Stickers from Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Gaiden: Ougon no Tsubasa (銀河英雄伝説外伝 黄金の翼, 1986)
I didn't even realize the book had these stickers as its first page when I got the book. Now I'm trying to hold myself back from sticking them on my laptop or something.
Job Trunicht saying "If you live another 16 centuries, you too can get the right to vote" is the best electoral poster one can have.
Summary: Bradley is having a REALLY bad day... everything goes wrong... building until a conversation with Mav reveals why it's all getting to him. Despite it all...he discovers a new coffee shop and bakery.... and maybe... the perfect cure to a colossally bad day.
Pairings: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x OC! Eliana
Word Count: 2396 (look at me having self-control)
Warnings: Minor angst, mention of parent death, FLUFF
A/N: I don't own Top Gun Maverick characters but I do own OC characters and original plot lines. I do NOT give permission to copy, translate, sell, repost to other sites, paste into an AI Generator, or any other forms of plagiarism. DO NOT STEAL MY WORK. Don't be an asshole. Reblogs are welcomed. My blog is 18+ minors DNI.
Masterlist (and tag list if you want to join)
Bradley was having a colossally bad day. It started when he woke up and realized that he’d forgotten to get coffee at the grocery store, so he’d have to stop on the way to base, which would mean going out of his way in order to stop at the coffee shop that inevitably was always packed in the morning. This morning had not been an exception. Instead of waiting in the incredibly long line, he opted to leave and to just grab coffee from the little coffee shop and bakery down the street that had just opened.
There was no line there, which was a silver lining he supposed. With his luck though, the lack of line probably meant the coffee was horrible…or the pastries were. Beggars couldn’t be choosy though and he really did need to get going or he’d be late, which would mean a lot of pushups…or whatever punishment Cyclone deemed worthy.
Looking at the glass case filled with various pastries, his stomach grumbled, making him realize he also needed breakfast.
There was an older woman working behind the counter who looked very grandmotherly. The type that was always baking and foisting those baked goods on everyone as a love language. He assumed she must be the owner.
“Good Morning, Young Man.” She said, smiling brightly, “What can I get for you, Honey?”
“Morning, Ma’am.” He replied, with a smile, “Can I get a large coffee, one of the blueberry crumb muffins and an apple fritter please?”
“Sure thing.” She winked, moving to get the pastries first. “Do you want anything in that coffee, or just want it straight up?”
“Actually, is it possible to make that a large Cinnamon Dolce Latte?” He asked, smiling sheepishly.
“Sure thing, Honey.” She replied, handing him the small box with his pastries then got to work on his coffee.
The bell on the shop door chimed as someone else came in. The woman behind the counter looked over, smiling and let them know she’d be right with them.
“Alright, Honey,” She smiled, handing him the cup. “Here you are. That’ll be $11.98. I hope the coffee and pastries help make your day go smoother than your morning.”
Bradley pulled out a twenty from his wallet and handed it to her.
“That obvious, huh?” He chuckled.
“I’m old, Honey.” She laughed, “I’m good at reading people. You have a good day and come back and see us again.”
She handed him his change and he dropped a $5 bill into the tip jar, smiling.
“I’ll try.” He said, “And I will definitely come back.”
Bradley enjoyed the best cup of coffee he’d ever had in his entire life along with the most incredible muffin and Apple Fritter while he drove to base.
Unfortunately, he did in fact arrive late, and was made to do 200 pushups on the hot tarmac. His brief reprieve from the bad day was over.
By lunch his day had only gotten worse and his mood had deteriorated. He’d been in such a hurry to get out of the house in order to get coffee, he’d forgotten lunch, which meant he was stuck eating whatever the mess hall was serving…something he tried to avoid.
“Bradshaw!” Nat called from where the rest of the squad was sitting. He made his way over to the table and sunk down into the seat with a sigh. “Rough day?”
“Yeah.” He replied quietly as he started to choke down the tasteless food.
“We’re going to The Hard Deck tonight” She said, “You can shake it off there… or drink it off.”
“We’ll see.” He responded, “If the afternoon is anything like the morning was, I think I’ll just go home, order in, then pass out and forget this day.”
“Aww, come on now, Rooster.” Hangman piped up, “Best way to cure a bad day is with some drinks and a round or two of darts or pool.”
“Or entertaining the bar with live music on the piano.” Bob suggested, earning a glare from Hangman.
“There are days that not even The Hard Deck can fix.” Bradley mumbled, shoveling in the last of the horrible food.
The squad shared shocked and somewhat worried glances around the table. They’d known Bradley to have rough days before but he’d never taken it quite so hard before. He usually had a little more resilience than this.
“I’ll see you back in the hangar.” He said, getting up and lifting the tray to drop off at the collection station on his way out.
The rest of the day was drawn out and as grating on Bradley’s nerves as the morning had been. Cyclone was in a particularly pissy mood and seemed to take it out on the Daggers, which only soured Bradley’s mood more. He wasn’t really sure why this bad day had gotten to him as bad as it did, but he was more than ready to get home and forget it ever happened. By the time he landed after afternoon flight maneuvers and made his way inside the hangar, he didn’t even have the energy or will to shower and change on base. He grabbed his stuff from his locker and headed out to the Bronco.
“Rooster.” Maverick called, causing Bradley to groan. It wasn’t that he was against talking to his godfather, or spending time with him. Things have been really good between them lately. He just… wasn’t in the mood tonight. He really just wanted to go home.
“Mav, it’s been a really long….really shitty day.” He sighed, “I just wanna go home. Can we talk tomorrow?”
“That answered that question then.” The older man sighed, “I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to you yet today… I just… I wanted to see how you were doing… given what day it is…”
“What day is it?” Bradley repeated, his mind searching for what Mav was talking about. Then it hit him like a kick in the gut. The reason he’d felt off all day and why all of the small things seemed too big today. “Shit… it’s July 22nd.”
“Yeah…” Mav confirmed, offering a sympathetic smile. “I’m free if you need me tonight, kid. We can grab dinner… or beers.”
“I think I just need to be alone tonight, Mav.” He replied quietly, “But can I get a rain check for dinner or beers?”
“Absolutely.” Mav said, “Anytime. And, if you change your mind later… you can call me. It doesn't matter what time.”
“Thanks, Mav.” Bradley smiled softly. “I’ll see you later.”
Bradley headed to his Bronco and got in. He sat there for a moment, processing and taking a minute to think before he put the key in the ignition and drove out of the parking lot. One thing was for sure, he definitely wasn’t going to The Hard Deck tonight.
On his way home, Bradley detoured, deciding he needed more sweets from the bakery and coffee shop. He would drown his sorrows in sugar tonight.
He found a parking spot next to the bakery and pulled in. Like this morning, there wasn’t anyone inside. Bradley made a mental note to tell everyone about the place to bring them more business. From what he had tried this morning, it was definitely amazing and he’d hate to see it go under.
The older woman from the morning wasn’t there. Behind the counter now, was the most breathtaking woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her hair was pulled back into a loose braid that hung over her shoulder. There were a few tendrils that had escaped and were hanging down, framing her face. She looked up when he walked in and her smile lit up the whole room. Her eyes sparkled under the lights of the bakery as she looked at him.
“Hello! Welcome to The Sugar Magnolia Cafe.” She said. Her voice sounded as beautiful as she looked. “I haven’t seen you in here before, is this your first time in or have you been here already?”
“I … um… was actually just here this morning.” Bradley admitted, feeling his ears and face heat up. “There was another lady behind the counter… very sweet. Helpful.”
“Oh! Nana was helping me out this morning. She’s actually helping me out front here most mornings while I’m in the back.” She replied, smiling, “I’d be lost without her.”
“She was very sweet.” Bradley said, smiling back at her. “My morning wasn’t going so great…. But she definitely brightened when I came in.”
“I’m glad to hear that!” She said happily, “I’ll make sure to tell Nana. Did your day improve?”
“Actually…. No.” Bradley sighed, “Which is why I came back after work. I decided to drown my sorrows in sugar tonight.”
“I’m so sorry.” She replied, “I’m glad you came back. I’ve got just the thing to help.”
She went into the back and Bradley took a moment to take a deep breath and pull himself together. She came back out with a pie and some plates.
“Have a seat.” She smiled warmly, setting the pie and plates on the counter. She walked around and over to the door then flipped the sign to closed and locked the door. “You came at the perfect time. I just finished this beauty. I’m testing a new one out before adding it to the menu. Wanna be my taste tester?”
“I’d love to.” Bradley smiled, sitting down at the counter. “I’m Bradley by the way. Figured you should know my name if I’m going to be your taste tester.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Bradley.” She said, sitting down next to him. “I’m Eliana, but everyone calls me Eli.”
“It’s really nice to meet you too Eli.” Bradley replied, smiling at her. “This pie looks amazing…”
“Thank you!” She beamed, “It’s my great grandma’s recipe, Caroline’s Lemon pie. Tastes like sunshine.”
Bradley feels a lump form in his throat. He has to look away and blink, his eyes stinging from unshed tears. The emotions had come up from nowhere. It was almost like his mom was reaching out to him though.
“Bradley…” Eli asked, gently, “Are you ok?”
He turned back, looking at her and offering a small smile.
“Yeah…” He replied, his voice raspier than before, “I’m Ok.”
“Wanna talk about it?” She asked, reaching for the pie and slicing it. She used a serving spatula to place a slice onto a plate and slid it over to him, along with a fork.
“Today was… a really bad day.” Bradley said quietly. “Nothing really big happened…just…a lot of small things that got to me more than they normally would. After work… on my way out, my godfather caught me to check on me… and it hit me what today is. Explains why all the little things felt so much bigger today.”
“What’s today?” She asked softly, sliding a slice of pie onto her own plate.
“The anniversary of my mom dying.” He said quietly, looking down at the pie.
“Oh, Bradley.” She replied, looking over at him, “I’m so sorry, That would make a day extra crappy.”
“Thanks” He said, giving her a small smile, “Yeah… she was… incredible. Her name was actually Caroline…. But everyone called her Carole. She was always so bright … yellow was her favorite color. And… lemon pie was her favorite dessert.”
“There was a reason I made it then today.” Eli answered, offering a sweet smile, “Your momma must have known you’d need it. It was the divine sugar gods.”
Bradley laughed, picking up the fork and taking a bite of the pie. His eyes went wide and he had to fight back a groan at the first taste of lemony perfection that hit his tongue.
“What do you think?” Eli asked, “Would your mom have loved it?”
“Holy Shit, Eli, this is absolutely fucking amazing.” Bradley said, immediately shoveling another bite into his mouth. “My mom would have gone crazy for this pie… wouldn’t have devoured it herself, not even sharing it with me!”
“Really?” She asked, her smile so sweet, it rivaled the pie. “Should I add it to the menu?”
“If I say ‘no’.... Will I get it all to myself?” Bradley asked.
“What if… I made you one just for you?” She asked, laughing, “Then can you share the others with my customers?"
“I guess that’s a fair deal.” He smiled, “Thanks for letting me taste test this Eli.”
“You’re welcome,” She replied, “I’m really glad you came back in tonight.”
“Me too.” He said, his eyes on hers. “Eli?”
“Yeah?” She said, looking over at him.
“Would you by chance want to get dinner sometime?” He asked, feeling heat flood his face again.
She blushed, smiling back at him.
“I’d love to.” She replied softly.
They finished their pie, talking and laughing. Bradley learned that Eli…much like lemon pie….was like sunshine. He helped her clean and close up the bakery, then headed out with her, walking her to her car.
“Thanks for making the day better, Eli.” Bradley said, once they’d reached her car.
“I’m happy I could help.” She replied, “I’m really glad you came in tonight.”
“So am I.” He smiled, “Are you free tomorrow for dinner?”
“I am… it’s actually my day off from here.” She said, “I let Nana and my other part time help run things here and I take the day to run errands and get stuff done that I normally can’t while working all day here.”
“Perfect.” He replied, unable to stop smiling, “Can I pick you up at 6?”
“I can’t wait.” She answered. “Hand me your phone, I’ll put my number in.”
She put her number in his phone then handed it back to him. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him. He was shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered and hugged her back. She smiled up at him when she stepped back.
“Goodnight, Bradley.” She said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sweet Dreams, Eli.” He replied, “I can’t wait.”
What started out as a colossally bad day, may have just turned into the best day of his life. Bradley headed back to his Branco. When he got inside, he sat there for a moment. He looked up towards the sky through the opened top of the Bronco.
“Thanks, Mom.” He whispered, smiling.
***
A/N: Thoughts?? LET ME KNOW!! I've been in a bit of a writing slump. This was my attempt to bust loose.....
