#Legacy Kazansky-Mitchell

[baby-girl-e]

Their Legacy part 2

Characters - Iceman x Maverick, Original Female character x Phoenix, Rooster, Dagger squad, Original Male character

Summary - Legacy wins Top Gun and gets to tell her extremely proud family and flirt with a pretty girl

Word Count - 3.5k

Warnings - None :)

A/N - It’s me hi, I’m the problem it’s me! I know it’s been ages since I posted the first part of this fic and I have no other excuse but that I more than likely have something wrong with my brain that prevents me from sticking to something for long! (my poor therapist and publishing agent) And that I am working on my debut book so this kinda took a back seat! BUT! I am back with a chapter I hope you like (: 

The last week before graduation flew by almost as fast as the F-18’s they were using, and before she knew it, Legacy was prepping for the graduation ceremony the next day. Her and Thunder had stayed in their front lining spot and were winning the trophy at the ceremony. She still hadn’t told her dad’s which she knew was cruel but hey, she wanted to surprise them. Now she knew she couldn’t keep something like that hidden from her Admiral father because he knew and saw all, so she decided to tell him herself after she heard the news, practically begging Merlin to keep quiet until she could tell him. 

Which brought her where she was now, nervously standing outside of an office she knew well. She wasn’t nervous he wouldn’t be proud of her, that much was obvious, she was just anxious because this was so big. Nepotism ran rampant in the Navy, it’s all about who you know and what they can do for you, but her father actively fought against it. Not once did her dad ever make a call on her behalf (something she held over her other dad’s head) or put in a good word. Sure she was asked constantly if her last name ‘Kazansky’ was because of the Kazansky, and she never lied, but she never brought it up herself. A simple “yes” was enough and she moved on. She got to the TOP GUN trophy on her own and damn it if she’s not proud of herself. 

After a moment to take a breath she knocked on the door and heard her father say to come in. It’s now or never. 

“Hey dad.” She stepped in and could see him hunched over some paperwork, glasses perched on his nose. 

“‘Hey sweetheart! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Sitting down across from him she fiddled with her fingers, a nervous habit. 

“Well, I have some good news and I wanted to tell you in person.”

He lit up at her words and gestured for her to continue. 

“I, uh, won the trophy. I’m Top Gun.”

There were tears in his eyes. Scratch that, the COMPACFLT was actively crying. 

“Oh honey.” And with that he was out of his chair embracing her. Clutching her tight and swaying slightly. 

“Are you proud dad?”

“Proud? oh I’m a step above proud. I’m in awe. I knew you could do it.”

Legacy smiled and held onto her dad, just happy to be here. But she knew there was something else missing. Or more accurately someone.

“Let’s call your father in shall we? He’s out here somewhere. I really ought to put a tracker on him.”

It’s like he read her mind.There was a rumor that went around that he could do that, she believed it on occasion. 

He made a turn for his phone and clicked on the contact labeled ‘Husband’. She remembers the argument that the word ‘husband’ wasn’t cutesy enough for Mav and to settle it her father had added a red heart. “Look there’s a heart, happy?” Paps had just smiled cheekily and admired his husband's contact labeled ‘Baby’ with about every color heart there was. 

“Hey babe, where are you right now?”

She was only hearing half of the conversation, but she could see her dad pretty much shaking with excitement. 

“Well tell Admiral Simpson that you’re wanted by the COMPACFLT.”

…

“Mav can’t you take this seriously? Please tell him but without the innuendo?”

…

“Oh my god you twelve year old boy, our daughter is sitting in my office right now. That light a fire under your ass?”

…

“There you go, I’ll see you in ten.”

He put his phone down and told Elizabeth that Pete would join them in about ten minutes. 

“You know he’s gonna think something bad happened right?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m hoping for. Your dad is kinda dense and needs some encouragement sometimes.”

“Why is he my dad when he’s being dumb, but he’s your husband when he’s being sweet?”

Tom just smiles at his daughter and puts his hand on her shoulder. 

“Because when he’s being dumb I can’t think about what it must say about me that I married him.”

Ten minutes later they hear a rumbling of feet and the door swinging open to find a very frazzled Pete Mitchell. 

“What is it? Are you okay?”

He was breathing deep, and for most men his age that wasn’t a good thing, but her dad was made out of metal so… he was fine. 

“Relax Paps, it's good news.”

He lights up a bit and leans onto the arm of his husband's chair. 

“Oh, well, great!” He turns to his husband, “You could’ve said that before I ran like a madman over here!” 

“What’s the fun in that?” Tom said rather cheekily. 

“Guys! Good news here? Remember?”

Tom turned to his husband and nudged him a little. 

“Listen, it’s pretty good.”

“You know already? You son of a bit-“

“PAPS!” 

He quickly shut his mouth and nodded at her to continue. 

“What I’ve been trying to say is, I won Top Gun. I’m taking home the trophy!” 

Pete jumps up from his perch and picks up his daughter. She’s about an inch taller than him but he never cared. She was his baby. 

“Are you kidding me? Oh my god little princess I’m so proud!!” 

Being called a little princess after sharing the news that she just won a trophy for being one of the best pilots in the entire navy wasn’t exactly what she expected, but hey, it’s her paps. 

“Indeed. That’s three people in this family with the trophy, sorry Pete.”

“Hey I would've won that and you know it.”

Note the skating over the ‘why’ he didn’t win. That was rarely, if ever, brought up.

“Say whatever you want Pete, doesn’t make it true.”

Good god did these two ever stop bickering? She knew the answer to that all too well. It was never. She didn’t miss however the fact that he had said three  people had won the trophy in the family. He was obviously referencing Bradley.  No matter how long it had been since he’d left home and basically took himself out of the equation, they’d always consider him family.

“Well, as much fun as it is listening to you guys bicker, I really should be going. I’ve got a big day ahead of me.”

That seems to kick her parents into high gear. Tom is immediately turning from his husband to his daughter. 

“Yes you do indeed. I’ll talk to Merlin and see if I can be the one to present you with the award.”

“That’d be great. But maybe let him announce it? Let you soak in the moment, yeah?”

“You want me to give you the award but you want Sam to do the talking?”

She nods affirmatively at her father and he gives his husband a look. 

“Cryptic, you’re more and more like your Paps everyday.”

“That’s a compliment, little miss. Take it as one.” Pete wasn’t about to be slandered in front of his daughter. 

The truth was, she still wanted to keep the whole “I changed my last name and I’m proud of it” thing a secret, wanting to make tomorrow even more special. 

With a kiss to each of her fathers’ cheeks she headed out to celebrate with Jake. This was just as much of a celebration for him as it was for her. She had told him to meet her at the Hard Deck and lost track of time so she had to go in uniform. Grand.

“There she is, the woman of the hour!” 

Jake shouted to her as though he had started to celebrate already. Smelling his breath it seemed highly likely. 

“Oh please, I’d be nowhere without you Jake.”

“I know, I was just giving you the opportunity to brag for once, good to know it didn’t last.”

He was right, she rarely bragged. It was all due to the fact that if she did brag it would sound more like bragging on the Kazansky name which she was taught never to do. Maybe she could brag on the Mitchell name, but probably not in the Navy. 

Looking over at the bar she spots Phoenix standing with what she assumed was her WSO. It wasn’t a secret that there weren’t many female aviators, so the ones there were teamed up. It sounded cliche, but the reality of the situation was, women had to stick together. In Legacy’s case, she tried to make friends with as many people as possible, and did her best to look out extra for the women she was around. Even with the Kazansky name, she still had a moment or two where she was looked over or harassed for her gender. That came to a screeching halt when the second person harassing her got a shiny dishonorable discharge from the COMPACFLT himself. After that it was quiet, and she knew her privilege so she tried to get as many people under her umbrella of protection as she could. Was it sad that you had to know people to be protected from harassment? Yes. But was that just the way things were? Unfortunately. 

She decided to approach Phoenix, if she was being honest she was a little shy, an unusual emotion for Legacy. She was usually very confident, a trait all aviators inherited, but when it came to beautiful women she looked up to as a role model? That goes out the window. If she was being completely honest, she was crushing hard on her. 

“Hey, it’s Natasha right?” She decided to go simple, hoping for the best. 

“Yeah, you’re Elizabeth right?”

“Yeah that’s me. My dad is training you guys for your mission.”

Phoenix smiles and turns more towards her. Now they’re an arms length away and Legacy has to remember how to breathe. 

“Captain Mitchell is your dad? I’ve been meaning to ask you how you’re Bradshaw’s sister.” 

Legacy liked her already. Her family’s story was one that was told over and over again in the Navy. She never really got to introduce herself to anyone since everyone already ‘knew’ her. Whether Phoenix really didn’t know her story or she was just being nice and letting her tell it, she appreciated it either way. 

“Well it’s a long story but, Mav adopted Bradley when his mom died. And my mom died when I was a baby and her brother, Admiral Kazansky, adopted me since nobody knew who my biological father was. So as far as I’m concerned Admiral Kazansky is my dad. Mav and my dad have been together since 1986, and raised Bradley and I together so I always considered Mav to be my other dad and Bradley to be my brother, and then they made it legal when they got married in 2015 and Mav adopted me.” 

Phoenix looks like she comprehended that enough, even if it was a lot of information. 

“Wow, that's complicated. That would explain the last name Kazansky then.” She pointed to her shiny name badge.

“Oh yeah, my legal given last name is actually Kazansky-Mitchell, but because of all of the military’s homophobic shit I had to pretend Mav wasn’t my Paps.” 

“That’s rough. Was it hard keeping that secret for so long?”

Oh boy was it. You try telling a kid that they can’t call their dad, “Dad” in public. She had even resorted to not calling him by name in public, feeling weird about calling her dad “uncle”. 

“I had a lot of practice, but every time I had to refer to Paps as ‘Uncle’ it physically hurt me. Him too I’m sure. Did he really not tell you guys this stuff?”

Legacy loved her Paps, but the man had a big mouth. It’s a wonder that he never outed himself. 

“He mentioned that he had a daughter at TOP GUN here and there, but nothing specific. Hey, isn’t graduation tomorrow?”

“Indeed it is.”

“Well, who took the trophy??” She leaned in close, all excited. 

“You’re looking at her.”

Her jaw dropped and swung Liz into a big hug. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying every millisecond of being pressed up against her. 

“No way! Congratulations!” 

She pulled back slightly but didn’t really seem to want to let Liz go. Not that she was complaining, not even a little bit.

“Thanks Nat, it was rough but I did it!”

“Wow, you must be so excited. Guess we’ll get Mav in a good mood tomorrow then?”

“Well you’ve been seeing him in his good mood so far, it doesn’t get any better than when his husband is in town.” 

Nat remembers that she’s still holding Legacy by her arms and releases her. Much to Legacy’s disappointment. 

“Then this plus his husband in town might be a sight to see huh?”

“If you’re not tied up during graduation, you could come see for yourself if you want?” 

This was Legacy’s shameless way of trying to invite her to the graduation. Hopefully it didn’t come off as desperate as it sounded in her head.

“I would love to, I’ll tag along with Bradshaw. Hopefully he won’t mind, I’m powerless to resist an invite from a pretty girl.”

Liz was in such shock from her words that she nearly forgot that she had yet to tell Bradley she won TOP GUN. Did Phoenix really just call her pretty? 

“Well I’m powerless to resist inviting a pretty girl to come to my graduation.” Her aviator confidence just now coming in. Better late than never. 

“So it seems we’ve established we both think the other is pretty. What do you want to do with that information?” Nat takes a step closer, impossibly closer. Her hand comes down on Legacy’s that’s resting on the bar. 

“Hmm, we could take a walk on the beach? Somewhere more private? Talk about it some more?” 

“Lead the way Legacy.” Phoenix gestures towards the doors that lead to the beach. It was quiet in the bar already, even quieter out there. 

Once they made their way outside legacy decided that she’d make the next move and grabbed her hand. It felt right, like that’s where her hand ought to be. 

“So... you think I’m pretty?” Phoenix was known for her confidence, this sudden questioning was... abnormal. 

“Well yeah, have you ever looked in a mirror?” They were walking hand in hand down the beach, seemingly both nervous. They have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and do it without a second thought, but flirting? Forget it. 

“Look Nat, I like you. Like a lot. But I don’t know if this is such a good Idea right now. With Bradley and your mission…” Natasha nodded along like she understood, but stopped walking. 

“I know your brother, he’s going to be impossible, but he will want you to be happy.” She knew she was right, obviously, but she still had her reservations. 

“I don’t know what you’re going up against out there but I do know that you can’t afford to be distracted.” 

Natasha considered this, obviously rolling it around in her head. “Okay, but I expect a kiss when this is all over.” 

Legacy smiled and nodded. “You’ll get one I promise. I’ve got to go tell Brad that I won, but I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Of course. See you tomorrow.” She winked at Legacy before taking her leave. 

Legacy had to giggle to herself for a moment to shake off the flirtatious energy before she went back inside to tell Jake she was leaving. He groaned at her early departure (again) but relented. 

////

Telling Bradley went about the same as it did for everyone else. He was ecstatic for her and gave her a hug not unlike the one her Paps gave her. 

“Liz, I’ll be there I promise.” 

“Even though both our parents will be there?” She made sure to call them our parents.

“Of course. My love for you goes beyond my distaste for them.” She sighed. That was probably as good as it was going to get. But maybe she really was like her paps because she couldn’t help a little push. 

“Are you ever going to forgive them? Come home?” Bradley stepped back and rolled his eyes. 

“Come on Liz. I thought you understood why I can’t.” She put her hand back on his shoulder and made her way into his space again. 

“I do Brad. You know I do. What Paps did was shitty okay? But what you don’t see is their regret. Dad especially. They had me for more of my life, but you were their first kid. Neither of them ever thought they’d be parents, let alone together, but there you were. They love you so much it hurts them, I know it. Just…” She wasn’t sure what to say next. “Just think about it okay? Maybe just talk to Dad if that’s easier.” 

“Lizzy, Iceman is just as at fault in this as Maverick. You know he’s an accomplice.” The callsigns coming from him were weird. At least he wasn’t calling them Captain or Admiral.

“They’re married Roo. Of course they’re going to be together on things. But you know Dad was more reluctant to pull your papers.” He had said so many times, when he didn’t think she was listening. 

He just lowered his head and sighed. “I know. I know. Just… I haven’t ever been able to figure out my mind about this. I know it’s confusing but I just can’t do it yet.” 

She sympathized with him, she really did. Did he have years and years to figure this out? Yes. But was that ever enough time? Nobody really knew. Things tend to happen when they happen regardless of what your timeline is like. 

“It’s okay brad. I just want you to know that they’re ready when you are. And I selfishly want my family back together.” She gave him a hug and took her leave, she didn’t really know what else to say. 

/////

Her Top Gun graduation was exactly what she imagined it would be. She should know she’s been to a few. It was hot and sunny and she was in heaven. She sat in the front row next to her best friend and had a straight shot of her dads on stage smiling just as widely as her. 

“I know you’re all anxious to be done with this and celebrating with your families, but we have one last thing to do and dare I say it’s the most important part of this ceremony.” Merlin had a look in his eye that Legacy knew all too well, and winked at her knowingly. 

“I’d like to ask Admiral Kazansky and Captain Mitchell to please join me if you would,” They got up quickly and joined their friend at the podium. “This is a special ceremony for both me and these men beside me, and those rowdy old flyboys out in the audience.” 

Slider, Wolfman, Hollywood, Chipper, and Sundown had all made their way to the ceremony the minute they heard the news. They had apparently all received calls from both of her parents the minute she had left her dad’s office. The group cheered at Merlin's words. 

“We are all so excited to present this award for ‘Top Gun’ to Elizabeth “Legacy” Kazansky-Mitchell and her RIO Jake “Thunder” Thompson. Come on up here kids.” He then handed her dad the plaque and he looked like he barely realized what had just happened. Paps looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes as they tracked down to the name on the plaque. 

Liz and Jake shook the hands of the airboss and other brass that had joined them and then she was hugged swiftly by her uncle merlin. She stood before the COMPACFLT/ her father and jokingly held out her hand to shake. He had tears in his eyes as he handed her the plaque and hugged her tightly. 

“Oh I’m so proud of you sweetie. So proud.” He whispered only to her. 

As he let go she was brought into another hug by her Paps almost immediately. 

“You know you didn’t need to change your name right?” His voice was shaky and uncertain. Unusual for the great Maverick. 

“I know, but I wanted to. It’s high time your name is on that plaque. You’ve certainly earned it.” She pulled away to see his tears too and couldn’t help but smile wider. Her Paps had been through so much, he deserved this. 

She turned to the audience and sure enough there sat both Phoenix and Bradley, clapping wildly and smiling at her. She didn’t know what she did to get so lucky, but damn was she grateful. 

[boasamishipper]

So curious to know about the TGM Spy Kids 3 AU you are writing (⊙_(⊙_⊙)_⊙)

first of all, all blame for this one goes to my bestie @lilalbatross, who messaged me like Woe This Idea Be Upon You, went to a meeting, and returned to find me screaming biting clawing at the walls over this. the fic is super not high on my priority list right now, but here's my current outline below the cut. main ships as always will be Iceman/Maverick, Phoenix/Rooster, and Hangman/Coyote, with Bradley and Mav's relationship at the heart of it all.

Admiral Cain / the Drone Ranger shuts down the Darkstar project and sends Maverick off to work on his experimental unmanned aircraft program before Ice can intervene.

A year passes. Ice has gotten texts and emails from Mav during that time and has seen the reports indicating the program's success, but he knows that something is wrong - which is further evidenced by the people he's spoken to about the program, who cannot remember what they did there after they left. He and Warlock and Hondo assemble a new squad of test pilots for Admiral Cain’s program with the goal of them finding Mav, bringing him home, and giving them the evidence they need to shut the program down. The squad consists of Rooster Bradshaw, Phoenix Trace, Coyote Machado, Payback Fitch, and Fanboy Garcia. Rooster is still angry about Mav having pulled his papers and set his career back four years, but when Ice tells him the real purpose of the mission, he still chooses to go.

Upon arriving at the super secret base where this program is housed, the squad are all taken to separate rooms and told that they will be flying missions in a virtual reality landscape, and the data from said flights will be transferred to the unmanned aircraft that Admiral Cain is investing in. However, there's a catch - the VR system is designed not to activate your hippocampus, which houses your long-term memory. As a result, inside the VR world, none of the detachment remembers the outside world - and upon waking, they don't remember any of the details of the missions they fly. Rooster, Phoenix, Coyote, Payback, and Fanboy fly three virtual missions together, and do not remember each other at all in the VR world. In the real world, the five of them do their best to investigate Mav's disappearance, as he is nowhere to be found on base, and too many questions earn suspicion, which is the last thing they need.

After his fourth successful mission, Rooster runs into Bob Floyd, an engineer on the project who is kind of twitchy and quiet and weirds him out. Little does Rooster (or any of the detachment) know that Bob is their handler while they are in the VR world; he is the voice that runs them through their pre-flight checklists. In the VR world the next day, while Rooster is going through his pre-flight checklist with Bob's voice in his ear, Bob flashes an image on Rooster's NAV system that reactivates Bradley's long-term memory. Bob informs Rooster (and the others, once he wakes them up too) that the missions they run are not hypothetical, that they’re actively participating in civilian airstrikes, and Rooster is horrified. Bob says Mav found out about this and tried to shut the program down from the inside, but disappeared into The Grid - the Matrix-y world behind the VR world - and Bob hasn't been able to contact him. Once everyone is woken up, the six of them team up to find Mav. At Bob’s call, Rooster, Phoenix, and Coyote fly into some sort of glitch and end up in the Matrix world and search through it for Mav. Payback and Fanboy attempt to follow, but are forcibly recalled back to reality by Cain, who forces Bob to comb through the VR world for the missing pilots.

The area of The Grid Rooster, Phoenix, and Coyote find themselves in looks like the inside of the Hard Deck. Upon exploring the bar, which looks very realistic, Rooster is attacked by Hangman, who Phoenix neutralizes and Coyote calms down. They learn that the Hard Deck functions as a loading screen of sorts, where pilots involved in the program rested between multiple missions in one day. Hangman has been there for...a very long time. (He may be a little unsteady because he's been alone for so long. He has also gotten very good at darts and pool. Coyote, feeling sorry for him, plays a few rounds with him.) Rooster, Phoenix, and Coyote find a way out of the Hard Deck and Hangman comes along after proving he knows who Mav is and has an idea of where to find him.

Once they're out of the Hard Deck, they find themselves on a beach that Rooster recognizes but isn't sure why. Phoenix and Rooster talk about Mav, what Rooster will say to him when they find him. Coyote and Hangman bond over their love of flying. Cain starts fucking up The Grid Coraline-style and the five of them make a run for it across the rapidly deteriorating landscape and escape through another glitch in The Grid, reappearing in an abandoned hangar, where it turns out Mav has been hiding all this time.

Mav has been plotting a way to shut down the VR world from the inside so Cain can never use it for his unmanned program again, and he has no idea how long he’s been here. He is stunned when Rooster tells him it's been over a year. Rooster is equally stunned when Mav reveals he has been manipulating the glitches this whole time and saved them from Cain. An explosive fight breaks out when Mav tells them that Hangman is an enemy pilot designed by Admiral Cain to root out the chinks in the unmanned aircraft's armor, so to speak. That Hangman is not a real person. Mav knows because he'd shot down Hangman too many times to count, and tells them that this is how Cain has been able to track them across The Grid. Hangman vehemently protests this, but when Mav asks him to tell them anything about the outside world, what his real name is, Hangman can’t remember and breaks down, begging them to believe that he's real. Coyote believes him and promises to get Hangman out of here.

One thing leads to another, and the five of them work together, manipulating the glitches to shut the VR program down from the inside. Mav sacrifices himself for this purpose, trapping himself in The Grid as it shuts down and effectively rendering his real world self brain dead. Rooster, Phoenix, and Coyote wake up in the real world under heavy guard; Payback and Fanboy free Rooster, Phoenix, and Coyote, and Rooster goes to save Mav. Phoenix, Coyote, Payback, and Fanboy hold off Cain while Rooster hops back into the VR world with Bob's help to bring Mav out of it. Mav is trapped in his own mind (VR version of G-LOC), reliving Goose's death over and over again, and Rooster successfully guides him out, absolving Mav of his guilt for having pulled his papers and for Goose's death, which Rooster (and Carole) never blamed Mav for in the first place. Bob reawakens both of them in the real world; Mav and Rooster hug.

Coyote learns from Ice, Hondo, and Warlock upon their arrival that Hangman is real; he was one of the first test pilots for Cain’s program but was cast aside and forgotten about once they'd gotten all the data they wanted out of him. Bob finds a way to wake up Hangman (comatose in the real world) when everyone else who'd tried had failed, and Coyote and Hangman (his long term memory reactivated upon waking up) kiss for the first time. Cain is arrested and gets the book thrown at him; Ice personally sees to it that the unmanned program is shut down; everybody lives happily ever after.

[justalonelyslytherin]

Legacies - Series

Series summary: Growing up as the Admiral's Daughter Ana knew two things: she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps as a naval aviator and she wanted to do it on her own. Not as the Admiral's Daughter but as Ana Kazansky, or rather Lawson as per her mother's maiden name.

Returning to Top Gun for a special detachment proves to be much more complicated than she had anticipated. Between the shifting relationship with one certain colleague, the nearly impossible mission parameters, and her father's illness things are becoming hard to handle.

Pairings: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Ana Theodora "Teddie" Kazansky, Callsign 'Ghost'

Additional characters: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky, all other canon characters involved with the mission, brief appearances of other Kazansky!OC's

Warnings: see each chapter for specific warnings, slow burn, enemies to lovers-ish, canon character death, talk of death and dealing with the loss of a loved one, cancer/sickness, canon level violence, military inaccuracies

Notes: This is not intended to be us navy propaganda in any case. I have no connection to the us navy (or the military in general) & I do not condone their actions. I simply fell in love with tg:m & the characters and want to indulge in my fantasies about that series. While Ana technically is an OC, some might still consider this in the realms/lines of also being able to be considered a 'Reader' (different peeps have different lines where what becomes one and the other) which is why I decided to tag this story as both reader & oc

A/N: I have to thank @writercole a thousand times for helping me sort out the plot!

The name of my OC is inspired by @icemankazansky86 "Russian Iceman Kazanskys Headcanons" who graciously allowed me to name her after Ice sister & grandmother

The header is made by me, and all the dividers were made by the lovely @/firefly-graphics

taglist: open, message me or comment to be added, will be put as reblog

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

[topguncortez]

Worth Fighting For | Maverick Mitchell

masterlist | One Year TG celebration

synopsis: Maverick can't help but fight for who he loves

word count: 2.5k

warnings: sexism, fighting, cursing, mentions of canon character death, oblivious friends to lovers

“Why should I have to respect her? She’s a-“

Maverick knew that it probably wasn’t a good idea to go to the O Club on a night after an exam.

He knew the whole place would be crawling with young pilots wanting to blow off steam from a stressful week of flights and studying for the exam. He also knew there would be a handful of spiteful pilots who were pissed about their exam grades. But there was no arguing a grade when every single question was multiple choice.

Maverick had a love-hate relationship with his position at top gun. He hated being chained to a classroom most days. He hated lecturing. He hated having to teach “by the book”. He hated having to answer to Ron Kerner of all people.

but he did love teaching young pilots and seeing them excel throughout the course. And he also loved getting to work with the love of his life day after day.

You and Maverick knew that there was no replacing your brother, Goose. You had been on the ground in the rec room hearing every single bit of the accident and had begged Viper to let you get on the rescue chopper. It was the worst day of your lives to go up to Carole’s door and tell her that her husband was dead. 

But before the accident, the two of you were never really close. You always saw Maverick as Goose’s annoying, hotshot best friend, and Maverick saw you as his RIO’s little sister. But after the accident, everything had changed. He had been driving your brother when he died, and you saved Maverick’s life in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Maverick had found the courage later that night to ask you out, but that dream was squashed when he saw Tom Kazansky leading you to his room. 

You didn’t know that Maverick had caught you that night, and he never did bring it up. The two of you both seemed to just brush off that night and continue on as best friends. Now, the two of you were both instructors at TopGun, alongside Ice and Slider. 

Even though you were one of the best pilots in the Navy, the Navy didn’t seem to treat you with that kind of respect. You were the same rank as your male counterparts and had higher ASVAB and GT scores. You also graduated top of your class at the Academy. You were almost as decorated, if not more decorated than Ice. . . but because you were a girl, everyone seemed to turn the other way. You tried your best to not let it bother you, rolling back your shoulders and keeping your head held high with confidence. But some days it got the better of you, and it would be clearly drawn across your face. 

“Ignore what that prick said to you. He’s just pissed ‘cause his boy failed the test,” Slider said to you, pushing a shot of tequila toward you. 

You sighed, “It’s not even the fact that Captain Holloway yelled at me, it’s the fact that he did it in front of Viper. And fucking Viper just stood there!” 

“Because he knows you can handle it,” Ice chimed, “He knows you can handle your own. You don’t need us for backup.” 

“Well, it would’ve been nice, assholes,” You chided and grabbed the shot in front of you. Maverick watched as you tilted your head back and downed it in one go. 

Everyone knew that having a legacy student in the class was going to cause some complications, but no one expected Captain Holloway to drive across base and demand to see the “half-wit instructor” who gave his son a failing grade on his exam. Iceman had originally stood up, preparing to take the fall for it, but you stood up instead, taking 100% accountability. Captain Holloway let you know how angry he was that his son had failed and was being kicked out of TopGun, his face growing red with anger and the vein in his forehead pulsing. But you just stood calmly, letting the old naval aviator get his frustration out. And when he was done yelling and insulting your intelligence, you handed him his son’s failed exam and the answer key, telling him to look through and see it for himself. 

“I think I’m gonna turn in,” You said, causing groans to arise from Slider and Iceman, “Yeah, yeah, cry me a damn river.” You slid out of the booth, and retrieved your wallet to toss a couple of bills on the table to cover your drinks, “It was nice gossiping with you ladies, but I am beat. I’ll see you Monday.” 

“Goodnight, Hawk,” Maverick said, as you turned to leave. You gave him a small smile before grabbing your cap and getting lost in the sea of naval officers. 

The booth was silent for just a moment, and Maverick looked down at the drink in front of him, until an ice cube hit him right in the forehead. He lifted his head up and furrowed his eyebrows at Slider, who had a guilty grin on his face. 

“What the fuck, Slider?” Maverick asked. 

“No, you what the fuck,” Slider said. 

“‘Goodnight, Hawk’?” Ice asked and Maverick looked at him confused, “She had an awful day and you say all of three words to her the whole night? What the hell is your deal?” 

Maverick rolled his eyes and sat back in the booth, “You said she had it handled, and she did. She didn’t need any additional sympathy.” 

“God, no wonder you couldn’t keep Charlie around,” Slider mumbled. 

Maverick scoffed, before downing his beer, “I’m getting another drink.” 

“Oh, me too?” Slider asked, holding up his rocks glass. 

“Suck my johnson, Kerner,” Maverick cursed as he left the two pilots in the booth. 

Maverick nodded to Tony as he bellied up at the bar, sliding his empty beer bottle across the dark wood. He knew that his feelings towards Hawk were very one-sided and that everyone could see it. Hell, even Charlie could see it for the short amount of time they were together. Maverick was always at your beck and call, always right by your side when you needed him. Charlie had confronted Maverick about it a couple of days before she left for DC. But there was nothing Maverick could do, you were Ice’s girl. . . well, as far as anyone knew, you were Ice’s girl. 

“Did you see Commander Bradshaw was here?” Maverick turned his head slightly, seeing two of his young pilots walking up to the bar, “Can’t believe she’d even come to a place like this.” 

The other pilot, a blonde one that Maverick couldn’t remember the name of, but didn’t like, smirked, “Of course, she’d be here. They gotta get her loosened up somehow.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Didn’t you see who she was with? Maverick, Slider, and Ice. . . It’s not rocket surgery to know how she got her job.” 

Maverick clenched his jaw as Tony set a fresh beer in front of him. He muttered thanks and slid some bills out of his wallet, still listening to the young pilots insult you. 

“Did you see the way she nearly cried today? God, I wish Viper would’ve fired her,” The Blonde pilot said, “She doesn’t know her shit. She’s slow in the air. She acts like a fucking twat anytime Maverick is-” 

Maverick slammed his beer bottle down, causing the two pilots to look at him. From across the bar, Slider and Ice turned their heads to see the showdown starting to happen. 

“Oh Jesus Christ,” Iceman muttered, seeing Maverick’s small frame try to square up to a taller pilot. 

“You two,” Maverick said, pointing between the two pilots, “Need to watch what you say about your commander.” 

The Blonde scoffed, “For what fucking reason? You clearly didn’t have a thing to say when Captain Holloway was ripping her a new one.” 

Maverick could feel the blood pulsing through his body as his hands started to shake with rage, “He’s her superior, you are not. You need to treat Commander Bradshaw with respect.”

“Why the fuck should I have to show her any respect? She’s a-” 

Nobody heard the last part of the blonde pilot’s sentence, because Maverick had punched him right in the jaw. Gasps were heard throughout the club as Maverick grabbed the pilot’s collar, and punched him again, a sickening crack filling the air. But the blonde didn’t stay down for long, reeling his head back and headbutting Maverick. Maverick groaned, lunging forward to throw another punch, but was held back by Ice. Slider grabbed the other pilot and pulled him away from the bar. 

“No more fucking scenes, Mitchell,” Ice muttered in his ear, dragging him towards the front door of the O Club. 

Maverick didn’t put up any protests as Ice put him in the car, and drove down the familiar streets to your house. Instead, Maverick looked down at his split knuckles and occasionally wiped away the blood falling from his nose. When the two of them arrived at your house, Ice told Maverick to stay in the car, as he jogged up to your front door. Maverick watched out the window as you came to the door, a smirk on your face, your body clad in a silk nightgown. Then he watched the smirk fall as Iceman pointed towards the passenger seat where Mav was at. He gave you a small wave, and you rolled your eyes, walking into your house. 

Ice jogged back to the car, and pulled open the passenger side door, “C’mon, she said she’ll fix you up.” Maverick just huffed and looked down at his hands, “Quit being a fucking toddler and get out of the car.” 

Maverick complied and got out of the car. He walked up the steps to your front door, finding it slightly ajar, and walked in. You were already laying out first aid supplies on the coffee table, and now you had a sheer robe covering your silk nightgown. Maverick felt bad as he shuffled his feet and sat down on your couch, already knowing this all too familiar drill. You sat down next to him, your knee gently brushing his khaki-clad thigh, as you grabbed his face and turned his head towards you. 

“What have I told you about getting into fights?” You asked. 

“It was for a good cause,” Maverick gave you that all too sweet signature smirk. But you saw right through it, just like your brother once had, “Some pilots were talking shit about you. I couldn’t just not do anything.” 

You nodded your head, reaching forward on the coffee table and getting a cotton ball. You doused it in hydrogen peroxide, then grabbed Maverick’s bloodied hand. He hissed as you touched the cleaning agent to the split skin. 

“You realize you can’t punch every aviator who says something bad about me,” You briefly glanced up from cleaning his hand, “It won’t end well for you.” 

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take.” 

“Well I’m not going to let you,” You sighed, putting the sullied cotton ball on a paper towel. You grabbed a roll of gauze and wrapped it around his hand. Maverick could tell that there was something you wanted to say. You and Goose were the exact same; clenching your jaw and letting out small sighs when there was something right on the tip of your tongue that you wanted to say. 

“Just say it,” Maverick said. 

You looked up at him for a moment and then back down at his hand, “I put in my resignation letter to Viper.” 

“What?” Maverick pulled his hand away from you, “Well. . . go take it back.” 

“I can’t.” 

“Yes, you can!” Maverick shouted, standing up from your couch, “I quit TopGun and came back, you surely can go take your resignation letter-” 

“I’m not going to,” You said calmly. You let out a deep breath and patted the spot next to you for Maverick to sit. He kept his emerald eyes on you as he sat back down. You grabbed his good hand, and held it in both of yours, “I am not going to take my resignation letter back. I realized today when Captain Holloway was yelling at me, that this isn’t what I want to do. I only took the job because it was what Goose wanted. He wanted to get first so he could get the teaching job and have something more permanent for Bradley and Carole. But teaching, being chained to a classroom? It’s just not me.” 

Maverick totally understood where you were coming from. He thought so many times about writing his resignation letter, but the one thing that stopped him was you and the feelings he had. But now, he wasn’t so sure if his love for teaching was enough to keep him at TopGun. 

“And, normally, I would never ask this of anyone, let alone a fucking guy,” You said and Maverick snapped his head towards you, “But. . . uh. . . come with me?” 

“What?” Maverick asked, his jaw slightly open in awe. 

“Come with me,” You said, “You hate teaching as much as I do and I don’t think that I-” 

You were cut off by Maverick’s lips on yours. You were frozen for only a split second before you kissed him back, your hands going to rest on his cheeks. He pulled back first for air, looking into those eyes that he had known to love so much. But then, it all came crashing down and Maverick realized what he had done. 

“Oh my god, Hawk,” Maverick said, getting up from the couch. You tried to ignore the pang in your chest as he walked to the other side of the room, “I’m so sorry. I know that you are with Ice and that was so-” 

“Wait, what? What did you just say?” 

“That I’m sorry.” 

“No, after that.” 

“You are with Ice.” 

You couldn’t help but burst out laughing at Maverick’s words. You had heard some ridiculous rumors about yourself, but this was definitely a new one. Maverick’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched tears fall down your cheeks as you clutched your belly from laughing so hard. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had seen you laugh like this, but it had to have been before Goose died. 

“Oh God, Maverick, you are so funny,” You said, wiping a tear from your eye, “Me? With Tom?” You shook your head as more giggles fell from your mouth. 

“But after the Indian Ocean-” 

“He had one of my gloves in his room, I went to get it back,” You said. 

“And tonight? That smirk on your face when he was at the door?” 

“I thought he was coming over to watch The Shinning again,” You shrugged, “He obsessed with it and is wearing out my damn tape.” 

Maverick cocked his head to the side, “So nothing is going on with you and Ice?” 

“Other than his obsession with VHS player.” 

“Oh God, I’m an idiot,” Maverick said, shaking his head. 

“Yeah, you are,” You responded, “Now come over here and kiss me again.”

taglist: @shanimallina87 @desert-fern@mygyn @cherrycola27  @yanna-banana @topgun-imagines  @startrekfangirl2233 @xoxabs88xox@bradshawseresinbabe @bradswolfe@fandom-princess-forevermore@callsignharper @genius2050

another amazing request from @a-reader-and-a-writer

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[sarahsmi13s]

🎃vinny's 2023 whumptober event🎃

hi my darlings!! welcome to whumptober! this entire event is going to be 18+ so minors back off. i'm serious. this event contains heavy topics and i encourage you to read with discretion. if you read the warnings and decide that you can not handle the content, you will not hurt my feelings if you choose to skip it. protect your own peace. if you read something and find a topic i missed please please please reach out to me and let me know. i want to make sure people are properly prepared and know what they are reading!

if you want to be tagged and haven't filled out the form you can do so here -> vinny's whumptober taglist

day 1: bloody knuckles

-> Bloodstained Sandbags - eddie diaz x reader

day 2: overworked / insomnia / exhaustion

-> Off the Clock – charlie young x reader

day 3: overstimulation

-> I Just Need Quiet – jake seresin x sarah grant

day 4: hiding an injury / betrayal / lying

-> Hidden Gems – rhett abbott x reader

day 5: hostage / kidnapping / held at gunpoint

-> This Is How It Feels – beau simpson x daughter!reader

day 6: forced to hurt someone

-> Just a Little Guidance – tim bradford x reader

day 7: disowned by family

-> The Family I Chose - natasha trace x reader

day 8: panic attacks

-> Last in the Flock – bradley bradshaw x duckie bradshaw (twin sister!reader)

day 9: scar reveal

-> When Sharks Attack – evan buckley x reader

day 10: bullied

-> Family Legacy – rhett abbott x sister!reader

day 11: fainting / adrenaline

-> Highs and Lows – charlie young x reader

day 12: character death

-> A Sibling’s Promise - peter parker x sister!reader

day 13: grief

-> Don’t Leave Your Wingman – pete mitchell x kazansky!reader

day 14: bleeding through the bandage / field medicine

-> Rookie Mistake – tim bradford x rookie!reader

day 15: experimentation

-> Pin Cushion – albert wesker x reader

day 16: amputation / hospital

-> tbd – tim bradford x reader

day 17: heat stroke / “you look a little pale”

-> Hazed Gaze – walt finnegan x reader

day 18: fever / vomiting / warm soup

-> Mama's Don't Get Sick Days – mickey garcia x reader

day 19: left behind / “why wasn’t i enough”

-> Past Pursuits – bob floyd x y/n rogers (lt. rogers)

day 20: dehumanization

-> tbd – walt finnegan x reader

day 21: blood loss / shock / near death experience

->  tbd – bradley bradshaw

day 22: whipping / punishment / stress position

-> tbd – jake seresin x ncis!reader

day 23: begging / forced to watch

-> Chasing Ghosts – eddie diaz x reader

day 24: failed escape / hunted down / too exhausted to keep running

-> tbd – bucky barnes x reader

day 25: stalked

-> Parasocial – mickey garcia x youtuber!reader

day 26: non-consensual touching

-> tbd – rhett abbott x reader

day 27: forgotten / locked away / immortal

-> tbd – pete mitchell x reader

day 28: whumpee hair pulling / oxygen deprivation / sweating

-> tbd – bob floyd x reader

day 29: bargaining

-> Don’t Take the Girl – tom kazansky x reader

day 30: coma

-> tbd – nick bradshaw x reader

day 31: crying

-> tbd – tim bradford x reader

[aestheticsuwu]

Blurrin' the lines between real and the fake

Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky x Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell

Mafia x Hitman/FBI Au

(Click pic for better quality)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~💸💎💸~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IceMan ; One of the top most wanted criminal in the world. Known for the successful running legacy of being the coldest and feared mafia boss in Russia and now expanding his name in United States in all its glory.

Each day theres a different price for his head. The reward get higher by the second but the task becomes harder to accomplish. After all no one has seen his face, and the ones that do , Are now 6 feet under the ground.

The overachiever hit-man Pete Mitchell, ‘Maverick’ ,that has been hired by Charlie Blackwood an FBI agent, takes on the task thinking of it as a challenge . What he doesn’t know is that Ice is always 2 steps ahead and is already waiting for him.

Ice is not going to get wiped out in his watch, especially for his youngest sister Carole wedding .

—————————💸💎💸———————

“Behave.”

Maverick wanted to bite his hand , wants to scream and disrupt the guest but he knew better and having the man hand squeezing the back of his neck in warning made him clamped his mouth shut . Maverick still threw him a hard glare.

A young women , dressed in a floral white dress, shoulder length blonde hair and a big smile on her face spots them and comes running towards them. She screeches when she sees Ice. She throws herself into his arm . Ice twirls her around making her squeal and sets her down.

“Tommy , You promises not to bring none of your boy toys . It’s my engagement dinner.” The blonde woman whines , her arms crossed on her chest with a frown adorning her beautiful face. Her kind blue eyes flicker to his and he wanted to protest . He was not a twink nor Ice boy-toy but Maverick just averted his eyes down to his boots and stayed quiet. Biting his tongue . Tom. The long mystery of the real name of Iceman. And all for what. He might never get to tell anyone.

The poor woman was about to get scolded , she didn’t need Mavs.

“Carole , This one special. “ Ice brings back his hand to Maverick neck . Maverick can taste blood from how hard he’s biting his tongue.”Didn’t i promise you that I wouldn’t work or do anything that will prejudice your wedding. Aren’t I a man of my word“ Ice spoke gently and in a tender voice . It gave Maverick goosebumps. It was like a different person in contrast to Ice, the man holding him hostage and holding his neck like he was some damn puppy( and threaten to kill him once his baby sister has gotten married .

“You did gave me your word and in writing.” Carole sunny smile appears making Ice content .

“Where’s Nick ?” Ice smiles proudly , looking around for the man.

“I will go get him. Oh - I forgot where’s my manners. I’m Carole , soon to be Mrs.Bradshaw” Carole waited for his response but Maverick was having a quick debate in his head.

He didn’t know if he was allowed to speak but if the pressure of Ice thumb on his jaw making his sister wait was anything. Mav wasn’t sure what to say , does he say Maverick or Pete Mitchell?

“Im Pete Mitchell but your brother likes to call me Mave-rick , Nice to meet you . Congrats on your wedding .” Maverick mimics the way Iceman pronounced his name. He decides to be honest. He doubts Carole will try to search him up and look at his background. Besides he has a feeling Slider had already wiped his info off the system by orders of his boss. He gives her his best smile which she returns . She looks like a sunshine compared to this cold criminal man beside him.

The last name spiked a curiosity in him, he knew a Bradshaw but it couldn’t be the same person , Goose was dead. He’s snapped out of his thoughts when he feels Iceman press behind him.

“See,” Ice deep voice has Maverick nervous “It wasn’t that hard to be a good boy”

Maverick hates himself for his body reacting to those words. It send a shiver down his spine. He just hope Iceman didn’t see. Iceman goes to take a seat , front and center, assigned for him only. Maverick stands there dumbly not knowing what to do. “Sit” Ice pats his thighs with an amused smirk . This was embarrassing. He refuse to do it. He silently glares at the man making Iceman lose his patience. He moves forward and speaks lowly just enough for both of them to hear,”I wasn’t asking. Sit now. “ Ice tone of voice left no room for discussion.

Maverick balled his fist . He was fuming from the inside . He swung his leg over and sat down on the mans lap. He felt the blondes large hand grab his hip and pulled him closer. Maverick could feel the eyes of everyone on him making him flush down to his neck. He turns to his right, ‘Slider’, Iceman’s right hand and bodyguard ,snicker at him making Maverick feel embarrassed .

Carole comes back with a drink on her hand , vodka on ice , and on the other, a man. A man that makes Maverick go pale . He was dead. How could he be here? Goose?

The man hasn’t notice him yet. He sees his lip moving and feels the rumble of Ice voice against his back . He look exactly like him. The eyes, the height and the stupid porn mustache . It was him. His only family he had left. Here he was marrying the sister of a cold hearted criminal . Nick Bradshaw.

Slider stands up and put his arms around Goose and Carole and begins flirting with them both. Something that looked like something they did . He’s saying something along the lines that he wouldn’t mind being part of the wedding. It’s kind of mushy in his brain, he snaps out of it when Ice laughs at his friend. He doesn’t know why , but he hands go straight for the hand on his hip , needing the reassurance he wasn’t hallucinating . Ice goes rigid behind him.

Maverick takes a strong grip on Ice fingers . He feels eyes boring holes to the side of his face . His breath quickens , he feels like his heat had leapt out of his chest. He hears a glass clink against a surface , then suddenly he feels three cold fingers on his jaw making him face Ice. Who looked laser focused on him, his brows furrowed and eyes high on alert.

Ice opens him mouth to ask him something but Goose beats him to it. “ I didn’t realize you brought someone new. Let me introduce myself I’m Goose .”

“I think he’s shy . “ Carole says making Slider snort at the ridiculousness .

Ice has gone deadly silent and still holding his jaw . His blue eyes flickering all over his face, trying to read him. Suspicious on what was going on, he turns to Goose . With a sharp smile he answers for him, “This is Maverick. Why don’t you say hi , Sweetheart.”

Maverick turns around and faces Goose. Now is his turn to look like he just saw a ghost. Ice clenches his jaw , not liking the situation , He looks at Slider, whose already catching on , and gives him a sign to take Carole and Goose away. They had to deal with this later .

“I was promised a dance . Shall we ?” Slider doesn’t let them answer and is dragging them away . Maverick just listens to Carole laugh and watched Goose look over his shoulder with a fallen expression.

“Mitchell, Your dangerous , and I can’t have you going around behaving like that. Can’t have you snooping around in my business .In the meantime , your going to keep that pretty mouth shut and be on your best behavior until I decide how to get rid of you. Got it.” Ice says in a cold tone , a void of emotions. Like he was randomly talking about the weather.

“What if I don’t . Your going to kill me? I’m not scared of you …Iceman.” Maverick is not backing down. They stare at each fro way too long. His chest is still heaving and Iceman is just calm and collective . It made him tick.

Ice moves his hand up to Maverick face with a mocking smile. The man was hard to read but clearly he was angry.

“You should be , Baby.” Ice thumb touch Maverick’s bottom lip, slightly pulling it down making Maverick freeze , his greens eyes widen. “You’re in enemy’s territory. No one’s going to help you, Not even …Goose.” Ice chomps the air showing perfect rows of teeth. The man still remained dispassionate and composed like he didn’t just threatened to end his life .

The words felt like a slap to his face. He wasn’t expecting the chomp , the action reminded him of a feral dog wanting to bite him. Wreck him. Ice picks up his glass , the one Carole had give. him , and takes a huge gulp trying to shoo away the migraine that was try to creep up on him ever since Maverick appeared. Ice smiles at Carole who’s looking at their direction as Slider twirls her . He keeps his smile when Goose make eye contact with him, he looks away when Slider is trying to get his attention .

“Smile. Everyone’s looking.” With no other option , Maverick smiles that doesn’t reach his eyes . He really wants to kill the guy. Right about now. Like if he was devil , the man mutters, “Keep those thoughts for later , Nobody is dying today. What your pretty little head should worry about is that your sleeping in my bed tonight.”

———————————-💸💎💸———————

Sidenote: okay so I saw in a fic where Carole is Ice sister, so I had to use this opportunity to add it in here. Goose and Maverick were best friends and worked together until one day a mission goes haywire and Gooses is presumed dead. But In reality , Slider finds Goose in the middle or fight with another drug lord and Slider gets injured and Goose helps him. Making Slider feel gratitude towards Nick , he takes him in and does everything he can for Ice to let him (Goose thinks Mav is dead too)

The FBI thinks they have a lead on Ice and know who it is , (they think it’s Slider ) Charlie knows Mav (they’re dating or hooking up or whatever ; either ways Mav still ends up with Ice) and she gets him on the deal .

Ice gets all the information back to him. He done his research on Mav by the time he has him close. Ice can’t kill him yet since it’s Carole wedding . He decides to have him by his side 24/7 to keep an eye on him. Literally. And uses this excuse to have Mav sit on his lap like all the time. (Slider sighs because the one time Ice is acting like love sick fool and it’s for the idiot that they’ve taken hostage. He rants about to Goose and Carole )

Maverick is just trying to find ways to escape but at the same time he struggling from keeping himself from throwing himself at Ice.

(Also if anyone writes a fic , can you guys write a scene where Maverick is lying in thousands of dollars and Ice is just having his brain go offline. Mavs wants to have sex on the money even though the money is dirty.)

[ofstoriesandstardust]

day 11 - i’m dreaming of a white christmas - bradley “rooster” bradshaw

a/n: i call this “kylie takes a plot of a christmas movie and does whatever she damn well pleases with it”. this has been a many weeks labor of love and is probably one of my top 3 pieces from ficmas so i truly hope you enjoy!! :)

summary: (white christmas!au) Years after the legendary Tom “Iceman” Kazansky retired from the Navy after a truly horrible accident, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw finds himself following his recently reconciled godfather, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell to the far remote corners of Vermont to visit an old friend.

He doesn’t anticipate meeting the notorious Iceman, whose legacies still stretch far and wide throughout the Navy, nor Iceman’s equally captivating civilian daughter. 

What begins as a trip to continue to mend and repair his relationship with his once estranged godfather turns into a scheme to push his godfather towards happiness while maybe finding some of his own along the way. 

-

In other words, the White Christmas!au no one but me asked for.

12 days of ficmas | main masterlist | top gun: maverick masterlist

warnings: swearing, kissing, fluffy fluff, tooth-rotting fluff, did i mention there’s fluff, mentions of depression, mentions of cancer, a dash of angst like the way all things in life should be, misunderstandings, minor Icemav, no mentions of Sarah Kazansky or Penny Benjamin, Bradley’s Bronco is invincible atp, kylie writes slider for the first time in her life, i stole the iconic dialogue, fuck if i know anything about the Navy 

word count: 9,751

I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know, where the treetops glisten and children listen, to hear sleigh bells in the snow

The sound of Bing Crosby’s voice crooning floats through the old truck. Bradley reaches out to turn the radio down, muting the man, as Maverick turns on to an old dirt road, turning off from the paved road they’d been following for miles. 

“Where exactly are we going Uncle Mav?”

A faraway look appears in Maverick’s eyes, the same one that had appeared when he’d approached Bradley about going on this trip with him Thanksgiving morning. With the two having extended leave following their less-than-ideal crash landings and return from the dead, he’d had little better to do. 

And Phoenix thought it would be a good idea, to get back on solid feet and mend his relationship with his godfather. So he’d agreed and packed up, getting into the Bronco to travel cross-country to Vermont. 

“I told you kid, we’re going to see an old friend of mine.”

Maverick offers little more information for the rest of the ride as they travel along the road. Eventually, just when Bradley thinks his bladder might burst, they make another turn and pull up in front of a large home. 

Bradley eyes the sign outside. “A ski resort Mav?” His godfather hums in response, turning the ignition off.

“Not so much as a ski resort as an inn for skiers.” 

“But neither of us ski.” He pauses, looking around the property. “And there’s no snow.” Maverick says nothing, pulling off his seatbelt and slipping out of the car. He sighs, having no choice but to do the same, walking around the truck to follow his godfather up towards the house. 

There’s a girl leaving the front door, a box in her hands. She notices them and sets the box down on a bench on the wrap-around porch, offering a bright smile. “Well, I was just about starting to think that the legendary Pete Mitchell my Dad talks so much about wasn’t real.”

Maverick laughs, pulling the girl into a hug. “Haven’t seen you since you were young kid. How have you been?” 

You pull away, still smiling. “Good. Been quiet the past couple of years. Dad’s happy to have you here.” 

Maverick steps back, putting his hands on Bradley’s shoulders. “This is my godson, Bradley Bradshaw.” 

You offer him a smile, reaching out to shake his hand as you introduce yourself. He returns the gesture, grasp firm as he takes you in. “Why don’t you guys come on inside? Dad’s just in the lobby here.” You say, picking the box back up. You shoulder the door open and he reaches out, holding it open for you as you pass over the threshold. You give him a small smile. “Thanks.” He follows you inside, door shutting behind him as he stops, seeing the old man leaned over the front desk. 

There’s no way-

“Well well well Pete Mitchell. I was starting to think you ran off on me.” The man smiles, moving out from behind the counter. 

Mav lets out a light laugh, moving to hug the man. “And leave my wingman? No way.” The two embrace for a moment and then pull away, still holding on to each other. “Quiet business you’ve got here.”

He sighs. “I know, been a quiet couple of seasons. Not much snow-” 

“Because of global warming.” You say and Bradley turns, watching you disappear back out the front door, box in hands. The man huffs out a laugh, shaking his head as he and Maverick watch you leave once more. “What am I going to do with her?” 

It’s then that Maverick catches sight of him, remembering his presence, and waves him over. “Brad, this is-”

“Iceman.” He breathes out, the man lining up to the pictures in every base, everywhere he’s ever been stationed. 

Maybe just with more grey hair.

Before a forced retirement after an accident that left him unable to fly, Iceman had been the stuff legends are made of. The type of pilot you only hear about in a blue moon. The type of pilot like Mav. 

He offers a sad smile. “I haven’t been Iceman in a long time kid. Just Tom Kazansky these days.” 

“Sorry-” 

Tom waves a hand. “No matter. It’s good to see you Baby Goose.” He straightens at the nickname, only ever having heard Mav use it. “Haven’t seen you since Nick’s-” He swallows, clearing his throat. “Haven’t seen you since you were a kid.” He smiles sadly at him. “God, you look just like him.” He whispers. He clears his throat once more. “Well, why don’t we get you both settled in? Bet it was a long trip. Pete’s crazy ass over here saying you’ll drive all the way out.” 

-

“Dad’s happy to have you and your Dad here.” 

He looks up, seeing you offering him a steaming mug as he sits on one of the chairs. He can hear his godfather’s laughter echo from the other room. “Not my Dad.” He says, accepting the mug from you. You shrug, setting your own mug down on the coffee table as you sit next to his feet placed up on the ottoman. 

“I know, but from the way Dad tells it, it’s close enough.” He can’t bring himself to say anything, heart aching at the thought of all the years he lost out on over misplaced anger. “Anyways, I’m happy to have you both here as well. It’s been lonely up here, especially with the quiet seasons.” 

“Take it you guys don’t see much business.” 

“We used to, but with no snow, it means no travelers, which means no money. Dad started this place up on his retirement and pension from the Navy but he’s been thinking of shutting the doors.” 

He raises an eyebrow. “Really?” 

You sigh, nodding your head as you tuck a piece of stray hair behind your ear. “Yeah, I think the only reason he keeps this place open is for me. It’s all I've ever known. This place is much as it is his as it is mine. I mean, after the accident, after Mom left, this was something that was ours, you know? Maybe it’s stupid to not want to let that go.” 

He thinks about the planes he’d been fixing up with Mav in the days after their mission, how he always wanted help Mav out with his motorcycle growing up. How he just wanted to share in something with his godfather. “Not stupid at all.” He whispers. 

You take a deep breath and look back up to him. “Sorry, this is probably too deep for a stranger. Just wanted to say that we’re both glad to have you out here.” 

He takes a sip of his drink, noting the sweet hot chocolate in the cup. “We’re happy to be here.” He says softly. 

You look down to his lap, where his book is sitting. “Whatcha reading?” 

He shifts, showing you the cover. “A Christmas Carol.” 

You raise an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t have pegged you as a person who reads the classics.” 

He huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. “I’m not, but my friend Bob sent it with me when we left. Said I should read it since the holidays were coming up.”

Bob had also said it would help keep his mind off the ejections and crash-landings that had plagued him since he’d returned to the aircraft carrier very much alive, but he didn’t need to bother you with that.

“Well, it’s a good story. One of my favorites. Anyways, I’ll stop bothering you and let you get back to your reading. Just wanted to give that to you.” You say, nodding your head to the cup he’s holding as you pat his leg. You go to stand and he finds himself shifting, moving his legs off the ottoman. 

“Wait, you don’t have to- We could- We could read it together, if you wanted.” You pause, looking at him. He scoots over, patting the spot next to him. “Here, there’s plenty of room next to me.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t want to intrude on your time-” He shakes his head. 

“Please.” You nod, slotting yourself down next to him. It’s a tight fit, but not an uncomfortable one as he shifts, setting his cup down on the table next to him and allowing his arm to wrap around your shoulder. He passes the book to you. “Here, you read it to me. I bet you do good voices.” 

-

He sighs once more, clicking the phone off. So much for staying in touch with his team. 

“Something wrong?” Tom calls out from his walk around the property with Mav. He waves him off. 

“No, just didn’t realize we wouldn’t have any service this far out.” 

“Sorry Brad, the only way to communicate with anyone is by carrier pigeon.” Tom calls back. 

“Besides, you don’t need to be texting or Facechatting anyone while you’re here. You’re supposed to be taking a break, remember?” 

He almost sighs at his godfather’s lack of awareness with technology. They let him fly the multi-million dollar planes but he can’t figure out his way around an iPhone. “FaceTime, Uncle Mav. It’s FaceTime.” 

His godfather waves him off, turning back around to take another lap with his friend as they continue to talk. He sighs, turning to go back inside. You’re leaned up against the front desk, sorting through some papers. 

“Can I have a carrier pigeon?” 

You look up, a smile forming on your face. “Come again?”

“Carrier pigeon. Your Dad told me it’s the only way to reach civilization. Although I suppose I could write a letter like in the olden days. Can I have some pen and paper in that case?” 

You huff out a laugh, shaking your head. “He used that joke on you? No, reception out here is shit but you’re more than welcome to use the landline.” You say, using the pen you're holding to point to the phone hanging on the wall behind you. It’s blue, just like the walls in the lobby. “About the only phone that picks up service out here.” 

He nods, sticking his hands in his pockets as he watches you. “No worries, I can do it later. Just wanted to call my friend Nat. Let her know how the trip was going. What’re you up to?” 

You collect the papers, moving them from his sight. “Nothing, just some finance stuff.” 

He nods, getting a sinking feeling finance stuff couldn’t be good. “Well, uh, you wanna show me around? Didn’t get the full tour last night.” 

You nod, extending an arm. “Come Bradshaw, welcome to my humble abode.” 

-

there’s always tomorrow, for dreams to come true, believe in your dreams come what may 

Your voice is soft as you sleepily sing along to the movie playing. He smiles softly at you as the screen flickers, the characters singing. After the tour around the house and property, you’d asked him if he wanted to watch a Christmas movie with you, the holiday fast approaching. He hadn’t really wanted to, but you’d been so excited to start watching the films from your childhood that he’d said yes before he even realized what he was doing. 

He can’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed the holidays this much, the last time he’d really felt the cheer Christmas was supposed to be all about. It had to have been before Mom passed. 

You shift, yawning as you move to tuck your feet up on the couch. He reaches out for you, tugging you into his side. “So you can have a pillow if you fall asleep.” He whispers. He can’t tell for sure in the dark room, Rudolph being the only source of light, but he’s pretty sure you blush at the movement. He does too, but he hopes you don’t notice either. 

The movie continues as his arm subconsciously reaches down, resting on your shoulder as his thumb rubs soft circles into your skin. You hum at the movement as you snuggle closer into his side. His heart flutters at the movement and he struggles to pull his eyes from where they’re admiring you, watching the steady rise and fall of your chest, and back to the movie on the screen. 

He’s near sleep when you speak again. “Your stomach is grumbling.” You comment. He has to blink a few times to bring himself back into the present, eyes adjusting to the light as the roar of the abominable snow monster echoes through the room. 

“What?” 

You lean up, hand pressing into his chest. “Your stomach is grumbling. It’s like, speaking its own language its so loud. It woke me up.” You move off of him and he feels cold at the loss of your touch. 

“I’m sorry?” You shrug, rubbing your eyes as the blanket falls around your waist. 

“It’s okay. I’m kind of hungry too. How do you feel about Christmas cookies? Unless Dad ate the entire tray I made today, we should have some in the kitchen.” 

“Don’t think it’s your Dad you have to worry about, it’s Mav.” 

Your raise an eyebrow at him. “Oh?” 

“Mav could eat anyone out of house and home and still be hungry.” You smile, shaking your head as the movie comes to an end. You watch the closing scene as you stretch. He’s too busy watching you to watch the toys jump from Santa’s sleigh, admiring the light reflecting off your face as your hair falls over your shoulder. 

“Mmm, okay, let’s go.” You say, but not before you fold the blanket and return it to it’s home in the basket next to the couch. 

“Would’ve just thrown it over the back of the couch.” He comments, sticking his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants that he’d changed into before the two of you had started watching Rudolph. 

You shrug, walking towards the kitchen as he follows you. “Yeah, but with business being so low, I’m the one cleaning this place, so I’d like to keep it as tidy as possible.” 

He nods. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

You wave a hand. “No worries, it’s really not-” You pause as you flick on the light-switch, flickering to life overhead. He pauses behind you, looking over your shoulder to where you’re looking at the now-empty glass tray. “They did eat all my cookies!”

He chuckles. “Guess the elderly folk couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.” You snort, shaking your head. 

“Well, I could make more? It’s easy, really, and I think I still have some crushed up graham cracker leftover from earlier.” 

He shrugs. “I wouldn’t be opposed. What are they anyways?” He asks, leaning up against the kitchen counter as you begin to move around the small space. 

You pull the coconut out from the cabinets. “They’re really cookie bars, but they were a recipe from Dad’s Mom before she passed, so he always likes it when I make them. Makes him nostalgic. Can you go in the pantry and grab me the sweetened condensed milk?” He nods, pushing himself off the counter to grab said item. “And the chocolate chips?” You call and he looks up, grabbing the bag and bringing the items back into the kitchen. 

You make quick work of making the cookies as he stands back to watch you move through the kitchen. Finally, when the tray is slid into the oven, it’s then that you finally pause, washing your hands. He walks closer to you as you dry your hands on a towel. He offers a hand and you glance at it, looking back up to him. 

“Dance with me.” He whispers. 

You look at him, slowly setting the towel on the counter. “But there’s no music.” You whisper back, even as the smile on your face grows. 

“Don’t need it.” 

You take his hand, allowing him to lead the way. The steps are practiced, comfortable, as the two of you move through the kitchen, the light coming from the dim kitchen light and the blue of the moon outside. 

“You���re pretty good at this.” 

He shrugs. “My Mom taught me before she passed.” 

You smile. “My Dad actually used to teach me growing up too. At the end of the ski seasons, when the place was empty but there was still snow out. He used to teach me in the big ballroom out there that we use as the dining space. Probably some of my favorite memories.” It falls silent in the kitchen as the two of you settle into a comfortable swaying. 

Too soon, the timer rings and he finds you pulling away as you move to pull the tray out of the oven. “They’ll have to cool for a moment and then we can put them on to a tray and go sit out in the ballroom, how about that?” He nods as you pull two cups down from one of the cabinets. 

“What’re you doing?”

You toss him a smile over your shoulder as you pull the milk from the fridge. “Well, you can’t have cookies without a glass of milk, can you?” You pause. “Wait, you’re not allergic or anything? Probably should have asked...”

He shakes his head, smiling at the sheepish look on your face. “No, no allergies. The only food allergy I’ve ever had is when I tried to convince my Mom carrots made me deathly ill when I was six.” 

You raise an eyebrow, unscrewing the top to the milk and pouring it out into the cups. “Oh? Did she buy it?” 

He laughs, shaking his head. “Not a chance. She was too smart for that, although Uncle Mav got a kick out of it.” 

You laugh alongside him as you move back to the cookies, moving the tray onto a cooling rack. “Here, will you take the glasses? We can just take the tray and eat from there.” He nods, grabbing the cups from your outstretched hands as you pick up the pan, careful not to touch the hot glass. 

The two of you walk towards the ballroom when you hear the voices of your Dad’s. Turning the corner, he spots Uncle Mav sitting by the fire, head close to Tom’s as they laugh softly together. 

He doesn’t remember the last time he saw Uncle Mav look so happy. 

You nudge him, nodding towards the side door. “C’mon, let's not bother them. Why don’t we go sit outside?” He nods, grabbing a blanket in the entry way as the two of you quietly slip outside the door, trying not to disturb the men. You set the tray down between the two of you as he sets the glasses on the ground, offering the blanket to you. You look up at him as you sit down on the bench. “You sure?” 

He nods, wrapping it around your shoulders. You smile gratefully at him as he takes the knife, cutting a small piece from the tray. “So talk to me more about your childhood. Sounds like you had a good time growing up.” 

You nod. “Yeah, I was young when the accident happened. Five or six, maybe? Can’t remember. Dad fell into a depression after he was forced to retire and Mom couldn’t take it, leaving maybe a year later, if that. He took his money from the retirement and pension the Navy gave him and moved us up here, opened this place up. I remember growing up, fixing this place up, and turning it into what it is now. I honestly couldn’t imagine growing up any differently.”

He shifts on the bench. “You know, I’m surprised your Dad ended up all the way out here. People in the Navy still talk about him.” 

You raise an eyebrow. “Really?” 

He hums in confirmation, cutting himself another piece from the tray. “Yeah, your Dad is what we consider legendary.” 

You cock your head. “Interesting.” He glances up at you. 

“Why?” 

You sigh, settling back against the bench. “A few years ago now, my Dad reached out to the Navy. Wanted to get back in, wanted to do administration work. If you ask me, I think once the thrill of starting the business wore off, he needed something else to keep him preoccupied. To keep him from falling back into his depression, and, uh, the Navy told him they had moved on without him. Didn't need him anymore. Those are my words, but the letter wasn’t much kinder. Then, not too long after, he got sick, and that was the end of that.” 

A pit of dread settles in his stomach as he turns to glance back at the men he knows are just inside. “Got sick?” He asks quietly. 

Were they here because Tom was dying?

He shakes the thought from his head, turning his attention back to you. 

No, no Uncle Mav wouldn’t do that to him. Not after he watched his Mom die. 

“Throat cancer. It... It wasn’t good.” You say softly, turning to look at him. “He’s in remission now, and fingers crossed it stays that way, but it did a real number on my Dad. Physically and mentally. The bills drained the savings and he became depressed again, really badly. Kept saying he lost his purpose in life and couldn’t go on.” 

He watches you talk, an urge to help the old man inside arising within him. Tom had no idea of the power he still held over the Navy, of the legacy he’d left behind. “Wow, that sounds... really tough. I’m sorry.” 

“My Dad was invincible growing up, nothing could hurt him. But to see the illness take so much of him away, to make him so lost, it was... I don’t ever want to live with that again.” 

He swallows, remembering watching Mav’s plane go down, no sight of a chute. A man he thought would live forever... gone. 

He remembers watching him Mom wither away in front of him, nothing left than a shell of the bright women she used to be. 

“I... can’t even imagine what that was like.” He thinks that maybe he could, but any other words are failing him as he listens to you. 

You sigh, shrugging. “He’s slowly gotten better but the business has taken a hit and it’s been hard on his mental health and our finances. Pretty certain that this will be our last season open.” 

He falls back on to the behind, crossing his arms. “Damn, really? I’m- wow.”

You nod, confirming. “He’s talking about moving to Canada now. Anyways, I’m sorry, this is probably a lot and you didn’t really ask-”

“No, not at all. Is there any way me or Uncle Mav can help?” 

You sigh. “Unless you can make it snow and get us a house full of guests, no. Although you and Pete being here is really good for him. You guys coming out here for the holidays is more than enough. Less lonely, for the both of us.” 

He sighs. “Alright, well if anything changes, let me know, okay? We’ll help in any way we can.”

You smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”

He squeezes your hand back, returning the smile. 

He knows you said there was nothing he could do but... Mav would know. Mav would know how to help. 

They have to.

-

You shiver, pulling your jacket around you tighter as your feet crunch over another pile of leaves. Your Dad lets out a light laugh. “Cold there, kid?” 

You nod. “’S chilly today. Chillier then it has been. Maybe we’ll finally get snow.” 

Your Dad snorts. “That’s wishful thinking.” 

You nudge him. “Hey, maybe it’ll be a Christmas miracle.”

He shakes his head, a sign he’s going to ignore what you’ve just said. “Well, maybe we need to go inside and have Brad warm you up.” 

Your cheeks warm at the suggestion. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

He chuckles, shaking his head as he feigns an innocent look. “Nothing at all, just that you’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately.” 

“Well, it’s not like there’s anyone else to hang out with up here!” You exclaim. He scoffs. 

“I’m not fun to be around anymore?” He asks, clutching a hand over his heart. You roll your eyes, moving to wrap your arm around your Dad’s, linking them together. 

“Never, you know I always want to hang out with you.” He hums, knocking his shoulder against yours. 

“If you’re tired of your old man, you can just say so.” 

You return his gesture, knocking his shoulder with your own. “Shut up.” 

He laughs softly as a silence falls between the two of you. You continue your walk when another breeze goes through, causing him to shiver this time. “Cold, Dad?” He shakes his head, a smile on his face as the two of you turn back to the house. “You know, maybe we should go inside and get Pete to warm you up.” You say, a teasing lilt to your voice. 

“What are you talking about?” 

You offer him a grin. “You know Daddy, if you like him...” 

“He’s just an old friend!” Your Dad protests, even thought the blush coloring his cheeks say differently. 

“Sure, you’re both old but doesn’t he just make you feel youthful, like love’s supposed to?” You tease to which he rolls his eyes. You squeeze his forearm, causing him to look down at you. “You haven’t dated anyone since Mom.” You say softly, looking at him honestly.

He sighs. “Because I had you sweetheart-”

“And I was your priority. And I love you so very much for that Dad. But I’m all grown up now. And I want you to have someone to grow old with. Or- grow older with. What is Pete, like 60?” 

“I’m 62.” He responds indignantly. You roll your eyes. 

“Whatever, you’re missing my point.”

“Wha- How do you even know I like men?”

You roll your eyes once more. “You’re not subtle. You make eyes at him.”

“I do not!” He protests. 

“Yes, you do. And even if you didn’t, you only talk about your Navy days if you’re talking about Pete, and you talk like he hung the moon and the stars for you. I’m not stupid Dad, I am your daughter after all.”  

He sighs as the two of you near the house. “Even if there was something—and I’m not saying there is—Pete and I- we had our chance and he wouldn’t- it’s complicated, sweetheart. He’s still married to the Navy and with the cancer, it wouldn’t be easy.” He whispers. 

“I just want you to be happy, Dad.” You say as the two of you walk up the front steps to the house. 

“I know, kid.” He says as you reach out to push the front door open, unlinking your arm from his. The two of you pause, watching Pete and Bradley fight over the phone, each speaking over the other. 

Bradley sees you first, kicking Pete’s shin and wrestling the phone away from his godfather as Pete winces. “We’ll call you back.” Bradley says abruptly, clearly cutting off whoever’s on the other end, hanging up the phone as the two of them turn to you and your Dad, guilty smiles on their faces. 

“Uh oh, that smile usually means you’ve gotten yourself in trouble with another admiral.” Your Dad says, walking closer to Pete. “Dare I ask what you’ve done now Pete?”

“Nothing!” He defends, voice two octaves too high and he clears his throat, a blush crawling up his neck. Bradley nudges him as both you and your Dad raise  an eyebrow. “Really, it’s nothing Tom, just stuff with my pilots back home.” Your Dad nods, clearly not believing him. “Here, come to the kitchen, I was just going to change the light in there so it doesn’t flicker as much.” Pete says, turning on his heel and beginning the walk down the hallway.

Your Dad sighs, still following the man to the kitchen even as he protests. “You don’t have to do that Pete-”

“No, it’s the least I can do to help you out, since you refuse to let me pay you for letting me and Brad stay here-”

“I can’t charge family-” The conversation disappears down the hallway, falling silent as the kitchen door shuts behind them. Bradley watches them go while you remain standing by the front door, still eyeing him warily. 

“So we agree those two are...” He trails off as he looks back to you. “What?”

“What were you guys doing?” You ask. 

He offers you sheepish look, rocking back and forth back on his heels. “Nothing.” 

“So you and your uncle just fight over a landline phone like that all the time?” He sighs, throwing a glance back toward the kitchen. 

“Well, I- I can’t tell you. It’s nothing.” 

You walk towards him a few paces. “So it’s nothing, but you can’t tell me?” He bites his lip, saying nothing more. You sigh, knowing you won’t get any more out of him. “Alright, well I’m going to go change.” You say, turning on your heel and towards the staircase. You hear him sigh again, catching the way he was leaned up against the wall, head resting next to the landline. 

Yeah, they were definitely up to something.

-

The sound of the piano keys floats through the hall as you pad down the stairs. You bypass the kitchen, originally planning on going in there to get more water, but you head towards the noise instead. 

You half expect to find Pete, because according to your Dad, he could do just about anything, including walk on water. 

Instead, you find Bradley, pajama-clad, playing a few keys. Somehow, he manages to make red-and-black checkered pants and a grey sweatshirt look good. 

You quietly approach the bench, creaky floor announcing your presence. He half-turns, eyes softening at the sight of you. 

“Hey.” He whispers. “Nice slippers.”

You look down, seeing the fuzzy reindeer slippers you had grabbed before leaving your room. “Shut up.” You say, a whiny hint to your voice. “The floor gets cold in the winter. And Dad gave them to me. As a Christmas present. We have matching ones.” 

He shakes his head, laughing silently to himself. “What’re you doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” You answer, sliding down on the bench. He scoots over, letting you join him, knees knocking together as you do. 

“Me neither.” He whispers. “It’s cold here. Freezing my ass off.” 

You snort. “There’s not even any snow on the ground, Bradshaw.” 

He knocks your shoulder as you laugh quietly. “Shut up, ‘m from San Diego.” 

You smile, scooting ever so closer to him. “Didn’t know you played piano.” 

He smiles bashfully, ducking his head. “Yeah, uh, learned when I was a kid. Mom got me lessons. Makes me feel close to my Dad.” 

You hum. “I’d love to learn to play but this old thing has always been just for decoration. Me and Dad don’t play. Uncle Sli probably has videos of me banging on the keys as a kid.” 

Bradley raises an eyebrow. “Slider? Like Ron “Slider” Kerner?”

You nod your head. “He’s my godfather. Why?” 

Bradley chuckles, shaking his head. “I knew Slider growing up. He was pretty close with Mav. They still are, I think. Slider was there when my Dad died.” 

You tuck a piece of stray hair behind your ear. “He was the only one that came ‘round after Dad had his accident and we moved up here.” You take a deep breath, steadying yourself. “Frankly, I don’t think Dad told anybody else where he was for a few years and then just figured no one wanted to hear from him. But he’s a good man and I... I don’t see as much of him as I would like. Him and Dad had a fight, something real bad, quite a few years ago now. He still sends me Christmas cards but we haven't seen him since. Doesn't call much either.” 

“What’d they fight about?” 

You shrug. “I guess Uncle Sli found out that Dad called in a few favors leftover from his Navy days. Helped someone pull... something. Had to do with the Navy, which I’ll admit I don’t know too much about, mostly cause Dad doesn’t even talk about his Navy days.” 

Recognition flickers across Bradley’s face as you talk, followed by a look of disappointment. He shakes his head before you can say anything, the look passing as quickly as it came. “Well, do you want me to teach you how to play?”

You shrug. “I’d probably be pretty bad at it.” 

“Can’t be too terrible. Maybe all that banging as a kid was just hidden potential.” You snicker, ducking your head. Your eyes flicker up to his, realizing how close the two of you have gotten over the course of the conversation. His hand gently creeps on to your thigh, testing the waters. Your foreheads brush as his eyes flicker over your shoulder. “We have an audience.” He whispers. You sigh, tossing a glance over your shoulder. 

Sure enough, there are your Dad’s, giving the two of you all-knowing grins. You groan, leaning your head to rest on Bradley’s shoulder. “Why are they so nosy?”

He snorts, shrugging. “Not a clue.”  

“Oh, don't stop on account of us.” Pete calls out, smirking. You shake your head, standing up from the piano bench. 

“Goodnight Bradley.” You say, cheeks warm under the watchful gaze of the men behind you. He smiles at you, reaching out to squeeze your hand. 

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Dad, Pete.” You say as you pass them. 

“Night kid.” Your Dad calls as Pete snickers. 

They were going to be the death of you.

-

“Why’d you fight with Uncle Slider?” 

Your Dad glances up from the chess game he’s playing outside with Pete as you stroll towards the pair. Your Dad exchanges an uneasy glance with Pete. “Kid-”

“No, I wanna know why I don’t get to see my godfather anymore.” 

Your Dad sighs, rubbing his temple, but Pete beats him to the punch. “I pulled Bradley’s papers to the Naval Academy.” He hesitates, eyes flickering to your father. “Your Dad... he helped me.” 

You blink once, and then twice. “Why would you do that?”

“That was Sli’s question.” Your Dad says, looking to Pete. “Always said we should’ve let Brad figure it out on his own. Maybe we should have. Maybe he was right.”

Your eyes flicker between the two men, dizzy with the force it takes to follow them as they uncover a decades-long buried secret. “What’re you talking about?” 

Your Dad sighs. “Nick, Goose, Bradley’s Dad, was killed in an accident while we were at Top Gun. It was our jetwash, Sli and I, that they got caught in. Bradley was only four.”

You shake your head. “I’m still not following.” 

Pete picks up where your Dad leaves off. “Carole, Bradley’s mother, when she died of cancer, asked me to ensure Bradley didn’t make it into the Navy. She didn’t want the same thing to happen to him. I agreed and pulled his application to the Naval Academy. It set him back four years.” 

Everything feels off-kilter, realizing you haven’t seen your godfather in years because of some bullshit Navy business?

Your godfather didn’t come around anymore, didn’t call really ever, because of some decades-long disagreement over someone else’s kid? 

“Sli was angry with me for not letting Brad make his own choices. Asked me if I would’ve done the same thing if you came to me wanting to join the Navy.” 

Your eyes flicker to your Dad. “And would you have?”

Your Dad hesitates, and then sighs, shoulders drooping. “I... Probably. If not because of what happened to Goose, because of what happened to me.” 

Your father, an ever firm man, says the words in a voice so soft and quiet, you almost feel your confusion and frustration dissipate. 

Almost. 

You splutter, suddenly angry over a hypothetical situation that had never occurred. You had no interest in joining the Navy, never had and never would, and you both knew it. 

You stare at the two for a moment, searching for the words, before you decide you don’t have them and turn on your heel, stalking back up to the house. You push the front door open, finding Bradley excitedly chatting into the phone. “No, no, Mav’s gonna love it.” There’s a pause. “Yeah no, Mav heard back from Slider this morning. He’s coming too.”

Your breath catches in your throat at the mention of Slider. Of the godfather you hadn’t seen since you were sixteen. 

What the fuck were they up to?

“No, it’s gonna be awesome. I’m so excited to have you all up here.” He pauses again, listening to the other person on the phone. “Yeah? Well, tell Bagman he better believe it. It’s the Iceman.” 

Suddenly, you recall how Bradley had told you that people still regarded your Dad as a legend. 

Suddenly, you recalled the conversation from a few days ago, Pete pretending they weren’t up to anything. 

God, that- that had to be one of Bradley’s teammates on the phone. 

Bradley turns his head, catching sight of you. “I gotta go. We’ll talk later. Bye.” He says hurriedly, hanging the phone up on the wall. He offers you a sheepish look, putting his hands in his pockets. 

You wave a hand, not moving from your spot. “Oh, well you don’t have to hang up the phone just cause I’m here.”

He glances back at the phone on the wall. “No, just my friend Nat from home.” 

You hum, crossing his arms. “Mmm, and just what did this Nat have to say?” 

His eyes narrow at you. “Did I do something?”

You shrug. “Depends. What are you and your godfather up to?” 

“N- Nothing. Nothing.” He stutters out, darting out of the room before the words are even fully out of his mouth. 

You sigh, taking a step farther into the lobby. 

What the hell were they doing? Who was coming out here? If this Nat person, his teammate, was involved, you could certainly suspect others in the Navy knew about their plan. 

The Iceman? Were they setting your Dad up to be some kind of show pony for failed Navy pilots or something? 

That thought is enough to make you dart down the hall, barely making it in time to empty the contents of your stomach into the toilet. 

Pete and Bradley were bringing out all these people from the Navy, Slider included, all just to mock your Dad. Mock him for having to close what had been his life-long passion after flying had been taken from him. Mock him for what his life had become. 

God, you don’t think you’ve ever met people more cruel. 

-

It’s another week as Christmas approaches and you’ve gone out of your way to avoid both Bradley and Pete. You’re fuming at what they’re up to and you have half a mind to tell your Dad. 

And yet, every time you go to tell him, you walk into a room where they’re together. Seeing them together, seeing your Dad so content and happy, it makes the words get caught in your throat. 

It’s only on Christmas Eve, when the four of you are supposed to be getting ready to have a nice Christmas Eve dinner, that you make the resolve to tell him. 

It’s bad timing, probably, but both Pete and Bradley had grown antsy last night, disappearing to their rooms early, and you’ll be damned if you sit by while they humiliate your father. 

You stride across the house, black boots clicking against the floor as you leave the kitchen. You’d just pulled the turkey from the oven, having gotten changed into the nice dress that always sat at the back of your closet for occasions like this one. 

It was velvety, soft to the touch, red. It paired well with black tights and the boots shoved at the top of your closet. It was a Christmas-only dress and Pete had convinced both you and your Dad to dress up. 

You had half a mind to find Pete and bitch him out yourself, but you knew your Dad would do enough of that once he found out about what his “friend” had been up to. Once he found out about what he had done. 

You’re envisioning the ensuing argument that ended the same way it had with Slider when you slow, spotting half a dozen people standing in your lobby. 

“Can I help you?” You call. They turn, all dressed in dress blues. 

You only recognize them as such because your Dad’s are tucked away in the back of his closet. Every once in a while, he’ll look at them longingly and then sigh, shutting his closet door. 

The tall blonde responds first, smirking as he does. “Well, pretty lady, you can help me any time.” He’s answered with a smack upside his head from the lanky man with glasses as the female nudges him. 

“We’re looking for Bradley Bradshaw.” The female responds. 

You raise an eyebrow, realizing this must be who Pete and Bradley have been in cahoots with. You don’t get a chance to answer though as they spot him over your shoulder. 

“Rooster!” The female exclaims and Bradley side-steps you to offer the girl a tight hug. Your brain is still processing the Rooster nickname when the blond sees someone he recognizes behind you. 

“Hey Pops.” The blond says and you turn to see Pete. 

“Hey kids, good to see you all.” Pete clasping your shoulder gently. “Hey, I’m glad I caught you. I need your help with something.” 

“Why the hell would I help you?” The words are hot on your tongue, tumbling out before you can stop them. 

Pete flinches, hand leaving your shoulder. “What-”

“Is that Pete Mitchell I hear? Short as ever I see.” 

You go cold as the entire group turns, recognizing the voice of the man who’d given you piggy back rides and helped measure your height every time he visited appeared in your line of vision. 

“Ron Kerner, still just as annoying as ever, I see.” 

The two share a good-natured laugh, followed by a hug. “Good to see you alive and well Mitchell. Figured you’d end up at Tom’s.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Pete squawks, punching Slider’s shoulder. He smirks, taking a step away from Pete.

“Oh, you know exactly what-” He falters, eyes locking on to you. He clears his throat, pulling himself up to his full height. “Well, how about that? My favorite goddaughter all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to help us out.” 

Had you not suddenly been so angry again, you probably would’ve reminded him you were his only goddaughter. 

So instead you say:

“Go fuck yourself.” 

The words are once again pouring out of you before you can stop them, and you turn, headed straight for your Dad’s room. Someone’s reaching out for your arm and you recognize the callused hands as Bradley’s as he pulls you back to the group. 

“Please don’t do that, you don’t know how hard it was to arrange for everyone to be here.” 

You scoff, pulling your arm from his grip. “Good, I hope it was the most difficult thing you’ve ever done, setting up an old man who’s already down and out about his life to be humiliated.” 

“What’re you talking-”

“And you,” eyes flying to Pete and Slider. “-you are supposed to be his friends.” 

Slider is staring at you with a dumbfounded look, but Pete walks forward carefully, testing the waters. “What exactly do you think we’re doing here?” 

You wave a hand, gesturing to the group of Navy folk that have gathered around you. “You brought all these Navy folk out here to make a fool of him for what’s happened to him, as if he hasn’t already been through enough.”

The front door opens again, revealing a couple of men you might be able to place from old Navy photos that are tucked away in a shoebox in the basement. 

“Well, Pete Mitchell, never thought we’d see you again.” 

One of them with similiar stature to that of Slider’s, grins at the sight of you. “And if it isn’t ol’ Iceman’s daughter.” 

The blond has a predatory smile on his face as he looks at you. “Well, even better, Iceman’s daughter.” 

Nat, you’re pretty sure, smacks him upside the head, following with a hissed “Shut up Bagman.” 

You shoot Pete a withering look as he cringes. “My point. And I’m not letting you do this to him, I’m going to tell him, I’m-” 

Pete cuts you off, taking ahold of your shoulders, forcing you to look at him. “They’re here because I asked them to be. I wanted Tom to be reminded that there’s people out there who still care for Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. That his life didn’t end the day he crashed that plane.” 

You go cold at the words, heart hammering your chest. “What?” 

He chuckles. “Brad’s idea, actually. Wanted to help the two of you out. Figured we could get some business in here and remind your Dad just how many people care about his sorry ass. So I really hope you won’t ruin the surprise.” 

You sigh, deflating. “I-”

Pete waves his hand, dismissing the fact that you don’t have words to explain your misunderstanding. “This is where you come in.”

-

You knock on the door, pausing to hear your Dad’s rough “Come in.” You gently push the door open, slipping inside. He glances up at you from where he’s sitting on his bed, a smile breaking out across his face. “Well don’t you look nice?” 

You smile, rocking back and forth on your heels. “Well, Pete did insist we dress up...” 

He sighs, rolling his eyes. “Why did we let him convince us to do that? My damn house and he expects me to dress up?” 

“I take it you haven’t picked out what you’re wearing yet?” 

He sighs. “No, I’ve decided I’m just gonna go in what I’m already wearing.” You glance at the grey sweatpants he’s wearing, a Vermont sweatshirt thrown on top. His reindeer slippers, matching with your own pair, adorn his feet. “It’s just the four of us.”

You frown, knowing he can’t, under any circumstances go downstairs wearing that. “Well... Oh, I know! How about you wear your dress blues?” You say, clasping your hands together. “Oh, would you please? Bradley and Pete are wearing theirs!” 

He scoffs, shaking his head and standing up from the bed. “Of course Pete is.” He grumbles, walking towards the bathroom. You follow him, appearing over his shoulder. 

“Please? For me?” You ask, pouting your lips and making your eyes wide. “I’ve never seen you wear them.” 

He eyes you for a minute before shaking his head. “That look doesn’t work on me anymore kid.” 

You sigh, shoulders deflating. “Fine.” You mumble. 

He sighs. “Besides, I’m not that man anymore. I’m not a hero.” 

You glance up at your father, taking a small step to stand next to him. You take his arm, squeezing it. “That’s not true.” 

“Kid-”

“No, it isn’t. Your life isn’t defined by that accident, Dad. It doesn’t negate all the amazing things you did before it happened. It doesn’t change the fact that you were a legend and everything Pete and Bradley and Uncle Sli have told me confirm that. And not only that, but you raised me by yourself-”

“Slider helped-”

“By. Your. Self.” You say, stressing each word, making direct eye contact with him through the mirror. “You beat cancer, Dad. If nothing else, you should be proud of that.” 

He sighs, turning to look at you. “I did good with you kid, didn’t I?” 

You smile softly, looking up at him. “You’re my hero, Dad. You may not think anyone else still sees you as one or doubt you’ve ever been one, but you always have been. You will always be my hero, Dad.” 

There’s a sparkle in his eyes, shimmering with unshed tears. “I love you, kid.” He pauses for a moment, reaching his hands to rest on your shoulders as he looks at you, before pulling you into a hug. “Guess maybe I should wear them huh?” His voice is thick with tears as you wrap your arms around him, squeezing him in return. “Alright, give me twenty minutes to get changed and then I’ll go down with you.” 

You pull away, beaming. “I’ll be just outside.” 

You slip out of the room, shutting the door behind you. Bradley’s at the bottom of the steps, waiting anxiously. He looks up, a silent question hanging in the air. You give a smile and two thumbs up, causing him to smile and dart towards the main room where you know Pete and the others are waiting. 

Your Dad’s good to his word, appearing from his door twenty minutes later, on the dot. You smile at him, adjusting one of his medals as he stands at a attention. “You’re the only person I’d do this for, you know?” He says as you pull away. 

You roll your eyes, taking his arm that’s held out for you and begin to move down the stairs. “Oh that’s not true, a little part of you is doing this for Pete.” 

“Am not!” 

You snort, reaching the bottom step. “Sure.” You turn, entering the main room, knowing what’s coming next. 

“Ten-hut!” Pete calls, the entire room standing to attention, saluting your father. Your father freezes next to you as you step back, letting him have his moment. The spouses of those military personnel who have joined you erupt into applause. Your Dad walks into the room, taking in Bradley and his teammates, friends of his from his Top Gun program, and others who’ve served under his instruction or alongside him. He finally turns back to Pete as the applause dies down. 

“At ease soldier.” He pauses, swallowing. “What’s all this then Pete?” He asks, a certain sense of awe present in his voice. 

Pete smiles, standing at attention, probably the best he ever has. “Just wanted to give a legendary general a legendary Christmas, sir.” 

“You’re an idiot.” Your Dad says, fondness coloring his tone. 

Pete beams up at him. “Only for my wingman.” 

“You can be my wingman anytime, Pete.” He whispers. 

“Bullshit, you can be mine.”

Your Dad pulls Pete into a tight hug as your eyes flicker over to Bradley. He gives you a soft smile and a short nod as your Dad lets Pete go. He turns to you, eyeing you as you walk forward. “You knew about this, didn’t you?” 

“Only just barely.” 

“And that’s why you did all of this?” He says, gesturing to his attire. You shrug. 

“Yeah, but I meant what I said, that you’re my hero.” You say, taking his arm. Pete chuckles, shaking his head. 

Your Dad’s voice is once again thick with emotion as he turns back to his wingman. “So truly Pete, what is all of this?” 

Pete sighs, taking your Dad’s other arm. “I wanted you to see how far your legacy has gone. That there are so many people, mostly pilots but not all, that have been impacted by you in some way. I wanted you to see how they still are impacted by you.” Pete adds at the end, nodding his head towards Bradley’s team. 

Your Dad eyes Pete for a minute and then blows out a breath. “Whatever in the world did I do to deserve you Pete Mitchell?”

-

You walk around the kitchen, drying the dishes with a towel when a figure appears in the doorway. You glance up, catching the tall frame of Bradley as he leans against the doorjamb. “Hey.”

“You disappeared.” He says, crossing his arms. You shrug, looking away from as you pick up another plate from the soapy water. 

“All the Navy folks and military personnel... not my scene. Figured I’d make good use of myself and tidy up the kitchen.” 

He hums, lifting himself off the doorway. “Not your scene, huh?”

“No, no it’s one thing to know your Dad’s a legend and another to be surrounded by legends, knowing you’re just a glorified innkeeper from Vermont- hey!” Bradley’s taken the bowl you’re holding and dishtowel from your hands, setting them on the counter. You pull yourself up, placing your hands on your hip. “What’d you have to go and do that for?” 

He sighs, taking your hands. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re a lot more than glorified innkeeper from Vermont.” 

“Well-” 

He shakes his head, cutting you off. “You’re a legend in your own right. Don’t gotta be a top Navy pilot to prove it to me.”

You stare at him as you find yourself leaning into his touch, getting lost in his hazel eyes. “I-” 

“Let’s go for a walk.” 

“Okay.” You whisper, letting him take one of your hands, intertwining his fingers with your own. 

You follow him out of the kitchen, past the main room where Slider is regaling Bradley’s friends with a tale from his days as your Dad’s RI. The man who recognized you as Iceman’s daughter earlier (Hollywood as you’ve learned his name is) adds a few snippets here and there. Bradley’s commanding officer, Cyclone, hangs on to Slider’s every words. It’s not hard to feel the deep admiration everyone in the room has for your Dad. 

Bradley pauses, grabbing his coat from the rack. 

“Oh, but you have your dress blues on and I-”

“I know, this is for you.” He says, flipping the coat on and slipping it around your shoulders. “Don’t want you getting cold.” He says as you slip your arms into the coat. 

Bradley pushes the front door open, keeping his hand in yours as the two of you walk down the front steps. It’s quiet as the two of you walk around the property, the night air blowing right through you. “Thank you for doing this for my Dad.” You say quietly. “He- You don’t know how much I appreciate it. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you and Pete.” 

“You don’t have to repay us. Mav and I- we wanted to do it for him. An old Navy pal and all that.” 

“Well, it was still very nice of you.” You say, feet crunching over fallen leaves. “So when are you and Pete headed out of here? I can't imagine Cyclone’s wanting to sacrifice you and Pete for much longer.” 

“Well, about that-” He pauses as you tear your gaze from the ground to the sight in front of you. 

Your Dad grabs Pete by the edges of his dress blues, pulling him in close and kissing him. “Well, would you look at that?” You whisper. “They finally did something about it.” 

He huffs out a laugh as the two break apart. “Only took ‘em 30 years.” 

Pete claps his hands against your Dad’s chest, grinning and looking around as your Dad slips his hands into his pockets. Pete freezes, catching the sight of you and Bradley. 

“Oh, don’t stop on account of us.” Bradley calls as you giggle, leaning closer into Bradley. “C’mon.” He whispers. “Let’s let them have their moment.” You nod as you and Bradley turn, walking in the other direction. “Well, it looks like we might be sticking around for a while then huh?” 

You laugh, squeezing Bradley’s hand. “I don’t hate the sound of that.” 

“For the company, right?” 

You give a look, rolling your eyes. “Sure, just for the company.” You pause, feeling another breeze run through as you step closer to him. “Is Pete tying you down out here? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you went back without him.” 

He sighs. “Ah... no, I would rather be out here with him in all honesty. We didn’t talk for over a decade and I think it’s high time I start mending things with my godfather. You know, I think Tom got something right, when he decided to move out here.” 

“What do you mean?” You ask, looking up at him. 

He shrugs one shoulder. “Before we came out here, Uncle Mav and I flew a mission we didn’t expect to come back from. We were lucky to walk away alive after all we had been through. And up here, where it’s quiet and slow, not so fast-paced and life or death, it’s maybe something us Navy pilots could use more of. Something I could use more of.” 

You smile. “Well, we got plenty of it up here.” 

“And, well, maybe I could just use a bit more of you.” 

You pause your walk, turning to him. You go to respond when the first flake settles in Bradley’s hair. You blink, wondering if you imagined it when the second settles on your nose. You scrunch your nose at the cold bite of the snow. Bradley smiles, looking at you in child-like wonder as he places his hands on your waist. 

“Well, what do you know, it’s snow.” He whispers as you look around at the snow falling around you. “Never seen it before.” 

“Really?” You ask, eyes snapping back to his. He nods, confirming it, eyes moving over your face. “Well, we should get your friends out here, they should see it too-”

He stops you from moving, grip tightening around your waist. “Honey just- give a moment, will ya? Been trying to do this for weeks.”

“Do what? Oh.” You whisper as Bradley pulls you in for a kiss. His lips are warm, soft, against yours as the snow falls around the two of you. 

“Yeah, could use a lot more of you.” He whispers, pulling away. You smile, finding your hands coming up to curl in his brown locks, admiring the way the curls framing his face mix with the falling of the snow. He snorts, bowing his head as you stand there. 

“What?” You murmur, still in awe of the man in front of you. He shakes his head, smiling at you as his forehead comes to rest against yours. 

“Just finally got a white Christmas.”

[jackiequick]

Ok I can explain…no I can’t! I got bored and I’m obsessed with Top Gun/Top Gun Maverick so here we go

OCs For Top Gun Maverick ✈️

Amber Nic Kazansky - The Admiral’s Daughter

One of the top pilots to end up being shipped out to the program. Probably got in because of her last name and family. Let’s be real, her father is an amazing pilot and Admiral, so people know or heard of her background.

Call sign -> Skysolo

If you wonder about her Callsign -> it’s because Amber can stay silently fuming, turning not piercing ice cold but like a heated hit that would keep you solo in the skies without any air to breathe if you push it.

Flirty, sweet, closed off however she’s fun on occasion. She is most likely at the bar to pick up chicks and hotties while also sing her heart out. That results in her meeting Lieutenants Rooster and Phoenix while in flight school.

They became friends easily with Phoenix and she already knew Rooster, just haven’t seen him in the longest time! So besties reunited.

She gets interested and intimidated easily by Hangman. She definitely finding him cocky and annoying at first but soon she like him once she gets to know him. However she won’t tell him that until later, trying to play hard to get with Jake. Lead him on and see if he really likes her. Will they ever actually go on a date? Who knows?!

Her uncle and godfather is none other than Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. So you can just imagine the fun those two had annoying Ice.

They used to have wayyy too much fun and Maverick used to sneak her into his hanger to learn more about planes. Even fly in one once she got older and made Ice think that he was the one to first take his baby girl flying. Oops he found out later ofc.

Jenny Penelope “JenPen” Mitchell - First Year Lieutenant

She doesn’t always follow the rules but also knows she might have a legacy to live up to due to her family history. Her father is freaking MAVERICK MITCHELL, you just know this girl is in for the ride.

Wonder how she got her Callsign -> It was a nickname her childhood best friend Rooster came up with her. JenPen! Taking her names Jennifer and Penelope together, it just stuck.

One night she heads to her old man’s favorite bar which is where she meets the gang as she questioned her environment. Her wingwoman Clara told her “You wanna know who’s the best? Look over there.” She turns around to see a charming smile being Rooster as she smirks. “I can definitely see it. Handsome too.” She replies.

Even though she already knows who Rooster is because they are best friends and dated in their early years of college. BUT she won’t let her woman know that, so she plays it off cool. She eventually meets the gang, roughly reunited with Rooster (Hangman thinks they are a couple of crazy kids)

Automatically becoming friends with Bob, Fanboy, Payback, Coyote and Hangman. Phoenix however took a few sips of beer and jokes to lighten her up. Needless to say, he became gal pals with her soon enough. So much so that they have a Girl’s Night every Friday night with her wingman ofc.

After the mission that caused tears to be shared. Everyone stayed to become instructors and or work on their skill set, get higher in the ranks. Once her father came into town permanently, hugs and kisses were shared to between the two!

Maverick has always been proud and loving towards his kid. Always trying to be the best father he can be and show her the ropes. He rubbed off on his daughter a little too much at time.

She can be a lot like her father at times! For examples! JenPen has always run off to have fun with Amber Nic to the bar scene and beach, dragging herself up into the air for a quick fly by, flirty and a little cocky.

Bonus, An OC for OG Top Gun movie 🎥 ✈️

Audrey “Sunset” Davidson - Pretty Mama Bear

Just like her CALLSIGN, she can be a bright, joyful and happy go lucky as the sun. But she got a bit of bitchy temper and will burn you a bit, if you step too far or on the wrong foot.

Audrey is a pilot, future reference reporter and a dips her hand in an engineering programs for planes later on. Thanks to Maverick’s love for planes and showing her the ropes!

She’s gorgeous, smart and will stop you in your tracks if she sees something isn’t right. Her mama bear side tends to come out A LOT in Top Gun. But all the guys love it and simply find it sweet.

She befriends Goose and Maverick in the early years, going to Top Gun together. Audrey sees them as her boys and they nickname her mama bear as for fun. Her and Mav even dated a while!

She’s is also best friends with Carole and aunt to Baby Goose aka Bradley Bradshaw.

Sooo many nights of partying and singing happily “Great Balls Of Fire” with this family. I’ll tell you that!

At Top Gun, she meets the rest of the gang! Such as Sundown, Chipper, Slider and of course Iceman himself. Who she loves to teases from the very beginning and he doesn’t hesitate to do the same. She nicknames him many kinds of things since day one. Such as, “Pretty Boy”, “Frosted tips” and “Hound dog”

Until one day after Iceman hearing Maverick calling out to her “Hey, Mama wanna hit the bar or beach after class? ” and Goose saying to her loudly “Sweetheart your being a mama bear again.” Iceman came up with his own classic nickname for Audrey , “Pretty Mama.”

They became friends very quickly afterwards lol. After Goose’s tragic accidental death (It wasn’t Maverick’s fault! It was the plane malfunctioning wrong and such) the whole gang grief in their own way. Audrey and Mav spend a lot of more time closer together. But if she wasn’t with him because Maverick was with Charlie, Ice would try to spend time with her, let them hear out their thoughts and pour out any emotions.

You know the rest! Graduation, the mission, celebration and etc. Years later everyone is still friends, best friends ofc. Becoming one big happy family in their own weird way, having Sunday bunches and family dinners if possible.

Hope you like it! 🫶

Tags: @mandylove1000 @fanboygarcia @beeinitwarrior @t-nd-rfoot @youlightmeupfinn @gaminggirlsstuff @eagerforthesky @mcbident @msrochelleromanofffelton and etc

[multifandomfanfiction]

You’re On Your Own, Kid Chapter 7

TITLE: You’re On Your Own, Kid Chapter 7 PAIRING: Bob/OC RATING: T CHAPTER: 7/? SUMMARY: Caroline Kazansky’s birth was the Navy’s worst kept secret. Taken in by Admiral Kazansky after being dropped on his doorstep months after her birth, her true father has been kept a secret from her. Her father is none other than her adoptive father’s wingman, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. So what happens when she’s called back to Top Gun? And what happens when she catches the eye of a shy WSO?

[A/N - I think this is my favorite chapter so far. Mainly because I treated it as a character study for Caroline.]

Caroline gave him directions to a 24/7 diner.

They walked in and sat down, but not before Caroline waved to the cook and a waitress.

“I take it you come here a lot?” Bob asked.

Caroline nodded. “My father and I come here all the time. He used to bring me here when he got back from being deployed. Now…not so much.”

“What’s it like having an Admiral as a father?”

Caroline laughed. “It’s a lot less glamorous than you think. We moved around a bunch before he became Admiral. So I guess you could say I’m a typical Navy kid.”

“No one in my family has been in the military, so I wouldn’t know,” Bob told her.

“Why’d you join the Navy then?”

Growing up around Navy personnel, most of their kids were Legacies.

Bob shrugged. “I guess I wanted to be part of something greater than myself. Stereotypical answer I know, but I didn’t want to get stuck in my little hometown. Why’d you join?”

Luckily Caroline was saved from answering by a waitress coming by and taking their drink order.

Caroline wished she could say that she joined for the experience. The chance to be a part of something greater. As much as she loved flying, she had only joined because she felt like it was what she was supposed to do.

So many of her father’s colleagues had asked her when she was going to go to the Academy. She hadn’t really thought about becoming a pilot, but being the product of an affair, Caroline felt like she had to prove herself. Make herself worthy to carry the last name of Kazansky rather than the last name of the woman who had given birth to her and abandoned her.

They talked more about their childhoods and teenage years until the waitress came back with their drinks and took their food order.

“So why ‘Bob’?” Caroline asked.

“Why ‘Kamikaze’?” Bob countered.

Caroline shrugged. “I guess because I fly like I have nothing to lose.”

Because she didn’t. her father would never say it out loud, but she could see the way he looked at her. Like he expected her to exceed his expectations. Caroline flew the way she did because people expected her to fly like her father. Ice cold, no mistakes. But like she had told Maverick, she wasn’t her father.

“Well I didn’t know your callsign had to be something suave or cool. People just always called me Bob,” Bob told her.

The waitress arrived with their food.

“So what’s up with Hangman?” Bob asked.

“Oh, just ignore him. He’s always an asshole.” Caroline had known Hangman a long time. Long before he earned his infamous callsign. Like herself, Jake was a Legacy.

His father was Lieutenant Commander Leo Seresin. A rough, hard, no-nonsense man. He was tough on Jake and pushed him to be the best.

Like many Legacies, Jake had entered the Academy with a chip on his shoulder. All he was missing was a silver spoon in his mouth. Hangman was an asshole, but he had a soft side to him that only a select few got to see.

Caroline was one of those lucky few.

They finished their dinner and Bob got up and rushed over to the cashier before Caroline could even think of paying.

“Why did you do that? We could have split it!” Caroline protested.

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a lady pay on the first date?” Bob said.

Caroline followed Bob to his truck with flaming red cheeks.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They pulled up to the house.

The lights were on outside, so Caroline knew her father was awake and waiting just inside the door. Just like he had when she was a teenager. Caroline leaned over and kissed Bob on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”

“I…I can come get you if you want.”

“It’s fine. I wouldn’t want you to go out of your way…”

“I don’t mind.”

Caroline smiled. This special detachment was only a few weeks, so she’d take any alone time with Bob she could get. “Okay. Well, see you tomorrow morning then.”

“Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

Caroline looked back at the house and shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but I know my father is waiting for me just inside.”

Bob blushed. “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

Caroline hopped out of the truck and went inside. “I’m back. You can go to bed now.”

Her father was giving her a look. Cyclone must have called him.

“You can lecture me in the morning. I really just want to go to bed.”

“Did you have a good date?” her father asked.

Caroline blushed and nodded.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, daddy.” Caroline kissed her father on the cheek and rushed up the stairs.

Iceman looked out the front window to find Robert Floyd sitting in his truck. It wasn’t until Iceman flipped off the light that he pulled away from the curb.

Out of everyone, Iceman was glad his daughter had chosen the WSO.

Top Gun Taglist: @maverick-wingman​​​​ @thescarletknight2014​​​

Lewis Pullman Taglist: @tallrock35 @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy​ @luckyladycreator2​ @justanothermagicalsara​ @anotherr-fine-mess​ @airedale17​ @xcastawayherosx​ @khaylin27​

[chicabae]

Whumptober Day 8- Head Trauma

Read on AO3  CB’s Whumptober Collection here

Top Gun

Slicemav

Ice hummed along to a song on the radio, some Top 40 pop song that is overplayed enough for him to recognize. The humming helped to distract him from the text he had received from Mav earlier that day. Two simple words, code purple, made his heart sink.

Ice hummed along to a song on the radio, some Top 40 pop song that is overplayed enough for him to recognize. The humming helped to distract him from the text he had received from Mav earlier that day. Two simple words, code purple, made his heart sink. 

Slider had left the base early looking pale and shaky and Ice couldn't blame him. At first, he suspected it was a stomach bug going around, but when he called to check in, Slider's phone went straight to voicemail. An hour or so later, Mav texted the dreaded words and confirmed his fears.

Over the years, Ice was always accompanied by Slider. Where one went, the other surely followed. This included deployments, promotions, hell, even relationships. Ice never had to worry that he'd be alone, he'd always have Ron. Then Mav came along, and then all three never left each other's sides. The one time they'd been separated had resulted in Slider's current predicament. 

Ice had just been promoted to Admiral and semi-hung up his wings. Slider was close behind, almost a shoo-in for the next round of promotions, but as a Captain, he was still sent on missions. Mav had become a somewhat guest instructor for Top Gun and was able to stay state-side more often than not, closer to them and home. Slider was deployed with a pilot in a similar situation, their RIO retired and needed someone for one last time before a promotion. 

For a few weeks, it was fine. The reception was spotty at best, but Ice and Mav were still able to hear their partner’s voice every week or so. But then he missed a week. Then two. On the third week of silence, Ice answered the call on speaker with a terse “Admiral Kazansky”. Pete perked up in his seat, eyes widening. Slider and his pilot went down, hard. He crashed and they didn’t know. Ron crashed and was in a coma for weeks and they never knew.

At Ice’s silence, Mav took over asking questions, demanding to know why they weren’t informed. They were clearly listed as Slider’s emergency contacts, his medical proxies. Apparently, someone knew someone who knew about them; his connection to an upstart admiral and the Mitchell legacy. But it didn’t matter now.  The call told them that Slider was finally stable enough to be sent to a state-side hospital, still asleep and injuries still classified. When they finally saw their third, they couldn't help but stare in horror. One half of Slider's face was wrapped in gauze and bandages, the other half was a mosaic of yellow-green bruises. The doctor approached and explained. When he and his pilot ejected, some shrapnel from his jet was flung into his helmet and lodged in his head. Thankfully, it didn’t go deep, but it still caused a skull fracture and more than likely sliced through delicate nerves. 

They stayed by his bedside as often as they could. Tom held Pete's hand when the nurses changed his bandages. He couldn't help but tear up when the jagged cut running down Ron’s face was revealed. The row of thick black stitches ran from his hairline, crossed his temple, down his cheek, and curved back to his jaw. When finally he woke up, blinked around the room, and smiled at them, Mav really did cry and Ice wasn’t too far off. 

That was years ago, and Ice is now a proud 3-star admiral and Slider is right beside him as a 2-star. His scar is still thick and prominent, but it adds to his intimidating reputation. To Ice and Mav, it reminds them that he survived, that he made it home. Even with the daily reminder of his last mission, Slider still has days like today, when it feels like his skull was being pried open and stabbed with hot pokers. His migraines first appeared a month or so after he left the hospital, Tom woke up to see Ron passed out in the bathroom, lying in a pool of his own vomit. Since then, they learned all they could; the warning symptoms Slider feels, how to help him if it hits unexpectedly, and how to soothe the worst of it. 

Pulling into the driveway, Ice parks and quietly enters through the front door. The lights were all off in the house and it was completely silent. Even their black lab Daisy hadn’t rushed up to greet him. He walks down the darkened hallways until he gently pushes open the door to their bedroom. Daisy’s head raises up off the lump on the bed and swivels in his direction. She huffs and nudges the lump nearest to her and lays back down. Slowly, Mav’s head appears above the blankets and finds Ice silently coming over. When he finally made it to the bed, he saw the jigsaw puzzle before him. Mav was laying on his back, Slider's head resting on his chest as he lay on top with the smaller man's arms wrapped protectively around him. Ron’s face is drawn tight, pulling at his scar. Pete gently rubs his back, gently trailing his fingers from the back of Ron's neck to his shoulders, repeating over and over until he relaxes. 

"Triptan?" Ice asks quietly, kneeling beside the bed. Mav nods.

"As soon as I came home," he murmurs. "He was crying today, found him on the floor. He couldn't even make it to the bed." Ron's grip tightens on Mav's sides before burrowing his face deeper into his chest. 

"Daisy, good girl," a slurred rasp came out. Ice shushed him, not wanting him to wake up just yet, but he continued. "Ran outta pills, too late an'way." Daisy whines at the sound of her name, shuffling closer to Slider’s legs.

Damn, they'll need to order more. Slider always carried at least a few on him, letting him stop a migraine even before it could start. If he's late catching it, only a shot of medicine can help and they only keep that at home.

“Okay baby, we’ll order more,” Pete soothes, his hand coming up and resting on the back of Ron’s head. He sighs when Mav starts to lightly pet behind his ear, “How’re you feeling now?”

The bone-weary sigh their partner lets out has Tom on edge, ready to get anything he wishes. “Tired, head’s pounding but not like before,” Slider turns his head so he can look at the blond, “eye is still fuzzy, want to sleep more.”

Ice reaches out and strokes his tired face, leaning in and kissing Ron’s forehead near the top of his scar. As he pulls away, a plan for the night formed in his mind. “Okay baby, stay here with Pete and I’ll-” 

Slider’s hand reaches out and stops him. “Stay Tom,” he whispers, eyes drooping, “Warm.” 

Mav snorts below him, “Not my fault sweetie, I’m the icebox of this relationship.” Slider nods in agreement. 

Ice doesn’t realize he’s smiling at the scene until he’s shooing Daisy away so he can crawl in beside his lovers. He shuffles under the covers until he’s laying flush with Pete, Ron sluggishly moving so he’s haphazardly draped over both of them. Ice wraps an arm around his waist and holds him close. “Sleep baby,” he leans up and kisses Slider’s shoulder. “We’ll be here when you wake up.” The brunet hums and settles over their chests, breaths evening out as he goes back to sleep.

[mothergose]

MASTERLIST OF WORK. last update: feb. 08.

star wars masterlist !¡

anakin, obi-wan, din djarin,ashoka,padme, 501…

marvel masterlist !¡

tony stark, steve rogers, natasha romanoff, thor, loki peter parker…

avatar masterlist !¡

jake sully, neteyam, lo’ak, kiri, ao’nung, tonowari

top gun masterlist !¡

tom kazansky, pete mitchell, nick bradshaw, bradley bradshaw, jake sersin, bob…

extra masterlist !¡

house of the dragon, how to train your dragon, dc universe, the originals, the vampire diaries, legacies…

[baby-girl-e]

I’m writing a “ice adopts his niece and raises her with Maverick” fic and it’s not done, but here’s a playlist that I made that I think gives off her vibe enough!

Introducing Elizabeth ‘Legacy’ Kazansky-Mitchell 🖤

[the-cranck-hobbit]

Prologue || Song of a Nightingale

Author's note : English is not my mother tongue, I am french but I wanted to try to write in English so here we are ! (Don't hesitate to tell me about the errors…)

Pairing : Mitchell! OC x Rooster, mention of Kazansky! OC x Hangman, mention of OC × Iceman

Summary : Two years after the uranium mission, Maverick enjoys his new life. Working on his plane, drinking beer at the Hard Deck, building a limpy little family with Penny and her daughter, Rooster, his WSO's son and Blizzard, his wingman's and old friend's daughter. 

Everything change the day he got a call which announces the existence of a 26 years daughter. 

Discover the story of Ally and Bradley, find out if Kathleen will deal with her father's legacy, and meet Beck, the first woman graduate of Top Gun.

Warning : VERY BAD WRITING, age gap, mention of death, mention of diseases, mention of parents death, mention of s*x but nothing descriptive

_____________________________________

It was a Saturday like the other one. Pete Mitchell was sitting in the kitchen of the house he now shares with Penny Benjamin. It’s been two years since the uranium mission. Two years of quiet retirement, and Maverick gets used to this life surprisingly. He was still awake with the sun (an old habit). But no more training, no more mission, no more danger.

Today, he was alone in the house, Penny and Amelia spent the day together on Penny’s sailing ship. Mother and daughter day. Even though Amelia and Mav got along well and spent good times together, sometimes the Benjamin’s just needed to be alone with each other. Just like Mav loves spending time with Bradley, Goose’s son, or with Kat, Iceman’s and Storm's daughter. 

By the way, Mav had to meet Bradley for lunch. In two years, they got their bond again, sharing memories of Carole and Goose, girls’ stories and other talk. 

Maverick’s phone rang. Unknown number, from… Australia ? He picks up the phone. 

“Maverick ?” asks a weak voice. “Yeah. Who’s asking ?” “Claudia Bennett, I don’t know if you remember me.” A soft smile appears on Mav’s lips. “Of course I remember you.”

Claudia and Pete met about twenty-six years ago. Mav has pissed off an admiral again, he has been sent to the Indian Ocean. At the bar next to the navy base, he met this lovely bartender, shining with her smile and laugh. They were young, beautiful and spent some passionate nights in the Australian’s heat all along the six month of the pilot’s deployment. 

Maverick doesn't remember all the women he shared bed with. But Claudia was special, just like Charlie, just like Penny. He remembers her and he could hear that something was wrong. Her voice was a whisper, her breathing wheezing. “Is everything okay ?” He asks. “Not really” she answers, softly. “I’ve got cancer, Pete.” 

Mav took a deep breath. He hates this ficking word. Cancer. The same word that takes away from him Carole, and years later Iceman. And now this word was taking Claudia. 

Before he could say anything, Claudia spoke again. “I didn’t want to tell you this on the phone. But I can’t travel, and I'm not sure I have enough time to wait for you. After your departure from Australia, I learned that I was pregnant. I didn’t tell you anything because your free mind was too precious and I didn’t want to take it away from you. And I knew you were taking care of your friend's son and wife. I didn’t want to ask you to choose between us and them. I’m sorry for hiding your child from you. I tried to do my best. I did my best. But I’m dying, Pete. And our child will be alone.” 

On the other side of the line, miles away, Claudia was breathless from having said all the truth. It was as if she had laid down a heavy burden. Twenty-six years of secret. And what a secret. Mav was wordless. Too many thoughts, too many questions. 

“A child ?” were the first words that passed his lips. It was more a whisper than a question. “Yeah, a girl. A young woman now.” Maverick could hear Claudia smiling. 

And finally, Maverick’s brain awakens. He has a daughter. A daughter who is about to lose her mother, the only parent she knows. “If you need anything, if she needs anything, tell it to me.” Claudia smiles. She always knew it. When they knew each other, Maverick was a cocky american pilot, but she always knew that he was a man of honor, who knows how to take his responsibility. Like he did with this boy she heard about. And that is why she didn’t tell him anything. She knew he would choose her. And she didn’t want to put strings on him. Her Free Bird. 

“She’s got your free mind. I don’t want to impose anything on her. I want to give her your contact information. But I want her to choose if she wants to meet you or not. I know it’s cruel for you but…” Maverick interrupts her before she could feel more guilty. “She is the most important. I… I’m ready to meet her if she wants to.” 

Claudi felt her heart growing up with joy and love. “Thank you, Pete.” “You’re welcome, Claudia. Can I just ask you one thing ?” “Tell me.” Maverick took a deep breath. “What did you call her ?” Claudia got a mother soft smile when she whisper 

“Ally. Her name is Allyson.”

[justalonelyslytherin]

Legacies | Seven

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Pairing: Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Kazansky!OC

Summary: Ana gets some unexpected, world-shattering news that threatens to throw her off her path. In her moment of emotional vulnerability, she finds comfort in the most unlikely of companions.

Warnings: military inaccuracies, talk of cancer (disease), talk of death (parental)

Wordcount: 3.1k

If you enjoyed reading this, please consider leaving a comment or reblogging. I don’t allow for my content to be copied, translated, or reposted on other websites/apps. Please don’t steal my work.

A/N: Get your tissues ready because this chapter might get you. I tried warning you previously, we have reached the part of the story where things will get more serious, tense, and sad. For anyone concerned: all will be well in the end, the story has a happy ending!

Taglist: open, message me or comment to be added, will be put as reblog

The day at the beach felt far away, its memory faded to be back of everyone’s mind come the next morning.

Then they had been thrown back into the daily routine that was their training. The mission crept closer every day while their progress still waited to catch up. Time was their biggest enemy.

Graduating from the initial dogfights the next phase awaited them just as intensely as the first one. They’d finally gotten introduced to their mission. Well, part of it.

The runway through the canyon. 

It was nothing Ana had ever seen done or heard of, nothing she’d ever flown or known of anyone being able to fly. Frankly, it sounded insane. Impossible. But was it truly impossible if that’s what they were supposed to be taught? 

Impossible was a word that didn’t exist in Maverick's vocabulary. Nothing was impossible if your name was Pete Mitchell. She wasn’t sure if the word even pertained to Maverick, an otherworldly exception, the universe bending around him in that instance.

It wouldn’t be easy, that was for sure. No one – not a single one of them – had managed to beat Maverick in a dogfight. Some had come close, oh so frustratingly close, but never close enough. 

It was a sobering and humbling experience. They were considered to be the best of the best. But did that truly make them good? Or was it just empty words, blown out of proportion?

There was nothing that made Ana feel like the best of the best in the day following. Their success rate from the dogfights was bound to follow them into this part of the training. The air hung over them thickly, crackling with tension. Maverick's words rattled through every spot in the room. Harsh critique followed the sobering question of what they would tell their fellow aviators' families if they ended up killing them in the mission. 

Phoenix, Bob, and Coyote looked glummest of them all, having just gone through their course simulation. Whether they had had special bad luck for being the first ones or if the demise would follow the rest of them was still an open question. It was exhausting, the pressure they were under was already at an all-time high.

“Take a break. Five minutes,” Maverick cut the heavy silence as he turned away from them with tense shoulders and a deep sigh.

The breaks were short, never enough to recover from the reality that weighed on all of them. Somehow taking a break right now felt wrong, like it was the last thing they should be doing.

The more hours ticked by, the more days ended, the nearer the mission drew. A rush of air breezed through the rows of aviators, all of them exhaling deeply. The banter – at times jokingly and at other times tensely – had ceased entirely.

Leaning her head back against the headrest Ana stared at the speckled gray ceiling tiles. Her mind was clouded with thoughts. The rendering of the flight ran through her mind like a broken record. She’d tried to identify every little detail so that she wouldn’t make the same mistakes. So that she would do it better. 

But could she do it better? Could any of them do it better? Without a mistake? Without crashing into a mountainside or breaking into the SAM’s air range?

“Ghost. Warlock needs you outside now. Bring your phone.” Snapping her eyes forward Ana centered on Maverick. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the Rear Admirals Aid breeze by, navigating through the two rows of seats and out of the room. Her fellow aviator's eyes were on her. She stared at Maverick, brain lacking behind. His face was a blank mask, not revealing what could be behind the sudden request. 

It was quiet in the room, nothing but the tick of the clock in the corner to be heard. Slowly Ana rose out of the chair. Something about the way Mav had spoken the words set her on edge.

Patting the pocket of her flight suit holding her phone, she nodded at her superior. Her walk was mechanical as she strode toward the door, thirteen pairs of eyes following her. Taking the silence with her, murmuring broke out behind Ana’s back and as the doors slipped close she vaguely heard Mav quieting them down.

Warlock met her halfway behind the next corner of the hallway. He looked serious. Perhaps more than she had ever seen him. Even with the difficult mission, he’d always had a friendly smile grazing his lips. A softness remained in his eyes even now. One that grew the longer he looked at her.

"Lieutenant Lawson, you might want to check your phone and call your mother back.” 

A bolt of panic ripped through the confusion that had encased her until now. It scared her. Whatever was going on it couldn’t be good. Not if it was important enough for her to be called out of class. Not if it necessitated Warlock to be the one to pull her out of class.

Her heart in her throat she couldn’t do more than tensely nod. Her hands fumbled to pull down the zipper, to get her phone out as fast as she could. Ana always put it on do-not-disturb during class. 

Warlock signaled for her to go, dismissing her. Glancing down at her display as she sped out of the hangar to find a private spot for a call, another wave of disturbance shot through her. 

Ana hadn’t returned to the classroom. Her absence – albeit entirely uncommented – was noted by all of them. Her departure had raised many questions, all of which Maverick had shot down before they’d even gotten to utter them. 

When the break had run out and their fellow aviator hadn’t been back, Maverick had glanced at the door. He’d lingered there for what felt like too long to be casual before he had dove right back into the debrief.

The air in the room had been different throughout, this change hadn’t vaned even after the next group was sent to get ready and in their jets. But by that time Jake didn’t have the luxury to be aware of or care for it any longer. 

He was up to fly the course together with Harvard and Yale. All his focus needed to be on the course, not on his colleague. Which shouldn’t have been a problem in the first place. He’d never had trouble focusing on the job. Exclusively on the job.

During his completion of the flight simulation, he managed to forget everything that wasn’t the course and the jet he controlled. The moment he stepped back into the classroom, together with only eleven of his colleagues he couldn’t anymore. 

Ghost’s place remained noticeably empty through the entirety of the second debrief. And even though it was his debrief and his abilities under scrutiny a part of him kept thinking, wondering, just where she was.

In the end, she didn’t return at all. Her seat stayed empty and while her absence was noticed by everyone, no one dared to say a thing. At the end of the day, when they were all leaving, there was still no hint of her. Not until Jake looked out through the open hangar doors and spotted her hunched figure in the distance.

His walking pace slowed down considerably, hanging back until everyone else had passed him by. He felt drawn to the big doors. Similar to the day Rooster and Maverick had pulled their risky stunt during the dogfight. Now too Jake found himself watching her, drawn in, his feet moving on their own.

The dirt crunched under his boots as he crossed the empty tarmac, the sun was lowering, less angry than it had been at midday. Jake had a cocky jab ready, to tease her for missing the class and how she planned to catch up. The words died on the tip of his tongue when he noticed something wasn’t quite right.

“Lawson,” he called. Her head flipped around so quickly that it made him wince. As she noticed his approach, Ana straightened up, discreetly trying to wipe away the tears that stubbornly fell.

“What’s wrong?” At his question she laughed bitterly, not even blinking as he sat down beside her on the sun-warmed ground.

“As if you care,” she muttered, staring out ahead at the empty runway. In her hand, she clutched her phone. 

Jake kept quiet, no witty comeback to subvert her words, no quip that could defuse the tension coiling around her. Not even something to distract wanted to come to his mind. There was only silence he could keep in that moment as he eyed her from the side attentively.

The silence gnawed at her. Nerves that were already stretched hair thin started to tear more with every passing moment. Shaking her head, she let out a loud huff. 

Jake’s presence was taxing her. 

Mocking.

“I bet you are enjoying this right now,” she spat, eyes raking over his form by her side. She looked at him with disdain. 

Jake’s jaw ticked, the muscles moving under his tan skin as he clenched them strongly. 

“Oh don’t act like that now,” her scoff came out more like a sniffle, weak and crumbling. 

“You were just waiting for something that would throw me out of the field. Something you could do or say, some kind of ace up your sleeve. A weapon to give you an advantage over me too,” she noticed him opening his mouth but Ana stole away his chance for a rebuttal, “Rooster and I are your biggest rivals and we both know that you already have something against him. To knock him off his path.”

Letting her head hang, fresh tears pooled in her eyes, blurring her view. Ana felt lost and scared. Her emotions were weighing down so heavily on her, it felt like she was getting crushed. The sustained G’s she pulled day to day felt like nothing compared to the deathly vice squeezing her heart. 

Looks like he didn’t even have to find something against her.

Impossible as it might be in the blaring heat of San Diego in the summer, even as it set, there was a chill running through her bones. One the arm that suddenly got draped over her burned away in seconds. 

Jake pulled her into his side.

It surprised her how easily she folded, letting him drag her under his arm, where she was nestled against his warm chest.

“I didn–” Jake stopped, thinking hard how to voice his words, “I’m not trying to do that,” he told her in the end. She had never heard him be this serious before. Not up in the air. Not even during missions.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” 

His behavior was surprising to her. So different from the Hangman she knew. Not Hangman she realized but Jake. His thumb softly caressed her shoulder. He was looking at her, his entire attention solely on her. The intensity with which he was focused made her heart jump, but the situation at hand made her throat close up.

“It’s my dad,” she choked out after a bout of silence. Her voice was unsteady, shaking.

Another heavy sigh left her chest, forcing the heaviest of the lump in her throat away. Her palm smoothed over the deep wrinkles in her forehead. She looked like a mess, she knew it, loose strands of hair had escaped the usually tidy bun swaying around her face now.

The words came hard, feeling heavier than lead.

“A couple of years ago he was diagnosed with cancer. He did chemotherapy and it went away.

Everything seemed good.”

The worst part was yet to come. Ana choked on her breath, the thumb caressing her shoulder dug into her flesh, appealing a comforting pressure. It grounded her enough to continue speaking.

“Now it’s back and it’s worse. Stage 4. The doctors are unable to treat it. He–...he can’t even speak anymore because it hurts him.” 

Staring into the distance the words sunk in. Her mother had told her the exact thing just hours ago over the phone, but then they hadn’t seemed real. It hadn’t seemed real. Now the realization of it all came crashing down on her.

“He is dying,” she spluttered, a new wave of tears spilling down her cheeks. Unrelenting and strong. 

Ana tried to hide, tucking her chin to her chest, but the heaving of her shoulders betrayed her. The sobs wracked through her, ripping their way through her lips, she couldn’t do anything to prevent it.

Jake wordlessly tugged her closer, gently pushing her head against his shoulders. He let her cry against him, let her fist her hands into the fabric of his shirt as her tears wet his shoulder. All the while his hand rubbing up and down her arm never faltered.

Maybe she should be embarrassed. Losing control like this in front of him. Yet something in her told Ana she was safe. Safe to open up to him, safe to bear her soul.

Once she had calmed down, she pulled away, wiping the last tears from her puffy cheeks. Looking up she noticed him already looking at her. There was a storm clouding his bright eyes.

“Thank you.”

Jake simply nodded, helping her stand up. Together they walked back to their dorms.

Everything felt different now. Her world had been turned upside down. 

Ana spent a long time under the shower, looking at the drain as the water poured over her. She let the water glide over her hair, trailing around the edges of her face as her tears mixed with it.

Even now, out of the shower, she felt lost in limbo. Her movements were slow and lazy as she toweled her wet hair. Then a knock at the door sounded. It caught her off guard, ripped her out of the haze. Opening the door she was met with Jake.

Confusion came over her as she stared at the blonde leaning against the doorframe. He peeked into her room as she continued to stand there, frozen. 

Ultimately his eyes turned to her and he smiled. “Won’t you invite me in?”

“Why?” Ana blurted. Her wet hair long forgotten, she put the towel around her neck, staring at him in bewilderment. Holding a hand up, Jake showed her two mugs filled with a steaming liquid. She hadn’t noticed the bag of snacks pinched under his arm before.

Jake patiently waited for her to catch up and when she did, Ana slowly let him in, still confused. He sauntered into the room. Curiously she watched him, unable to keep a part of her on guard. There was recognition in his eyes as he noticed her hovering close by the door. Jake’s eyes dulled over.

“Why are you doing this?” Ana heard herself ask, her voice sounding just as careful as her posture was. Jake turned away to put the two cups on her desk, dropping the bag of snacks beside them. 

With his back to her, his expression was hidden, but the way he tensed was noticeable nonetheless. His spine was straight, almost too straight – unnatural and overdone. Every muscle in his strong back was stretched, rippling under the plain shirt. A steel barrier, a wall of defense. What possibly could he need to guard himself against like that now?

“Thought you could use a cheer up,” he mumbled.

Slowly shuffling over, she stood beside him in front of the desk. She eyed the two cups of steaming liquid, noting the print on their white porcelain. They were from the common room. He’d made her a drink, risking being caught by the others, perhaps ridiculed or questioned. The Hangman doing something nice for his coworker. Being anything but the egoistical and vane asshole people thought him to be.

“Thank you.” Glancing over, her lips formed into the closest semblance of a smile she could muster today. For once it looked like she had caught him off guard. The surprise crossing his eyes was brief, but it was there. 

And then he relaxed. Shoulders dropping barely noticeably.

Together they sat down on the floor, backs propped against the frame of her bed. The drink in her hand warmed Ana and as she looked down into the cup eyeing the brown, creamy liquid she was surprised once more.

“Hot chocolate?” 

Jake hummed, taking a sip. There was a foamy sheen of chocolate coating his top lip afterward. Her heart fluttered as she watched his tongue poke out and lick it away.

“The best drink for cheerin’ up,” he smiled over at her. “I admit it’s even better when spiked but we gotta work with what we got.”

His words make her snort. It was true, she could use the soothing buzz of alcohol right now. But for that, she would have needed to leave the base and she felt like doing anything but that. It was the last thing she wanted to do right now, sitting in a crowded and loud bar, surrounded by happy people having a good time.

“I can’t believe it,” Ana broke the silence that had settled over them. Jake’sbrows raised as he was mid-sip. He looked at her, openly and patiently waiting, so she continued.

“He was just fine a week ago. Smiling and joking around, acting like everything was alright when I visited them.” They must have known by then. Both her mother and father had lied to her, they’d kept her in the dark. Did her siblings know?

“How could I have missed this?” How could she not have noticed something off? Surely there must have been signs. Had she been too blind to see them? Had she been too ignorant?

“They probably were trying to protect you.” Yes. They were. Ana wished they’d told her anyway. 

Staring down into her cup, Ana watched the liquid slosh and swirl as she spun the mug aimlessly. She felt herself drifting dangerously close to crying again, so she forced herself to sober up. A sip to distract herself and a change of topic were her strategy.

“You know you could have just gone to the Hard Deck like the others,” she told him, clearing her throat. “You could have ignored what you know and had a good evening.” Truthfully she didn’t understand why exactly Jake was here instead of spending his time at the bar, drinking and playing darts with Coyote. 

Instead, he sat with her, on the floor of her room, drinking hot chocolate.

“No. I couldn’t.” He was somewhat serious, this intense gaze back. Ana looked straight back at him. Long.

[roadtogracelandx45]

Chasing Angels | Top Gun Maverick masterlist

This is the rewrite of both Among Angels and Chasing Angels

Being a Kazansky wasn't easy, especially going into the academy, and it was even harder when your other grandfather disappeared on a mission. But Bianca Kazansky is ready to prove that she is more than just her name and help Maverick try and rebuild their family before Iceman dies. Because they all knew that Maverick always messed things up and hopefully his daughter can help him fix it before it was too late.

Rated M For Adult Content, Slash, Het, Polyamorus, Drug Use and Violence 

Jake “Hangman” Seresin/Bianca “Bee” Kazansky

IceMav

Jake/Bianca/Bradley 

 Phoniex/ Bee

Bob/ Maggie

Rooster/ Ellie

Hangman/ Phoenix 

I decided to skip all the stuff before this and go right into the academy and flight school. Also I own Bianca, Maggie, Steven, Ana, Sophie, TJ and Alex.  Ellie belongs to @prettyinpayne

This is going to be cannon divergent, Ice is going to live until after Bianca is recused after a mission gone wrong. 

Pinterest

Bianca Kazansky

Maggie Bradshaw

Ellie Mitchell

Volume 1

Acamdey Years

Year One

Jake and Bianca's wedding

Rooster x Bianca

Hangman x Bianca x Rooster

Hangman x Bianca

Phoenix x Bianca

Bob x Maggie

Wattpad

AO3

FF.net

playlist

prompts

Rooster x Bianca 1

head cannons

Being Maverick's Daughter

Iceman Sending His Daughter to The Academy

Bianca x Rooster

Just Getting Started

Dating The Admiral’s Daughter

Being A Top Gun Legacy

Short Stories-

All in Heartbeat part 1 , 2 , 3, 4

Last Christmas part 1 . 2 , 3

Cowboy Take Me Away 1 , 2 , 3

Just Dance 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5

The Golden Child and The Mistake 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10

One shots

Right Now- Rooster x Bianca

Jealousy is 7 Letter Word- Hangman x Bianca

Not Worried.- Rooster x Bianca x Hangman

Volume 1

Year one

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Elven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty One

Twenty Two

Twenty Three

Twenty Four

Twenty Five

Twenty Six

Twenty Seven

Twenty Eight

Twenty Nine

Thirty

[finelytaylored]

Never felt like this before, take my name and make it yours.

Chapter 2: I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

Fic Summary:

“Glad I don’t have to think of ways to keep your dad from having me dishonorably discharged and putting me six feet under for not wanting to date his daughter.”

Claire smiled and shook her head fondly. “He means well, and I can’t say he has bad taste in men” she said as her eyes traveled up and down Bradley’s body playfully. “But he really isn't equipped with the skills to read people as well as he should be able to.”

“Oh? What is it that he’s not seeing that you can?” Bradley asked, genuinely curious and engaged in the conversation now that he wasn’t worried about offending Claire with his disinterest in pursuing her romantically.

“Well, for starters, if he was as observant as he likes to think he is, he wouldn’t have wasted his time trying to set you up with me. He would have thought about personally introducing you to Daniel... and then If he was really paying attention he would have realized he should be trying to set you up with Jake right now.” Claire replied far too casually for someone that just turned his entire world upside-down. “It’s clear he respects you and would welcome you into the family, he’s just going about it the completely wrong way. Obviously.”

+

Jake knew his dad was simultaneously his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, when it came to his Naval career.

Admiral Jacob Seresin Sr. was a highly decorated, incredibly well-respected man but Jake had never needed to use his father’s name or rank to get to where he was. The fact that he literally shared a name with the man made it extremely difficult to carve out a space for himself outside of his father’s shadow back in the early days when he had just graduated and was trying to find his footing.

Most of his fellow aviators assumed Jake hated his callsign. He couldn’t necessarily blame anyone for thinking Hangman wasn’t a name he’d want following him around for the rest of his career. But to him, being given a callsign was granting him his freedom. Nobody needed to know he was Jacob Seresin Jr. There was never a reason to introduce himself as Jake.

He fully embraced Hangman as not only a name, but as an identity. It was something he could claim fully as his own, without any familial strings attached.

Jake hadn’t realized how much it had been holding him back. He always felt like he had something to prove, someone to live up to, a legacy to uphold.

Hangman wasn’t beholden to any of those things that Jake Seresin was. He could do – would do – whatever it took to be the best. Not because it was expected of him, but because he knew he was capable of it.

(keep reading below or on AO3)

He knew his dad didn’t want anyone to think he had interfered in his son’s career in any way. He didn’t believe in that sort of thing and Jake was relieved that it was something they agreed on without ever really having to talk about. Both Seresin men had a mostly unspoken agreement to keep their person lives and work lives separate, which had never been an issue, until Jake had been called back to Top Gun for what they all referred to as ‘The Mission’, once they had all miraculously come back alive and the dust had started to settle.

Jake had heard his father talk about Admiral Kazansky and Captain Mitchell throughout the years, never bothering to hide his frustration about Admiral Kazansky’s promotion to Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. His father seemed to admire the way Kazansky conducted himself in his performance as a pilot as well as a leader of men and women, with one big exception. He also never bothered to hide his irritation with Captain Mitchell and how he conducted himself, both in the air and on the ground. The problem was, Admiral Kazansky was constantly willing to put his own reputation on the line and step in whenever Captain Mitchell needed saving from himself. He was actively, regularly interfering for personal reasons and Jake knew that was the real reason he’d never offered the other men anything more than the bare minimum professional courtesy that was expected of him.

The moment Jake realized that his instructor during his second stint at Top Gun was going to be none other than the Captain Mitchell his father had not-so-secretly been going against everything he believed in and had called in favors to keep him away from the guy up until that point, he knew in his bones this assignment was a big deal. It was either something that was so classified even Admiral Seresin couldn’t get his hands on it and had been unable to figure out who he needed to contact to get Jake out of it, or his father knew enough to understand that he had to put his personal feelings aside – like he normally did when it came to Jake’s career – and let it happen because it required the best of the best, like Top Gun always did, and they both knew Jake absolutely fit into that category.

As soon as Jake saw Bradley Bradshaw walk into the Hard Deck that first day, he knew exactly why his father hadn’t interfered. For some reason, the Admiral had taken a liking to Rooster almost immediately. It annoyed Jake for a lot of reasons. He would never admit it to anyone – he had only just started to admit it to himself, but seeing his father so openly admire and respect Rooster’s flying style and abilities, and just generally appreciate the career he was carving out for himself was something Jake envied. He knew his father was proud of him, but the way the Admiral kept tabs on where the other man was being deployed and what service medals he was collecting along the way made Jake feel like he was lacking.

Whenever Jake brought up the fact that Bradshaw was absolutely wasting his potential, the Admiral waved him off. He had never asked Rooster how he had gotten his callsign, but it seemed fitting for someone who refused to take risks; someone who was happy to sit on their perch and wait for just the right moment or the right conditions. He either didn’t know how to act on instinct or refused to do so. Jake wasn’t sure which was worse. He was unflinchingly calm and precise in the air, but he’d never take you by surprise. Every maneuver was so practiced and clean. Predictable. He couldn’t help but feel like that kind of behavior, if left unchallenged, would get Rooster killed one day if he was ever sent on a mission with any real stakes involved, and it felt like no one other than Jake cared enough to think about it, let alone actually do anything to help correct it.

So, Jake spent time figuring out what buttons to push, the best ways to get a reaction out of him, whenever they were on assignment together. He knew that if he could get Bradshaw out of his own head, he’d be a real pain in the ass in the air. There had always been something simmering just beneath the surface with Rooster, but he had always managed to keep it locked down. Jake never understood why he refused to let any of it go even when they were in the air. They weren’t friends and had never made the effort to try and be more than just civil enough to not get reamed out by their superiors, so Jake had never asked about it and Bradley had never offered any personal information about himself to anyone but Phoenix.

That had started to shift after everything that had happened leading up to, during and immediately following what they all now referred to as “The Mission”.  They had all been given some much needed leave, the first few days of which were spent finishing up mandatory medical exams, seemingly endless debriefs and typically wrapped up with a few hours spent at the Hard Deck. Any tension that had been present during training had dissipated without anyone actively trying. There was a bond between everyone in the group that had formed out of necessity and had bled into all their social interactions, which shouldn’t have been surprising. What was surprising was how readily they all adjusted with no real time to adjust to the new dynamic. They had all somehow survived what had been deemed a suicide mission from day one, and no matter what they all went on to do individually in their careers, no one would ever understand what they had experienced in the way the rest of the Dagger squad always would.

Jake had been expecting the lecture he received from Cyclone but wasn’t as confident that he would walk out of that office with the spotless service record he had walked in with. Somehow, he had avoided any disciplinary action and his service record remained unblemished. He didn’t know how many miracles he was entitled to in this lifetime, but he was rapidly burning through all of them in the span of one week.

That first night at the Hard Deck, Bradshaw had walked up to Jake and handed him a bottle of his favorite beer without comment or fanfare. Jake had accepted without any of his usual sarcastic or instigative quips and without either of them saying a word, something between them had shifted. He knew the moment he disobeyed direct orders to go after Maverick and Rooster, not even hesitating when he realized he’d be adding a second confirmed kill to his ledger in the process, that inevitably there would be a change between the three of them. He didn’t have time in the moment to worry about what that would end up manifesting as in reality.

His father had clearly called in a few favors to have the medal ceremony in Texas. It was one of the only times Jake had seen his father so shamelessly flaunt the strings he had pulled, and Jake couldn’t find it in himself to be genuinely annoyed. He understood that his father had wanted to whole family to be together for the occasion and he was certain his mother hadn’t pushed back on the idea when it meant they could invite the squadron and their families to the Seresin home afterwards for a barbecue. She had always loved having guests in their home, and she had always had a gift for making anyone and everyone feel welcome.

The moment Jake saw their father personally introduce Bradley to his sister Claire, he was certain that all his luck, or miracles, or whatever it had been that had gotten him through this stint at Top Gun, had officially run out.

Bradshaw certainly wasn’t the worst person Claire could end up with, not by a long shot. Even though the slightly older pilot was one of the most frustrating aviators he’d ever met, he had never given Jake any reason to believe he wasn’t a good man. At the very least, he knew that Nat was a good judge of character, and she would have kicked him to the curb a long time ago if he wasn’t.

Jake didn’t pay them much attention, but when he would occasionally glance around the room, he spotted them a few different times sitting angled towards each other, speaking animatedly and in their own little world.

The following day, Bradshaw, Nat, Bob, Fitch and Garcia all showed up to the house together around 10:00am for the brunch that his mother insisted they all stop by for before catching flights to the various parts of the country they called home. Javy, as usual, had stayed over the previous night. It had been too long since they’d been able to spend time together, just the two of them. They had grabbed drinks together here and there during training, but they hadn’t been able to fully relax and appreciate each other’s company. Jake hadn’t realized just how much he had needed it until they were laying shoulder to shoulder, staring up at the ceiling of his childhood bedroom like they had done so many times throughout the decade they’d known each other.

Their voices were barely above a whisper as they gradually helped each other deconstruct the walls they’d built for protection and self-preservation in case they ended up surviving The Mission. There was no real reason to speak in hushed tones. They had plenty of privacy inside those four walls Jake had known all his life; but the conversation felt so fragile, even with the immense amount of trust that had always been part of their friendship. It almost felt like if either of them spoke too loudly, that moment of safety and comfort and peace they were finally able to bask in would disappear.

Jake and Javy both needed to live in that bubble they had managed to create for themselves for as long as possible and weren’t going to do anything that they felt like could disrupt it.

At least, that’s what Jake had assumed until Javy brought up the one topic of conversation he’d been hoping to avoid.

“So, is it just me or was Bradshaw gettin’ pretty cozy with Claire tonight? Looked like they really hit it off”

Jake groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. “Definitely isn’t just you, man. Dad went out of his way to introduce them, and I don’t think I saw either of them talking to anyone else practically the whole night after that.”

Javy whistled. “A personal introduction, huh? I knew your dad has always had a soft spot for him but damn.”

“I feel like I should’ve seen this coming somehow.” Jake replied. “No one is ever good enough for his only daughter but the respect he’s got for Rooster is unrivaled. If Iceman and Mav weren’t around, he probably would’ve tried to adopt him already. This is his next best option I guess.”

Javy paused to gather his thoughts before he responded. “I know you two haven’t always gotten along…”

Jake shot him a glance. “If that ain’t’ an understatement, I don’t know what is.”

“… but…” Javy continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “… does it actually bother you? The thought of Bradshaw dating her?”

The thought had never crossed Jake’s mind until that night. Somehow, he had never made the connection that the admiration his dad had always had for Bradley could translate to a situation like that. He felt like an idiot because now that it was happening, it just seemed obvious and inevitable. “I don’t think it does. The is the first time I’ve ever really thought about it, y’know?”

Javy nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I get it.”

A comfortable silence settled over them for a few minutes before Javy spoke again. “I know we aren’t actually related, but you’re all basically my family at this point and if Bradshaw does anything to hurt her, I’ll help you guys make sure no one ever finds the body.”

Jake snorted out a laugh. “I don’t think my dad would need any help with that, but I’m sure he’d appreciate the offer anyway.”

Now that he was letting himself think about it, Jake couldn’t recall any instances of Bradshaw mentioning any girlfriends throughout the years they had known each other. He’d never seen the other man arrive with or leave with anyone or put himself out there in any meaningful way. He had seen the way he acted around his fellow aviators and had really gotten to observe the way he was with the rest of the Dagger squad.

They were all playfully flirty and casually physically affectionate with each other to some degree. There was a lot of teasing and banter traded back and forth. Coyote was usually only that way with Jake and occasionally Nat. Payback and Bob were the most reserved of the group but still took part, especially as they all got to know each other a bit better and learned to loosen up. Fanboy, himself, Rooster and Nat were the most comfortable with it all generally, but there had always been something that kept him and Rooster from fully letting that wall down.

The banter between the two of them was much sharper around the edges. It was less playful and always seemed to have more intent behind it, like they were trying to provoke and get a rise out of each other whether it was in the air or on the ground. It seemed as though they were incapable of letting the rivalry they’d fallen into go and only knew how to push and push and push at each other, even when it meant letting it get personal; especially then.

After The Mission, Jake hadn’t said a word about Bradshaw’s flying, even in jest. He couldn’t bring himself to critique anything when at the end of the day he was just so relieved Bradshaw had done what he needed to do to complete The Mission and come home. He hadn’t even called the other man an idiot for going back for Mav, at least not to his face. Jake was self-aware enough to know that he’d be arguable the world’s biggest hypocrite if he did, after he himself had said ‘fuck it’ and also went against orders to do what he felt needed to be done.

So, Jake started putting in the effort to talk to Bradley the same way he did to everyone else. He toned down the smirks and the snark and allowed himself to soften along the edges. It didn’t take long for the two of them to slip into something almost resembling a friendship, and it was far easier than it had any right to be with all the history that was shared between them.

He wasn’t prepared for the intrusive thoughts that started gradually creeping in without his permission regarding the parameters of their newly formed friendship and if they could be pushed any further. Jake couldn’t tell you what it was that had sparked it; what led to him wondering what more between the two of them would look like. By the time he realized that was a very slippery slope that he should not be exploring even in theory, there wasn’t anything he could do to put a stop to it. Jake would have to be blind and completely, incompetently unobservant to not understand that Bradshaw was an attractive man. They all had to stay fit in order to pass their physicals and be cleared to fly, and Bradley was no exception. The handful of afternoons they all spent playing dogfight football or volleyball had more than shown most of them went the extra mile and pushed themselves beyond just being fit enough to fly. Even the obnoxiously out of date moustache he refused to shave off didn’t dissuade people of all gender identities from hitting on him. Somehow, Bradshaw was just charming enough that he made it work for him.

It had been a few years at least since Jake had allowed himself to indulge in regular, casual hookups. He’d never had a problem with it, and still didn’t. It was easier than attempting to make any kind of serious relationship work when he was being shipped all over the country and sometimes even around the world at a moment’s notice for months and months at a time. He didn’t see the point in making the situation more complicated than it needed to be. Jake didn’t have a hard time finding partners who were willing to help him scratch the itch when he couldn’t put it off for any longer. He had a nice body, and he wasn’t ashamed to say he knew how to use it.

Lately, the thought of resorting to casual sex and one night stands just didn’t hold the same appeal that it used to. He found himself longing for something to come home to, outside of his family and friends. Someone that he could put down roots with and build a real home with. It was thanks to Iceman and Maverick that he realized that was something he was not only allowed to want, but that it was possible one day he could actually have it. They had so openly welcomed all the Daggers, both as members of Mav’s team and as Bradley’s friends, into their personal lives and Jake had been completely overwhelmed by the domesticity of it all. Until the moment he’d seen Pete and Tom interact as a married couple with his own eyes, he never could’ve imagined seeing the men he knew as Captain Mitchell and Admiral Kazansky settling down like that while maintaining the impressive careers, they still both had. It cracked open a longing in Jake that was so strong, he had to fight to keep himself from having an outwardly emotional reaction right then and there.

Which is something he’d never really discussed with anyone, not even Javy. He didn’t know for sure, but with Bradley having grown up with Ice and Maverick as pseudo father figures to look up to, he assumed he’d eventually want to settle down as well. And Jake knew Claire definitely wanted that at some point. All of the Seresin kids wanted big families of their own, and Claire was by far the most openly enthusiastic about it. There was no reason he shouldn’t support his father trying to set the two of them up unless Bradshaw shockingly didn’t have an interest in being a family man, but the thought of it left a bitter taste in his mouth that he didn’t want to think about.

+

The Seresin house was blissfully quiet when Jake stirred awake the next morning. Javy was still in a deep sleep beside him, and Jake smiled at the sight of seeing his best friend in such a state of peace. Jake took extra care to slide out of the bed and quietly as possible, without jostling the bed.

He slowly made his way down the hall, not in any sort of hurry for the first time in a long time. Jake couldn’t recall the last time he’d felt that kind of serenity. When he reached the foot of the stairs and padded the few feet required to reach the kitchen, he noticed Claire sitting on one of the barstools, her arms resting on the counter and her hands resting loosely around the large, steaming coffee mug that had always been a staple of her morning routine.

“You turn into a morning person while I’ve been away?” Jake asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

Claire scrunched her nose as if the mere thought of being a morning person disgusted her. “Not in this lifetime.”

Jake huffed out a laugh as he pulled a mug out of the cabinet and poured some of the still hot coffee from the pot she had made inside. She scrunched her nose again as he lifted the mug to his lips and took a sip.

“Gross.”

He raised an eyebrow, silently prompting her to elaborate.

“No sugar, no milk? Nothing?” Claire said. “There are things you do that make me question if we’re actually related. Taking your coffee black, straight up, is one of them.”

Jake just rolled his eyes. “The point of drinking coffee is to consume caffeine. It’s a quick and efficient way to give me that extra kick I need to get my day going. No point in making it more complicated than it needs to be.”

Claire scoffed. “God forbid you take a few extra seconds to make your coffee taste slightly better than jet fuel. Would it kill you to be less of an asshole to your tastebuds?”

“My tastebuds are perfectly intact, Clairebear. No need to worry your pretty little head.” Jake teased. “What’s got you up so early? You sleepin’ okay?”

Claire nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been sleeping alright, mostly. I think I’ve just got more adrenaline running through my body than I’m used to.” She explained. “It’s been exciting knowing you’re going to be home for a while, and having all your friends here in one place, after …. Well. You know.”

Jake swallowed thickly, his tongue feeling like it was suddenly stuck to the roof of his mouth. “Makes sense.” He conceded. “I don’t think I’ve really processed it all yet. I’m still on that adrenaline high that’s been there since we landed on the carrier. I’m just waiting for the inevitable crash that’s coming and I’m glad I’m gonna be here when it happens.”

“Me too.” Claire agreed. “You’ve always been a giant pain in my ass, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t missed having you around to annoy the hell out of me. Feels like I never get to see you for more than a few days a year now.”

“I wish there was some way around it, but with the career I want… with everything I’ve been working towards, it’s just…” Jake paused, not sure how to get her to understand.

“Jake, it’s okay.” Claire said softly, waiting until he looked at her to continue. “I know – we all know – that you love us and that you’d come home more often if it was up to you. I just want to make sure you know that we want that too. We’re really, stupidly happy that you’re here.”

Jake cleared his throat and blinked rapidly as he attempted to control his emotions. “Thanks. I hope you know that you can always talk to me. I want to know what’s going on with you, even though I’m not around enough to see most of it.”

“You can always talk to me too, y’know. I won’t even complain that much when you have to skirt your way around all of the classified bullshit.” Claire replied with a grin.

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Jake said, shooting her a grin of his own.

“Asshole.” She muttered before taking another sip of coffee.

“So… looked like you and Bradshaw really hit it off last night.” Jake offered. He let the implied ��you want to talk about it?’ hang between them, knowing he didn’t need to voice it for her to know what he meant.

Claire smiled as she responded. “He’s fun to talk to. Smart, witty, has a good sense of humor. Seems like a good guy. He’s put up with you terrorizing him for like ten years now and has refrained from putting you in the ground so he can’t be all bad.”

“Funny.” Jake replied sarcastically. “Didn’t think you’d ever go for anyone that had the Admiral Seresin stamp of approval.”

Claire shrugged. “Dad means well, and I’ll give him credit this time. He could’ve chosen to introduce me to someone far worse than Bradley. I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere though.”

“Oh?” Jake asked. “Why is that? I’m almost impressed that he managed to friendzone himself in one night. That’s gotta be a record for him, and for you.”

She paused, looking down at the empty mug in her hands before she replied. “It’s not really something I can explain. There just isn’t that spark there, y’know? I want him to be a friend, someone I put in the effort to keep in touch with. But I just can’t see myself wanting anything more.”

“Does he know that?” Jake asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his weight against the kitchen counter behind him.

“He does. I think we were both pretty relieved to get that out in the open and just enjoy getting to know each other without any expectations or pressure. Besides, it’s not really my place to say anything, but he’s got his eyes on someone else.” Claire revealed, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Jake’s mouth dropped open slightly. “He told you that? I’ve known the guy for nearly ten years and you know more about his love life than any of us outside of Nat, probably.”

“Like I said, we were just talking, trying to actually get to know each other.” Claire replied. “Have you ever done that? Sat down with him and tried to have a real conversation?”

Jake took a second to act like he was thinking about it, but he immediately knew the answer was no. He’d never felt like there was any reason to get to know Bradshaw outside of anything that mattered in the air. Jake needed to know how he flew in terms of style and technique, he needed to know what his instincts were like and what kind of decisions he was likely to make based on habit and who he had trained under. He needed to know what the slightly older man’s temperament was like; how he handled emotions and his skill level when it came to compartmentalize. Pretty much anything beyond that never felt important or useful, so Jake had never seen the point.

“Can’t say that I have.” Jake admitted when it felt like an appropriate amount of time had passed.

Claire hummed in acknowledgement. “I know I can’t tell you what to do. I learned that a long, long time ago now. But I think you should try. Just… hear me out, okay?”

Jake opened his mouth to respond and then thought better of it, nodding his head and gesturing for her to continue.

“There’s a lot I don’t know about whatever history you two have, but I do know that you haven’t complained about him once since that mission. I’ve barely heard you talk about him at all, actually. And since he’s been here, you almost seem... afraid to talk to him. I’m not trying to pry personal or classified information out of you, but it feels like something has changed there and it doesn’t seem like you guys have tried to start working through it.” Claire said.

Jake ran a hand through his hair and then scrubbed it over his face as he gathered his thoughts. “You’re not wrong. We haven’t really talked at all since The Mission. Not even to give each other shit about something stupid.”

“I figured.” Claire replied. “Are you planning on doing something about that or…”

With a sigh, Jake pushed off where he had been leaning against the counter. “I know that I should, I just… wouldn’t even know where to start.” He admitted.

“I don’t think it matters how you start, or where.” Claire replied. “It just matters that you do start. The rest can always be figured out.”

Jake glanced down at his feet and nodded but didn’t respond.

“Do you trust me?” Claire asked.

He looked up and locked eyes with her before she had finished the question. “You know that I do, but I’m a bit suspicious of the timing of that question.”

Claire smiled. “I’d be a bit worried if you weren’t. I know what you’re probably thinking, but I didn’t do anything crazy. I may have given Bradley a bit of a much-needed push last night and if he takes my advice, all I’m asking is that you and the rest of the squad don’t give him any reason to regret trusting you enough to do that.”

“You’re killing me here.” Jake groaned. “You keep dropping these hints about things you apparently know now and can’t actually tell me any of it.”

“It’s not my place to tell! Not my fault he already likes me better than he likes the rest of you.” She teased, sticking her tongue out. “In all seriousness, if he does take that step and talk to y’all, it’ll make your life easier. Because he’ll already have started it and you won’t have to worry about figuring out how anymore. You’ll just have to be brave enough to continue it.”

+

When the remaining members of the Dagger squad rolled up a few hours later, Mama Seresin wasted no time in giving them all hugs as they walked into the kitchen, Claire greeting Nat and Bradshaw with hugs, and offering bright smiles to the rest of the group. They all made themselves at home in the living room, finding various couches and chairs to squeeze into, quickly taking up any and all available space. All of them except for Bradshaw, who almost immediately turned and made his way to the kitchen. Jake couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Bradshaw so readily offering his services in the kitchen. If his mother hadn’t been completely charmed by the man already, that gesture certainly would have done it.  Jake had no idea how helpful Bradshaw would be; didn’t know the man well enough to have any knowledge of his cooking abilities or lack thereof, but his mom would find something he could help with either way. That he was sure of.

Only about fifteen minutes had passed when Claire walked out of the kitchen and announced that food was ready. Everyone quickly stood and started helping carry freshly finished, delicious smelling dishes over to the table.

By the time everyone had found a seat, Jake somehow ended up sitting next to Bradshaw. He hadn’t noticed it until he glanced around the table to appreciate the fact they were all there. They had all made it home and were about to take on the challenge of trying to finish the frankly ridiculous amount of food that had been prepared for them.

“So, what do y’all have planned for your month of leave? Must feel like more time than you know what to do with.” Anne asked, glancing around the table as she spoke.

“I’m flying to Philly tomorrow morning to spend a few weeks with my family. The rest I’m sure I’ll figure out.” Nat replied, smiling softly. “I’m looking forward to not having any plans for the first time in a long time.”

“Amen to that.” Javy replied, reaching out for a fist-bump which Nat returned without hesitation. “I’ll be taking full advantage of this world-famous Seresin hospitality for a few more days. If I’m not home by the weekend my mom will fly out here and drag me to Baton Rouge herself.”

“Javy, you know we love you but if you keep your momma waiting that long, I’ll drag you to the airport myself.” Anne replied, shaking her head.

“What about you Bradshaw? I suspect Maverick and Ice don’t have a month of leave of their own.” The Admiral asked.

Bradley cleared his throat before responding. “Well sir, Maverick is supposed to have a month of leave, since he did the fly The Mission. He’s still technically recovering, probably should still be in the hospital, but it’ll be a miracle if we can keep him at home for more than a week, a week and a half tops.” Bradley replied. “Ice won’t have any time off as far as I know, but we’ll make it work. We always have.”

“So, you’re planning on spending your leave in California, then?” The Admiral asked.

“That’s correct, sir. They’re the only family I’ve got so it wouldn’t make much sense for me to go anywhere else.” Bradley was thrown off by the question but tried not to let it show on his face.

“Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten what Mama told you, Bradley.” Claire cut in.

“I’ll say it again if I have to darlin’, and I’m sure Claire will have no problem remindin’ you too. You all are honorary members of this family.” Anne said. “Now I’m not expecting to see everyone again during this month of leave, but I do expect to see each of you back here again soon.”

“Except for you, Bradley. You have to come back before your month of leave is up or I’ll never forgive you.” Claire added, a shit-eating grin on her face.

“Wait a second, how am I the last to know that we’re apparently adopting Bradshaw into the family? When did this even happen?” Jake asked. He knew he looked surprised. Claire hadn’t mentioned anything about it that morning, which now felt intentional so she could relish in managing to catch him completely off guard.

“You upset you weren’t consulted first? Pretty sure you would’ve been outnumbered anyway.” Claire replied, sticking her tongue out.

“You’re such a child. Aren’t you supposed to be older than me?” he retorted with a fond smile on his face. He was slightly annoyed at being left out of whatever she was scheming but couldn’t actually be mad at her for it.

“Anyway, let us know what dates work for you and how long you want to stay and there’ll be a room set up for you.’ Claire said, looking away from Jake and over at Bradley.

“Yes ma’am.” Bradley replied, mock-saluting Claire as he spoke. They both laughed and smiled at each other.  

By the time everyone at the table had their fill and thanked Anne for all the effort they knew she had put into it, they were basically shoved out the door and onto the back patio by her and Claire, so they had space to clear the table and clean up. Daniel politely said his goodbyes and headed into town to meet up with friends for a few hours. The Admiral unsurprisingly disappeared into his office which left the group of friends with some alone time together on the lounges outside.

Bob, Rueben and Mickey were quick to claim one of the lounges, while Jake made sure to snag a spot next to Javy and Nat on the other one. Bradley stood between the lounges, glancing back and forth silently. The look on his face was far too serious to be completely connected to making a decision regarding the seating arrangements.

“You gonna join us, Bradshaw or are you just gonna stand there all day?” Javy teased, encouraging the rest of the group to jeer at him.

“I was thinking about it, but it doesn’t really look like there’s any room for me.” He replied, glancing pointedly between the two lounges.

Nat smiled and shifted closer to Javy, creating a laughably small amount of space between her and Jake. “Plenty of room for you right here stud.” She said, patting the spot with her hand.

Jake felt himself start to tense up at the thought of Bradshaw slotting himself into the spot Nat was suggesting. There would be room for him, but it would mean the four of them were about to get very up close and personal in a way that Jake and Bradley certainly never had. Jake could imagine it was something Nat had experienced with Bradley before and wasn’t something she had to think twice about.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Nat.” Bradley replied with a wink as he walked over to join them.

Javy sat pressed up against the back of the couch on one side, Jake mirroring him on the other. Nat sat up and shifted to give Bradley slightly more room to join them. He sat on the edge and let Nat direct him where she wanted him to go. Jake took a deep breath and tried not to react physically when she guided Bradley until his head was gently resting on Jake’s stomach. She then put her head on Javy’s chest and stretched out, so her legs were resting on top of Bradley’s.

Jake took a chance and glanced down at Bradley. His eyes were closed, and he looked calm, content. Like this was a completely normal situation for them to be in. Maybe it was, and Jake was just reading far too much into it. They had all been a physically affectionate group for a while at that point and having one of the guys with their head on his stomach was pretty tame in comparison to the occasional sloppy kisses on the cheek or slapping each other’s asses that tended to happen. Somehow this felt more intimate. Jake was startled out of his train of thought when Bradley suddenly started talking.

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you guys about but I – maybe it’s stupid, maybe you all know already.” Bradley said. “But it feels important, after everything. Doesn’t make sense not to tell you guys at this point.”

Jake saw Nat shift out of the corner of his eye, lifting her head from Javy’s chest to look up at Bradley and resting her chin on her hand. “If it’s stupid, you know we’ll tell you it’s stupid and never let you forget it.” She said. “But I have a feeling it’s not, and I’m never wrong, right boys?”

The various ‘boos’ and scoffs and jeering she got in response made Jake smile. They all knew Nat was rarely wrong, if ever, but getting any of them to admit to it was something else entirely.

“I guess I should start by saying I have Admiral Seresin to thank for this, and I should probably give Claire some credit because when she hears about this, she’ll disown me as her newly appointed best friend if I don’t.” Bradley began. Jake chuckled and it jostled Bradley’s head slightly in the process.

“Claire is easy to talk to, and has a great sense of humor, and is absolutely terrifying when she wants to be. And, don’t hit me Jake, but I do have eyes, so I know she’s beautiful.” Bradley continued. Jake shook his head, amused. If he’d gleaned anything from the conversation with Claire earlier, it was that he didn’t have to worry about Bradshaw’s intentions when it came to her. He may be in a little over his head with the new friendship she’d very suddenly thrust upon him, but he clearly wasn’t trying to get in her pants or take advantage of her.

Nat snorted out a laugh and most of the others tried and failed to stifle their own laughter.

“And while I was flattered by The Admiral making sure to personally introduce us, and we did hit it off right away, I spent most of last night trying to figure out how to break it to him that she wasn’t my type without ending up dishonorably discharged, six feet under somewhere, or both.” Bradley admitted, sounding a bit more sheepish than he had previously.

“I knew you didn’t have taste, Bradshaw. Those godawful Hawaiian shirts you constantly wear told us that a long time ago.” Jake replied, teasing the other man in a way he hoped came across as friendly and reluctantly amused rather than threatening.  

“I’d really like to say I’m surprised that you somehow gained the respect of Admiral Seresin without even really trying – and then on top of that, you get him to like you enough that he personally went out of his way to try and set you up with Claire. And you’re not even interested. But somehow that’s so you.” Javy replied, shaking his head.

“Gee thanks, Coyote.” Bradley replied flatly. “It’s not my fault, alright. My life would be a lot fucking easier if I could fall in love with Claire or someone like her and settle down but that’s just not in the cards for me.”

“Why not, man? I know we give you a lot of shit but don’t sell yourself short Rooster. You’re a good dude.” Mickey replied.

“Thanks man, I appreciate that.” Bradley replied. “If I had big career aspirations, I might be tempted to make something like that work for the sake of keeping up appearances. There have been a few women here and there that I’ve been into enough to have casual flings with but honestly, physical attraction is as far as that goes. I’ve only ever seriously dated or been in relationships with men.”

Jake felt himself tense up before he could stop it. Bradley didn’t look in his direction at all, instead keeping his eyes locked with Nat, who was looking back at him with an overwhelming amount of emotion in her eyes. She slowly reached out with the hand that wasn’t supporting her chin and grabbed the hand that was resting on his chest, tangling their fingers together. She gave Bradley’s hand a gentle squeeze before she spoke. “The longest relationship I’ve ever been in was with a woman. I’ve been in love with men and women, but god nothing has ever come close to how she made me feel when we were together.”

Bradley squeezed her hand in return. “I don’t know why I was so nervous to tell you. I had a feeling you’d understand, and I still couldn’t bring myself to just say it.”

On some level, Jake knew Bradley wanted them all to hear it. That the sentiment was meant for all of them, even though it partially felt like a private moment with Nat they were all intruding on. If he had wanted to have that moment with only Nat, there were a million times and places he could’ve chosen where none of the rest of them were around.

Jake’s eyes widened in realization as his brain really started to process what Bradley had said. This was what Claire had been talking about earlier that morning. This was Bradley choosing to start it, and now it was up to Jake to choose to meet him half way and continue it.

“I get it. As much as I love being in the Navy, it doesn’t really feel like a safe space a lot of the time to talk about that kind of stuff.” Nat replied, “Even around people you trust.”

“If we’re doing this, then I guess I should put it out there that I’m hella gay. So, you’ve got my full support Brad.” Mickey admitted, a bright smile on his face.

“I mean, I wouldn’t have phrased it like that, exactly… but the same goes for me. In both cases.” Bob chimed in, a kind smile on his face.

“I am embarrassingly straight, as Jake likes to remind me, but if anyone tries to mess with any of you about the fact that you’re not, you better believe I will throw hands.” Javy added. “No one messes with my friends, especially not about that.”

“I am also a card-carrying member of ‘embarrassingly straight’ club and I second everything Javy just said.” Rueben chimed in, reaching across the space between the lounges to fist-bump the other man.

“As happy as it would make my father if I was, I am not a card-carrying member of that club.” Jake offered, trying to keep his voice from shaking as he put himself out there. “He’s always been supportive of me, in his own way. He’s never made me feel like I should be ashamed of it or anything like that, but he also knows I have career advancement aspirations before I retire and has made it clear that it’s better if I keep my personal life separate.”

For the first time since he laid down, Bradley looked up at Jake. Jake noticed it in his peripheral vision but didn’t look back down at the other man. He didn’t know if he could handle it, in that moment. If he was going to do this – really put himself out there – he wanted to do it right. He needed to get it all out, say what he wanted to say, and then worry about the new information he had learned about Bradley fit into it all later.  

Jake was looking over in the direction of the other lounge as he continued. “Not all of us grew up with Iceman and Maverick as our support system, but now that I’ve gotten to know them… I’ve started to believe it might be possible to have both. The long, successful Naval career and the idyllic white picket fence situation.”

Jake felt Bradley laugh before he responded. “They are disgustingly domestic sometimes, so you’re not too far off there.”

Jake couldn’t help but laugh in response and the rest of the group joined in, while also groaning about not wanting to know that much information about their former team leader and the Commander’s love life.

Bradley pulled Natasha in close when she laid back down, placing her head on his chest instead of Javy’s.

“Oh I see how it is, I’m not a good enough pillow all of a sudden?” Javy exclaimed.

Nat huffed out a laugh and rolled her eyes. She gave Bradley a kiss on the cheek before scooting back over to snuggle up close to Javy. He lifted his head slightly as he felt Jake shift underneath him.

“Sit up for a second.” Jake requested softly. Bradley did as he asked and took the opportunity to stretch his arms above his head. Jake had shifted to sit up a bit more than he had been. He nodded at Bradley, who took that as the signal to rejoin him. Jake patted his own chest with his hand.

Bradley shifted up as Jake lifted his arm to accommodate him. He laid his head down but hesitated when it came to settling in any further. Jake made the decision for him by wrapping his arm around Bradley shoulder and angling his body toward him rather than outwards towards Nat. Jake felt his lips twitch up into a small smile as Bradley draped his arm across Jake’s stomach. Having the weight of Bradley’s head on his chest and the warmth of his body tucked into his side felt right. There was nothing awkward about it, outside of the initial settling in and arranging their bodies to find a comfortable position. Jake didn’t know where to put his own hands or what to do with the warmth he felt blooming in his chest as he looked down and really took in the sight of Bradley’s head on his chest. Jake startled a bit as he felt Nat gently take his hand and place it in Bradley’s hair. She shot him an encouraging smile, no teasing or antagonistic intent in her eyes or on her face. Jake only hesitated for a second before he gently started running his hand through the other man’s hair in a way he hoped was comforting. He felt Bradley release a deep breath and any tension that had remained in his body melted away, the other man’s body going boneless against his own. Jake glanced over at Nat again, to find her already looking back at him with a grin on her face. She winked at him before settling back into Javy’s chest.

The silence that fell over the group was comfortable and none of them felt the need to fill it with anything. Jake continued to run his hand through Bradley’s hair, trying to stay as present in that moment as possible. He didn’t want to overthink whatever was happening. Didn’t want to worry about what it meant or could mean. He just wanted to enjoy it for what it was. Jake rarely had a minute to slow down enough to do that anymore.

Jake felt Bradley jolt back into a state of consciousness about half an hour later as hushed conversation was happening around them. Bradley shifted to pull his phone out of his pocket and started tapping at the screen, presumably replying to a text he had received.

“I can hear you thinking from over here. Stop it.” Nat said, poking him in the side.

Bradley flinched slightly at the contact, batting her hand away. “As much as I’d love to not have to think about a single thing right now, someone here has to make sure we get back to the hotel because it’ll end up being my fault if any of you miss your flights.”

The chorus of groans Bradley received in response made him laugh out loud.

“You’re such an old man, trying to get us to behave like responsible adults.” Mickey replied, making an exaggerated gaging noise to get his point across.

“Fuck off Fanboy, I’m not that much older than you guys.” Bradley replied, lifting his hand high enough so that the middle finger he was holding up could be seen from the other lounge.

“I mean, you are the only one of us here that’s over 30…” Javy replied with a grin.

Jake heard Nat choking on a laugh next to them and had to bite his tongue to keep his own laughter at bay.

“I’ve changed my mind. This whole group bonding session we’re having right now was a bad idea. I hate all of you.” Bradley replied.

Jake scoffed. “You wouldn’t last one day without us, and you know it Bradshaw.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve got that backwards, Bagman.” Bradley replied. “None of you would last a day without me to drag your asses out of bed for training sessions before the sun is up or to remind you when you need to leave for the airport or to make greasy hangover breakfast none of you will admit you love even though you all get annoyed with me when I don’t make it.”

“Alright dad, you’ve made your point.” Nat replied. “Did absolutely nothing to help your case if you want us to stop calling you old man though.”

Bradley sighed, “Well, if it’s officially been decided that my youth is dead and buried, I guess it’s time for me to develop a ‘daddy’ kink. Find someone looking for an older man to teach them a thing or two.”

Loud groaning came from basically everyone and they all started talking over each other in their rush to heckle him.

“God dammit Rooster I did not need that image in my head…”

“I’m completely against kink shaming, but I may have to make an exception just for you dude.”

“Develop one? I call bullshit. No way that isn’t already a thing for you.”

“With those horrendous Hawaiian shirts and the whole pornstache thing being your trademark, why am I even surprised.”

“I am experiencing so much regret right now, remind me to never call you dad in any context ever again.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair and tried very hard not to squirm in his seat. They’d all taken a big step in their friendship that day, having a sort of group coming out party that certainly shifted things in a positive direction. That was something Jake could handle and was glad had happened in such an organic way. Having Bradshaw laying on his chest, joking about developing a ‘daddy kink’ was something Jake had not been at all prepared for and was completely unequipped to handle. It was something Jake himself hadn’t really explored and had never really sounded appealing when he spent time learning about his own personal kinks. But the thought of intentional, skilled hands on his body, prepping and teasing until Jake was chasing the pleasure of release he so desperately needed, being kept right on the edge with permission being withheld from him until Bradshaw heard that magic word falls from his lips. Jake clenched his fists tightly, his nails biting into the skin of his palms to ground him. He could not be having those thoughts – that kind of life-altering, world-shattering revelation with Bradshaw practically in his lap.

Much to Jake’s relief, Bradley sat up and shuffled his way to the edge of the lounge. “Alright kids, I expect you all to be in the car and ready to head back to the hotel in 15.”

Jake watched as Bradley stood, stretching his arms over his head and looked around at the rest of the group as they slowly untangled themselves from one another and stood to join him. Jake was the last to stand up and pretended not to notice the look that Nat was giving him.

He knew Nat well enough to know that wouldn’t be the end of it, but enough of a genuine admiration and respect had grown between the two of them recently and she wouldn’t call him out on it until they could talk privately. Jake wasn’t particularly looking forward to that conversation but there wasn’t much he could do to avoid it without being an asshole about it and he had put in a lot of effort lately to move past that; at least in situations that really mattered. He knew he’d always be a bit of an asshole; it was just part of who he was. Somehow, he’d found a group of people that cared about him anyway and he owed it to them to put in genuine effort when it came to being a better friend than he had been.

Jake found it more difficult than he expected to say goodbye to everyone headed to the airport as they headed out the door. He was glad Javy was staying for another day or two so that he didn’t go from being surrounded by all his friends to none of them. Even though he was looking forward to spending time with Daniel and Claire, his mom, and to a somewhat less enthusiastic extent, his father, he hadn’t been prepared to feel a longing to stay close to the rest of the Daggers even when they were on personal leave. Although promises had been made that they were going to remain a permanent squadron for the foreseeable future, Jake was going to have to work through this deep attachment he’d formed with his team without him realizing it had happened. For the first time in his career, the line between his personal life and professional life was undeniably blurry. It had been crossed in a way he didn’t think he could come back from. Even more surprisingly, he found the thought of going back to the way things were unappealing, to say the least.

He needed to take some time to sort out how he was feeling and what he wanted moving forward before he spent time with the Daggers again, and definitely before Bradshaw came back to spend more time in what had already been deemed his home away from home. He wasn’t sure how much time he had before that happened, but with Claire being in control of the situation he was operating under the assumption Bradshaw was going to be back sooner rather than later. As much as the idea of the other man coming back and spending more time around him and his family made him nervous, Jake couldn’t deny that more than anything found himself looking forward to it.