/n) seemed to go so far beyond tolerance, so far beyond acceptance.

When Rooster thought of his family, of his parents and of the siblings he was sure he would’ve had. He found himself picturing (Y/n). Her open smile and accepting nature. He imagined a hellraiser of a baby sister with a nickname like Adrenaline that he was constantly trying to keep out of trouble. He could picture the little girl’s unbridled chaos mellowing into a mischievous glint in the grown woman’s eye. He could see himself bringing home his Navy buddies and giving them all an earful for checking her out.

Void of a biological family that had any real meaning to her, Rooster could pick (Y/n) up and put her seamlessly in his memories with his mom around the dinner table.

Rooster opened his mouth to speak. If he wanted his moment alone to talk with her, this was as good as it would get.

But before he could say anything, Jake came traipsing into the room. “Something smells good.”

“This is your payment for driving me to the city.” (Y/n) informed him.

“Oh?” Jake clearly didn’t know he was going to be doing that today, but he took the surprise easily in hand. “Sounds fun. When are we going?”

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

“Absolutely not!”

“Why not? She would look so nice in this one.”

They’d been in the city shopping for the better part of three hours, and all that was left was to help Jake find one last present for Andy.

Jake and (Y/n) had already gotten presents for each other, or at least Rooster assumed they had because, even after several hours wandering around the mall from store to store, neither of them had picked anything out for each other.

Jake wasn’t really known for being a thoughtful person, and Rooster never would’ve thought he was a romantic or generous person at heart. Before this trip, if he’d have had to imagine Jake buying presents for any occasion, it probably would have been a last-minute whirlwind of boxed chocolates and flowers to get laid on Valentine’s Day. And yet, since coming to Texas, Rooster would bet every dollar to his name that whatever Jake gave (Y/n) was so thoughtful it would make her cry. 

(Y/n) was obviously the kind of person who put a lot of thought into Christmas presents. She’d already gotten gifts for each of the Seresin sisters and Debbie before they went out shopping that morning, but her basket was still laden with little knick-knacks that reminded her of each of them. ‘Stocking stuffers’, she waved off the raised eyebrow Rooster shot her as she picked up a set of shot glasses that looked like beakers for Ronnie. He couldn’t imagine her forgetting to get Jake something. She seemed too good at this.

Jake had defaulted to (Y/n)’s opinion on gift giving up to the last moment, but now he’d fallen at the final hurdle.

“There is no way I am putting Andy in that. Addie, they’re all already picturing her naked. We don’t need to encourage them.”

The issue, a debate that was about as close to a fight as (Y/n) and Jake were capable of, centered around a beautiful, though very skimpy sundress hanging off of (Y/n)’s finger. “They will not be picturing her naked. I have this same one in a different color.”

“Yes, and I’ve been to the beach with you in it. All the guys are picturing you naked too.” Jake said with a roll of his eyes, as if it were the most logical conclusion, and he couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it.

(Y/n)’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she suddenly sounded less sure of herself on that fact. “No they aren’t.”

Jake tilted his head to the side and gave her purse-lipped expression that said she ought to know better, “I have to beat the other guys back like flies, Addie. You just don’t notice any of them.”

There was a rule between the two of them, one that Rooster had quickly caught onto, that in each other’s presence neither addressed the elephant in the room. In keeping with that rule, neither Jake or (Y/n) confronted why it was that (Y/n) wouldn’t notice all of the guys staring at her while Jake was around.

“Look, I won’t tell Andy what to wear any more than I’ll tell you what to wear, but I’m not gonna gift every guy on that trip a wet dream.”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, “It’s really not that bad. You’re exaggerating.”

“No, they will definitely be picturing her naked in that.”

“See!” Jake shouted triumphantly, pointing at Rooster, “Rooster agrees with me! He never does that!”

(Y/n) bit back a laugh at Jake’s excitement. Defiantly, though certainly amused, she shoved the sundress in her own basket. “I’ll have you know I met the one that invited her along as his plus one, and he’s a perfectly nice guy. Practically a gentleman.”

“What branch did you say he was?” Rooster piped in.

“Army… I think he’s Special Forces.”

Rooster chuckled, and Jake fumed. “No. Absolutely not.” He stole the dress out (Y/n)’s basket it and hung it back on the rack. “Next you’re going to tell me Kate needs these art supplies so she can paint some Marine in the nude.”

“Well,” (Y/n) hedged, “he’s not a Marine…” Her tone was teasing, and there was just the right amount of mischief in her eyes.

“Ugh!” Jake walked back passed her towards the luggage section, ringing his hands in the air.

(Y/n) burst into a round of giggles as Jake wandered off, and Rooster couldn’t help joining her with a chuckle of his own. “Really though,” (Y/n) said, still trying to sober up, “What’s wrong with Army guys?”

“Well, for one, if he’s Special Forces, he has definitely already seen her naked.” Rooster spoke under his breath, not wanting to tempt fate with Jake’s foul mood, even if he would never actually unleash it around (Y/n), “And for two, Jake can’t scare an SF guy into line.”

“Well I, for one, think he’s great. And I think that will be totally unnecessary.” (Y/n) led their way through the racks, following Jake towards the matching set of bags he was no doubt going to buy Andy instead.

Rooster shrugged, not that (Y/n) could see from in front of him. “He might be a great guy, but still. Jake wants to protect her. He’s just trying to help.”

“Oh of course.” (Y/n) made a point to turn back so Rooster could see her playfully roll her eyes, “Because we women need a big macho man to help us with everything.” The pair broke out into the wider aisle and began walking side-by-side.

“Aren’t you the same girl I just watched pout her way into getting Jake to carry all of her bags out of the last store?” Rooster grinned down at her.

At the reminder, (Y/n) couldn’t hold back the devilish, gleeful smile, “Yeah, because I needed a big macho man to help me with it.”

Rooster chuckled, “You know when I got here I didn’t get it, but now I do. You and Jake make total sense.”

“I choose to take that as a compliment.”

“It was meant as a compliment.”

“For who?”

“Both of you.”

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

Every shop in the quaint downtown area of the small Texas town was strung with twinkling white Christmas lights along its roof. They shown down on the street like stars blinking invitingly to all the parade-goers, drawing them further into the crowd, further into the festivities. The lamps lining the street were all turned off, and the world had taken on a glow of red and green at the street level from countless, lit window displays of reindeer and Christmas trees and Santa Claus.

It was one of those magical scenes from the romantic comedies Rooster always unapologetically watched. Something in the air just screamed excitement and joy. It permeated his skin and filled him with an overwhelming sense of amusement and happiness. He was edging towards belonging, but he drew himself back, fearfully, from the feeling.

Christmas was never a holiday Rooster was particularly attached to. His family had never been particularly religious, and while his mother always made a point to make sure he had the best Christmas she could afford to give him – presents, dinner, family, lights, music – there was always something noticeably absent from Christmas with the Bradshaws. It always rang a little hollow. There was always one too many chairs around the table, one too many servings of pudding, one too many of everything.

But here, in podunk, middle of nowhere Texas, where half the people on the street remembered his name from the cookout and waved and said ‘Hi Rooster’. Where his friend – he felt far less hesitant calling Jake a friend now – walked a few feet ahead of him with the love of his life, and where Debbie clutched his arm and excitedly pointed out every family-owned store in town and raved about the town’s parade and its history.

Where Kate playfully berated her mother for boring him to sleep. And Andy whispered to Ronnie behind him about how she really did like the guy who’d asked her to go on the trip with him and his friends. And Ronnie told her to tell Jake, or Bradley, about the guy just to be safe.

Where he blinked a few times more than was strictly necessary as Andy mumbled that she’d probably talk to Bradley about it later.

“It’s beautiful Debbie,” Rooster barely knew which storefront Debbie was talking to him about this time, but her tone told him she was excited about it.

“Isn’t it just,” She beamed up at him, “The Newman’s always do such a great job. They didn’t make the cookout this time, but when you come back ‘round I’ll be sure to introduce you to ‘em. Their son and Jake were best friends when they were kids.”

Jake seemed to hear what Debbie was saying, and he craned his neck around in their direction, clearly unwilling to remove his arm from (Y/n) long enough to actually talk to them, “His dad used to own the plane, Rooster.”

“Why did you two stop being friends again?” Kate’s question sounded innocent enough, but there was an undercurrent to it that Rooster had come to recognize as common to all Seresin’s.

Debbie leaned around Rooster to give her eldest daughter a playful whack on the back of her hand, “Enough of that.”

The group all laughed.

They soon had to move to a single file line as they hit the town’s main square where the parade actually began, and the street was filling up with people camping out on the sidewalk for the best seats, leaving only a narrow walkway to get around. Kate side stepped in front of Rooster, between him and Debbie.

Rooster took the chance and leaned over Kate’s shoulder, “So why aren’t they friends?”

“Why else,” Kate turned her chin up to say it but didn’t face him, keeping her eyes forward as they duck and weaved their way through the people to keep up with the group, “Newman threw a basketball too hard at (Y/n) in P.E. She fell over, hit her head. Stitches. It was all an accident, but Jake wasn’t so forgiving back then. He’s always been a stubborn ass. They didn’t make up till college.”

“Funny, I thought around here Hangman didn’t have any flaws,” Rooster dared using the callsign. It seemed fitting in the moment.

Kate approved, grinning up at him, “You tellin’ me my brother isn’t an ass?”

“Oh no, he definitely is.”

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

“I’m gonna go get drinks. Wait here?” Jake asked (Y/n).

“Course, we’ll hold down the fort.” (Y/n) reached across the bench and patted Rooster on the knee, the last remaining members of the group.

The Seresins’ had secured a bench and the lip of sidewalk in front of it near the back of the circular route the parade would be taking through the big open square. There were people crowded in around them in lawn chairs or sitting on picnic blankets. Groups of children ran around and played in the empty path that was cleared out for the parade, one of them accompanied by Kate.

While they were waiting on the parade to start, Kate had run off to play with her godchildren, a pair of little girls belonging to her high school best friend. Mrs. Seresin had promptly taken that as her cue to abduct Ronnie and make her talk to someone named Taylor that she swore was just perfect for her. Andy had followed along behind snickering the whole way.

Objectively, it wasn’t that many people. A parade back in San Diego would’ve gotten ten or twenty times as many people as this one, but the shouts back and forth between different little families and the way everyone made room for the next group that came along later spoke volumes about the fact that this wasn’t just a collection of people. It was a community.  

Rooster was pretty sure that, even if they stood up and completely abandoned their stuff, no one would steal their spots or any of their belongings. ‘Holding down the fort’ was almost entirely unnecessary, and yet it provided him the opportunity he had been looking for.

He watched Jake’s back retreat towards a small makeshift shack that appeared to be some kind of concession stand. If he wanted to talk to (Y/n) alone, this was the only chance he’d get.

“Well (Y/n),” He broached in a gentle tone.  He had to be careful about this. (Y/n) didn’t strike him as the tattling or whining sort. If he said the wrong thing, she would probably grin and bear it. But of course, Jake could read her so well. It didn’t matter if she told him or not; Jake would know. So he had to be careful. “Jake’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow.”

(Y/n) gave him a sad smile. “So will you,” She added, “we’ll all miss you.” (Y/n) didn’t mean to redirect him. Rooster knew she wasn’t as sneaky as that. His first night in town she’d done quite a bit of redirecting, but all of it was incredibly obvious and usually accompanied by a look to Jake. This was just (Y/n) being (Y/n), welcoming him into the family.

“Of course,” He’d almost – almost – grown used to the Seresin brand of open affection, “but I’m not Jake.”

The smile stayed on her face even while the light in her eyes seemed to dim. “Well, no, you’re not, and I might miss him a teeny bit more if I’m being totally honest with you.” Her chipper, teasing tone didn’t match the sadness that was coming into her gaze, rolling in like dark clouds signaling a coming storm.

“Can I ask you a personal question, (Y/n)?”

“Of course,” (Y/n) shuffled on the bench. She turned to face him and brought her feet up onto the bench, pulling her knees into her chest.

He wondered absently if it was so she could look him in the eyes or if having her legs in front of her was more of a safeguard, a defense mechanism. Rooster had had several open, honest conversations with (Y/n) during his time in Texas, and some of them had actually been quite personal. But the few times he’d gotten her alone had only ever been long enough for a joke here or there, an offhand teasing comment.

He wondered if she could sense the change in atmosphere, in tone, as much as he could. If she could, she didn’t let on any more than the arm wrapped around her knees.

“Why aren’t you in San Diego? You don’t… really seem like you care about Texas that much, and I kinda get the feeling you’d rather be there.”

(Y/n) sighed like a weight had compressed the air out of her chest, a gust that looked and felt more like it was forced from her lungs than actually given freely. She knew this was coming. Rooster could tell from the way her eyes tilted down as she sucked air back in. “It’s complicated. It’s not as easy as just moving.”

“Well no,” Rooster conceded. “You would need… Well, you’d have to be with Jake, I suppose.”

“Right.”

“Why aren’t you?”

Her teeth caught her bottom lip, and (Y/n)’s eyes darted away as fast as the words left his mouth. They flitted along the crowd. She wasn’t really searching for anything. There was no urgency to her gaze, but she still seemed to be looking into every face that she passed. If for no other reason than to not look back at him.

“Is…” It was a wild thought, an impossible thought. But it was truly the only explanation Rooster could think of, “Is there someone else?”

(Y/n) came to a stop. Her shoulders, going up and down with the weight of her breaths froze in a sort of half shrug. Her eyes came to a stop on some unknown face in the crowd and glazed over as she stared through whoever it was into something that wasn’t there. Her fingers, twitching against the denim of her jeans, stilled and flattened against the fabric. It was like someone had a remote to a tv and hit pause.

“(Y/n)?”

Then, all at once, they were in fast forward.

(Y/n) threw her head back and let out an absolutely raucous laugh. If not for the packed bodies filling in the space around them with a buzz of noise, it would’ve echoed into the night. If not for the Christmas music playing in the background of the entire scene from speakers situated at the base of the sporadic trees decorating the square, her laughter would’ve been so disruptive it would’ve drawn the eyes of everyone in town to them. Not that any of them would’ve said anything beyond a cool, disapproving stare.

As it was, her laughter seemed to only add to the merriment of the moment, a merriment that Rooster’s chosen topic of conversation had pulled the pair of them out of.

Rooster let her have several rounds at his expense, going through another bout of quieter laughter then a few rounds of giggles before she finally managed to settle down enough to address him again. “I’m sorry; I don’t mean to laugh at you. Just the idea.”

“There isn’t someone else then I take it.”

“No.” She said emphatically, one last chuckle leaving her lips. “And there never will be.”

Rooster shifted himself to face her this time. A knee pulling up on the bench between them, his elbow resting on the back of the bench, propping up his head to stare her down. “Why not?”

The jovial, amused expression coloring her face softened. They were talking about Jake. Rooster made a note of it; her expression softened when she got to talk about Jake. “I believe it was Betty White who said, ‘When you have the best, who needs the rest?’”

Rooster raised an eyebrow. This was shaky ground. “You don’t have Jake though.”

“Bradley,” (Y/n) sighed and brought her knees down, crossing her legs between them. She leaned in, the amusement and merriment of moments ago, the soft loving expression she got when talking about Jake, gone. “You’ve been here for a little over a week now. Do you think there is anyone in this square, anyone in this town, who could ever love me as much as Jake?”

“No,” It was the easiest question Rooster had ever answered.

“Do you think anyone else in this square, anyone in this town… Fuck it, do you think anyone in all of San Diego could ever love Jake as much as I do?”

“No,” The second easiest question.

“I have Jake.” (Y/n) said, matter-of-factly. Her eyes implored Rooster to see her truth. “He’s mine. In every way that matters, he will always be mine.”

“But he’s not… here.” Rooster hesitated to point out, not because he thought (Y/n) would balk at the reminder. She seemed more sure of herself now, talking about how much she loved Jake and vice versa, than ever. Rooster just didn’t want to cause her pain in his path to answers. “He’s gone, and …. Much as I hate to admit it, he’s probably the best pilot at TopGun besides Maverick. The Navy isn’t gonna let him go any time soon.”

“And I wouldn’t want them to.” (Y/n) agreed.

Rooster raised an eyebrow, “Where does that leave you?”

“Waiting.” Rooster had his answer. He thought about stopping there, turning around and laughing at Kate dancing through the parade route with a little kid holding each hand, wandering over to join Andy teasing Ronnie about Debbie’s latest setup attempt… but he couldn’t.

Rooster saw him approaching behind (Y/n) from his peripheral vision. He tried not to focus on him, to not draw (Y/n)’s attention away. His eyes stayed on her even as the blonde head of hair drew close and closer through the crowd.

This was, he thought, his chance. If he was ever going to get one. His chance to finally do what Kate asked and knock some sense into Jake, and his chance to do what he knew needed to happen and knock some sense into (Y/n).

“(Y/n), you’ll have to forgive me.” Rooster’s next words were for Jake, for Hangman. “I like Jake. And I like you, and I like you both together. But he left, (Y/n).”

(Y/n) was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. “He left because I told him to go. He loves flying planes; he loves the Navy. I can wait a little longer.”

Jake was passed the last group now, coming up behind her. Even in his peripheral, Rooster could make out his face now.

“Does he love you more?”

“Of course,” (Y/n) didn’t hesitate.

“Then why aren’t you there with him?”

“I don’t know!”

She shouted then buried her head in her hands. Rooster had never heard her raise her voice before. His entire body drew back. Being shouted at in general wasn’t a pleasant experience, but there was something so much more disquieting about it being (Y/n), about it being someone who was otherwise so unshakably good natured and caring towards everyone. It was his intention to pull the anger and frustration, the sadness, out of her, but he hadn’t realized just how close she was to boiling over.

A few groups near them turned to stare, not just from the volume. Rooster glanced over and saw their faces colored in shock. He saw their eyes flit to Jake, just over her shoulder, and then to him in concern.

They were all right to be concerned.

Rooster made eye contact with Jake and instantly realized it was a mistake. He wasn’t looking at Jake. There was nothing of the mildly mischievous, but secretly kind-hearted family man in the eyes boring into his.

Rooster was staring down Hangman. Hangman with vicious, vengeful eyes. Hangman that could, and had, killed. Hangman that would readily take up a cause as honorable as avenging (Y/n)’s tears with Rooster's blood.

It sent a chill down Rooster’s spine, and for a moment he thought about running, jumping up and sprinting into the crowd for the safety of Debbie or Ronnie or Andy, someone Hangman would never commit a murder in front of. He might be able to duck Hangman’s first blow and make it to Kate and the kids somewhere behind him, but he was also pretty sure Hangman would be willing to commit a murder in front of that particular sibling.

But none of those were really options, and Rooster wasn’t one to run from a fight. There was only one solution here.

“Why haven’t you gone to San Diego, (Y/n)?” Rooster asked, his eyes staring down Hangman’s even as he spoke to her.

Hangman’s hands clenched into fists at his sides; his lips pulling back in a sneer.

“I don’t know,” (Y/n)’s voice, quiet and muffled by her hands over her face, cut Hangman off, “Maybe because… because there has to be a good reason.”

(Y/n) looked up, and Rooster quickly diverted his gaze down to hers.

There were tears welling up in her eyes. She was practically swimming in them, but none had spilled yet. It would probably be Rooster’s only saving grace if (Y/n) didn’t stop Hangman. “Jake has to have a good reason. Right?”

Rooster opened his mouth to respond, to assure her that, whatever else Hangman is, he is in love with her. To tell her she’s right, that Hangman wouldn’t do this without a good reason; it was just a question of whether she accepted his reason. But he didn’t get to say any of that.

(Y/n)’s voice picked up, strength and speed. She was spiraling. “I’m in pain every day, and I hate it. I hate going to friend’s weddings knowing that will never be me. I hate coming home every night to an empty house and an empty bed. I hate that every morning I wake up from blissfully happy dreams about a life with him, and that every morning I have to remember that’s a life I’m not living.”

Rooster chanced a glance over her shoulder.

Hangman was gone.

Rooster didn’t let his gaze linger any longer on Jake than was necessary to ascertain that he was listening. Rooster had tried to get Jake to see sense before, and it had only had marginal if any success. But this was the wakeup call he needed, and Jake was finally hearing it.

“I hate knowing that this is my life until Jake retires from the Navy in like thirty years, but it is. Because there isn’t anyone else, Bradley. There will never be anyone else. I don’t care if that means I have to wait till he retires or if I have to wait for the fucking ocean to dry up. There is nothing and no one that will ever replace Jake for me.”

(Y/n)’s eyes implored Rooster to believe her in a way that was wholly unnecessary. Rooster believed every word she was saying, not just because he thought her incapable of lying about this but because he knew the truth of every word even as she spoke it.

He’d seen it for himself in the way she looked at Jake, the way she smiled at him, touched him, the way her entire body relaxed just at the sight of him. Rooster didn’t need her to tell him how long she would wait for Jake. Rooster had already watched his mother wait.

“I want nothing more than to drop everything tomorrow and buy a ticket to San Diego. Whether there’s a house with a white picket fence or a tiny room with a bunk in an aircraft carrier, I want to be wherever he is. Being without him hurts me every day, but the only thing I know to be absolutely true in this world is that Jake Seresin loves me as much as I love him… and he would never hurt me like this without a good reason.”

“Yes he would.” The words came out broken, as broken as the man who said them.

(Y/n) lurched to her feet and whipped around. “Jake…”

(Y/n) didn’t seem to know what to say.

Rooster felt a pang in his chest at the desperation in her tone. He’d caused that. It wasn’t entirely his fault, but he had staged the moment unfolding before him. He put (Y/n) in position, in the position to stand in front of Jake and falter. Distress didn’t suit her; it wasn’t an emotion Rooster had ever heard (Y/n) express, ever. Certainly, she had never expressed distress towards anything regarding Jake; Rooster doubted she’d ever had cause to even know what distress felt like in the presence of Jake Seresin.

From the corner of his eye Rooster saw Kate take a stumbling step back in their direction. Jake had his back to her, and her eyes were trained on (Y/n)’s face. Kate looked shocked, concerned, possibly even terrified though he couldn’t tell from that distance.

“Jake, I-I can explain. I didn’t… I don’t….” She couldn’t explain.

Jake’s face was in a state of pain Rooster had rarely seen before. Early in his flying career, Rooster had briefly been given a backseater who ejected at too low an altitude and ended up breaking nine ribs. The look on Jake’s face was something akin to that, to his chest caving in.

“It’s not… I mean… Jake,” She sobbed his name.

Whatever else Jake was feeling, he couldn’t stand to hear that. Jake took a slow, deliberate step forward. “There is no reason, (Y/n).”

(Y/n) was struck dumb, and Rooster felt it in the way her knees began to shake that at any moment she was going to crumble. If Jake didn’t explain himself immediately, Rooster was sure she would disintegrate.

Jake clearly felt it too. His hand reached out for hers, but for once, she didn’t offer it freely. He had to take it for himself. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks. Even as people watched, he was completely unashamed to be crying in this moment. He made no move to stop them, no move to wipe them away.

Jake took another step forward, standing chest to chest with (Y/n) and spoke so low that only she and Rooster could hear over the noise of the throng. His voice had a reverence to it that was reserved for religious ceremony – or in Jake’s case, saying (Y/n)’s name. “There is no reason good enough to hurt you, (Y/n). You are the only thing in this world that matters to me.”

(Y/n) flung her arms around Jake’s neck. She buried her face in his chest, and her entire body shook against his from the force of the sobs that overcame her. If not for the arm Jake put around her waist, she would have collapsed against him.

“Please,” (Y/n) mumbled into his chest. One broken, unspecified plea.

Jake’s eyes turned skyward, tears still pouring down his cheeks. “Anything, (Y/n).”

(Y/n) pulled her head back from his chest, and Rooster watched their eyes meet through a web of each other’s tears. They stared at each other for barely a moment. Decades they had waited, but in that moment, they couldn’t wait a second more.

Jake’s hands came up from her waist to cradle her face between his palms as (Y/n)’s hands threaded through his hair and pulled him in.

Their lips met in the middle in a passionate, unhurried kiss, and Rooster smiled. He felt as if he’d put something wrong in the universe right again.

Somewhere in the distance, someone cheered. Rooster thought he recognized it as Ronnie, but before he could turn and find the source, the first voice was joined by a chorus of others and then a resounding, deafening applause.

Jake and (Y/n) hardly seemed to notice at all, their entire beings – as they always were – consumed with each other.

Kate showed up at Rooster’s elbow a tear rolling down her cheek. “Thank you,” She wrenched Rooster into a bone-crushing hug.

The parade started, but in a town where everyone knew everyone and everyone knew everyone else’s business and everyone knew how in love Jake and (Y/n) were, the parade seemed so anti-climactic, not just to the Seresin’s who were practically screaming with joy but to all the onlookers who had also been wondering not if but when.

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

“Rooster, I’m sorry.” (Y/n) held out a Christmas bag to him, “I didn’t have time to wrap it.”

“You…” Rooster stared at the bag in her outstretched hand. “You really didn’t have to, (Y/n).”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, but her smile remained unshakeable on her face. Rooster was pretty sure (Y/n) would never be able to stop smiling for the rest of her days.

The thought did momentarily cross Rooster’s mind that she might stop smiling one day because Jake might not be at her side anymore, but that thought was quickly quashed as impossible. Rooster couldn’t see the future, but he was pretty positive that Jake would live exactly one day longer than (Y/n) so he never put her through the pain of living without him, then he would promptly keel over and die from the pain of being without her.

“Of course we did. You put up with this one,” she elbowed Jake in the side, “all the time, so we don’t have to. It’s the least we could do.”

“We?” Rooster tentatively took the bag from her hand and glanced between her and Jake.

Jake, with the arm draped around (Y/n)’s shoulders, pointed at the tree in the corner and a small pile of presents underneath it. “Seresin family tradition to sneak downstairs and steal your presents before morning without getting caught by Ma. Those’ll be yours. You’re the only one left.”  

“I mean, won’t those be…” He nodded his head towards (Y/n).

“No,” (Y/n) shook her head, “I usually break in, but I stayed in Jake’s room last night so I didn’t have to.”

Unsurprisingly, little had changed around the Seresin now that Jake and (Y/n) were finally together. They were so inseparable, so effectively a couple before, that there was virtually no adjustment needed. The arm around her shoulder, the adoring look in their eyes, the way they couldn’t be separated from each other, it was all almost exactly the same. The only difference was this time no one had to pretend it was normal and that nothing was going on. There was something going on, and now it was perfectly normal.

“You usually what?” Rooster doubled back.

(Y/n) shrugged like it was nothing to say she’d broken into someone’s home. “You have to open them before Ma finds you. It’s tradition, and I’ve never been caught.” She grinned at the second half of her comment.

Rooster turned around to look at the tree. There were about half a dozen small packages wrapped in garish red and green paper sitting under it, and now that he was looking at them, he could see the tag on the top one with ‘ROOSTER’ written in massive letters across it.

His words caught on a lump rapidly forming in his throat. “I-I,” He didn’t know what to say. There really wasn’t anything to say.

He’d never gone a year without a Christmas present. Even when he didn’t feel like celebrating all that much, even when they weren’t on speaking terms and he hated his guts, Mav had always sent Rooster something. A few of those years, Rooster wasn’t even sure how Mav had found him and was positive he’d made Iceman pull strings to find out.

“The top one’s from Mav and Penny.” Jake confirmed what Rooster already knew.

It was the others that he wasn’t expecting. A red and green package that was so clearly a book, folded in the neatest wrap job he’d ever seen with a delicate matching bow on top. One misaligned mess that, judging by the poor attempt at wrapping he’d witnessed from her a couple days ago, was almost certainly from Kate. A weird oval shaped thing that had paper twisted and tied at the ends so it looked more like a piece of candy. Two matching square boxes behind those. And a bag, still dangling off of (Y/n)’s outstretched finger.

Rooster blinked rapidly. It felt like there was something in his eye.

Jake cut the tension. He dragged (Y/n) back into his side and whispered conspiratorily into her ear, “He’s just trying to figure out which one’s mine cause he knows about the stink bomb I put in it.”

(Y/n) giggled and laid her head against Jake’s shoulder.

Rooster turned back with a smile, one that he hoped conveyed everything he was feeling towards the couple in that moment, the depth of love he’d developed for them, for all of them really, in just a week.

(Y/n) was still holding out the bag to Rooster.

Rooster cautiously took it from her hand and gently removed the obstructing paper from the top.

“It’s not much, but it seemed your style.”

Rooster let out a full belly laugh as he pulled out one of the most atrocious tropical shirts he’d ever scene. It was dark blue with waves patterned across it, interspersed with tiny spits of islands covered in palm trees and tiny propeller planes of various makes and models.

“Thank you.” His smile was both grateful and relieved. He didn’t have anything to give her in return. If it had been any more than a gag gift…

“There’s actually more in the bottom.”

Rooster pulled the shirt the rest of the way out of the bag and set it to the side. Down in the bottom was what looked like a picture frame.

“We always give Jake a new one every year because the sun bleaches out the photos.” (Y/n) explained as Rooster pulled it out of the bag. “You don’t have to keep it if it’s weird, but he always seems to like them. So I thought you might too.”

Rooster glanced up at her with a furrowed brow before he looked back down and flipped it over.

“It’ll stick to the dash of the cockpit,” Jake explained.

Most of the small frame was taken up by a large picture of his parents, a familiar picture to him of his mom and dad at the piano bench that Mav had taken not long before his dad died. Smushed into the bottom corners were two tiny group photos, one of the TopGun squad posing on the deck of the aircraft carrier after the successful uranium mission and a candid of the Seresin family, plus (Y/n) sans Jake, having a blast on their patio.

“We won’t be mad if there’s someone else you wanna put in there instead. We just…”

“No,” Rooster cut her off, looking up with a teary smile. “I love it.”

He didn’t have anything to give her in return, and the war going on in his head must’ve been written on his face because Jake gave him a small almost imperceptible shake of the head.

A resounding ‘no’. Rooster didn’t need to give them anything else.

“Open mine next!” Andy came screeching down the stairs into the living room, shouting as she went. “You’re gonna love it!”

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

Fanboy spotted her first. He and Payback had a rule for as long as they’d been flying together, a rule that the rest of the squadron all subconsciously adopted for themselves. Whoever saw her first got to take a crack at her. It wasn’t like dibs, because if the woman said no and was particularly into someone else they were allowed to go for it, but only the first pilot to spot her got to approach. Everyone else had to hope she approached them.

Gorgeous women in a skimpy, flowery sundress walking into a bar like this tended to stand out from the crowd, so it wasn’t surprising that Fanboy clocked her the moment she entered the bar, still standing in the doorway looking around like a lost puppy trying to find its owner in the crowd.

Fanboy whistled, low and long, under his breath and elbowed the nearby Phoenix, nodding in the woman’s direction.

Phoenix appraised the woman appreciatively. Whoever she was, she definitely came here dressed like that for a reason. That dress was the dress of sexual awakenings and wet dreams, and gods Phoenix hoped Fanboy wasn’t her type.

“Good luck, man,” Phoenix leaned over the table, eyeing the woman, “She looks like she’s already got somethin’ on her mind.”

“I bet I can take her mind off it,” Fanboy grinned and turned to walk away.

He brushed passed Rooster on his stool, and Rooster glanced around to see who Fanboy’s latest target would be. For Fanboy’s sake, thank God he had.

“Absolutely not.” Rooster’s hand lurched out and caught the back of Fanboy’s shirt, yanking Fanboy back to the table he and Phoenix were currently occupying.

Fanboy stumbled back to the open barstool next to Rooster. “What the fuck man?” Fanboy shrugged Rooster off with an expression that was more confused than angry. “What’d you think you’re doin’?”

Rooster had already turned away, offering Fanboy a half-heartedly, “Saving your fuckin’ life.” He let out a loud whistle, not of the wolfish-catcalling variety, but a loud clear note meant to get attention as it echoed across the bar.

(Y/n)’s eyes darted towards the pool tables, and Rooster tipped his sunglasses up onto his forehead, not that she really needed the help recognizing him. Even as he was reaching for them, (Y/n)’s nervous, overwhelmed expression was giving way to a wide, relieved smile.

(Y/n) darted down the steps and began weaving her way through the thick crowd. Most of the men turned to appreciate her as she passed them by, but none of them made a move to impede her progress – not in this bar, not with the group she was making a b-line towards.

“Wait, is that… that can’t be your girl?” Fanboy pointed between Rooster and the woman rapidly approaching.

“It’s not,” Rooster agreed, hopping to his feet and moving to stand beside the pole at the corner of the pool area. As he went, he thumped Hangman hard on the back where he was bent over the pool table.

“What the fuck, man,” Hangman exclaimed as he missed his shot, standing up and glaring at Rooster’s retreating back.

“8 o’clock,” was all the information Rooster offered up as he walked past.

Hangman’s eyes followed where Rooster was headed, and he suddenly couldn’t give a damn about the shot he’d just missed.

“I saw her first, Bradshaw,” Fanboy declared. His steps followed Rooster’s retreating back up even with Hangman.

Instinctively more than anything else, Hangman’s hand, still holding the pool stick, whipped out, smacking the long rod hard across Fanboy’s stomach, making him double over around the piece of wood.

“No you didn’t.”

As Hangman completely abandoned the table, (Y/n) finally spotted him, and the second she saw a gap in the crowd, she ran the last dozen or so steps to him.

Rooster wasn’t offended or at all surprised when (Y/n) breezed passed him and flung herself into Hangman’s arms.

Hangman caught her with ease, one arm tightly gripping her around the small of her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. Her face burrowed into his neck, and he buried his free hand into her hair, holding her there as his fingers wove into her hair.

Fanboy wandered, stunned, to stand at Rooster’s side. “Hangman has a girl?”

“Told you I was saving your life.”

Fanboy numbly nodded his head in agreement.

Rooster knew from experience that the two of them could stay like this for at least an hour without moving, and he highly doubted Penny would appreciate such a prolonged display of PDA. Or Hangman for that matter, because the pilot clearly didn’t realize the way his hand was fisted in the back of her dress was pulling it slowly further and further up, mere inches from flashing (Y/n)’s ass to the whole bar.

“Oi, lover boy,” Rooster leaned forward and flicked Hangman in the ear, “do that on your own time.”

“Fuck off Rooster,” Hangman grumbled, but he gently lowered (Y/n) down anyway.

(Y/n) stayed pressed against Hangman for another second or two before she took a deep breath, seemingly composing herself, and turned.

“Bradley,” she smiled, genuinely ecstatic to see him despite moments before ignoring his presence. “It’s so good to see you,” (Y/n) pulled him down into a hug.

“Good to see you too. Glad you’re here. Jake was getting intolerable without you.” Rooster said the last part under his breath in her ear as he bent down returning the hug.

(Y/n) laughed and pulled away. “Oh I can imagine,” she agreed. Her hand blindly reached behind her, and Hangman stuck his own out, lacing his fingers through hers and dragging her back into his side.

“What are you doing here?” Hangman punctuated with a kiss to her temple.

“Thought it’d be a nice surprise. After all my friend, Bradley here, promised to get me on base since you were less than forthcoming.” (Y/n) teased him.

Hangman smiled, one of his rare, real smiles that Rooster had never seen outside of Texas. “My apologies, ma’am, but I’m a bit of an asshole sometimes if you haven’t already noticed.”

“Oh we’ve all noticed,” Phoenix butted in.

The four other members of the squad at the Hard Deck that night were all crowded in the space between the couple and the pool table. Completely abandoning any semblance of a game in favor of this utterly stunning development surrounding the squad’s resident asshole and the hot, but entirely random, girl. She had marched into the Hard Deck and, without so much as a flirty wave, laid claim to the Jake Seresin, and the Jake Seresin had accepted it without question. The squad looked varying degrees of stunned, confused, and suspicious.

Phoenix most of all. She stuck out her hand, “Hi, I’m…”

“Phoenix!” (Y/n) happily declared, taking Phoenix’s hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “I know. Jake’s told me all about you. Which means you must be her backseater Bob, and Payback, and Fanboy.”

“Guys,” Hangman seemed to realize at this point that introductions were unavoidable, “This is (Y/n).”

Rooster leaned back against the pole and stuck his head out around the pair with a shit-eating grin, “Otherwise known as Addie.”

There were several long moments as realization slowly dawned on all of their faces.

“Is there anything you care about beside yourself?”

“Addie maybe, but she’s probably it.”

“Addie’s off the table.”

“You’re Addie…” Phoenix said it like it was an epiphany she’d just had, not something Rooster had told her five seconds before.

“Yes, I am.” (Y/n)’s head jerked up to look at Hangman, “And why does everyone around here seem to think I’m a plane? At the airport, Omaha said he thought I was a Cessna, and Fritz said he didn’t know I was a person.”

Hangman’s mouth mimed words but none came out as he searched for an explanation.

Rooster, ever the helpful friend, leaned forward and told her point blank, “He talks about you all the time, but since he named the plane after you, and he’s such an asshole, we all assumed he was in love with a plane this whole time. It seemed more plausible than him being in love with a person.”

“Really?” (Y/n) met Rooster’s mischievous grin with one of her own, “But he’s so clearly in love with himself?”

“Ugh,” Hangman buried his face in her neck to hide the heat (Y/n) could feel rushing to his skin as it pressed into hers, “I really hate that you two are friends.”

“We’re not friends; we’re family. Right, Bradley?”

“Right.” Rooster chuckled.

(Y/n)’s fingers instinctually went about carding through his hair, completely unbothered with messing up whatever product he’d lathered in it that day. The prospect of his messy hair didn’t seem to bother Hangman much either when it was (Y/n) doing it. “Really Jake, I think it’s sweet.”

Hangman pulled his face out of her neck and pulled her against his chest, pressing kisses in quick succession to her lips.

“You knew about this?” Payback asked Rooster, gesturing vaguely to Hangman and (Y/n).

“Oh,” (Y/n) turned her head away from Hangman, but he just continued kissing down her cheek to her jaw then her neck, “We only met when he came to Christmas, but I’ve known Coyote for years.”

“For years?” Bob.

“For Christmas!” Phoenix.

“Yeah.” (Y/n) answered Bob, “Since Jake was in training at least. Coyote picked us up from the airport.”

Hangman’s ministrations froze. “Us?” He said into her neck. This time Hangman stepped back. His hands stayed in place on her hips, but his expression was wary.

“Well you know I hate being in planes unless you’re flying them. I wasn’t going to fly out here alone, and really, Andy and your mom were already both going to be out of town. It seemed rude to leave them behind.”

“Don’t look so scared Jake,” Kate’s voice cut through the moment as she appeared at Rooster’s right hand. “We won’t embarrass you too much.”

No one needed to ask who Kate was. The family resemblance struck each of them as hard as it did Rooster the first time he saw her.

“Kate,” Rooster smiled down at her.

“Bradley,” She returned, wrapping an arm around his waist to hug his side.

Rooster threw an arm around her shoulder returning the hug, though he left his arm in place.

“Where’s Ronnie?” Hangman demanded of Kate. His eyes searched anxiously around the room for his middle sister. Not anxious for her safety, not in Penny’s bar at least. Anxious for a very different, far more pressing reason.

“Oh leave her be,” (Y/n) playfully swatted his shoulder. “You know,” She turned to Phoenix, who still appeared to be processing an overwhelming amount of information, “this reminds of one time in sixth grade. Mr O’Connor’s class had a pop quiz in earth science-”

“Absolutely not!” Hangman threw a hand over her mouth and lifted (Y/n) up around the waist. He set her down behind him, putting his body between her and the rest of the TopGun graduates. “You are not making friends with her.”

(Y/n) said something that was muffled by his hand, and Hangman cautiously moved his hand.

“If you stop me from talking to her, who’s gonna stop Ronnie from flirting with Coyote at the bar?” She nodded in that direction.

Hangman’s eyes whipped around. In mere moments, the trio of women had taken him from cocky, asshole pilot to a frazzled hall monitor trying to keep track of too many children. “I hate you,” Hangman murmured down to (Y/n).

“You love me more than life itself.” (Y/n) dismissed offhand.

“I do,” Hangman agreed and kissed the top of her head before he let her go and disappeared to find Ronnie.

(Y/n) turned around with a smug grin on her face, staring down four dumbstruck TopGun aviators. “That was exactly as much fun as I thought it’d be.” She glanced up to look at Rooster, “Wait till he finds out Andy’s trip got canceled for a storm, and she’s outside talking to Yale.”

“I think that’s Special Forces guy’s problem now.” Rooster reminded her.

Kate shook her head. She leaned in closer to Rooster’s side seemingly to reassure him. “Nah, you were right to talk her out of it. He was a nice guy, but they weren’t a good fit.”

Phoenix cleared her throat awkwardly. It would be days, weeks, potentially months, beforte she processed the series of events that just happened. But one thing did stick out in her mind that she was capable of processing right then, “What’s this about a pop quiz?”

Kate and (Y/n) both burst into fits of laughter. (Y/n)’s hand shot out and took ahold of Kate’s.

“Oh I really,” a tear leaked from the corner of (Y/n)’s eye as she laughed, “I really can’t tell you that one, but I promise I’ll help you make Jake think I did.”

Phoenix smiled, “That’ll do.”

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[vintagepresley]

My Satnin

68' Comeback Special blurb

Ada overhears her parents arguing because Elvis is feeling insecure about his weight.

I loved this idea 💗 @kiankiwi

Elvis had just returned back from his tour and he was grumpier then usual as he came upstairs to the bedroom mumbling about his appearance under his breath. You loved him no matter what he looked like he just couldn't believe it. Not only was he insecure about his weight, but also the huge age gap between the two of you. Which never mattered to him before, but now he always had to bring it up. He'd always get insecure about you possibly wanting someone better looking and younger. But that couldn't be far from the truth you loved Elvis and could never even think about being with someone else. He was the love of your life and your first everything.

You were laying in bed when he came into bedroom and Ada was in her room pouting about having to go to bed and you watched Elvis continue to just mumble to himself but not saying a word to you. Which that only meant that something bad must of happened on tour. You watched him in the mirror looking at himself and seeing the extra pounds he put on and just how different he was looking with age and he sighed softly, shaking his head. "I don't know how you're still married to me.." he mumbled. You raised an eyebrow at his words. "What do you mean?" you asked softly. "Look at me.. I'm fat.. I'm gettin' old!" he huffed as he continued to look at himself. "Elvis, stop it. You know that I don't care about any of that. You're as handsome and sexy as the day I first laid eyes on you." you said with a smile. "That's bullshit.. I look terrible now. You could have anyone." he said angrily. "Stop it. I hate when you talk about yourself like that. I don't want anyone else. I love you and only you. I have eyes for you and you alone.." you said with a soft sigh.

Ada could hear the two of you going back and forth and Elvis saying the meanest things about himself that made her pout because she thought her daddy was perfect. She climbed out of bed and walked over to the door that connected to your bedroom and she reached up to open the door just a smidge and she peeked out to see her parents having a heated discussion. You were doing your best to comfort him but you couldn't take it when he always assumed you'd want another man. It was hurtful. "You always do this! I don't want anyone else, Elvis. I just want you, I love the way you look. Why can't you see that!?" you let out a soft sigh. "Because I just don't, goddamnit!" he yelled. "Keep your voice down or Ada will hear you." you said in a hushed tone. Ada continued to watch the two of you and how upset you were both getting at one another. She never heard you argue before or the way Elvis spoke about himself and she couldn't take it anymore. She wandered right into the room, which made the two of you stop. She just stood there for a moment staring at the both of you with a confused expression on her little face, pouting. "Ada, sweetie, everything is alright." you nodded with a smile.

She looked at you and then over at Elvis and she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his right leg giving it a tight hug as she stared up at him which caused the angry expression that was on his face to fade and he watched as she reached up with her little hand patting his tummy. "Satnin." she said softly. A smile forming on his lips because she had reminded him of his mother and how he'd pat her tummy and call her satnin, it took him by surprise when she did that because he had never told her that story about Gladys. He let out a soft sigh as his head hung low and he got a bit choked up now. "Daddy you're not fat. Addy yuvs you no matter what!" she said with a smile as she continued to pat his tummy, giggling because she always liked how squishy he was. "My satnin." she beams. You smiled because she always knew how to bring him out of that dark place he'd get himself into. Now the tears that had welled up in his eyes began to roll down his cheeks and he kneeled down to her level and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. She smiled widely as her little arms wrapped around him. "It's okay, satnin.. Don't cry.." she mumbled to him.

The moment between the two of them was so touching, that you started crying because it was only the second time in your life you seen him break down, the first is when he thought he almost lost you and Ada. He lifted his head up to look at you and not saying a word but you could tell from the look he gave you that he was sorry. You just nodded your head with a smile, wiping your tears. Elvis quickly wiped his eyes and pulled back from Ada. "Thank you, baby. You made daddy feel so much better and I'm sorry if we scared ya." he said softly, lifting her up in his arms. She smiled, nodding her head slowly as she let out a soft yawn as she clung to him. "Can I sleep with mama and daddy?" she asked tiredly. "Of course you can, baby." you said sweetly. Elvis smiled widely and he brought her over to the bed and gently sat her down and she crawled over to you and she gave you a big kiss on the cheek and you smiled warmly. "yuv you mama.." she mumbled tiredly. "I love you too, baby." you said happily, wrapping your arms around her as Elvis climbed in beside the two of you. Ada cuddled comfortably between the both of you as Elvis covered you all with the blankets and she placed her little hand on Elvis' tummy, patting it as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

He chuckled quietly to himself and he looked over at you, carefully leaning towards you, a smile formed on your lips and you carefully leaned over to meet him the rest of the way and he planted a few soft kisses to your lips. "I love you." he whispered. "And I love you so so much. I mean it.. We both do.. No matter what." you whispered back, glancing down at Ada who was fast asleep. “I know.. My girls will always love me." he said with a big smile, knowing that it was silly for him to think otherwise. You both eventually fell asleep holding your sweet little girl and three of you slept cuddled up together happily.

**

Tagging: @prayerstopresley @18lkpeters @abeautifullie88 @jfkkenndy @re3kin @memphis-mania @kendralavon7 @powerofelvis @vintageshanny

#elvis presley #ads presley #elvis x ada #dad!elvis #elvis fluff #68 comeback special #elvis imagine

[bedsyandco]

https://www.tumblr.com/bedsyandco/739430300019556352/httpswwwtumblrcombedsyandco73942981656099225

Can we get a blurb on this if u don't mind

they get em’s apartment last because her classes start the latest and by then all of them tired and sick of shovelling!!

“Will can do this one, it’s his girl’s car” Gabe says sticking his hands in the pockets of his sweats.

“Oh? I shovelled Addy’s car too…does that mean she’s my girl too?” Will asks, doing it just to taunt Gabe.

While Will was brushing snow of the back of the car, Gabe gathered some snow in his hand and balled it up, and throws it, hitting Will on the back.

“What the fuck?” Will asks shocked and Ryan is laughing his ass off.

Will gathers some snow off Em’s car to retaliate and it just escalates from there!!

Cutter is taking this as an opportunity to get some of his rage out over Jacob dating his little sister and he’s throwing ball after ball that jacob just takes because he doesn’t want Rory to be mad at him for throwing back😭

Jacob does rush towards cutter, pushing him into a mountain of snow and stealing the car keys, and goes to sit in the car.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” Em asks, standing there in her Victoria Secret Pyjamas.

Gabe gets distracted by her voice and aims in the wrong direction, the snowball hitting Emerson square on the head.

“Gabe! Oh my God baby are you okay?” Will asks walking towards her but she just laughs.

“Oh you’re gonna wish you didn’t do that,” Em says bending down and picking up snow of her own.

“It was an accident! Emmy please,” Gabe yells and runs away as she throws the ball, it hitting Gabe right on the back, exactly where it hit Will earlier.

#bc girls

[hotch-stufff]

Tired

Gif by Hotchannah

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x BAU!reader

Warnings: angst, crying, stress, hurt/comfort, soft Hotch, mention of child case!

Description: The stress of your job becomes overwhelming and you can’t handle it anymore. Your husband is there to take care of the aftermath.

A/n: just a short little blurb :)

——————————————————-

You shut the door with a silent thud before turning and sliding down against it. Your head lay in your hands as you feel the tears gather in your eyes.

When was it enough? How much more could you bear? Could you witness?

This last case had become too much to handle. Children. They reminded you much of the three little ones you had at home. Your husband could clearly tell something had been wrong, but you remained professional and didn’t let your façade falter.

You couldn’t be weak. Not in your job. Not with lives on the line. You had to stay the strong, stoic Agent everyone thought you were.

Of course, strong, stoic agents don’t hide in their offices to cry.

A knock on your door interrupts your thinking. You beg the person to go away, but the knocking persists.

“Honey?” That familiar soft voice floats through the door. “Everything okay?” You take a deep breath and steady your voice. You wipe your eyes, and stand, before unlocking the door and facing your husband.

“Hey.” Your voice sounds foreign. “I’m fine. Just a little tired is all.” He nods, but you know he sees past it. He can see the wetness of your cheeks, the circles under your eyes.

“Honey-“

“Aaron, please.” You smile weakly at him. “I’m fine.” He nods, now wasn’t the time to talk. He promises himself he would try later. He squeezes your hand before pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“Let’s head home, okay?” He asks, and you nod before he walks back to his office to grab his stuff.

You let out a sigh and then go to gather your own things. The rest of the team had left already, leaving just the Hotchners in the office.

Before long you were heading to the parking garage and loading into the passenger seat. You face the window the entire ride, the heavy weight of Aaron’s palm on your knee. He doesn’t move his hand, a silent comfort.

Walking through the house feels as though it’s in slow motion. You say goodbye to Jess as she hugs you, but you feel as though you are underwater. Three pairs of footsteps flood your ears as your children run down the stairs to see you, and you feel a bit of energy return.

“Mommy! Daddy!” You place a smile on your face, although upset, your kids never fail to make you feel loved. They all start talking about their days at the same times and you smile as your crouch down and pull them all close to you.

“Mama! Too tight!” Jack exclaims and you huff a laugh. Addie and Rowan giggle at his complaining as they all move onto hugging their dad.

“Alright my loves, bedtime.” They all groan but begin their walk upstairs, giggling along the way. You smile softly and feel hands wrap around your stomach. A kiss is placed on your neck. Just a soft press of his lips. His nose pokes your cheek and he presses another kiss there.

“Head on up, I’ll lock up and get the twins and Jack to bed.” He murmurs, another kiss placed on your cheek.

“Are you sure? I can-“ he cuts you off as he turns you and places one more kiss, this time on your lips.

“Go sweetheart. I’ll be up soon.” You nod without another word and head upstairs. Trudging down the hallway, you smile slightly at the sound of you children brushing their teeth and giggling. You head to your room and sit on the edge of the bed, not enough energy to do anything else.

You stare down at your lap. Your hands seemingly more interesting than the room around you. What felts like hours, but only minutes later, Aaron walks through your bedroom door.

“Y/n?” His voice fills your ears and you turn to him, your face frozen. His eyes soften and he walks to you, helping you stand. “Let’s get changed, okay?” You nod and he begins undressing both you and himself.

He hands you one of his T-shirt’s and the gesture makes you smile before you climb into bed. He turns out the lights and climbs in next you.

He pulls you close, a hand on your waist. His breath fans your face, and the silence fills the room.

“Honey?” He says and that’s all it takes. The floodgates open, and your tears fall.

“Aaron.” You gasp his name and he pulls you in closer, your head is resting on this chest, sobs shaking your body.

“I’ve got you.” He murmurs, placing kisses to your head. “I’ve got you sweetheart.” The crying doesn’t stop for a while. Not until you feel as though you have cried every tear in your body. Not until your chest is tight, and your breath is coming out in soft pants.

“Aaron, I can’t…” you trail off and he sits the both of you up so he can see your face better.

“Y/n, what’s wrong? What’s going on? I’m here, I’ve got you.” He says. His concern blooms through the look he gives you, and a pang of guilt surges through you.

“I’m…” you struggle to get the words out and he rubs your arm soothingly. “I’m tired Aaron, I’m so tired. I can’t keep doing this job. When is it enough? When does it stop?” Aarons heart clenches at your words. He didn’t know you were struggling this much. Of course there is always stress from the job, but this, was much more than he expected. He feels a pang of guilt at his neglect, but pushes it away in favor of comforting you.

“What can I do sweetheart? What do you need?” He presses a kiss to the side of your head.

“You. I need you Aaron. I’m so damn tired. I just need you.” He nods and brings you back in. He holds you all through the night. His arms shield you from the feelings you have refused to face.

You just want to stay like this. Stay in a place you can be strong for your husband, for your kids, your colleagues, the victims.

“Let’s take some time.” Aaron says after awhile. “Get away from work. Take the kids, go on vacation, sabbatical. Whatever you need. Let’s just get away.” You nod into his chest.

“Okay.” You say.

“If you want to leave. Honey, there is no shame in leaving. It’s okay if it’s too much.”

“Why can’t I push this away, who can’t I not feel.” He pulls away slightly so he can look into your eyes.

“Because you’re good. You’re too good for this world.” He leans in and presses his lips to yours in a comforting kiss. Your heart bursts with love at the affection your husband shows you. It still amazes you to this day how he always knows the right thing to say.

Although it’s gloomy in the moment, and there’s a lot for you to work through, you know with someone like Aaron Hotchner by your side, you’ll be okay.

—————————————————-

Thanks for reading <3

#imagine #aaron hotchner x reader #angst #reader insert #criminal minds #fluff #hotch x reader #aaron hotchner #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x reader #major angst #comfort #hurt/comfort

[zaynmirrors]

Fire on Fire: Part 20

A/N: Getting close to the end guys! Does anyone have any ideas for another series or blurbs? Open to suggestions.

Chapter 20

10k stayed in and out of consciousness, so much to the point I was starting to worry. Eventually, by luck, we met up with Warren and the others. 

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this” Warren spoke, glancing back at me in the rearview mirror. 

I shook my head, “All good” though I’m not sure it was. 

“How’s your little girl?” She smiled fondly at the memory of her. 

A small smile tugged on my lips, “She’s good, talking, being a menace” which earned a chuckle from Warren. 

“Where is your daughter now?” Hector, who I managed to learn they had beef with for a while but was now on our side. 

I winced, “it’s a long story, but she's with this couple that took us in. Very fortified place”

Hector nodded and mumbled something about that being nice as Doctor Sun Mei glanced back at 10k who slept, she said nothing but looked skeptical. 

“What can you tell us about Murphy town?” Warren asked. 

I shook my head. “Not much, there’s a lot of security, a zombie moat, and these people just listen to him”

“Now that’s odd” Warren grunted, I nodded. 

“That’s all I got before he knocked me out” I stated 

Hector raised an eyebrow “knocked you out?”

I nodded, “yeah, woke up in a psych ward, that’s how I met up with doc and 10k”

“Oh you’re gonna wanna hear this!” Doc piped up and went on to tell the whole story, I snorted, laughing at some of the funny parts. 

“Sounds like you guys have been up to quite a bit” Addy pipes up. I nod. The ride continued swapping stories of zombies, family before, and just what we wish the world was now. 

Warren pulled to a stop at a lookout that gave us a good view of Murphy's little village. If it came to a fight I don't know if I'd be able to go down swinging. I promised I'd make it back to Em. 

I sighed quietly, taking a look at 10k who was still passed out. Good, sleep it off. The more time I have to plan out this conversation the better. 

Warren decided to set up camp here, so we sat around a low-burning fire eating beans Maggie packed for me. I stood taking what was left of my bowl over to the opened trunk of the car where 10k lay. Though instead of asleep, his eyes were open staring at the roof of the car. His head turned my way. Fuck. 

“How long have you been here?” He asked, voice still groggy from sleep, or drugs, or Murphy, hell maybe a combo. 

I took a breath, “been here a while” he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the trunk. 

He looked at the bowl in my hand and then back up to my face. “Come to really put a knife in my chest?” He deadpanned. 

No emotion was shown in his eyes, I glanced over to see if anyone was listening, if they were they were doing a good job hiding it. 

“I came to apologize, and save your ass” I offered up the bowl of beans, he crossed his arms over his chest in rejection so I set it on the edge of the trunk beside him. 

He stayed silent, either not wanting to listen or telling me to continue. Regardless I continued. “I was selfish, I chose Emma over you and the mission and I’m sorry.”

He loosened the tightness of his arms but his face remained stoic so I just went on, “Every waking moment I think about you, about us. fuck you’re in my dreams too. I was stupid and you can hate me all you want, I deserve it.” 

He remained silent, as tears threatened to spill. Heat ran its way up from my cheeks to the tops of my ears. I could tell he was in contemplation, I knew him all too well. “I would’ve gone with you,” he said, firm and truthful. “You could’ve just said something, everything could’ve been okay. All you had to do was just fucking say something!” His fist hit the carpet inside but still made a loud enough noise that made me jump. 

He went on, “The little savior act isn’t going to fix things. I should’ve known you would’ve picked that thing over me. I was happier thinking you were dead” 

I couldn’t stop the tear that fell down my cheek but I wasn’t about to cry in earshot of everyone else. I simply nodded and walked away, noticing we had gathered an audience. 

My feet carried me past the group, ignoring Warren calling out for me. This is exactly how I figured it would go. I should’ve just stayed at the farm. Crawling into one of the tents we set up, I laid on the sleeping bag and sobbed, Not caring about anyone hearing me. 

I sobbed, knowing you fucked up was one guilt but hearing it was a whole other level. I almost hadn’t heard Addy enter the tent. “Y/N, you wanna talk?”

Shaking my head earned a sigh from her, then some rustling and a sudden warmth at my back. I didn’t stray from her touch when she wrapped around me.

Addy rested her nose on the top of my head. A hand in my hair, rubbing in soothing circles. “I don’t think he means what he said,” she said lowly. So they had heard. 

I shook my head but she just shushed me, “Give him time, it’s obvious he’s not in the right mind at the moment”. It didn’t matter to me, somewhere deep in his mind he meant that. She held me, soothing me as I cried. Even as I fell asleep. 

That morning I woke alone, not that it bothered me. I was becoming used to waking up alone. I didn’t want to leave the safety of the tent. Leaving meant facing the group. Facing 10k. I couldn’t do that, though there wasn’t much choice in that matter. I’d have to leave eventually. 

Before I could even think about getting up Warren made her way into the tent, biscuit in hand which she offered out to me. I took it with a small smile. 

“He ran off” was all she said, I knew though. I just nodded and so she continued “We’re gonna fight, it'll be messy. I know you got that little girl to take care of so if you wanted to leave” Did I want to leave? I felt indifferent about fighting.

“If you find yourselves out our way, stop by,” I said, she nodded. I’m sure she knew what my choice was going to be. I told her how to find us, “when 10K gets fixed-“

She smiled, “I’ll send him your way, give that little girl a hug for me” I nodded and smiled, turning on my heel to face the tent. 

I didn’t waste time gathering my stuff. When I was done, I went to say my goodbyes but saw Addie talking to Warren who held a sullen expression on her face. 

Doc grabbed my attention as he said “I hate to see you go again” I turned to look at him. 

“I know, I want to stay and make sure he’s okay but I can’t.” He held his hand up as if he understood, “If I would’ve just stayed-“

“Hey, don’t. None of us could’ve known that Murphy was going to do that.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Murphy set that whole thing up, he knew what he was doing, it wasn’t your fault”

It was like everything clicked together, he truly had planned it all out. Fucker. He deserves everything that’s coming. “You bring him home to me,” I said, pulling Doc into a tight hug.

“We’ll be right behind you kiddo,” he said into my hair, slowly loosening his hold on me. With that, I left. 

Chapter 21

Taglist:

@whenmypartysover @multifandomlesbianic @isimpfordanielpark

@ophelia-nightt @peezbabey @lizzardgreene @lizx13 @nohemi2500

@missricecrispy @nightowlgirl

#10k x reader #10k znation #znation fanfiction #10k #addy carver #fanfic #smut #10k fanfic #znation 10k fanfic #10k tommy #znation #citizen z #z nation #nat zang imagine #nat zang x reader #nat zang #z nation x reader

[not-alien-girl-v]

could you write what it would be like tate and s/n spending the day cooking things together

short blurb but cute, not edited

the countertop is blotched here and there with leftover spots of chalk white flour, a few chocolate chips in crevices around the room that missed the first wipe down, and the aroma of fresh baked bread fills the air and tate’s lungs as he sits on the counter next to the stovetop where you stir some soup.

“taste this,” you turn to him and hold the spoon up to his mouth. he looks at it with curious eyes as steam billows off the top. with a deep inhale, he blows on the yellow liquid on the wooden spoon, then leans his head forward and takes it into his mouth gratefully.

cheddar broccoli soup, that’s what you were making, to end your impromptu episode of the great british baking show, having made bread, cookies, and some cake pops currently chilling in the fridge.

he squints for a moment and purses his lips. “needs more salt.” you nod and leave the spoon in his hands to find the salt shaker elsewhere in the room.

an hour ago, he had tied a frilly pink apron on you, something constance had bought in her ‘trophy wife and mom of the year’ phase, where all she desired was a picture perfect family surrounded at the dinner table, chatting happily when she places a warm, steaming pie in the very center, all complete with that darling apron of hers. things didn’t work out as she planned, addie kept pestering why it was taking so long, and tate had struck an argument with his stepfather on the conditions in which they were keeping his brother, beau.

now stealing constance’s dream, you spun around and shook the salt into the soup. tate looks around and spots the container of flour you had left out previously. he opens it, dips his pointer finger into it for a moment then dabs it on your nose.

you sigh, “not while i’m cooking, tate,” but smile giddily at him nonetheless, and move to the side to begin cutting the bread you baked into slices to eat with the soup. tate wasn’t doing anything to be helpful, but then again, he never usually did when it came to cooking and baking. he was just ‘moral support’ as he had phrased it.

you take the largest cutting knife you owned and began coming down on the bread with it. you’re absorbed in the task when tate comes up behind you and dabs your face with flour again. you had had enough at this point

you grab his wrist and yank it towards your body so he comes flying into the counter as you switch positions and pin him there and hold the knife up to his throat. “get that flour near me one more time i swear to god.”

his shocked face meets your eyes as he reads your expression, then bursts out into a dopey smile and starts giggling. you purse your lips, trying to keep your composure, but you can’t help how contagious he is, and start giggling with him.

you turn to the side to put the knife down, and while you aren’t looking, he reaches back for the flour, meeting his finger to your face again once you turn your head to meet him.

you already threatened him enough today, so you decide to leave it be. “you’re lucky you’re dead, dickwad. i would have killed you hours ago.”

he goes back to his place on the counter next to you. “i’m lucky to have such a beautiful woman who cooks me dinner,” he smiles happily to himself and looks out the window.

unbeknownst to him, you gaze lovingly at him and take a small break from the soup. you love him so much. maybe it was the smell of food to your hungry stomach or the fleeting remnants of constance’s dream left in the threads of your apron, but you never wanted this moment to end.

#evan peters fanfiction #tate langdon #tate langdon x reader #evan peters x reader #evan peters #evan peters x you #american horror story #fluff #ahs #fanfic

[smellslikemultifandomimagines]

I need a Trevor Zegras enemies to lovers!! Please!!!

[❤︎] pairing: Trevor zegras x gn!reader

[❤︎] warnings: enemies-to-lovers trope, trevor gets physically hurt.

[❤︎] word count: 958

thanks for participating in the nhl sleepover!

[requests for nhl players previously listed are still open though!!]

If anyone got under your skin, it was Trevor Zegras. Trevor was the kind of guy who's cocky beyond belief, attractive, and he damn well knows it. He's the kind that everyone seemed to get along with easily — hell, even Jamie Drysdale, a guy on opposite teams once upon a time, had become best friends with him. 

You saw right through him, and he knew that. Something about him made it seem like every little thing he said was behind an ulterior motive. Like he knew that he had everyone wrapped around his fingers. Like he was a king and everyone was his servant. Trevor hated that you weren't bowing at his feet like he believed he deserved you to be.

The two of you were the walking definition of repelling opposites. Every opinion was rebutted, every comment was met with an eye roll and a scoff, every group event had the two of you either avoided each other until you no longer couldn't or clawed at each other's throats. 

And it's precisely why you'll never hate being in a closet with him more than anything. The group was all at Hughes' lake house, where mindless drinking games were played, including 7 minutes in heaven. His breathing is loud, igniting every fibre in your being — the tinkling sensations spreading like wildfire all over your body are becoming increasingly insufferable. 

"Can you, maybe, breathe a little quieter? "

"Can you, maybe, not talk to me? "you roll your eyes at his mockery. The bottle could've landed on anyone but him, but of course, your first go had to be with him. His body is so close to yours, and you swear the closest got even smaller than it was a couple of minutes ago. There's no concept of time in the small confinement, but you were sure the 7 minutes were up by now even though you had stepped in there only a short while ago. 

"What's your deal anyway? "Trevor asks out of the blue. 

"What?"

"Why're you here?"

"Because I was invited?"

"Yeah, by your friend who's dating Alex, not by him himself," 

"Your point?" 

"I mean, come on, none of the guys here is actually friends with —"

"Why is it so hard to believe that people in this group like me?" You scoff, huffing as you cross your arms over your chest. "Can you go back to being silent so we can get out of here quicker?"

"Whatever you say, princess."

"Princess—?!" 

"And time's up! You guys can come out now!" Cole's voice rang from outside. 

"Move," you grumble, pushing him out of the way so you can be the first one out of that goddamn hell hole. If auras were visible, yours would be flaming red. 

 "I'm going home," you say lowly in your friend's ear. 

"What? You can't," she grabs your wrist, pulling you into the room the two of you were staying in. She closes the door and tries to stop you from packing everything into your bag. 

"What, you're mad I made you go in a closet with Trevor?" 

"Yeah, I am, actually. You know how much I hate him—"

"Which I never got an explanation, by the way! What's the harm? He's a nice guy —"

"Exactly. You all worship the ground he walks on, and for what? There's something not right about him, and I seem to be the only person to notice that around here."

Trevor listens from behind the door. Your words roll off him like water droplets on a raincoat. His smirk returns to his face, loving how much he really gets under your skin. 

The rest of the week is gonna be so much fun. 

𓆩❤︎𓆪

You didn't want to go. It's not like you had a choice. Alex asked you to come to his game tonight, and your best friend had begged you to be there, so there was no way of getting out of this. You knew it was a ducks v kings game, and guess who would be the star of the show. 

The game was intense, but the ducks were ahead by a couple of points. Your eyes follow as best they can, watching as Shatty passes to Henrique, who — 

Trevor. His body lays motionless on the ice, slowly trying to get up as the ref skates over to him. You're quick to stand up, vision spotty and head dizzying while you watch him clutch at his side. You don't know what's happening, your body completely taking over your mind as you hastily walk through the tunnel. The complete out-of-body experience finds you at the doorframe where Trevor sits uncomfortably, waiting for the medic to examine him. 

"What're you doing here?" He groans, eyes trailing up to meet yours. 

"You look like shit," 

"Thanks, you do, too," he chuckles. Out of everyone, you're the least person he'd expect to be here, let alone be worried about him. For the first time, you laugh at his comeback. 

"In all seriousness, are you okay?"

"Never better," he winks before groaning in pain while clutching at his side again. The medics finally came to his aid. You feel so helpless, so confused, so—

It was Trevor you were talking about. Why would you feel like this? 

"Is he going to be okay?" You mutter to one of the staff as they exit the room. He nods, "Just needs to rest for a couple of days and make sure he has that icepack on that nasty bruise. You can go see your boyfriend now," 

Boyfriend? The word never affected you before, especially when talking about Trevor. But it sure did stir something inside you.

Maybe you did care about him all along. 

#addie's nhl sleepover 2022 #this sucks so bad im so sorry #trevor zegras #trevor zegras blurb #trevor zegras imagine #anaheim ducks #ducks11

[byersbootyshorts]

Bones Masterlist

Requests for this fandom are currently closed

Any of my works marked * contain explicit sexual content. Minors DNI

Zack Addy:

One shots:

The Breakfast Anomaly After a long week at work you decide to start your day off by making breakfast for Zack. But when he tries to help you it takes a disastrous turn.

Blurbs:

Comforting Zack when he’s upset

Lance Sweets:

One shots:

Missed Reservation You and Lance get a little distracted before your Valentine’s Day dinner reservation, meaning you end up having to order takeout.

#bones #bones tv #bones tv show #masterlist #temperance brennan #seeley booth #jack hodgins #angela montenegro #camille saroyan #lance sweets #zack addy #vincent nigel murray #wendell bray #x reader #smut #fluff #angst

[traaaaaaaansnerd]

ok, so earlier I was writing up a little poat about my Wolflings and guardsmen with their names and blurbs on their personalities but was interrupted by a knock on my door.

and the subsequent trio of Wolflings barking their heads off, but that’s less relevant.

TLDR: a guy from the adoptastratum handed me a commissar, said, and I quote, “Your problem” and left. Though Conrad (not related to Curze), my Valhallan sharpshooter nicked him a few times before he was able to get off my property.

now, the problem with commissars is that 100% of the time they are the problem. First, most commissars are dropped on guardsmen owners, and those who aren’t are picked up off the street, and my situation was far from uncommon.

second, when you are forced to adopt a commissar, your guardsmen also have to adopt the commissar (or vice versa) because commissars are very well-known for being annoying, disruptive, and occasionally violent towards many a rank and file guardsman.

so, what often ends up happening is that a commissar will make themselves known in a loud, brash, and upsetting way, and then be found with backs full of lasbolts and bayonets when they aren't looking due to 'misfires'.

and while I don't like to say that this is the rule, I would say that a nice commissar is an exception.

and with all that said, you're probably wondering how my guardsmen (who have gained some... undisciplined tendencies from my Wolflings) reacted to the introduction of a commissar to their dynamic. And as you've probably guessed, they did not like her.

but she didn’t immediately lash out like expected, and reacted calmly and politely rather than the immediate violence I expected.

and so after an hour of intense questioning from my guardsmen, they just left her alone, which seemed to make her quite sad.

Anyways, she then went out of her way to split up a fist fight between Addie and Markus, without threatening to execute either of them, so I think she’s trying to slowly integrate herself into the pack.

I’ll work on that post with all my little guys later, for now I think I’ll do some commissar watching.

#imperial guard husbandry #space marine husbandry #The ‘adoptastratum’ was very important to me and I hope you enjoyed that little peek into how much I can butcher the English language. #imperial guard

[russellsppttemplates]

Could you do a Lance blurb where reader goes out with Chloe for a day at spa and during her absence Lance have a Father–Daughters Day with Margot and Addalynn where he takes them wherever they want to go

"What is a spa?", Margot asked, having heard the word when you said goodbye to them. Chloe invited you to spend the day at the spa with her while your husbands looked after the kids, "It's a place with massages, baths, face masks, warm pools and relaxing things like that", Lance explained as he helped her into her shoes, "Addy, are you ready?", he asked. Since you were spending the day out, Lance also wanted to have a daddy-daughter day with the girls.

"So she's also getting her nails done like we did?", Addalynn wiggled her fingers as the glittery polish sparkled, "maybe, I'm not sure if I'm honest. Are we ready to go to the theatre?", he asked as he ushered both girls to the car, driving them to the theatre so they could see the play. It was a small group of actors and he had heard good reviews of it, so when the girls saw the poster and asked if they could go, Lance thought it would be a great plan for today.

"You have to keep quiet while it's going on, okay girls?", Lance said as they sat down, Lance in the middle so he could have Addalynn on one side and Margot on the other, even though he was sure that at some point they would both crawl to his lap and sit on his legs. Not that he minded anyway, "Yes, daddy", they assured as the curtains opened.

Like he predicted, ten minutes in and Margot tapped his thigh and whispered in his ear, "I want a cuddle, daddy", she said before he helped her on his leg, looking at Addalynn whose eyes followed her sister, making Lancr pull her on his lap too, checking if they weren't blocking the view for the rest of the families there.

"I especially liked when the little detective found the last clue, he was so focused and happy to do it!", Addalynn said as they walked out of the theatre, "me too, he was very clever", Margot agreed.

"How about we go to that coffee shop with those little cakes you like?", Lance suggested, the two girls squealing in excitement and walking as fast as their legs allowed.

The girls enjoyed their cakes while Lance settled for an iced latte, "can we take some home for mummy? She really likes the red one", Addalynn asked, "we'll ask for a few slices before we leave, sweetheart", Lance winked at her.

"When we get home, can we have a cuddle in the sofa, too? When mummy is home too", Margot said, "we can, baby, she'll probably be home by the time we get there, actually", Lance checked his watch.

"Did you have a good day, my love?", Lance asked once he saw you in the sofa, the girls already cuddling you like they said they would, "I did, and how was your day?", you asked, hearing all about the manicures, plays and cake, "they got you some cake, too, but I'd like a kiss first considering I bought it", your husband challenged you, kissing your lips properly once he was close enough.

(Thank you for sending this in ✨️)

#lance stroll blurb #inês writes blurbs #f1 blurb #f1 x reader

[themswritinwords]

WIP Intro: The finished stories

It's time! Or at least, the beginning of time! I can and will talk about each at length in their own posts, but let's start with the basics.

1: The Hundred Fifty Seven Deaths of the Immortal Ethan Ellis

Genre: Horror-comedy (I think? Identifying the genre for marketing purposes is my biggest obstacle with this one)

Status: Edits/rewrites and querying

Pitch/one-liner: After waking up during his own autopsy, reluctant and disillusioned immortal Ethan Ellis gets pressganged into a road trip with the autopsy tech who saved his life as they search for answers to why his newly mended body is now going haywire.

Blurb/query bit: Ethan Ellis has just woken up in the middle of his own autopsy, which is a first even for a guy who’s gotten himself killed over a hundred fifty times. Now his newly-reanimated body is going haywire, forcing him to relive those untimely ends; that would be another unfortunate first. Ethan and the very confused, slightly traumatized autopsy tech that saved his life want answers. If they can’t find any, this could be it for him—for real this time. But between the running tally of his past failures to make a difference in the world, a carsick cat that hates his guts, and the growing apathy he’s been fighting for decades, for the first time in his three-hundred-ten-year-long life, Ethan isn’t sure whether he cares. To make matters worse, Ethan finds himself catching feelings for the woman who saved his life. Then he starts seeing the ghost of the wizard-wannabe that cursed him with immortality in the first place. Then his fellow immortal turns up to help, but for some ungodly reason decides that ‘help’ means ‘kidnap the autopsy tech (and her horrid little cat) and press-gang Ethan into the only thing he hates more than his growing certainty that nobody in this world cares anymore: a road trip.’ A little like if The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue were written by Christopher Moore, Ethan Ellis is a horror novel for horror weenies (aka me, the author), and a comedy for depressed optimists (also me, the author), with just a little bit of romcom for flavor-- because really, what says "romance" if not being stuffed in the back of a '99 Chevy Malibu with a woman who has already held your literal heart in her hands and only dropped it once?

Standalone, with potential for a series if desired; probably going to serve as my debut novel. I already have several queries out on it, and I'm hopeful about my chances for a few of them.

2: The Rockbridge Experiment

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Status: Rewrites, with the goal of shortening (first draft was a shelf-busting 365k)

Pitch/one-liner: A struggling human detective, a dying elf, and a conflicted half-dwarf are brought together to solve a string of troubling kidnappings and murders, but stumble into a conspiracy of hidden magic and vicious human experimentation that runs far deeper-- and nearer-- than any of them could have guessed.

Blurb/query bit: (still working on this, so bear with me if it's disjointed) For Detective Evan Grant, life last week made sense. At least, as much sense as it can make when you're questioning your entire life and solo parenting your orphaned younger siblings. Then she got this assignment. Fae in the human district. What could go wrong? A lot, it turns out, and none of it in the way she expected. She probably has a crush on one of her new coworkers, the other definitely sees the future, and all four of her siblings manage to get themselves suspended. People are vanishing into thin air, a terrorist is back from the dead, magic isn't extinct after all, and she definitely doesn't want to be a cop anymore. Life is imploding around her, and she's got no choice but to hold it together. If she doesn't, someone's definitely gonna die. Maybe a lot of someones. Led by visions of the corpse of a man not yet dead, it's a race against time for Evan and her new partners--a terminally ill elf who also happens to be the last Arcanist in the world, and a half-human, half-dwarf who is frustratingly distracting for reasons Evan can't even begin to unpack. Unfortunately, that race plunges them headlong into a conspiracy that threatens to upend the delicate balance between humans and Fae, and if they can't get ahead of it, war may start all over again. It's a game of chance with a hopelessly stacked deck, and little do they know, they're about the play against the dealer. With an ensemble cast written in multiple POVs, The Rockbridge Experiment is part slow-burn mystery, part horror, and part Southern Gothic, all wrapped in an alternate-Earth urban fantasy setting. The Dresden Files meets Bright, minus the misogyny and copaganda apologetics.

Part of a series, which sucks for the already doorstopping wordcount, but I'm doing my darndest to get it publishable because I love the universe and characters I've created here, and really believe in the stories I'm telling with them. My strategy is to get something else published first, then query this one so agents aren't as put off by the word count.

Stay tuned for in-depth posts on each work, detailing the characters and some of my favorite bits of the story. Also stay tuned for a masterpost of WIPs.

#writeblr #writing #creative writing #fiction #fantasy #horror #urban fantasy