Dilemma

Dilemma

Pairing: Beau "Cyclone" Simpson x f!pilot!reader (Callsign: Poppy) secret relationship + no use of Y/N.

Summary: Reader finds out she has been dismissed from the mission and is gonna confront the Vice Admiral about his decision.

Warnings: mentions of death through threats, swearing, bad writing, grammatical mistakes, sorry English isn't my first language.

Be indulgent please it's my first one putting the reader in a pilot seat, I'm more into the usual fluffy stories 🫣.

To say she was angry was an understatement, she could have knocked heads without batting an eyelid because she was so seething with rage. Strolling down the hallways towards the source of her problem she didn't even pay attention to Payback and Fanboy who called out to her as she passed by them. Making them raise their eyebrows and follow her lead as she walked towards the break room in which she entered opening the door abruptly, she quickly found the reason for her anger, sitting on the arm of one of the sofas, his smug smile still pinned on his face that she dreamed of hitting.

"You! Hangman piece of shit! "

The man turned his head towards her before straightening up and his smile widened as he guessed why she would have killed him if she could.

"Poppy my dear, you've never been better named than you are right now by the color of your face." He chuckled as she approached dangerously, determined this time to slap him in the face no matter what she risked next.

"You deserve to roast in hell!” A group of pilots formed around them intrigued by what was happening, as she was about to jump at his face, two arms encircled her waist to prevent her from going through with her gesture.  "Rooster let go of me! I'll take that stupid smile off your face and you'll see. Rooster, let me go!"

Jake looked at her with a proud look on his face without batting an eyelid as Bradley tried to restrain his friend.

"Leave him he's not worth it."

"What's going on?" Phoenix finally interjected as lost and stunned as the others.

"Maverick just grounded me on orders from Simpson, who was reportedly told that I didn't feel I had the shoulders for this mission, which was too much pressure for me. You're so afraid of getting passed over that you manage to sink whoever you can. You tried to undermine Bradley's confidence in his own abilities because he's your biggest competitor and now you're taking it out on me? Wouldn't it be you Seresin who doubt your abilities to the point of resorting to such low acts to oust the competition?"

Maybe he was hiding behind his smile or he was unaware of the lack of morality of what he was doing but Jake didn't bat an eye, still wearing his smirk.

"They made a mistake on the selection, it was about recalling the best. But maybe some of them couldn't make themselves available. So they had to plug the holes." Jake said.

"That's so low of you, yet not surprising." Interjected Bob who had placed himself next to her.

"It doesn't matter who will be chosen for this mission Jake, we are all on the same team. But maybe you don't really grasp the meaning of what that means?"

Not wanting to hear what he might have to say, if he had anything to say, she turned and walked out of the room to Vice Admiral Simpson's office. Once in front of the door she took a deep breath before knocking twice on it and entering when he gave permission.

When she entered the room, Cyclone was sitting at his desk, Warlock sitting opposite him, she stood by the door, straight as an i, hands behind her back, both men facing her.

"Lieutenant Caldwell." He sank into his seat with his elbows on the armrests, his hands folded in front of him. "To what do I owe your presence in my office?"

"I would like to speak with you about your recent decision about me sir."

A silence followed.

"We'll pick this up later." He finally said to Rear Admiral Bates who nodded and gathered his documents before getting up and leaving the office, nodding to Poppy who greeted him with a "Sir." Once the door was closed she walked towards the office.

"What the hell is this? You have no right to stop me from flying!"

"I have every right, in this case I'm not stopping you from flying, I'm removing you from this mission."

He straightened up in his seat, leaning slightly over his desk on which he crossed his hands.

"Are you aware that Hangman said all that just to get rid of me? Would you have called me back if you didn't think I could do it? Do you doubt my abilities?"

He passed his hands over his face while posted on the other side of the desk she leaned forward putting her hands flat on it.

"Of course not. But under the circumstances, under the method you are being taught, under the only way to complete this mission, there will be casualties." He paused, anchoring his gaze in hers. "And I won't risk losing you." She straightened up, gritting her teeth.

"Then it's personal."

"This is not the time to discuss this Molly."

"It's time if I decide to." She replied curtly, Beau's gaze turning stern. "You can't interfere with my career and ground me as soon as the danger is too great for your taste. It’s part of our job, if you constantly do that I will never fly again!"

"Molly that's enough, we'll discuss it tonight."

"Oh no, we're going to talk about this now. Put me back in."

"Molly..." He ran a hand over his face, his tone dragging.

"Beau, if you do this it’s over."

Her words had the effect of a bomb and he looked her straight in the eyes stunned by what she had just said.

"Your choice Beau, either accept the risk without something necessarily happening to me, or lose me."

A silence settled between the two of them, looking into each other's eyes and it seemed to last forever until he finally spoke again in a neutral tone.

"After careful consideration Lieutenant Caldwell, your abilities making you a suitable pilot for this mission, you are reintegrate in it."

She straightened up and her chest heaved as she took a deep relieved breath, she didn't realize she had been holding it until then.

"Thank you sir." She turned on her heels about to leave the office when he rose from his seat, slipping one hand into his pants pocket, the other touching the desk with his fingertips.

"I didn’t authorize you to dispose of Lieutenant." He spoke in a sharp tone.

With her hand on the doorknob she turned her head towards him, his downcast look had given way to a threatening one, knowing full well what was coming next her fingers slid from the door handle to the lock below and locked the door.

"Good." He commented on her gesture.

With a feline gait she returned to the office.

"You seem irritated."

"Why wouldn't I be? You show up into my office and discuss an order."

"Seriously Beau?" A frank laugh shook her chest. "I don't think I stormed in here like a fury and almost revealing our little secret. And as for discussing an order, it's within my rights to want to discuss a decision with my superior and express my point of view. You never would have made that decision if Hangman hadn't come in to screwed it up."

"Are you really going to blame me for wanting to protect you?"

"You can't protect me Beau, I blame you for letting the personal override the professional. We agreed this wouldn't happen! Do you know what it's like to be put on the spot for that reason?! No, you didn't think about that, did you? Maybe you were more focused on the possible loss of your toy, who would have sucked you under the desk on your lunch break otherwise?"

A dull growl escaped from his chest. "You're going too far, be careful."

"Or else what? Fire me, my career won't end there. Fire me, and what will Admiral Kazansky think of a Vice Admiral who sexually blackmailed one of his subordinates?"

His jaw clenched so hard he could have broken it in anger.

"You are going way too far Molly, stop this right now."

"It was you who started Beau, assume that for once you didn't take the right decision, even though the intention was laudable I admit, it was unprofessional." She paused and thought for a moment before going too far and regretting it. "It's up to you if you'd rather sleep on the couch tonight, if not it'll be me." She was about to turn her heels and leave once and for all of his office when in a flash he made the turn. Everything happened quickly, a hand sliding in her neck he drew against her to crush his lips on hers, pressing her against him with a hand in her lower back. Surprised but without any intention to push back him, she rolled up her arms around his nape and pressed her chest against his deepening this passionate kiss, one of those which follow the reconciliation of an argument. Taking off his lips of hers he put his forehead against hers.

"No one will sleep on the couch tonight."

Want to be sick and have him taking care of me

“Open your mouth” with Hangman 😇

pairing- hangman x reader

warnings- there's like 2 allusions to smut...so idk 18+? reader is sick with unspecified nonthreatening illness

length- 0.3k

an- i'm so sorry this is probably not nearly as smutty as you were hoping for…i don't even know who i am anymore how did i manage to take the sluttiest prompt on the there and turn it into basically fluff (for me anyways)...which i normally hate writing. idk this is the only thing my brain would come up with for this

It’s really rude that the sun feels the need to bore itself into your head while you have a 101-degree fever. As if you’re not sweaty enough.

You could get up and close the curtains, but that’s just asking too much at this point.

The front door opens and you don’t even bother to look up. If someone’s breaking in they can have your dirty dishes and dying plants for all you care.

Luckily for your neglected monstera, it’s just Jake.

He brushes your sweaty hair back, making a face when he feels how warm you still are. “I brought you some food.”

“Leave me alone, you heathen,” you whine, voice muffled by the pillow you’re shoving your face in to get away from his hands.

You should feel bad. He’s being entirely too sweet, taking your grumpiness in stride. But your body aches, your throat is dry, everything hurts, and you just want to sleep for eternity.

“Sweetheart.” You want to punch him for the hint of a laugh you hear in his voice. “You have to eat.”

“Too hard,” you protest, turning your head to look at him blearily. “Throat hurts.”

Jake looks like he wants to make a joke or several, but instead purses his lips and nudges your head up from the pillow, pulling you into a sitting position. “At least drink some water.”

“No.”

Something dark flashes across his bright eyes, jaw tightening.

“Baby,” Jake says sternly. “Open your mouth.”

Your mouth drops open unceremoniously, some Pavlovian response you have no control over, and you immediately flush crimson.

Jake looks so proud of himself that you can’t even be mad as he puts a bottle of water to your lips before you can protest any further.

“You have to get better so I can put that bratty mouth to good use, sweetheart.”

Shattered souls

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x expilot!fem!reader (no use of YN)

Summary: One mistake, three destroyed lives, a lost love, they will have to rebuild themselves. This is the story of two shaken beings.

Warnings: angst, death, physical wounds, trauma, swearing, very long post, maybe inaccurate things about the Navy (I really don't know much about it sorry), English isn't my first language so for sure grammatical mistakes

"Jake!"

She felt a weight crush her chest and jerked upright under the pain, her heartbeat ringing in her ears. The presence of the sheet under her hand reminded her that she was in her room. Staring at the darkness in front of her she tried to regain her normal breath. A quick glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table to her right told her that it was only five o'clock in the morning, eighteen minutes to be exact. Her sigh broke the silence that reigned and with one hand she removed the sheet before getting out of bed. Grabbing her robe from the chair in the corner of the room, she left it to go to the kitchen. She didn't need to turn on the light, the coffee machine's indicator light was bright enough for her to use. While the coffee was brewing, she leaned against the counter of the central island, slipping her cold hands into the pockets of her bathrobe to warm them up. Staring blankly into the darkness and silence of the night, her dark thoughts found their way, that they knew all too well into her mind. The beep of the machine indicating that the coffee was ready made her raise her head, she took the cup with both hands to enjoy the warmth of it and leaned on the central island, leaning on her elbows, facing the window observing the streetlamp on the other side of the street whose light was oscillating.

"Alright alright! I'll bet you twenty bucks that she'll turn you down before the end of the night!" She giggled as her friend and navigator jostled her by pushing her on the shoulder making her stagger to the side and bump into someone.

"Be careful pretty, I hope you don’t fly as you walk." Mocked the blond Ken that she collided before resuming his way. She looked at him moved away taken aback.

"Who's that one? I've never seen him on base." She turned her head to Billy who shook his head signifying that he didn't know who it was either.

"This one is Hangman." Said Shark who had slipped up behind them without them feeling him coming and startled them. "He just arrived, replacing Sunrise who broke his arm."

"Wait what, how did he do it?"

"He wanted to do trampoline at his little nephew's birthday party. He jumped too hard and ejected and landed against the fence, well actually going through the neighbor's fence to be exact."

The pilot and her navigator looked at him in surprise, a completely stupid look on their faces.

"So he's the one who's going to replace him, Sunrise isn't here to come back at the moment. Jake Seresin, that's his name, that guy is arrogant, nobody can stand him where he comes from." He continued.

"What a beautiful portrait, it makes you want to know him."

The three went back to their planes. As they were about to take their seats, their superior came trotting up to them.

"Touchdown! Sunshine!"

"Yes sir."

"You must have heard that Sunrise wouldn’t be with us for a while, nothing changes for you, his replacement takes his place as a wingman."

The two looked at each other sharply, how stupid had they been not to make the connection when Shark had told them about him a few minutes earlier? From the top of her ladder ready to take her place at the front she saw Jake further away wink at her with a sly smile. It was promising.

Turning off the shower faucets she grabbed her towel and tied it around herself, went to the medicine cabinet above the sink to get her cream, and ran her hand over the foggy glass once it was closed. She looked at herself for a moment in the mirror, swivelling her chest to observe the huge scar that had been part of her for two years now. She brushed it with her fingertips before lowering her eyes and going to her room to get ready.

As she did every Wednesday morning, she went to the local church for the meeting that took place in a room adjacent to the religious building. As usual, she warmly greeted the men and women who, like herself, were attending the meeting, some of whom were just partners in suffering, others had became friends who had found each other and created a bond based on mutual suffering. All the people present at this meeting had suffered a trauma in their lives, all as varied as each other, but which allowed them to understand and help each other in the painful ordeals that followed.

She took off her jacket and hung it on the back of the chair, the same chair for the past two years, a creaky old folding chair with a cracked brown leather seat. Always in the same place, in the same circle, surrounded by the same people.

"Sunshine and Touchdown? Where do you get names like that?" Jake's voice came over the radio and Billy could feel his friend rolling her eyes. "Come on what, we're going to get really close over the next few weeks, maybe months. How about we get to know each other."  The young woman winced at the word "months", she wanted her wingman back, her habits, she hated change and especially, new things. Yes, Sunshine was a person who was perfectly happy in her habits and her comfort.

"Billy was one of the best players on his college American football team, and he's a big fan to this day." Her melodious laughter filled the cabin and the radio as Billy took offense, the pleasant sound making Jake smile.

"One of the best?! I was THE best, the handsome player, I could have been a star myself ma'am."

"And Sunshine where did that come from?"

"She's the sunshine of the base." Billy cut her off as she was about to retort. "A real ray of sunshine that little piece of woman."

"Stop it Billy, that's not true."

"Of course you do! You're always in a good mood, always smiling, and everyone finds it a pleasure to hear your cheerful tone and laughter over the radio when we're on mission."

She felt her cheeks catch fire and put her cold fingers on her cheek to cool down.

"Embarrassed Sunshine?" Jake's mocking tone rang in her ears and she turned her head to the left to see his plane next to theirs, a perfect but mocking wide smile on his face and she flipped him off for any response which made him burst out laughing.

Contrary to what she could have thought from the portrait that had been drawn of Jake, the young woman supported him rather well, obviously with a point of exasperation in certain moments, but she had to admit that he had a certain charm that she wouldn’t have known for all that to describe, but the Texan didn’t leave her indifferent. The two pilots spent their time sparring and jabbing at each other, mostly with a smile, until one day one of the spats ended unexpectedly.

"You are so condescending and lacking in discernment!" She exclaimed exasperated by his behavior.

His legendary cocky smirk on his face, his hands in the pockets of his flightsuit, following her on her tail through the corridor.

"Would I have lacked discernment with you sweetheart?"

She made volt face what he didn’t expect and had just the time to stop himself not to enter in collision with her, and she was now almost against him. She raised her head to address him because he was a good head taller than her. Their two faces were only a short distance from each other. An impassive air on her face, a soft glance and a smirk on his.

"Why do you always have to look so flirty Seresin." Her voice was low, giving a certain intimacy to their closeness.

"Always, you sure?"

"I've always seen that look on your face, a face I often hold back from hitting."

"Maybe you've always seen me with that look on my face because that's the one I'm willing to give you." His seductive tone provoked shivers in her neck and she rolled her eyes ready to turn her heels to move away from him. Nevertheless before she could make any gesture he brought a hand in her neck and put his lips on hers. Surprised, she widened her eyes and felt Jake smiling against her lips. He was insufferable, but at the same time he attracted her like a magnet. Her hand slid down his neck and she stood on tiptoe as he wrapped an arm around her waist. She would have let herself choke for lack of air not to have to break this kiss. A throat clearing was heard and they parted in surprise, but not without Jake pulling his arm from her waist. She looked at Billy who was with a few meters of them and who had just surprised them, then her glance settled on the arm of Jake that she pushed back abruptly.

The three of them looked at each other not knowing what to say and then finally Billy broke the awkward silence.

"Okay I'm definitely not a fan of what I just saw to be honest and I hope to erase it from my memory soon." She bit the inside of her cheek, why did she feel embarrassed? She was of age and vaccinated, right? She could do whatever she wanted. "But if it means you'll be watching over her even more she's in the air, that's fine with me." He finished before passing by them to continue his route, gently squeezing the arm of his friend while passing by her.

Hands clasped on her knee, legs crossed, her gaze fell on the person in front of her, a newcomer, someone who had been unlucky, someone who would be scarred for life, someone who would never be the same. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head towards Denise who leaned towards her.

"Would you join us for coffee after the meeting?" She whispered to her and when she looked up her eyes caught the faces of Barry and Shirley behind her neighbor who were watching her waiting for her answer.

"Sure." She whispered in turn causing smiles on all three faces to which she responded with a slight smile and returned her attention to the newcomer who was finishing telling his story.

The door at the back of the room creaked and a cold wave swept into the room, Curtis, who was leading the meetings and had been absent a few minutes before, hurried back to the middle of the circle, he glanced at the young woman, playing nervously with his fingers.

"Please excuse me, I was with a newcomer." He cleared his throat and turned to the door as a figure rushed in, Curtis desperately searched for her gaze and when he caught it, addressed her with a silent "I'm sorry." she frowned not understanding what he meant and was struck with dread when she saw the face of the person taking his place in the circle.

Sitting on the right side of the row next to Billy she saw Jake, sitting on the left a few rows ahead turn his head and wink at her, holding back a smile she pretended to look away which only widened the pilot's smile as he returned his attention to their superior.

"This is a reconnaissance mission prior to the decision of a possible attack. You will take off, perform your reconnaissance and return to the aircraft carrier. Touchdown, Sunshine and Hangman, that's for you, you'll board in two hours."

The pilot and navigator exchanged glances before getting up and leaving the room. As they left to retrieve their equipment wandering through the building, she felt a hand reach between her loins and Jake appeared beside her.

"It's all about reconnaissance. We'll be back as soon as we're gone." Said Billy.

That's what it should have been, a simple reconnaissance patrol.

Her heart was beating so fast and yet she had the feeling that it was no longer irrigating her brain. She sat back in her chair, resting her back against the backrest, her hands still crossed on her knee. She wasn’t able any more to think, wasn’t able any more to keep her attention on what it happened around her, the memories for which she put so much energy to keep buried in her went up to the surface, she knew this moment by heart. It lasted the moment of a flash but she felt it as if it had lasted for very long minutes.  

"Thank you Ben for your testimony." Curtis' deep voice brought her back to the moment. It was his turn now, her gaze quickly found his to get lost in it, as if no time had passed, as if they had seen each other the day before, as if they hadn't gone through the horror that had knocked them both down.

When the meeting came to an end, everyone stood up and after greeting each other, headed for the exit.

"Don't wait for me, I'll be there as soon as I can." She addressed the small group that was waiting for her to go to the café, the one on the corner where they used to meet. They nodded and headed for the exit, leaving only the two of them, face to face, hands in his pockets, her fingers around her scarf, revealing the white knuckle of her fists clenched around the fabric.

"What are you doing here?"

What was ironic was that spending so much time on aircraft carriers, she still hadn't been able to get over the seasickness, ironic, right? For someone in the Navy, even though her role, fortunately, was to spend more time in the air than at sea.

"Shall we do karaoke night this weekend? Just so I can introduce you to Naomi, we'll do duets. You and Ken and Naomi and me." She laughed at Billy's naming of Ken for Jake, they had been dating for several months and Billy, moderately liking Jake, making an effort for his friend, still couldn't bring himself to call him by his first name.

"Maybe you could start by making an effort and calling him by his name." He pouted, which caused her to roll her eyes. As she was about to climb on the plane she heard Ken trotting towards her.

"Hey hey hey. You know we never leave like this without saying goodbye." She giggled.

"Jake we literally fly together, and we talk to each other over the radio." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"That's no reason, we may be together up there, but we're not physically together."

"God, he's even more annoying that way than when he's a dickhead”. Grumbled Billy who took his place at the back of the plane rolling his eyes of exasperation, what Jake didn’t pay attention to, too busy to scrutinize his girlfriend.

"I got your back." He added before placing a furtive kiss on her lips and joining his plane.

"Hey Cinderella, do you care to come up?" Billy called out to her, she looked up at him and grabbed the ladder to climb up.

"Why should I be Cinderella?"

"Hangman do you see anything?" She glanced to either side of the plane.

"Nop. All seems quiet. We do have the coordinates listed though."

"I don't like it." She muttered to herself.

"A hunch?" Asked Billy, who had learned over time to trust his friend's hunches.

"Yeah, and not a good one."

"Relax, everything will be fine, it's just a reconnaissance." He tried to convince her as much as for himself.

"I know a good way to relax." Jake's voice came over the radio, which had the effect of making her giggle and Billy mime a vomit. Her joyful laughter echoed through the radio to Jake's delight. Flying with them, he had quickly understood what the navigator had said the first time. A melodious, joyful, infectious laugh that had relaxed many on missions. Jake considered himself lucky to be able to enjoy it outside of these moments and better, to be the reason for her laughter even in some cases.

"If you're laughing that means it’s okay. I'm unbuckling myself to look further."

"Jake no, don't." Her laughter stopped short and she looked around for his plane.

"Everything is going to be fine sweetie, there is nothing to report obviously." He wanted to reassure her.

"Hangman you're a pain in the ass, don't do this to us."

"My presence reassures you Touchdown?" He teased.

"That's the whole point of your role dickhead." He replied scathingly.

"I'll be back in a flash." He steered to go in an opposite direction leaving them two, a hint of insecurity rising in her, Billy fulminating in the back.

"I swear, once we get on the ground I'm going to punch him in the face."

"This is the excuse you've been waiting for for months. Do you see anything?"

"No nothing." She sighed continuing her monitoring when Billy stirred behind her. "Shit."

"What?"

"We have two bandits coming our way."

He barely had time to look behind him when he saw two planes heading straight for them.

"Touchdown talk to me."

"There's one coming at five o'clock." He looked across the canopy. "The other one at seven. Shit! Hangman what the hell are you doing bringing your ass in!"

Everything happened very quickly, surrounded by the two, not being able to avoid them being on each side, she accelerated and tried to maneuver not to be hooked hoping that Jake intervenes very quickly. 

"Hangman!"

"Sunshine I'm coming!  I see them, I lock him, I shoot!" Jake, who had managed be on the tail of one of them, was able to stick to him and lock it  before making a strike, but this one had time to shoot before being hit. By the time he could react, the second one had caught up with them and fired instantly, hitting its target in the heart. The first missile hit one of the engines which caught fire, the lights started to flash like a Christmas garland, and Sunshine tried as best she could to regain control of the plane without much success.

"I can't control it! I can't straighten!"

"Eject!" Jake yelled into the radio.

They didn't have time to do so as the second missile hit them dead center, taking out the end of the plane and the second engine, the back of the plane went up in flames, and she heard Billy screaming behind her, desperately trying to pull on the ejection seat suspensions.

"Request backup, request assistance, Touchdown and Sunshine are hit! Damn it hurry!"

"Billy! Billy!"  Overwhelmed by panic her heart raced and tears began to blur her vision, raging on the suspensions. "Why isn't it working, Jake! Jake!"

Her laugh would never echo through the radio again.

When she woke up she was dazzled by the brightness of the room and had to blink several times to adjust. She felt a sharp pain run down her back and let out a groan of pain.

"Sweetheart."

That familiar voice was Jake's, who walked around the bed and came to stand next to her pressing a button on the headboard.

"It's morphine, it will help."

"Where am I?" She tried to look around her but her field of vision was restricted, lying on her side, she looked up at Jake who showed a serious face. Suddenly all took place again in her mind, she tried to straighten up abruptly and a cry of pain of her part pulled a grimace of pain to Jake devastated to see her in this state. The pain forced her to lie on her side. He sat down on the chair facing her and took her wrists in his hands, the palms of her hands being bandaged. In a last effort she had pulled as hard as she could on the suspensions that burned her palms before being ejected.

"You... You were able to eject in time. But the flames that had already reached the device burned your back.” She looked at him frightened, she didn't remember having the burning sensation in her back, maybe it had been because of the adrenaline. But if flames were so close to her to burn her, what about Billy?

The worried look she gave him made him understand what she was wondering and he shook his head silently. Tears began to stream down her face and she began to sob violently. Jake didn't know what to do, he leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of her head, a tear rolling down his cheek and crashing into her hair.

She wasn't sunshine anymore.

Her hard gaze met his, which she couldn't make out, was he sad? Sorry? Full of regret? All three at once?

"What are you doing here Jake?" She repeated wearily.

"I ... I don't know. This wasn't a good idea." He began to walk away with his hands in his jacket pockets.

"You know what wasn't a good idea?" He stopped short and lowered his head knowing very well what was coming next.

"That you're dropping us on this mission." He stared blankly at the ground. "That you leave me when I needed you the most after this."

"You were mad at me..."

"And you think that made it better?!" Her tone grew louder and more aggressive than she would have liked.  "I would have learned to get over it Jake, you made a mistake, maybe it would have made a difference if you had stayed, or maybe they still would have had the upper hand, maybe we thought there was no danger, there could have been no danger." He lifted his head and pivoted toward her. "But you left me alone after that. I needed you Jake."

"I was so angry with myself that I couldn't inflict my presence on you every day. I thought it would be better for you, not to have the face of the man who killed your best friend constantly in front of you."

"It wasn't you who killed him Jake."

"But it's my fault."

A whirlwind of emotions formed inside her. It had been two years since she had seen him, she was torn between giving him a slap, ignoring him, throwing herself at his neck, screaming at him, it was perhaps the difficulty in choosing between all these possibilities that nailed her to the ground and that she was unable to move. Not even taking a step back when he came closer.

"I'm so sorry. I feel so bad if you knew."

And she realized that she wasn’t the only one to have suffered these last two years. But she had been lucky enough to be able to surround herself with people to learn how to rebuild herself, had he been able to do the same?

She was struck by his reddened eyes and tired face features, never had she seen him like this, he who had seemed so strong with her in the times that followed, before he left, and now he had the face of a man crushed by remorse. He who always had a cocky look and a frank smile.

"I hope you can forgive me one day, because I can't." His voice became weaker and almost died out at the end of his sentence. "I lost you, and it's probably the biggest disaster of my life.” He took a step closer to her only being a small space away forcing her to raise her head to look at him. "I need you, do you think you can ever forgive me?"

When he saw her raising the arm he closed the eyes expecting to receive a deserved slap. But she didn’t, with an unexpected softness, she put delicately her hand on his cheek that she caressed with her thumb, wiping a tear which traced its way. He opened his eyes to see her showing a light smile, filled with sadness. He took her hand in his to deposit a kiss inside her palm. Then when she passed her arms around his neck to tighten him against her, he buried his face in her hair and she slipped a hand in his as one comforts a child.

Two years had separated them, and despite any resentment she might have had towards him, it was all gone in an instant. They were two beings in love and torn, who had suffered and who would have to learn to heal, together.

if you add a :readmore: to your post, it'll make it shorter so it doesn't make it so difficult to scroll down on tags.

And I just found out something new😂 I didn't know about it. This will come in handy, thanks!

This is a gem 💎 THANK YOU DARLING ❤️

It's so beautifully written, that's a really cute family 😭 and Mickey is jakuftjfkynlziveuz as always. I had a big smile all the read through, you're a genius and an excellent writer ✨!

Christmas ain't the same without you

Pairings - Mickey Garcia X fem!Reader (Holiday AU)

Premise - Holidays without your lover aren’t the same, you miss him with all your heart and he does too.

Word Count - 2.8K

Warnings: Some strong language, references to Pop Culture, allusions to SMUT, and a very brutal game of UNO

a/n - Thank you @labarboteuse for this wonderful request. I initially planned it as a headcanon but the holiday season was approaching so I made this into a holiday fic. I hope you like it <3 any and all headcanons/blurbs are mostly welcome.

My Main Masterlist || Mickey Garcia Masterlist

December 25, Christmas Eve

“...and then Phoenix lost her shit and then we had to group up and shield Harvard from getting waterboarded by her.” Mickey’s face on your phone was scrunched up in delight, as he laughed recounting the tales of Christmas at the base to you.

You touched your screen as if it were his face.

Mickey was your best friend, your husband, and the love of your life.

Staying away from him while he was deployed was difficult, and you handled it like a champ. Occasionally, though, sadness would loom over you unexpectedly. Like waking up and reaching out for him, and meeting the empty side of the bed. Accidentally making two cups of coffee in the morning. One day, when you realized he was not there when you called him, you broke down in tears.

But nothing hurts like not having him home during the holidays for the first time.

When Abuela Juliana bribed you with her homemade caramel cupcakes, you couldn't say no to Mickey's family; his parents, his brother Edgar and his wife Veronica, and their four-year-old twins Camillo and Ariana.

As a single kid, you were sent to boarding school away from home. You hardly knew your parents, and they were always on some crazy trip to Europe every year during Christmas. Celebrating the holidays with his family made you feel at home. Abuela would never let go of a chance to remind you that it was your home too, and you and Veronica were her granddaughters.

You had been reading in Mickey's old room, halfway through an Agatha Christie novel from his bookshelf before he called. It was cozy, with a makeshift space near the window to read, and a lot of Star Wars and hip-hop posters everywhere on the walls.

“How was Christmas?” he asks you, smiling at the camera.

“It was perfect. Abuela kept her promise, making a batch of caramel cupcakes just for me. Camillo and Ariana almost caught Edgar placing the gifts under the tree, but Veronica and I distracted them with Spongebob Squarepants.”

“Clever.”

“Marina and Carlos banned me from the kitchen because I tried to help them, and then fed me your share too.” you sighed.

“God I hope you didn’t eat all the cupcakes, share it with Edgar and Ariana too.” he shrugged.

"No way. Nu-uh" you nodded and snuggled under the covers.

Mickey listened to you with a sad smile on his face, and it hurt you to see that he so clearly missed home.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be home Carino," he says in a dejected tone.

You just wish you could squish his face with your hands and smother him in kisses. He was sad, and you hated seeing him like that.

“I miss you, baby," you say.

He smiled, “I miss you more.” he said as he lay down on his bed. “I really wanted you to be my kiss at midnight.”

“Me too.” you sniffle, tears brimming your eyes as you recall last year when he was home with you, and held you close as you counted down to midnight.

“Baby…” he whispered, noticing your tears, “don’t cry, please.” His eyebrows furrowed with worry, but just as he was about to say further, his image shook around.

It was Phoenix on the screen now, smiling with a Santa cap on.

“Mrs. Garciaaa! Happy Christmas my girl!” she hollered. You wiped your tears and realized she was drunk.

“Happy Christmas Nat.” you smiled, as she passed the phone to Payback.

“I’m sorry Y/N, she’s been drinking like a sailor once we stopped her from waterboarding Harvard.” he sighed, the camera shaking as he walked because he was clearly swatting away Phoenix with his other hand. 

Rooster, Bob, Coyote, Harvard, Yale, and even Hangman joined in to wish you. By the time they handed the phone back to Mickey, you were laughing again.

“There's my girl,” he whispers softly to you, his brown eyes adoringly looking at you.

"Good night, sweetie." you breathe out and kiss the screen.

He blushes and kisses his screen, “good night baby, can’t wait to meet you.”

December 30th, 8 AM

You woke up to the sound of We Don’t Talk About Bruno blaring through the speakers and groaned at the fact that Ariana and Camillo were watching Encanto. Again.

As you walked downstairs, you saw the twins jumping on the carpet to the song, while Veronica sang along to it with a straight face.

“Tia Y/N!” Ariana ran to you as you reached the landing, pulling at your pajamas. “Come on! Watch Mirabel with us.” She could not say Encanto yet, so she just called the movie Mirabel.

“Let her breathe Mija!” Abuela called out to her as she walked up to you, handing you a bag. “Another fresh batch.” she winked at you and you stood there, mouth agape, “Abuela you’re spoiling me.”

"Ah, nonsense!” she laughed and held your hand. "Walk me to the kitchen. I need to bake more.”

You walked her to the busy kitchen, with Edgar, Marina, and Carlos running around and helping each other.

All of them were speaking in rapid Spanish at once, and you had no idea what they were saying even though it was your third language.

“So, what shall I do?” you asked, and as soon as you did, all four of them turned to you screaming, “No!”

You were taken aback, looking at them with wide eyes as Carlos took you by the shoulders and pushed you into the living room. “When I said you and Veronica were banned from cooking for the holidays, I was serious.”

He made you sit next to Veronica, who was trying not to laugh and stood in front of you. “Ladies, you both worked day and night for the entire year. It’s time for you to relax, watch a movie, talk about whatever ladies talk about, and leave the work to us.” He pointed to himself.

Mickey really was his father’s son, because that’s what he would do whenever he was home. You never complained, his cooking skills were top-notch.

"What about Marina? Why is she working then?” you asked.

Carlos took a deep breath, and said, “I have been married for thirty years, Mija, and I could never tell that woman what to do because the only person she ever listens to is herself.”

“I can hear that!” Marina shouted from the kitchen which made you and Veronica burst out laughing.

9 PM

“Aw goddammit!” Edgar shouts as Marina slams four draw 4 cards on the table.

Abuela smacks him across the head as he realizes what he just said. "Sorry Abuela” he whispers.

It was almost 9 PM and snowing. The kids fell asleep after dinner and rewatched Encanto for the fifth time that day. It was quiet all around except for their laughter in the living room. Everyone was playing Uno next to the fireplace in cozy pajamas and glasses filled with hot chocolate. 

You were having a staring contest with Veronica as you both had only two cards left, while Edgar had ended up with half the deck. “What do you think, wanna drawback?”

“Never.” you answer, as Carlos places every card on his deck screaming “Uno!” and winning the game.

Everyone collectively groans as he gets up and heads to the kitchen for a refill.

“You know, if Mickey was here he would have won first,” Marina says as she starts to gather the cards.

"True! My first Christmas here, he almost made me cry because he won one-on-one all three times.” Veronica sighs as she rearranges her cards.

As on cue, your phone rings, and there is Mickey’s name flashing as a Video Call.

You pick it up to see him smirking at you, wearing the fur hood of his jacket.

“Good evening mi amor.” His voice comes through the speakers of your phone, as you see Marina nudge Abuela to look at you.

“Good evening, Mickey.” you smile like you always do, watching him on your screen. “Are you outside?” you ask, noticing the heavy jacket he was wearing.

"Yeah I was getting a bit bored sitting around in the hangar so I stepped out for a walk," he says.

You looked at his mother and grandmother watching you talk to him. Therefore, you sat next to them and extended your hand, making sure that everyone was visible to him.

Mickey's mischievous smile graces your screen, "okay, please tell me this is a game of UNO and Edgar ended up with half the deck."

Edgar threw up his hands, "Ma, are you gonna let your firstborn get insulted like that?"

Carlos enters holding his refill, “is that Mickey?” his face lights up when Marina nods, she hands him the phone, “Mickey! How are you?”

“Hey dad.” you could hear his laughter which always made your heart flutter.

Carlos takes a seat and Marina and Abuela surround him to talk to Mickey. Veronica takes the cards away from Edgar and sends him toward them. You both smile at how happy the family was to talk to Mickey.

Just then the doorbell rang.

Veronica gives you a puzzled look as to who this may be. You get up and she follows you to the door. “I swear if Camillo calls for pizza again I’m grounding him,” she mutters under her breath as you sniffle with a laugh.

Through the transparent window of the door, you could see a figure standing on the porch, but you didn't know who it was.

"Who is it?” you shouted.

"Uh, pizza delivery ma’am” a deep voice replies.

“See? I told you!” Veronica whispers as you unlock the door. You open the door, the cold air blowing inside the house as you wrap your arms around you and see that…

It was Mickey.

A wide smile plastered his face, while he held a duffle bag in one hand and his phone in the other. His heavy jacket was wet with melted snow, and his cheeks were pink.

“Told you I’d see you soon.” He breathes out in his normal voice, smoke coming out of his mouth.

Taking a moment to register what you were seeing, you realized that yes, that really was him.

Mickey, your Mickey, is back.

You break down in tears as you throw yourself at him. He catches you just in time, swirls you around, and wastes no time crashing his lips on yours.

You melt into him, the cold of his jacket being the last of your concerns. He breaks out and holds you closer, softly holding your face as you cry.

“Surprise.” He chuckles.

You punch him in the chest. “You could have told me!” you shout, but a second later you break into laughter.

You hear fast-approaching footsteps and look inside the house to see everyone rushing toward him. He puts you down as Abuela cups his face with tears streaming down her fragile face. "Mi nieto finalmente volvió a mí!” (My grandson had finally returned to me)

“te extrañé mucho Abuela” he laughs out, hugging her. (I missed you so much, grandma)

Carlos and Marina join in, and soon Veronica pulls Edgar and you in a giant group hug, a smile on everyone's face.

Until a strong wind blows through the porch, sending everyone shivering, and Carlos starts pulling everyone inside.

11 PM

And after an eventful dinner, everyone retired to their rooms.

Marina and Abuela provided Mickey with literally every dish they had prepared, and he happily ate them all. During dinner, he told the entire story of how he got here. Apparently, Maverick gave everyone a week off because the practice exercises were postponed for yet another week due to increased air traffic. Instead of telling anyone, Mickey wanted to surprise them all.

You unpacked Mickey’s bag and put out some nightwear for him while he was showering. You changed into sweatpants, turned off the lights, and sat next to the window. Watching the snow fall from the sky, and the streetlight across the house, its soft rays being the only source of light in the room. You smiled as you saw one stuck to the window and it created a beautiful pattern.

The door to the washroom opens, and you turn to see Mickey coming out of it, his hair stuck out in spikes as he dried them with a towel. He was wearing the sweatpants you had kept aside for him.

Mickey freezes watching you get up and move toward him. His eyes do not waver from yours as he sits on the edge of the bed, and you stand between his legs. Taking the towel and wrapping it around his neck, he gulps as you dry his head. He takes a deep breath and relaxes as your hands skillfully move on his scalp. 

“Love it when you do that.” He sighs, smiling up at you. “My pleasure, Lieutenant,” you smirk, knowing exactly the effect it has on him.

His smile dropped, and you saw how his eyes dilated as soon as he heard that.

He grabs your waist and tackles you on the bed. You instinctively wrap your arms around his neck, and the next thing you know, your back hits the bed and he hovers over you.

The dog tags on his chest strike your chest, and his eyes rake over your body like he wants to devour you.

“You wanna kiss me Mickey?” you ask as you arch your spine.

"Do you think I'll just stop at kissing"? He asks, slipping his face into the crook of your neck as he begins to slowly suck on the spots that always make you go feral. "You're such a tease darling.”

He holds on to your wrists and pins them down on the mattress, caging you against him. 

You squirm under him. “Please…” you breathe out as he bites your neck.

Against your skin, he murmurs, "Please what?"

"Please kiss me Mickey” you whisper in his ear. And that's all it took for him to let go of your wrists and grab your waist, lifting you up on the bed and falling on top of you.

He didn’t give you a second to think as he kissed you that instant. Your heart hammered in your chest as his hands, cold as ice, started to travel under your hoodie, caressing your belly, and traveling up toward your chest.

Your hands rushed straight to his hair. You were heaving for air at this point, but he didn’t let go of your mouth for a second.

While he squeezed your breasts, you hissed and backed away from his lips as he grew impatient with you. You looked at Mickey’s swollen lips and flushed-out face as you exhaled, “your hands… cold… I-” he didn’t wait for you to complete the sentence as he got up and grabbed the heavy quilt from the end of the bed, bringing it over you both. He fell down on you, and you grabbed onto his clothes.

“Impatient?” His hoarse voice sent shivers down your spine.

"Shut up!” you laugh as you take off his sweatshirt.

December 31st, 7 AM

In the early morning light, your hands brush the space next to you, expecting to meet the cold blanket.

Instead, Mickey’s warm body met your palm.

You stirred up from your sleep, your eyes slowly opened to see Mickey’s face next to you, feeling his limbs tangled with yours under the quilt.

You smile realizing it wasn’t a dream this time, and your face heats up suddenly recalling the events from last night.

He opened his eyes, blinking slowly as a soft smile adorned his face. His hands moved up your body and he pulled you in. He planted a kiss on your lips.

"Hey." you smile.

"Hey." Mickey laughed as he kissed you again.

You fall into a comfortable silence, holding each other and living in the present.

Fast-approaching footsteps outside the room sent you into a panic. You only had a second before there were knocks on the door.

“Tia Y/N! Open up!!!” Ariana screamed loudly.

The two of you giggled softly as you put on your clothes. While you were fixing the bed, Mickey opened the door and got tackled by the twins.

"Ahhhhhh! Tio Mickey is back! He's here!” Camillo screams and runs through the hallway.

Mickey embraced Ariana as Camillo brought back a sleepy Veronica rubbing her eyes to wake up. In a matter of seconds, the twins pulled him by his clothes. “You need to watch Mirabel! Come on, Tio." Without looking, they ran into the living room.

Mickey looked back at you. “Who's Mirabel?”

Just as the opening lyrics of The Family Madrigal blared through the speakers, Veronica and you sighed together, "Don't ask."

A/N - Thank you everyone for sticking with me till the end of this fic! if you liked it please let me know through the asks and the comments. Any and all requests, headcanons, and drabble requests are most welcome. Love y'all, Take Care!

Requests are open! Feel free to request anything.

Taglist &lt;3

@tuiccim @parkjammys @akinrawsx @asteph22 @iamthebeth @thefandomqueenbb @onlyhereforthefics @yikesdameron @savedfanfics1992 @amigaytho @samwilson-mylove @jenniweaslee @anna-phora @fluffyprettykitty @weigheddownbyfandoms @fanboygarcia @fanboymickey