#mavdad

[rainbowsuitcase]

But what if. What if Mav comes to tap Bradley out at graduation even though they haven't spoken a word since Bradley stormed out of the house years ago. Even though he knows Bradley is still pissed at him and might always be.

Just because he knows what it's like to know no one is coming and still hope that someone will show up - and to be proven right. And he doesn't want Bradley to know that too.

It doesn't make Bradley forgive him. It makes him fucking pissed, actually. It makes him cry too, later, when he gets too drunk celebrating with his classmates and realizes that Mav pulled his papers but he still showed up.

And years later, when Mav writes to him (He wants to call but he can't make himself. He's too scared that Bradley won't pick up. So he writes a letter instead.) to let him know about Ice's diagnosis, Bradley shows up too.

[raynetheinsane]

i feel like Mav is like the proudest dad in the world and talks about the Daggers all the time but rarely uses their actual names which often results in people thinking he has wayyy less kids then he actually does

like people will talk to him and he mentions his “darling baby boy, his oldest son, his baby bird” (Rooster) and tell stories about him and stuff, but he also tells stories about his “little spitfire, the troublemaker,” (Hangman) and somewhere along the way it gets misinterpreted that these are the same people

this happens with several of the daggers until everyone is a mixture of everyone and the only idenifiers are that sometimes Mav says his daughter instead of his son and general age range.

there’s probably a debate/bet between a lot of the people who have heard the stories but dont know who the Daggers are about how many kids Mav actually has

The general consensus is that he has 4, but guesses range anywhere between 3-9 (3 as the min because his oldest who is assumed to be boy, at least 1 girl, and a youngest boy. 9 because theres so many damn stories that theres no way its just three kids)

Mav also conviently forgets to mention that he didnt actually raise any of them but Bradley, leading to further confusion.

There isnt even any indication that he didnt raise them, because with the stories he tells, you can apply pretty much any age between 8-35 to them and it would still make decent sense.

This all comes to head in one of 2 ways

first one is a random officer or something noticing the picture of the whole squad on Mavs desk.

officer: Oh, what’s that, sir?

mav, absolutely beaming: oh! those are my kids!

officer: oh, thats so sweet! which ones are yours?

mav: all of them!!

officer: *shocked pikachu*

Or, alternatively, the scuttlebutt makes its way back to one of the daggers

another random officer: Oh hey, Fanboy, you’ve worked with Maverick, right?

Fanboy: yeah, why?

officer: do you know how many kids he has? we’re debating it

Fanboy: uh… none, i guess? i mean maybe 1 but Rooster isnt technically his kid

officer: okay ur either lying or insane

Fanboy: ?????

[ziggy-scardust]

Okay but. A Bradley Bradshaw who truly doesn’t know until TGM that Maverick is a little unhinged. He “tried to be the father he lost”, tried to set a good example, didn’t exactly tell an impressionable kid about all the ways he earned his reputation. So for years, Rooster avoided any mention of Maverick and probably dismissed rumors about him pissing off Admirals as so much Navy scuttlebutt - after all, he never got kicked out, he made it to O6, and he’s at least known for being good at what he does. So he figures the stories he heard growing up, and the new ones he’s hearing, are exaggerated.

…until they’re shot down behind enemy lines and Maverick’s happily strolling onto a bombed-out enemy flight line to steal a whole aircraft in an unknown state of repair by taking off from a very short taxiway and is just expecting him to go along with it, like it’s the obvious thing to do.

Smash cut to Bradley running down a LONG list of batshit stories he’s heard about Maverick, trying to confirm what’s actually real, and having to mentally readjust his whole worldview (including realizing that Goose was equally batshit and egging him on from the backseat half the time.)

“This one has to be made up, right, you’d never take an admiral’s daughter on an unauthorized F/A-18 flight — wait what do you MEAN that was Penny from the bar??”

[military-newsboys]

Mav: Hey, babe, remember how I had to go to the pharmacy to pick up my ADHD meds?

Ice: Yes?

Mav: Well, it turns out they're all out for the next five days.

Ice: Fuck.

Mav: It's gonna be a fun week!

Ice: I'm going on deployment.

Mav: Nuh-uh. Through sickness and health, motherfucker!

[accio-lo-ki]

Post-Canon, Domestic Hangster + Social Media

[overwhelmed-alien]

Is “Dagger Swagger” a thing? Because it should be. Those cocky SOBs know they’re the shit. Other squadrons and higher-ups clock them instantly.

“Yep, that’s one of Maverick’s kids. You can tell. He’s got that damn Dagger Swagger.”

[xihe1874]

I've been reading a lot of AMAZING fics where Ice had lived and monitored the whole uranium mission. They are so heart-breaking in the best way that Ice had to endure astronomical hardships of sending his husband and his adopted son to a suicide mission and listening to their mutual saving. It must have been so devastating for him.

I LOVE how those authors managed to depict such deep feelings. It only made the happy ending more touching.

Then I can't help but think of the fourth person in this event–Hangman. His reaction would definitely be very interesting given his complicated personality and even more complicated relationship with Bradley.

So here is my headcanon:

After debriefing, Admiral Kazansky wanted to have a private talk with Hangman.

The young pilot stood in the Admiral's office in an obviously defiant manner and didn't salute.

"You saved the day. But I hope you learnt something from the mission. I hope you learnt that you should never leave your wingman."

Hangman just sneered angrily.

"The pot calling the kettle black, sir. Remember how you refused to let me save them?"

To save Mav and Bradley. If he was late for even one second... No. He would not think about that.

"You just let them be. Heard that Mav was your wingman for a while? That's really some cold-hearted shit, sir. And now you are telling me not to leave my wingman?"

He would probably be court-martialled by saying to a four-star admiral like that, but he didn't care.

The Admiral just stared at him deeply.

Several minutes later, he began to talk.

He talked about two pilots–best of the best–started as rival and became wingmen, best friends, then life-long lovers.

He talked about pulling papers of one particular brown-eyed young man begged by a dying mother, and how painful it was for his dads.

He talked about long-drawn-out estrangement within a family and the bitter reunion.

He talked about guilt, debt, tears, responsibility, sacrifice, and love.

Hangman just listened, totally at a loss for words.

Oh my goodness. That's his husband and his son. He could only think about this over and over.

He walked out of the Admiral's office that day like he had been born again.

He surely learnt so many things.

[scottishaccentsareawesome]

(after day one of Dagger mission training)

Iceman(reading the paper on the sofa when Mav comes home): Hey, hon. How was your day?

Maverick(kisses him hello and sits down next to him): Pretty good. I adopted twelve full-grown adults.

Iceman(still reading): ‘full-grown’ meaning they can all financially support themselves…?

Maverick: At the most, we’ll need to provide bail money occasionally…

Iceman: Well, I already do that for you.

Maverick(grinning): Yeah…

[jamesbondwho]

Momma bear mav, papa bear ice and their little baby dagger ducklings

[vshorttaxiway]

a very personally important parallel

I could wax poetic about the mirrored framing and editing here, but the thing that really gets me is how elegantly it shows the impact that mav has had on every aspect of bradley's being, down to the tiny habits. I love this goddamned film.

[peachesandcreames]

Happy Thanksgiving, Fam!!! 💞💕

[the-ace-with-spades]

Bradley and Jake get married on a whim within like 3 days of them being on holiday in Hawaii. There's no wedding, no engagement rings, no nothing, just the two of them a bit hangover (both on love and alcohol) and the people that will certify for them.

Mav is really really offended when they come back and he finds out when they do the paperwork at work.

It becomes a running gig where Mav points this out at any given occasion, at first genuinely hurt, but later just trying to reel the boys up

Bradley says something about going to the little vintage thrift shop for some house decor and Mav asks if he can tag along. "Of course you can, why wouldn't you?" "I don't know, I couldn't tag along to your wedding so I tend not to assume I'm invited". Or they're talking to one of Mav's flyboy friends and someone says something about how Bradley resembles Mav in this and that way and Mav just randomly deadpans, "I don't know, I would've invited my dad to my wedding" all 🙄

It goes on for years and gets even more and more intense when they start planning on having kids - "Oh I don't know, I expected to have a kid just show up one day - you didn't tell us you were getting a husband, did you"

Mav will forever hold it over his head.

[raynetheinsane]

“Talk to me, Dad.” Rooster asks

“Come on, kid, you can do it. Don’t think, just do.” Mav responds

Theres something practiced in the response, like this is something Bradley had asked and been answered a thousand times before.

Bradley wasnt looking for Goose’s guidance, he was looking for Mav’s reassurance.

[military-newsboys]

Hangman, texting the dagger groupchat: i just got arrested. can someone come bail me out

Coyote: on my way!

[five minutes later]

Coyote: can someone come bail me out

Phoenix: for fucks sake

[fangirling-tussisque-noncaelatur]

[Maverick and Iceman have just found out that Rooster and Hangman are dating]

Rooster: Look, this is the best relationship I've been in.

Maverick: A relationship!?

Rooster: Yes, a relationship! For your information, I'm crazy about this man.

Hangman: *beaming* Really?

Maverick: *sighs*

Iceman: This is a good thing. You said you've never seen Bradley happier.

Maverick: When did I say that?

Rooster: *scoffs* Upstairs in the bathroom, right before you felt up Ice!

[scottishaccentsareawesome]

(after all the Daggers have shipped out to separate assignments after the events of TGM) Maverick(sitting on the kitchen floor, eating straight from a pint of ice cream):… ALL MY BABIES HAVE GONE AWAY AND IT SUCKS! Iceman: Mav - Maverick: They’re all gone and you know the kids always say they’ll call and FaceTime and visit you all the time, but they NEVER DO, Ice! *sobs* It’s always “out of sight, out of mind”, when it comes to the parents…! Iceman: Sweetheart, you do remember they’re not actually our kids, right? Maverick(stops eating, and glares at Ice):…How DARE you… Slider(who’s been there for the whole thing, under his breath to Ice):…I told you you should’ve just gotten him that dog, man… Maverick(sniffs): Hey Slider, can we go for some cheeseburgers? Slider (like he’s consoling a four year old):Of course we can, buddy…!