Let’s Turn And Burn

sereshaw 🤝 missionary (sereshaw 🤝 possessiveness)

Very much inspired by @tgmsunmontue work, You Need To Learn How To Fall. If you haven't read it, I really recommend. All of their works are amazing!

On to the Idea, I keep seeing skydiving videos, you know the ones where people are climbing out and just letting go or being dropped, but they very clearly know what they are doing. anyways..... Bradley has all his skydiving certs and sometimes does those things for fun.

With my Idea (normal universe here), the daggers want to team build, and someone, totally not Mickey, suggests skydiving. Everyone agrees and thinks it will be fun. None of them have been, except Bradley. So when they get to the place and meet the instructors to go over safety and what to expect. Bradley just pulls up with his parachute and other gear and is like, "Let's go." Everyone just looks at him like "what", and Bradley, being himself, talks to the instructors, shows his certs, and just hops into the plane. It's a very awkward ride into the air, and when their plane gets to altitude, they will jump from its still awkward. As everyone is paired with their instructor, Bradley just waits, and then the main guy asks him if he wants to jump first, and the little shit grins and says yes.

Bradley steps to the opening, looks at the others, grins, gives a salute, and jumps out. When the others get into the air, they can tell Bradley is having the time of his life. Later when they reach the ground and Bradley is talking with the instructors the others are discussing what happened and Jake opens his mouth and says something no one expects.

Jake: that was hot.

Mickey and the others: 👀

Nat: smacks him upside the head.

Bradley looks over and decides to stay out of it.

Very much inspired by @tgmsunmontue work, You Need To Learn How To Fall. If you haven't read it, I really recommend. All of their works are amazing!

On to the Idea, I keep seeing skydiving videos, you know the ones where people are climbing out and just letting go or being dropped, but they very clearly know what they are doing. anyways..... Bradley has all his skydiving certs and sometimes does those things for fun.

With my Idea (normal universe here), the daggers want to team build, and someone, totally not Mickey, suggests skydiving. Everyone agrees and thinks it will be fun. None of them have been, except Bradley. So when they get to the place and meet the instructors to go over safety and what to expect. Bradley just pulls up with his parachute and other gear and is like, "Let's go." Everyone just looks at him like "what", and Bradley, being himself, talks to the instructors, shows his certs, and just hops into the plane. It's a very awkward ride into the air, and when their plane gets to altitude, they will jump from its still awkward. As everyone is paired with their instructor, Bradley just waits, and then the main guy asks him if he wants to jump first, and the little shit grins and says yes.

Bradley steps to the opening, looks at the others, grins, gives a salute, and jumps out. When the others get into the air, they can tell Bradley is having the time of his life. Later when they reach the ground and Bradley is talking with the instructors the others are discussing what happened and Jake opens his mouth and says something no one expects.

Jake: that was hot.

Mickey and the others: 👀

Nat: smacks him upside the head.

Bradley looks over and decides to stay out of it.

Mav: what?

Goose: nothing, they just waved

Mav: oh

Goose: do you sea what I did there?

Mav: no

Goose: I'm shore you did

Mav: how do you have friends?

Well, in fact, it is. Let me elaborate ...

The show literally tells us in the first 1:15 min of season 1 that Robby's the main character by using a very simple dramatic device.

We see Robby on his way to the PTMC, while Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise's "Baby" plays in the background. First as the scene's soundtrack, then through Robby's headphones. The music stops when he takes them off as he arrives at the Pitt.

We're literally in his head. We see what he sees. We hear what he hears. You really can't get any closer to a main character than that.

mechanic mullet bradley for @lovewithagirl! that's right i'm literally still working through these mullet requests.

bg stock photo credit

Bradley who hides the most important things about himself. He doesn't share his birthday, his favorite color, his favorite show, or movie. A lot of his favorites came from spending time with Mav, and that hurts. Bradley who also doesn't fully know his favorites because his mother and Mav compared him to his father all the time. Bradley, who doesn't share the little things about himself because he feels they don't matter; Bradley, who doesn't let anyone in because he's afraid they will see the shadow of a person who has yet to fully exist.

Natasha, who sees a lonely soul, does her best to make friends and be there. Javy, who sees a little boy in a grown man who never got to grow up and experience things the way he should have, and Jake. Oh, boy does Jake see the shadow, sees the soul, and the little boy. He sees all three in Bradley.

Jake, who devotes time to each part of Bradley. Letting Bradley have firsts and experience life the way he should have. He takes Bradley to a drive-in for the first time; the one time he insists Bradley drive the Bronco. He drags him camping, and Javy gets dragged along. Lets Bradley experience the outdoors for himself. Jake makes Natasha drag Bradley to the mall and go shopping. Experiencing shopping with a female friend and gets dragged from store to store. Having movie marathons and TV show binges. Observing the color Bradley gravitates towards, which ends up being a pastel yellow. Jake drags Bradley to a paint store to buy the color, and they paint the master bathroom pastel yellow. Jake does it to remind Bradley he's a person allowed to feel.

Through this, Jake never looks at Bradley's identification records; he wants Bradley to share his birthday himself. Jake finally sees the cracks start to crumble, and Bradley smiles more. He asks Jake to take him to museums, aquariums, the antique store, anywhere really. Nats' territory is museums, Javy is aquariums, and Jake's is the antique store. The antique store becomes a favorite; the little old lady becomes an extra grandma and saves Bradley the good things.

One day in the quiet morning after a group sleepover in the living room, a date is whispered, June 27th. It's quiet; the three almost didn't hear it, but once they register what it is, they all hug Bradley. It's quiet information for them; they don't shout it from the rooftops or tell everyone. Instead, they file it away, and the next time Bradley's birthday rolls around, a quiet celebration is had. A red velvet cake has candles on it; there might be another VHS tape added to the collection, or a new record, and there proudly on Bradley's shoulders is a Hawaiian shirt with a pale blue background and pastel yellow flowers.

Bradley gets hugs and a birthday kiss from Jake. Finally, for the first time, the three of them see the man Bradley was meant to be. Jake will always hold a grudge against Mav for never seeing Bradley for who he was. Jake had to hold Bradley through so many sleepless nights of him wondering if he was enough. Mav didn't see the breakdown Bradley had at home after seeing him that first day. Mav would never see the way Bradley reverted back to the shadow and the little boy, because that's all Mav ever knew.

Nat and Javy are his rocks, but Jake is his home.

Oh Phoenix the woman you are 🙏