nyree2712

[nyree2712]

Vipapa angst time!!!!!! @cryscabbage @gaybirdnerd 💛💛💛

So, what if Viper was really, really close to Mavs parents when he was young??? Like, he was Petes godfather, practically lived with them (Maybe they were all dating, you decide) and Little Pete called Viper "Uncle Mikey" or "Pops"??

So, Pops was Mini Petes favourite person in the whole wide world and Viper equally adored his little god(son).

But then everything goes to shit and Duke is MIA and declared KIA and a traitor. Viper is forcibly deployed and can't get in contact with Vera, Petes mom. Desperate, he finally gets home, only to find the windows boarded up, slurs painted on their lovely house that he helped Duke paint and his last remaining family missing.

He goes door to door, glaring savagely, at the unrepentant viciousness those spineless cowards, direct towards his little family. He eventually pieces together that after Duke was declared a traitor, the Mitchell family name was dragged through the mud and all of that come down on the heads of an innocent wife and her little boy. Vera couldn't take it and ended her life in their own home. Pete was the one to find her and Child and Family services whisked him away shortly after, never to be seen around the neighbourhood again. He morons deeply for his lost loves, how aduke would be distraught at the ruins of his reputation and moreover what it did to his beloved wife, and his son.

Viper would not like to think on how much time and breath he spent chewing out every single one of those disloyal cowardly idiots on their own porches for what they and their families did to his son and Vera, until there was a crowd on the street and no one could quite meet his eyes or anyone elses.

~~~

Years layer, Viper still hadn't been able to track down Pete, he would be about 21 now, an adult. A man. And Mike hadn't been there for any of it.

Oh, but he tried. Child services blocked him at every corner, despite the paperwork and guardianship custody going to him, they had mysteriously 'lost' Petes recent placements and he was therefore untraceable in the system. He could be anywhere. Mike tracked him across five different state lines before coming to a dead halt. No news or even the barest trace of a lead. Nor hope.

Mike gave up the search but not the hope that one day, one day, he would see their boy again.

~~~

And then he did.

A file crossed his desk about a Cougar and Merlin, nominated by Stinger Jardin on the big E for TOPGUN. Then an unusual call came through from Stinger himself later that day to confirm that Cougar had given up his wings and lost the edge, taking Merlin with him out of the race for TOPGUN. Unfortunate, Viper had heard of Lieutenant Cortells impressive skill in the air, almost parallel to Iceman Kazanskys, and had looked forward forward seeing the truth of those commendations.

Stinger described the new set of cocky flyboys he was sending him. Run of the mill, up their own asses about how good they were flyboys, it sounded like. But not quite. Viper had known Stinger for a long time now and knew he did not waste breath for the sake of it.

"I want you to give this new kid a shot Mike"

"I give all of them a fair shot Jardine, you know that. The best will win, there's no points for second place. The pilots and RIOs themselves decide."

"Yeah well, this kid.....look, he's a handful and all, but he's a good kid. Just hasn't had a fair shake with the brass is all. So I'm telling you ahead of this thing Melcalf. As a courtesy for you. And for one of the best flyers I've ever seen"

Mikes eyebrows flew up. "Such praise from you is like a blue moon, Jardin. Who is this kid?"

"I don't want to say, you'll form an opinion of him before you even meet him, like many other brass and all. I admit, I did the same. Heard shit about 'im from one of the flight instructors from round down Pensacola. Judged him off of it. Turned out later, the shithead who warned me off the kid was talking out his ass and never even met him, just hated him for something he had nothing to do with. Trust me though, you'll know when you meet him."

Mike now felt a sinking feeling in his gut. It was rare for Stinger to praise his pilots openly and even rarer for him to renege on his opinions of peopels characters. Most unusual. Not to mention for all the supposed hate surrounding this one pilot. Who could garner such hatred? From someone who didn't know him?

Mike had more questions than answers, but Stinger was done talking. He simply thanked him, emphasising giving this mystery pilot a fair chance, and made his goodbye succinctly.

Who on earth and in Americas great Navy?..... God above, he needs a drink.

~~~

His boy. His little Petey. He was here.

Mike nearly stumbled and fell when he caught sight of those green, green eyes, peering up at his just like his little boys used to, all curiosity and a fire to explore.

Mike slid down into his office chair after dismissing both Bradshaw and.....Pete. no, Maverick. Yes, he is Maverick now. Oh, but he had gotten so big. A man now.

That's all Mike could focus on through the meeting, through the initial brief and flight from the tower, all the way to dressing them both down for managing to break the hard deck on their first day. He had to give it to him, thay was 100% Duke Mitchell's son. Mike suppressed a near hysterical laugh at the mental image of one Duke "Menace" Mitchell, cheering his son on and encouraging him to break every rule he could come across. It would be like a Mitchell.

Hell, even Vera would turn her nose up at the snotty unconventional and stiff rules of the high society she had been born into. She also broke every rule she ever met and ran away to marry her love without her parents permission, getting disowned in the process. Not that Vera Mitchell nee Highcroft gave one flying fuck what her parents thought. She was going to marry and love who she wanted, and that was that. She said about the same thing when Duke brought him home.

Mike heaved a great sigh and pulled himself together. Pee doesn't even recognise him. Doesn't even know him. He's.....a stranger to his son.

Mike took the rest of the day and let Jester deal with them.

He took off to his home and fell onto his bed still in uniform and cried his eyes out for his little boys, eyes like a strangers, his best friends, and even for himself, the last of their little family to remember.

~~~

For the rest of the season, Mike tried his best to remain partial, to not get involved. His boy wasn't really his boy and Mike had no right to insert himself in now, no matter how much he wants to. No one else even knows he was so close to the Mitchells, no one alive anyways. No, he can't get mixed up, it'll only ruin Petey and throw him off.

Mike keeps that mantra all the way up to Hop 31.

Standing in the hospital after, Mike feels remarkably similar to how he felt when Duke went down. Numb, tingley but numb and like he was moving through molasses.

No word.

The hospital had no updates on either aviator.

Mike stood leaned on a wall, beside him Slider and Iceman were both slumped into plastic seats. Any other time he would remind them of proper Naval conduct, but he's not feeling very commanding at the minute. He's waiting for someone to tell him if his son's alive or not. His world isn't moving and he's not too sure he's breathing himself.

The other two looked devastated, wide red-timmed eyes staring blankly at the far wall, minutely trembling. Kazansky looked pale and thin, and Kerner wasn't faring much better, curled into himself. If Mike had anything in him, he would've tried to say something to ease them, but what would he even say? Nothing came to mind anyway, not since Pete and Goose had been pulled from the rescue copter, Goose ona stretcher and his neck backed up and Pete walking for about three yards before crumpling to the ground like someone cut his strings. Mike had never felt such bone deep terror terror when he had seen Pete stop dead, turn paler than paper an crumble in on himself ina dead faith, hitting the ground with a sickening thud he could still hear ringing in his ears.

So ni, he is really have the words to comfort Iceman and Slider right now, not when his son was fighting for his life.

They were both still in their flighsuits from the hop. God, the hop. Where had it gone so wrong?

The doors ahead opened and a doctor and nurse appeared.

[nyree2712]

Formula 1 - Incorrect Quote 288

Carlos: Are you sure you like Charles?

Max: Yep

Pierre: You know, he is my friend but he is a walking red flag

Max: And I am a bull

[nyree2712]

Sooo... In 1 hour my parents will "awake me", because we have a travel.

I still awake... I was reading (I spent 4 houra reading) and I forget I need sleep to be a normal person...

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 387

Bradley (12-year-old): *Reading a cake recipe* Beat three eggs?

Iceman: Yeah kid, it means like in hand-to-hand combat

Bradley: Ohhhh, that's-

Maverick: Get out of this kitchen, NOW

[nyree2712]

Formula 1 - Incorrect Quote 286

Charles: Due to personal reasons, Iwill be fucking sinking to the bottom of the ocean in a large metal box

Arthur: Did Max say "I love you" and you said "Thanks"?

Charles: THE REASONS ARE PERSONAL–

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 387

Iceman: It's October

Maverick: And...

Iceman: To get into the Halloween spirit, I will be making ghosts.

Maverick:....THAT'S CALLED MURDER!!!!

[nyree2712]

Formula 1 - Incorrect Quote 286

Max: I had a terrible dream last night, George was in it

Charles: And?

Max: What do you mean by "and"?

[nyree2712]

Formula 1 - Incorrect Quote 286

Max: I had a terrible dream last night, George was in it

Charles: And?

Max: What do you mean by "and"?

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 386

Hangman: I know we've always had this unspoken rivalry but-

Rooster: It's not a rivalry you're just mean to me and it's not unspoken, you talk about it all the time

[nyree2712]

Formula 1 - Incorrect Quote 285

Oscar: *Holding his phone* Lando, you're on speaker, behave-

Lando: *Over the phone* Or what? You'll punish me?

Mclaren team: ...

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 385

Hangman: I've never had a best friend

Coyote: I'll be your best friend

Hangman:

Hangman: *Turning to Roo* I've never had a boyfriend either

Coyote: C'mon man it's friends before hoes

[nyree2712]

Formula 1 - Incorrect Quote 284

*Before a race*

Max: Love you, schatje

Charles: Love you too, mon chérie

*Silence*

Charles: We both love you two as well kids

Kimi: Oh thanks

Ollie: Yeah I was feeling out

[nyree2712]

Bruce isn’t a bad father. He’s trying. God, he tries.

He wakes up early to make sure the kitchen is stocked with what Alfred calls “whatever chaos food the children have decided they need this week.” He skims case reports while figuring out how to bake eggless muffins for Damian’s new dietary phase. He installs bulletproof windows in everyone’s rooms and tracks all their phones, not because he wants to be controlling—he just needs to know they’re alive. That’s all. That’s everything.

And still. Still, one of them storms off at least once a week. They say he’s cold. That he doesn’t listen. That he only cares when they’re wearing the suit.

Tim told him to his face, “You’re a better partner than a parent.”

Jason once said, “You love Gotham more than your own kids.”

Even Dick - the one who used to crawl into Bruce’s lap after patrol and ask to play with his grapple—told him during a fight last month, “I don’t even know what you want from me anymore.”

He knows they don’t mean it. Or at least, that’s what Alfred says when Bruce sits in the dark study with untouched whiskey and half a report blinking on his office computer. But Bruce hears them. Every word.

So he stops trying so hard. Just a little. Just to breathe. Maybe if he gives them space, they’ll stop hating him so much.

It doesn’t help. Damian slams doors. Tim avoids him. Jason doesn’t even come by anymore. Cass gives him disapproving looks. Duke smiles awkwardly and leaves. And Dick smiles and nods and stays for dinner and leaves so early it’s like he was never there at all.

So Bruce locks his bedroom door that night. He doesn’t turn the lights on. He sits on the edge of the bed and drops his head into his hands.

He doesn’t sob. He’s Batman, after all.

But the shaking gives him away. His shoulders hitch. His breath stutters. And when the first tear hits the scarred skin of his palm, Bruce folds in on himself and lets it come. Silent, steady.

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 384

Slider: I almost choked to death last night

Iceman: You'll be fine next time you just have to stay still and breathe through your nose before you take more

Slider: ... Ice, I was talking about choking on food. What the hell are you talking about?!?

Iceman: *Thinking in what he does with Mav* I was talking about choking on stuff in general

Maverick: I'm stuff in general

[nyree2712]

Formula 1 - Incorrect Quote 283

Max: Are you a painting?

Charles: What?

Max: Because I want to pin you to a wall

Arthur: OH GOD I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY YOU WANTED TO HANG HIM OR SOMETHING--

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 383

Principal: Unfortunately we had to call your father in

Bradley: My dad won't pick up, he's dead

Principal: Your other father then

Bradley: I don't... have another dad?

Principal: Says here one Pete Mitchell is listed

Bradley: I have never met an Pete in my life

Maverick: *Walking in* I was called

Bradley: ... Your name is Pete?!?! My life is a lie! Now you're gonna tell me that Ice is not Ice?

Bradley: How can I go on?!

[nyree2712]

Formula 1 - Incorrect Quote 282

Carlos: Muppet, I know you are deflecting by making jokes about how "Hot" you are

Lando: It's not a joke *sniffles* I'm a legit snack