#probably makes more sense than how Penny said it

[steddiealltheway]

It starts out simple. Eddie notices that Steve sometimes spaces out, but no one really pays him much attention. Usually, he’ll try to enter back into the conversation, and he’ll earn a few eye rolls when he has no idea what anyone’s talking about.

But what really haunts Eddie is the way Steve will sometimes be zoned out with his jaw and fists clenched, looking as if he’s reliving the worst of the upside down. He’ll gradually come out of it, and sometimes Robin will nudge him and quietly whisper if he’s okay, but he just shakes it off.

It’s like he has to appear fine in front of everyone, but Eddie gets it. He’s not sure what the group would do if Steve fell apart.

But a few times, he looks like he’s on the verge of it.

One time, he’s far away enough from everyone that Eddie is able to inconspicuously make his way to the former jock and nudge him. “Penny for your thoughts?” Eddie asks.

Steve startles and Eddie watches as the tension in him increases then slowly releases until he appears “normal.”

Eddie grabs his wallet and sifts through it before finally finding what he wants. A single dull penny.

He hands it to Steve who takes it and starts fiddling with it. He glances back at everyone else to make sure they’re out of earshot before he answers, “I’m just scared that maybe this Vecna creep will return, you know? It’s happened four times by now. How do we know it’s over?”

Eddie takes a deep breath. He’s gone through the same thought process of wondering if he’ll be back. If life will return to hell again. But he can’t imagine what it’s been like for Steve whose done it multiple times.

But he’s been able to logic his way out of his anxiety before. “Well, we have Will who has the whole Spidey-sense thing going on, so we’ll know if he’s back but… remember what El said. She felt it. Like it was finished this time. For good.”

Steve just nods and Eddie sees the tiniest shred of anxiety slip away. “Plus,” Eddie continues, “Can’t let our hero boy do all the worrying or his strength might deplete. How about I do all the worrying and standing guard tonight, huh?”

Steve glances over at him for a second, and Eddie almost thinks he’s going to laugh him off or something. Instead, he lets out a shaky sigh, puts his hand on Eddie’s shoulder, and squeezes. “Thanks, man.”

Eddie watches as Steve pockets the penny and actually heads toward the group with a smile on his face. He smiles and looks around. Time to stand guard.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Eddie almost forgets about it, but it’s probably the whole not-getting-any-sleep-because-he-keeps-having-nightmares thing. It’s been a particularly bad week when he finds himself in the Harrington home with all the gremlins and other adults. He wants to be all bigger than life / life of the party, but his energy is gone.

He sits at the kitchen island on a barstool with his head in his hands, staring at the granite slab of the countertop when a hand and something slides into his view.

The hand pulls back and Eddie gets sight of a penny. What the-?

He looks up to see Steve sitting next to him with a small smile on his face. “Penny for your thoughts?” He asks.

Eddie stares at him and feels his heart flutter but he wills that to die down a bit. He shakes his head. “I don’t know, man. Just…” he glances off to see if anyone else is in earshot before continuing, “I keep getting these damn nightmares. Sometimes about… Chrissy… sometimes about random stressful shit, but they just won’t stop. It’s like although Vecna’s gone, he’s always here.”

Steve’s gaze has turned sympathetic as he runs a hand through his hair and looks around before lowering his voice. “I’ve been through the same thing, but I’ve found that it’s easier getting through the night with other people. Don’t tell anyone, but I snuck into Robin’s room for weeks after the whole Russian torture thing. But hey, if you want to crash here with me tonight, I’d be more than happy to have you.” Steve glances away from Eddie and runs a hand through his hair again as a faint blush appears on his cheeks. “Hell, you’d be helping me out too, man.”

Eddie considers it and immediately feels a wave of relief flood through him at the thought. He pockets the penny and squeezes Steve’s shoulder. “That’d be great. Thank you. Really,” Eddie says with a smile and eases himself off the barstool.

He hears Dustin raising his voice in the other room and Eddie says to Steve, “Time to ware out the children.”

Steve just laughs and joins him, but Eddie sees another tiny piece of tension leave his body.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It slowly becomes their thing. Eddie finds himself keeping pennies on himself at all times just in case, but by some strange fate, him and Steve always use that same penny.

Sometimes it pressed into Eddie’s palm, Eddie once throws it at Steve yelling, “catch!”, and sometimes it just appears in one of their vision.

The thoughts range from stupid things like Steve trying to remember if he turned off the oven to Eddie’s Dnd campaign to the overwhelming trauma from the Upside Down seeping into their lives.

Along with the penny becoming a regular thing, Eddie sleeping in Steve’s bed becomes a regular thing too. At first, it’s a bit awkward as they try to find out how much space each of them needs, what side of the bed they prefer, what they’re like in the mornings, and overall just how to be around each other when sharing a bed.

It shifts when one night, Eddie notices Steve staring at the ceiling wide awake. Eddie leans over the side of the bed where his pants are and digs into his pocket to retrieve the penny which he gently lays on Steve’s chest.

Steve glances down and carefully picks it up, twirling it as Eddie watches the coin slightly glint in the moonlight. There’s a deep breath and then Steve is saying, “I was just thinking about what if we… I don’t know. Like… held each other? Or rather, I was thinking that it would be nice to be held.”

Steve sets the penny down on the nightstand which indicates the end of his thoughts but he doesn’t dare turn to face Eddie. But Eddie is already scooting closer to press his body against Steve who instantly curls into Eddie’s embrace holding him as if he’ll escape if he tries to let go. But Eddie would never escape.

And every night they hold each other close with no questions asked and no penny needed.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Eddie’s feelings for Steve grow. He knows they’ve been there since the beginning, but with the whole penny thing, it’s like he has the key to all of Steve’s deepest thoughts and desires. He knows that Steve has access to his as well and is just thankful that Steve’s never given him the penny when Eddie’s been staring at him. He knows he can’t lie to Steve, and it may be dumb, but he especially can’t lie with that penny in sight.

So, he says nothing. He keeps holding Steve through the night, comforting him if he’s awoken from a particularly bad nightmare, but usually just laying there willing himself to stay awake as long as he can so he can bask in the sensation of holding Steve Harrington.

Then, one morning as Steve makes them breakfast, Eddie looks at him for a little too long, wondering how he’s been able to live his life without him when that penny is slid into his sight.

Eddie blinks down at it and swallows as Steve looks at him. “You,” Eddie blurts out, “I was just thinking about you.”

Eddie leaves the penny on the table because he knows that’s not enough of his thoughts. Steve turns back to scrape the eggs out of the pan onto a plate and put some butter on their toast before he turns back to Eddie. He doesn’t pry, but through the breakfast the penny stays in sight.

Eddie’s plate is clear when he finally fully answers, “I was just thinking about how much better my life has been since you’ve come into it, and… thank you.” He feels blood rise to his cheeks and finds Steve with a similar blush.

“I was thinking the same about you,” Steve responds and takes their plates to clean them before Eddie can respond.

He knows he’s falling in love with him.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It’s a few mornings later, and Eddie feels someone watching him. It doesn’t feel creepy or bad because he can feel the way that Steve has shifted to lean over him. Eddie opens his eyes slowly and takes in the view of Steve staring down at him with a small smile on his face. Eddie rolls towards his side of the bed, where his clothes are piled up and grabs the penny before rolling back to Steve.

He gently presses it into Steve’s hand who continues to stare down at him with a look in his eyes that Eddie can only assume is reflected in his own gaze.

Steve takes a deep breath and whispers, “I was just thinking that I might be in love with you.”

Eddie’s heart stutters, and he feels Steve’s hand shift to press the penny into his. Eddie smiles and replies, “I think I might be in love with you too.”

Steve smiles all wide and bright in the way that makes Eddie feel like he’s the luckiest person in the world to be able to see it. Then, Steve’s hand is intertwining with Eddie’s and as the penny presses into their palms, they both lean in and kiss, only breaking away when they both break into wide smiles and begin laughing as all the tension drains from them.

Years later, Eddie gets the penny turned into a ring and when he gets down on one knee, all he asks is, “Penny for your thoughts?”

AO3 Link (for @humanityinahandbag <3)

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #steddie ficlet

[alvojake]

How about pirate! Jungwon and mermaid! Reader? You can make it dark and stuff. Up to you 😘

「notes」 : bless you and your thinking anony, this is such a *chefs kiss* idea, I actually had a lot of fun writing it!! also, I would like to dedicate this to two of my lovely moots hehe, @yeonzzzn & @wondipity. I hope this feeds into your jungwon brain rot

Midnight Lagoon | Y.JW

「paring」 : pirate!jungwon x mermaid!reader 「word count」 : 1.9k

「synopsis」 : what you and jungwon had was nothing short of unethical, if you were to ask your people, that is. neither of you cared, though, which is how you find yourself waiting for the said man in the very cavern that had started everything, relishing in each other's company.

「genre」 : smut

「warning」 : unprotected sex (just don't), slight manhandling, teasing, cussing, making out, petnames (baby, princess...), praising, rough sex, mentions of marking, creampie, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, lmk if I missed anything!

The cavern was silent, save for the waves splashing against the shore. It had to have been late into the night. The only source of light was the bioluminescent algae that littered the cavern walls and ceiling. The algae illuminated the space in a soft blue, and the water almost glowed along with it. You lay out on the rocks, crimson tail dipping into the water, enjoying the feeling of the waves cascading across your scales.

Despite knowing the time, you knew that he would be here at any moment. You knew that as soon as his crew was all asleep, he would sneak away to come see you. It has become a routine since Jungwon first found you.

It’s a funny story, really. You had gotten caught in one of their nets when they were anchored in this very cavern. The string was far too tight for you to just rip away from, so you were stuck, fearing that your life was going to come to an end. You had heard the stories from your parents and the elders of the shoal. Pirates were not to be messed with; they would kill you on sight and take your scales to pawn off for a pretty penny.

So to say you were surprised when Jungwon found you and just cut you free would be an understatement. His hands were steady but careful as he wedged his blade between your tail and the net, slicing the dreadful contraption off of you. Even his voice was soft as to not alert those that were on the ship with him. His kind eyes and gentle hands intrigued you and you knew it was wrong, hell it was probably one of the worst things you could do in your life. But god, if you didn’t enjoy the thrill of it all. 

After those events, you stayed behind a cluster of rocks, watching and studying what they were doing. Your family had been worried sick about you all night long, but that was the least of your concerns right now. No, you wanted to actually talk to this man, even if it was the dumbest thing you’ve done. Curiosity has gotten the best of you.

So you waited… and waited… and waited. Finally, you saw Jungwon climbing off of the boat.

You tried to sneak up behind him, but for some miraculous reason, he sensed you there. His head turned, and his eyes bore into yours, peeking from the top of the water.

“I didn’t think a pretty thing like you would hang out around here.” His once soft voice now held a more sinister tone, but instead of getting scared… you were intrigued. Something pulling you towards him, like an angler fish going after the little light antenna on their heads.

That desire only grew from that night when he lured you out of the waters, watching as your tail morphed into human legs, leaving your bottom half completely bare to him. The complete ecstasy that his fingertips brought you left you gasping and begging for more. His dick reaching the most inner parts of your body that you hadn’t even known existed. By the time he was done with you, you had become addicted, wanting nothing more than to be in his embrace once more.

Thus began the little rendezvous, meeting in the very place where he first made love to you, much like what was happening now.

When Jungwon made it into the cavern, he wasn’t surprised at all to find you lying halfway in the water, your tail swishing softly under the surface. Your head was tilted back, eyes closed, enjoying the tranquility that this space brought you. He stopped once he was close enough to fully see you. Watching the way your damp hair cascaded down your back, small droplets of water still falling from the ends. His eyes trailed the length of your body, taking in your chest that was hardly covered due to the shell top you were wearing. Jungwon could feel his dick chub up at the sight alone.

Jungwon’s footsteps were careful and quiet, but you could still feel the vibrations under your fingertips. Your head turned slightly to look over at him, and the corner of your eyes crinkled slightly as a smirk spread across your lips.

“It took you long enough,” you teased the male as you pulled yourself further from the sparkling water. Your fingers wrapped around the pendant that lay between your collarbones, whispering a few soft words, allowing your tail to morph into human legs. Jungwon’s eyes stayed glued to your body, taking in the new skin that had just been revealed to him.

“I had to wait for everyone to fall asleep.” His voice was soft, unlike the dark look that glazed over his eyes. You carefully stood to your feet, but seeing as it's been a little bit since the last time you had to use your legs, your knees buckled, and you tumbled forward right into Jungwon's arms. “Even the sight of me has your legs weak, huh? I'm flattered.”

“Oh, hush.” You rolled your eyes before fixing your posture to wrap your arms around his neck, fingers playing with the ends of his hair. His face was merely inches away from yours, eyes boring into your own. He could smell the sea salt on your skin as he leaned closer to you, sealing your lips in a gentle kiss. 

“God, I've missed your lips so much.” He groaned against your lips, “... I missed you.” He sighed before letting his lips trail from yours to your cheek, down your jaw and neck, before finding purchase on one particular spot right below your ear. A soft sigh fell from your lips as you pulled his body flush against yours, leaving little to no room between the two of you. He continued to press open-mouth kisses along your jugular until he was sure there would be marks left behind, not caring for the consequences you might face once you were home.

“Won…” You whine when his hands traveled down to the fat of your ass, squeezing harshly. He licked a long stipe up your neck before roughly kissing you. His lips moved fervently against yours as he swiftly picked you up off of your feet. 

Jungwon wasted no time in laying your body flat on the flat rocks that sat next to the lagoon. His body slotted against yours, allowing you to feel his bulge against your bare pussy. Your small whines and whimpers were swallowed by Jungwon’s mouth as his fingers brushed along the inside of your thigh.

Your body felt like it was on fire under his touch, his fingers leaving tingles in their wake. But it wasn’t enough; no, you wanted more, and you didn’t want to wait. Noticing the impatiens in your eyes, Jungwon chuckled, pressing his thumb firmly against your clit, making your hips buck and a broken cry fall from your lips.

“Do you really want my cock that bad baby? You’re dripping on my fingers.” He teased, his fingertips tracing your slit, collecting your slick.

“Wonnie, please, I don’t wanna wait. Just fuck me, please.” You pleaded in a meek voice, and Jungwon smirked against your skin.

Who was he to deny you what you were asking so nicely for? So he pressed one last kiss against your forehead before pulling back to rid himself of his clothing. Your mouth watered at the sight of his cock springing free from his trousers. Catching your gaze, he put on a bit of a show, pumping his cock a few times, hissing through his teeth at the sensation. Impatience grew in your chest as you watched him pleasure himself. A whine fell from your lips when he denied your motion for him to move towards you. 

Eyes rolling, you moved your hand down to your cunt using your fingers to spread your pussy lips, “Just fuck me already, Won, please.”

He chuckled once more before finally giving in and moving closer to your body, grabbing your plush thigh. Leaning over your body, he captured your lips in another heated kiss as he lined his cock with your entrance. In one swift motion, he buried himself in your warm heat, swallowing all of the moans that slipped past your lips.

“Fuck you’re so fucking tight, baby,” He groaned, biting down on your bottom lip. It had been far too long since he was last able to bury himself in your wet cavern, the crew and missions taking up a majority of his time. So he wasn’t going to hold back; no, he had a lot of lost time to make up for.

He gave you a split second to adjust before his hips were snapping into yours in such a rough manner you were sure there would be bruises. The sounds of your skin hitting his and moans bounced off of the cavern walls. Jungwon couldn’t hold back; his hips were pistoned into your, trying to get as deep as he could, throwing your legs over his shoulders, pushing even deeper. Deep enough to have the head of his cock kissing your cervix. 

Wonton moans fell from your lips as you tried your best to stay up with his pace, but as soon as his tip brushed over that sweet spot deep in your pussy you were putty in his hands. Stars clouded your vision, your orgasm already on the tip of your tongue.

“Fuck- Won, I’m- shit, I’m close.” Tears brimmed in your eyes at the sudden overwhelming pleasure. Jungwon leaned down, kissing over the few tears that had fallen from your eyes, whispering sweet praises against your skin while his hip snapped brutally into yours.

“You’re such a good girl, aren’t you?” He groaned when your cunt squeezed around him, “fuck princess, you keep doing that, and I won’t last.” His hands trailed from your thigh to your hands, intertwining your fingers when your high washed over you. His pace slowed just a little to help you ride out your orgasm, but his movements never stopped.

“Won-” “Just a little longer, baby, I’m almost there.” He groaned before picking up the pace once more, letting go of one of your hands to rub his thumb against your clit, relishing in the feeling of your walls fluttering around him.

Your head fell back at the overstimulation, all words but his name leaving your brain. Jungwon loved when he got you like this, so fucked out that his name was the only thing you could remember. Chuckling, he pressed a kiss against your plush thigh before a choked groan tore through his lips when he felt you cum for a second time. The tightness around his sensitive cock was enough to finally push him over the edge, painting your velvet walls white.

“Shit…” He groaned into your neck as he leaned over you, hips rocking softly against yours. Taking in your scent, memorizing it once more for he wasn’t sure when he would be able to see you again. 

“Won,” you breathed out, running your shaky fingers through his hair. "You’re still hard.”

Jungwon couldn’t help but chuckle before rolling his hips deeply into yours, pushing his cum further into your womb, “You drive me insane, baby, and I want to fill you so full of my cum.”

A whine slipped past your swollen lips as his pace picked up a little, but your grip on his body didn’t let up. No, your lips found his, kissing him deeply, telling him that you would love nothing more.

@alvojake | Do not steal, plagiarise, translate, or repost any of my work

𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖗 : ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴘᴜʀᴇʟʏ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ꜱᴇʀɪᴏᴜꜱʟʏ.

𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 : @heesitation @riftanswhore @yeonzzznn @yzzyhee @skzenhalove @seuomo @moonchus @enha-stars @ikeuverse @ilovesubbymenn @ro-diaries @yeonjunsfox

#alvojake writes ^^ #yang jungwon #jungwon #enha jungwon #jungwon enha #yang jungwon smut #yang jungwon x reader #jungwon smut #jungwon enhypen #jungwon x reader #enhypen #enha #kpop #enha smut #enhypen hard hours #enhypen hard thoughts #enhypen jungwon #enhypen smut #enhypen x reader #enhypen imagines #enhypen fluff #enhypen scenarios #kpop smut #reader x jungwon #reader x yang jungwon #alvojake answers

[seresinhangmanjake]

Rather Be With You

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: Jake has been away for six months and he just hopes you waited for him.

Warnings: cursing. I think that's it.

Notes: this was inspired by an ask (💐) from a bit ago. Sorry it took so long. So much happened in the last week and a half, some good some bad, and it just got on top of me. Writing had to come second. I have probably written better in my life haha, but I tried.

Words: 1972

---

“You know he's only messing with you, right?”

He wasn’t sure how long he’d sat there, hunched forward with his elbows on his knees as he wrung his hands together. Surely it had been a while. For the entirety of the morning, perhaps? Rooster had made his teasing comments at seven a.m. sharp and they were due to dock at noon. Had it been that long? Or had he really managed to shove many hours worth of painful thoughts into just a few short minutes? Somehow, he figured, it was one or the other. No in-between.

When his eyes flicked up, Nat’s face seemed to hint at the former. 

It made sense, he supposed. Spending hours thinking about you wasn’t exactly uncommon. Usually, though, those thoughts were a bit nicer, with you naked and smiling, laughing, or whispering sweet words to him. He liked those better than the ones that had plagued him for…well, however long he’d been sitting there.

“He knows what he said isn’t true,” she continued. “He wouldn’t have had the balls to make jokes like that if he thought they would hold any weight. Trust me, no one particularly enjoys pissing you off.”

He wasn’t pissed off, though. He was devastated at the seeds of doubt planted in his head; at the pain and insecurity that came with the twisted knife to his gut. He hated the images forced into his mind at his friend’s words; the ones of you with other men; the ones that made it terribly clear how little you considered or missed him in his absence. 

“Jake, she waited for you. I know she did.”

“Yea? How?” he asked. 

Phoenix opened her mouth quickly, just as he would have had someone asked him a few hours ago if you loved him like he loved you—ready to confirm with a smile on his face. But if made to think of the answer for more than a half-second, without the hope and giddiness fueling his enthusiasm, he realized he couldn’t actually say for sure if you loved him, just as Nat now could not say with certainty that you had waited for him. 

Her mouth closed. 

"Exactly. You don't know," he said. "It’s not like I was smart enough to ask her to be my girlfriend before we left. She has no obligation to me, so why would she have bothered to wait six months to have me when she could have anyone?"

The brunette shook her head. “I don’t believe she's like that."

Leaning back against the bench and crossing his arms, Jake just barely held himself back from a scoff. "Like what, Nat? That wouldn't make her anything other than a woman who found someone new to sleep with after the guy she was sleeping with disappeared for half a year.”

“But you didn’t—”

“I know I didn't disappear. But I’ve been gone longer than we’d been together," he said, his voice drifting as he imagined what he hadn't stopped to consider before; a nightmare that, if proven true, would cleanly snap his heart in half. "Joke or not, Rooster could very well be right.”

—

"You're overthinking,” Penny’s voice snuck in from your left. 

She reached out to take the beer glass from your hand, polished almost too clean after the twenty minutes you spent absentmindedly running a rag over it. Your mind had been too occupied with troubled thoughts to notice your unceasing drag of the dishtowel around the cylindrical shape of the glass. 

It came free from your hand with ease, and as Penny placed it back on its shelf, you spewed, "What if he hooked up with someone? What if he decided six months was too long to wait for a woman that isn't his girlfriend?” You finally faced her just to find her rolling her eyes. “He likes sex, Penny. A lot. There are plenty of willing women and he's practically insatiable."

"When it comes to you, maybe."

The tenseness in your shoulders from well-formed stress was heavy with your exhale, forcing your shoulders to fall forward and your posture to take a hit. "Penny…" you groaned.

"I'm telling you, there's no way he messed around with anyone,” she swore, leaning back against the bar. "Besides, it's frowned upon to get involved with your coworkers."

"You think that's ever stopped Jake?"

She pursed her lips and tilted her head from side to side as she considered. "Ok, fair enough,” she agreed. “Once upon a time, that definitely wouldn't have stopped him. But after meeting you, he hasn't looked at another woman."

You couldn’t say that provided you with any relief. Jake had always presented as an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ type of man. He wasn’t a worrier. Once something exited his periphery, it promptly left his brain, discarded with all past challenges or predicaments. And wasn’t that what you were? An obstacle? He hadn’t asked you to be his girlfriend for a reason. Holding on to you for more than just the night didn’t necessarily make you more special than any of the other women. Perhaps it simply made you convenient.  

"You don’t know, Penny. You’re not with him 24/7."

Penny muttered something under her breath. Her fingers rose to rub at her temple and when they dropped back to her side, the stare she shot you was imbued with determination. "Look, my bar is where Seresin used to do his "best work," as he liked to say,” she said, and you made a face. "But the only work he's been putting in since he met you has involved getting you to like him and making you happy after you two started your little…thing." 

"You may not pay attention, but I do," she practically scolded. "Now, a month ago you were excited to meet him when he got back, and then you let your thoughts get away from you and it’s fucking everything up." 

To your own shame, you couldn't deny that. So you didn't bother, rather opting to nibble on your thumbnail.

"They'll be back soon, so are you coming with me or not?"

—

He didn’t know what he was doing, standing there with his bag over his shoulder. But he felt like a heavy weight, an anchor in a sea of levity. Looking around, the men and women he’d been packed in with for the last six months were thrilled, the room sprinkled with smiles and laughs of giddiness in anticipation of having their families in their arms again. 

He didn’t have that. 

He wanted to have it, but that was fully reliant on you. Your feelings. Your wants and desires. Your plan for your future. Jake could imagine a world where he had the strength to beg to be a part of your life—to plead as desperately as if fighting for enough air to fill his lungs—but reality made that entirely out of his will and control. So he didn't shove his way forward when they made it home. He couldn't bring himself to jump in front of the others who had people waiting for them upon their return. Instead, he let them file out, his team included, until he was one of the final few to step back on dry, solid land. 

As he walked by couple after couple, family after family, his already weak composure began to crumble at its edges. The people milling around him felt like a mocking montage of the life he didn’t have. Men and women kissing their partners or spouses, hugging their children with no intent of letting go, their tears coating the ground with joy. 

Jake's chest constricted. He needed to get himself on the other side of it, but weaving through the mass of bodies proved harder than he expected. 

His shoulders bumped into theirs, his chest skimming across backs and limbs when he turned to his side to sneak through narrow openings. Little kids ran into his legs like spinning tops on the loose from their wound-up energy finally releasing, though each one quickly recovered and returned to their parents, maintaining the same level of enthusiasm they had prior to smacking face-first into a muscled calf. 

With each unintentional nudge, he apologized, but no one so much as noticed, too engrossed in their relief at making it home unscathed or in seeing their loved ones still intact. Somewhere, his teammates were doing the same. They’d found their partners, and he thought he’d found his, but his overconfidence in your feelings kept him from ensuring you were actually together. And maybe it was too late. Maybe he would have no choice but to watch you move on from him.  

Finally breaking through the edge of the crowd, Jake took his first deep breath. He didn’t look back as he made his way to his truck. He didn’t turn when rushed footsteps grew closer until they sounded as if right on his tail. 

“Jake.”

He paused and sighed. He should’ve known he would imagine your voice. Six months without that lovely sound, his only chance at hearing it being within his dreams, took its toll. It haunted him like a ghost on that ship. Of course it wouldn’t cease just because he was home.

“I was calling you, but you didn’t hear me.” There was a soft chuckle, then, “Well, at least I hope you didn’t hear me.”

He spun on his heel and was greeted with your smile. It lacked its carefree nature, instead just barely failing to conceal a twinge of nerves, but beautiful nonetheless. He couldn’t help but smile back. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, taking a few steps closer. 

“I came with Penny.” The roundness of your cheeks turned pink from your blush. You lightly shrugged. “I missed you.”

With those words, Jake knew Rooster was deserving of a swift smack upside the head, one he very well may deliver. You cared. You missed him, even. 

Fucking Rooster.

“Oh, I, um,” you continued, your eyes falling down to your hand. “I got you these. It feels silly now, but at the time I thought they would be nice, I guess.”

He followed your line of sight to the small bundle in your hand. Five long stems were tight in your grip, the bulbs on their ends made up of layers of silky red petals. 

"I was thinking," you swallowed hard and met his gaze, "I don't actually know if you like flowers. And if you do, I didn't know your favorite. I just picked mine." The sweet grin that returned to your face practically demanded he kiss you. Your lips, your cheeks, your forehead, your nose. All of you. Every little bit. 

And you weren't wrong. He hadn't had a favorite. 

He did now. 

Jake swallowed through the tightness in his throat, fighting back the stinging in the corners of his eyes. 

He didn't get gifts, and certainly not from the women he was with. But then again, with the exception of you, he hadn't chosen to be with a woman for more than a night or two in the last decade. 

"I like the yellow ones but they symbolize friendship and that wasn't really what I was going for, so I—"

"I love you.”

Your smile, your jaw, your hand, fell. "You…what?"

He let out a chuckle and reached for you. "Come here."

You didn't hesitate sliding your hand into his and he quickly pulled you to him, your chests hitting, lips meeting with an intensity that he hoped expressed even just a lick of how much he missed you. You draped your arms around his shoulders and the petals of the flowers tickled the nape of his neck. 

"Six months was too long," you whispered when you separated. 

He nudged his nose against yours. "Way too long."

---

tags: @wkndwlff @kmc1989 @sagittarius-flowerchild @dempy @oliviah-25 @rosiahills22 @xoxabs88xox @cinderellasmissingshoe @leila22rogers

#jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #top gun maverick #jake seresin fic #jake hangman seresin x reader #top gun #jake hangman seresin fic #top gun hangman #jake hangman seresin x y/n #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin fanfic #jake seresin fluff #jake hangman seresin x you #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin x you #jake hangman x reader #tgm fic #tgm

[gojos-thot-patrol]

Geto/gojo/reader “I can’t believe there’s only one bed” and HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY

THANK YOOUUU!! So, this one really sang to me, I went ahead and combined the two, mostly because they are very similar. Thank you both for the prompt!!

Now Presenting...

Starring: A flirty Satoru Gojo, and a tired Suguru Geto

Your body protested every step you took as you walked into the hotel, screaming at you to lay down and accept the sweet embrace of death. Okay, maybe death was a little extreme, but you could definitely have gone for a light coma in that moment. A yawn you had been suppressing came forward, and you tried to rub the sleep out of your eyes.

“Awe, well aren’t you cute when you’re sleepy.” Gojo teased with a smile, earning him a glare from you. 

“Shut up Satoru.” This entire trip he kept making note of how cute you were, and how you needed to be protected, and at this point, he was on the brink of losing vocal cord privileges.

“Flirt later you two, let’s just get checked in.” Suguru muttered as he ushered the two of you to the front desk. He tried to summon a friendly smile for the clerk, but it didn’t touch his tired eyes. “Hi! Uh, we should have two reservations under Masamichi Yaga.” He said, really hoping they didn’t ask for an id. He told his teacher that he should probably put the rooms under one of the three people going on the mission, but the man was more muscle than brain.

The young worker started typing on the computer, before confusion fell over her features. “Um, I found the reservations, but it says it’s only for one room?” She asked. You were a bit taken back by that, and you could tell from the looks on their faces the boys were too. You thought for sure you’d at least get your own room. But, then again, if getting a room with 3 beds was cheaper than getting 2 separate rooms, it did make sense for Yaga to take that route, the penny pinching bastard. 

“Uh, yea that should be fine, that’s us.” Suguru shrugged, too tired to really argue. Much to your relief (and concern) the woman nodded and happily gave over the room key, not bothering to ask for an ID. What a stand up place. The three of you dragged your tired worn bodies over to the elevator. Well, two of you did. Satoru felt fine, because of course he did. And because he had no problem filling the elevator with whatever came to his head. You shared a look with Suguru.

How do we shut him up? Your eyes asked.

Pillow over his face as he sleeps Sugurus eyes offered.

No, I want him to shut up now. 

Oh, that’s not gonna happen. For now, we just have to endure him.

You sighed, knowing he was right and hating that fact at the same time. Thankfully, the elevator door opened, and the room wasn’t far from it. Geto unlocked the door, and you and Gojo practically fell over him to get into it. You quickly went to grab your toothbrush, and Gojo went to fiddle with the tv. It was Suguru who noticed it first.

“Uh, guys? I don’t see another bed.” He said. You and Gojo stopped cold in your tracks, heads whipping to the center of the room and- yep. That was one bed, and only one bed. Not even so much as a pull out couch in sight. 

“OH ho ho!!” Satoru laughed, launching himself onto the bed and folding himself into what you think was meant to be a sexy pose. “I’ve read fan fiction before, I know what happens here!” He cackled, “Be gentle with me, I’m a virgin” He swooned, acting like a helpless flower. 

“I call sleeping in the bathtub.” Suguru said, checking out of this battle before it became a war.

“No, Don’t!” Gojo whined, reaching out to him, “The bathtub is cold and hard, I'm warm and soft. Unless you want me to be hard.” He winked. 

“I can’t believe there’s only one fucking bed, who sets this shit up?!” You snapped, aggressively waving your hands at the bed.

“God.” Gojo responded.

“Bad fan fiction writers.” Geto retorted, apparently salty about his characterization in my past fics. 

“Satoru get out of the bed.” You demanded, shaking your head. You did not just get out of a fight with ten, count em, ten first grade curses to sleep on the floor.

“How about you get in the bed?” He purred.

“I will, as soon as you get out of it.” you scoffed, fighting back a laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“Why not get in it with me?” He grinned at you, opening his arms wide as an invitation. 

“I’d rather sleep in the bathtub.” You replied.

“Not an option, I already called it!” Suguru reminded you.

“Why don’t you sleep with him?” You accused more than asked, “He’s your man!”

“He is most definitely not my man!” Geto rebuffed the statement, shaking his head.

“He’s actually my man, we just haven’t taken our relationship to the next level yet.” Satoru purred with a cheeky wink to Geto to really seal the deal. Geto rolled his eyes.

“I’m going to bed, goodnight.” He said, going to grab a pillow from the bed, only for Satoru to grab his arm.

“Come on guys, don’t be silly! This bed is big enough for all of us!” He argued, “We all trust each other, right?!” Gojo paused long enough to look at both you and Geto, but not long enough for an answer. He already knew it. “We know no ones going to try any funny business, we trust each other with our lives there's no reason for any of us to be uncomfortable tonight!” you and Suguru shared more glances. Gojo may be annoying, but when he was right he was right. The only thing really keeping the three of you from sharing was standard social conventions. 

“Fine, but if any of you touch me I’m throwing you off the balcony.” You warned. Geto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, sitting on the bed.

“I just don’t get why we weren’t warned about this.”

“I mean, it kind of explains the weird look she gave us.” You noted, sitting on the other side of Gojo.

“Yay, sleepover!” Gojo cheered, grabbing onto Suguru because he was the one that didn’t threaten him, “Fair warning, I’m a cuddler.” He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows for emphasis. 

“I knew I should have just slept in the tub.” Geto sighed.

🛏️🛏️🛏️

In the morning, you were a tangled mess of limbs and drool with your two best friends. Any warning against cuddling being tossed to the wind in exchange for the comfort human warmth brings. You hated to admit it, but it was the best sleep you had gotten in weeks. Gojo woke up not long after you, smiling softly, slowly coming back to life.

“Good morning,” He said. You shook your head and covered his face with a pillow.

“It was before you started talking.” You muttered.“It’s 6 am, go back to bed.” Suguru begged, not happy to have been woken up.

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #satoru gojo #suguru geto #gojo x reader #geto x reader #satoru gojo x reader #suguru geto x reader #satosugu #satosugu x reader #satoru gojo fluff #suguru geto fluff #satosugu fluff #satosugu x reader fluff #gojo x reader fluff #geto x reader fluff #nobody likes you when you're 23

[celestialglow24]

•••Promise Me•••

Frank Castle x AFAB reader

You finally see Frank again after months of being apart with no explanation.

hi friends. more Frank angst because this man has taken over my mind lately and i think you all should suffer with me. please enjoy xx

The walk back home from the restaurant wasn’t too bad of a trek. You had convinced yourself it’d be alot faster than waiting around for an uber, or bothering your cousin at 12 am to come down there and pick you up.

Was it wise? Probably not. But the multiple shots of liquid courage—fueled with the desire to take a long hot shower—gave you a sense of confidence no one would have been able to shake.

So you said your goodbyes to the group you were with, telling them a little white lie that your ride was here, and began walking home.

As the loud street music and bustling noise of downtown nightlife started to fade, that confidence began to wane.

It was really quiet out here, and no one was around from what you could tell. You could see the sign for a park a little ways ahead and that managed to level your nerves.

Your cousin’s apartment wasn’t too far from there and if you kept at the pace you were moving, you could get there in 10 minutes or so.

God you hated wearing heels. You’d yet to find a pair that didn’t make you want to cut off your feet and curse the ground after only a couple of hours of use.

There was a part of you that was half tempted to take them off and walk the rest of the way barefoot, but after already passing several broken bottles along the street, you decided you didn’t want to chance a night in the ER.

All things considered you were proud of yourself for going out tonight. It had been months since you’d done anything besides: work, sleep, eat, repeat.

Save for a few weekends now and then of binge watching a true crime doc with your cousin Lucy or a trip to the dog park with her dog Penny, you hardly allowed yourself any time to relax.

Anything to avoid your mind having the opportunity to think of him. To think of your past.

So when your coworker invited you out with people from your department to celebrate their recent promotion, you decided to let yourself enjoy a night out. You felt you had earned it.

You hadn’t been working for the company very long, but you got along with everyone pretty well. It was nice of them to include you.

It was certainly more fun than you expected to have but after your brain had tried multiple times to convince you that you’d seen someone that wasn’t there—someone who you hadn’t seen in months—you knew it was time to go.

6 months.

6 months and you still searched for him in a room full of people.

It was pathetic.

Even now, as you walked the nearly empty streets you felt him. You didn’t know how— and despite logic and reason battling with these inexplicable feelings— it still felt like you could sense his presence.

Yeah, this had to be the alcohol talking.

You tightened your trenchcoat around your torso in an effort to self soothe and offered a half smile to the few people you walked by on your way toward the park.

As you rounded the sidewalk, you pulled your phone out to text your cousin that you’d be home any minute. She was probably already sleeping but you wanted to give her the heads up anyway.

Anything to avoid her attacking you with a broom like she did the one time you got home late from work.

Just as you went to tuck your phone back in your coat pocket it slipped out of your hand, landing on the ground face down with a loud crack.

“Fuck” you cried, bending down to asses the damage. Thankfully you had a screen protector, so the actual screen was fine. But man you had done a number on it. The uneven cracks that splintered the screen made it difficult to read the time and notifications.

As you rose from your squatting position, you caught a figure out of the corner of your eye ducking behind a car across the street.

You felt your stomach drop.

Slowly… you stood up taller, squaring your shoulders and trying to steady your breathing. You calmly reached for the front clasp of your clutch, thanking any god or the universe that you managed to stow your taser earlier that night.

You chose not to make any sudden movements. Instead you waited. You waited for so long you were starting to question if you had seen anything at all. Maybe you misunderstood and it was the alcohol messing with your senses.

But when you saw the tip of a black hoodie through the window of the car you knew you weren’t losing it.

“Who’s there?” you shouted.

No response.

“Listen,” your voice shook, “I’m about 10 seconds away from dialing 911 so if you’re not interested in explaining to the cops why you’re sneaking up on -”

“Ain’t no need for all that.” You heard a voice call back.

Your breath stilled. As soon as the voice hit you, it was like the ground beneath you had been ripped away. You didn’t even feel like you were in your own body anymore.

You dug your nails into your palm, trying to startle yourself awake. Surely you had to be dreaming.

But when the figure stood and faced you, their hood falling back to reveal their face, you couldn’t deny what you were seeing.

There were so many emotions swelling inside you at once. Disbelief, disappointment, anger and relief.

You didn’t know it was possible to feel so many things at once.

Perhaps the most compelling was the realization that despite everything, you still felt love. So much love that it made you feel weak.

It almost made you forget everything that’s happened.

The feelings of abandonment. The nights of endless tears. The calls and messages that would never seem to go through.

Feelings of confusion. Of constantly wondering what you did wrong.

Questioning if any of it was ever as real to him as it was to you.

You could almost forget it all. Run right across the street into his arms. Hug him and kiss him over and over. Tell him how much you missed him. How much you need him. How much you forgive him if you could just be together again.

But as quickly as those thoughts teased your mind, the feelings of anger and betrayal enveloped you like an unrelenting wave.

You couldn’t allow the love you felt to erase the hell you’ve endured. You wouldn’t.

So you swallowed the tears that threatened to spill and turned away, making bigger strides to get back to your cousin’s apartment.

You could hear him shout your name but you kept moving.

He must have crossed the street because you could hear him calling directly behind you.

You didn’t stop. You didn’t say a word. You just kept moving.

Choosing to run was just plain stupid, but it was your only resort to get away fast.

Not only was it stupid because your feet hurt like hell and you were risking a face plant any second, but it was stupid because he was the fucking punisher.

Any attempt to try and outrun him was pointless. He’d be able to catch you before you could even finish your next thought.

“Hey!” he yelled, finally catching up to you and grabbing your arm. “Just hold up would you?”

“No!” you shouted, yanking yourself out of his grasp. You took a few steps backward and he held his arms up in defense.

At this point you know you looked like a mess. The hot tears you were trying to suppress had spilled over and you could taste the salt of them on your tongue.

You wanted to hate him. You wanted to hate him so much but seeing the pained look on his face broke your heart.

To be honest he looked like shit. He looked like a man who hadn’t slept in months. His beard was long and unkempt. It even looked like he’d lost weight. And his eyes, the biggest tell of all, were sad and empty.

“I just want to talk.” he spoke calmly.

You shook your head. “How did you find me?”

When you left the witness protection program you didn’t even tell Madani where you were going. She tried to pry it out of you, swearing that it was her duty as her job and as a friend to know. However, you wouldn’t budge.

The people that were after Frank had been taken care of according to Dinah. You didn’t want to continue living out the rest of your life looking over your shoulder.

So you thanked her for all of her help and you wished her the best, but you didn’t want any ties to your life back then. You didn’t want any more reminders of him.

“He asks about you, you know?” she had said during your last conversation. “Every week like clockwork. I haven’t told him anything. Just that you’re safe and happy.”

You scoffed, “Well at least one of those is true.”

She was silent for a moment. “I hope you can give yourself a chance to be happy again. Love doesn’t always look the way we want it to and life is hardly ever fair, but once we choose to accept the pieces we are given…. we can allow ourselves to move on.”

You know Dinah meant well. And you appreciated how close the two of you had gotten based on the circumstances. But you weren’t sure if you could agree with what she was suggesting. It felt impossible to move on when your whole body still ached for him.

“Thank you Dinah.” you relented, “Who knew you could be so therapeutic?”

“Just part of the charm.” she laughed.

A comfortable silence fell between you. You were sitting on the balcony of your cousin’s apartment, and for a brief second you felt a little bit of excitement at the opportunity to start over.

Your cousin had managed to get you a job and while it wasn’t exactly what you were doing before, it was familiar work.

You’d be working for a publishing company polishing and approving manuscripts. It was boring, monotonous work but it was safe.

You thanked Madani again and expressed the hope of following up again someday in the future.

Then you changed your number and disabled your emails.

You knew doing so wouldn’t stop them from being able to find you if they really wanted to. Her and Frank were both good for that. But it gave you a sense of control for now. That you were the one deciding to distance yourself this time and the choice wasn’t being made for you.

“Could we go some place to talk?”, his voice broke you out of the memory.

You crossed your arms.

“No. You don’t get to show up out of nowhere after months of silence expecting to just talk. I have nothing to say to you.”

The words that tumbled out of your mouth were meant to be delivered with strength and conviction. Instead, they sounded more like someone trying to convince themselves that they believed them.

“I can explain whatever you want. Just let’s get out of the cold here, there’s a diner not too far out.” he said, tilting his head back towards where you came from. “We could get a cup of co-”

“No, Frank, I want to stay right here.”

He closed his mouth, but you could tell he was trying to keep his composure. You were being stubborn and as much as you hated being in the cold, you didn't want to be around other people.

You didn’t want to take the chance of losing your shit while people were trying to enjoy their food in peace.

“I get that you’re angry, but there’s a lot you don’t understand. I was just trying to protect you.” he tried to reason.

“You left me Frank. You didn’t text, you didn’t call. You left me completely in the dark.” you cried, wiping angrily at your face to rid the tears that were escaping.

“Do you know how scared I was? Having strangers show up to my house and basically tell me I couldn’t exist as me anymore? I had to move and change my name. And the one person I needed more than anything—the one person who could make all of it feel okay— wouldn't even answer a damn phone call.”

You suddenly felt like you were back in the empty apartment Madani had set you up in. You hardly knew her before that day, she was just “someone who had worked with Frank before”, according to what she told you.

But she kept giving you this look. This look that both expressed the pity she felt for you and the wonder of how you ended up in a situation like this? How you managed to get mixed up in the world of Frank Castle?

But you had met him after he had left that life behind him. And according to him, the life that he was never going back to. Things had been good for so long that you never even questioned it until that day. Now you didn’t even know what was real.

“You were in danger alright? I had angered some really powerful people. I had hurt them, did things I’m not proud of and I wasn’t about to let you take the fall for it. You weren’t safe with me.”

“I was always safe with you!” you shouted, “Who else could’ve kept me more safe than you? We could’ve worked it out together, we could’ve came up with a plan—” you stopped as you watched Frank shake his head in disbelief, “What, Frank? What the fuck is that about?”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. Come up with a plan? Really?” he scoffed, “This isn’t team sports. It’s not some dumb escape room you sit around and solve clues in. It’s real fucking life.”

You looked down at your feet. The escape room comment was a low blow. It was something you loved doing and grumpy Frank hated. He’d go along with it if you planned it, not bothering to hide his disdain at first, but by the end of it you knew he had fun with you.

You didn’t think he’d throw it in your face as a means to mock you.

“Frank, we were partners. That’s what you do.” you replied, trying to keep your voice steady. “You work through things together. As a team. Not one person taking over and telling the other person what to do all the time, but see you didn’t ever want to do that did you? You didn’t think I was capable right?”

“Don’t go there.” he warned. You could see his hands start to twitch. In the past his agitation would have gotten you to dial it back a little. You hated fighting with him and it was never worth it.

But this time you didn’t care. You didn’t understand why he was the one so angry.

“Why not?” you probed, “You always made it seem like I was one mistake away from getting myself hurt.”

“That’s because you never took things seriously. You had no sense of danger. Too trusting, too carefree, too-”

“Stupid?” you interjected.

“I didn't say that.” he shot back. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to find some place to channel the tension. You could tell this was not how he wanted the conversation to be going either.

You couldn’t believe you were having this same fight. It was something you never got along about.

You tried to be understanding. You both had different life experiences and because Frank had a military background, he had been trained to look at things a certain way.

He was trained to look for a threat and “take it out before it took you”. Transitioning back to civilian life wasn’t always that simple. Those habits could be hard to unlearn.

It wasn’t always bad, but it wasn’t always necessary.

Not every stranger was a potential threat set out to hurt you.

Staying late at work didn’t mean you were in danger and someone was holding you hostage.

Interviewing a source for your upcoming news article didn’t immediately put a target on your back.

But Frank always anticipated the worst.

You know it was his way of expressing his love but it could be a lot at times. You just wanted to enjoy life together without always feeling like there was some danger lurking around the corner waiting to get you.

“Go ahead Frank,” you continued, “Let me hear how stupid it was for me to walk home by myself tonight. How naive it was to risk getting hurt when I should’ve called a cab.”

“I ain’t gonna act like it was a good idea, and up until a few minutes ago I’m sure you were realizin it wasn’t either.”

You let out a groan.

“I was almost home, besides I don’t think anyone would’ve tried anything with the big bad punisher stalking me.” you said, throwing your arms out dramatically.

“I mean really Frank, what was your plan? Were you just gonna jump out and shout surprise? Were you gonna follow me home to make sure no one grabbed me? Stare down the cars that drove past me? The people that passed me? What was the fucking point?”

For a moment he didn’t say anything.He kept his gaze down at his boots. The twitching of his hands had stopped, and the heavy rise and fall of his chest had slowed down.

“I needed to see you.”

The phrase was simple, but it held such weight.

You understood what he meant. You felt the desperation in his voice. And yet you couldn’t stop the anger from bubbling up.

“What about all the times I needed to see you? To hear your voice? Why didn’t I deserve the decency of a phone call, a text message, anything?”

“I couldn’t risk it.”

“Bullshit.” you spat. “You could risk asking Madani about me?”

His head shot up at that.

“Are we gonna do this all night?” he asked, the anger picking up in his voice again, “Huh? We’re gonna just keep yelling at each other? Who was right? Who was wrong?”

“Yes Frank because I’m angry with you! You made me feel unimportant. You made me feel helpless, like I had no control over my own damn life anymore.” You stepped closer, making sure he couldn’t avoid your eyes.

“You pushed me away like I meant nothing to you!” you shoved him.

“No.” he shouted, “I pushed you away because you meant everything to me!”

He turned away and let out a deep breath through his nose. The weight of his words slamming into you like a wrecking ball.

“Everyone I've ever cared about gets hurt because of me. Because of my demons. Because of the shit I've done to other people. I couldn't take that chance with you. They were so close to hurting you. I had to do something. That’s why I contacted Madani. That’s why we got you into witness protection.”

You felt the sting of the tears start to swell up again. From anger, frustration or sadness you couldn’t tell. Maybe it was all three.

“You want to know why I couldn’t say goodbye to you? Why I couldn’t call you? It’s because I knew—,” he paused and looked off to the side, “I knew that if I saw you—if I just heard your fucking voice—I’d change my mind.”

He finally locked eyes with you again, taking a step closer to you. He was testing it out, seeing how close you would let him get. To his surprise you didn’t move away.

“I couldn’t be selfish with you.” he said softly.

You didn’t know what to say. You knew the people that had been after Frank were relentless, but you never once feared for your life. Maybe there was more to it that he kept from you, and you wanted to trust him, but it didn’t diminish what you experienced while he was gone.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry I hurt you. But I’m not sorry I did it because you’re safe. And I know it’s probably not what you want to hear, but I’d do it again in a fucking hearbeat if it meant nothing would happen to you.”

“It’s just—.” your voice trembled and you bit your bottom lip. You couldn’t look at him. You couldn’t put the words together.

“What is it?” he asked gently, taking another step towards you. This time he was close enough he grabbed the bottom of your chin and tilted it up towards him.

“I really missed you and I didn’t think you cared about me anymore.” You choked.

Suddenly you felt yourself pressed up against his chest as he pulled you into him. “No baby, that’s not true.” he soothed.

You wrapped your arms around his torso and laid your head on his chest, letting all the pent up emotions slowly release. God you forgot how good it felt to be held by him.

All the nights you longed for this very feeling. For him to hug you and kiss you and tell you everything was gonna be alright.

You could feel your unsteady breathing start to level out again and all the anger and frustration slowly disappear. It was as if he was a magnet, pulling out the deepest emotions you tried so hard to bury.

“I missed you so fucking much you have no idea.” He pulled back, tilting his head down to look at you.

You both locked eyes and without thinking twice you kissed him. He responded instantly, pulling you so tightly against him it was as if he was trying to swallow you whole.

That feeling people mention of the world standing still—you finally understood what that meant.

When you couldn’t breathe anymore you pulled away, resting your forehead against his.

“What does this mean, Frank?” you quietly asked. “Can we be together now? Do we just go back to the way things were before?”

He was quiet for a moment and you almost regretted asking the question.

“It’s whatever you want it to be sweetheart.” he finally answered, “You tell me.”

You weren’t sure what to say. One half of you wanted to be together again. The other half wasn’t so sure you should give in this easily.

What if it happened again? You didn’t doubt there were more people out there that’d like to see Frank Castle and the people he loved, hurt.

Would he push you away? You didn’t think you could survive it a second time.

“Frank, I love you. I want to be with you. But I need you to treat me like an equal. I want to be included in decisions. I don’t want to be kept in the dark again, it isn’t fair.”

Though he wasn’t speaking, you could tell the thoughts were churning in his head.

“If something like this comes up again I want to know about it. I want to have a say in how we handle it. Can you please promise me that?”

Frank let out a heavy sigh. He had to fight with the selfish side of him that wanted to say no. This shouldn’t even be something you have to worry about. He’s the one that should be responsible, not you.

But if he was being honest with himself these past several months were hell. He hated not being with you and maybe compromising would be the best thing to do after all.

He didn’t like making promises in general, but as he looked into your eyes he couldn’t bring himself to fight anymore. He needed to be with you just as much as you needed him too.

“Okay.” he agreed quietly.

“Promise me.” you urged again. You needed to hear him say it.

“I promise.”

You didn’t even realize how tense your body had become until you felt your shoulders relax. Frank pulled you into him again and you could feel the tension in him relax as well.

If anyone would have told you an hour ago you’d be standing in the middle of the street being held by Frank you would’ve told them they were crazy.

There were nights you never thought this moment would come. So as the two of you continued to stand there, holding onto each other. You realized there was probably nothing in this world that could match this feeling.

You would make sure that no matter what was waiting for you around the corner, you’d never let go again.

#frank castle x reader #frank castle #the punisher #frank castle angst #frank castle x you #jon bernthal

[chlorinecake]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐏'𝐒 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝟐 — a yang jungwon fanfic

Previously ⊱✿⊰

𖤣 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: after sharing with Jungwon your true feelings about the way he treats you during a fight, unexpected changes take place as you learn more about him

𖥧 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: abduction themes, swearing, violence, crying, nudity, attempted assault, slow burn, moody, not proofread ~

𖡼 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.3k ~ The next part...

✎ note: In no way does this fanfic intend to romanticize unhealthy relationships or abusive behaviors. I write purely for entertainment and creative purposes. Reader discretion is advised. 

You sat in the bath completely naked before Jungwon. He was still dressed in his work clothes as he hovered over the edge of the tub, lathering an orange scented soap all over your grimy skin.

Jungwon had forgotten you outside in the garden after assaulting you on the picnic mat that day. It wasn’t until a whole 48 hours had passed before he finally came back, only to find a cold and hungry you balled up under a bush. The trembling in your stomach remains as if it was yesterday, even though by now, the incident was more than three days ago.

You didn’t expect Jungwon to apologize for leaving you in the wilderness all that time, as part of you believed it was some sort of punishment for rejecting him. Though, if you were crazy enough, or maybe even smart enough, you probably would’ve tried running away when you had the chance—

“How’s the water,” Jungwon asked softly, using a comb to pick with the remnants of wildlife that decorated your hair, leafy bits falling into the warm rose petal bath.

“It’s lovely, Won-ah,” you replied with a blank expression, “I really don’t mind cleaning myself, though.”

“I insist, love. It’s the least I could do after letting you get so dirty in the first place.”

Oh, so that’s what he’s calling it now.

You watched as a cluster of bubbles swam on the surface of the bath water, reminding you of lily pads before they crashed into your legs, melting at your skin. Jungwon mirrored the bubbles in a lot of ways. At first glance, he seemed bright and friendly, bumping along pink waves that only drew him closer and closer to you. Though, once you finally collided, it’s like he couldn’t help but to absorb the contact.

Devouring you.

“I can tell there’s something on your mind, ____,” he interrupted your daydreaming, using a wash towel to rinse the muggy suds from your hair. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Pop.

The bubbles faded away as if knowing what was about to come.

“I-I don’t… it’s just,” you felt your breath grow unsteady as you struggled to answer him, let alone honestly.

The truth was, you hadn’t gotten much rest over the past few nights as you couldn’t shake the thoughts of what he almost did to you in the garden. You also didn’t want to provoke Jungwon by telling him what was truly on your mind.

Though, like a true predator, he sensed the fear in your silence.

“Why’re so scared of me,” he half-chuckled, putting the towel down before sitting on his knees. “It’s like you think I’m waiting to pounce on you or something.”

“Jungwon—”

“Look. Unless you plan to be honest with me, I’d rather you just keep quiet again.”

“Jungwon—”

“I’m listening, love,” he said, looking into your eyes with an intense gaze.

You were frustrated with his lack of patience yet also by your own hesitance to his curiosity, strangely making you feel guilty. You sunk deeper into the water, folding your arms over your bare chest as an attempt to make yourself feel more comfortable in your nakedness.

You sighed, “I haven’t gotten much sleep over the past few nights.”

He blinked, “____, if this is about the lamp, I’ll put it back in your room—”

“No, Jungwon.”

“When we first met, you told me that you were afraid of the dark. I’m so sorry for overlooking that, love—”

“Won, I didn’t finish what I was gonna say—”

“Do you want me to start sleeping next to you? I really don’t mind! You don’t have to be embarrassed about it either! I’d leap at any chance to get closer to you.”

Jungwon rested a hand on your shoulder which caused you to flinch away from him, clinging to the farther end of the tub. A bit of water splashed from your movements, wetting his clothes and the floor. He scoffed at your behavior, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Do you have any idea how it makes me feel when you jump at my mere touch? Like I’m some fucking monster?”

You stared back at him, chest heaving in regret.

He waited a few moments before getting up abruptly, leaning over the tub and pulling your soaking wet body out.

“Jungwo—” your words were cut short as he forcefully pinned you to the cold ground, your wet hair sprawled all over your frightened features. He ignored the puddles of water that you left on the floor, maintaining his grip on you by caging you between his legs.

Flashbacks resurfaced in the back of your mind. Or maybe this was all just a terrible sense of déjà vu. You wrestled beneath him, knowing good and well that your strength stood feeble against his. Still, it felt better to retaliate than to give in.

“Let go of me, Jungwon,” you fought, earning yourself a slap to the face.

“I’m only gonna give you few seconds to calm me down before I fuck the shit out of you on this bathroom floor.”

You winced at his words at if they cut you physically, still holding in the tears that wanted to spill from the slap.

You tried swallowing the fear that meddled at your core, knowing that when to it came to Jungwon, choosing silence was synonymous with suicide. Suddenly, your fright was replaced with a familiar rage.

“How am I supposed to tell you anything when you’re always seconds away from snapping on me?!” Your voice cracked.

He blinked at your words, “What did you just say?”

“I can’t sleep at night because of you, Jungwon! Why would I be afraid of the dark when what’s hiding in it is way fucking worse,” you swore, not being able to maintain the polite tone you usually spoke with.

He leaned back from your body, confused eyes wondering all over before something clicked in his mind: “You can’t force me to love you. Not like this.”

Immediately, he reached for the large towel that hung over the bathroom sink, draping the material over your shoulders as an attempt to cover you.

The bathroom by now was a dripping mess that he’d have to take care of later, but for now, his focus was on you.

He forced you to sit up, meeting him eye to eye on the damp tiles. He thought about the way you flinched at his touch. The way you tried covering yourself when facing him. The way your lip quivered before you could push out any words.

I am a monster, he thought to himself.

Tears grew in his eyes that mirrored your own red ones. His previously hostile hands rested sweetly in his lap, cautious not to touch you again. His shoulders rose and fell as he tried to calm his sobs, while all you did was sit uncomfortably and watch.

“Unless you plan on apologizing, I’d rather you quit your crying already,” you spat resentfully.

He looked at you with a frown, “Don’t talk to me like that.”

You shook your head at him, “And why not? Huh? Why not, Jungwon? When you can call me anything from your lover to a bitch and still expect me to believe it’s a matter of kindness!”

“____—”

“When every moment we share has to feel like I’m walking on the very egg shells of your erratic emotions!”

“I have to be this way for us—”

“When you threaten to rape me and get upset once I’m disgusted by you—”

Jungwon knocked over the bottles of shampoo that sat on his bathroom shelf, wailing at your words like a baby. Your body tensed at the chaos, ears ringing from the sudden noise. “Fuck, I’m sorry, ____,” he whined in between his frustration, “I am so… fucking… sorry.”

He didn’t bother wiping the tears that fell from his face, as they were gonna keep coming anyways.

“Sorry’s not good enough, Jungwon,” you sniffled, face still burning with emotion.

“Then I promise I’ll never hurt you in that way again. I swear to God, ____, I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to,” he pleaded, his nose and cheeks turning a soft shade of red.

He met you on the ground again, fingers fidgeting as if desperate to touch you again.

“Please say something, love.”

You sighed, “What is there to say, Wonnie?”

He sniffled at your words, hanging his head low with shame, “Fuck, ____, can you let me hug you at least? Can you hold me?”

You froze at his request. It was odd hearing Jungwon of all people ask for your consent, seeking comfort from the very person he constantly took it away from. He looked as if he would crumble if you told him no, so you gave in with a nod, allowing him to fall into your arms.

You ran a hand over his back as you tried soothing his nerves, feeling his hands desperately cling to your naked body as if he were the victim here. It never failed to shock you how his emotions could switch up, going from soft, sinister, to sullen in just a few seconds.

Cradling him granted you a satisfying sense of dominance, finally making him feel shame for the way he treated you, even though it’d only last for the moment.

“You can stop crying now, Jungwon. I’ve already forgiven you.”

That night, you and Jungwon slept in the same bed together, which was a first for the both of you, yet thankfully not as awkward as you thought it’d be. When you woke up, he was sitting at the edge of the bed, holding a steaming cup.

“What’s that?” You asked as the scent of foreign herbs hit your nose.

“I didn’t mean to leave you, but this tea couldn’t wait. It’s a mix of medicinal plants from my garden. It should help you sleep better,” he smiled, scooting closer to you on the bed.

“Drink up!”

“B-but it’s still morning, I can just drink it tonight.”

“It’s not fast acting, ____. You’ll need to drink it a few hours ahead of time in order for it to work,” he said, bringing the porcelain cup to your lips for you to sip.

“There are a few things I need to teach you so you won’t need me as much when I’m away. Besides, I could really use your help around the garden. How’s that sound?” You swallowed, “Don’t you have work today?”

“I got off early, love. I’ll be back with a change of clothes for you and we’ll meet outside,” he smiled again, biting back the urge to kiss you before walking out of the room.

After taking care of your hygiene, you got dressed in the oversized flannel and joggers he gave you, meeting Jungwon outside in the sunny field.

“It’s not morning anymore, is it?” You asked shyly, earning a fit of giggles from him.

“Yeah, no. I was honestly surprised when I came back and you were still sleeping.”

You took in the scenery of green grass and daunting forest frees before he placed a hand at the small of your back, guiding you a few feet further in the pasture. “D'you see that,” he pointed at the sky, sun rays glistening against his honey brown eyes that were still slightly swollen from the night before. “It’s around 6pm. Whenever the sun falls in between the top of that hill and the tallest tree to its left, you’ll know that I’m on my way back from work… or that it’s almost time for dinner,” he chuckled.

You hesitantly reached for his arm to examine the wristwatch he wore, reading the time that read 6:02pm. You always heard about people being able to tell the time from the sky, but you never actually believed it untll now.

“You never told me what you do for work?”

He sighed playfully in response, “So many questions, my love, but the answers will have to wait.”

Your eyes wandered off again before landing on a secluded green house with sage-stained glass trimming the domed ceiling.

“I have just one more question, Jungwon.”

“Mhm, and what’s the catch?”

“That if you answer honestly, I promise not to ask you anything else for the rest of this week.”

“Aww, what a stingy time frame,” he pouted, trying to hold back a smile, “what must you know, love?”

“That green place over there,” you said, pointing in its direction, “I wanna know what that is. If you don't mind sharing...”

You could see Jungwon swallow deeply at your question, placing his hands on his hips before slowly pacing back and forth.

“You promise you won’t ask me anything else if I tell you this,” he asked, meeting your eyes with his own nervous ones.

“Yes, Jungwon, I promise.”

He took a deep breath before speaking, “I’ll start with saying that it’s forbidden. Though, it’s where I keep the more…precious of my belongings. And exotic plants, too, like the ones I put in your tea.”

“Why is it forbidden—”

“Nuh-uh, no more questions, love," he interrupted, taking your hand in his before heading back to the cabin. "I'll take you to the kitchen where I keep my first aid supplies. It'll come in handy if you ever injure yourself while I'm gone."

You were still feeling relatively sleepy after just getting up, but you knew it'd benefit you later if you payed attention to his teachings.

"I know how to use a band-aid, Jungwon," you joked, skipping behind him with lazy steps.

“Well, in that case, we can skip this lesson," he said, letting go of your hand before rushing inside. Only a few seconds passed before he ran back out with a shotgun in his hand.

"I'm sure you'll want a tutorial for this one."

☆ Special thanks to @guessm0del for requesting a continuation of this piece! I'm honestly not too proud of this one, but hey, I tried! Hopefully it’ll come together better if y’all want a part 3...

☆ taglist: @fanficfactoryfoxxx @ashgonedash @yourmomscuntis2tighy @03sunoos @kaykay11sworld @gigiramirezsblog @hoonsyo @en-thralled  @night-en-shining-armor @cutiejseong @j-wyoung @rickysblkgf @bambangan @wonbyf @4imhry @zhangyi-johee @naddii  @valhrts @lisaaannna @lovelycassy @addictedtohobi @gardenwons @nikipedia07@tubatusoobs @03sunoos @clarisabutterfliescupcake @yevene @heecries @rosiemiayyxy @jungwonieee @edgykoo @luvmlkw @idkhoomanmaybe @sunsinmyskies

#enhypen #enhypen ff #jungwon x reader #yang jungwon #jungwon ff #yandere jungwon #yandere enhypen #enhypen angst #jungwon angst #jungwon suggestive #yandere enha #enha scenarios #enha x reader #dark kpop #enhypen layouts #jungwon

[whohasthecards]

Hangman meets this Nick-Goose guy at the bar (not a joke)

Jake rested his chin on his cue stick as he stared curiously at the pair at the bar.

The famous Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson and some skinny blonde guy were hanging around. He never knew that the Admiral could smile. Sure, the guy was fair and respected all around the base, but he was stoic. He shrugged and went back to his game. 

By the time he sunk the 8-ball in, he looked up and the Admiral was gone. He handed the cue stick  to the next guy about to play and went up to the bar, knocking on the counter.

“Ma’am, a cold beer, please,” He said flashing Penny a smile, she rolled his eyes and handed him his drink.

“Stop calling me, ma’am, I’m not your commanding officer, Lieutenant,” Penny grouched before smiling.

“Aye aye, Captain,” Jake said flashing a wink and Penny rolled her eyes in response.

“Damn, Pen, not checking IDs, you’re getting sloppy or soft,” The mystery man said and Jake turned to get a better look at him.

He blinked before realizing that Roo-Roo Bradshaw was somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and a good 30 years younger than the man.

“Shut up, Nick, he’s a grown aviator,” Penny sniped back, hitting the man with a towel as he batted it away.

“Damn straight,” Jake said, taking a sip of his beer.

“Ahhh, so you are getting soft, you’ve always been soft around aviators,” Nick said, giving Jake a wink.

Penny blushed and gave Nick another hit with a towel before another customer called her away.

“Piss her off enough and you’ll get thrown overboard, even if I gotta do it alone,” Hangman said, flashing Nick a sharp grin.

Nick gave a low whistle, “Damn, son, no wonder she’s soft on ya, you probably remind her of me and the boys back in the day.”

Jake frowned at that.

“Nevermind that, I’m Nick or Goose, choose what you want,” Nick, Goose, said, reaching out his hand to shake.

“Jake,” He replied, shaking his hand, looking the guy up and down, seeing the grey on his temples. “You used to be an aviator?”

“Old men, can’t be on active duty?”

“The Navy would be too busy worrying about paying for your back pain.”

Goose honked out a laugh that made his callsign make sense.

“I was a backseater, RIO, then after I left I became a civilian flight instructor,” Goose said. “Single-seater?”

“Yep,” Jake said, finally deciding to sit down beside the older man. “Lucky guess?”

It was Jake’s turn to be scrutinized as he was looked up and down, “Nah, I just know the type, do you prefer Jake or Hangman?”

Jake’s lip twitched down before he settled on a blank mask. He used to have no shame regarding his callsign, so who gives a shit if he misspelled a couple words here and there. Until.

“All you do is leave good men hanging! Goddamn executioner of your own squad!”

“Hangman! Smoke in the ai-”

“Lieutenant Jacob “Hangman” Seresin, you did everything you could, dismissed.”

He took a deep breath that was more shaky than he’ll ever admit, “Jake’s good,” he said, flashing a smirk as he took another sip of his drink.

The older man’s eyes softened and he gave Jake a small smile.

“How about you?” Jake asked, realizing it was polite to reciprocate the question.

“Eh, either is fine, they’re both the same to me,” Nick said, shrugging. 

“Doesn’t Goose remind you of the thrill of being in a jet?” Jake asked, swirling his beer bottle around. 

“Nah, reminds me more of hanging around the boys,” Nick replied. “Still see them, but it ain’t the same as it used to be. Plus, I think I’ve had enough excitement for this life,” Nick said chuckling, leaning back and both men wincing as they heard his spine crack.

“You’re showing your age, old man,” Jake muttered, looking at him worriedly, wondering if he was about to keel over. “You hangin’ in there, gramps?”

Nick chuckled, “Not that old, brat, I have a son your age. He’s 27.”

“How old do you think I am?” 

“Hmmm, 21?”

Jake squawked in offense, “You’re actin’ like this my second time drinkin’ or somethin’!”

Nick raised a brow at him, “Is it not?”

Jake glared at him and all Goose saw was the same pout on his son’s face when he withheld the cookies from him.

“ ‘M 23,” Jake muttered.

“See? Not that far off, no need to get your feathers all ruffled, birdy,” Nick said, honking out a laugh.

Jake grumbled, but Goose could see the smile behind the sip of the beer bottle.

—

“Mav, did the Navy bio-engineer you and Ice’s DNA to create a son we don’t know about?” 

Mav paused, looking at his phone to check if this was Goose he was talking to. “Not that I know off,” he said slowly. “Why?”

“Kid, tall, blond hair, green eyes, naval aviator, technical flying style with some of your style, has your social skills too,” Goose added the last part thoughtfully. 

“Is that a compliment to the kid or an insult?”

“....Anyways, you made sure you don’t have some kid we don’t know about, right? Because if you gave me a nephew and didn’t make me his godfather I will ground you, no jets for a month.”

“Let me check with Ice.”

—

“Hello my sweet-precious-baby-mini-me,” Goose crowed to the phone as his son groaned on the other line.

“Dad, I am taller and bigger than you.”

“You still get your good looks from me, honey, how’s the deployment going?”

“The other pilots are shitheads, the amount of ego here is astounding.”

“Naval aviators,” Goose said, shrugging before realizing his son can’t see that. “There’s never a shortage of ego, say these pilots are younger than you?”

“Some of them are, some of them are older,” Bradley said slowly, wondering where this conversation was going.

“Good, you’ll have enough practice then.”

“Practice!? Practice for what!? Dad?”

“All good things come to those who wait, Brad-Brad.”

—

Hey gramps, I’m being’ deployed to Top Gun, Hard Deck?

Sure, Jakey

—

Gramps flew with pops? Goose and Maverick ejected. Goose got an honorable discharge. Holy shit.

Bradshaw was Nick’s son?

Is that why he was angry?

—

Hangman was face to face with Bradshaw, anger coursing through his veins. Doesn’t he understand? If they couldn’t fly like Maverick, they would all end up dead. Dead. 

Is he angry because of hop 31? Pissed on behalf of his Dad? But, Nick wasn’t angry at Pete, right?

You can find out.

“Come on, take a walk with me, son.”

No. Nick doesn’t deserve that.

“You have a family Bradshaw,” Jake said slowly, watching as Bradshaw’s hackles raised up even higher.

“Yeah, kid is simultaneously too hesitant and reckless at the same time, and I thought my wingman is the reason I’m gray…”

“You’re almost 60 gramps, that’s the reason why you’re gray.”

“Don’t let them lose you because you can’t think straight. Feelings ain’t matter here, not if you want to live,” Jake gritted out, shoulder checking the other man as he left the room.

—

They’re alive.

He saved them.

Thank fucking god because in all the hours he spent on stand-by in his jet, he still didn’t know what the fuck to say to Nick if he came back, but his brother and son didn’t.

A selfish part of him wondered if Nick would still care if they both died.

Probably not. Thank god he wasn’t a complete fuck up.

—

The celebration died down and he was walking back from his long-ass debrief. Getting reamed for launching without orders.

He felt his phone ping with a text.

Come over for dinner when you’re onshore.

Jake gave a small smile at that as he sent back a reply.

—

“Hangman! Hangman! Lieutenant Seresin! Jake!” 

It was the inverted version of Mav calling out for Rooster during that first day in the tarmac. Except Jake was already turning around once Mav said Lieutenant.

“Jesus, Mav, calm down, I hear ya, I ain’t goin’ anywhere yet, pops,” Jake said, raising his hands up as he flicked his toothpick to the side of his mouth. “Don’t stretch your legs too far tryin’ to keep up with me,'' Jake said, smirking.

Mav rolled his eyes upwards as he put his hands on his hips, as if asking god for patience. Heh. 

“I wasn’t able to talk to you one-on-one after the mission, kid, how are you?” Mav said, eyes softening as he looked at Jake up and down.

Jake felt self-conscious, as he straightened up instinctively, which was dumb because surely Mav wouldn’t notice that he was eating less. That he felt more tired each day. That he doesn’t know what kind of man he is.

“I’m fine, Mav, just thinking,” is all Jake could say.

“Don’t think too hard, kid, you might hurt yourself,” Mav said, giving Jake a smile, but there’s a glint in his eye that told him he meant it.

Mav’s an ace.

“Do you think about it, often?” Jake blurted out.

Mav furrowed his brow, “Think about what?”

Killing people.

No, not now.

“Nothing, nothing, sorry, pops, long day, just thinkin’ about how much the big bosses lectures on and on and on,” Hangman said, cringing at the babbling he just did.

Mav frowned, looking unconvinced, but gave a grin when command’s lectures were brought up, “I just learned to tune it out and forget. After you hear the first one, it all sounds the same, anyways.”

Jake barked a laugh at that, “You’re a menace, Mav.”

Mav grinned at Jake’s laugh, shoulders relaxing as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

“Anyways, I’m here to ask if you’re free tonight? My family and I are having dinner together and I want you to join in,” Mav said. “Some of the other Daggers will be there.”

He felt a pang of regret when he realized he’d have to decline, and it must have shown on his face, when Mav gave an understanding smile.

“Have plans, already, huh?”

“Yeah, a,” grandpa, family, mentor, father-figure-, “friend invited me for dinner, I haven’t seen him in a while, and yeah. I wanna hang out with ya pops and the squad, cross my heart, it’s just that I already got plans, and-”

Mav cut him off with a chuckle, “I get it, kid, don’t work yourself up, there will always be next time. Just promise me I won’t have to bail you out of jail tonight and you have fun.”

Jail with Nick? What a joke.

“Aye, Aye, Captain!” Jake said, giving Mav a salute, smirking as Mav shooed him away.

“Yeah, yeah, go on, brat, don’t cause trouble, you hear me!?”

“As if you can talk.”

—

Jake took a deep breath as he turned off the ignition of his truck, grabbing the beers he brought. He ain’t gonna come to a dinner empty handed, and Nick was more of a beer guy, rather than a wine guy.

He went up to the door and knocked.

“Hangman?”

“Mav?” Jake said, blinking his eyes in shock.

“Jakey! You made it, kiddo,” Nick greeted warmly, gently pushing Mav away to envelop Jake in a tight hug. Jake closed his eyes and leaned in, burying his eyes on the older man’s shoulder, trying to reciprocate the hug despite his hands being full.

“Here, let me take that from you, buddy, and you two can catch up for a little bit,” Mav said when Jake pulled away from the hug, taking the beer from his hands.

“It’s okay, pops–”

“How come Mav gets pops, but you call me gramps?” Nick said, pouting as he slung an arm around Jake’s shoulder.

“Because,” Jake said dumbly, still a bit shock at seeing Mav.

“Ahh forgot to tell ya I invited my former wingman, Mav and of course you’ve heard of my son, Brad-Brad,” Nick said leading Jake to the kitchen. “Some other guys will be coming, later, some of them are part of Mav’s squad.”

“We’re well-acquainted Goose, heck, the kid even told me he couldn’t come to hangout with us because he had plans with a friend,” Mav said grinning at the two of them.

“Awwww, so you do see me as a friend, huh, Jakey?” Goose cooed, ruffling Jake’s hair as Jake pushed him away.

“I didn’t know you were invitin’ me to the thing I was already invited to!” Jake protested, blushing.

“Hey Dad, where’s the— holy shit, Hangman, you came?” Bradshaw Jr. said, walking into the kitchen. “Mav said you said no, did something happen?” Rooster asked, furrowing his brow.

Jake finally had a side by side view of the two Bradshaw’s. Definitely related. Should have figured that out years ago. 

“Ohhh good that you’re here Brad, here’s the baby brother I promised you years ago,” Nick said, steering Jake by the shoulders to push him towards Bradley. “You’ll love him, play nice, okay?”

“That is a pain in my ass, grown-ass man,” Bradley said, blinking slowly as if he couldn’t understand what was happening. “How the hell did you two even meet?”

“Oh, I found him in a bar acting like a mixture of Mav and Ice and I just gotta keep him,” Nick said casually.

“Baby brother-?”

“Congratulations, you’re adopted, kid,” Mav said, taking a sip of his beer. “Wait til Ice sees you.”

“Ice?”

“Iceman,” Nick said. “Tom-Tom, Tommy, Tomcat, you will probably be calling him gramps.”

“I am not calling the COMPACFLT, gramps,” Jake said, jaw-dropping.

“No, you will be calling my brother, gramps, Jakey, plus they already expect it, they have heard many stories about you.”

“You talk about me to the Iceman!?” Jake said, his pitch rising an octave.

“And me, and everyone else, I was wondering why I haven’t heard about this aviator kid Goose here was talking about, started thinking he adopted an air force kid or something,” Mav said grinning. “He only really called you Jakey.”

“Or Jake-Jake, Jay, Baby J –” Bradley started, smirking at a flushing Jake.

“THAT’s enough,” Jake said, pushing at Bradley to cut him off, but Bradley just laughed.

“Boys enough. Bradley, stop teasing your brother. Jakey, no pushing,” Goose said wagging a finger at them.

“Yeah, yeah, dad,” Bradley said, rolling his eyes.

“Also, we need to make a custody contract, Goose, I want partial custody of these two,” Mav said looking way too serious as he pulled out a pen and a piece of paper.

“We need to wait for the other boys to show up first, I have a feeling Cyclone or Iceman would be calling dibs,” Goose said grinning.

“What?” Jake said, confused.

“It means, you’re stuck with us now, Jake-Jake,” Bradley said, ruffling the blond’s hair.

—

“You named your kid, Bradley Bradshaw?”

“I wanted a little Brad-Brad.”

#fanfic #top gun maverick #top gun #top gun fandom #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #pete maverick mitchell #mavdad #tom iceman kazansky #bradley rooster bradshaw #nick goose bradshaw #parental nick goose bradshaw #cyclone and ice and the other flyboys are dads here too #i just like the thought of Jake being adopted and be given love #bradley is gonna be a big brother in this one #jake hangman seresin needs a hug

[addthespaghetti]

She’s Mine

i’m not even going to lie, i listened to so much pierce the veil while writing this. so the ending is based of off a match into water because i can.

warnings: drinking, sexual reference, angst, fluff, and violence

1800+ words

You love your job. You do. Saving people, working together closely with people you consider family, and most of all, it led you to meet the love of your life, Emily Prentiss.

When you met Emily, it was like your life finally made sense. You worked hard to get into the BAU, ignoring your social life and, most importantly, your love life. You felt like you had no other purpose than getting into the BAU.

You thought you would feel fulfilled, finally getting the job of your dreams. Once you got that call that you got the job, you had the feeling of etterath. You got the job you gave up your entire life for, but now you have no one, no friends, no family, and no one to celebrate your accomplishment with.

The day you started at the BAU, you were excited for the first time in years, but you still couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness.

You felt it the entire time it took you to get ready, aware of it as you drove to the FBI building in Quantico and on the elevator ride up to the BAU.

While opening the big glass doors to enter the bullpen, you heard a woman laugh, a laugh you were immediately captivated by. You looked to find a source of that laughter, and that's when you saw her sitting at her desk, laughing at something someone said. Usually, you would be interested in what she was laughing about, but you couldn't focus on anything but her beautiful smile and gorgeous dark brown hair.

After that day, your crush on Emily grew, but you could never figure out if she had feelings for you back.

Until one girls' night, Penelope wanted to go to a bar that had just opened because she had heard they have good drinks. So you and the girls stayed out late, drinking away the stress from the last case.

You woke up the next morning naked in a strange bed, confused by what you did. You weren't the type of person to have random hookups. When you finally decided to look at the woman's bed you were in, you were shocked to see your coworker, Emily Prentiss. You weren't surprised that you hooked up with Emily. You would have done that if she asked. You were more shocked that she hooked up with you.

Fast forward six months later, and you and Emily have been dating for five months. You could not be happier, and neither could Emily.

Just because you love your job doesn't mean you don't have moments where you hate it. Like right now, you are in Emily's lap, making out with her when your phone rang.

"Fuck!" you groan as you get out of her lap to grab your phone.

Emily, stretching out her arms, trying to pull you back onto her lap, she states in an irritated tone, "Just let it ring. If it is so important, they will call back."

You look at Emily, debating your options. You really wanted to continue to make out with Emily, but you know that is probably Penelope calling about a case.

"Emily, we can't. You and I both know that call is Penelope with a case." You look at Emily with an apologetic look as you pick up the phone.

Emily sighs, "I know, but you look so good right now."

You duck your head, trying to hide your blushing face from Emily as you answer the call from Penelope.

"Yes, Penny?" You speak in a calm tone.

In a very energetic and fast tone, Penelope tells you, "Case we have a very yucky awful case."

"I figured, oh, and Penelope?" You ask.

"Yes, my favorite fruity friend?" She asks in the same energetic tone.

You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose, "Garcia, how much coffee have you had today?"

"Technically, I only had one," Penelope said while shaking from the caffeine.

You look at Emily with an exasperated look on your face. You weren't trying to get annoyed at Penelope, but her fake math concerned you with how unhealthy it is most of the time.

Emily stood up and grabbed the phone from your hand, "Garcia, we are on our way, and when we get to Quantico, I am taking away your caffeine and switching you to decaf."

"WAIT WHAT, ARE YOU DOING WI-" Garcia yells into the phone before Emily hangs up.

You stand there surprised at what Emily did before she looks at you, "What? You better start getting ready. We don't want to be late." She tells you with a smirk on her face.

"That was hot," you fake cough, "We might be sick and need to stay home from this case." You try to grab your girlfriend, but she walks away to get ready.

You groan and decide to get ready. Grabbing your phone, you connect it to your speaker and start to play music.

You and Emily get ready quickly with only minimal distractions. You couldn't stop teasing each other, but luckily, you learned to get dressed fast during high school.

The car ride to the BAU was filled with lengthy touches and quick kisses. Emily wouldn't let go of your thigh while she was driving. She almost caused an accident because of it.

After getting to the FBI building, you and Emily walked in together, talking about random stuff while riding to the sixth floor.

As soon as you both walk into the round table room, you and your girlfriend are immediately questioned by Hotch, "You late. Where were you?"

You look over at Emily, having no idea what to say. You and Emily decided not to tell the team you were dating yet, but that can cause issues like now.

"We went out last night, and she stayed at my apartment. When we got the call from Penelope, I had to drive her to her apartment so she could grab her go bag and get ready." Emily quickly responded to Hotch.

"That is fine. Just don't let that happen again." Hotch said in his usual serious tone.

You do not know where your girlfriend got her lying skills, but you were lucky she had them because Hotch believed her. You and Emily quickly sat down in a seat to not get reprimanded by Hotch.

After Penelope explained the case, everyone went to the bullpen to grab their things, striking up a casual conversation here and there.

Thirty minutes later, the whole team, minus Penelope, was on their way to the sunny state of Florida.

This case was crazy and took many unexpected turns, but you shouldn't have expected any less from a Florida case. Still, you were surprised when what was supposed to be a routine talk with a witness ended with you getting stabbed. You were also left with a sizable scar on your chest as a result of that.

On the way back to Quantico, the jet was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

You sat in the back of the plane alone, with your headphones in, listening to your favorite songs, trying to stay awake. You haven't been able to sleep without having a nightmare since your attack, and you are worried you will have one on the jet if you fall asleep.

What you don't notice is your girlfriend staring at you from across the jet, worried about how you are coping with your attack.

Rossi moves across from Emily, "You know, just staring at her is not going to magically make her better, kid."

"I know, I just don't know what to do. I wish I could take all of the pain away she is feeling," Emily says, looking at the older man.

"You love her," Rossi says more as a statement than a question.

Before Emily could squeak out a defense, Rossi quickly spoke, "Emily, I'm not going to judge you, but you know she has been through a lot now and in her past. You need to be there for her, be the shoulder for her to cry on. Make sure you remind her how much you love her. You cannot take away her pain, but you can help her cope and learn to grow."

Emily looked over at you before she spoke again, "I will. Thank you, Dave."

"It's no problem, kid. You learn a thing or two after three marriages," He jokes.

Emily grins at his joke while turning to look at you again. This time, you notice her and give her a weak smile. She smiles back at you. She looks at your tired features that highlight your lack of sleep and feels a sense of worry wash over her.

After the jet lands, Hotch lets everyone go home early. Before you could leave, Derek invited everyone out to grab some drinks. You didn't want to say no because everyone said they were coming, and you felt bad being the only one not going.

So now you sit at the bar alone. Drinking when you definitely shouldn't because of the medication you are on. All because Hotch and JJ left early for their kids, Rossi and Spencer left because it was past their bedtime, and everyone else is dancing.

When Emily finally comes to the table and sees you not having a good time, she decides to call a cab and take you home.

It took her a while to get you to her apartment because of how drunk you were, but as soon as she opened the door, you immediately walked to the couch to sleep. Since Emily is an incredible girlfriend, she got you up and dragged you to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

After she washed your face and brushed your teeth because you could barely walk, she went to unbutton your shirt to change your bandages, but you immediately stopped her.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Emily asks, concern in her voice.

The alcohol in your system was making you honest, "I'm ugly. The scar ruined my body," you said with tears rolling down your cheek.

"You are not ugly. You are as gorgeous as ever," Emily reassures you.

"But-" before you can finish your sentence, Emily kisses you to stop your self-deprecating.

Emily breaks apart your kiss and speaks against your lips, "You are the most beautiful person I have ever met, and no scar will ever make me feel different."

"Change my bandages, Emily," you look at Emily with tears and love in your eyes.

Emily unbuttons your shirt slowly and takes it off your shoulders. She slowly peels off your bandages and grabs the supplies to clean the wounded area. After she disinfects the scar, she leans down and kisses the mark.

Emily looks up at you, "Your so beautiful, and I never want to lose you. You are my best friend."

"I love you too," you say with tears rolling down your cheek again.

That night, you fall asleep in Emily's arms without one nightmare in sight.

#emily prentiss #emily prentiss x reader #paget brewster #criminal minds #self insert #no y/n #angst #fluff

[elf-kid2]

Modern Witchers

So this contractor drives into this tiny town, way out in the sticks, in the kind of beat-up white van used by many tradesman, and allegedly favored by murderous kidnappers.

He's got white hair that you're not sure is bleached or not, strange eyes short manners. Maybe (probably) he kinda gives you the creeps. White van, stranger-danger, big guy with muscles, and all. Bad vibes.

But you've got a problem, no denying: there's SOMETHING in those woods that doesn't belong there, and recently, when the local boys went to DO something about it... that SOMETHING went from killing livestock, to killing people to. And you know, once those types of creatures get a taste for human blood... best to deal with it sooner, rather than later. Hence, the out-of-town contractor.

Witchers specialize in hunting monsters, after all.

Better to put together a fundraiser to pay the (frankly, outrageous) fees now, then to have to pay all that later, plus the surcharge for beasts that've killed multiple people, plus pulling together the funds for more funerals.

A stitch in time save nine, as the saying goes.

He's got a musician hitchhiking with him, which you weren't expecting. Some hapless hitchhiker with a dufflebag over his shoulder, and a guitar on his back, who got lost on the way to Vegas, or Nashville, or wherever it is starry-eyed musicians go to Make It Big, these days.

Auntie said that any hitchhiker with sense'd be better off walking down a lonely road, instead of getting into a van like that, driven by a man like that. But I guess it takes all kinds of kinds, and that musician hadn't been murdered yet, so make of that what you will.

Anyhow, the musician started busking in the farmer's market-- some decent covers, a few original songs, and some kind of surprisingly catchy jingle for the contractor who'd given him a lift into town. It was pretty good; live music is always a treat when you can get it, and it'd been a while since the last Bluegrass Festival.

He knew how to charm people, work the crowd, how to ask for "donations to the fine arts" without being irritating about it. People dropped cash, and pennies, and quarters, into his open guitar case, at any rate.

I reckon he scraped together at least enough for lunch, form himself'n his friend. Witchers are surly and stingy as anything, y'know, so I wondered why he wasn't covering the meal, with how much he'd charged for slaying the monster...

...But I overheard mention of how he'd had to get that van fixed up at Joe's Auto-Mechanics, over by the old factory in the valley-- and everyone knows that Joe's Auto'll charge three times what the repairs are worth, with parts that cost ten times as much as they oughtta. Lord knows, those scammers'd be out of business, if there were any better options within 50 miles of their shop!

And that is why if you think your truck's getting ready to break down, you should try an' make sure it breaks down closer to home. And also why I figure it makes sense that even a Witcher'd be short on cash, after dealing with 'em.

Anyway, the Witcher spoke with the Sheriff, and he went out monster-hunting that night.

Meanwhile, that hitchhiking musician was playing at the local bar, and let me tell you-- he was pretty damn good! Played a few drinking-songs, and the kind of songs you can't play in front of the kiddos at Farmer's Market, played some catchy tunes that had people dancing and clapping along...!

I particularly enjoyed the murder-ballad about the woman who turned into a vengeful fire-monster when she found out her man was messing around with other women. Very clever wordplay, "flames of desire lighting up your funeral pyre!" Good stuff.

Then the Witcher came in-- fresh from the contract, and half-covered in mud and blood! Barkeep wouldn't even let him sit down until he'd hosed off the worst of it, out back!

Musician-- Jaskier, he called himself-- raised a toast to a successful hunt, and another to monster-hunters who let loving families sleep safely, and rowdy drunks stumble home un-eaten, and soon enough somebody was buying that Witcher a drink, and the barkeep gave him a plate of food on the house, and it was good times all around!

Beats toasting newly-dead friends, and drinking to forget the monsters at the door, any day.

The thing is, this is a small town. Not a lot of people come visit, and if they do, they're generally staying with family. Which is to say, there aren't any motels around here.

Now, that contractor, that Witcher, he'd asked around, beforehand, about what was available, in terms of overnight accomodations-- which, let's be honest, isn't much around here. Come morning, I saw that beat-up van parked outside the Rosebud Bed & Breakfast.

Now Rosebud's is a nice place, a respectable establishment, but we all know they've had some trouble since that big storm last month, when a tree smashed through the roof! Las I checked, that Bed & Breakfast only had the one bed fit for guests to sleep in!

Might've been a rather one-sided bidding war, or a tight fit, with two out-of-towners vying for a roof overhead, that night. But that's none of my business.

Jaskier the musician left town with the Witcher-- Geralt Rivera, I think the name was-- same as he came in. Well, makes sense that he wouldn't want to stay long enough to put down roots, a young musician on a mission to see the world and/or become rich and famous.

The Witcher, Geralt, did good work with the monster, too. I guess that's why they're the experts... Some folks are talking about having what's left of the beasty taxidermy'd, did you know? Might make a decent tourist attraction, or a decoration for Town Hall, or something. I don't know.

Anyway, all that's to say... don't let anybody tell you there's not still a need for Witchers, in the modern day.

#witcher #geralt #jaskier #geraskier

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Here's a silly idea if you wanna try it, no pressure!

How do you think the bachelor's/bachelorette's world react to the Farmer casually mentioning a blue man who leaves notes for them around town as challenges who also keeps cameras around town to watch them?

They do not elaborate, the Farmer just moves on like they talked about the birds lmaooo

Oh, man. I found the idea itself so funny that inspiration immediately kicked my ass 🤣 There's already been more than one mention for Qi and about his weird obsession with Farmer, strange quests and, God forgive me, about "snake milk"... Sheesh 😅

Thank you so much for the ask! ☺️ (hope I translated this correctly. Or feel free to ask again!)

SDV bachelors/ettes react to Farmer, who casually mentioned Mr. Qi:

_________________________________________

"You gotta drink less so you don't see shit." It's unusual to hear Shane say that, but even he doesn't remember drinking so much that he saw some hallucinations like "blue men". He'd let Farmer's words pass his ears and now was beginning to wonder if he should let his dear niece near that weirdo. Challenges, cameras everywhere... yeah sure.

The doctor's instincts hit right away and Harvey will run after Farmer to see if they have a fever. Cameras in the whole Stardew Valley? Dangerous quests in Calico Dessert? Sorry Farmer, but Harvey won't believe it and will insist they go to the clinic for a check up, or at least rest at home. You can’t ignore rest, you know, because it affects both physical and mental health...

"So I'm not the only one who noticed it." Wait, what? How does Sebastian know? "Found a weird note with your name on it when I was in the mines." Hold on, what was a local emo doing in the mines? And why is his arm in bandages? "Hm, let't change the subject, we were talking about blue stranger, weren't we?" Wait a minute, Seb!

Alex probably won't even listen to what the Farmer is saying. "Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say, weirdo." The athlete may not be a genius, but even he can realize that there's no benefit to anyone putting cameras in Pelican Town for, like, what? Fun or whatever? To keep tabs on Farmer? That's stupid. Don't be stupid, Farmer.

"Wait, seriously? Yo, no kidding." With a lifestyle like Farmer's, Sam immediately believed in their words even without the details. However, the interest and desire to organize a quest with his friends to find the "secrets of the Valley" quickly faded away as the skateboarder's stomach rumbled. He would just forget the whole thing later.

Honestly, Elliott is completely confused. How should he react to what his friend Farmer has just said? The writer thinks it's complete nonsense, but because of his manners and his unwillingness to be confrontational or rude, Elliott will simply try to change the subject.

"Absurd", Abigail thought, but somehow the Farmer's words stuck in her mind. Considering that the purple-haired girl was just looking for an excuse to procrastinate duties, her ass began her own adventure of finding cameras. And she found one right away! And a strange note from someone named "Qi"! Wtf, hey Farmer, tell again about that weird blue dude!

"Ok, let's think: why would someone follow you around 24/7 and give you weird tasks?" For some reason, Maru was very much interested in Farmer's casually thrown words, trying to make sense of them. It's unclear, really, where this interest comes from, but maybe the young inventor wants to spend more time with Farmer. Even if the conversation is kinda strange.

Penny did her best to keep her smile from looking too forced. Wishing to remain polite and not to be rude, the red-haired teacher simply thanked Farmer for the conversation and went about her business, trying not to think too much about their words.

"The blue man? Oh, has Clint been drinking that Joja soda again?" No, Emily, that wasn't Clint, and he only turned blue once (and that was probably from worry, not from Joja cola). She would have forgotten about Farmer's words, but she also could swear that Sandy had once mentioned a similar person paying the rent in Oasis. Hmm, maybe Emily should ask again...

When Farmer told Haley about the strange blue man and other oddities, the blonde paused and wondered: if she should really have even listened to the words of a person who just a couple days ago had been rummaging through trash cans and eating raw seaweed? The answer was obvious, and Haley forgot about it as a misunderstanding.

Leah only shakes her head. "Whatever you say, Farmer." She doesn't want to be rude to them, but all this talk of cameras, dangerous quests, and a mysterious man hasn't impressed her one bit. If Farmer keeps this up - they'll always be considered a weirdo.

#stardew valley #sdv #thanks for the ask! #sdv sebastian #sdv harvey #sdv sam #sdv shane #sdv elliott #sdv alex #sdv penny #sdv emily #sdv haley #sdv abigail #sdv maru #sdv leah #sdv headcanons

[its-the-pilot]

Waves | 6 | Rooster x Reader

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Waves Masterlist | Masterlist |

This chapter is a little longer than I was expecting, I hope you enjoy it!

Summary: You and Bradley make a decision. (Mav's niece!reader)

Warnings: swearing, adult banter

Length: 3.4k words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Message or comment to join the taglist!

Chapter Six

The weeks that followed the kiss on your front porch proved to be hectic for both you and Bradley. Your schedules had become jam-packed with early mornings and late nights, leaving few opportunities for you to spend time together.

Fortunately, the whispers and stares that followed your outburst had died down and you felt comfortable spending a night out at the Hard Deck again, so you had made plans to meet there after work. That’s where you found yourself nursing a glass of wine and checking your phone every few minutes, hoping for a text from him.

Penny wiped down the bar as she prepared for the Friday night rush, casting a knowing glance your way. Her eyes took in the fitted navy blue dress you had worn to work that day and offered an appreciative nod. “You look cute tonight, honey,” she smiled. “How late is he?”

Looking up from your phone, you took another drink of your wine before answering. “Almost an hour. I texted him and he hasn't said anything yet, but I doubt he's still in the air, the others are here already.” You sighed, motioning toward the pool table not far from you, where the other aviators were hanging out. “I thought things were going so well, and I just… what if he changed his mind?”

Penny nodded in understanding and reached across the bar to take your hand, squeezing it gently. “You’re overreacting, hon. Men in uniform, especially aviators, have unpredictable schedules, you know that. There’s probably a perfectly good reason for why he’s late. Give him a chance to explain.”

You squeezed her hand back in silent thanks and smiled when you heard a familiar voice behind you. “Sorry to eavesdrop, but you’re looking for Bradshaw?” 

Turning your head, you found Jake standing there holding a pool cue. “Yeah… do you know where he is?”

“Probably still back at the hangar,” he offered, moving to sit on the stool next to yours. He had been half listening to your conversation with Penny since you sat down, curious to know more about the woman that had Rooster smiling lately. He'd tried getting it out of the man himself, but was unsuccessful. “Got stuck doing push ups after his flight.”

It was common knowledge among those who worked with the pilots in training that any screw-ups in the air led to some sort of correction on the ground. In recent years, that correction had taken the form of push ups numbering in the hundreds depending on the infraction. 

“What happened?” You asked,  shifting to fully face the blonde as Penny attended to other customers. Jake had come by your office for sessions a few times since your first encounter, and you were starting to build a rapport, seeing the real man behind the Hangman mask. 

He passed the pool cue he was holding to another aviator, his shrug conveying a sense of indifference. “He was just being Rooster.”

With an eye roll, you finished your wine and set the glass aside. Callsigns and how they were determined had always seemed silly to you and for the most part, you chose to ignore them. “I don't know what that means, and something tells me I don't want to.”

“He doesn't take any risks. Always waiting for the perfect moment,” he elaborated, resting his elbow on the counter. He was wearing his civilian clothes tonight, a pair of well fitted jeans with cowboy boots and a t-shirt that said Fly Navy on it, his sunglasses hanging from the collar. 

“So he’s cautious. Sounds like a good thing to me, especially if he’s looking out for his wingman.” You ordered another glass of wine for yourself and a beer for Jake when Penny passed by.

Jake thanked you for the beer, but shook his head at your statement. “He has to be able to take the shot, even if the conditions are less than ideal, and he doesn’t. At least he didn’t today.” He considered you for a moment, a mischievous grin pulling at his lips. “You ever fly one?”

“Only in training, but I go up a few times a month with different pilots for research.” Although you had earned your wings during your training, it was your least favorite part of the job, though undeniably necessary. 

His grin widened and he leaned in, his voice slightly raised to be heard over the music as the jukebox kicked on “Maybe I can take you up sometime, show you how it’s done.”

That was what Bradley saw when he walked into the bar, still wearing his flight suit, the top half tied around his waist exposing the black t-shirt he wore underneath. He hadn’t changed, wanting to get to the bar as soon as possible since he was over an hour late.

It didn’t take him much time at all to cross the bar, his eyes narrowing as he approached you and Jake, his emotions clearly running high. He couldn’t hide the pang of jealousy he felt when he saw you laughing at something the blonde had said. He called your name just before he reached you, wrapping his arm around you possessively and pressing his lips to yours when you looked up, your eyes wide with surprise. 

He felt your body tense under his fingers, the initial flicker of panic running through you before you realized it was him and he smoothed his hand over your back, a silent apology for startling you. 

Jake leaned back against his bar stool, taking a swig from his beer, a devilish smirk playing on his lips as he watched the scene in front of him. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the man of the hour. How’d those push-ups treat you, Rooster?”

When Bradley finally broke the kiss he looked over to the other aviator, his arm still wrapped around you. “No problem, Hangman. It was arm day anyway,” he quipped, motioning between you and Jake. “What’s goin’ on with you two? Having a good night?”

“Just offering Doc a flight, to show her how it’s supposed to go,” Jake replied, seeing the flush creeping up on Bradley’s cheeks as he continued to tease him. 

You found yourself caught in the middle, feeling like a toy they were fighting over. “Children…” Shaking your head, you turned to Jake with a polite smile. “I was just telling him it was unnecessary. I already have my flights for the month scheduled. Thank you for the offer though, Lieutenant. I’ll see you around.”

Hangman looked as if he had more to say, but he thought better of it, choosing to back down as you dismissed him. He stood and gave you a two-fingered salute before heading back to the pool tables, leaving you alone with Bradley. 

Once you were in private, you turned and smacked him in the chest, earning a grunt of surprise from him. “What the hell was that?” You hissed, your cheeks flush with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. His unexpected entrance was clearly fueled by jealousy over your conversation with Jake, and while you didn’t mind the kiss, you didn’t appreciate being treated like his possession.

Bradley moved to take a seat on the stool that had just been vacated, a look of confusion on his face. “Hangman is only out for himself, Dimples. You gotta be careful around him.”

You scoffed, shaking your head. “You have got to be kidding me, Bradley. We were just talking. He came over to tell me where you were, since you couldn’t be bothered to do so yourself.” Feeling Jake’s eyes on the two of you from his spot near the pool tables, you decided to defuse the situation by taking Bradley’s hand and leading him out to the deck, away from the growing crowd inside.

“I didn’t have my phone on me, and when I was done I came right over. I didn’t think a text was gonna matter that much.” He tried defending himself, but the look on your face told him he was failing. “I’m sorry.”

With your arms crossed over your chest, you leaned against the railing of the deck and studied Bradley intently. “You used to do this in high school. There’s a difference between being in a relationship and being treated like a possession, Bradley. Besides, we agreed to take things slow.”

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, his gaze shifting to the multicolored sky as the sun set. You were right, he had struggled with jealous tendencies growing up, and you had worked hard to help him overcome them. But seeing you again reignited those feelings, particularly when it came to Jake. “The guy just gets under my skin.”

“Well, maybe you should hash shit out with him then,” you suggested, your tone gentle but firm. Conflict resolution and letting go of grudges had never been Bradley’s strong suit, evidenced by his difficulty talking about Maverick even after nearly fifteen years since their last argument. “But stop putting me in the middle. I’m allowed to have friends, and you don’t get to approve or reject them.”

Nodding, he stepped forward and pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his mustache brushing your skin. “Forgive me?”

You looked up at him for a long moment, finally nodding. “This time, Lieutenant,” you warned, giving a teasing smirk as you looked him over, appreciating the flight suit and tight black shirt he was wearing. You typically didn’t like uniforms, but seeing Bradley in one gave you a new appreciation. “If we go back inside, can you behave?”

“Only if you can,” he smirked, a playful glint in his eyes as he noticed the way you were looking at him. Reaching for you, he pressed his body against yours, trapping you against the railing of the bar’s deck as he got the scent of sweat and jet fuel all over your clothes. 

“Stop!” you squealed, laughing as you managed to get him to step back by tickling his side. Once he did, you gave him a light pat on the chest. “Let’s go get you a beer.”

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

The rest of the night went well, the earlier tension fading as you sat with Bradley, chatting about your week while sipping your drinks. At one point, Jake caught your eye from his place near the pool tables and raised his glass in a mock toast. You smiled in return, silently appreciating the way he didn’t let the earlier dramatics bother him. 

Bradley, for his part, kept a watchful eye on your interactions but managed to refrain from any further displays of jealousy. 

When the crowd inside the bar started to thin out, he stood and offered you his hand, the familiar opening chords of REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” playing on the jukebox. “Dance with me?”

Your face lit up with a warm smile as you recognized the song. “Of course, it’s our song,” you replied, taking his hand. He kept a respectable distance between you, one hand gently on your waist while the other held yours as you swayed to the music. 

As you moved together, you couldn’t help the way it stirred up memories of your past together. “I remember the night we decided on this one.”

Bradley’s eyes were locked on yours, filled with tenderness and nostalgia. “Yeah, me too. Pulling out my mom and dad’s old records and losing ourselves in the music, sleeping on the floor in front of the fireplace… some of my favorite memories are from that night.”

Moving closer, you rested your cheek against his shoulder, your eyes closed as you allowed the memories you had pushed to the back of your mind to resurface. You recalled the cozy nest you created with blankets and cushions, a place where you held each other and listened to music until sleep claimed you. It was the two of you against the world, especially when your uncle was away and you had the house to yourselves, and back then you thought those moments would last forever. 

As the song ended, you lifted your head from his shoulder. “I missed this,” you whispered, your voice filled with longing. 

Bradley tightened his arms around you and placed a tender kiss on the top of your head. “I did too. Honestly, this? Us coming together here, after all this time? Feels like fate. A second chance.”

You pulled back reluctantly, though your hand remained in his as you bit your lip and looked up to him. “Will you take me home? We can talk more there.”

He nodded, fishing his keys out of his pocket and handing them to you. “Go ahead and start the truck, I’ll take care of the tab.”

Taking the keys, you walked out to the Bronco and started the engine before sliding over to the passenger side, waiting for Bradley to return. The engine’s purr seemed to echo the mix of emotions that swirled within you -- trepidation, a touch of excitement, and a sense of anticipation that had been dormant for far too long.

Once Bradley climbed behind the wheel, he put the truck into gear and you exchanged a soft smile, confirming that you were ready to leave.

The drive to your house was quick, not giving either of you much time to think about the feelings that simmered in the air between you. When you moved inside, you settled on the couch beside Bradley, the room enveloped in a warm, comforting glow cast by a lamp.

After a moment of quiet, you took a deep breath and looked into his hazel eyes. “What are you hoping for between us, B? Do you want me to fall back in love with you?” Your voice dropped to a whisper. “'Cause I don’t know how to do that when I never stopped.”

“I never stopped loving you either.” He admitted, his expression a mix of sincerity and vulnerability.

The admission hung in the air between you, a testament to the complex emotions that you both dealt with throughout your time apart. Your fingers idly picked at a piece of lint on your dress, a nervous habit, before you mustered the courage to speak. Your voice wavered, but you pressed on. 

“Then why didn’t you come back?” You asked, your eyes locked onto his, seeking answers.

“Because I… I know this doesn’t make sense,” he tried, his hand gently covering yours in an attempt to offer comfort.

“It doesn’t.” Your response was straightforward, heavy with unspoken hurt that you had carried for years. 

Bradley leaned in, never taking his eyes off of yours. “Alright, please, hear me out,” he pled, his voice soft and sincere. “I wanted to do something good. I wanted to spare you pain.”

Tears welled in your eyes, but you refused to let them fall. “You didn’t save me from anything. I lived with that pain every day, Bradley, and I blamed you. I blame you for thinking you knew what was best for me when it was you all along.”

His shoulders slumped under the weight of your words. Releasing your hand, he ran it through his caramel curls, leaving them tousled. “I know,” he admitted, his voice remorseful. His eyes mirrored the way you were feeling, revealing the struggle he had with his past decisions. “I didn’t want you to wait for me. There was so much you wanted to do.”

“I wanted to do all of it with you!” Your voice cracked, a single tear sliding down your cheek. “And I would have gladly waited for as long as it took.”

He swallowed hard, his throat working as he struggled to find the right words. “I don’t deserve you,” he replied, the weight of regret plain on his face.

“Deserve me? Jesus, Bradley, don’t you understand?” You asked, frustration lacing your tone as more tears fell down your cheeks. “When I was alone at night I wanted you! And I cried for you, and I even hated you at times. I hated you because… because I would have chosen you no matter what. And you took that choice away from me.”

“I made a mistake,” he declared, lifting his hand to gently cup your cheek as he brushed the tears away with his thumb. He hated seeing you cry, it broke his heart in ways he didn’t think were possible. 

You couldn’t help but lean into his touch. “Yes, you did.”

“I did,” he confirmed, searching your eyes as he continued. “I hurt you, and I would do anything to take that back. But look me in the eye and tell me you don’t care about me the same way I care about you, and I’ll walk away.”

Shaking your head, your hand lifted to cover his that rested on your cheek. “I can’t.” You felt his hand move, his fingers lacing through yours before resting on your lap. “I do care about you. Which is why we can’t…” you pulled your hand away from his gently.

Every insecurity you had was rearing its ugly head at the same time and there was nothing you could do to stop it. “You’re gonna graduate from TOP GUN and go back to your squadron, on the other side of the country. Who knows when or if you’ll be back. We can’t start something.”

Bradley could sense the anxiety rising in you and frowned, whispering your name. “I’m just as scared as you are, okay? I haven’t felt this for anyone in my life but you. I didn’t think I ever would again, but then you walked up to me at the bar… from the moment I saw you, I knew.”

He was saying all the right words, dismantling your defenses one by one, and you hated that after all these years he still had that power over you. There was something about him, an unwavering confidence you’d never possessed growing up, and that certainty about everything had helped ground you more times than you could count. 

Just being in the same room as him made you feel safe, and it was that feeling that left a Bradley Bradshaw-shaped hole in your life for fourteen years. You had learned to live without him, and now that he was here, practically throwing himself at your feet for forgiveness, you needed to decide if you wanted him back.

“I can’t stop how I feel,” he blurted out after waiting for your response, which had yet to come. “I know… what I’m asking is a lot. I can’t change the past, what I did, how I hurt you… but I want to be a part of your future.”

You finally reached for his hand again as you took a deep breath, your heart heavy with the weight of your decision. “I can’t change the past either, and I won’t pretend I’m not still hurt by what happened. But you’re here, asking for a second chance… that means something.”

Bradley’s face brightened with hope, but you continued with a note of caution. “If you want us to have a future, you have to know it won’t be easy. I’m not the same girl you left, and I’ve had my trust broken a lot, so it’s gonna take time to earn mine.” You paused, your grip on his hand tightening. “If you’re willing to work through this together, to prove that your words aren’t just empty promises, then I’m willing to give us another chance.”

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes, Dimples,” he promised, the relief in his eyes unmistakable. This was what he had been waiting for since he saw you that first night at the Hard Deck. “I’ll spend every day proving to you that I’ve changed, that I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

Your eyes never left his, searching for any signs of deception. When you found none, you closed the gap and kissed him deeply. Bradley responded with equal fervor, pulling you closer until you were comfortably settled on his lap, the skirt of your well-fitted dress bunched around your thighs. 

When you finally parted for a breath, you spoke softly. “Stay. Please.”

“I just got you back,” he smiled, stroking your thighs tenderly. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, sweetheart.”

Chapter Seven

#bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw fic #miles teller #bradley bradshaw angst #bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster x reader

[the-guilty-writer]

Big Biggie

Request: from @itmejado

Could you write an imagine where Rossis daughter has an asthma problem and has to go to hospital for antibiotics and stay for a few days and the team comes and spends time with her, like playing chess with Spencer, penny makes cookies, she watches sports with Derek?

David Rossi x daughter!reader, Platonic!BAU x rossi!reader

Summary: reader with asthma finds herself in the hospital while her dad is away. The team steps in to keep her company.

A/N: I don't have asthma so I did research to try to get as accurate as possible. I hope this captures everything okay. If not, I am always open to feedback in order to make the next request better. Thanks!

CW: reader has asthma, minor swearing, hospitals, IVs, reader is sassy (as I'd imagine Rossi's daughter would be)

---

You hated frat boys

No. That statement didn’t cover it all; you hated frat boys that didn’t have the decency to cover their damn mouths when they coughed. Of course, not everyone had been raised in a mansion, but sometimes the level of common sense people lacked completely baffled you. After just one class of sitting next to a guy from Sigma-Phi-Disease-Factory claiming that he “just has allergies” you ended up with pneumonia.

No biggie, right?

Yes biggie. Big biggie.

Because having athsma made treating pneumonia far more complicated than taking a trip to the student health center.

The persistance of your wet cough and the burn in your chest as you heaved air in and out of your lungs became increasingly concerning. You weren’t sure if you had so much pain in your chest because you felt like you couldn’t breathe, or if you felt like you couldn’t breathe because of the pain. When your temperature skyrocketed and your skill chilled, you had your roommate drop you off at the ER.

It didn’t take the doctors long to decide you needed to be admitted, and immediately after finding out the pneumonia was bacterial, you were glad you hadn’t waited any longer than you did. Growing up with athsma meant you had been through enough treatments, seen enough specialists, and had enough infections to know that you’d be laid up in the hospital on IV antibiotics for at least five days.

Staring at the ceiling, you found yourself craving company, but you weren’t sure who to call. Your roommates were busy working and your dad was on vacation. Well, actually he was on his book tour, but that was the closest thing David Rossi got to a vacation. You didn’t want to bother him.

The problem with that- you were still on his insurance plan. You’d have to bother him some time before you got discharged. It was probably better that you did it now rather than later.

“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite girl," he answered after the first ring. “I was just about to call and tell you about this fantastic restaurant I went to last night. I think it’s the best carbonara I’ve had since your great-grandmother was alive.”

“That’s great, dad,” you managed to choke out.

“(Y/N), what’s wrong?” Your dad said, his voice filled concern.

You wanted to sigh, but it came out as a cough. “I’m in the hospital,” you managed to say between heavy breaths. “Bacterial pneumonia. I have to be on an IV for a few days, but I’ll be okay.”

“I’ll catch the next flight home-”

“Dad, no.” You coughed, the speed at which you cut him off causing mucus to come up your throat. “There’s only one more day left of your tour. You deserve to have some fun every once in a while. I’ll be fine. Bored, but fine.”

You heard your dad hesitate. Rossi had raised you on his own. Every minute he didn’t spend working to catch the most dangerous criminals in the country, he spent taking care of you. The man deserved a break.

“Okay,” he said. “But if you need me all you have to do is call and I’ll be there.”

“Okay, dad.” Your eyes felt heavy. “I love you.”

“I love you too, kiddo.”

---

You weren’t sure how long you were asleep for, but when you woke up there was someone next to your bed.

“Who are you and why are you eating my jello?” You muttered, your eyes still only half open.

“Good morning to you too, (Y/N).” Derek chuckled. “How are you feeling?”

“Never better,” you replied, followed by a wheeze. “Why are you here? Let me guess, one of the nurses here is a serial murderer- wait no. Dr. Super Genius managed to get shot again.”

At that, Derek burst out laughing, nearlying dropping his empty jello cup on the floor. “You are your father’s daughter, aren’t you?” he said. “I’m here because I heard a certain Rossi told her dad not to come home from his book tour early and I couldn’t let the BAU’s favorite oldest kid be bored and alone.”

“I appreciate that, Derek, but you really didn’t have to. There isn’t much to do around here.”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Derek grabbed the remote for the TV. “The Commanders are playing the Bears today and there was no way I was going to miss an opportunity to watch my home team beat yours.” His smile turned cocky.

You wanted to back-talk him but you began coughing violently, mucus rising in your throat, chest heaving as you struggled for air.

“Let it out, kid,” Derek rubbed your arm softly. “Let it out.”

Just then another agent you knew all too well walked into the room, but this one was far less fun- Agent Hotchner. Though you had known him the longest of anyone on your father's team, he didn’t make for great company. Unless, of course, one considered filling out copious amounts of paperwork in silence a fun activity.

“Morgan, what did you do?” He asked.

“Nothing, Hotch!” Derek said defensively.

He was right- it wasn’t his fault your body decided that it needed to try to eject your lungs from your chest. But Hotch wasn't looking at you, instead, he walked over to the table with not one, not two, but three empty jello cups.

Your coughing subsided and Derek turned to look at his boss, who raised a suspicious eyebrow. “I might have participated in the jello.”

Hotch let out a small, rare smile and turned to you. “Your dad gave me the information to get your forms filled out so you don’t have to worry about it. I have to go, but you can call me if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” you managed to get out.

Hotch nodded. “Of course. Get some rest.” The interaction was short, brief, and to the point, but Aaron Hotchner leaving work to fill out medical forms so you didn’t have to do it later was his way of letting you know he cared.

“Now,” Derek said. “Where were we?” He turned up the volume on the TV just as the Commanders scored a touchdown.

“You’re going down.” You smirked at him.

---

“Ha! The Commanders win 14 to 7!” You cheered weakly. The antibiotics were starting to kick in, making the suffocating feeling in your chest far less painful than before.

Derek rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright, kid. But they only won because that ref made a bad call.”

“It doesn’t matter. They still won.”

“Who won what?” Penelope Garcia toddled into the room on bright pink heels. She was wearing a black and white polkadot dress with a cardigan to match her shoes. Sometimes you wondered if she had to bribe someone to get around FBI dress code.

“The Commanders beat the Bears,” you told her, smirking at Derek.

“Ooo!” Penelope squealed. She didn’t understand sports, but she understood enough to ask “So your team beat Derek’s team?”

You nodded.

“Do you know what that means?”

You shook your head. 

“It means that you get to pick out your cookie before he does.” Penelope smiled and pulled a box of cookies out from her purse, offering them to you. They were the good kind- the ones that she spent hours icing and designing to look like cartoon kittens.

“Penny, you are the best,” you told her. You picked out a cookie that looked a whole lot like Sergio and took your time enjoying the delicious treat. “So good.” 

Derek nodded in agreement as he finished off his first cookie and went to grab another one. Penelope swatted his hand away.

“I made one for each of us,” she said.

“But there’s one left,” Derek observed.

Before Garcia could reply, Spencer Reid made his way into the room and grabbed the last cookie. Derek looked defeated.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Reid said, putting down his satchel and taking a seat before starting on his dessert.

“Hey, Spencer,” you replied, then furrowed your brow in confusion. “You came in here without a hazmat suit on?” Spencer was known for having a slight problem with germs.

“As long as we stay five feet away we should be fine,” he countered. “Plus I want a rematch of our annual holiday game.” He pulled a chess board from his satchel and began to set it up on a small chair.

“Reid,” you started. “How are we supposed to play if I can’t even reach the board?”

“Morgan can move the pieces for you,” Spencer said with a mouthful of cookie.

“Penny can’t do it instead?” you asked, half to tease Derek and half because you were sure the guy had never played chess in his life.

“Hey, ouch!” Derek said, bringing his hand to his chest and pretending to be hurt. “But you are right. I think Penelope would be the better choice.”

“I’m on it!” Garcia got up from her seat to move closer to Reid, who had placed himself as far from your bed as possible. 

The game took far longer than normal, with Spencer having to guide Garcia through what moves you were asking for, and the match ended in a stalemate. You were about to start another round when a nurse came by, letting everyone know that visiting hours were up.

You said your thank you's and goodbye's to your father's team members. After that, it wasn’t long before you fell asleep.

---

“Yes, and according to Morgan, her and Reid’s chess match ended in a stalemate. I have a feeling he might not be able to wait until the holiday party for a second rematch,” Hotch told Dave over the phone.

“Thanks for doing that, Aaron,” Rossi said. “It means a lot.”

Before Hotch had a chance to answer, a flight attendant tapped Rossi on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sir. I’m going to have to ask you to put your phone on airplane mode for the flight.”

Rossi gestured that he just needed one more minute and put the phone back up to his ear.

“What time are you getting in tomorrow?” Hotch asked.

Rossi sighed. “Not till the afternoon at least. I forgot that layovers are a huge pain in the ass.”

“Well, try not to worry too much about (Y/N). Emily and JJ have something planned to keep her occupied.”

Rossi smiled. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“Well,” Hotch said, taking on a bit of a playful tone. “As Garcia might say, it’s no biggie.”

“Sir.” the flight attendant came back, this time looking far more annoyed.

“I’ve gotta go. Thanks again, Aaron.” Rossi hung up the phone.

It’s no biggie.

But it was. Even when he couldn’t be there for his daughter, his team- their second family- always would be. And that was a big biggie.

#criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds x platonic!reader #criminal minds x reader #david rossi x daughter!reader #Criminal minds x y/n #criminal minds #david rossi

[vicsnook]

Illicit Affairs | Jake Seresin x Reader

word count: 1677

warnings: Jake being Jake, drinking, fluff

song pairing: Illicit Affairs - Taylor Swift

notes: Hey ya'll! I hope y'all are enjoying this series so far. We still have 3 more parts after this one for Jake. This is part 4 in the Wildest Dreams fic (Jake's Version). There is a version in which the reader ends up with Bob and you can find those alternate parts under Bob in my masterlist. Please don't forget to like and reblog and thank you for reading and past likes/reblogs!

Make sure nobody sees you leave

Hood over your head, keep your eyes down

You didn’t want to be in Jake’s apartment but when Maverick called and asked if you could pick him up because he had drunk too much again and passed out in the sand you didnt seem to have another choice.

So that’s how you got there. Last week when he did this you took him back to your place but after Friday night you didnt want to be anywhere near him. A shiver went down your spine as the image of him and the blonde girl kissing replayed in your mind.

You knew deep down he probably hadn't meant for things to get this bad but you were disappointed he’d rather ruin everything than express his feelings.

You put the hoodie’s hood up and sprinted to your car. Hoping no one from the squad would see you here. You didn’t want anyone getting the wrong impression if they saw you, especially since you were sure Nat had told Bob about Friday night.

Take the road less traveled by

Tell yourself you can always stop

You even went as far as taking the long way home to avoid seeing anyone and told yourself this would be the last time you’d do him any favors outside of work. He wasn’t worth ruining the friendship you and Bob were trying to have. Not after he showed you he’d rather kiss someone else than even talk about the possibility of a relationship with you.

___

Today we had dogfight football. Bob was driving you and Nat to the beach to meet the rest of the squad and they were very chatty this morning but you couldn’t bring yourself to participate.

Your mind was elsewhere and that was clear as Nat tackled you easily in the first round. Maverick sent you out sensing something was up and put Reuben in. Bob shooting you a look of concern that you quickly dismissed by waving your hand off at him.

What started in beautiful rooms

Ends with meetings in parking lots

You watched everyone play and they seemed to be having a great time until Jake tackled Bob unnecessarily. Maverick sounded his whistle as Jake got off Bob and walked off. “What the hell was that for Seresin?” shouted Maverick after him. “Sorry, I just got too into it boss. It won’t happen again,” replied Jake trying to hide a scowl.

Bob’s eyes kept looking over at you as the game progressed since Jake was sitting not even 4 feet away from you in the tailgate of his truck. You tried smiling at him reassuringly even though your discomfort was clear. You even considered sitting inside the car but you didn't want to raise any suspicions. “Why’d you pick me up yesterday?” asked Jake, breaking you out of your thoughts. 

“Maverick asked me to.”

“You could’ve said no.”

“I should’ve,” you replied coldly trying to end the conversation. 

You could feel his green eyes still on you. You looked at the squad and specifically at Bob who didn’t seem to have noticed the small chat. “I’m sorry about what happened Friday” said Jake, once again breaking the silence. 

“Don’t be. I’m glad now I know what you really want”

“C’mon Peach, she kissed me! She wouldn’t leave me alone from the moment I got there. You can even ask Penny if you don't believe me! I admit I should have left from the get-go but I was already pretty drunk.” He said, desperate, as you kept your eyes focused on the game. “Can we talk later? Like really talk?” He asked. You finally turned to look at him as you shook your head no in response and got up to grab a bottle of water. 

You spent the rest of the game sitting in the sand by the cooler instead of the hood of Bob’s car. Jake seemed to have stayed in the tailgate of his truck but you weren’t sure since you didn’t want to turn around to look. You wondered if he parked beside Bob on purpose but shook that off your mind as Bob was being lifted onto Roosters and Mickey's shoulders for making them win.

His cheesy smile as the boys kept yelling his name made you break out into one of your own as you headed toward them. You all rallied around Bob patting him on the back and started to head into the Hard Deck.

And that's the thing about illicit affairs

And clandestine meetings and longing stares

It's born from just one single glance

But it dies, and it dies, and it dies

A million little times

You nursed a beer and smiled at Penny while everyone went off to play pool or darts. Bob was dragged off by Rooster to supposedly teach him piano which left you all alone. You noticed Jake glancing at you as he played darts which only irritated you. 

By your 4th beer, you had beaten Reuben at pool and sang Great Balls of Fire with Rooster twice. You excused yourself to the bathroom and as you washed your hands you noticed it. The sweatshirt you had thrown on this morning wasn’t yours. It was Jake’s. All his glances made sense now. 

You cursed yourself for having slept in which made you rush this morning when getting ready. No one else seemed to notice it wasn't yours since it was just a Navy sweatshirt but the wine stain let you know otherwise since that was the only reason he’d left it at your house. You could hear yourself in your mind as you headed back to the bar promising him you’d get the stain out while he assured you it was fine. 

And you wanna scream

Don't call me "kid"

Don't call me "baby"

Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me

You set your hands on Bob’s and Rooster’s shoulders as they played a vaguely familiar tune. Graciously you accepted the shot of what you now knew was tequila from Rooster. “What the hell are you playing Rooster?” you asked, trying to decipher the familiar melody.

“Jolene, kid. Thought you’d know,” responded Jake instead with a wink as he grabbed a beer from the bucket on top of the piano. You swallowed hard remembering the car ride to the flea market when you both sang along to it. 

“Why would you know?” questioned Bob as he glanced between you and Jake who was now by the pool table. “I don’t know. He’s just being an asshole. Ignore him.” you replied, hoping you sounded convincing enough. You must’ve since he turned around and continued to play with Rooster.

—

When Bob dropped you off at home the first thing you did was take off Jake’s sweatshirt. Tears pooled in your eyes as you scrolled on your phone and deleted every picture you’d taken together with Jake except group ones. Still, you left them in your recently deleted folder. Your finger hovered over the block button too when removing his contact picture but you knew in a work emergency that wouldn’t be ideal so you decided against it. 

The sound of the doorbell startled you as you glanced at your phone and noticed it was almost 1 AM now. You ran to your room and quickly threw on a shirt. Looking through the window you saw Jake’s truck in your driveway.

And you know damn well

For you, I would ruin myself

A million little times

“What are you doing here?” you asked him, noticing the flowers he was holding.

“May I come in please?”

“Uh, sure,” you answered moving aside so he could walk in. He carefully set the flowers on your counter as you headed towards the couch. He promptly followed by taking a seat across from you.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, fidgeting with your fingers in your lap. 

He took a deep breath before speaking. “I’m sorry about the shit I did. I swear everything I told you earlier was true.” 

“I know, Penny told me,” you said, cutting in. 

“Seeing you  with Bob I thought maybe you two would rekindle things and I let it get the best of me,” he said quickly, his eyes focused on the painting behind you as he spoke instead of you. 

“We’re just friends, Jake. I tried to talk to you in the car Friday and you shot me down”

“I know, I’m sorry. I was worried that we would try to make things work and they wouldn’t. I don't want to lose you” he replied, this time looking at you.

“You think I’m not worried too?” you asked, annoyed that this could have been resolved Friday but he chose to do things the hard way. 

“I’m sorry. I should’ve just told you. I felt too like Bob was only saying he was okay with it to avoid drama.”

“Yes, you should’ve. I also realized that when I told you about it so I talked to him again and he told me he just wanted me to be happy and asked if we could just let this all be water under the bridge.” 

“Oh, I guess he definitely took that better than I thought,” he muttered as you nodded in response. “So do I still have a chance?” he asked with a hopeful look on his face.

“I don’t know,” you answered, watching his face fall. “That depends on if you’re going to go make out with other girls every time things get complicated.” you continued. “I won’t, I swear,” he replied quickly.

“Then yes. But there is one condition.” 

“Anything” he replied, nodding his head. 

“We take things slow and until we are sure this is going to work out we will not tell the squad about us.” 

“Yes Lieutenant,” he replied, mockingly saluting you. You laughed as he inched closer to you. 

“May I kiss you, Lieutenant?” he asked.

 “You may,” you replied as he closed the distance between you with a sweet kiss.

click here for the next part!

taglist: @harperdoodle , @weirdothatwritess , @rosiahills22

#top gun fandom #top gun maverick #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake #Spotify

[dckweed]

well hidey ho, been a minute. I've had a rough few weeks and I'm not 100% sure I'm totally in love with this part for Sugar Sweet but it's okay because i know it's building up to something. How are yall doing? Also, my requests are OPEN for any top gun asks.

warnings: mentions of weight and poor body image, but that's about it. this whole part is literally just Jake and sugar being oddly domestic bc for some reason the thought of Jake being a domestic kinda guy just feels right.

summary: you and jake have breakfast on a rare day off for both of you.

word count: 2,512

SUGAR SWEET, part two.

"GOD DAMMIT, BECKY!"

Irritated as you were by the man showing up at your door, and even more irritated by Pete thinking you could get along, you knew that you didn't have a choice. You couldn't afford not to have a roommate, not with the giant stack of over due bills piling up on the desk in your living room. You trusted Maverick's judgement about his character, he seemed nice enough as annoying as you had a feeling he could be just off your last few interactions with him, he also seemed like a pretty straight shooter and you felt like that would be good company to have around your brother after what your last roommate had been doing behind your back. 

The tour of your home was short, you lived in a small three bedroom cottage, just three houses over from Penny, and there wasn't much of it to see. You had shown him around the kitchen, to the shared bathroom and had let him look around the second biggest bedroom that had once been yours, but would now be his. After running over his shared portion of the bills, and letting him know that you didn't mind cooking for him as long as he chipped in on groceries, you two shook hands and called it a day. 

A couple days has passed since he'd moved in, and honestly, you'd been working so late the past couple of days that you hadn't even noticed him. Your brother said that he liked him well enough, he thought his job was the coolest thing ever (which seemed to boost Jake's ego more than it needed to) and he seemed to enjoy having him around, something you couldn't be mad at. 

You were up early on your fourth day of having Jake as a roommate, early enough that you assumed he was already on base, because he always seemed to leave in the dark, early hours of the morning, and definitely early enough that your brother was still asleep. It was Saturday, he wouldn't be up until well after ten in the morning. It also happened to be one of your rare days off, and you were planning to go use your free membership perk at the gym, but not before making breakfast. 

The kitchen was probably your favorite place in the house, it wasn't the biggest or the nicest by any means, but it had always been somewhere that felt like home to you, especially when it held so many happy memories of your father. Knowing that your brother slept like a boulder, you didn't have any qualms about turning on your bluetooth speakers and letting your favorite playlist play through them, singing along happily to the lyrics as you cracked eggs and drizzled oil on the bottom of your biggest skillet to start some hashbrowns and peppers together. 

The smell of food is what woke him up first, the aroma of the peppers roasting in the pan and some bacon frying hitting his senses like a god send. Jake hadn't had a proper home-cooked breakfast in a while, and just the thought of it drove him to swing his legs over the side of the king size mattress he had bought and shuffle over to his dresser, that had clearly been your own at point. He shoved his legs into a pair of gym shorts, he figured you would find it impolite of him to go wondering about in his underwear in your own and he was all about being a gentleman. 

As he made his way down the hallway, the music is what perked his ears up. He grunted a little, running a hand through his surely messy hair as he made his way into the living room, he was too tall to look through the breakfast bar slot without needing to crouch so he rounded the corner, stopping in his tracks as his eyes found you. He had to admit, you were quite the sight dancing in an extremely oversized t-shirt with what looked like nothing but panties on underneath, your thighs on full display. He had to tear his eyes away for a moment, afraid he was going to pop a boner as he watched you bend over to grab something from one of the lower cabinets, singing along perfectly to whichever song was coming through the speakers. You looked relaxed, he dared to say that you even looked happy, like you thoroughly belonged right there in that moment and something about that was insanely breathtakingly beautiful to him. 

He could have watched you like that for hours, but he knew that would be creepy and that you would probably catch him at any second. Jake clears his throat, leaning against the door way on his shoulder. "So, Sugar, do you do this often?" He asks, hiding a chuckle as you jump and turn, your eyes narrowed. 

Jake had scared the absolute shit out of you, but you weren't about to show him that. "Make breakfast? Yeah, every morning." You say, rolling your eyes. "Do you always walk around without a shirt on?" You turned your head back to the stove, hoping he wouldn't notice the blush creeping along your cheeks. He looked good standing there like that, his entire toned stomach on full display, biceps too as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was a beautiful kind of man, and you could stare at him for hours. 

"Do you always walk round with just your panties on?" He asks with a scoff, pushing off of the door frame to pour himself a cup of coffee as his eyes locked onto the pot that smelled like it was freshly brewed. You make a squeak of a noise and furiously make sure your shirt is covering your bottom. "How do you take your coffee, sugar?" 

You glance over at him, watching him grab two mugs from the cabinet right above the coffee maker. You wondered how he knew the color changing star wars one was your favorite. "Black." You say, giving the potatoes and peppers one last stir before putting them onto a serving platter next to the eggs and bacon you had made. "And my name isn't Sugar." 

"Woman after my own heart." Jake says, ignoring your annoyance to his pet name andbpouring himself a cup of coffee the same way before taking them both over to the kitchen table. "Also…star wars?" He opened up the curtains next to the table, he had a feeling that you liked the morning sunshine. 

"Are you really about to bash me for star wars right now, hangman?" You ask, humming appreciatively as you set down the large serving platter before going to grab plates. You had made more than enough for the both of you. "Don't you usually go to work before the sun comes up?" 

Jake makes a noise as he sips at his coffee. "Damn girl you make it strong.." He says, sitting down at the round table to your left 7side after subconsciously pulling out your chair for you before you came back with the plates. "I'm on standby most weekends, much to my annoyance. I'd rather spend my time on base or in my plane..but, i use the weekends for heavy work at the gym..don't you usually work every day?" 

You set a plate in front of him with some silverware on top before sitting down in the seat he had pulled out for you. "I have a rare day off..but I'm working the Hard Deck tonight.." You say, scooping food onto your plate before sprinkling some hot sauce over your eggs. "So you're going to the gym today then?" You ask, rethinking your plans to go. 

He nods, grabbing the bottle of hot sauce after you set it down to pour over his own plate, completely covering everything on it. You cringe at the sight. "That must be a guy thing." You mutter, shaking your head at the man. Jake only hums as he scoops up a fork full of egg and potato and shovels it in. You watch as you eat your own food, him already halfway through his plate in a matter of minutes. You take note of the way his forehead shines with sweat and his cheeks and nose tinge red. You want to laugh but it reminds you so much of your father and brother. "Spicy?"

Jake shakes his head. "Not spicy enough." You drop your jaw. With sweat dripping down his face and his skin red, how was it not spicy enough? He reaches an arm across the table and grabs the hot sauce bottle again, it was one you had made yourself, a recipe you had thought interesting. "This is good, did you get it at a farmers market? It's really fresh." He says, coating what's left of his eggs once more. 

You can't help but to wonder if all that time spent in the thinner oxygen so far up in the atmosphere has somehow altered his brain. "I made it." You say simply, picking up your half eaten plate of food and heading towards the sink. You dump it down the garbage disposal and start gathering the rest of the dirtied breakfast dishes, washing your skillets by hand. Just as you're about to start loading the dishwasher you feel Jake next to you, setting his plate down on the counter for you to clear. 

"You really made this?" He asks, clearing all the condiments and things off of the table. You felt awkward, not used to anyone helping you clean the kitchen, that had always been left up to you. 

"Yeah, saw a recipe on pinterest and thought I'd try it out..Kai loves hot sauce, always complains the store stuff sucks." You didn't mention that your father had always made his own as well, which is why your brother complained about the store bought crap you had been recently putting in the fridge. 

Jake hums while you finish washing up the mess you'd made, you don't say anything moreand neither does he until he thanks you for the food and leaves the room, you hear his feet travel down the hallway and the click of his bedroom door. You breathe out a sigh, wondering why you felt so tense and awkward around him. 

You don't dwell on it though, and head to your room to get ready for your day. You figure you shouldn't avoid going to the gym just because he was going to be there, you missed working out and it's not like you didn't need it either. You're quick to change into a pair of spandex shorts and one of your fathers baggy old t-shirts, throwing your hair up into a claw clip before before heading towards the living room. 

You're putting on your sneakers when you catch a peek9f of Jake through the breakfast nook window, he's got a giant tumbler bottle next to him, and a good five or so small tubs of something. He's humming to himself all as he mixes a bunch of it into the tumbler bottle. "Watermelon or Fruit Punch?" He questions to himself and you can't help but to giggle a little when he glances down at his white athletic shirt that clung to his upper body tightly. "Watermelon doesn't stain as bad as fruit punch." 

"Do you always talk to yourself when you're alone?" You ask, catching him jump in fright as you round the corner into the kitchen. You couldn't help but to think it was your own form of payback for earlier. 

"Sugar, I am my own best friend, no one gives me better advice than myself." You felt like you lost braincells when he turned and winked at you. "Want a pre-workout shake? I have Blue Raspberry, orange, Watermelon.."

You cock your head at him. "Pre-workout?" You hated to sound dumb, especially because you worked in a gym, but you really had no clue what he was offering you.

"It gives you the extra boost to get through your workout, helps with recovery while you're working out..good for the muscles too if you buy the right ones, like me.." He said it so matter of fact that you didn't think he was punking you. "Caffeine, basically."

"...then why don't you just drink coffee?" You ask and it must have been a dumb question because he looks so bewildered. He slaps his hand down on the counter top and shakes his head, mouth open. 

"Sugar, coffee and pre-workout are not the same thing." He says, almost offended by your question. "Has your brother taught you nothing?" 

You roll your eyes, exasperated. "Okay, well, I'm headed out. I have to go to the grocery store after I'm done at the gym, text me if you want something specific..have fun with your Caffeine on steroids." You grab your purse and keys and head to your car. 

It's already god awfully hot and you damn near cry when you remember the air conditioning in your car is broken as you slide into the already boiling interior. You toss your bag into the passenger seat and put the key in the ignition, turning it. It makes a choking sound. Confused, you turn it again and it makes a wet cough type of sound. Hoping that maybe it's just because it's old and needs a few minuets sometimes, you turn the key for a third time and this time, there's not a single noise or sign of life. 

"God dammit Becky you piece of crap!" You holler slamming the driver side door closed. You so could not afford this right now. You hoped it was easily fixable and were just on your way back inside to see if you could call Maverick to come help you out, or even wake up your brother and see if he could check it out, when Jake came walking down the driveway towards his truck parked on the curb. 

"Who's becky?" He asks, glancing down at the car and then back to you before making the assumption. "..need a ride?" He unlocks his beefy GMC pick up and tosses his bag into the back seat. You're about to protest, not wanting to drag him off to the grocery store on his day off from work but he beats you to it. "Come on, it's not like i have anything better to do all day, I'll even look at your car when we're done at the grocery store.." 

Honestly, you should have said no and turned right around and gone back inside, because this? This day was the start of your downfall, the beginning of your heart somehow totally belonging to Jake fucking Seresin without even so much as a warning and even more honestly? You would so do it all again if it meant you'd got to relive every moment of this day knowing full well what it was going to lead to. 

@novagreen04 @t4medicroe @dempy @djs8891 @potato-girl99981

#jake seresin fluff #jake seresin fanfiction #top gun jake #jake seresin smut #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman fic #jake hangman seresin x reader #top gun #top gun fanfiction #top gun imagine #top gun maverick #top gun hangman #hangman #hangman fanfiction #hangman fluff #hangman top gun #pete mitchell #top gun maverick imagine #pete maverick mitchell #glen powell

[thepaintedlady00]

The Sandman and The Girl Without Dreams

TW: dragged to Hell, blood, gore, violence, witnessing attempts of suicide, mentions of nudity, protective!Dream, we're in Hell y'all, buckle up it's gonna be a ride! 😈

Chapter 7: Hell Has 1825 Doors

Morpheus couldn't take his eyes off of her as she stepped out into the downpour of rain and smiled at him. She was so beautiful, far more than he'd remembered. Everything about her felt like it was part of some dream, one of his own making. She was warm and bright, smelled of lilac and peonies and rain, she was kind and thoughtful and far too good for him. Penelope Barlow, the girl he shared a bond with, the girl that had tried to free him, the girl whose smile and eyes held the entire night's sky within them… the girl he adored with every part of him was far, far too good for him. It was so much easier to love her when she was dead… Easier because he didn't have to fight against it every second. Now, standing with her within his reach he struggled to resist pulling her into his arms and never letting go.

He watched her twirl and laugh as she danced through the courtyard, a sight he never thought he'd get to see. He watched her until she disappeared beyond the buildings and went on her way back to her home. Home. He thought, reminding himself of her life here, the life she deserved to live without him complicating it more than he already had. Roderick Burgess may have been her captor, but he had been the one that doomed her to share in his isolated torment. Dream didn't care that it had been out of his control, he only cared about the part he had played and in his mind that made him just as bad as the all the others that had hurt her. He would make up for it, he'd decided not long after she'd given him Jessamys' ashes, that he would not allow Penelope to lose anything else because of him. Even if it meant he had to swallow his heated thoughts and push the constant ache for her touch down into the depths of his shattered soul.

From the ground beside him Matthew cawed. "So… You and Penny?"

"I am not discussing this with you..." He replied harshly before adding, "There is nothing to discuss."

"Riiighht, whatever you say." His annoyingly mocking tone had Dream sending the bird a pointed glare. "So, what's our next move?"

"I am going in search of my helm. And you are going back to the Dreaming."

"Or, hear me out, you can take me with you and we'll never have to have this conversation again!"

"That does sound tempting," he admitted when something occurred to him. Lucienne. He'd already spent a century away from home without giving her any warning or explanation. Looking down at the raven he decided, I will not risk abandoning her with no warning again. Kneeling down in front of Matthew he said, "In fact, where I am going I may have need of you."

This visibly caused Matthew to perk up. "Yeah? Where are we going?"

"Hell."

"Hell. Hell as in Hell-Hell or are you being metaphorical? Either way we should probably check in with Lucienne first right?" He chuckled nervously. "See how she's feeling about it. I'm gonna go out on a limb, which is something birds actually do, and say she will not be in favor of hell going."

Standing he retrieved his pouch from within his coat, pouring it out over his palm watching the bird ramble on as the sand swirled around them. "Buuutt I don't get the sense that you're listening so fuck it, let's go to hell!"

As soon as Dream's feet hit the dry ground he could feel it, an unnerving scream forced down the bond, and the mark on his wrist ached in a way that made his stomach twist. Something was wrong, and as he looked out over the vast ash covered realm that was Hell, he had a strong suspicion as to who was responsible.

***

Lucifer Morningstar. The devil stood before me clothed in white robes with great bat-like wings spread out on either side of them. As I looked up at their face through the fire that stood between us I realized why Lucifer had been God's favorite. They were so beautiful, their skin smooth as marble, their heavenly eyes, golden hair that curled around their face. They looked angelic, all except their smile… The cold upturn of their lips held no joy, at least not true joy, only the mocking facade of it.

They moved gracefully, like the flames of the fire, as they tucked their wings in and stepped around the table, moving closer to me. With one mere twitch of their fingers two demons pulled me up from the ground, their hands course and their grip far too tight. A finger lifted my chin and their eyes examined my face closely. "Such a beautiful thing you are. So bright, even here, even after everything that's tormented you. Tell me your name, mortal."

My mouth stayed closed. Out of defiance perhaps, or more likely it was simple fear that stilled my tongue. Their smile widened. "It appears the mortal needs encouragement."

A gnarled hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing and lifting me up off the ground. In a voice that made my ears ring it spoke a simple command, "Your name."

The grip loosened ever so slightly, only enough for me to suck in a tiny breath. "P…Pe… Penelope."

Lucifer waved their hand and I was dropped to the ground, gasping for air. When I looked back up a woman stood in front of me, silver plates of armor glistened in the firelight, dark hair falling over her shoulder and the entire left side of her face melted and burnt away to the bone. Without a word she grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet before following Lucifer to the other side of the table. They beckoned me with a finger, but before I could move on my own one of the demons had grabbed me and thrown me into the side of the table. 

My ribs cracked, if not snapped, and all the breath was sucked from my lungs and I held onto the edge and gasped. "Sit." The demon growled. Slowly seating myself in the chair beside me I glared up through the now dwindling fire at the now pleased grin of the devil as they took a seat opposite mine.

"I must say I'm... Disappointed." Lucifer said with a sigh. "You don't seem nearly as frightened as I'd hoped."

"Oh I'm terrified," I admitted. "I'm in hell, getting thrown around by demons and having a conversation with the actual devil."

They tilted their head. "Yet I see no tears, hear no begging!"

"I'm not much of a beggar," I said, trying not to focus on all the horrible possibilities this meeting of ours could end with. "And I have a feeling that if you'd wanted me dead or strung up and tortured we wouldn't be sitting here. You want something."

They restrained a smile. "Clever, aren't you?"

"No, not at all. You're just making it obvious."

The fire in the room roared. "I'd heard the rumor ages ago, the great Dream of the Endless soul bound to a mortal girl, a preposterous thing." Soul bound? My mind caught the words and clung to them. Now wasn't the time for questions, but later… If there would still be one. "Still, I was curious and I sent my demons to see if these rumors had any merit. For years nothing and then all of a sudden… You. All it took was one bump to the shoulder and there you were."

My jaw clenched at the recollection of last nights near accident on the sidewalk. The demons guttural groans echoed as he, they, moved to stand behind me. "I'm still confused as to what I have that you want."

"Oh nothing!" They laughed lowly. "But you do make a lovely piece of bait for our dear sweet Dream. He's on his way here now, and I wanted to have something grand to greet him with."

"He's not stupid enough to fall for that."

Lucifer pursed their lips. "You don't know how important to him you are do you?"

"Not more important than saving his realm."

"We shall see." They motioned again. "Sagthes, please prepare our guest for The Journey."

Before I could ask what they meant a heavy mass slammed into the side of my head, knocking me out.

***

They had followed Squaterbloat, played his games with the forests of mists and bodies and Nada, until, at last they came to the path to the palace. If Dream hadn't been angry before he certainly was now. The memories of Nada curling around him like a thorned vine, squeezing a part of him that still felt love for her, a part of him that regretted his cruel response to her refusal. It hadn't bothered him before, not like this, not at all, but things had changed since then. It was now more clear than ever as to why he and Nada could not have been together.

For all he'd loved about her, for everything they'd been to one another Nada though strong, wise and everything he had wanted would not have truly been his equal, nor had she wanted to be. Dream knew, somewhere deep down that Nada had never desired eternity with him, or perhaps eternity at all. She did not want to be a goddess nor did she want to be his queen and he hated her for it as much as he hated that he let himself be so hurt by her refusal. He also knew somewhere deep down that his siblings part in their relationship had caused at least some of this outcome, but the decision of her fate had been his. Nada would have been a great lady and queen, but she would not have been his lady, his queen. Those titles belonged to another.

He saw now, more clearly than ever, that Nada had not been forever. None of his past lovers had. Penelope, however much he wanted to keep her far from him, he could not deny was something… Someone that would be. He felt it through their bond, her undoubting and unwavering feelings for him. If he asked her for forever she would say yes, but he would never ask… He could not. Her usual hum of strong emotions had gone silent since they neared the palace. Whatever game Lucifer was playing, Dream feared he'd have to play along. His only hope now was that this game was one he could win and one Penelope could survive. 

He entered the mountain palace with an iron grip holding his anger in check. No matter how badly Dream wanted to storm the palace, demand the release of that which belonged to him and kill any that had even dared to breathe the same air as her, he could not. He was a guest, above that he was weakened. He ascended the stairs to the large circular room and through the fire Lucifer's tall wings and white garb stood out against the grey skies and black rock. 

He clasped his hands together in front of him, gripping them tightly as he said, "Hello."

Wings turned as Lucifer smiled at him. Wordlessly they descended from the balcony, dimming the fire of the large round table in the center of the ornate room, and stood in front of him. "Hello, Dream."

"Greetings to you, Lucifer Morningstar." He said calmly, every inch of him vibrating with the want to say her name, to demand her safe return to his side. His eyes shifted to the figure lurking behind one of the tall gold adorned pillars. "And to you Mazikeen of the Lillim."

"Greetings, Dream Lord," Mazikeen said.

Lucifer smiled. "You look well, Dream. Are you well? And your family, Destiny, Death, Despair, and the others?"

His smile was tight, forced. "I presume the Ruler of Hell knows this is no social call."

"Have you come to join forces then?" They tilted their head slightly. "To ally your realm to ours? To acknowledge the sovereignty of Hell?"

Do they truly intend to draw this out? He thought his jaw clenching. "You know my feelings on that, Lightbringer."

"Feelings change. Especially when one has been caught and imprisoned by mortals. We expected better of you, sweet Morpheus."

"I have come because my helm of state was stolen from me. I believe one of your demons has it. I should like it back, along with the mortal  you've taken." His voice strained as he tried to sound calm. "Now."

"We've taken many mortals, which is it you're searching for?"

He strangled a low growl. "You know which one. The girl."

They tilted their head. "Her name, Dream... Say it."

"Penelope."

Their wide smile and a fake look of sympathy nearly sent him over the edge. "Oh, Dream, if only it were that easy. But, there are rules, you see, protocols that must be followed." They turned, moving back toward the fire. "Which will come first I wonder? Your helm or the girl?" He stiffened. "Such a pretty thing she was."

"Where is she?" His words were dark and angry.

Lucifer turned to him, still smiling. "Why, she's here… Resting."

He took a step up forward bringing Mazikeen out into the light. "What have you done to her?"

"Is she what you wish to discuss first then, Morpheus? Not your helm?"

"Yes." He answered , his voice laced with the anger he felt. "Now tell me what you've done with her."

"The girl is safe, for now." They said. "But, I'm afraid our laws demand a challenge be completed to buy her freedom."

"You dare abduct my lady from the waking world and then demand I play your games to win her freedom?" He seethed.

"Lady?" Lucifer questioned with a quiet chuckle. "Was this title officially bestowed?"

Damn them. "No." 

"Then we have broken no laws, and this is one of ours, Dream. The laws of Hell do not bend for you." Lucifer did not budge.

"She may not have the official title of my lady, but she is still soul bound to me. That law you have broken."

A soft hum. "Perhaps. If it's only her body you want, you may take it with you upon your departure, but her soul will remain with me unless it is won."

Disgust roiled in him hearing them speak of her as if she was nothing. He ground his teeth, doing all in his power not to let his face show his rage or his fear. "What challenge would you have me complete then?"

"An old one." They said, "One of our oldest."

Off to where the side room had been now stood a path leading to a metal door with the number one scratched into it. He stepped closer to it, the pit of fear sinking lower. "The Journey."

"Yes, one of our favorites, though it never lasts long. Most mortals don't survive past door two."

"How many?" How much pain would she have to endure, survive, to at last be back beside him?

"1825." Lucifer said, the joy clear in their tone. "Your Lady has quite a lot of tormented memories."

Five years, he thought. The years still missing in their history, the ones that it seemed were too painful for her to even think of. If they were anything like what he'd witnessed in their shared prison of the Burgess home this was going to be difficult indeed. "Tell me the rules then, Lightbringer and let us get on with it."

"It's quite simple, at the end of the doors lies your lady, all you have to do is walk forward. If you lose yourself to her memories you'll both be trapped within them indefinitely. If you reach the end and she has died you will be free to go, but she will remain." They chuckled softly. "On the off chance you both manage to survive, her freedom will have been won. Do you accept our terms?"

"I accept," he said, moving to approach the door.

"Good luck to you, Dream. And to, Penelope."

As he walked the landscape stretched into a well tended lawn and a long straight pathway leading up to the brick building he could only assume was the asylum. It was larger than the Burgess mansion and looked well kept, if he hadn't known better he'd think it a normal facility, but the memory of her manic laughter and disheveled appearance was forefront in his mind.

Beside him Matthew hopped along the path. "Are we really gonna do this? You don't think this is kind of... I don't know, an invasion of Penny's privacy?"

"It may be," Dream said roughly, unable to think of how she would feel about such painful things being revealed to them without her say so. "But it is the only way to free her."

A loud caw echoed. "What is this place anyway?"

For a moment Dream had forgotten the raven wasn't with them in the years in captivity. "An asylum for the insane. Our shared captor, Roderick Burgess, sent her here when it became clear she'd no intention of helping him."

"Okay… That sounds pretty bad, but what happened here that makes it Hell worthy?"

"I do not know."

"So we have absolutely no idea what we're walking into?" Matthew sighed. "Perfect."

The door stood before them and with one last look to the raven Dream said, "Prepare yourself, whatever lies beyond these doors we cannot let it consume us. These are memories, the past, and nothing we do will change them."

That would be more difficult that the dream king imagined. As the metal door swung open with an eerie creak the white walls and shining floors echoed with the wails and screams of the poor souls damned here. It wasn't unlike Hell, a Hell for the waking world. Beside him Matthew cursed under his breath. Dream felt his heart drop into his stomach at the sight of Penelope running frantically down the hall towards him. The other patients either cheered her on or chanted for her to fall. It took everything in him not to open his arms to her as she drew closer.

She looked so afraid, so desperate as she dodged the tall men in white for as long as she could before they grabbed her and threw her to the ground. The whole vision around them shook and the next door appeared beyond the sight of her thrashing and biting and screaming. Dream walked around them and went through the next door, relieved to find himself in a normal looking room, less so to find Penelope curled into the corner.

The door opened and a man in a long white coat entered, fixing his glasses and looking at the paper in front of him. "Ms. Barlow?" She only answered him with a glare. "My name is Doctor Elias Shenton. I'm here to help you get better."

"I'm not sick." She spat.

"That may be so, but your behavior as of late certainly doesn't reflect that." He looked down at his papers again. "Twenty escape attempts in the last two months, five stabbings, twelve broken bones and the list goes on."

Dream felt the echo of pride. The doctor stepped closer and knelt down with a smile. "I do not think you're sick, Ms. Barlow, but I do think you're special."

They walked through the next door as the room shook and horror filled him. Penelope was strapped to a table, a gag of some sort in her mouth, trashing and clawing in attempts to escape while the doctor stood at the top of her head, holding two rods that connected to an odd little machine. The doctor smiled at her and he felt the rage in him triple. "You'll want to bite down on that hard Ms. Barlow, this can be quite uncomfortable."

The instant the rods touched her temples her entire body seized and he could feel the current rush through him, stealing the breath from his lungs. The door appeared and Dream made his way to it instantly. He had to see more, had to know what they had done to her, all of it. Door after door the same mistreatment. Starvation, beatings, shock treatments, isolation, so many drugs he'd lost count. It wasn't until door fifty that things changed for the worse.

This time when he opened it the first thing he saw was blood, her blood. They were cutting her open, testing the limits of healing they'd discovered in their other cruel acts. Dream looked down at her face, unconscious but only barely. His gaze turned to the doctor who raved about how miraculous the disturbed operation was. He clenched his fists and took a step towards him when Matthew cawed, "We can't change anything, remember? This has already happened boss, we need to keep moving forward if we want to help her."

Matthew was right. He could not hurt this man. Not yet at least. He could not save her from this torment because she had already been through it. She had survived, he told himself, trying to keep the thought in his mind to help push him through. She was alive and waiting beyond these doors, he just had to keep going forward.

Now behind every door was one grotesque operation… Experiment after another, all to see what made Penelope different. Behind every door was the sounds of knives slicing her skin and her blood spilling to the floor. Door after door the sound of the doctor's voice speaking about Penelope as though she was nothing more than a pig brought before him for slaughter. Door after door Morpheus felt his anger knot and twist inside him. He watched every memory, committing all that took part in her torment to his own. If any of them still lived they would pay, he would see to it personally.

Door three hundred and seventy four was when things descended further. The drugs had now stopped working, so in the middle of every procedure Penelope awoke and felt every second. This time they used a hand drill, held by a shaky intern, to dig into her back. This time when she woke her scream was one he'd only heard before here in Hell itself. Still they pressed on. He tried not to feel the deep ache that filled him at the sight of her losing her will to fight, to live door after door.

The sight before him, like all the others, was one of blood and pain and torment. Is this what lay behind all the remaining doors? he wondered looking down at the vision, the memory, of her strapped to the table screaming. With a deep sigh he reminded himself of his purpose and turned towards the door. Her hand shot out and grabbed his, her grip was tight, desperate. It felt so real that for a moment he'd forgotten it wasn't. "Please..." His heart broke at the sound. "Please kill me..." With tears in his eyes he pulled his hand free, moving for the next door as her wails echoed behind him. She is alive and waiting for us. He had to keep repeating it to himself to make his legs move forward, to not turn and go to vision of her.

The shaking of the memories had grown constant and so strong he could scarcely walk. Penelope was holding on, but the pain was too strong for even her to ignore. So he continued, pushing forward through the blood and the screams until one memory made him stop. She was in her cell, beating her head against the wall, throwing all her body weight into every motion until blood began to paint the space behind her. She continued, a determined look in her eyes that Dream feared. He wanted to tell her to stop, wanted to console her, but knew he couldn't. The white coats stopped her, but he knew this would not be the only time he'd have to watch her attempt to take her life. Beside him Matthew whispered a quiet, "Oh god."

Door five hundred and one. This memory he knew would plague him for the rest of his life. The doctor and his staff had left the room, Penelope lay, tube shoved down her throat and head bound in place, her ribs practically exposed as they poked and prodded at her lungs. Above them a hazy vision of the night sky swirled. When she broke her hand free of the restraints and grabbed the small blade Morpheus almost looked away, he almost had to. When she dug the blade into her own arm his eyes closed tightly, tears escaping down his cheeks. The scar on her arm that she'd tried to hide from him in Constantines' office had been carved by her own hand. The shame, the fear, he'd felt then made sense now.

She had spent all those years away enduring a fate far worse than he could have ever imagined, a fate that made Rodericks barbaric beatings seem like a blessing… A fate worse than death. Every door only added to the well of anger he'd built over the last eighty years, so much so that every part of him longed for the moment his power was restored and he could hunt down every last one of these monsters. He would show them what fear was, what pain was. Every scar they gave her, or forced her to give herself they would pay for.

Finally nearing the end, door one thousand eight hundred and ten revealed her father, old and worn with leathery skin and a receding hair. He was exactly how Dream pictured him, a miserable and hollow shell of a man that used fear and threats to intimidate his way to power. Not unlike Roderick. He watched him spit threats down at Penelope, her arms bound to her sides and ankles shackled to the bedpost. He watched something pass on her face, a fleeting rage, before she sat up and tore his throat open with her teeth. For the first time in ages he saw that fire return to her eyes, and while the sight of her covered in blood made the guilt and pain in him twist further, he was proud. Even after all the horror and pain she still held that fire, it was a feat not many could claim.

At last the final door. It began the same as almost the others, blood and screams and insane ramblings, but this one ended with Paul. As he watched the memory, listened to her as she fought and pleaded with Paul to let her free the sandman, him. "I tried to bargain with them for you too." He had much to make up for, much to repay and so as Morpheus turned to the last unnumbered door he made a silent promise to himself and to her. Never again will she be alone. Never again would she have to plead to anyone for anything.

The visions faded away as he opened the door to a decrepit garden covered in frost. There in the center, naked on an altar with gnarled vines and twisted roots wrapping around her lay Penelope, pale, bruised and covered in dead leaves and ash. As he drew closer the vines and roots unwound and slithered away from him. He looked down at her, fear filling him. Had he been too late? With gentle hands he lifted her head, cradling her face. Her lips were practically blue and her skin felt ice cold, even under his touch. "Penelope."

A small breath filled her lungs as her eyes opened ever so slightly. "Dream…" Her lips curled into a weak smile as her body trembled. "I knew you'd come."

He smiled as he pulled away and shed his coat, wrapping her in it tenderly. "For you, nothing could keep me away."

Lifting her into his arms he let out a relieved sigh at the feel of her curling into him. She was alive. She was back where she belonged and he'd be damned if he ever let her go again.

***

The pain of the memories faded with each step Dream took with me curled into his arms. He was warm, which was weird for him, but I pressed further into it anyway, my forehead practically glued into the side of his neck. Eventually the ground shifted from ash to black stone and heat wrapped around us, burning against my skin.

"I'm impressed," Lucifer's voice sent a shiver down my spine and Dreams' arms tightened around me. "No ordinary mortal would have survived such horrors. She is truly special, your lady."

"I need to attend to her, then I shall have words with the demons that left these marks upon her skin, as your laws say is my right." His voice was raw power. "And then, Lightbringer, we will discuss the return of my helm."

"But of course, Dream. My side room is open to you and the needs of your lady." Though the words were kind, the tone of their voice was angry and tense. Their plan hadn't played out and Lucifer was pissed.

Once in the next room Dream addressed Matthew, who'd been silently following us the whole way back. "Go wait. Keep them out until we return."

"You want me to keep the devil out of a room in their own palace," he questioned. I assumed the glare Morpheus gave him was what changed his tune as he followed with, "I, uh, I'll do my best."

"Can you stand?" He asked me, throat vibrating against my head.

I nodded, pulling away and letting him set my feet on the warm floor. My legs shook a little, but Morpheus kept me from falling. He moved only slightly when he was certain I was steady, his eyes roaming over me as I clutched his coat in my fingers. A fleeting feeling of contentment and longing filled me before being replaced by the storm of rage that filled him, but before I could ask he moved to a table where the blood stained and torn up remains of my dress, necklace and shoes sat.

"May I?" He asked, gesturing to the clothes, his voice almost a whisper. 

I nodded again, unable to form the words, unable to comprehend that Dream of the Endless wanted to help with such a lowly task. He pulled me closer to the table and moved to stand behind me, a gesture meant to help soothe my nerves no doubt. He slid his coat off my shoulders with a gentleness I was still so foreign to. The air around us stung, the warmth of the fires still trying to heat my chilled skin. I curled my arms over my chest, naked and exposed and vulnerable in front of him. 

If this had been different I would have made a joke, something to try and unwind the tight knot of rage that had settled in my stomach, his rage. He'd grabbed what remained of my tattered dress and held it behind me for a moment, when it came back into view it was changed, a simple gown of pale blue silk. I wanted to ask how, but quickly forgot the question as he pressed a kiss, soft and warm, to the long jagged scar along my shoulder. That kiss solidified the fear I'd been trying not to let consume me. He'd seen it. He'd seen all the memories that had plagued me on that altar.

I swallowed a hard lump as he helped ease the dress over my head and helped pull my arms through the thin sleeves. He kept my right arm in his hand and lifted it so he could press a long kiss to the scar from over my shoulder. A shuddering breath left me. Did he pity me now? Did seeing the insanity I'd fallen into make him think less of me? Were the attempts I made to end my life enough for him to hate me?

He moved to stand in front of me, sliding my necklace over my head and pressing another kiss to the scars Roderick had left on my neck and collarbone before he sank to his knees. One of his hands, now beginning to feel cold against my warming skin, gently lifted the hem of the dress up and cupping the back of my leg to examine the long scratches that marred the skin. He hummed, a noise that sounded like a strangled growl as he pressed his lips to my thigh, earning a sharp gasp I hadn't been able to contain. "I shall see to it that this offense is answered."

With a gentle wave of his hands I felt a soft thread wind around my calf, wrapping the cuts gently. He grabbed my shoes off the table and slid them onto my feet, using whatever magic he had been to turn them into more comfortable flats. This was too much. It had to be out of some sense of pity or an attempt to ease the blow of his coming disgust… something other than what was obvious. As he lowered my dress and began rising to his feet I squeezed my eyes shut, a few soft tears streaming down my cheeks.

"I am sorry you were forced to relive the horrors of that place," He whispered in a pained tone, thinking my tears were from the memories.

"That's not..." I sighed. "I've relieved it all before. That's… It's not what I'm afraid of."

"Then what is?"

I closed my eyes tighter. "I... I don't want it to have changed how you see me."

"Penelope." Cool fingers lifted my chin. My eyes stayed shut, terrified of what I'd see when they opened. Pity? Disgust? Disappointment? "Penelope, look at me." Not a whisper, but a gentle command.

With a deep breath I followed his instructions and opened my wet eyes, slowly meeting his. There was no pity, no disgust, only him. He looked sad, but he felt angry, more angry than I'd ever felt before. It wasn't aimed at me, but at what they had done to me. My lip quivered at the realization and as he wiped the tears from my eyes I whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You are beautiful. All of you." He said it so easily, said it like it was a fact everyone knew. "Nothing would ever change how I see you."

Our faces drifted closer until we shared the same breath. His blue eyes glistened in the dull firelight, looking at me with want. His hands dug into my hips as I pushed into him more, tilting my head back further. More. More. More. My body sang. Wings beating echoed from the doorway as Matthew returned. "Hey boss, they're getting kind of, oh! OH! Uh, sorry, I'll just... umm… See myself out…"

Morpheus' jaw clenched. Frustration and disappointment filled us both, pushing and pulling between us like ocean waves, the echoes of want flowing with them. I lowered myself back onto the flats of my feet and pressed a soft kiss to his throat. His hands squeezed my hips tighter before they released me entirely. "Thank you for coming for me."

His lips returned the gesture to my forehead, his cold breath fanning down my face as he answered, "Always."

"Well," I cleared my throat, "We shouldn't keep the devil waiting."

He chuckled. "I suppose not."

He offered me his arm and led me back into the main room where Lucifer and their silver armored friend stood with The demon Lucifer had called, Sagathes and another demon kneeling before them. A forced smile spread on their lips. "The demons responsible for the harm done to your lady, Dream."

"Their names?" he said from my side.

"The Sagathes," Lucifer gestured to the demon I'd seen in the elevator. "And Vornen." Their hand moved to the other demon, the one I assumed had thrown me into the table. "In accordance with our laws you may choose their punishment."

He thought for a moment before saying in a lethally calm voice, "I choose The Pits."

Lucifer nearly sneered. "Very well, a fight to the death it is."

After Lucifer turned and announced the display to whatever crowd was at the bottom of the balcony, cheers erupted through the palace and the two demons evaporated into smoke. They turned back to Morpheus and shrugged a shoulder. "Satisfied?"

"At present. Now, onto the matter of my helm."

"Which demon has your helm? Name it and we shall bring it here."

"I confess I do not know the name." He moved closer to the balcony, beside Lucifer, and gave my arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Your punishment has summoned all of them." The sight from the balcony was as far as the eye could see filled with demons and large pits of flame. In the center of the cheering crowd the Sagathes and Vornen pitted against each other, fighting with a cruel brutality that I'd never seen before, nor did I want to see again. "There, now, Dream you may inquire. Which demon has your helmet? Shall we summon them one at a time or…"

"That won't be necessary." Dream gave Lucifer a look and turned back to the main room, leading me toward the stairs where Matthew waited.

"It surprises us how easily you would give up, Dream. We know how you relied upon your tools. But, tools are the subtlest of traps. We come to rely upon them, and in their absence we become vulnerable, weak, defenseless."

"Not entirely." He let go of my arm with a quiet request for me to wait beside Matthew as he handled his remaining business. Turning to Lucifer he pulled the pouch from his coat and knelt, dumping some of it into the stone floor. "I have recovered my sand. It brought me to Hell. Now it brings that which is mine in Hell to me."

The sand began to swirl around him, glittering in the firelight as it moved and swirled a few steps away. A figure appeared in the center, holding what I assumed was the helm he was here to retrieve. The demon turned, clutching the helmet tightly as Dream stood back up, glaring at him with dark eyes. "Tell me your name, demon."

Glancing at Lucifer he replied, "Do I have to tell him?"

"That is Choronzon. A Duke of Hell." Lucifer said, sounding less than pleased at this development.

"Choronzon," Dream said. "The helm is mine. You must return it to me."

"No. It's mine now. I traded it from a mortal for a paltry thing. It was a fair trade. I've broken no laws and if the Dream King wants his helm back, he will have to fight me for it."

My heart hammered in my chest. Surely Dream wouldn't agree to fight a demon in Hell. Surely there was some other way to- "Very well." God damn it. "I challenge you, Choronzon."

The demon chuckled, stepping closer to Dream. "You know the rules, Dream Lord."

"If I win you will return my helmet."

"And if you lose, you'll serve as my slave in Hell for eternity."

"I accept the terms." Matthew cawed from beside me, equally as not into this plan.

Lucifer looked too happy as they said, "And whom shall you choose to represent you in the battle?"

This is a trap. "I shall represent myself."

A concealed smile. "Choronzon, whom will you choose to represent you?" 

"Hmm…" The Demon stepped closer. "I choose you, sire."

Lucifer smiled and in the blink of an eye was dressed in shining black leather armor as they stepped behind Dream, who smirked at their clever plan playing out. "Apologies Dream, but the laws of Hell demand that I become his champion. But if you would not fight me."

"I have accepted the terms." When he turned to Lucifer he was also dressed in leather armor. "Let the challenge begin."

Lucifer first proclaimed the winner of the Pit fights as Vornen, who’d joined us in the room, standing beside the woman I learned was named Mazikeen, then Choronzon took over and began the announcement of the current fight. As Dream joined Lucifer and Choronzon on the balcony to announce the challenge Matthew tutted beside me. "So, this is like the worst idea ever right?"

"Oh absolutely," I answered, my eyes glued to Dreams leather clad back. Damn him and that leather, tight in all the right places. His head tilted slightly, reminding me that he could in fact hear my thoughts. Or some of them… The dirty ones it would seem. I felt the heat rise to my face. 

Matthew hopped up onto my shoulder. "Sorry about going through your memories, by the way, you didn't deserve that… Or what those people did to you."

I smiled, sadly.. "Thank you, Matthew. For all of your help."

"Oh, and, uh, sorry about walking in on the, uh… thing going on in the side room."

If my blush hadn't been noticeable before, it was now. "It… It's okay. You didn't…" my voice trailed off. Didn't interrupt anything? But he had… we were going to kiss, or at least I was going to kiss him. I hadn't even thought of asking if he wanted to kiss me first. God I'm an idiot. Of course he didn't want to kiss me we're in HELL trying to get his things back! I hardly noticed Dream walking towards us until he had grabbed hold of my arm and gently pulled me aside.

"Matthew, I need you to return to the Dreaming with Penelope."

"What? No!" The bird said before I could.

"It is the only reason I allowed you to come here."

"So I could leave you?" 

"If I should not be allowed to leave this place I would not have Lucienne left alone with no word as to my fate, not again." He looked back up to me. "The sand will take you both back."

"I'm not leaving you." I said firmly.

He sighed. "We do not have time to argue."

"There is no argument." I took his face in my hands. "I will not leave you. Not again. So, if you want me out of Hell you're going to have to walk out with me."

"Morpheus," Lucifer's false sweet voice said from beside us. "Am I interrupting a preliminary bout of some kind?"

Matthew hopped between us and bowed. "Just a ringside pep talk, Your Majesty. We came here for the helm and we're not leaving without it."

"We shall see." They smiled, turning to stand in the center of the room.

Matthew flew up to one of the pillars as I let go of Dreams face. He looked at me for a moment before saying, as casually as he could. "This may... perhaps be a good time for a token of luck. A kiss perhaps."

Clever, I thought as I smoothed my hands over his leather clad chest until they came to shoulders. I internally groaned. You have no right looking this good in leather, my lord. I thought, knowing he'd hear. His eyes flared as the words reached him. I lifted myself up using his shoulders as leverage to press a kiss to his cheek beside his lips. Once my feet were back on the ground I smiled up at him. "Win and I'll give you a real kiss, Dream Lord."

He smirked, bowing his head. "As my lady commands."

I did my best to ignore the way his words made my stomach flip as he walked up the stairs and took his place in front of Lucifer. Matthew flew down to my shoulder as I took my place out of the way. “You think he’s got a shot?”

“Of course he does,” I replied. “If not, you might want to get used to the scenery.”

Dream looked over at us for a moment, shoulders tense and eyes swimming with stormy night. I smiled, a simple thing to try and reassure him that no matter what happened Matthew and I would be beside him. He was going to win. He had to, or we were all stuck here.

“As the challenged, I set the meter and take the first move.” Lucifer had done a poor job at hiding their glee ever since Dream had accepted the challenge. 

“Very well,” he replied, “Make your move.”

“I am… a dire wolf. Prey-stalking, lethal prowler.” A vision of the great wolf growling entered my mind. It was odd, as was the sensation that washed over me, but from what I gathered part of whatever this game was.

“I am a hunter. Horse-mounted, wolf-stabbing.” A horse and its rider entered the vision, the rider a hunter, drawing his bow he shot down at the wolf. Lucifer groaned in pain, lurching forward holding their abdomen with their hands. I saw a flash of red on their palm before they stood up straight and continued.

“I am a serpent. Horse-biting, poison-toothed.” A snake struck out of the darkness, teeth digging into the leg of the hunter's horse. Dreams' head twisted to the side revealing dark veins consuming his neck and face, pooling his eye with red. The mark burned on my arm, drawing out a startled breath from my lungs. Dream’s eyes fixed on me for a moment before he spoke.

“I am a bird of prey. Snake-devouring, talons ripping.” The hawke swooped down and grabbed the snake, twisting its talons into the scaled creature. Lucifer’s head whipped down, as if they’d just been struck, their hand cupping their cheek.

“I am a butcher bacterium. Warm-life destroying.” Dream was on his knees, arms holding onto himself as his face lifted revealing black splotches of decaying flesh taking form. The mark burned more, and I grit my teeth to keep from screaming. His eyes met mine again, dark and desperate.

��I am a world. Space-floating, life-nurturing.” All around were fields of green and bright sun filled skies. Lucifer looked around for a moment as the birds chirped and life hummed in the air.

“I am a nova. All-exploding, planet-cremating.” The sky filled with a bright ball of searing light. Fire tore through the green field, burning everything away until nothing but ash remained. Dream lay on the ground, skin burnt and breath weak. I gripped onto my arm tight, nails digging into my skin, trying to lessen or dull the pain any way I could. He needed to focus on winning, not on worrying about me.

“I am a universe. All things encompassing, all life embracing.” The beautiful array of bright stars and cosmic clouds filled the vision.

“I am anti-life. The Beast of Judgment. The dark at the end of everything.” Darkness quickly overtook the stars and clouds until there was nothing but darkness. Something I’d grown tired of seeing. Dream, still on the floor, turned deathly pale, his cheeks began to hollow as he gasped trying to find breath. “What will you be then, Dream Lord?”

Black veins began to spread on my arm, the mark burning so hot now I could hardly breathe. I leaned back against the pillar, trying to keep myself on my feet as Dream tried to push himself up off the ground. “I…”

Matthew flew from my shoulder, hopping toward him. “Boss… Hey boss!”

“Still with us Dream?” Lucifer purred.

“He is, and it’s his move, Your Majesty.” 

Lucifer looked down at him. “There are no more moves. What can survive the anti-life?”

Matthew glanced over at me before turning to Dream. “Hey, boss. Listen to me…" The voice of the raven dipped so low I couldn't hear it.

Dream glanced up at Lucifer and then his eyes met mine. Through the pain, through the spinning of the room I smiled at him. Come on, Sandy. Not an inch, remember? I pushed the thought to him as hard as I could, only hoping that somehow it was one he heard. “I… Am…” He slowly began rising from the floor as Matthew cawed beside him. “Hope.”

The room flooded with bright light as Dream rose to his feet, his eyes meeting Lucifers'. Their voice was laced with disbelief, “Hope.”

“Well, Lightbringer? It’s your move. What is it that kills hope?” The pain gripping me vanished along with the light. I caught my breath for a few seconds before ignoring any possible formalities and going to Dreams' side. I put one hand on his arm and the other on the side of his face, examining him for any injuries as he lifted my marked wrist to his lips. “Are you alright?”

I smiled, trying to stifle the relieved laugh that built up in my chest. “You just dueled the devil, I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to ask you that.”

Lucifer had twisted around, voice no longer light and pleasant but dark and growling. “Choronzon, give him his helm.”

The demon clutched it tighter. “No. I won’t. It’s mine. Please.”

Vornen and Mazikeen both moved, predators stalking their prey. Mazikeen grabbed the helm while Vornen threw Choronzon off the balcony and into the cheering crowd below. Mazikeen handed the helm to Vornen, who turned and presented it to Dream. “Your winnings, Dream Lord.”

Dream bowed his head slightly, but did not thank the demon, instead he said in a cold voice. “If you should ever seek out that which is mine again nothing shall stand in my way of retribution, do you understand.”

“Yes, Dream Lord.” the demon said, casting his eyes down.

Helm tucked under one arm and his other curled keeping me safely behind him, Dream turned to Lucifer. “Thank you, Lightbringer. The Ruler of Hell is honorable, indeed. I will not forget this.”

“Honorable?” Lucifer's face twisted into a sneer. “You joke, surely. Look out there, Morpheus. The billion Lords of Hell stand arrayed about you. Tell us. Why should we let you leave? Helmet or no, you have no power here. After all… What power have dreams in Hell?”

“You say I have no power here. Perhaps you speak truly. But to say dreams have no power in Hell… Tell me Lucifer Morningstar, what power would Hell have if those imprisoned here were not able to dream of Heaven.”

Lucifer's lips twitched. “One day, Morpheus… We shall destroy you and everything you hold dear.”

Dream bowed slightly, eyes never leaving theirs. “Until that day, Lightbringer.”

He placed a hand on my back and began leading me towards the stairs when Lucifer suddenly called out, “Penelope.” My jaw clenched and every inch of me crawled at the sound of my name from their mouth. “One last thing, before you leave us. A gift.”

I didn’t turn, but Morpheus’ eyes darkened slightly before he looked down at me. I was about to ask what was wrong, and then a voice I hadn’t heard since the night of Roderick Burgess’ party echoed off the stone. “Pen… Penelope.”

I turned slowly, a quiet sob catching in my throat at the sight of my mother knelt in chains before the devil, eyes looking at me filled with guilt and desperation. “Is this real?” I whispered to Dream.

“Yes.”

“Please, Penelope,” My mother begged. “Please.”

I looked at Lucifer. “What is the purpose of this?”

They smiled. “Your mother is here because she, while not directly, sent you on the path of torment you've endured. She wronged you, betrayed you, denied you the life you wanted. Only you have the power to free her.”

“Free her?” I asked. "How would I free her?"

“Your forgiveness,” Lucifer clarified, eyes looking past me to Dream, who’d stiffened beside me.

I looked at her, small and shaking bound in chains, not unlike I’d been for those eight long years of being a captive. Ascending back up the stairs until I stood in front of her, I asked. “Did you know?”

She sniffled. “I… I…”

“Did you know what they were doing to me?” I asked again, louder. “Did you know where they sent me after they were done?”

She looked down at the floor. “Yes.”

I clenched my jaw and blinked away tears, drawing in a deep, hot breath. She’d done nothing to directly hurt me, but just like Alex, her inaction added to the suffering I’d endured. She should rot here. Part of me thought. But, as I listened to the rowdy cheering crowd of demons and watched Lucifer smile… No. I knelt down in front of her, lifting her face with a soft hand. “I want you to know, in whatever afterlife awaits you, that you are no longer my family. You are nothing to me. I forgive you."

Rising to my feet I watched the chains that bound her turn to dust for a moment before I turned, putting her begging and pleading at me to hear her out… to let her explain herself, behind as I walked back to Morpheus’ side and took his arm once again, leaving the palace of Hell together. All while we walked I could feel him watching me, could feel the question lingering in him. “You’re wondering why I forgave her.”

“Yes,” He admitted softly. “She contributed to your pain and she deserved to suffer for it.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But her suffering wouldn’t have brought me peace. It wouldn’t have changed anything. Ultimately by giving her my forgiveness I’ve set not only her free, but myself.”

“Yourself?” he pressed curiously.

I shrugged. “For so long I held onto that endless and suffocating anger towards her. But anger is a consuming thing, Dream, the longer you hold it the more it takes from you.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment before we came to a stop. "I can send you home now."

"I'm coming with you," I stated.

"Penelope…"

"The last time we parted ways I ended up getting dragged to hell."

"That will not happen again. You are going home, where I know you'll be safe while I recover my ruby." His stone-like features told me this wasn't a fight I was going to win. "Please."

I sighed. "Fine, but… Please be careful. No more duels with devils."

He smiled. "My ruby is the last of my tools I must recover, and it should be the most simple."

"Will you come find me when you're done?" I asked, almost embarrassed at how desperate it sounded.

A cold hand stroked my cheek. "I will. I promise."

He grabbed his pouch and poured the sand into his palm. With one blow it swirled around me, faster and faster until Dream and Hell were no longer visible. When the sand fell away I was standing in the middle of a road. What the fuck? I looked around, trying to find anything familiar, but I didn't know this place. Why would the sand send me here?

I quickly made my way towards the little diner I'd popped up by, maybe someone inside would be able to help me figure out where I was. The little bell rang and the waitress, a lovely woman with black hair and a green uniform, hollered out, "Be with you in a minute hon, just grab a seat!"

She sounded American, and that certainly didn't bode well. I hadn't been back to America for a long time, not since the cult had followed me here. The little diner was quaint, kind of exactly what you pictured when you heard the word diner. The checkered floors were worn from years of foot traffic, the green accents and walls were adorned with old American posters and random décor, the lights were all old and every leather seat and booth was scuffed and scratched. It felt oddly homey.

I moved to the counter, hoping that if I stayed close enough to the door I'd be easier for her to remember. She ran around between tables, filled cups of coffee and ran back to the kitchen a few times before she huffed and settled in front of me. "Hi! What can I help you with?"

"Um, hi, I think I'm a little l-"

"Lost?" She finished my thought and then smiled. "Don't you worry. We get a lot of lost out of towers around here, let me go grab you a map sweetie."

The bell rang again and a hum of power rolled over me. I knew that feeling. Turning toward the door I looked at the man standing there, clothed in striped pajamas and slippers and carrying a dimly glowing ruby in his hand. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

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[goosewithtwoos]

Rooster x female reader

I’m not sure if you take requests if not please feel free t ignore this

You were mavericks little girl and best friends with rooster sense what seemed like forever not knowing he had secret feelings for you but didn’t say anything because you were His dads best friends daughter,but he couldn’t help when everyone was at the bar and hangman was teasing you at pool and for the first time you let anger slip and used the pool stick to being hangman to his knees and held his chin up with the stick.

“You think your mother would be very proud of the man she raised talking like that”

Frothing at the mouth, let’s go :0 also i have no idea if you wanted some seccy moment but i wrote seccy anyways. dip out at any point bby

PUNK TACTICS

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Penny rang the ‘Free Round’ bell.

Some idiotic soul had insulted Phoenix who was out of uniform, saying that he could probably score better on the ASVAB.

You were standing with the other Top Gun graduates, hanging around the pool table, beer bottles scattered nearby. You probably didn’t need another round, but hell, if someone else was paying, you’d take a free drink.

Rooster stood, watching more than actually playing. He leaned his chin on the pool cue, aviators falling down to the bridge of his nose. His eyes flit between the action on the table and you.

Phoenix made her way back over, rolling her eyes at the wolf whistles but carried drinks in hand. She handed one to Bob who, bless him, was still nursing his first beer.

She passed another to Coyote and made an attempt to give one to Rooster, but he politely declined.

Phoenix raised a brow at him. It wasn’t often that Rooster declined a drink.

“I’m D.D tonight.” He explained. “Someone has to make sure she gets home safe.” He motioned towards you.

You would alternate between being designated drivers for each other for as long as you could remember. Whoever was driver would take the other home and make sure to set up a nice little array of advil and water so the following morning hangover would be lessened.

You and Rooster used to sleep over at each other’s houses - solely for the purpose of ‘if anything went wrong’ - but the amount of sleepovers seemed to have diminished as of late.

Phoenix just shrugged at Rooster, took a sip from her own bottle, and then handed you the one meant for Bradley.

He smiled, lop sided, as you took a sip. Your eyes were laser focused on the table, watching how Hangman was playing and trying to figure out the best way to screw him over.

Hangman hit two shots in a row, basking in the glory from Fanboy who was seemingly always hyping him up.

“Your turn, Mini-Mav.” He said to you, eyes glinting with the excitement of the game.

You had a call sign but no one from Top Gun used it. Ever since it was discovered that you were the daughter of Maverick, you became ‘Mini-Mav’.

It bothered you at first. You were your own person, damn it, not just your fathers daughter, but it eventually grew on you.

Your eyes found Rooster, who gave you a slight nod as encouragement, and lined up your shot. Your heart inexplicably began to quicken its pace but you attributed it to the game.

Your cue tapped the table lightly and Hangman whistled, low and slow. “My move.”

You groaned, righting yourself and smacking the end of your cue on the floor. “Come on,” you groan. “Are you serious?”

Hangman just shrugged and went to line up his shot.

“Rules are rules.” He said cooly. He hit another perfect shot and you wanted to tap out right then and there but knew you couldn’t. You had put money on this stupid game and were determined not to lose.

Hangman stood back up, moving around the table to get another shot. Rooster’s and Hangman’s eyes met, the two men trying to burn each other.

Neither was blind. You were undeniably attractive and both men were fighting for you. Rooster said he had claim, he’d known you forever, but Hangman swore he’d get you in the end. This game was going to determine winner.

As Hangman prepared for a shot, he made sure to get right in front of Rooster, successfully hitting him in the abdomen when he shot another round.

Rooster pressed his lips firmly together, trying not to show any sort of discomfort.

“Oh, sorry bud. Didn’t see you there.” Hangman said, turning and grinning. Your eyes darkened. No one was allowed to insult Bradley except for you. Making fun of him was your job.

Hangman looked towards you and noticed the way your expression had changed. “All right there, Mini?”

“Dandy, Bagman.” You grit out.

Maybe it was the alcohol talking but seeing Hangman hit Rooster was really rubbing you the wrong way. You had to make this game count. 

You focused on each shot, hitting four in a row. No one spoke as you sunk the last ball, seemingly all holding their breath.

Hangman looked both angry and impressed but Rooster was smitten.

The look of determination across your face, they way your arms flexed in your black tee, all mixed with the fact that he was taking you home tonight left him with a dull ache.

He had to stop himself from staring by turning to Bob and joining the conversation with Phoenix.

You went to make another move but Hangman’s voice stopped you.

“Didn’t think you’d be this good, Mini.” He said, making a crude gesture with his pool cue, the double implication not lost to you.

You whipped your head around, ready to hit him. “Would you shut up for once in your goddamn life?”

Phoenix, Rooster and Bob all stopped and turned. Fanboy was stepping behind Hangman, ready to back him up in anything.

“Struck a nerve there, didn’t I? Never took you for a prude. Kinda thought you were like your daddy.” Hangman’s eyes danced between you and Penny who was smiling behind the bar, none the wiser of what had just been said.

That was it.

You struck Hangman in the chest with the end of your cue, sending him back and hunched over. A look of shock crossed his face but before he could stand back up, your cue was under his chin, forcing him to look at you.

“You think your mother would be proud of the man she raised talking like that?” You growled.

Fanboy grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him back up. Both men were looking at you, shock in their eyes. You’d never lost your temper like this before.

Rooster was behind you in an instant, pressing a hand against your back. Phoenix was on your left, ready for a fight.

Penny had looked over but knew it was best to leave the group alone until it really turned physical.

“Jeez, doll, didn’t think you’d react like that.” He rubbed over the spot in his chest, holding back the whine in his throat.

“How’d you think I’d take it? You expect me to be okay with you making fun of my family?”

Something flashed across Hangman’s face. He wasn’t going to let you have the last word.

“I expected you to go crying to Goose - ah whoops, I mean Rooster.”

You lunged at Hangman, ready to swing a beautiful right hook but Phoenix had grabbed you, holding you back. Rooster was much too surprised to do anything and contemplated if he should tell Phoenix to let you go.

“I bet your taking the right piss there, aren’t you?” You yelled at him. Hangman was taking steps back, Fanboy going to stand between you two. “Or is it left, huh? I bet even in the tightest boxers, it’s so small you can’t even see which way it curves!”

You slipped from Phoenix’s grip but got caught by Rooster.

“Come on,” he said, picking you up from under the arms and dragging you across the bar. Penny’s eyes were on you, concerned. She shook her head slowly and watched as you got pulled through the crowd. “We’re going home.”

Once in the parking lot, Rooster set you down. You tried to run back in but he stood in front of you, body blocking.

“Just one swing!” You cried, trying to get past him.

He grabbed you again, holding you by the arms. His eyes bore down to yours, trying to get you to calm down.

“Take a deep breath.” He said.

You tried to do as told but remembering what Hangman had said - calling Rooster by his dad’s call sign - chocked you up again.

“Just forget about him. He’s stupid. You’re the biggest prude I know.” He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

You dropped your head. You didn’t want him to see the tears welling in your eyes. It was a nasty habit of yours to cry whenever you got mad and you hated when Rooster saw your tears.

“It’s not what he said about me.” You admitted, feeling a tear slip down. “It’s what he said to you.”

Roosters grip on you lessened. His breath hitched as he took in what you said. He knew you both cared for each other but watching you try to fight for his honor left his heart aching.

“Look at me.” He muttered. It wasn’t a command and more of a question.

Your head turned up, wiping your nose with the back of your hand. Your eyes were a bit red but thankfully you weren’t crying anymore.

His thumb wiped under your eye, picking up a trace tear that hadn’t fallen just yet.

“You don’t have to fight for me.” He said, heart beat racing. “I’m a big enough boy to fight my own battles.”

You finally met his eyes and you wanted to cry again. Something inside you switched when you looked at him.

You had known for a while that you loved him but you couldn’t tell what kind. Sure, you had grown up with him but that didn’t stop you from thinking of him in a few different ways. He was obviously handsome but he also was your best friend. He knew more about you than anyone else and when you had your heart broken for the first time, he was the first person you ran to.

Bradley held a special place in your heart that couldn’t be filled by anyone else.

“I know you are,” You whimpered out. “but he’s not allowed to say that to you.” You felt a bit childish but continued. “I’m the only one who’s allowed to make fun of you. You’re mine.”

The words were out before you could think hard enough to stop them.

They could be innocent but the two of you knew they weren’t. You were each other’s person. No one else could compete with the way you completed each other.

Your face flushed and it wasn’t from the beer. Roosters eyes searched your face, trying to figure out if he had understood you properly.

Your lip trembled again, embarrassment setting in.

Was he going to leave you here, alone on the porch of the Hard Deck? Assuredly not, since he was the one driving you home and your dad would have Roosters balls as a coin purse if he found out you were left alone at night. But now that meant you were going to have to sit in silence on the way home and then pretend everything was okay next time you ran drills together.

Rooster swallowed deeply and nodded. “I’m yours.”

He dipped down, pressing your lips together. You had no hesitation when you kissed him back, wrapping your arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.

It felt like everything fell into place. Finally, you had the boy of your dreams right where you wanted him and it felt so good to have him want you back.

His mustache tickled your upper lip. You smiled at the feeling, excitement bubbling in your chest.

He pulled back for a moment, hanging his aviators onto his shirt so they wouldn’t fall. You looked up at him, goofy smile forming across your face.

“You still driving me home?” You asked, tilting your head.

Rooster smiled down at you, hands making their way to your waist. “You bet I am.”

From the window, Bob and Phoenix were cheering. You groaned and pressed your face to his chest, waving at them blindly. Rooster laughed and gave them a thumbs up.

Once they had left, you pulled yourself from him and took a step back. You gripped his hand and gently pulled, leading him to the car.

“Am I allowed to say, ‘Take me to bed or lose me forever’?”

Rooster groaned, excitement flaring through him. “Show me the way home, honey.”

The two of you ran to the car, jumping in and pulling out of the parking lot before you even had your seatbelts on.

Rooster sped to your house in record time. You grabbed his hand, leading him through the door and towards your room.

Once inside, you kissed him again, removing his aviators and placing them gently onto your dresser.

You walked him backwards towards the bed and when his knees hit the edge, you pushed him down, enjoying the way he made a little “oomf” sound.

You sat atop of him, grinding your hips down. He moaned into your mouth, pawing at the hem of your shirt.

You took the initiative to take off his, throwing the fabric across your room. He got the hint and pulled at yours, allowing your shirt to join his on the floor.

He broke away, taking his time, committing your chest and every little freckle to memory.

You raked your fingers across his abs, watching how they flexed under your touch. His hips bucked when you got close to his v-line.

His hands came up to your fly, toying at. “Can I?” He asked, looking at you like a hopeful puppy.

You nodded, unsure if you could trust your voice.

Before he got your shorts down, he stopped. His eyes flitted up to yours, hesitation slowly crossing his features.

“You’re not drunk, right?”

God, you fell even more in love with him everyday.

“No,” you shook your head. “I’m not drunk. I want this.”

“Thank God.” and with that, he caught your lips again, pulling your shorts down. You had to get off him to pull them down fully and he whined at the loss of contact.

He scooted back on the bed, pulling at his own jeans as he did. He laid in his boxers, watching as you undressed.

You tried to remind yourself that this was Rooster. Not ever Rooster - this was Bradley.

Still, you left your bra and underwear on, slightly embarrassed that they weren’t a matching set. You made a mental note to go shopping soon.

He propped himself onto his elbow, enjoying the show as you crawled over and on top of him.

His eyes were so inviting and his scent was captivating. Your heart swelled as you looked down on him.

Rooster, Bradley, the boy you’ve loved, was beneath you and smiling. He placed his hands on your bare hips, drawing circles with his thumbs.

“Hi.” You said foolishly, unsure of anything better to say.

His smile only grew. “Hi.” He replied, eyes dancing around your facial features. “You’re really pretty.”

You dipped your head down into the crook of his neck and laughed. “Shut up.”

“I’m just making up for lost time.” He said. He cradled the back of you head and locked his legs around your waist. In a swift motion, you were beneath him, staring up into his dark brown eyes.

He pressed a quick kiss to your temple, removing his hand from behind your head. He trailed down, leaving soft kisses against your collar bone.

His lips found your hipbones, kissing each one gently before finding their way between your thighs.

You looked down, watching his hand come up and slowly massage your inner thigh. He pressed his nose against your core and another wave of arousal shot through you.

You let out a soft whine as he began to press his nose deeper, leaving soft kitten licks every once and a while.

Your hand found his hair and he hummed in appreciation.

He soon became relentless, lapping at you through your panties and gripping harshly at your thigh. His hips ground against the bed, seeking his own friction.

You felt yourself clench around nothing and cried out as his nose hit your clit perfectly.

“Please, Bradley, I need you.” It was so pitiful you surprised even yourself.

He pulled himself up and back to his original position, hovering slightly over you.

“I’m going to have to prep you first, baby girl. You are the biggest prude I know, after all.”

You went to say something snarky back but lost all words when he pressed a finger against your core, slowly teasing your entrance.

He slipped it in and began rocking back and forth, watching your reactions to see what made you scrunch your nose in discomfort and what made you moan.

He slowly added a second finger, checking your reaction. You moaned out as he pressed against your g-spot and felt your orgasm slowly start to build.

“Roos,” you moaned out, gripping at his bicep. Lord, when had he gotten this buff? “Please, more.”

Bradley chucked, leaning down to capture your lips. He pressed his thumb against your clit as he added a third finger.

Never going too fast, Rooster kept a steady pace, opening you up on his fingers.

When he pulled his fingers out, you whined at the loss. He smirked against your lips, pulling down his boxers.

He sat up quickly, fully removing them and tossing them aside. He found his discarded jeans and pulled out a condom from the pocket, quickly putting it on.

“Presumptuous, huh?” You joked, glad for the lighthearted moment.

He smirked, adjusting the condom so there would be no accidents. “I always have one when I go out. Don’t think too much about it.”

You laughed, throwing your head back. He chuckled and grabbed your thigh again. When you looked back, his eyes found yours and then glanced down, questioningly, at your panties.

You swallowed your fear and nodded. He took his time, pulling down the fabric, drinking in the sight of you.

“Let me know if you need me to slow down.” He told you, grabbing you under the knee and coming back to hover over you.

He slowly sunk into you, moaning out at the sensation.

You tensed, hissing at the feeling. It had been a long time since you’d done this and it was a completely different sensation.

Perhaps you just hadn’t liked the other ones as much as you thought you had because the way Bradley was leaning over you made you feel like heaven on earth.

He moved slowly, allowing you time to adjust to his size.

“God, you feel so good around me.” He moaned.

You whimpered in response, brain clouding over in pleasure.

Slowly, you felt the pain melt into intense pleasure. Your building orgasm started rapidly approaching.

“I’m not gonna last long.” You tell him as he began rocking his hips fast.

“Me neither.” He said, bringing his fingers down to work your clit.

You cried out, throwing your head back further into the pillows. You grip back onto his bicep, feeling how he tensed beneath your touch.

He worked your clit as you felt the coil in your abdomen tighten. You willed yourself to keep your eyes open, not wanting to miss a second of having him above you.

His curls bounced with each thrust and his biceps tensed. A sheen layer of sweat was covering his forehead and his eyes changed between watching you and watching where he was entering you.

“Brad-Bradley!” You cried out, trying to hold yourself back from cumming embarrassingly early.

He kissed the inside of your neck, making you clench around him. He nipped the sensitive section of skin, thrusting his hips faster.

“Let go, darling, I got you.” And with that, you were cumming around him, eyes finally shutting as your orgasm flowed through you.

Bradley pulled out, jerking off until he came into the condom.

He rolled off you, catching his breath. You turned towards him, watching the way his chest heaved.

“Shit…” He muttered. “If I had known you felt that good, I would have admitted my feelings a long time ago.”

You laughed, swatting at his arm.

He smiled back before getting to his elbows, trying to stand. He groaned as he got up, unsteady legs taking him to the bathroom. He came back quickly, damp wash cloth in hand and gently cleaned you.

When he was done, he went to your dresser where you had kept a small section for his clothes. He pulled out a pair of his gray sweatpants and tossed them to you. For himself, he chose black sweats.

He went to the bathroom, leaving the washcloth in the sink.

Back in your room, you had put his gray sweatpants on and was making yourself comfortable underneath the covers.

Rooster came back, smiling at your sleepy figure.

He got into the bed, turning you onto your side and pulling you close. His head resting onto your shoulder, arms wrapped protectively around your waist.

“Hangman’s never going to talk to you like that again.” You muttered, half asleep already.

Bradley chuckled, snuggling deeper into you.

You slept better that night than you had in a long time. You had put Hangman in his place, and the boy you loved in your bed.

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