automatic stop, bradley bradshaw

thirty-five.

ROOSTER HADN'T FELT THIS LOST SINCE CHRISTMAS BREAK ALL THOSE YEARS AGO WHEN HE'D HAD HIS CONVERSATION WITH MAVERICK. a part of him understood what he was trying to do. just like when he'd pulled his papers, he was being overprotective. he was trying to be a good father, but by going about it entirely the wrong way. 

but rooster was hoping that he could have a conversation with him about it. after all, time had passed. maverick had had plenty of time to think about it. and, before, he'd never seen rooster and skye together. he'd never seen how happy they made each other, how much they belonged together. how much it just made since.

he ran his finger along the frame of the picture of himself and skye. he didn't remember when the photo was taken, but it was her sitting next to him on the piano. the very same photo that she'd saved had been in his living room. 

with another smile at the photo, rooster put the frame standing back up next to the wedding photo of his parents. he would never admit how frequently he looked between the two photos, wondering if he'd finally found someone who was to him what his mother had been to his father. 

rooster didn't believe in soulmates. he thought it was a far off idea, that two people could be so destined for each other. growing up, he always imagined that the only soulmates to ever exist were carole and goose bradshaw. 

that was, at least, until he'd reunited with skye. 

he hadn't ever felt that way about anyone in his life. he'd had friends that were women, hell, he had phoenix and katia. he'd had girlfriends as well, though it had been a long time. never before in his life had he had someone, though, that mattered so much to him.

truthfully, he'd considered getting into a relationship while he was back at the golden warriors. he'd wondered if a relationship would take his mind off of skye, if he would realize that he wasn't as in love as he thought he was. if he could just move on and listen to maverick. if he could just be friends with her.

but when he looked around the parties and bars his friends invited him to, none of the women caught his eye for even a second. he was just trying to see if skye was there, if she'd shown up out of nowhere.

never had rooster had someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. he could confidently call her his best friend. she knew more about him than anyone. it was difficult for him to let people in, to trust them. but he was constantly an open book for her. he would tell her anything she ever wanted to know. 

she made him feel so safe, like their jobs weren't incredibly dangerous. like he wasn't as broken as he'd been made to feel. she made him feel whole, like he wasn't a mistake, or like he hadn't been orphaned. 

it was times like these that rooster wished so badly that he could talk to his father. if anything, just to ask him what he should do. he assumed goose had swooned carole with help from maverick. that he'd swept her off her feet immediately, and that their marriage had been the most perfect symbol of their love. 

but goose wasn't there, and rooster couldn't ask him what the hell he should do about all of this. it was tearing him apart having to keep his conversation with maverick from skye. but there was no reason for him to start something between them. 

the first bridge, of course, would be admitting his feelings to skye. that enough could end poorly, he still feared. and, if she did feel the same, then surely she'd be frustrated with her father.

and, rooster figured, if skye didn't happen to feel the same way, she was still easily frustrated. she'd be angry with maverick for upsetting rooster, for causing the divide in their friendship and for being so difficult.