#slider starts to see bradley too when he's in town

[justabigassnerd]

Overprotective Aviators

Pairing - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x daughter!reader, slight Bradley Bradshaw x Mitchell!reader at end

Word count - 3,873

Warnings - creepy teen boys staring, swearing, overprotective Mav & co

Summary - when your dad and his team catch sight of a group of teen boys staring at you from across the beach they shift into overprotective mode

Sequel - 'The Talk'

A/N - hey y'all it's ya girl back with another request! I had a lot of fun writing this fic. I always enjoy writing the dynamics of the '86 characters (even though I may not be the best at it). Anyways I won't ramble. As per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

“y/n/n, come on! We don’t want to be late you know what they get like!” Maverick calls through the house, pulling his aviators out of his jacket pocket and sticking them on his face. It takes you but a minute to come down the stairs putting your own sunglasses on as you pick up the bag of things you were going to be bringing with you to the beach.

“I’m here, cool your jets dad.” You laugh as you walk past your dad as he rolls his eyes, grabs his keys and follows behind you. The two of you walk to the beach, chatting amongst each other until you reach the beach.

“Who did you say was coming again?” You ask as you scour the beach for your dads’ teammates.

“Goose, Ice, Slider, Wolfman, Hollywood, and their families of course.” Maverick replies as he looks around for his friends, a grin crossing his face when he catches a glimpse of his RIO waving madly in their direction. Maverick points Goose out to you, and you make your way over to him. Goose is quick to drag you into a hug, ruffling the top of your head as you groan and swat at his hand jokingly.

“You’d think you hadn’t seen me in years, Uncle Goose.” You laugh as you’re finally released from the hug.

“Forgive me for missing my niece after I went away for a week.” Goose says, a mocking sarcastic tone to his voice as he places a hand on his heart.

“I missed you too. But just between us, I think dad missed you most. He seemed pretty lost without you.” You say quietly, eliciting a laugh from Goose as he throws his head back. Goose had gone away for a week with Bradley and Carole to visit Carole’s parents and Maverick had moped around without his partner in crime.

“I better go say hi.” Goose says with a grin, patting your shoulder before crossing to Maverick, allowing Carole to sweep you up into a hug.

“Hello, sweet girl! How have you been?” Carole asks sweetly as she hugs you. When she pulls away, her hands remain on your upper arms as she smiles at you.

“I’ve been good Auntie Carole. It’s summer so there’s not been much to do, especially when the Bradshaws are out of town.” You shrug with a soft smile. Carole nods with a smile of her own as she releases you, allowing Bradley to greet you.

“Hey y/n/n.” Bradley greets, waving slightly as your jaw drops in mock offense before tugging him into a hug.

“Don’t you tell me you’re that after a week away you’re too grown up to hug your best friend?” You ask teasingly as you hug him tight.

“Never.” Bradley replies, wrapping his arms around you and reciprocating the hug. Bradley’s hugs always felt safe, his height meant you were perfectly cocooned in his embrace, and it felt like nothing could hurt you.

“Let’s get this party started!”

“Slider, it’s not a party.” You and Bradley break apart at the familiar sound of Iceman and Slider’s friendly bickering. You turn to see the two men approaching your dad and Goose with their wives following behind. Slider had recently married his long-term girlfriend Jessica whereas Iceman had been married to his wife Sarah for a couple of years and was expecting their first child. You went over to greet them happily, hugging each person with a smile as you greeted them.

“Wolfman and Hollywood aren’t here yet?” Slider asks as he glances over at Goose and Maverick who shake their heads with a laugh.

“Those two are never on time.” Your dad laughs as he thinks about how Wolfman and Hollywood would always turn up late to any meet up the team organised. Those of you who had just arrived began to set up the stuff you’d bought. You laid out a towel while your dad set up his beach chair. As you plunge the sun umbrella into the sand to cast a shadow over your dad’s beach seat, you hear the familiar voices of Wolfman and Hollywood as they approach with their wives in tow. Hollywood had his young daughter in his arms while Wolfman was chasing after his rambunctious twin boys. You greeted the aviators and their wives before returning to Carole to help her and Bradley set up some more beach chairs alongside where you’d set up stuff for you and your dad. Once everyone had set up their beach things, you pulled your shirt and shorts off, leaving you in a bikini as you kicked your flip-flops off. You wanted to get some tanning time in, and you figured you’d go for a swim at some point as well. You sit on your towel, at first reading your book while the adults chat amongst each other. The wives took to gossiping amongst each other, wanting to know the ins and outs of what was happening around town while the men talked about how things were going at work. Iceman talked about how he was put forward for an early promotion and was working as hard as possible to get it. You tried to focus on your book, but it became a near impossible task when Bradley sprawled himself across half across your towel, half across his own as he grinned up at you with that lopsided grin you loved so much.

“Can I help you, Bradshaw?” You ask teasingly as you glanced over the top of your book, seeing his large smile which made you smile too.

“We’re at the beach. You don’t need to be reading.” Bradley insists, reaching up to take the book out of your hands, making sure to put the bookmark in for you before tucking the book back in your bag.

“What if I like reading on the beach?” You quip, raising an eyebrow at Bradley who shrugs shamelessly.

“Well, I must be doing an awful job at being an entertaining friend. C’mon, let’s do something fun! I think dad bought a football.” Bradley says, grabbing you by the hands and pulling you to your feet. Once you’re on your feet, Bradley digs around in the bag his parents had bought before triumphantly pulling the football out and holding it above his head.

“Are the old timers joining in?” You ask teasingly as you glance at your dad and his friends.

“Old timers?”

“You’ve got some sass, Mitchell.”

“You asked for it, kid.” Your words sparked mock outrage within the group of aviators as their wives laughed at their shock. All the aviators scrambled to their feet, Wolfman snatching the football out of Bradley’s hands before moving to a clearer area of the beach so you could toss the ball to each other. The group of you pass the ball to each other, laughing as the women call out to their husbands in an attempt to distract them.

After five minutes of playing catch, Slider looks over to where you were laughing and exchanging a high five with Bradley when he caught sight of a group of teenage boys a little way down the beach staring at you, clearly admiring the sight of you in a bikini. Clenching his jaw, Slider gestured for his teammates to join him.

“Sorry kids, the old timers need five minutes.” Slider laughs as the rest of the team approaches him while you and Bradley roll your eyes, content to toss the ball back and forth between yourselves for a bit.

“What’s up?” Hollywood asked, folding his arms across his chest as he approaches Slider, all of them wondering why they were called over.

“There’s a group of boys eyeing up mini Mitchell. They’re just staring right now but I thought we should keep an eye out.” Slider says lowly, just in case either you or Bradley overheard what was being said. When Slider noticed all of their eyes widening, he quickly shushed them before the outbursts could begin. Goose was quick to grab Maverick before he stormed across the beach to give them a piece of his mind.

“Why are teen boys so gross?” Maverick grumbles, quickly locating the group of boys and hating the way they were staring at his little girl.

“Mav, you were exactly the same when you were that age. To some extent, you still act like that.” Goose says, raising an eyebrow and chuckling when Maverick glares over at him.

“Goose, not the time.” Maverick hisses over at his best friend who simply lets go of him and holds his hands up in defeat.

“Alright, we’ll keep an eye out. Just don’t tell her what’s going on. We don’t need to freak her out.” Iceman says, cool and calm as ever but everyone could hear the tension in his tone. He hated when guys would shamelessly stare at women and make them uncomfortable. And he knew that Sarah was pregnant with his daughter, and he hated the thought that she’d be born into a world where men acted like that. The team of aviators share a knowing nod with each other before breaking apart and returning to the game. They play catch with you and Bradley for a little longer until Wolfman’s twin sons decided to start clamouring for ice cream, which causes Hollywood’s daughter to beg for ice cream too. Eventually, the whole team buckled and decided to go and get ice cream. You and Bradley elected to stay with all the beach stuff to ensure nothing was stolen. You kept a vigilant eye on everyone’s belongings while Bradley laid on his back, a pair of Goose’s aviators on his face as he soaked up the sun. Before too long had passed, you heard the familiar voices of your dad and his team as they approached. Wolfman’s twins immediately came rushing over to you and Bradley, proudly showing off their ice creams while Hollywood’s daughter was more content to stick by her mum’s side, shyly offering the two of you a wave that you both returned.

“Isn’t it crazy that it used to just be us two kids? And now Hollywood and Wolfman have kids, and Ice is expecting his first. We’re the oldest kids here now.” You say, glancing over at Bradley who props himself up on his elbows.

“Technically speaking, I’m the oldest.” Bradley says with a smirk before you shove his shoulder, causing him to fall flat on his back.

“Only by a year.” You say, laughing as he reaches out to flick your arm.

“That’s a whole year of life experience I have that you don’t.” Bradley teases, sitting up properly.

“Oh, I forgot. Being fifteen makes you a pro at life.” You say, rolling your eyes as you laugh. As you and Bradley talk, Hollywood decides he’s had enough of the boys staring at you from afar, so he enacts his plan to try and get you to change. He pretends to trip and drops his ice cream all down your front.

“I’m so sorry, kid. Do you have some clothes to change into?” He asks sheepishly as the rest of the team laughs at his mishap.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just go for a swim. That’ll help wash it off. C’mon Bradley.” You say dismissively to Hollywood before grabbing Bradley’s hand and starting off towards the sea.

“Well, that didn’t work.” Hollywood mutters, dropping down into his beach chair and watching as the teen boys were watching you drag Bradley down to the sea. Seeing you and Bradley going towards the sea, Wolfman’s twins started saying that they wanted to go in the sea too.

“Alright boys, I’ll take you down there.” Wolfman says, gaining cheers from his kids. As Wolfman’s wife gets the boys ready, smearing them with suncream the second they took their shirts off leaving them just in swim trunks, Wolfman turns to Maverick and asks for your spare towel, an idea formulating in his head to get the teen boys to stop their hopeless staring. Wolfman then got up from his seat, slinging your towel over his shoulder as he leads his kids down to the sea, laughing to himself as they barrelled in, both immediately being knocked over by a wave. He shot a glance over at the teen boys and he noticed they were now pulling their shirts off and heading into the sea. He noticed how they didn’t make a move to come any closer, maybe the presence of the aviators and Bradley was enough to keep them at bay but not quite enough to stop their stares. Wolfman moves his attention back to his kids and smiles as you and Bradley let them hop on your back letting them splash sea water at each other, laughing as you and Bradley get caught in the crossfire. When the boys tire of the sea, they wade back to the shore and approach their dad.

“Dad, I’m hungry.”

“Dad, I’m starving.” Both boys complain the second they reach Wolfman who rolls their eyes, it had been not even fifteen minutes since they finished their ice creams.

“Let’s go to your mum, I’m sure she packed something for you.” Wolfman urges, guiding his boys back towards his wife so they could dry off with a towel and get something to eat. When Wolfman turned his head to see you and Bradley exiting the sea, he came barrelling over to you, wrapping you up in the towel as you laugh at Wolfman’s sudden appearance.

“Uncle Wolf, no offence but what?” You manage to say through laughter as you’re swaddled in the towel.

“Don’t need you getting cold.” Wolfman says as he takes a step back, happy with his handiwork.

“And you don’t care if I get cold?” Bradley asks, a raised eyebrow as he laughs.

“Just teaching Mitchell junior how a man should treat her. As her uncle it’s important she knows how she should be treated. Take notes Bradshaw junior.” Wolfman says before heading back up to his wife.

“Does he know that your parents are the literal definition of romance? Any girl would be lucky to have you, Bradley.” You grin as you unravel yourself from the towel cocoon that Wolfman had trapped you in. Bradley watched as you walked further up the beach towards your dad with a slight blush on his cheeks. He had been harbouring a crush on you for a while now and he was still working on the courage to ask you out. As Bradley glances around the beach, he notices the group of boys staring and narrows his eyes. He didn’t know who they were but their unashamed staring and jostling of each other made them public enemy number one in his eyes. He chased after you and went to join you again when Wolfman’s twins came darting over to him, now full of food and energy and demanding he plays fighter pilots with them. Bradley looked over at you, seeing you sat on your towel with Hollywood’s daughter in your lap, sunglasses atop your head as you read her the book, she’d brought with her before turning back to Wolfman’s twins and agreeing to play with them. When you finish reading the story to Hollywood’s daughter, you noticed that she was starting to get sleepy and you figured it was time for her nap.

“I got her.” Hollywood says softly as he lifts his daughter from your lap, smiling softly at the feeling of her winding her arms around his neck and snuggling closer. You glanced over at Bradley who was currently pinned down by two hyper boys as you chuckled lightly to yourself but not caring to get involved. As you move to grab your book, Goose, who had been returning from a nearby shop after Carole realised she’d forgotten a water bottle, chose to accidentally trip over Maverick’s beach umbrella. The pole missed hitting you, and the umbrella shielded you from the stares of the teenage boys who groaned and exchanged looks with each other at not being able to see you anymore. Using the opportunity they had, Iceman and Slider glared over at the boys, hoping their joint cold stare would be enough to get them to back off.

“I’m so sorry y/n. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Goose says quickly and apologetically while you wave him off with a laugh, shifting to be sat on your knees so you could get the umbrella upright again.

“All good, Uncle Goose. No harm done.” You grin up at your uncle who ruffles your hair with a smile before moving to sit with Carole. He looks over to where the boys were and they were still looking, not as much as before but still obvious enough to anyone.

“How have these idiots not got the hint yet?” Goose mutters to himself, being overheard by Carole who chuckles and grabs his hand.

“They’re teenage boys, Nick. Boys do stupid things like stare at pretty girls. Our Bradley’s been doing it all day as well.” Carole says, gesturing lightly with her head towards their son who had just been freed from the clutches of Wolfman’s twins and he was immediately looking over at you with a grin.

“We love Bradley. We want Bradley to admit his painfully obvious feelings. It’s different when it’s a bunch of teen boys we don’t know staring from across a beach.” Goose grumbles as he looks from his son to the boys across the beach.

“Aren’t you cold?” Your dad's voice pulls you out of the focus you had on your book, making you raise an eyebrow at him.

“What?” You ask, shocked that question had left your dad’s mouth at how hot it was outside.

“I was asking if you were cold, it’s a little chilly, don’t you think?” Maverick then says, grabbing his jacket and holding it out towards you with an expectant look.

“Dad, respectfully, it’s summer in San Diego and you’re asking me to put a jacket on?” You ask, wondering what on earth got into your dad for him to be acting this way.

“I’m just looking out for my daughter. Don’t need you catching a cold or anything.” Maverick replies, returning his jacket to the bag and leaning back in his beach chair. You rolled your eyes and returned your attention to your book as Maverick muttered under his breath about how annoying those boys were, all unheard to you. Once again, you were torn away from your book by Bradley snatching the book out of your hand, putting the bookmark in and closing it once more.

“I’m letting the team down again. Come on let’s do more beach shit.”

“Bradley Bradshaw!” Bradley was cut off by Carole who was glaring daggers at him for his choice of language.

“Sorry, mum.” Bradley apologises with a sheepish tone, his hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck as he shrunk further under his mother’s gaze.

“Look at what you men have done to my sweet Bradley.” Carole tuts as the aviator's exchange looks with each other.

“It’s what happens to military brats, unfortunately. y/n’s just as bad.” Maverick shrugs unapologetically, looking over at Carole with his signature flashy smile.

“Let’s escape this conversation.” You whisper to Bradley, getting up and walking away from the conversation with Bradley hot on your heels. Bradley glanced over in the direction of the boys and when he saw them jostling each other and laughing as they stared at you, he instinctively wrapped an arm around your shoulders, tugging you into his side. He felt a sense of triumph when he looked across the beach and saw the boys finally leaving, all glaring at Bradley who simply gave them a shit-eating grin.

“Is this your idea of beach shit?” You ask, a raised eyebrow at Bradley’s actions as you hoped he didn’t notice your now flushed cheeks. Bradley remained silent, his brain short-circuiting at the way he was holding you. He could handle a hug, holding your hand would cause a slight blush but having you tucked into your side was causing him to stop functioning. He thought about how he had asked his dad for advice on how to ask you out and the only help Goose provided was saying to just ask, that the worst that could happen was you saying no.

“Hey, y/n. Can I ask you something?” Bradley asks, releasing you from his embrace and turning to face you.

“Of course.” You say, a gentle smile gracing your face as he takes your hand carefully.

“Do you think… I could take you out on a date sometime? Maybe that old diner along the beach?” Bradley asks an unusual shyness sneaking into his voice as he looks down at your hand where your fingers interlaced with his.

“I’m free after school on Friday.” You say, your smile widening slightly as Bradley looks up at you. His smile grew ten times larger when he locked eyes with you from behind his sunglasses. He lifted his free hand to set his aviators on top of his head so he could make proper eye contact with you.

“I think I can arrange something.” He says teasingly, making you laugh before he tugged you into a hug.

“Seven o’clock at the diner sound good?” He asks as he squeezes you slightly.

“Sounds like a plan Bradshaw.” You agree.

Further up on the beach, Goose had been watching the entire interaction from afar. He didn’t know what words had been said but he knew that from the shy smiles on your faces that Bradley had said something of significance regarding his feelings.

“Honey, look, I think our boy finally did it.” Goose says excitedly to Carole, drawing her attention to you and her son.

“Oh, look at them. It’s about time.” She gushes, grabbing Goose’s hand as her smile grows.

“Hey, Mav. Looks like we’ve got a wedding to plan.” Goose says over to his best friend, getting Maverick to look at where you and Bradley were now heading down to swim in the sea again.

“Absolutely not.” Maverick says, cringing at the thought of his daughter marrying anyone.

“Maverick, you know better than anyone that our Bradley is perfect for your daughter. She lights up around him. They’ll get married, mark my words.” Carole says, making Maverick shake his head with a chuckle before focusing his attention back on you and Bradley, where you and his best friend’s son were in the sea. He’d never admit it to anyone, maybe to Goose if he was drunk enough, but he knew Bradley was the guy for you. He saw the way you looked at each other and it was exactly the kind of pure love Goose and Carole had. He wanted nothing but for his daughter to have someone who could keep her safe when Maverick couldn’t, and Bradley seemed to step into that role without a hitch.

“I’m making a bet. Fifty bucks says we have a Bradshaw-Mitchell wedding in our future.”

Maverick couldn’t even begin to argue with that and so silently prepared himself to be giving Goose fifty dollars in the future.

[ohtobeleah]

Sucking Rooster off at the hard deck! Please 🙏 for your next round of strictly scandalous.

Growing up, Bradley Bradshaw had always had a thing for his non-biological uncle's daughter. As the gold star kid, all of his father's closest friends saw it as their responsibility to help Carole raise the young tot that was Bradley. Ron Slider, or uncle Slider as Bradley knew him–was one of those many men. 

“It can't be?” Bradley stood at the front door of the Hard Deck that only just opened its doors. Ten past ten in the morning. “Kerner? Is that you?” You knew that voice anywhere–Bradley fucking Bradshaw. 

“If I turn around and see that god-awful ferret you parade across your upper lip is still there I'll be thoroughly unimpressed Rooster.” You taunted as you continued whipping down the bar for Penny. 

“Ah, I'll have you know the mo gets a lot of attention.” Rooster quipped as he took strides towards the bar, forgoing the door and opting to jump up and over the bar. 

“And I bet you just revel it it dont you?” You teased back as you finally turned all your attention to Bradley. “I'm just here for the weekend, Penny was short staffed and I had some spare time.” 

“Oh, so you're not here just to see me then?” Rooster sent you that famous smug look he always had, even in his childhood he managed to get you all kinds of twisted. You’d lost your virginity to Bradley in the back of his Bronco and you'd been the first girl he’d slept with more than once. Always coming back for more because you were his best friend above anything else. The sex was great but the pizza you’d get afterwards and head out to lovers' lookout just off the eight-mile track was even better. “Never thought I'd see you in North Island again after you nearly bottled Hangman the last time you were here.” 

“Guy had it coming.” You shrugged it off because it was true, Jake Seresin had really gotten under your skin the last time you’d been at the Hard Deck visiting. Uncle Mav had introduced you to the group he’d been working with over the last few months and Jake thought he would most definitely be going home with you. Too bad for him, you had the hots for Rooster. Always had, always would. “Who just acts like that all the time?” 

“Hangman does.” Bradley laughed as his hands cupped the small of your back. Pulling you close. “But enough about him, let's talk about us.” 

“Oh there's an us now is there?” You let the question linger in the air for a moment before following up, your hands drifting upwards to stroke Bradley's chest through his T-shirt. “Because I recall all we ever do is fuck and fight and forget that it always ends the same, so why even start this time when I'm only in town for the weekend.” 

“Unless you changed your mind about my proposal, Kerner then that's on you.” Bradley made sure to remind you that he was always all in, it was you who had been reluctant to try a relationship more than just friends with occasional benefits. Until Rooster–you never wanted anything to do with the Navy. “Id have you for the rest of my life if you'd let me but here we are, about to fuck behind Pennys bar.” Your eyes widened at Rooster's statement as you fisted the fabric of his shirt in your palms.

“I'm not gonna fuck you but I'll suck you off until the first customer walks through those doors? Besides you that is.” Leaning in to suck a gentle kiss against Bradley's pulse point. “What did bring you in ten minutes after opening anyways?” 

“Came to pay my tab from last night before Penny had me blacklisted.” Rooster moaned as your hands trailed down from his chest to his belt, undoing it as you teased his neck. Littering it with bruises. “Fuck, you weren’t kidding huh?” 

“Nope–” You popped the P as you unzipped Bradley fly before he shimmied his jeans down ever so slightly as you fished his cock from his boxer briefs. “And it didn't take you long at all now did it Bradshaw.” 

“Doesn't take much to get me going when you're around, Kerner.” Bradley sighed as you palmed him, his length hardening and growing in your first as you sunk to your knees before him. “Oh, fucking hell Y/n this isn't happening–” It was hard to believe you were about to suck Bradley off behind the bar. “Oh christ!” He sucked in a gasp as your lips wrapped around his tip, hand pumping his shaft before you took more of him in your warm home. He was home. “Ohhh fucking christ baby–I missed your perfect mouth.” Bradley let his head fall back as his hips slowly bucked to meet your mouth every time you pulled away and came back.

You knew Rooster was a grower and not a shower, but you always underestimated just how much he could really grow whenever you sucked him off. 

“Ohhh god Y/n, feels so good.” Bradley moaned as he threw his head back again after having spent a moment mesmerised at the sight before him. His hands cupped your face as his hips began to move in sync with your mouth–softly thrusting into you this time. “Always so good to see you stuff your face with my cock.” As if to say fuck you, you were quick to fondle Rooster's balls. Invoking such an animalistic groan from the depths of his soul that it had your core throbbing. “Ah fuck, yes!” 

The taste of pre-cum tandalisted your tastebuds as you sucked the ever living soul from your best friend's cock. Knowing that after your shift you'd grab a bite to eat and catch up on everything the pair of you had missed over that last few months. Coaxing him closer and closer to his high as you gagged and stuffed him down your throat. Hollowing your cheeks as you used your first for whatever inches you could take. 

“Ah fuck I’m gonna cum, god I’m gonna fill your pretty little mouth, Kerner, if you don’t stop his second.” Bradley's eyes were wide and his jaw was slack as he looked down at you sucking him off. His face was flushed and slightly red–all fucked out and pretty for you as hot spurts of his cum shot down your throat as Jake and Javy came through the front doors. “Shit!” Rooster collapsed as you pulled away, watching as he hid behind the bar and you stood and greeted the two aviators. Wiping your mouth on your forearm as you did so. 

“Hiya fellas, what can I get ya.” You asked as you kept your cool as Bradleys hand snakes up between your thighs. “Same old same old?” 

“Got a good memory there Kerner, two drafts please.” Javy replied as Jake just nodded, timid around you. 

“Coming right up–” You looked down at Rooster and just smirked, not knowing how long he’d be stuck down there with a mess in his pants and a hard-on from the view up your dress.

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

#Stricklyscandalous Bradley ’Rooster’ Bradshaw

[tngrace]

Baby Goose is an Aviator

Read on A03; Tumblr TG Masterlist.

So I tried my best with Chipper’s helmet. Thanks to a nice anon on here I was pointed to the 1st locker room scene which then led me to notice two helmets on the counter in the background. They were both a pain to see & since we have no idea which one is Chipper’s - or if it’s even his to begin with- I just went with what I could see/what would work. I hope you enjoy this. It was supposed to be all fluff, but there’s some angsty/tug on your heart moments in this. And there’s one spot where Bradley goes on a ramble to Slider and it’s one long run-on sentence because the kid doesn’t take a breath during it. Honestly it drives me crazy being a run-on sentence but I got tired of looking at it, so it is what it is. Anyways overlook that and enjoy the story & Happy Halloween!

Also thanks to my bestie for reading over this for me! Love you Em! @toews-a-peek

The first Halloween after Goose, all the flyboys were still stuck on deployment. Bradley was still too little to understand why mama wasn't feeling up to going all out like normal, but he was happy he still got to go trick or treating even if he didn't get to dress up like Dad and Uncle Mav.

The next year Uncle Mav was the only one in town, but Carole had been sick and stuck in the hospital. The nurses and doctors gave Bradley all the candy he could want, and they even had Mav take him around the different floors, but it just wasn't the same. Uncle Mav and Uncle Ice moved back home permanently, which Bradley loved, even if he missed his mama and daddy. Uncle Ice came over a lot, and Bradley loved when that happened. Uncle Mav was the best but Uncle Ice made everything better. The holidays snuck up on them faster than expected and by some miracle all the flyboys were home to celebrate Halloween.

The weather had been nice for the middle of October when everyone got home on shore leave so they'd taken Bradley to the beach. Ice and Mav were currently sitting under a canopy because Mav still refused to go into the water two and half years later. All the flyboys understood even if Bradley didn't. Slider and Merlin were grilling while Sunny and Chip were arguing over something. Bradley was in the water with Wolfe and Wood having a blast. He was currently perched on Wood's shoulders catching his breath from all the wave jumping they'd been doing.

"Uncle Wood?"

"Yea Baby Goose?" Bradley still giggled a little when any of them called him that, but he was more than used to it after two and half years.

"Why won't Uncle Mav come swim with us?" Mav and Ice neither one were able to explain it to the kid well enough for him to understand, and luckily Bradley missed the look passed between the pilot and RIO since he was perched on said pilot's shoulders.

"Well kiddo sometimes things happen that make things scary to one person that aren't scary to another."

"Yea so it's like how monsters might be scary to you but not to us," Wolfe smiled, but Bradley just gave him a puzzled look.

"Monsters aren't real Uncle Wolfe. Besides, it's just water," he sighs.

Hollywood snorts before sharing another meaningful look with Wolfe. He pulls Bradley off his shoulders and puts him on his hip. He knows the kid is starting to think he's too big to be carried around since he's six now, but they also promised Mav to keep him close in the water. "Kiddo, sometimes things that seem ok to us are scary to someone else. So with Uncle Mav it's water and while we could tell you why, you wouldn't understand right now, and it's something Mav needs to tell you when he's ready."

Bradley sighs but nods. "Ok. Just wish he could have fun like us," he pouts, tugging at Wolfe and Wood's heartstrings. They turn to look at Mav and Ice lounging on towels watching everybody else. They know Ice is the only reason Mav's not panicking about Bradley in the water, but he also looks relaxed for a change.

"I think he is having fun," Wolfe promises, ruffling Bradley's hair. "Now let's talk Halloween costumes," he grins, getting Bradley's mind off Mav for the moment. They all already know that Bradley wants to be an aviator and they're all wearing their flight suits to take him trick-or-treating but they want to hear what all Bradley has to say about it.

Bradley gives them the biggest grin. "I wanna be a-a-aviators like all of you. Uncle Ice already got me a flight suit and helmet. Mav says we can decorate it however I want. But I don't know who's the best at art."

"Slider," Wolfe and Wood say at the same time, making Bradley giggle.

"What have you decided on putting on your helmet?"

Bradley screws his face up like he's thinking extra hard. "I dunno. I wanna be like all of you. Not just one."

"Well let's go see what Uncle Slider thinks. Maybe between the eight of us we can come up with something." Bradley giggles and nods before they toss him back and forth between them as they head up the beach. He wiggles down when they're close to Mav and Ice and he takes off running, collapsing on top of Mav who pretends to be offended that Bradley's getting him all wet. Ice wraps him up in a towel as Bradley talks a mile a minute making sure they saw everything he did.

Slider calls out that the burgers are ready so they all scramble to fix their plates at once. Ice makes Bradley’s for him as Bradley gets chips out for everybody, dropping bags on their towels. “Thanks,” Bradley grins at Ice as he takes his plate. His towel is between Ice and Mav and once everyone is settled Wood brings up the helmet dilemma.

“Baby Goose needs help decorating his helmet for Halloween, Sli.”

“Yea Ice mentioned something about that. Whatcha thinking of putting on it kiddo?”

Bradley swallows his bite before looking between all of them and shrugging. “I dunno. Ice and Mav says we can get patches from Top Gun to put on my suit. But I can’t pick between all of you.” He’s pouting a little because he’s thought about this so much, and he still doesn't know who’s helmet he wants to replicate. He’d do all of them if he could. It tugs on all their hearts because they hate seeing him sad or upset.

Ice ruffles Bradley's hair to get the sad look off his face. "We've told him no one would be mad if he picked just one," Mav says with a shrug since it was obvious Bradley didn't believe them. The flyboys all reaffirm that, but Bradley still doesn't like the idea.

"Alright I'll come over tomorrow and take a look at the helmet, and we'll figure this out. Ok Baby Goose?"

Bradley gives Slider a nod and they finish eating before packing up to head home. Hollywood gives Ice a heads up about their conversation with Bradley in the ocean, and then they all head home for the night.

As promised Slider is at the house at lunch the next day with Ice in tow since it was a night Ice didn't stay over. While none of the flyboys cared what the two got up to, they still played it safe with work rules. Bradley was sitting on the couch waiting on them, helmet and flight suit on the coffee table.

"You took forever," he groaned, throwing himself at Ice first for a hug and then Slider, cracking them both up as Mav came out of the kitchen. He'd made sandwiches for lunch and passed them out while Bradley passed Slider his helmet.

"First things first," Slider grins, holding the helmet up. "What base color are we doing?"

Bradley looked between them looking stressed, which Ice just hates. He pulls Bradley into his lap which seems to help him relax some. "I think we decided red like Goose's," Ice finally says when Mav and Bradley neither speak up. He feels Mav push his shoulder into his own and knows that Slider won't say anything, so he throws his arm around Mav's shoulder to help ground him as well.

"Good choice," Slider grins, around his sandwich. Bradley seems to relax even more at that.

"D'ya think you can make it like everybody's Uncle Sli?"

Slider spins the helmet around in thought. "I think it'll be possible Baby Goose. I think we paint it red and then pick one thing from everybody's helmet and paint it on here. Was thinking about it on the way over and I think I got it."

"Really?" Bradley grins, lighting up and scrambling off Ice's lap to Slider’s. They love seeing Bradley’s enthusiasm now that Slider has told him he won’t have to pick just one helmet to replicate.

"Yea. So I think we take and paint stripes just like your dad and Mav's have right through here," he says, showing Bradley where he'll put them on the front of the helmet. He points to the left side of the helmet next; "We put Sunny's sun back here.” He spins it pointing to the back next; “Then we'll take the lightning bolt from mine and Ice's and put it here coming off the stripes from the front. We can put Chip's blue circle and red lines here with it making it look like the lighting strike is hitting it. Then on this side," he points to the right side now, "we put Wood and Wolf's stars with Merlin's moon. This way the sun and night sky are on opposite sides."

Bradley was staring at him in wonder, making Slider grin and ruffle his hair. "What d'ya think kiddo?" Mav asks from his place on the couch beside Ice. Honestly he’s just as astonished as Bradley after listening to Slider’s ideas.

"I think it'll be cool!" All three chuckle quietly at Bradley's enthusiasm. "Go get Sli the paint and brushes we bought then," Ice tells him. Bradley shoots off like a rocket to get the supplies they'd bought last week.

"Thank god you picked the stars from Wood and Wolf. I was gonna kill you otherwise," Ice deadpans.

Mav and Slider crack up knowing the options on those two helmets were slim. "Such little faith in me," Slider says mock-offended.

"I just know you dickhead," Ice deadpans, drawing laughs from his wingman & RIO. They settle back down before Mav softly thanks Slider.

"You know we all love the kid too. Besides ain't much."

"Still. Appreciate it," Mav says, squeezing Slider’s shoulder as he cleans up their lunch.

"He good?" Slider mouths to Ice once Mav's in the kitchen.

Ice gives him a nod as Bradley runs back in. "Here ya go Uncle Sli," Bradley grins, flopping back in his lap after handing him the bag. "Am I gonna be in the way?"

"Not at all Baby Goose. You can help me paint it red." Ice gets some old newspapers to throw down so they don't get paint everywhere and then he and Mav relax on the couch watching Slider teach Bradley how to paint.

Bradley chatters all about school and his friends while he and Slider paint the helmet red. Mav ends up wandering off to the garage once most of the red is done and when Ice inclines his head that way Slider gives him a nod. Once Ice and Mav are gone, Bradley seems to get really quiet while they let the red paint dry.

"What's wrong, Gosling?" Slider asks as Bradley curls up in his lap.

Bradley bites his lip as he shakes his head reminding Slider so much of Mav in that moment. "Come on kiddo you know you can tell me anything."

Bradley sighs softly but gives a nod. He turns so his face is buried in Slider's chest before mumbling out "I think I'm making Uncle Mav sad."

Slider feels his heart clench tight as he rubs Bradley's back to comfort him. "Oh Baby Goose," he sighs. Ice had already given him a heads up about what Wood said yesterday as they were leaving the beach and this just added to it. Their Baby Goose was growing up and they were going to have to tell him some truths before too much longer.

"Mav might be a little sad, yea. But that is in no way your fault." He gently pulled Bradley's face up to loom at him. "It's not your fault Bradley. He just misses your dad and mom, just like all of us. And he's always going to be a little sad, but he loves you kiddo and you make him happy. That I can promise you."

Bradley sniffles a little but gives Slider a nod. "I miss mommy and daddy too. But I love all of you."

Slider smiles as he ruffles his hair. "We know Gosling. We love you too. Very much."

Bradley hugs Slider tight. "Uncle Sli?"

"Yea buddy?"

"Can I ask you somethin' before I ask Ice and Mav?"

"Always." Slider had no clue what he was fixing to be asked, but he would always be honest with the kid and Bradley knew it.  

Bradley was biting his lip again and fiddling with the hem of his shirt as he thought about what he wanted to ask. "Last week at school we were working on family projects and I made this drawing - it's really cool!" His face broke into a grin at that making Slider smile too before the kid broke into the longest ramble Slider had ever heard from him.

"And I wanna give it to Uncle Mav and Ice but I don't wanna make Uncle Mav any sadder. Because… 'Cause…. When I drawed my family, I drawed him and Ice and me and it says my dad and my pops and me on it. And then I drawed all my uncles off to the side 'cause I didn't know where else to put everybody and Mav and Ice are like my dad and pops 'cause they're always here and do everything mommy and daddy used to do for me even though Ice can't stay every night which is dumb 'cause everything is better when Ice is here and Uncle Mav sleeps better and doesn't wake up screaming. And I didn't know how else to s'plain it to everybody so i just did it but I don't want Uncle Mav to be sad or upset and…"

"Bradley…. Buddy breathe," Slider said softly, pulling the kid into his chest. Bradley took a deep shuddering breath as Slider rubbed his back holding him tight to him. He let Bradley take a few deep breaths as he just held him before he pulled him back and cradled his cheeks. "Uncle Mav and Uncle Ice are going to be so honored you think of them like that buddy. And I know things have been hard since losing your dad and mom, and things are confusing to explain at your age. And I know it's not fair that Uncle Ice can't stay here every night and that it's hard to understand right now, but we're all so proud of you kiddo and how you've handled it."

"Are they gonna cry?" Bradley asks, biting his lip.

Slider chuckles softly before hugging Bradley tight. "Yea probably Gosling. But it'll be happy tears. I know that doesn't make sense right now but one day you'll understand. Would you feel better giving it to them while I'm still here?"

Bradley nods against Slider's chest.

"Alright why don't you go get it, and I'll go get Ice and Mav. Once we're done it should be time to finish your helmet."

Bradley nods again before wrapping his arms around Slider’s neck and hugging tight. "Thanks Uncle Sli," he whispers.

"Anytime Baby Goose. It's what I'm here for." Bradley gives him a grin before he scampers off to his room.

"Well fuck," Slider sighs, running a hand down his face. He pushes up off the floor and wanders off to the garage. Ice is sitting on the hood of his jeep while Mav tinkers on the bike. They both look up when they hear the door open.

"Alright listen and listen close," Slider starts grabbing both of their full attention. "Bradley has something he wants to give you both, and he's afraid it's going to make you even sadder - yes he's picked up on it," he says, answering the question on the tips of their tongues as if he's a mind reader. "But I did my best to explain that there's always going to be a hint of sadness because we all miss Goose and Carole. And because I'm the best friend either of you dumbasses are ever going to have, I'm going to go ahead and tell you what he's giving you so you're not blindsided. They did a family project thing at school last week and the kid drew a picture of his family labeling it uncles, dad, pops, and Bradley. He didn't know how else to explain it, and he thinks of you both that way. Now you're going to act surprised and when you both cry, yes you'll cry too Iceman, he'll understand it's happy tears because again I'm the best."

Mav and Ice are both like statues just staring at Slider. "Hell no wonder the kid was scared," he mutters under his breath. "Would you two pull it together," Slider groans.

Ice is the first to snap out of it, his eyes meeting Mav's. He's not the least bit surprised that Bradley thinks of Mav as dad, but to know the kid thinks of him the same way is flooring. "Mav?" He whispers, pulling his wingman into his arms and holding him tight.

Mav barely chokes back a sob as Ice holds him. Slider gives them a moment before trying to break the mood. "He also thinks it's dumb that Ice can't stay here every night, and quite frankly I'm starting to agree with the kid." He gives them the biggest grin and a shrug when Ice turns his icy glare on him. "No reason two young officers can't share a three bedroom house to save on rent. Happens all the time," he smirks before he turns and heads back into the house leaving the door open for them to follow.

Ice holds Mav a moment longer before he softly cradles his face. "You ok?" He whispers.

Mav gives him a shaky nod before burying his face back in Ice's neck. He breathes for another minute before he pulls back. "Yea…. Yea I'm ok. Just not sure how I got so lucky with you or Bradley. I miss them…. God do I miss them," he whispers. "But I feel so lucky to have the family I never thought I'd get."

Ice rubs under his eyes wiping the tears. "I know the feeling," he whispers. He gives Mav a quick peck on the lips; "Come on. Let's not keep our kid waiting," he grins. He laces fingers with Mav as they head into the house.

Bradley is curled up in Slider's lap clutching a piece of paper to his chest. "Hey Baby Goose. Sli says you have something for us," Mav smiles.

Bradley gives him a nod before looking up at Slider. Slider too gives him a nod and then Bradley is scrambling onto the couch between Ice and Mav. He's biting his lip and clutching the paper against his chest where they can't see it.

"Whatcha got there B?" Ice asks, gently pulling Bradley's lip from his teeth. He knows it's a habit the kid's picked up from Mav, and he's determined to break it in them both one way or another.

"A picture." Bradley is quiet for another minute before he meets both their eyes. "Last week at school we were working on family projects and I made this picture. I…. I didn't know how else to s'plain it to everybody that… that my family isn't like there's 'cause mommy and daddy are gone. But I tried…. And I…. I wanted to give this to you." He quickly shoves the picture between them and his lip goes back between his teeth.

Ice gently takes it as Mav settles Bradley in his lap. He wraps his arms around the little boy and he feels Bradley relax against his chest. Mav squeezes him tight as Ice turns the paper so Mav can see it too. Bradley feels Mav's sharp inhale, and he bites his lip harder until Uncle Mav buries his head in Bradley's hair and just breathes.

Uncle Ice has tears in his eyes and Bradley feels tears well up in his too. "I don't like making either of you sad," he starts before Mav hugs him tighter.

"We're not sad B," Ice murmurs, leaning over to wrap his arms around Bradley with Mav. "We're not sad at all."

"But you're crying," he whispers. Ice pulls back when he feels Mav trying to move and then Mav spins Bradley to face him. Mav softly brushes Bradley's bangs back before kissing his forehead.

"We're not sad Baby Goose. Knowing you think of us as dad and pops is an honor." He pulls Bradley in and hugs him close. "I know things are confusing and hard to explain, but we love you and you love us and we're a family. That's all that matters. No matter what you want to call us."

Bradley clings to Mav as he feels Ice rub his back. Bradley shudders some breaths into Mav's chest before he sits back up. "I know…." He bites his lip until both his uncles give him reassuring nods. "I know you're not my dad, but you both are always here and you do stuff mommy and daddy always did and…"

Ice leans over and ruffles Bradley's hair when he seems unable to finish voicing his thoughts. "We know B." He shares a look with Mav and when he gets a subtle nod he continues. "We would be honored to be your dad and pops."

Bradley gives them the biggest smile before trying to hug them both. Ice gives a soft chuckle before spinning and squishing Bradley between them in a hug. Bradley giggles into Mav's chest as he's squished between his two favorite people. "I love you both," he giggles, making all three men melt.

"We love you too Bradley," Mav murmurs, kissing his head.

"Alright Gosling ready for me to finish this helmet?"

Bradley turns in Mav's arms and gives Slider a grin. "Yea. I'll let you do it 'cause it'll be too hard for me." He turns to Ice next. "Can we put my patches on now?"

"Go get them Baby Goose."

Bradley squeals and launches off the couch to go get the patches and velcro they'd bought to put on the flight suit so they can reuse the patches if Bradley wants them on something else. Slider's sketching away on the helmet not paying Ice or Mav any attention as Mav buries his face in Ice's neck just breathing.

"You ok?" Ice murmurs, and Mav just nods. Ice gently rubs his back before kissing the top of his head. "We'll talk more later tonight," he promises, as they hear Bradley running back into the living room.

Bradley stops and peers over Slider's shoulder before climbing back on the couch with his flight suit and patches. Mav curls into the corner and watches Ice patiently help Bradley arrange patches all over his flight suit while Slider starts painting his designs on the helmet. He quietly gets up and grabs his Polaroid camera and snaps a picture of B and Ice with their heads bent together in concentration. He gives them a smirk when they both look up at him before he goes to put the picture on the fridge.

It's a productive afternoon and Slider gets the helmet done. Bradley is extremely ecstatic with how it turned out. He begs them to call the other flyboys to come over and see it, so Mav relents, unable to tell Bradley no. He orders pizza and they take Bradley out to throw baseball in the yard while they wait on the food, flyboys and helmet to dry.

The flyboys arrive at the same time as the pizza, and Bradley is so excited throwing himself at each of them for hugs even though he'd just seen them all at the beach yesterday. "Food first," Ice declares when Bradley tries to go for his costume.

He's slightly dejected but the idea of his favorite pizza is appealing, so he doesn't protest too much. They eat and talk about anything and everything, Bradley showing off his drawing now that he'd shown Ice and Mav. All the flyboys are honored and speechless and Bradley gets several tight hugs which make him giggle.

Once everyone is done and everything is cleaned up, Slider goes to help Bradley into his costume. Bradley wants it to be a surprise for Mav and Ice too, so he picks Slider to help him.  They get him zipped into his flight suit and Sli double checks that the helmet is dry before settling it on Bradley's head.

"You're a mini aviator Baby Goose," Slider grins as he tries to hold back his tears. The kid looks so grown up.

"I need dog tags Uncle Sli. Mav's 'posed to be getting me some made but they're not here yet."

Slider chuckles as he slips his tags off and over Bradley's head. "There ya go. I'll get them back later."

"Thanks," Bradley grins. He holds his arms up for a hug and Slider picks him up hugging him tight. "Alright Gosling let's go show you off," he smiles.  He sets Bradley down, and Bradley takes off into the living room.

"Surprise!" He yells, causing Slider to chuckle behind him. The living room goes quiet as the flyboys take it all in. "Uncle Sli gave me his tags til mine come in Mav," he grins. He slowly spins so they can see how Slider did his helmet before he jumps into Mav's lap.

He turns his eyes to Slider when no one has said anything yet. "Uncle Sli," he says, his little lip trembling.

"It's alright Bradley. Just a lot for them to take in," Slider reassures as he shoots them all looks.

Ice is the first to recover of course. "Slider’s right baby." He pulls Bradley into his lap giving him a hug as Mav tries to hide his tears from the kid.  "You look like a true aviator, and so grown up. You're not going to be our Baby Goose much longer."

"I'll always be your baby goose," he declares which seems to break the rest of them out of their shock. They pass him around, each one of them taking time to inspect the helmet and his patches. Bradley is so proud of it, and they all love how wonderful it turned out. By eight that night Bradley is fading quick, so the flyboys all head out after goodbye hugs. Slider leaves with them, giving Ice and Mav reassuring hugs, knowing they have a lot to talk about after this weekend. "If you need me to get him from school tomorrow just say the word," he tells them and then he's gone.

Ice creeps down the hall to Bradley's room where Mav is helping him store his costume and get ready for bed. "You're not still sad are you Uncle Mav."

"Not in the least buddy." He tucks Bradley in and kisses his forehead. "I'm really proud of you kiddo. You're growing up too fast on me."

Bradley untucks and crawls into Mav's lap as Ice props up in the doorway to watch. "I'm really glad I can be an a-a-aviator this year," he says around a yawn.

"I know you are B. Your daddy would've loved to seen you as one too."

"I know. I know you miss him and mommy… I do too." He snuggles against Mav's chest. "But I love you and pops and the flyboys and our family."

"Oh kiddo… we love you too, so much." Mav softly kisses Bradley's head as he rocks him side to side. "Sweet dreams baby goose," he whispers, tucking Bradley back in. Ice quietly walks over seeing Bradley's eyes close. He helps Mav tuck him in and then kisses his forehead before following Mav back out the door.

The next week flies by, and before they know it Halloween is upon them, and their house is chaos with all the flyboys waiting on Bradley to get in his costume to go trick or treating. Since they're all on shore leave besides Mav and Ice, they all got into their flight suits at the house while Ice helped Bradley into his. "I'm ready," he shouted once in the living room.

"Picture first," Slider declared. He grabbed Mav's Polaroid and snapped a few before he made all the flyboys bunch up, Bradley in Ice's arms to get a picture of them all. Bradley giggled watching Slider try to bunch them together and use his long arm to snap a picture, and it turned out precious.

They take Bradley around the neighborhood that Mav's off-base house was in, before they went on base. Bradley's costume was a big hit on base, and the flyboys even saw Viper wiping a tear even though no one would call him on it. By the end of the night Bradley was tuckered out and fast asleep on Hollywood's shoulder. They got back to the house and Mav carefully took him while Ice took the candy to the kitchen. They let the guys get anything they wanted knowing there was no way Bradley would eat it all.

Mav carefully changes B out of his flight suit, thanking Ice for thinking ahead and putting his pajamas underneath it, and tucking him in. Bradley murmurs a quiet "love you dad," before he turns over grabbing his stuffed plane and falling right back asleep. It was definitely a successful holiday this year with many more to come.

[pollyna]

post-canon: Slider comes and sits in front of Tom's tombstone everytime he's in town and speaks to him for hours, about everything that happened from the last time he was there to small anecdotes from when they were young. The first time he says you would have hated around here and from the second he starts taking a chair with him because I'm gettin' old Tommy, my back hurts more days than not. He leaves birthday presents and sends stupid Christmas cards to Sarah, just like he used to send to Tom. Sometimes he send them to Mitchell too, even if he knows the other man won't grasp the real meaning of them.

[tngrace]

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My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Baby Goose is an Aviator

Read on A03; Tumblr TG Masterlist.

So I tried my best with Chipper’s helmet. Thanks to a nice anon on here I was pointed to the 1st locker room scene which then led me to notice two helmets on the counter in the background. They were both a pain to see & since we have no idea which one is Chipper’s - or if it’s even his to begin with- I just went with what I could see/what would work. I hope you enjoy this. It was supposed to be all fluff, but there’s some angsty/tug on your heart moments in this. And there’s one spot where Bradley goes on a ramble to Slider and it’s one long run-on sentence because the kid doesn’t take a breath during it. Honestly it drives me crazy being a run-on sentence but I got tired of looking at it, so it is what it is. Anyways overlook that and enjoy the story & Happy Halloween!

Also thanks to my bestie for reading over this for me! Love you Em! @toews-a-peek

The first Halloween after Goose, all the flyboys were still stuck on deployment. Bradley was still too little to understand why mama wasn't feeling up to going all out like normal, but he was happy he still got to go trick or treating even if he didn't get to dress up like Dad and Uncle Mav.

The next year Uncle Mav was the only one in town, but Carole had been sick and stuck in the hospital. The nurses and doctors gave Bradley all the candy he could want, and they even had Mav take him around the different floors, but it just wasn't the same. Uncle Mav and Uncle Ice moved back home permanently, which Bradley loved, even if he missed his mama and daddy. Uncle Ice came over a lot, and Bradley loved when that happened. Uncle Mav was the best but Uncle Ice made everything better. The holidays snuck up on them faster than expected and by some miracle all the flyboys were home to celebrate Halloween.

The weather had been nice for the middle of October when everyone got home on shore leave so they'd taken Bradley to the beach. Ice and Mav were currently sitting under a canopy because Mav still refused to go into the water two and half years later. All the flyboys understood even if Bradley didn't. Slider and Merlin were grilling while Sunny and Chip were arguing over something. Bradley was in the water with Wolfe and Wood having a blast. He was currently perched on Wood's shoulders catching his breath from all the wave jumping they'd been doing.

"Uncle Wood?"

"Yea Baby Goose?" Bradley still giggled a little when any of them called him that, but he was more than used to it after two and half years.

"Why won't Uncle Mav come swim with us?" Mav and Ice neither one were able to explain it to the kid well enough for him to understand, and luckily Bradley missed the look passed between the pilot and RIO since he was perched on said pilot's shoulders.

"Well kiddo sometimes things happen that make things scary to one person that aren't scary to another."

"Yea so it's like how monsters might be scary to you but not to us," Wolfe smiled, but Bradley just gave him a puzzled look.

"Monsters aren't real Uncle Wolfe. Besides, it's just water," he sighs.

Hollywood snorts before sharing another meaningful look with Wolfe. He pulls Bradley off his shoulders and puts him on his hip. He knows the kid is starting to think he's too big to be carried around since he's six now, but they also promised Mav to keep him close in the water. "Kiddo, sometimes things that seem ok to us are scary to someone else. So with Uncle Mav it's water and while we could tell you why, you wouldn't understand right now, and it's something Mav needs to tell you when he's ready."

Bradley sighs but nods. "Ok. Just wish he could have fun like us," he pouts, tugging at Wolfe and Wood's heartstrings. They turn to look at Mav and Ice lounging on towels watching everybody else. They know Ice is the only reason Mav's not panicking about Bradley in the water, but he also looks relaxed for a change.

"I think he is having fun," Wolfe promises, ruffling Bradley's hair. "Now let's talk Halloween costumes," he grins, getting Bradley's mind off Mav for the moment. They all already know that Bradley wants to be an aviator and they're all wearing their flight suits to take him trick-or-treating but they want to hear what all Bradley has to say about it.

Bradley gives them the biggest grin. "I wanna be a-a-aviators like all of you. Uncle Ice already got me a flight suit and helmet. Mav says we can decorate it however I want. But I don't know who's the best at art."

"Slider," Wolfe and Wood say at the same time, making Bradley giggle.

"What have you decided on putting on your helmet?"

Bradley screws his face up like he's thinking extra hard. "I dunno. I wanna be like all of you. Not just one."

"Well let's go see what Uncle Slider thinks. Maybe between the eight of us we can come up with something." Bradley giggles and nods before they toss him back and forth between them as they head up the beach. He wiggles down when they're close to Mav and Ice and he takes off running, collapsing on top of Mav who pretends to be offended that Bradley's getting him all wet. Ice wraps him up in a towel as Bradley talks a mile a minute making sure they saw everything he did.

Slider calls out that the burgers are ready so they all scramble to fix their plates at once. Ice makes Bradley’s for him as Bradley gets chips out for everybody, dropping bags on their towels. “Thanks,” Bradley grins at Ice as he takes his plate. His towel is between Ice and Mav and once everyone is settled Wood brings up the helmet dilemma.

“Baby Goose needs help decorating his helmet for Halloween, Sli.”

“Yea Ice mentioned something about that. Whatcha thinking of putting on it kiddo?”

Bradley swallows his bite before looking between all of them and shrugging. “I dunno. Ice and Mav says we can get patches from Top Gun to put on my suit. But I can’t pick between all of you.” He’s pouting a little because he’s thought about this so much, and he still doesn't know who’s helmet he wants to replicate. He’d do all of them if he could. It tugs on all their hearts because they hate seeing him sad or upset.

Ice ruffles Bradley's hair to get the sad look off his face. "We've told him no one would be mad if he picked just one," Mav says with a shrug since it was obvious Bradley didn't believe them. The flyboys all reaffirm that, but Bradley still doesn't like the idea.

"Alright I'll come over tomorrow and take a look at the helmet, and we'll figure this out. Ok Baby Goose?"

Bradley gives Slider a nod and they finish eating before packing up to head home. Hollywood gives Ice a heads up about their conversation with Bradley in the ocean, and then they all head home for the night.

As promised Slider is at the house at lunch the next day with Ice in tow since it was a night Ice didn't stay over. While none of the flyboys cared what the two got up to, they still played it safe with work rules. Bradley was sitting on the couch waiting on them, helmet and flight suit on the coffee table.

"You took forever," he groaned, throwing himself at Ice first for a hug and then Slider, cracking them both up as Mav came out of the kitchen. He'd made sandwiches for lunch and passed them out while Bradley passed Slider his helmet.

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82 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

#4

Not only were we robbed of everyone in dress whites..... they also didn't have dog tags on during the football scene!

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111 notes - Posted July 21, 2022

#3

Icemav + "Don't use that tone with me, or I'll kiss you."

Ice was sitting behind his desk scanning over the files, glasses perched on the end of his nose. He heard Mav before he saw him as per usual.

"Admiral." Ice could hear the tell tell smirk in Mav's voice, which he chose to ignore. He kept reading over the file until Mav was perched on the edge of his desk. "Oh come on Ice," he practically whined.

Ice lifted his eyes, raking them over Maverick before turning back to his files. "Really? This is how we're doing it?"

"Mmmmm. Have you been by medical?"

Mav sighs as he slips off the desk into the chair across from Ice's desk. "Yes. Was even cleared."

Ice clicks some buttons on his computer and Maverick rolls his eyes. "Hmmmm three broken ribs, bruising, concussion, shall I continue?" He arched his perfect brow, making Mav roll his eyes once more.

"Tom.... I'm ok. We're ok. Bradley is downstairs right now unpacking." Mav moved from the chair back to the corner of the desk. He slowly pushed the files away and slid until he was in Tom's direct line of sight. Tom let out a soft sigh as Mav took his hands in his.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" It came out practically a growl and Mav slid until he practically in Tom’s lap.

"Don't use that tone with me, or I'll kiss you," Mav murmurs, as his hands move up to cradle Tom's face. Tom’s eyes soften and in the next instant he's pulling Mav the rest of the way down kissing him soundly. They slowly break apart, noses still touching.

"Really?" They hear whined from the doorway. Ice slowly turns the chair, not dislodging Mav, as they meet the whiskey brown eyes of their kid.

"When you almost die you always get this privilege kid," Mav smirks, as Ice growls.

"Do not get any ideas Gosling. This is your one and only free pass."

Bradley smirks, so much like Mav, Ice can't be mad. Not when his husband and kid are both back from the mission. "Sure thing Pops. I'm going to order dinner. You two finish up and try not to scar me any more." They both flip him off as his laughter rings through the house.

"I'm glad your both home," Ice murmurs, so relieved the suicide mission turned out to not be a suicide mission and his family is whole once more.

137 notes - Posted October 30, 2022

#2

Migraines

Summary:  Bradley (age 11) gets a migraine at school and has to call Pops (Ice) because Dad (Mav) is on training.

Read on A03; TGM Masterlist

A couple of weekends ago when I wasn't feeling the best, I had the idea for a sick!Bradley fic with Mav!dad. Well when I started writing it, Ice came in and said "Hey, here I am," and now we have Ice taking care of a sick Bradley. It turned out way sweeter than I was expecting and I really like this so I hope you do too. I have another chapter of Letting Go I'm working on as well, but this demanded to be written first.

Any time Mav wasn't at home, Bradley was more anxious than normal. Ever since he'd lost both parents young, he'd been anxious, but Uncle Mav made things better. As long as he could remember Mav was a constant in his life, and after both Goose and Carole passed, Mav was all he had left. Of course he knew of the others in his dad's class; they were all pseudo-uncles in some way, but Mav was the best.

He’d been living with Uncle Mav for two weeks when Uncle Ice moved in. Bradley was six and thought it was great that he got to have two of his favorite people to live with even if he missed his parents. Ice started teaching at TOPGUN, and any time Mav ended up deployed, he was there for Bradley. At six, Bradley didn’t question it. “Mav” became “dad” at seven; but Ice remained Uncle Ice. At eight, he still didn’t question anything even though Ice and Mav stopped hiding things around the house. They made sure Bradley understood that outside of their house and his uncles, they were just friends making do and raising a kid for their friends. At eight and half, “Ice” became “Pops” which the rest of his uncles thought was the greatest thing.

When asked how he came up with “Pops,” Bradley shrugged; “PopUps are his favorite, and he always lets me steal some,” he grins. His point was proven as Ice rejoined his circle of friends with a PopUp that he let Bradley have the first bite of. Slider, Wolf and Hollywood all died laughing to which Ice just scowled at them having heard the tail end of the conversation. At nine, Bradley started having nightmares and headaches. They got him back into therapy and ended up with a prescription for migraines. Mav ended up back at TOPGUN in the hopes that being home more would help Bradley’s stress level.

It took almost six months and lots of talks between the three of them and the therapist, but Bradley seemed to finally be back to himself, and Mav deployed once more. It was rough on Bradley, and most nights he ended up in the bed with Ice to prevent the nightmares, but they made do, and Maverick was back home before they knew it. At eleven, Maverick was assigned to a testing department; he still got to fly, but stayed stateside a whole lot more which seemed to make Bradley happy. Ice was rising through the ranks and they were a happy little family.

Bradley hadn’t had a migraine since right after his tenth birthday, almost a year and a half ago. But that morning when he’d gotten up for school, he hadn’t felt the best. He’d assured Pops he'd be fine because he had a test he couldn’t miss, and while Ice was hesitant to send him, he knew Bradley wouldn’t back down. He gave him some meds to hopefully stave off a headache, but Bradley just looked miserable.

“Call me if you get worse ok?” Ice tells him as he drops him off at school.

“Promise.” Bradley gives him a tentative simple and a hug before climbing out of the Jeep.  “Remember dad will be home soon and everything is ok,” Ice reassures. He’s not sure Bradley is stressing about that, but they always try to reassure him anyway.

“Thanks Pops. Love you,” he says as he closes the door and heads into school.

He made it through his first few periods, his headache steadily getting worse. He knew he should go call Ice, but he wanted to get this test out of the way. The minute he was done with his test, he barely made it to the garbage can in the classroom before he was sick. He hated it, hated that everyone was having to see that. His head was pounding, and he had tears leaking down his cheeks as his teacher rubbed his back in sympathy. He was just glad he at least was in a teacher’s room that he liked. Once he was sure he was done, he headed off to the nurses office, trying not to get sick again from the lights and pain.

His teacher had already alerted the nurse he was coming, so he was thankful when he was able to just collapse straight on the cot. He explained his headache, and was grateful when she dimmed the lights. His head was hurting too bad to remind her to call Ice instead of Mav. He drifted a little once she went out, but her quiet voice brought him right back into wakefulness.

“Bradley, your emergency contact isn’t answering,” the nurse says softly. “Is there anyone else we can call?”

He rolls his head on the cot he’s on, “Who’d you call?” he whispers, trying not to make his head pound anymore. He refused the meds the nurse tried to give him, knowing once he gets home he’ll get what he needs.

“Captain Mitchell. He’s the emergency contact listed.”

Bradley softly snorts, forgetting that the school doesn’t bother to keep up with active duty deployments or training exercises. “He’s training today. You’ll have to call my Uncle Ice. He’s listed on the pickup list. Uh.. Tom I mean.” He always forgets that call signs don’t get listed on the contact list.  

The nurse goes back out, quietly closing the door, but Bradley still groans as his head pounds. He’s not sure why he has a migraine now, but he just wants to go home. The nurse comes back after a few minutes, and quietly lets him know that she was able to reach Tom and he would be there soon. Bradley just grunts softly in acknowledgement and tries to breathe through the splitting pain.

It’s not even ten minutes after the nurse returned, before the door opens once more. Bradley knows the school is close to base, but not that close. He softly snorts as he feels a hand card through his hair; “And you say Mav is reckless,” he whispers barely remembering to not call him dad.

His uncle snorts before helping him up. The nurse is quietly giving Ice the details of the incident that she’d gotten from the teacher while Bradley grabs his bag and the aviators being held out to him. He lets out a soft sigh as he slips them on, and then feels the hand at his back. “You ready?”

He swallows deep, fighting through the nausea at being upright before turning his face into Ice’s chest. “I gotcha kiddo. Just a little bit longer and we’ll be home.” Bradley just nods knowing if he talks he’s going to slip up and say something he shouldn't, so he takes another deep breath before pulling back and following Ice out to the Jeep.

Once settled in the passenger seat he lets out the whimper he was holding in as they walked out. Ice carefully lays the front seat back, before hurrying around and starting the Jeep. He blasts the air on cold knowing it will help the kid keep from throwing up and turns the radio off. “I text dad so he wouldn’t freak out when he saw the school had called,” Ice says quietly.

“Thanks. I guess we forgot to tell them he’d be busy,” he shrugs.

Ice’s hand finds Bradley’s hair and softly runs his fingers through it. “Not on you kiddo. He’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Unless he pisses someone off,” Bradley snorts and then whines as it makes his head throb. Maybe he was more worried about that than he’d thought.

Ice chuckles softly before running a thumb across the frown lines on Bradley’s forehead. He feels guilty that he hadn’t picked up on Bradley’s anxiety at Mav being gone. “He won’t. Knowing you’re not feeling well will have him home in no time.” He makes a note to text Mav that he better come home tomorrow.

They make it to the house without incident, but as soon as the cool air cuts off, Bradley knows he’s going to be sick again. He flings the door open, and stumbles out of the jeep. “Easy, easy, I gotcha,” Ice murmurs, catching him before he face planted in the driveway.

They make it to the grass beside the driveway before Bradley doubles over dry heaving because there was nothing left in him. Ice rubs his back the entire time and whispers words of comfort to him. But the dry heaving and the sun peaking in around the too big aviators are making his headache worse. “Come on Baby Goose, deep breath.”

Bradley takes a couple of exaggerated breaths before gagging some more. Once he’s sure he’s done he lets Ice help him up. “Alright, fastest way upstairs,” Ice murmurs before scooping Bradley up. It’s been a long time since he’s carried the kid, and it's a testament to how bad he feels that he doesn’t protest. “Shower or bed?” he asks, once they’re upstairs near the kid’s rooms.

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160 notes - Posted August 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Baby K

For the lovely @callsign-dragonbaron 💙 enjoy darling 😉 also ignore any medical inaccuracies or anything like that. This is just a soft fluffy fic 😍

You had been with a Tom a little over two years when he'd proposed to you. You'd met while he was at Top Gun, and continued dating once he'd graduated. It was the sweetest proposal ever and you were over the moon. You two agreed on a quick wedding before he had to deploy out again, and before you knew it, you were Mrs. Tom Kazansky. Deployments were hard, but you wrote letters back and forth constantly, and he called every chance he got. Most calls ended with Slider yelling down the phone telling you how sickeningly moping Tom would get later into deployment and how he couldn't wait to get the grumpy bastard gome to you. Honestly you loved your husband's big idiot of a best friend and RIO and truly appreciated him looking out for Tom.

Tom had been home from deployment for two weeks and you'd spent the majority of that two weeks in bed and at your house. Reconnecting was always one of the best parts from deployment in your opinion, and after two years of them, you figured you were the expert on what was best about them.

You'd just gotten up to go fix dinner when his arms snaked around your waist pulling you back into his chest making you giggle.

"Let's go out tonight," he murmurs nipping at your jawline and neck. "Let me show you off. Besides Slider's bugging the hell out of me to catch up."

You turn in his arms linking your hands behind his head. "Hmmm alright. I'll take date night with your best friend."

"You're the best wife ever." He gives you another searing kiss before dragging you to the shower. Dinner with Slider and his girl was always a joyous affair and tonight was no different. At the end of the night the boys gave you both the best gift they could offer; they were taking a teaching stint at Top Gun with Maverick and Goose and would be staying home for the foreseeable future.

Six weeks later you'd be so grateful to have Tom home because while you had not been planning on expanding the family any time soon, you also were a little excited to find out you were expecting.

Thankfully you ended up having an easy pregnancy, and it helped that Tom, and all the flyboys really, doted on you constantly. You were spoiled to no ends with attention and affection, and you didn't even have to lift a finger in putting the nursery together. You just got to sit back and supervise. Slider promised once the baby was here, and you two decided on a theme for the nursery, he would come back and paint anything you wanted on the walls, finally putting all his doodling and art skills to work.

You both had decided not to find out what you were having much to the displeasure of the flyboys. You still ended up with several stuffed planes and toys and a plane mobile for the crib, the boys claiming if you had a baby girl she was gonna be a daddy's girl and would love the planes anyways. You knew your baby was going to be spoiled silly and have all these flyboys wrapped around his or her little fingers.

The day you went into labor was rather eventful. Tom and Ron were in the air doing a hop, so you left a message with Viper who insisted on sending Mav to drive you to the hospital so you weren't alone. He promised to get the other two down and on their way stat. You had everything ready when Mav got there, and you were honestly surprised with how steady and calm he was. Tom had caught a ride with Ron that morning so Mav helped you into the jeep and headed to the hospital.

Tom and Ron ran in not twenty minutes after you'd gotten settled in the room, both still in their flight suits. "You two could've showered and changed." You chuckled when you got twin scowls from them. Tom came over to your side, leaning down giving you a soft kiss, his hand finding your belly and giving it a rub.

"How are you feeling?" He murmurs, his forehead resting against yours as he just breathed you in reassuring himself that you were fine.

"I'm ok. Pain's not too bad yet. They checked me when I got here. Waters already broke and I'm at 6cm. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long." You cradle his face, giving him another reassuring smile and kiss before he slowly pulls back. He pulls a chair close so he stays by your bed and holds your hand.

"We're gonna go call the others. We'll be in the waiting room," Ron assures once he knows you both are good, as he and Mav head out the door.

Labor progresses steadily and as your pain increases, Tom tries to get you to take an epidural, but your fear of needles keeps you from it, insisting you can do this. Turns out you were right, and despite Tom hating seeing you in so much pain, he was also so damn proud of how you handled bringing your baby into the world.

After holding your screaming baby, as the nurses rubbed her off, all your pain was forgotten and tears rolled down your cheeks. Tom’s forehead rested against yours as he watched you two. "It's a girl," he murmurs, before the nurses take her to clean her up. He cradles your face and gives you the longest kiss, wiping your tears. "I'm so fucking proud of you," he whispers.

They bring her back all clean and swaddled up. "Daddy?" The nurse asks, before passing the bundle over to him. You absolutely melt against the bed once the baby is in his arms. She looks so tiny against him, and you wish you had a Polaroid to snap a picture of Tom's face. It's almost identical to the look he had when you walked down the aisle to him to say "I do." His smile takes up almost his whole face and you see his teary eyes.

"She's perfect," he murmurs, sliding onto the edge of your bed, the rest of the world forgotten for the moment. You're exhausted, but you can't take your eyes off him. "Just like her daddy," you tease. He finally lays back beside you when you move around to make room. Your head rests on his shoulder as you watch him softly rubbing her cheek.

Her big blue eyes open and just stare up at him as he softly coos to her. "Hi baby girl. We love you so much." She wiggles around a little and yawns before her eyes close again snuggled over her daddy's heartbeat.

"Think we've decided on a name?" You murmur softly, feeling yourself drifting as well.

"Think so," he whispers back. He softly kisses your forehead. "Gonna show her off to the boys. You rest and I'll be right back."

"Mmmk," you hum. He waits until he's sure you're sleeping before he carefully gets up. He cradles his baby girl protectively before heading out to the waiting room. Slider, Mav, Goose, Carole Bradley, Hollywood and Wolf are all there spread out waiting, Bradley bouncing in Mav's lap as he tries to keep him entertained. Chipper and Sunny are coming down the hallway with an assortment of snacks, picking up their pace when they see him. The flyboys all gather round, softly cooing over the baby.

Tom bends down to let Bradley see once he gets impatient. "Meet Abigail Kennedy," he tells Bradley who just stares at her in awe.

"Woah.... she's tiny," the six year old says softly being careful not to reach out to touch her or anything.

"Yea she is. She's gonna need you to teach her the ways once she's bigger and help look out for her. Think you can do that?"

Bradley nods giving Tom the biggest smile. "Promise Uncle Ice. I'll be her bestest friend."

"I know ya will," he grins as he stands back up. He assures them you're doing well and resting and that they can see you later. Two days later, your little family of three is home. Tom takes a full week off work to stay home with you and Abigail, and the flyboys pop in when they can. You won't say your family is complete just yet, but it feels damn near perfect in this moment.

260 notes - Posted November 4, 2022

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