#the world according to maverick mitchell

[icemankazansky]

hold on, lemme google something real quick.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) version

a thousand thanks to @sith-maul for her wonderful tutorial and template. i learned a lot.

[justabigassnerd]

Making You Proud

Pairing - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x daughter!reader

Word count - 6,671

Warnings - major character deaths, grief, angst, mentions of being shot down, funerals, just a whole lot of sadness okay? bit of fluff at the end

Summary - you lose the one person you thought you'd never lose and have a hard time coping

A/N - hey y'all it's time for a new fic isn't it? this was an anon request that I absolutely loved like I read it and was like 'this is the most angsty thing I've ever read... I love it!' so I really hope I've done the idea justice. I won't ramble but as per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

Growing up, it had just been you and your dad against the world. Your mother hadn’t wanted a baby and so handed you straight over to Maverick almost the second you were born and forfeited any parental rights. You loved your dad; he was the best dad he could possibly be for you. He loved and protected you unconditionally. He also brought his best friend and RIO Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw into your small family along with his wife, Carole and son Bradley who was but a year older than you.

When you were little, you, your dad, Goose and his family all relocated to Miramar after your dad and Goose’s training at Top Gun. The two men were offered permanent positions as instructors at the highly regarded Navy school. They accepted, mostly so they’d have a more permanent place to call home but insisted that they still got to go on occasional deployments since their love for aviation was too much to consider giving it up. So you grew up in Miramar, with Bradley as your best friend and a loving group of people surrounding you, especially with the inclusion of your dad’s Top Gun classmates, Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky and Ron ‘Slider’ Kerner.

Not long after you turned eighteen, your dad and Goose were given a new deployment, according to the brief it wasn’t going to be any longer than a couple of months and with you due to go off to college just after Maverick’s return he was even more determined to get back on time. With you being eighteen, and Carole just down the road if you needed her, Maverick was fully comfortable leaving you in charge of the house while he was gone. He stocked up the fridge before he left and made sure to leave you some extra money for the next food shops you need to do.

“Alright squirt. I’ll see you in a couple of months.” Maverick said with his ever confident smile as you stood on the pier along with all the other families bidding goodbye to their loved ones.

“You’ll be back in time to help me move into college, right?” You ask looking up at your dad as he softens.

“y/n, nothing is going to stop me from being there. I’ll fly back from the carrier if I have to.” Maverick promises, bringing you into a gentle hug and rubbing a hand up and down your back. When you’re released from the hug you move to hug Goose goodbye, throwing your arms around him as Carole and Bradley move to say goodbye to Maverick.

“You’ll look after him for me, won’t you?” You quietly ask Goose, looking up at him as he nods.

“Been doing it for this long and I don’t plan on stopping.” Goose assures, squeezing you in the hug a little before releasing you. You hear the call for all the Navy personnel to begin boarding the carrier and look at your dad who smiles.

“That’s us.” He says, glancing over at Goose who nods, both men picking up their bags and turning to head over to board the carrier.

“Dad, wait!” You call out, rushing over to your dad as he turns back to face you before hugging him tightly, eliciting a small ‘oof’ from him upon impact. Maverick, of course, did not hesitate to hug back, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as well.

“I love you.” You whisper, hugging him a little tighter.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” Maverick replies, a smile on his face as he presses one last kiss to the top of your head before releasing you to join Goose and board the carrier. After keeping you dad in your line of sight until he disappeared into the aircraft carrier, you watched as the carrier pulled out into the ocean and began its journey across the seas. When the families began to disperse, you turned to face Carole and Bradley.

“I say we get some ice cream. On me.” Bradley says with a grin, looking from you to Carole as you roll your eyes jokingly. Getting ice cream after seeing your dad and Goose go out on a deployment became a tradition when you and Bradley were young, and you never wanted to let it go.

“Oh the ice creams are on him, Carole! Is this part of becoming a fancy college kid? Being able to afford ice creams now.” You joke as you follow Bradley and Carole to Goose’s bright blue Bronco. Your words caused a light laugh from Carole while Bradley laughed sarcastically. Bradley had just finished his first year at college and was back home for the summer, he had wanted to join the Navy straight out of high school, but Carole and Goose had urged him to try college first, to see if he finds something he likes more and to just get a degree under his belt in case after he graduates, he can’t pursue a career in the Navy.

“Just remember, you’ll be a fancy college kid in a couple of months.” Bradley grins as he ruffles at your hair, laughing as you swat at his hand, laughing yourself. The three of you climb into the Bronco and Bradley drives to the ice cream parlour you had frequented in your youth.

“How are you feeling about college, sweetie?” Carole asks, her ever soft smile on her face as you eat a spoonful of the small tub of the ice cream.

“A bit nervous. I’m going to be so far away from here. It’ll be weird not seeing everyone.” You confess, glancing down at the table, eyes fixed on a stain that clearly no amount of cleaning would get out.

“You’ll be okay, sweetie. You’ll be able to visit, or we’ll come and visit you. Either way you’ll get to see us. You’ll end up having so much fun anyway.” Carole says, smiling as you nod lightly at her words.

“Trust me, you’ll have a great time. You’ll make so many new friends as well. As long as none of them replace me.” Bradley says, sending you a wink from across the table as you let out a soft laugh.

“I promise none of my new college friends will replace you if you promise none of your college friends can replace me.” You bargain, getting a nod from Bradley instantly as he holds out a hand to shake on a deal.

“Seems we have a deal. None of my friends could hold a candle to you anyway.” Bradley says, smiling at you as you smile back. After finishing your ice creams, you spend the rest of the day spending time with Carole and Bradley before heading home in the evening to get some sleep.

Over the weeks your dad was away, you spent time with Bradley and Carole, as well as spending some time with some of your school friends to make some memories before you all head off to different colleges. You didn’t get much communication with your dad, only getting rare phone calls when he was granted one. But you had been counting down the days on the calendar that sat proudly on the kitchen wall, you’d been crossing off the days as they passed as they inched closer to the day that had ‘DAD HOME’ in bright red letters.

Four days before your dad was due to come home, you received a knock on the door. Thinking it was Bradley, Carole, or one of your friends you turned the tv off and went to the door. However, when you opened the door, you were greeted by two men in Navy uniform, both with solemn expressions on their faces. The smile you had on your face dropped the moment you registered who was stood in front of you. You were staring at Viper and Jester, your dad’s old Top Gun instructors.

“Please tell me he’s just in hospital.” Your voice came out as nothing more than a whisper as you looked up at the two men, eyes quickly becoming cloudy with tears before you blinked them away rapidly, determined not to cry yet.

“May we come in?” Jester asked, watching carefully as you nod, stepping aside and holding the door open wider so the two men can enter before closing the door behind them and leading them into the living room where they urge you to take a seat on the armchair while they perch on the sofa.

“We regret to inform you that your father, Lieutenant Commander Pete Mitchell, was killed in action earlier this morning.” Viper says solemnly, heart breaking as he watches your eyes become teary, bottom lip quickly being clamped down on so it doesn’t wobble. Viper had flown alongside your grandfather in the Vietnam war and saw him get shot down and now he had to report of Pete Mitchell’s death to his daughter.

“How?” Was all you managed to get out as tears begin dribbling down your cheeks and your arms wind around your middle as if you were shielding yourself from further harm.

“They say the bandit came out of nowhere. Your dad was scouting ahead, checking for anything that may come the carrier’s way. Either Goose or Maverick must’ve only spotted it moments before it struck because I was told your father attempted to report something in before his signal cut off. Chipper couldn’t get there in time to save them. By the time he shot the enemy down…” Viper couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence, from what he had been told, the image alone of the jet plummeting into the sea in a fiery blaze was too much for even him to handle, let alone Maverick’s eighteen year old daughter.

“Does that mean that Goose is-” A sob cut you off before you could even finish the sentence you were dreading to ask. After wiping your eyes fiercely with the back of your hand you look back at the men and see Jester nod.

“It happened too fast, neither man made it out. There will be an attempt to recover the bodies but we’re trying not to get too hopeful.” Jester says carefully, watching you carefully as more tears work their way down your cheeks, your eyes squeezing shut momentarily to free the tears that are stuck.

“The Navy will take care of any funeral arrangements and are willing to offer you as much support as you need. You can come by whenever if you’d like to clear your dad’s belongings out or if you’d rather someone else can do it and bring them here.” Viper continues, wanting to make sure you don’t feel like you have too much pressure to figure everything out alone. When he saw Maverick’s next of kin list consisting of only your name, he felt awful. He thought to himself that no kid deserves to go through all this alone. You merely nodded at Viper’s words, unable to form any kind of response.

“Do you have anyone who could come over and be with you right now?” Jester asks cautiously, neither man wanted to leave you alone after receiving news this devastating and wanted to get someone to come and be with you for a while. You didn’t respond to Jester’s words, just silently sobbing and hugging yourself. You couldn’t even bring yourself to begin to think of someone who might want to check in on you. Jester and Viper exchanged a worried look when you couldn’t respond, and they started thinking of anyone who may be able to sit with you and check in on you until two people come to mind.

“What about Iceman and Slider? I know your dad was close with Iceman.” Viper then offers, watching you carefully as you give them the slightest nod, giving Jester the ‘okay’ he needed to find the phone and call Iceman’s number. It broke Jester’s heart to stand near the calendar as he dialled the number, noticing the bright red writing on the date four days from now. His heart broke further when his eyes drifted to a day less than a week after Maverick was due to return with, ‘y/n moves into college!’ written undeniably in Maverick’s handwriting. Jester was suddenly shaken out of his thoughts when he heard the voice of Iceman on the other end of the phone and asked him to come over as quickly as he can, and to bring Slider with him.

In the time it took for Iceman and Slider to come over, you excused yourself to go upstairs to the bathroom and to have a bit of privacy. After splashing your face repeatedly and quickly realising it wasn’t going to help the way you were expecting it to, you decided to slink into your dad’s empty bedroom to let out more tears in private.

When Iceman and Slider got to the house, they had been anticipating seeing Jester at the house but seeing Viper as well, both men donning their uniform, set off warning bells in both Iceman and Slider’s heads. The two entered the house and listened carefully as Viper and Jester explained everything about the accident and the deaths of both Maverick and Goose. Iceman and Slider felt their hearts drop at the news.

“Where’s y/n?” Was the first thing Iceman could muster the courage to say, eyes darting around the room in search of you.

“She went upstairs to the bathroom not long before you two arrived.” Viper says, watching as both Iceman and Slider’s eye’s drift to the hallway where the stairs are.

“Can we check on her?” Slider asks, glancing back at his superiors who nod.

“We’ll leave her in your care for now. We called you both over so she wouldn’t be alone. Keep an eye on her and if we can help in any way, let us know.” Jester then says, both he and Viper making their way over to the door while Iceman and Slider follow them, seeing them off before heading upstairs in search of you. Walking past Maverick’s room, both men paused outside the door when they heard the sound of muffled sobs coming from the other side of the door. Slider gently pushed the door open to reveal you curled up on Maverick’s bed, curled into his pillow as you sobbed into it. Both men exchanged a brief worried glance before entering the room. Both of them perched on the other side of Maverick’s bed gaining your attention the slightest amount as you glanced at them out of the corner of your eye before burying your face further into the pillow, inhaling the faint scent of your dad’s cologne that still clung to the pillow.

“You should go and check on Carole and Bradley.” Was the first thing you said, voice muffled by the pillow and thick with tears, but they heard you regardless.

“No, we’re here to check on you. We don’t want you to be alone right now.” Slider says, shaking his head at your words the moment they left your mouth.

“We’re going to help you through this, okay? You’re not alone.” Iceman said softly, hand reaching to rest on your shoulder as his thumb began to rub soothing circles on your shoulder. Inside, Iceman was screaming. He was having to comfort the daughter of the man he had secretly harboured feelings for, since the moment he saw Maverick in the bar before training officially began. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He wasn’t supposed to be comforting a grieving daughter. He was supposed to be watching Maverick drive with you to your college ready for move in day. He was supposed to finally get the guts to confess how he had really felt after all these years.

“How am I supposed to keep going without him?” You question, another wave of sobs washing over you as Iceman continues to smooth his thumb over your shoulder.

“We’ll help you. You don’t have to be alone.” Slider repeats what Iceman had said just moments prior, doing his best to support you.

You continued to sob and didn’t speak another word to the pilot and RIO duo. You sobbed and sobbed until you cried yourself to sleep, still clinging to Maverick’s pillow. When they had noticed that you had fallen asleep, they exchanged another worried look before Iceman took a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m going to stay. I can’t leave her alone right now. You can head home.” Iceman says, speaking soft enough to not disturb you. Slider nodded lightly, both men standing as Slider grabbed the blanket that lay folded at the end of the bed and carefully draped it over you before the two left the room, heading downstairs and congregating by the front door.

“If you need any help or anything, call me.” Slider says, attempting a gentle smile for his friend but he was sure Iceman could see right through it.

“I will.” Iceman says, patting his friend on the shoulder and watching him leave the house. The second the door closed, Iceman let out a small sigh, eyes drifting back to the stairs before heading into the living room.

When you woke up, at first you were confused as to why you were in your dad’s room but when the memories of a few hours prior returned you were once again holding back sobs, wiping the tear stains from earlier off your cheeks. As you wiped your cheeks, you heard birds singing from their tree branches and you wanted nothing more for them to shut up. How could they be so cheerful when you had just lost the most important person in your life? It was the cruellest irony to have the day be so sunny and cheerful when you had just learnt of this irreplaceable loss.

When your stomach grumbled, giving away your hunger, you debated not even getting up at all. You wanted to just wither away in bed and never see the light of day ever again. Just as you were in the motion of tugging the blanket over your head, Iceman gently pushed the door open, a tray of food in hand.

“y/n/n, I brought you up something to eat, kid.” Iceman says gently, approaching the bedside and setting the tray down on the cleanest of the two beside tables. Why Maverick needed two bedside tables when the room was only occupied by one person, Iceman would never understand.

“’M not hungry, Ice.” You mumble from beneath the blanket, making Iceman sigh lightly and perch on the bed once more.

“I think you should eat something, even if it’s a little.” Iceman gently encourages, watching as you begin to poke your head out of the blanket, looking over at the pilot who offers you a small smile to encourage you out further, like you were a cat he was trying to win over. Before you could reply, your stomach rumbled angrily, giving away your desire for food and Iceman just handed the food over with a raised eyebrow. He watched you like a hawk, making sure you ate.

“I know this is probably not what you want to hear right now but we should probably think about where you’re going to live.” Iceman starts, trying his best to approach the subject. He knew it was better to talk about it now rather than later.

“Where I’m going to live? Here. Dad bought the house if there’s a chance, I get the house I’m keeping it.” You state as if it’s the most obvious answer in the world.

“y/n, you’re going to college in a couple of weeks. Paying for this house would probably be a bit above your pay grade right now. If your dad left the house in your name maybe you could rent the house out to people until you’ve finished college and in a good enough financial place to afford living there. In your breaks from college you can always come to mine if you want. My door will always be open to you.” Iceman says, and deep down you knew he was being logical, but you didn’t want any help. You were sure you’d be able to get through this without the help of Iceman.

“Ice, I’ll figure it out. You don’t need to do this.” There was a slight bite behind your words as you glared over at Iceman.

“But you don’t have to be alone. We want to help you.” Iceman tries to get through to you, not wanting you to feel like you had to do everything alone.

“I’ll be fine Ice. You can go now. Go and check on Carole and Bradley.” You, however, were sticking to your guns and weren’t backing down. Iceman knew you weren’t intentionally being mean. You were going through a lot right now and Iceman was sure he had unintentionally pressed you a bit more than he expected. Respecting your request, Iceman stood from the bed and glanced over his shoulder at you.

“If you need me, I’m just a phone call away.” He says softly before exiting the room, making his way downstairs and leaving the house.

A week later, you were burying an empty casket for your dad. Any attempts to recover Maverick and Goose’s bodies were unsuccessful so you were forced to bury an empty casket. A bunch of Navy personnel had showed up to the funeral, wanting to honour your father. It killed you to see Iceman punch his wingman’s wings into the casket. But the pain was made ten times worse when you were handed a folded flag with a copy of your dad’s dog tags on top. Your dad had given his life for the Navy, and all you got back was a flag. You had slipped the dog tags on as soon as you could. And you let out every tear you had attempted to hold back when you saw the fighter jets flying over in missing man formation. Every step of the funeral was proving to you more and more that you weren’t going to see your dad ever again.

After the funeral, as people began to disperse, most of them made the effort to share their condolences for your loss before moving on. As you glanced around the large military graveyard, you caught sight of Bradley with his arm wound tightly around Carole as she sobbed into his shoulder. You’d seen them at Goose’s funeral a couple of days prior in the same exact position they are now. Like at Goose’s funeral, you couldn’t bring yourself to go over and talk to them, so you just watched them from afar, tears in your eyes as you did. Bradley lifted his gaze and made eye contact with you from across the graveyard and you couldn’t do any more than stare back at him. Talking to Bradley and Carole meant having to remember all the times you’d spend together with them, and your father and you weren’t ready for any of that. Eventually, you tore your gaze away from him when Viper approached you with his condolences and when you looked back, both Bradley and Carole were gone.

A couple of days before you were due to move to college, you had been working hard to ensure everything was ready for when you left. After getting confirmation that your dad had left the house in your name should anything happen to him, you worked closely with an estate agent to put the house up for rent, insisting it doesn’t get sold because once you finished college and got a job you wanted to move back to Miramar and the house. You’d sold some items of furniture and other things you didn’t need but kept most of your dad’s stuff. Anything that wasn’t going to college with you was put into storage until you moved back into the house. You only spoke to one person during this time, and it was to ask Iceman if he could keep an eye on your dad’s beloved motorbike while you were away for four years. You were taking your dad’s car with you, but you couldn’t bear to sell the bike.

As you were packing up some of the last stuff you were taking to college you heard a knock on your door. You didn’t answer it, knowing it was more than likely a member of your dad’s team wanting to wish you well or check in on you. In the days leading up to your departure, you were constantly getting knocks at the door and you didn’t want to see anyone. You just wanted to get out of Miramar and would only get in contact with people when you felt good and ready. You remained silent as there was another knock at the door, when you didn’t answer again, you heard a slight thud as if someone had put something down outside your front door followed by the sounds of footsteps getting further away and the sound of a car pulling away. Curiosity getting the better of you, you crossed to the front door, pulling it open and finding a box sat outside your door.

“What the…?” You muttered to yourself as you picked up the box. It wasn’t heavy, and it felt like there was just a lot of paper or something similar sliding around. You brought the box inside, set it down beside you as you sat on the living room floor and lifted the lid off. On top you found an envelope with your name on it. You recognised the writing instantly to be your dad’s. Only your dad had handwriting that scratchy yet legible. Lifting the envelope out, your eyes were drawn to the pictures below it and you placed the envelope alongside you so you could pick up the pictures. There were pictures of Maverick with Goose, Iceman, and Slider, as well as the rest of his team. Then there was pictures of your dad with you as a baby, as a kid, and as a teenager. Tears filled your eyes as you shuffled through the pictures as you began to realise that this box was filled with stuff your dad must’ve kept in his locker at work. You then noticed patches that must’ve been off his flight suit, and you held them, flipping them over in your hands and running your fingers over the embroidered lettering. After going through the whole box your eyes drifted back to the envelope that sat alongside you and you picked it up, sliding your finger under the sealed flap and easing it open before pulling out the letter inside, opening it carefully and beginning to read.

y/n,

If you’re reading this, then I can only assume the worst has happened and I have died and left you behind.

I’m not the best with words, you know this, but I’ll try here for you. I love you so much squirt. You’ve been the light of my life since I first held you in my arms. I know it’ll seem so hard, but you can get through this kid, I know you can. You’re so strong and I want you to go out there and make me proud like you already do every day. You’ll take this world by a storm I just know it.

I am so sorry for leaving you. Just know I’m with you every step of the way in spirit. I’ll make my presence known, promise.

Show the world what Mitchell’s are made of.

Love,

Dad

You were unaware of the tears that had fallen until you noticed the tear stains on the bottom of the letter, and you were immediately moving the paper away from the line of fire from your tears and wiping your cheeks harshly to get rid of the tears that fell. You then folded the letter up and put it back into the envelope for safe keeping before lying back on the carpet to regain control of your emotions.

When the time came for you to begin the drive to your college. You loaded the car up, sparing one last glance to your house as you closed the door.

“I’ll be back. Promise.” You whisper to the house. It felt weird, promising a house that you’d be back but you had grown up in this house. You wanted to come back to it when you could. It was a way to keep your dad with you a little more. After bidding the house goodbye, you climbed into the car, glancing over at the passenger seat where you’d laid your dad’s jacket proudly over the seat as your hand reached up to the dog tags that sat around your neck.

“I’m going to show them what Mitchell’s are made of, dad.” You whisper, a soft smile on your face as you turn the cars engine on, pulling out of your driveway and beginning the journey to your next step in life.

True to your whispered promise. You showed your college what a Mitchell can do. You aced all your classes, majored in psychology, and graduated with top grades. On graduation day, you looked into the audience of proud parents and wished above all else that your dad could’ve been there to see you graduate. You had no doubt he would’ve been the loudest parent there. You could picture him alongside Goose, Carole, Iceman, Slider, and maybe Bradley as they cheered you on, hugging you once you met with them after the ceremony. Instead you were alone, awkwardly dodging parents and graduates until you decided to just leave the ceremony.

After graduating, you moved back to Miramar, becoming a therapist within the Navy. You served as support for veterans, serving members, and family members of any Navy personnel, serving or retired, alive or dead, you’d provide help the best you could. You even reconnected with Iceman and Slider, apologising for the way you had treated them prior to you moving away but they dismissed your apologies, hugging you tight as they told you how good it was to see you again. You first moved into a small apartment to save up money before you got into a good enough financial place to be able to move back into your childhood home. You visited your dad’s grave at least once a week, filling him in on everything that had happened in that time. Despite everything you had achieved, you often wondered if you made your dad proud.

About twelve years after you graduated and moved back to Miramar, you were still happily working for the Navy. You had just finished a long day of seeing client after client, having particularly been affected by a girl that was brought in by her father after her mother died on a deployment. The girl was a similar age to you when Maverick died so after finishing up for the day you needed to go for a walk around the nearest park to clear your mind. As you stepped out of your office, you saw a person stood outside. The first thing that stood out to you was the man’s Hawaiian shirt, not many people wore shirts like that. When the man looked at you, you could’ve stumbled back in shock, he looked so much like Goose, sandy blond hair, moustache, everything. And when you squinted slightly, you realised who you were looking at.

“Bradley?” You questioned, stepping closer to the man, and stopping when he smiles softly.

“Hey y/n.” He replies, his voice quiet and soft as he watches you. He had grown up so much since you last saw him. He’d filled out with more muscles; he started sporting a moustache like his father’s, but he was still Bradley. You longed to hug him, but you felt you didn’t deserve such a greeting after going no contact with him for so long. Bradley could see the conflict within you and held his arms open, raising an eyebrow with a smile, giving you an invitation that you accept instantly, walking into his outstretched arms and hugging him tight as he winds his arms around you.

“I’m so sorry Bradley.” You whisper against his shoulder, tears stinging at the corner of your eyes as you cling to him.

“Don’t apologise.” He says, resting his chin gently on the top of your head.

“But I stopped talking to you. I never checked in.” You say, squeezing your eyes shut to fight off the tears.

“Hey, communication is a two way street. I could’ve reached out, but I didn’t. I think after what happened with dad there was just too many memories and I backed out any time the thought crossed my mind.” Bradley says, assuring you that there was no bad blood between the two of you. After hugging for what felt like forever, you finally pulled away, smiling up at your old friend.

“How did you find out I worked here? You haven’t been stalking me, have you?” You quip as Bradley lets out a breathy laugh.

“You wish. I’m stationed here now at Top Gun. I completed a mission a week or so ago and it really shook me up and one of my teammates recommended I see you. The second I heard your first name I knew it had to be you.” Bradley explained, his grin never fading.

“So you are a Navy man now. Making Goose proud I bet. Who recommended me? Just out of curiosity.” You ask, wondering which of your clients it could be.

“Hangman. He spoke highly of you.” Bradley said, making your eyes widen slightly.

“Jake’s here too and he hasn’t bothered to come and see me? I have some strong words for him when I next see him.” You had gotten along with Jake well; you were able to see past his strong bravado and help him navigate the loss of a wingman pretty early on in his career in the Navy. The two of you had formed a strong friendship and you tried to check in with him when you could.

“So, you joined the Navy after college. What’s your callsign?” You ask, looking up at Bradley as he takes a breath before speaking.

“Rooster.” He says, watching as you nod.

“It suits you, Rooster.” You say, testing the callsign out.

“Do you want to join me for a walk? If you have stuff to do it’s fine the offer is there though.” You then say, watching as Bradley debates the offer before nodding. You lead Bradley to the park, the two of you chatting the whole way before you settle down alongside each other on a park bench to continue talking.

“How’s Carole? I completely forgot to ask.” You say, the thought hitting you violently.

“Oh… she passed away a year after dad died.” Bradley says and you immediately feel like the worst person on the planet.

“Bradley, I’m so sorry I didn’t know.” You apologise quickly, without even thinking you reach out and give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“It’s okay. She wasn’t doing great after dad died, I thought it was a temporary illness but one day I got a call saying her heart gave out. I think she died of a broken heart.” Bradley says, making tears fill your eyes.

“She’s with Goose now, and the two of them are watching over you and they’re so damn proud of you I just know it.” You say as Bradley smiles over at you.

“They’re with Mav I bet. And I bet he’s so proud of you as well.” Bradley says, his words bringing your smile back to your face.

“You know, the mission we flew the other week, our instructors kept talking about your dad.” Bradley says, making your eyes widen slightly as you watch him.

“Talking about my dad?” You prod gently, wanting answers.

“It was a rough mission. We thought someone wasn’t going to make it home. Our instructors kept talking about how your dad would’ve been a perfect person to teach or lead the mission. No one understood missions like that the way he did.” Bradley explains, making you nod lightly. Your dad had been reckless within the Navy, but he used his recklessness to do what others were afraid of doing, which put him above the others in the Navy.

You continued to talk in the park with Bradley, catching up with him on everything until the sun began its descent over the horizon, the golden glow dancing through the tree leaves.

“I’m glad I found you. It’s been great talking to you again.” Bradley says, his gaze fixed on the glow filtering through the trees.

“It’s been great talking to you again too Bradley.” You reply, smiling over at him and admiring the way the golden glow of the sun illuminated his face perfectly. Had he always been this attractive? Or were you just noticing it now? Before you could get lost in your thoughts, Bradley turned back to you.

“We should probably head home before it gets dark.” Bradley says, eyes drifting back to the sun before looking back at you.

“You’re right.” You mutter, upset that this moment has to end.

“So, where are you living now? I’ll walk you home.” You didn’t expect that response from Bradley, and it had your eyes wide in seconds.

“Bradley you really don’t have to worry about it. I’m not too far from here anyway.” You say but Bradley was on his feet, helping you up and looking down at you with a raised eyebrow.

“I was brought up to be a gentleman so let me walk you home, okay?” Bradley says, his soft expression melting you down in seconds.

“I live exactly where I used to when I was younger.” You say and Bradley’s eyes light up, remembering the house all too well.

“Let’s go!” He says enthusiastically, practically bounding along like a golden retriever as he walks you home. The two of you continue to talk until you end up outside your front door.

“Well this is it. Hasn’t changed much.” You say sheepishly, thumb rubbing your wrist in nervousness as Bradley grins.

“Still a great house. I’d love to come by one day and see what you’ve done with the place if you’d let me.” Bradley says, making you smile softly before a sudden wave of confidence overcomes you, making you hold your hand out.

“Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in and then we can arrange a time for you to come round.” You say and Bradley instantly dug his phone out of his jean pocket and handed it you, waiting as you made yourself a contact and sent yourself a message so you could add Bradley’s number into your phone. When you handed the phone back to him, your fingertips brushed against his and you could’ve sworn you felt sparks travel up your arm.

“Goodnight, y/n.” Bradley says, bidding you goodbye with one last quick hug.

“Goodnight, Bradley.” You reply, releasing him from the hug and watching as he walks down the driveway before entering the house, sending him one final wave when he glanced over his shoulder. As you entered the house, you made yourself something for dinner before heading upstairs to get ready for bed, exhaustion quickly overtaking you as you clambered into bed, looking over at the picture of you and your dad that sat proudly on your bedside table.

“Goodnight dad. I’ve got a hell of a story to tell you when I next visit. I hope I’m making you proud.” You whispered to the photo, your eyes slipping shut as you allowed sleep to take over.

Little did you know, Maverick had been watching over you ever since his death and as you whispered your little mantra of hoping you made him proud every night, he’d always respond with the same thing.

“You make me proud every damn day.”

[mitchellpete]

Kinktober Day 16 - Begging

pairing: pete “maverick” mitchell x f!reader

cw: established relationship, unprotected sex, teasing, begging, penetration

word count: 1623

kinktober masterlist here.

18+ ONLY | MINORS DNI

-

You knew Maverick before your relationship blossomed. You knew the kind of man he was. You had known his peers more, had heard their stories about his arrogance and his ego. That was all before he’d finally approached you one night at the O Club, a smirk on his face like he’d already swept you off your feet from the first hello. It was proven to you instantly, how much of it was true. He had been so sure of himself that night, so convinced he was gonna take you home. And he had. There was nothing you could do to prevent yourself from liking him.

You’d expected your little fling to last maybe a week or two, had it already set in mind that he’d probably play you and then immediately move onto the next girl he laid eyes on at the bar. Or according to Slider, maybe replace you with Iceman, what with all the weird eye contact and all. 

Maverick was good looking; had a sweet, crooked smile and sharp eyebrows and the biggest green eyes. The kind of face that just drew you in. A lot of people looked at him. It wasn’t like he was gonna be yours to keep.

Except he totally was. 

And, as the weeks passed, you came to realize how much of his demeanor was simply a facade. Maybe not entirely, but to a certain extent. 

Frankly, Maverick was just extremely well-guarded. As he told you more and more about his past—years and years of foster care, not getting into the Academy like everybody else, his ongoing grief for the family he’d lost—you understood very well why he behaved the way he did. His defiance was freedom, invincibility. Something he could hold onto. 

He had you now too. 

With you, Maverick was able to let his guard down. Easily. He confided in you in ways you wouldn’t expect. He preferred your company over the San Diego nightlife. Skipped out on volleyball games and nights out drinking to cuddle on the couch watching shitty rentals and eating pizza with you. Simplicity went a long way for him, and you quickly grew accustomed to that side of him.

Maverick was still Maverick, however. Unfolding himself for you didn’t mean that that mischievous little glint ever left his eye, nor did it mean he’d let you off the hook when it came to his games. He was the sweetest, most attentive boyfriend in the world, and somehow the most frustrating, too.

It’s almost humiliating, how desperate you get under his touch. He relishes in the excitement that courses through him every time you murmur a please. In fact, he loves it so much that he’s made it tonight’s little game; he’s not gonna touch you unless you beg him. Out loud, everything you want him to do to you. You nearly doubled over and groaned in frustration at his stupid demand. Maverick simply grinned at your exasperation. 

“I’m not begging,” you retort. “That’s humiliating.”

Maverick tsks with a slight tilt of his head. Theatrical. Toying with you. “Looks like we got naked for nothing, then.”

Unbelievable. 

Your clothes are indeed discarded on your floor. Maverick pretends to reach down to grab his shirt, and you stop him. Pulling his arm, you manage to roll him towards you. He hovers over you, a tantalizing smirk on his face. 

You pout and try to bat your lashes at him, hoping he takes pity on you. 

“You want me to pass you your clothes, dear?” he mocks instead, ignoring your pleading face. He wants words. 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” you groan. “Maverick, please.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Please what?”

Your hand wraps around the back of his neck, and you eagerly pull him down for a heated kiss. He lets you, moving his lips against yours with enthusiasm that only deepens your desire for him. You almost think you’ve got him as the kiss escalates, lips turning into mouth and tongue and teeth too. You’re wrong though, your eyes opening mid kiss when you feel the fabric of his shirt against your bare torso. He’d reached for it in the midst of the kiss, bunched it in his fist so that you’d feel it and then feel compelled to actually fucking beg before he pulled away to slip it on.

You push at his chest, lips disconnecting. “Maverick,” you whine, reaching for the shirt. 

He grins again, moves it out of your reach as you squirm around trying to grab it. 

You reach and reach and he moves it, up above your heads, to the side beyond your grasp. “Can you—stop it!” 

He tosses it to the ground again, leans down closer to you. “All you have to do is tell me what you want.”

You stare at him. Fuck. 

Fine.

“Please,” you whisper. “I want you to fuck me.”

You watch the intrigue in his eyes. He responds at an equally soft volume, “How bad?”

Your desire pools in between your legs, a small buzz beginning in the pit of your stomach. “Badly. Now.”

Maverick complies immediately, arm reaching in between your bodies to grab his cock in his fist. He squeezes around himself, groaning slightly at the feeling. Your hands gently cling onto his arms, but your nails dig into his biceps when he rubs the tip against the slick of your folds.

“Tell me again,” he hisses.

“Please,” you reiterate. “I need you now.”

“Hm.” He shifts to his knees, palms on either side of you, dog tags dangling above your face. He reaches down to stroke himself a few more times before aiming his dick against you again, pushing in slightly with a shallow thrust of his hips. 

You groan, eyes closed, feeling him stretch you open just an inch. 

You expect the sting to increase—there hadn’t been much foreplay, which was fine; you were aching for one another—but it doesn’t come. You open your eyes to the sight of him staring down at you, lips parted in shallow pants. Waiting. 

You exhale, frustrated. “Fuck me.”

Another shallow thrust of his hips, stretching you a bit more. He halts again, his other palm returning to the mattress on the other side of you. 

The buzz inside of you heightens, your breathing growing heavy. “Maverick, please. Please.”

Content with your pleading, he moans, allowing himself inside of you another inch. You can’t wrap your head around his persistence; how he’d gladly deny himself just to toy with you. He’s aching to fuck you hard into the mattress, but he’s taking his sweet time instead just to hear you beg. 

“Please, please,” you murmur under your breath, both hands squeezing around his arms. 

“Okay. Okay, sweetheart,” he breathes, pushing his hips forward in a swift motion to bury himself inside you entirely. 

You cry out, nails digging into the flesh of his arms again. “Oh, fuck.”

He leans down to capture your mouth in his, kissing you languidly as his hips meet yours. You inadvertently grab at his dog tags, keeping him close even when he pulls apart. Forehead to forehead, he hisses again, your tight heat enveloping him sweetly. Your legs come up around his waist to trap him there, to make sure he doesn’t back away and torture you further, but you realize he still wants to hear you when he remains situated inside of you, unmoving.

“You want it?” he asks.

“Yes,” you gasp, hips sputtering. An attempt to feel him move. “So bad.”

He moves slightly, eliciting a little happy sigh from you. Your body feels frozen from his relaxed, unhurried pace, and anything, any movement, feels like a burst of flames inside of you. 

It sparks a restless urge in you, and you suddenly remember his demand to know your every want. How that alone will fulfill you.

“Need you to cum inside me,” you blurt out, strained and shaky, back arching off the bed.

Maverick moans, your words edging him on, and he responds with a sharp slam of his hips. 

That does it, and he can hardly hold back anymore. Sudden hard thrusts take you by surprise, your heels digging into his lower back as he makes it his mission to give you what you’ve asked for.

You cry out again, and more and more as he fucks into you with the fervor he’d been holding back all along. He’s got his own limits, after all. 

He leans down entirely at one point, off his palms and onto his forearms instead to cup your head in his arms and kiss you. His mouth is sweet against yours, tongue prying at your lips to slip inside. His tongue against yours only adds to the overwhelming parcel of sensations coursing through your body. 

When he feels himself close to the edge, he grunts against your mouth. “Where?” he pants. “Where do you want it?”

He knows. He just wants to hear you say it again.

You whine, loud and unstable. “Nngh—inside,” you wail. “Please.”

Maverick’s sounds get stuck in his throat, and the sight of his flushed, dazed face pushes you over. It’s when he cums too that a string of repeated moans and whines spill next to your ear, intensifying your orgasm. It’s shaky and feels incredibly overdue, your body releasing tons and tons of tension from the torturous prolongment. 

Your throat almost feels dry from having begged and cried for him, but the glowy aftermath leaves you content. 

Maverick eventually pulls out, his release dripping out of you. He takes a 2 minute breather, collapsed beside you with an arm thrown over your waist, and then gets up to clean you up. 

You smile warmly. You love both sides of him.

[snonkerdoodlewritesstuff]

my fic for @benthan-week-forever! uh. wait that did not come out the way it was supposed to. benthan week 2024. that's what this is for. hello peeples

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply Category: M/M Fandom: Mission: Impossible (Movies) Relationship: Benji Dunn/Ethan Hunt Characters: Benji Dunn, Ethan Hunt, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (mentioned) Additional Tags: Ethan Hunt and Pete "Maverick" Mitchell are Related, Chronic Pain, Hurt Ethan Hunt, Soft Ethan Hunt, stickshift cars, they suck and are bad for car chases according to me so HA take that IMF, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Whump, Self-Hatred, chat this is literally all i can come up with rn, so if there is anything else you want to see here please tell me in the comments, thank you, Post-Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), Not Beta Read Language: English Collections: Benthan Week 2024 Published: 2024-08-12 Words: 3,334 Chapters: 1/1

Summary:

Ah.

It was going to be one of those days, then.

Or,

Ethan’s back is bothering him. Benji is there to help.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hi do you know any space western ttrpgs? Preferably those that let me play aliens.

THEME: Space Westerns

Hello there! The following games can all be classified as Space Westerns, although I don’t think there are any with specific rules that provide different options according to your chosen alien species. However, I don’t think there’s anything that specifically excludes you from being able to play as an alien either.

Vultures, by Batts.

Vultures is a game that puts players in the position of bounty hunters in a post-mecha world, hunting down the rogue pilots and soldiers that refuse to turn in their license and submit to the new Space Mom mega hegemony. The universe and its people are shaped by Before, the war where massive war machines, sinister warminds, and the mechs that walked the stars, caused massive, planet-wide destruction and left the universe in a mess of mecha wreckage.

How long before you make a choice?

How long before you rebel?

This game functions on a simple, sturdy background. Roll d20 and try to get over 10. You build your character out of skills, a background, and develop them with relationships, each adding bonuses to your rolls.

Vultures combines an unforgiving authority with a light-hearted tone. Character have only 1 health and are under the constant watchful eye of Space Mother, but stepping in to help out a friend is always rewarded and players have the ability to gain Luck, which downgrades what could be potentially lethal harm. Your job is to hunt down those nasty rebels and deserters who keep getting in the way of total hegemony, which will take you across a galaxy dotted with the bones of the mechs that tore the galaxy apart. A Hegemony implies the governance over many entities, so there’s plausible argument for the inclusion of alien species, even if there’s no acknowledgement of them in the game text.

I cannot over-recommend the use Safety Tools for Vultures, as it can confront a lot of themes around war and authoritarianism, but once your table has achieved a common ground, it can tell a very compelling story.

Outlaw’s Gamble, by Mitchell Daily.

Go on daring adventures, brave the darkest corners of the Wide Open Sky, evade the Sheriffs, and break the Fundamental Laws of the Universe with reality-warping abilities.

In Outlaw's Gamble you play as Outlaws (it's in the name after all) who go far beyond breaking mortal laws and break the very laws of reality itself, seizing upon great power in the process. But wherever there are laws, there are those who enforce it. Using your powers can mean great gains but draws the attention of the Law itself and the Sheriffs that serve it: the River, the Mountain, the Canyon, the Desert, and the Grave. 

Outlaw's Gamble is played with a deck of playing cards. Challenges can be resolved quickly with a high-card wins system or the stakes can be raised with wagers and poker hands. The poker-style way of resolving conflict is probably one of the most obvious nods to the space-western genre. If what you like about Westerns is the mythology of dangerous mavericks, beholden to no-one and always operating outside the law, you might want to check out this game.

WildSpace, by TheChaya.

Wildspace is a role-playing game in which players explore the galaxy, investigate ancient secrets, outwit enemies and get rich doing so.

Wildspace is an Old-School Renaissance-adjacent game about post-apocalyptic wild west-themed adventure in the far future. Take on the role of diverse characters in their journey for fame and fortune across the endless space frontier. 

Your characters are built up of a number of different pieces: stats, specializations, known languages, and character class. The languages available here tell me that there is definitely alien species involved in this world - it’s just that your species doesn’t define what you can do. This is also a game with a heavy list of inventory, including special powers and tech. So if you like kit-bashing pieces together to make a unique character who’s just trying to make their way in this wild, wild galaxy, this might be the game for you. 

Space Bounty Blues, by The Nerdy Paper Games of Rob Hebert.

A GM-less, planet-hopping, neo-noir RPG for 3-6 people inspired by the greatest sci-fi bounty hunter anime of all time.

It’s the turn of the 25th century, and humanity has spread throughout the Inner System, a network of colony clusters connected by Transit Gates that make faster-than-light space travel possible. Of course, anywhere people go, crime goes with ‘em. And when you can blow jurisdictions at the punch of a hyperdrive, The Man just can’t keep pace. That’s where bounty hunters like you and the rest of your crew come in, with a license to run down and arrest the System’s Most Wanted throughout all six colony clusters.

But remember: this ain’t some license to kill; you only get paid if you hand over a bounty that’s still breathing.

Space Bounty Blues has three traits: Hard, Sharp, and Smooth. You get +1 in one, -1 in another, and 0 in the last. Each character also gains an Edge and a Trouble: your Edge gives you +1 to all relevant rolls, while your Trouble is a problem you just can’t shake. Space Bounty Blues is GM-less, using an online generator (and your own brain) to generate plot details that the group will tackle together.

This game carries elements of inventory keeping, and characters collect scars that can take them out of the game, but you won’t find long lists of equipment or a map that you crawl across, conquering traps and minor obstacles. Finally, the spotlight is meant to move from one character to another, and while each player moves through their “solo”, the rest of the group play NPCs. If you’re looking for a game that guarantees your character will stand out, you might want to look at Space Bounty Blues.

Marine Ice Cattle Drive, by Evey Lockhart.

On a frozen planet, underneath a dim, pink sun, lumbering ice-cows dive and graze in beautiful lavender bays. Heavily bundled cowhands keep careful watch, counting the dangerous minutes until their meagre payday. 

All the while rich assholes, who never get closer to the work than orbit, just get richer.  The more cowhands that don't make it off the Ice Ball, well, the less the bosses have pay.

Marine Ice Cattle Drive is a 20 page, colorful zine, outlining a new Sphere and Adventure for Troika! the scifantasy ttrpg. Available in both a heavily illustrated .pdf format as well as epub!

Because this is an adventure designed for Troika, I can see this as being the most likely option that allows you to play some sort of alien - Troika is a game about multiverses and various different worlds (called spheres), so it makes perfect sense that your alien buckaroo is getting in on this dangerous, freezing space ranch adventure. While this is an adventure, not a stand-alone setting, you could probably take a lot of pieces from this sphere to make your own story.

Orbital Blues, by Soul Muppet Publishing.

This is the rock and roll future of yesteryear that never was—and nobody wanted.  It is an intergalactic age of cowboys, outlaws and bandits playing on an interstellar stage. It is a time of hyper-capitalism and a cut-throat gig economy. Unreliable trash-heaps carry scrappy underdogs to their next gig, and corporation freighters lumber across the horizon laden with an empire’s bounty.

These are the music-fuelled, moon-age daydreams of a rebel space age. These are your ORBITAL BLUES.

ORBITAL BLUES is a lo-fi space western roleplaying game from SoulMuppet Publishing, written by Sam Sleney & Zachary Cox.  A roleplaying love-letter to off-beat sci-fi, vintage music, and cooperative old-school styled roleplay, Orbital Blues allows you to play out rules-light tabletop adventures in the style of space westerns such as Cowboy Bebop, Firefly and Guardians of the Galaxy

Characters of Orbital Blues are centred about their personalities, their quirks, what they want and what they can do. There’s also a pretty palpable homage to Cowboy Bebop, similar to Space Bounty Blues. With most of these games, the feel of a space western has more to do with the people who make up a crew - and it emphasizes that your crew is a rag-tag bunch of misfits, unable to find a place in the honest economy of a larger galaxy. What Orbital Blues brings to the table is a critically-acclaimed system of Troubles - problems the characters struggle with that help each character define and explore a narrative arc. As a result, there’s also some fascinating third-party content that provides add-ons and adventures for your players. If you’re on the fence about this game, you can check out the Quickstart/Playtest, released by Soul Muppet for folks who want to try before they buy.

Additionally...

If you want more options, I also recommend checking out the submissions to the Space Western Summer Jam on Itch.io, from 2021!

[missathlete31]

Nowhere To Run- Chapter 3

Hangman was never going to be able to leave Top Gun completely unscathed right?

Chapter 1- https://www.tumblr.com/missathlete31/711886634060300288/nowhere-to-run-chapter-1

Chapter 2- https://www.tumblr.com/missathlete31/712038701885177856/nowhere-to-run-chapter-2

(WARNING- This chapter is just as dramatic and apparently "Hangman loving". If that's not your thing, please just don't read. I really don't need anymore ANON messages about how stupid this story is.....

Three days after his confrontation with Maverick and Rooster, Hangman was alone in his base apartment, packing up the last of his stuff and preparing to leave. It wasn’t much, Jake never really bothered to collect the trinkets and knick-knacks that some of his teammates did, but he could be a bit meticulous when it came to his packing; everything needing to be folded, neat and orderly and in their proper place so he gave himself plenty of time.

He was packing because Admiral Simpson had pulled through, getting the paper work all sorted and a flight out to Pearl was set up for Jake this evening. After he landed he had about an hour before another transport was taking off, getting Hangman back on the carrier with the rest of the Vigilantes by the next morning, ready to begin scouting missions by that afternoon.

The prospect of being back on deployment was both reassuring and bittersweet for Jake. He craved the order of carrier deployment; the instructions, the discipline and the almost monotony of the days. He excelled in situations like that, the lack of family or any person beside Coyote who gave a damn about him making Jake survive the long months easier than he did when he was back stateside. At least on the carrier he could pretend he had something to go home to.

However this time around leaving also provided the pilot some sadness. Now that he had declined the position with the Daggers he was allowed to stand down for the past 72 hours, giving the young man a chance to enjoy North Island and San Diego without the shadow of a suicide mission or team tensions. Jake spent his time running along the beach, relishing in the sunshine, and doing touristy things he normally wouldn’t have time for. He and Javy took an afternoon to walk the world famous San Diego zoo, acting like goofy teenagers as they checked out all the exhibits and compared the attractiveness of some of the grizzlier animals to unfortunate CO’s and instructors that they had suffered through since flight school.

It was the most relaxed Jake could remember being in a long time but like all good things in his life, he knew it had a cessation date. He was leaving once more and just like Hangman, Coyote had his own shipping out orders for a few days after the blonde. Although it wasn’t with the Dagger Squad.

Javy had confirmed Natasha’s words from the other day. After Hangman’s outburst, and Bradshaw’s storm out that Mitchell chased after him for, a lot of the Daggers changed their mind about making it a permanent squad, Javy being one of them. Coyote, Omaha, and Halo were heading to Lemoore within a week, Harvard and Yale heading to the East Coast a few days after. Phoenix had not rescinded her acceptance, in a move that disappointed Jake but didn’t surprise him. The person who did though was none other than Baby-On-Board Floyd. Bob had been the first after Jake to back out of the Dagger squad, the bespectacled man already back with his crew since yesterday. Jake was lucky to have caught him before he left, the two men shaking hands and wishing the other well. It wasn't quite a friendship between them but at least an understanding. Jake hoped he got the chance to fly with Bob again, and he knew he wasn’t the only one. According to Javy, Nat had been crushed when her back-seater bailed. Jake had thought about reaching out to Phoenix to console her but ultimately chickened out, not wanting to deal with the woman's wrath again so soon since the last time (even if they had ended up on fairly better terms).

Jake ended his musings and caught a glance at the time, cursing himself when he noticed he was a few minutes behind to meet Javy for a late breakfast. It was going to be the last time the duo saw each other for a few months, Hangman leaving in just a few short hours. Though Jake knew they would be texting and calling whenever they got a moment, nothing ever compared to being in the same room as his best friend; their years of history and familiarity breaking down the walls Hangman usually kept around others. Javy was his brother.

He arrived at the diner and hurried inside, not surprised to see it virtually empty. It wasn’t the most popular location despite its closeness to base. Coyote claimed it was because they didn’t use real edible ingredients in their food but Jake, who grew up on Mac and Cheese, Chef Boyardee and whatever else he could manage to make when his parents forgot to feed him, actually liked it. Javy usually stuck with coffee and toast.

He approached the booth and saw just that, Javy munching on some bread as he scrolled through his phone. When he noticed Jake he instantly smiled, his eyes crinkling, “thought you were standing me up there Seresin, got a little worried.”

“Me? Stand you up?” Jake jeered back, “never.”

Coyote waved a dismissive hand playfully, “Eh, I bet you tell all your other best friends that.”

The blonde shrugged into the booth chair, sliding to the middle to be across from his friend, “nah just the top 100 or so.” He smiled as Coyote barked out a laugh, loud and boisterous just like his personality. When he settled once more, Javy motioned to the other coffee cup and the silverware waiting, “Got you a coffee, and ordered you some of those monstrosities you consider eggs and sausage. Should be out any minute.”

“You spoil me” Jake deadpanned but his own smile brightened.

“Don’t forget it” Javy chided watching as Jake took a sip of his drink and inhaled the sweet smell of the caffeine. A haggard waitress appeared, banging Jake’s plate of breakfast to the tabletop with not a word of preamble. “Thank you Ma’am” Jake flashed a sweet smile but the older woman just rolled her eyes and moved back towards the kitchen desponded. Undeterred the blonde reached for his fork and started to shovel in his eggs, ignoring the disgusted look of his best friend as he watched. “Mmm” Jake’s shoulders relaxed as he exhaled almost obscenely, “I’m gonna miss this place” he shared reverently.

Coyote’s nose twitched in offense, “okay first off ew, and second, that’s just strange man, considering I’m pretty sure those sausages were cooked in leftover jet fuel.” He motioned to the offending food, the linked sausages looking suspiciously well-done, and with a weird blackened liquid glistening on top of them, “They look like they are made of tar.”

Jake tore his eyes away from his food long enough to roll them, “You’re just jealous” he squabbled before taking a link and moaning, “oh yeah” he murmured.

The other man laughed again, “Right, I’ll be super jealous when you’re shitting rivets.”

Jake smirked, enjoying the camaraderie and banter that only came when he was with his best friend. It was just so easy around Javy, so peaceful; Jake able to be his true authentic self without concern or self-consciousness. The two continued their breakfast, chatting lightly about nonsense until their plates where cleared and Jake assumed they would head out. However instead of asking for the check Javy asked for a coffee refill for each of them clearly indicating he wasn’t quite ready to end their outing just yet.

Assuming he was trying to soak up the most time he could with his friend before Jake’s flight later in the day, Hangman thought nothing of it, turning instead to watch the stragglers out on the sidewalk as Mo, the disgruntled waitress refilled each of their mugs.

Once Mo left them with another bordering sigh of hatred, Jake turned back to Javy and watched as his best friend’s shoulder hitched slightly as though he were uncomfortable. Immediately Hangman felt his guard going up, concern lacing his features as he stared his friend down. “What is it?” Jake asked, always able to read the man across from him and knowing Javy could play the silence game for a long damn time.

The other man squirmed a little in the booth, playing with a few sweet and low packets, and balancing them against each other like a teepee, “so you know how I told you most of the Daggers ended up quitting the squad after the big blow out?”

“Yeah” Jake nodded, remembering how Javy had found him the night after the confrontation. Jake was sitting up in his apartment watching the TV when Coyote had explained about how some of the others had been talking and withdrawn their acceptances. Jake, who had already been feeling the confliction that only time gives a person after such a major decision, had turned almost grey at the news. His eyes turned wide and a bit lost; the guilt and insecurity drowning him. Luckily Javy was a true friend, spending the night with Jake and watching trashy shows and sports until the blonde was able to look up and meet his best friend's eye instead of the endless apologies he had been uttering about Coyote losing his chance at the posting of a lifetime.

Jake snapped back to reality as he watched Javy's face contort across from him. The other man was clearly worried about how his next few words would be received. Hangman, who patience was never his best quality, leaned forward, "what is it Javy?"

"It’s Payback" the other pilot finally shared, still uneasy as he added some more sweet and lows around his original triangle. “He’s out.”

Jake didn’t fully comprehend, his eyes watching Coyote’s hands playing while his mind tried to wrap around his words, “Out of what? The Daggers?”

“Yeah kinda,“ Javy frowned, clearly struggling to find the right words, “don’t freak out or anything but he’s not just turning down the Dagger Squad, he’s not reenlisting.”

“What!”

Javy’s voice tried to appear nonchalant but it was clear he thought it was a bigger deal as well. “He decided not to re-enlist, once his two months are done he's out.”

Jake shook his head, not believing the words he was hearing. “No way man, he wouldn't. He's not going to leave Mickey like that.”

The other man shrugged, “Well I don't know about Fanboy but Payback's leaving.” He knocked down his sugar packet fortress and moved to make it again, his fingers continually moving as they always did when he was talking about things he didn’t want to. “He told me this morning when I saw him at the gym. Said it was all pretty much settled.”

"Seriously? You're not shitting with me right?"

Javy looked un-amused, his eyebrow raised in a challenge, "I wouldn't joke about something like that, ya dick."

"You would but- ow" Jake felt Coyote's leg hit him solidly under the table, and he flinched at the sting, "fine,” he admitted, “yeah, you wouldn't kid like that." Hangman looked down at the table, cupping his coffee mug tightly in his left hand, “Shit he’s really done?” he looked back at the darker skinned man, “like done-done?”

“Done-done” Javy confirmed, “already sent the paper work through Cyclone, who probably also hates you for forcing all this additional secretarial duties across his desk-“

“He should hate me, this is all my fault.”

His best friend grimaced, concern in his dark eyes when his joke didn’t land, “hey man- come on, I was trying to kid-“

“No” the blonde stated as thought it were undeniable, “it’s true. I destroyed the most elite squad the Navy’s ever seen, forced Admiral Simpson to have more work after he went to bat for me how many times and now Payback is quitting- shit-“

Javy’s hands stopped playing with the sugar to focus on his best friend, “okay first off” he held up his pointer finger, “you didn’t do anything except stand up for yourself and your opinions, which were right by the way. Second” he added the middle digit, “Screw Simpson and his paperwork, the man gave me latrine duty that time that my shirt was un-tucked” the man lamented, “and it was after chili day" he shuddered from the memory, "I hope the asshole got a paper cut that stings like a bitch.” Javy felt a bit of vindication when he noticed Jake’s lips twitch with a smile, “And third,” another finger was added to the other two, “Payback is a grown man, you don’t know what his reasoning was.”

“But he had already agreed to be on the squad,” Jake grumbled, “then he hears me say all that crap about how Rooster could have killed him seven different ways and he drops. What else could it be from? I should have kept my mouth shut. Shit I ruin everything.”

Javy’s face morphed into the perfect mix of exasperation, worry and fondness that he had trademarked just for his best friend. He lowered his chin a little to try to meet Hangman's eyes, “Jake, you can’t blame yourself. Nothing you said in that room was wrong and you know it.”

“I know” and Jake did. He was right in his convictions, he knew that, but his mind continually tried to make things more complicated for the 32 year old. He shook himself, “Payback is a great pilot, he can’t just quit.”

“It’s not quitting, he’s done more than his fair share of service-“

“I know, I just” Jake ran a hand through his blonde hair, “I think I should talk to him.”

Javy shrugged, “I don’t think you’re going to change his mind.”

“Maybe not” he reasoned, “but I need to say something. This is on me man, no matter what you try to say.”

Coyote sighed deeply, clearly annoyed by the martyr-ism of his companion, “fine” the man conceded, “he was hanging out on base for the day. I’ll drive you over now” he told him, signaling the waitress for the check.

Jake felt a twinge of guilt, realizing he was cutting his time with his best friend short. Coyote however, always a mind reader when it came to Jake Seresin, just scoffed, and rolled his eyes, “you can make up for it by buying me some McDonald’s breakfast on the way, I’m still hungry.”

“Why didn’t you finish your toast?”

“That toast was moldy dude, I’d prefer not to end up puking my guts out later.”

It was Hangman’s turn to bristle, as they both left some cash on the table and headed for the exit, “mold adds flavor” he offered with a laugh, “and besides, I’ve watched you put a lot worse in that stomach over the years.” It earned him a kick to the back of his leg, Jake almost tripping, but both men were smiling brightly as they passed their waitress, her scowl making them lose it with their chuckles even more.

After a quick bit stop at McDonald’s Javy dropped Jake off at base to find Reuben. Hangman checked the gym and weight room first but found it surprisingly empty, then headed to a few lecture rooms and the mess hall but still couldn’t find the other pilot. He was about to give up hope when he noticed a figure about a quarter mile out running the old tarmacs, the size and coloring matching Payback’s description, and the course one of the man’s favorites. Though he was dressed in a regular t-shirt and jeans, Jake hurried outside and ran to catch up. Sprinting the last few meters, Jake reached a hand out to Reuben’s shoulder, startling the runnner and almost earning Jake a hit to the face when the taller man turned around swinging.

“Hangman?” Payback questioned, surprise clear on his face and in his tone, “what the hell are you doing out here?”

“Can we talk?” Jake gasped out, a little winded from his full on sprint. He ran a hand through his hair self-consciously, inwardly wincing when the other man didn’t answer right away. Payback's head tilted to the side, sizing up Jake's disheveled appearance with an unreadable expression. He looked to take pity on the man though as he motioned back towards the base with a nod, "I figured this was coming” the man shared knowingly, “come on" he urged leading them both back inside.

Jake followed wordlessly, waiting until they made it all the way back to the ready room a few minutes later and taking a seat on his normal armchair. Reuben, grabbing a water bottle and swallowing a long swig, moved for the couch. They both sat silently for a moment before Jake, always eager to get the first word even if it's an apology, cleared his throat. "Look I- um, I wanted to say-"

"It's not your fault."

The blonde pilot's eyes shot up quickly, "what?"

"I said" Payback spoke slower, annunciating each word, "that it’s not your fault.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say” Hangman moved to argue, not liking being thrown off his game, “I wanted to-“

“Apologize?” and the other man seemed to have the edge of an amused smile on his lips, “because you heard from Javy that I’m not re-enlisting and now that little Hangman brain of yours think that it’s your fault.”

“Well it is-“

“No” Reuben shook his head, his expression mildly fond, “it’s not. My decision was made because it’s what I wanted, not anyone else.”

Jake refused to listen to such nonsense, "How can that be true” he questioned, “When you had just signed on to be a part of the most elite squadron the Navy could offer?”

The other man merely hummed, “Maybe I didn't really want to join?" he offered as way of explanation, stealing another sip of water, “ever think of that?”

Jake’s eyes shot up, "Wait what? You didn't?"

Reuben shrugged, "I was on the fence about it from the very start. I know it's not the best reasoning, but I really just didn't want to be the lone holdout” at the look from the man across from him Payback raised a hand in acquiescence. “Don't get me wrong” he amended, “I love to fly and being with that squadron meant the chance at opportunities I might never have anywhere else, but" he looked down at his left hand where in a few short months Jake knew a wedding band would be, "it also means danger, it means sacrifice. It means that one day if I'm lucky enough to bring children into this world with Jackie, I might leave them all."

It was more than a sound argument but Jake still couldn’t help but feel dreadful for how he reacted in the hangar, “I’m sorry though” the blonde offered in consideration, “for what I said. I kinda threw you under the bus out there the other day.”

“No” Payback disagreed, “you used me as an example and technically you weren’t wrong.” He met Jake’s eyes, “The night after we docked, after all the parties, I couldn’t stop thinking about it all, how close it had been for all of us. It" the older man closed his eyes, "It was too close.” He opened them again to see Jake still staring, “your words drove the point a little more home but it was more your actions.”

"I'm sorry I didn’t mean to make it worse for you" Jake cut in once more but he was waved off. “You didn't” Reuben reasoned easily enough, “All you did was say no to the squad. It showed me that I could too and then I just kept thinking it over. I realized I want to be home with my fiancé, I want to start a family, and I want to be there for them.”

“What about Mickey?”

Payback smiled warmly, “I served with Fanboy for three years, and he’s a great back-seater, but he still wants to fly. He’s young; he’s still got things to prove” the look he sent Jake’s way was telling, “I know a lot of you feel that way. I did too for most of my career. I don’t feel that anymore.”

“So what do you feel?”

“Content” and Reuben’s voice sounded it. One look at the man showed a relaxed posture, a calming aura that put Jake naturally at ease. He pondered Payback’s words and wondered a little enviously if he would ever reach the point in his career where he was content enough to let it all go. Hangman didn’t think he was strong enough.

A clearance of a throat snapped Jake’s attention back to the man in front of him. “You’ll get there too someday” the man informed him, as though it were one of life’s great secrets.

“Right” Jake felt a blush rise his cheeks, knowing his previous thoughts were ousted. He switched topics quickly, “so Fanboy’s just letting you go?” the blonde asked with a wink, "no dramatics?"

“Oh he’s pissed” Reuben laughed, “worried he’ll get stuck with some cocky pilot with a Texas slang that thinks he’s God’s gift to aviation.” Jake offered a middle finger salute in response that erupted more chuckles from his teammate. Reuben's face wrinkled with his grin, “But nah man, Mickey’s alright, he gets it. He knows how much I miss Jackie when we’re deployed.”

“So that’s it. Two more months and then you’re just another retired Veteran.”

“Well I’m not being put out to pasture if that’s what you’re implying” Payback’s eyes were bright and warm, the tension of their suicide mission and any other possible mission floated away with their last docking, “I’m going to finish up at Pensacola and then Jackie and I will finish wedding planning. After the honeymoon I’m thinking of taking a position as a flight instructor. It’s not the Navy but it’s still a chance in the air.”

Jeez" Jake couldn't contain his sly smirk as he gave a fake wince, "teaching the public how to fly, now I really feel bad."

"I'll teach them to fly circles around you Hangman" Payback mocked teasingly.

The blonde scowled, "like that could ever happen."

As a comforting silence fell, Jake took one last moment to make his peace, "so we're good man?" he asked, "no hard feeling?"

"Yes" Reuben nodded in exasperation, "we're fine. Unless you try to apologize again! I mean come on, twice already? Who are you and what did you do with the real Hangman Seresin?"

The joke earned a smile from the blonde's lips as he also rolled his eyes, "yeah, yeah" he feigned annoyance but in reality Jake gladly took the ribbing. He liked Payback, and he respected the hell out of him; having him be collateral damage in his confrontation the other day was never his intent and it was a relief to see the other man held no ill will.

“Wellif we're good then I got to finish packing up” Jake informed, straightening himself as he stood. His shirt was wrinkled a bit and he smoothed it down, ever appearance conscious.

“Yeah, shipping out tomorrow right?” Reuben motioned to his wristwatch.

“Tonight actually” Hangman corrected, “21:00.”

Payback whistled, “damn always hated the night flights.”

Jake shrugged, never finding them particular bad personally, “they’re not so bad. Plus it will get me to Pearl just in time for the first transport in the morning. Be on the carrier in time for drills.”

“Schedule down to a tee, like always” Payback chided, standing as well and offering Jake his hand, which he shook heartily. “Well” the taller man drawled, "I'd say it's been a pleasure serving with you but to be honest most of the time you've been a dick."

Jake laughed wholeheartedly, his green eyes alive with merriment. "Yeah” he conceded, “that's fair”

"But it has been an honor getting to be your friend" Payback finished fondly, a knowing smile on his face as he watched Jake blink back in surprise, a touching amount of emotion hinting on the blonde’s face. Reuben patted the other man’s shoulder reassuringly, "Don't be a stranger Seresin, I expect to see you at my wedding."

Jake composed himself enough to give a cheeky smirk, “only if you sit me with the single bridesmaids.”

“Hey, one of them is my little sister” the other man warned good-naturally, “You even look at her with that damn ‘I’m a cool guy watch me with my toothpick trick’, I will murder you.”

“So you think my toothpick trick is cool?” Jake teased to Reuben’s playful eye roll, “yeah sure Seresin, makes me absolutely wild.”

The two parted ways, Jake heading to go back to his apartment while Payback went to finish his run. Striding through the halls of Top Gun for a final time before deployment, Jake couldn’t help the fond memories of the time he competed for the trophy. Up against the best of the best including Phoenix and Rooster, Jake had ended up winning it all and shattering records. When he was presented the top prize by none other than Admiral Kazansky (the man who’s records he beat), Hangman had never felt more sure of his place in the world. He belonged in the sky. One day, when he found the contentment that Payback had talked about, Jake hoped he could take up Admiral Simpson’s offer and teach back here in Miramar, if only to find another kid like him looking for his spot amongst the clouds.

Just as quickly as it came though, Hangman’s positivity disappeared from the emergence of another in the hall.

Before he died when Jake was six, Jake's grandfather always used to say that if Seresins didn't have bad luck they wouldn't have luck at all. Of course that was after a day at the Texas rodeo, when his Papaw spent most of his paycheck betting on long shots and losers and then used the rest on drinking the memories away. But Jake still remembered that old adage, and never had it felt more true than when he came face to face with an equally surprised but much angrier Bradley Bradshaw. Damn that Papaw, he had a point.

No chance of getting out of Miramar completely unscathed it seemed.

At first both pilots seemed to be unsure what to do. They stared at each other, green eyes meeting brown, the first challenge of the gauntlet thrown and neither one turning around in fear of conceding ground.

"Heard you're shipping out tonight" Bradley started, cautiously, like a lion stalking its prey and waiting to strike.

Jake nodded, "yup" he popped the 'p' at the end to be extra annoying, "just finishing up some things here before I go."

Bradley's eyes narrowed, "so that's it huh?" he unconsciously walked a little closer to the blonde, his voice not raised but the temper there, "blow everything to shit and then run with your tail between your legs while everyone else is left with the fallout."

"I know" Hangman sneered back, "weird right? Considering that's usually your M.O."

Bradley faltered a moment, his mouth opened for a quick retort before he thought better of it. Instead he took another step closer, the two men merely inches away from each other now. “Well I’ll be glad to see you gone” he informed with no small amount of malice.

Hangman threw both hands up in unimpressed gesture, “the feeling is mutual” he notified, moving from around Rooster’s body and going about his way, “see you never Rooster-“

“I’m not done” the brunette called out, stopping Jake in his tracks. “I want to know if you’re happy now” Bradley asked, pure venom in his tone, "knowing half the team dropped because of you."

Jake couldn't help his exaggerated eye roll as he shifted back down the hallway, "of course Bradshaw, there you go again, no accountability." A hand gripping the back of his shirt paused his movements, Jake turning around to see Rooster had caught up and now refused to let him go. "My accountability? You're the one that had the melt down in the hangar the other day,” Bradley goaded, “where you basically told them all they were going to die under Mav's tutoring."

Jake shook his head, "I didn't-" but his words were cut off as Bradley yanked his khaki shirt back and spun the blonde hard into the wall. Jake's head connected with the sheetrock in a bit of a daze though he wasn't going to allow the wince to cross his face, declining to give Bradley even that tiny bit of satisfaction.

"Maverick is the reason we are all home alive you asshole” Rooster stated frankly, his teeth boring with anger. “His teaching got the mission done, no casualties-"

"Not from lack of trying on his or your own damn part-" Jake should have expect the punch but still Bradley's fist connecting with the side of his mouth caught him painfully unaware. He would have staggered back by the sheer force of it but the other man kept him pinned, and Jake instead lulled his head down as the irony taste of blood filled his mouth. He swallowed it down, not degrading himself or the base with spitting it out and scrunched his own hand into a fist that met Bradley's cheek with an audible smack. Rooster finally released Jake, his body naturally backing up as he let out a hiss that Jake couldn't deny made him more than a little pleased.

Both men matched glares and suddenly their fight turned into a wrestling match. Each guy launching themselves at the other as they pushed, pulled, tugged, and grappled. Limbs were sprawling wildly, and Jake caught an elbow to his temple before another slammed his gut and knocked the wind out of him with a huff. He held his own though; Rooster might have had some pounds on him but Jake was always quicker and he managed to wiggle out of a particularly tight hold to trip the bigger man up over his own feet. With Rooster on the ground, Jake capitalized, throwing his body on top and landing a knee to Bradshaw’s abdomen. Bradley moved to roll them over, using his weight to pin Jake to the ground before he reared his fist back to land another punch. Jake closed his eyes anticipating another hit before a strangled yell paused their rumble.

Hondo was sprinting down the hallway, his face livid as he took in the two pilots. He reached them quickly despite his size, ripping Bradley off of Jake before holding out a hand as the blonde jumped up to continued the attack. When Rooster moved back in close as well, the naval specialist pushed Bradley back towards one wall before shoving Hangman towards another. As the two pilots panted and struggled to get back both their breaths and their bearings, the older man narrowed his eyes in fury. “Lieutenants" Hondo growled out, "what the hell do you think you're doing!"

"He started it" Jake automatically argued, wincing not only for the strain it caused his bleeding lip but also at how he sounded like a five year old. Hondo raised an eyebrow before turning to Rooster. Under the accusatory gaze Bradley wilted slightly, the bruise forming on his cheek bone more pronounced, "he deserved it" the man offered back.

"Well I don't care who started it" Hondo looked at Jake with daggers, "or who deserved it" he turned the sharp gaze back to Bradley. "You are both supposed to be Lieutenants in the Navy, you are both supposed to be the best of the best. You are both supposed to be two grown ass men, so act like it damn it, the both of you, before I call Admiral Simpson to court martial you to next year." When neither pilot moved the bespectacled man huffed in annoyance, "dismissed Lieutenants, get out of my sight and my hallway."

Jake and Bradley both jumped into action, stalking away (unfortunately in the same direction) and out into the fresh air. Jake walked faster, refusing to acknowledge the childish side of him that wanted to beat Rooster at this if he couldn't continue to beat him with his fist. Annoyingly Bradley didn't take the bait, allowing Jake space to speed walk as quickly away from him as he liked.

He knew he should have just kept going, left Bradshaw and the Dagger squad and this whole experience in the rear view mirror, but Jake's intelligence never translated well into his interactions with people. Instead he turned back around swiftly to give another piece of his mind, his brain barely catching Bradley's look of initial surprise and then preparedness as he clenched his fists and settled in for round number two. Jake wasn't interested in fighting physically though, preferring as always, to use his sharp tongue and wit. "You know why you're so pissed Bradshaw" Jake challenged, "because you know I'm right- about it all."

"I know you think you're right" Bradley immediately responded, his face the definition of wrath, "I know that in poor little Hangman's head, being slighted from the team meant the whole process was unfair. That you needed to stoop so low as to rip into Mav who was the only one in the whole damn Navy that cared more about us surviving than the success of the mission! You tried to tell him that he didn't worry about the others’ lives yet that was all he cared about!"

"No it was because he chose you! You were the weakest link, you were the liability-“

Bradley stalked closer, fire in his eyes, “I am so sick of you and your damn mouth. I was a liability? How about you leaving your wingman all the time?" he questioned. "How about that fact that no one ever wants to fly with you, how no one trust you” he continued viciously, a triumphant smile gracing his lips when Jake refused to meet his eyes, “you’re the liability because people would rather go at it alone than have you on their wing.”

It was a hurtful blow, more hurtful than the punch had been. Jake knew his reputation made others hesitate to work with him. He hated it but the Hangman persona was a part of him at this point. His protective cloak that he had donned from the age of 18 when he faced the world broken and battered and struggling to survive. He had to be Hangman, the cocky self-assured pilot because that was the only way he was making it. Jake had thought, perhaps naively, that his skills would make up for what he lacked in personality but Bradshaw's words were unflinchingly true. No one liked working with Jake, despite the fact that both his confirmed kills came from saving others. He might fly fast in training but he never left a wingman when it mattered. Swallowing the hurt in a way he had mastered since he was a child, Hangman focused on giving jabs as good as he was getting. He stalked closer to Rooster, “Yeah well seems like it’s not just me people don’t want to fly with anymore" he lectured. "You’ve lost the squad," Jake mocked coldly, "some team leader you are.”

Bradley raised a fist, looking to strike once more before he lowered, “you know what? You’re not worth it” he told the blonde, shaking his head in disgust. Bradley didn’t realize it but his words made Jake feel even lower, so much of his life spent not thinking he was ‘worth’ anything. But Bradley, none the wise, kept hitting insults, “Go fly out and be with you other team” he told Jake,. “I’m sure they’ve been missing their resident asshole.”

Hangman huffed, covering his wounds with indifference, “at least I embrace it” he shot back smugly. “Instead of sitting on my high perch, no accountability and no consequence. Not with Daddy Mav to protect you forever.”

Rooster didn’t reply just pushed past Jake with a hard shot to his shoulder before heading back towards the parking lot. “Yeah that’s what I thought” Jake chimed in one last time, though it sounded weak even to his own ears, the argument losing ground with Bradshaw’s lack of engagement, “nothing more to say from good old Rooster.”

“You know what I’ll say” the brunette called back, turning and meeting Jake’s eye, “I say I’ll meet you at the next funeral, when you lead your wingman to that early grave.”

Jake offered a mock salute, which got him a middle finger in return. He watched Bradley turn back around, heading for his Bronco and his Hawaiian shirt collection or whatever cheered the other man up. Hangman, left alone once more, gave a sigh, annoyed at himself for letting Bradshaw get under his skin. There was no friendship there anymore, no fixing of the fractures that had developed over the years, just mutual mistrust which grew to a hatred like a festered wound.

Jake took a few calming breathes, getting his pulse back down. He cleared his mind of his anger and focused on his flight, knowing in just a few short hours time he'd be back where he belonged, far away from Rooster and Maverick and this whole experience.

If I never saw any of them again, he thought bitterly to himself, I’d be happy. 

But the world as Jake often knew it, was so very cruel.

[alllinayyyyu1]

BOX OFFICE'S LAST HOPE: "Avatar 2," "Black Panther 2," "Black Adam"

According to Variety, the fourth quarter of the year with some high-quality releases brought little hope to the gross of 2022 to be back to the pre-pandemic era.

The release of "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Black Panther," and "Black Adam" is expected to make the biggest splash in 2022. Avatar 2 only gained $649 million, below the first projection of "Avatar" with $772 million cumulative gross in the U.S and Canada.

"The Way of Water" is also below the film currently sitting at No. 1 for 2022 with more than $700 million gross. The return of "Avatar 2" may no longer keep its first advantage on 3D visuals and topics about superheroes as there are many films about superheroes or 3D visuals in the film markets.

The respective $328 million and $423 million predictions for "Black Adam" and "Black Panther" are consistent with the brand's other films' performance in the market.

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" has only $432 million that is well below its 2018 predecessor, but it still exceeds its brand's sibling, "Doctor Strange 2" since May.

Unfortunately for the box office, even with certain high-profile films, it could not dig 2022 out of the very deep hole caused by the pandemic.

In 2022, the top-grossing film is "Top Gun: Maverick" produced by Paramount. We could see that there are two Universal productions: Jurassic World Dominion" and "Minions: The Rise of Gru", one Disney production: "Doctor Strange in the Multiuniverse of Madness," and one Warner Bros production: "The Batman."

According to CBR, Hollywood certainly leads the 2022 summer box office. Jurrasic World's success could be attributed to its release in China. "The Rise of Gru" grossed $905 million worldwide of an $80 million budget. This high return on investment puts this film in the top 5 of 2022. Though this might not reach the same heights as the other Minions movie, it is an attractive family movie.

The winner of the summer 2022 box office is certainly "Top Gun: Maverick" with the highest gross that the audience expected to see Pete Mitchell's return.

[princessmisery666]

Under The Radar - Continued - Drabbles & One Shots - Master List

Under The Radar - Parts 1 - 5

Series Summary: Being a navy pilot you expected to have your world turned upside down from time to time. Taking to the skies was the easy part, the lessons you learn on solid ground are the hardest.

Warnings: all individual parts labelled according but mainly - fluff, bit of angst, smut.

W/C: all 1.5k or less.

Rating: 18+

Characters: Lieutenant Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, fem!reader (You. Call sign: Huntress). Mentioned/Small Parts: Lieutenant Natasha "Phoenix" Trace, Penny Benjamin, Lieutenant Javy "Coyote" Machado, Captain Phil “Maverick” Mitchell, Lieutenant Robert "Bob" Floyd, Lieutenant Reuben "Payback" Fitch, Lieutenant Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia.

Pairing: Hangman x Fem!Reader, past Rooster x Fem!Reader. 

Notes: no descriptions of reader body type or ethnicity.

Series Complete.

Part 5.1 - Found That Lovin' Feelin'

Summary: Bradley checks on the status of his surprise, and Jake tries to make himself believe it’s real.

Warnings: pure fluff, Rooster & Hangman singing. W/C: 653

Part 5.2 - All's Fair in Love, War & The Shower

Summary: Jake knew you weren’t going to make it easy for him, and rightfully so. He didn’t realize just how hard it would end up being.

Warnings: smut, fluff. W/C: 887

Part 5.3 - The Good Ones

Summary: When the squadron reunites at The Hard Deck at the end of their leave, feelings and insecurities need to be acknowledged.

Warnings: slight angst, fluff, sweet Rooster. W/C: 976

Part 5.4 - Baby

Summary: Maverick offers Huntress the opportunity of a lifetime, but will her relationship with Jake hold her back? 

Warnings: fluff, slight angst. W/C: 982

Part 5.5 - Without Hesitation

Summary: The knowledge of your offered assignment puts things into perspective for Jake. He just needs to know if you feel the same.

Warnings: angst, fluff. W/C: 849

Part 5.6 - Glimpse Of Heaven

Summary: Unknowingly Jake earns himself some brownie points and you reward him.

Warnings: smut, fluff W/C: 1.1k

Part 5.7 - Attention

Summary: You grow suspicious of Jake’s odd behavior, but it’s not what you think.

Warnings: fluff, angst, worry of cheating, sex talk. W/C: 737

Part 5. 8 - Disappointment

Summary: You’re sick and Jake thinks he knows why.

Warnings: fluff, angst, pregnancy talk, menstrual cycles talk. W/C: 1.3k

Part 5.9 - Lucky

Summary: It’s Maverick’s retirement and the gangs all back together. Jake realizes just how lucky he is to have you.

Warnings: fluff, pure fluff. W/C: 1.4k

[usafphantom2]

Complete guide to fighters in "Top Gun: Maverick"

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 04/16/22 - 9:19 PM in Fun, Military

On May 27, the long-awaited film "Top Gun: Maverick" which had its premiere delayed three times, should finally arrive on the movie screens. Find out which fighters will appear in the movie.

In this sequel to the 1986 classic, Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) returns to the cockpit of the U.S. Navy fighters to train a new group of young aviators in charge of what seems to be some kind of extremely dangerous mission.

The "Top Gun" franchise is obviously a work of fiction set in a universe with very different Navy regulations and even geopolitics (the conclusion of the first film should probably have started a new World War in another way).

It has been a long time since we were introduced to a high-budget action film focused on real-world tactical aircraft and the incredible men and women in charge of piloting them at the limit of human and technological capacity. "Top Gun" may not be real, but the fighters that these pilots take into the fight are, and movies like this offer us a way to take a peek into the incredible world of fighter aviation - even if it comes with some exaggerations.

The first Top Gun featured very real fighters (even if some were invented)

The original "Top Gun" was more than a highly successful film, it also ushered in a golden age of U.S. Navy aviation recruitment. The film did such a good job of selling young Americans the idea of flying on combat planes that some recruiters even set up tables outside theaters to get involved with the movie buffs when they left the movie. The fascination of the incredible performance of the F-14 Tomcat alone was enough to inspire many aspiring aviator to consider wearing a Navy uniform.

The MiG-28 from the 1986 film Top Gun.

Tomcat's competitor in the 1986 film, however, was not as real as the F-14A. The MiG-28, boasting a black painting and a seemingly Soviet red star on its tail, never existed and should also not appear in the new film, but it is good for remembering the iconic hunt.

Okay, it's not technically true: the aircraft portrayed as the MiG-28 in "Top Gun" is a real aircraft, but it's not a MiG. Damn, it's not even Russian. In fact, it is another fighter in the U.S. arsenal, the Northrop F-5 Tiger II, which still performs flights as opponents in training against U.S. Navy pilots.

Obviously, Paramount Pictures failed to get their hands on a real MiG-29, which was built specifically to face capable American fighters like the F-14, and in the days when visual effects could turn almost anything into reality, they needed something to position themselves as a capable opponent. Compared to the massive and powerful F-14, the small and agile structure of the F-5 made it an excellent response to Tomcat's brute force.

"Top Gun: Maverick" will feature the 5th generation Russian fighter, the Su-57

This time, it seems that Maverick and the rest of the Navy crew in "Top Gun: Maverick" will be facing a real foreign aircraft in the Sukhoi Su-57, NATO Felon name. Earlier, we reported that this seemed likely, based on the toy lines that hit stores before the original release date of the film in June 2020. Of course, just like in the first film, the filmmakers were unable to get their hands on a real Su-57 - after all, Russia has only about 14 of them in total - so the villainous stealth jet is a recreation in computer graphics.

It seems almost likely that "Top Gun: Maverick" will paint the Su-57 as a formidable enemy, potentially even in close combat with an F/A-18 Super Hornet from Maverick and company. This would be perfectly in accordance with the popular perceptions of this aircraft, even if not necessarily according to the mediocre reality of the Felon.

The Su-57 is easily the worst of the 5th generation fighters in the world, thanks in large part to Russia's struggles to develop the means to mass aircraft with the incredibly rigid production tolerances required by poaching jets. The aircraft was originally proposed in a joint venture between the Russian and Indian governments, but India gave up the program in 2018, when rumors arose that the new fighter (known at the time as PAK FA) was simply not stealthy enough to justify its expense. To this end, expert evaluations placed the cross-section of the Su-57 radar at approximately 0.5 square meters - about 5,000 times larger than the F-22 Raptor and almost on the same level as Maverick's new F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Stealth problems are not the only problem of the Su-57 - delays in Russia's 5th generation engine program have left its fleet of Felons operating the same AL-41F1 engines found in the 4th generation Su-35S not stealthy, but highly capable. An analysis by Rand Corporation of the aircraft's advanced set of 360-degree sensors postulates that the system itself also remains incomplete, probably hampered by international sanctions imposed on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in 2014, and these problems will certainly be exacerbated by deeper cuts, sanctions and financial penalties imposed on the nation after its recent large-scale invasion of the same nation.

However, despite the problems of the Su-57, it should be remembered that the Russian doctrine of air war does not rely as strongly on stealth as that of the United States, and the Su-57 remains extremely difficult to detect when it approaches head-on, as it could during a hunting interception. Combine this with thrust vector control, allowing fantastic once target maneuverability and a thrust-to-weight ratio comparable to the Super Hornet and it is clear that the Su-57 would not turn into scrap with virtually any 4th generation fighter.

The Su-57 is said to reach Mach 2, with the ability to transport 6 weapons internally without compromising its stealth profile.

Maverick's new jet is an F/A-18 Super Hornet

The original "Top Gun" may have left viewers longing for the F-14 cockpit, but with Tomcat's retirement in 2006, Maverick's five-decade career now puts him behind the joystick of the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E Super Hornet.

The Super Hornet is a direct successor to the successful F/A-18 Hornet, but although they look similar, the Super Hornet is practically a totally different aircraft. With a 20% larger fuselage, the Super Hornet carries 33% more fuel and burns it more efficiently, ensuring 41% more range or 50% more flight resistance in combat patrol (ability to enter combat without having to refuel). It can carry 15,000 pounds more than its predecessor Hornet, making room for a series of avionics upgrades, and its improved General Electric F414 engines (an update over Hornet's F404), provide 35% more boost in most of the aircraft's flight envelope.

In other words, Boeing took a very capable aircraft and made it significantly better. As we have already discussed, the Super Hornet is widely claimed to carry a radar cross-section of something between 0.5 and 1 square meter, which puts it not far from Russia's Su-57 in a direct comparison. However, the Super Hornet must carry its ammunition externally, which will certainly make it much easier to detect on the radar than the Felon.

The Super Hornet, or Rhino, as it is known by Navy pilots, thanks to its heavier weight and rhinoceros-like overhang coming out of the front of the fighter radome, was called an "80%" solution to the U.S. Navy's long list of problems at the end of the life of the F-14. It lacked the power, speed and range of the Tomcat, but with a maximum speed of Mach 1.5 and enough hardpoints to carry 11 weapons (five more than the Su-57 while maintaining stealth) it proved to be a very capable multimission jet. In fact, he was a U.S. Navy pilot in a Super Hornet that marked America's only air-to-air slaughter in decades when he shot down a Syrian Su-22 in 2018.

"Top Gun: Maverick" will also feature the F-35C

Another assumption that can be made thanks to the Matchbox toy line has apparently been confirmed by Paramount film crews working aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln: "Top Gun: Maverick" is likely to feature the Lockheed Martin F-35C.

The F-35C is the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier-embedded version of the stealth Joint Strike Fighter, boasting a larger wing area than its sister jets, a more robust landing gear and, of course, the hook requirement for aircraft carrier landings. This extra wing area allows slower approaches to the aircraft carrier, but also provides the additional benefit of extra internal fuel storage - granting the aircraft carrier version of the JSF more than 8% of fuel than the air force version dependent on the airstrip and a huge 35% more fuel than the short-run/vertical landing F-35B used by the Marine Corps.

The F-35C is powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 post-combustion turbofan engine capable of achieving an impressive 43,000 pounds of post-combustion thrust, and has a small radar cross-section (although larger than the F-22) by about 0.0015 square meters. It can carry only four weapons internally, maintaining a stealth profile, however, and due to concerns about damage to its radar absorbent coating, this jet is largely limited to subsonic speeds, except in emergency situations. If asked to do so, the F-35C could overcome the Super Hornet in a race, with a maximum speed of Mach 1.6, but would have the cost of its low observability (its radar absorbent coating begins to crack and peel under the intense heat caused by air friction at these speeds).

But what the F-35C lacks in old-fashioned combat power, it more than compensates with incredible data fusion and computing power. The F-35 offers greater situational awareness than any other tactical aircraft on the planet, collecting data from a wide variety of ground, marine, air and even space sensors and merging everything into a single and easy to navigate display directly in the pilot's field of view. In a very real way, flying the F-35 is almost like a video game, complete with red squares appearing around bandits, green squares around the good ones and a variety of real-time data displayed on a heads-up display and the aircraft's huge touchscreen console.

The F-35 is widely presented as a "quarterback in the sky" thanks to its vast computing power that allows you to build a complete view of the battle space, which the F-35 pilots use to help improve the awareness of all friendly aircraft in the area. The F-35 raises the information tide for all allied assets, making its 4th generation wings more deadly than they could otherwise be.

The Su-57 may be a little more stealthy than the Super Hornet, but compared to the F-35, the Felon can be a bright neon sign. How this aircraft will fit into the fight we will see in "Top Gun: Maverick" is not yet known, but it will probably be flying in support of Mav and his friends in their Rhinos.

The crazy jet you see in some trailers is called "DarkStar" and may be a hypersonic clone of the SR-72

In another Matchbox preview found in the toy section is the Darkstar aircraft shown only briefly at the end of some of the trailers for the film. The jet is clearly not based on anything in operation today...

Based on the shock wave visible when the jet passes through the trailer, it seems likely that this exotic-looking aircraft will introduce hypersonic platforms into the Top Gun universe. Supersonic aircraft (such as the F-14 Tomcat of the "Top Gun" and the F/A-18 Super Hornet) are able to fly faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1). Hypersonic aircraft travel much faster - above Mach 5, or about 3,838 miles per hour.

The Darkstar of "Top Gun: Maverick" bears a remarkable resemblance to the actual effort to put on the field a successor to Lockheed Martin's legendary SR-71 Blackbird, the SR-72.

The SR-72 must be a hypersonic aircraft with Mach 6 capacity that depends on dual-mode ramjet propulsion, not much different from Hermeus' latest efforts to field a Mach 5 passenger aircraft. Much like hypersonic (perhaps excessively trendy) missiles developed by nations such as China, Russia and the United States, vehicles moving at these incredible speeds would be almost impossible to intercept using existing air defense technology.

Lockheed Martin confirmed that engine tests had already taken place for the SR-72 in 2018. In fact, the U.S. Air Force announced work on a reduced technology demonstrator in 2013, but despite Lockheed Martin's very optimistic statements over the years, no real SR-72 has ever manifested itself (at least to the public's knowledge). The Darkstar certainly seems to be based on Lockheed Martin's concept art for the SR-72, suggesting that it may also be able to achieve hypersonic velocities.

There are some differences between the two - most notably the use of two vertical stabilizer fins on the back of the "Darkstar", with only one central stabilizer on the SR-72. However, since Lockheed Martin's image is nothing more than a conceptual design, the final platform (if it comes to fruition) could also be viable.

Maverick's P-51 Mustang actually belongs to Tom Cruise

"Top Gun: Maverick" not only features new fighters and advanced aircraft, but also an appearance of Tom Cruise's personal-owned P-51 Mustang.

You can actually buy these incredible fighters from the World War II era, although they tend to cost between $2.5 and $4 million each... so how exactly Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell managed to pay one with his salary in the Navy's active duty is a real mystery (it is probably classified). In real life, Tom was presented by his then-wife Katie Homes, so maybe Mav has a well-funded friend as well.

The American P-51 Mustang first took off in 1940 and, despite being an American aircraft, entered service with the British Royal Air Force in 1942. However, he did not enter the fight until 1943. It soon proved to be an extremely effective bomber escort, and in 1944, Maj. Gen. James Doolittle (who gained fame during the Doolittle Raid) was adjusting U.S. air doctrine to send these capable fighters far ahead of the bombers to hunt German aircraft, instead of keeping them in tight formations with the bombers they supported.

The P-51D Mustang, with its legendary 1,490-horsepower Merlin engine, was the best-known version of the aircraft, combining its acrobatic performance with exceptionally long range. This was a watershed for the Allies who had suffered significant losses in bombing missions over the European theater until that time. With a maximum speed of 437 miles per hour, six .50 caliber machine guns and the ability to carry ten 5-inch rockets (or 2,000 pounds in bombs), the P-51 gave the Allies an aircraft that could stand up and swing with the advanced German fighters of the time. At the end of the war, the P-51 Mustangs would be credited with an astonishing 5,000 shooting downs of enemy aircraft.

The P-51 Mustang presented in "Top Gun: Maverick" is not a P-51D, but a P-51K (different propeller and canopy format), but this is just a little more technical information.

The king is back in "Top Gun: Maverick": The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

While Tom Cruise obtained the highest revenue in the first film, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the real star. Now, it seems a lot that the F-14 is coming back in "Top Gun: Maverick", and in what may be the craziest fraction of a second of footage you can find on television today, it may be fitting against Russia's Su-57.

Despite a problematic start and problematic engines that devastated the aircraft for much of its useful life, the F-14 was a wonder of Cold War technology. With a maximum speed higher than Mach 2.3 and the ability to carry six huge long-range AIM-54 Phoenix air-to-air missiles for the fight, the Tomcat was built specifically to dominate the skies for hundreds of kilometers around aircraft carrier attack groups, engaging Soviet three-digit range bombers.

The Tomcat was such an incredible aircraft that a proposal to renovate the platform on the ASF-14 Super Tomcat could most likely have kept it at the top of the 4th generation fighter pile until the modern era. Its variable geometry wing design gave it excellent handling both at the low speeds required for aircraft carrier landings and at the high speeds required to intercept enemies before they could deploy their anti-ship missiles towards an American aircraft carrier.

When the F-14 Tomcat entered service, it was powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines that had been designed for the F-111B, which was more of a multifunctional bomber than fighter. Each engine could produce 14,560 pounds of thrust under military power, with the afterburner increasing the output by up to 25,100 pounds. These engines were powerful, but incredibly problematic, leading to the loss of up to 40 Tomcats over the years. Eventually, the TF30 engines were replaced by General Electric F110-GE-400s, which effectively solved all the problems of the TF30, but many F-14s continued to operate the old engines until the 2000s.

The AIM-54 Phoenix missiles of the F-14 are designed for air-to-air combat and can close their range of one hundred miles extremely quickly thanks to a maximum speed of Mach 4.3... but these weapons are designed to shoot down Soviet bombers, not highly maneuverable fighters. Russia's avionics can be dated, but the F-14 was retired 16 years ago, so this time, the Russians would probably have the technological advantage.

Source: Sandboxx

Tags: Military AviationTop Gun: MaverickUSN - United States Navy/U.S. Navy

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation

Cavok Brasil - Digital Tchê Web Creation

[one-boring-person]

You Can Be My Wingman (Part Five)

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x reader

Warnings: mention of past injury.

Context: Having finally recovered, Quicksilver is allowed to fly again, where she meets her new RIO.

A/N: This fic isn't doing too well, but I'm still quite proud of it, so I'll keep uploading it👍😅💛

Masterlist

When I finally don my flying uniform again after weeks of recovery, the familiar thrill of the prospect of flying rushes through me, the excitement building up with the minutes of preparation. Alone in the changing room, I pull on the gear as quickly as possible, practically buzzing with excitement as I lace up my boots and pick up my helmet, bounding to the exit, once again relishing in the lack of pain from the scars on my body. Emerging into the blazing sun, I head over to the hanger, rolling my shoulders in anticipation as I take my seat towards the back.

I stare out at the airfield, my leg bouncing nervously as I take in the familiar sight of the jets waiting in a row for us to use, a couple of attendants preparing them for use, their conversations carrying out to me. I missed it; the hot uniform, the harsh smells and noises, even the sexist jokes I sometimes receive from the other lieutenants. Thank God I survived what I did, that I was luckier than Matthew. A wave of grief and sadness briefly dulls my joy, the memory being painful and raw even after so long.

A person taking a seat beside me snaps me from my thoughts.

"You look healthy." Maverick grins as I turn to him, his bright eyes watching me and taking in my appearance.

"Finally." I reply, rolling my eyes jokingly.

He chuckles before replying.

"I'm glad, training was getting dull without you."

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't, you've got Goose." I point out, " And don't forget Iceman and Slider. I'm sure you had a great time with them." At the last part, I giggle as he sends a pointed expression my way.

"Very funny." He retorts, playfully swatting my arm.

We continue to talk until the others arrive, joking and laughing together as we used to, though I can feel his gaze lingers a little more than before, his smile slightly remorseful. He had already filled me in on what I missed when I was in hospital, giving me his notes to study from whilst I recovered, in return for my own account of what happened whilst I was MIA.

The seats around us fill up, pilots and RIOs talking together, shouting rude jokes at each other as they approach. Glancing around, I quickly spot a new person I don't recognise.

"Who's that?" I ask Maverick, gesturing to the shy-looking guy. Before he can reply, Goose interrupts, plonking himself to my left.

"Hey, Quicksilver! How's it going?" His cheerful tone draws my attention, his contagious smile spreading to my face. Goose (and a few others) had made the effort to come and see me in the hospital, and he'd always cheered me up, so it's nice seeing him when I'm not incapacitated.

"Hey, Goose, I'm good! How about you?"

"Not bad, not bad. All the better now you're well again!" He responds, turning to the front. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Maverick giving us an odd look, but I shake it off as a trick of the light, quickly looking up as I recognise a certain pilot standing over me.

"Quicksilver, we didn't expect you back so soon." Iceman drawls, jaw working nonstop at the gum in his mouth, "It's good to see you."

"And you, Iceman." I return, uncertainly. Before my accident, he'd always been one of my main taunters, but he's acting awfully nice now, which unnerves me slightly.

Nodding, the tall pilot wanders off to his seat beside Slider in time for the commander to inform us of our task.

As he drones on, I take the opportunity to watch the new recruit.

Sitting uncomfortably in his chair, the lithe brunette shifts around, twisting his bony hands together into knots, fiddling with the fabric of his uniform. In the sun, his eyes appear the same colour as his golden badge, though not much of them is visible from under his mop of tawny hair, the long tufts hanging into his pale face like a shield between him and the world. His body isn't particularly muscular, but he appears nimble and agile, unlike some of the other pilots present, and his manner seems curious and eager, under all the unease.

"...as our Quicksilver finds herself without an RIO, she will be partnered with Hawk, our newest RIO recruit. I'm sure you two will get along fine." At this, I turn my attention back to the commander, meeting his firm gaze quickly, before I return my eyes to "Hawk", finding his golden eyes already looking at me. I offer him a small smile in reassurance, which he unsteadily returns.

"And that is all. Don't mess up, and remember, there's no points for second place."

Getting up with the others, I walk over to Hawk, sticking out a hand for him to shake.

"I'm Quicksilver, nice to meet you."

Taking my hand, he stammers in response.

"I'm Hawk, it's good to meet you, too."

"You ready?" I ask, leading him to one of the jets, my excitement building again as I eye the sleek metal beast before me.

"I think so." He murmurs quietly.

Suddenly unsure of his attitude, I turn to face him.

"Are you sure? You sound a little nervous."

Setting his jaw, he looks me in the eye.

"It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"..yes."

"It doesn't sound like it. We don't have to go out if you don't feel ready." I say this with hesitation, knowing I'll hate it if he agrees.

"I'm just a bit worried about flying with a new pilot after.. " He stops, visibly distressed.

"After?" I press, anxious to get going.

He shifts in place for a second before replying.

"After the last one...freaked out during a mission. He didn't respond to any of us, he just stared at the photograph he had with him. I was so scared that day...I haven't flown since." Hawk finally confesses, looking away.

Smiling sympathetically, I pat him on the shoulder.

"You'll be fine. I won't freak out on you, I promise." When he turns back to me, I notice his small smile almost instantly.

"Ok, let's go."

Climbing in, I secure myself into the jet, hearing him do the same, slightly hesitantly at first, behind me. I pull on my helmet and fasten it tightly, wrinkling my nose at its bad smell, made so from the accident.

Swiftly, I receive permission from the radar tower to take off first, which surprises me slightly. Making my way to the runway, I ask Hawk one more time if he's ready.

"As I'll ever be." Is his muffled reply.

Lining up, I ready myself for take off, increasing the thrust on the plane gradually until we are thundering across the runway. The familiar exhilaration of flying races through my veins as we launch into the air, the immediate change in pressure making me slightly giddy for a couple of seconds before I recover, wheeling the plane around, pointing the nose upwards. I allow myself to grin as the plane breaches the cloud layer, revealing the layout of the ground below.

Seconds later, a second plane joins me, followed by a third.

"Quicksilver, Hawk, your wingmen are Iceman and Slider, and Maverick and Goose." The crackling voice from the control tower sounds in my ear, the bored controller leaving the conversation there.

"You guys ready?" Goose's cheerful voice replaces the controller, his tone laced with excitement.

"We are." I respond after checking with Hawk.

"Born ready." Iceman replies, the grin almost audible in his voice.

For a couple of minutes, we wheel and bank around as a trio, waiting for the enemy planes to appear.

"I see one!" Hawk calls suddenly, voice confident and professional, as he rolls off a direction.

"South-west, below."

Taking this in, I carefully wheel the plane around to find the enemy jet, locating it immediately.

"We'll get him." Goose calls through the radio, Maverick directing his plane into a tight climb seconds later. "Quicksilver, there's a guy to your right!" Slider barks at me as another plane pulls up beside me, gliding up over me.

"Got it!" Banking to my left, I fall into a dive, spiralling downwards quickly before pulling up abruptly, drawing a muffled grunt from Hawk.

"Bit of warning please, Quicksilver!"

"Sorry." I call back, hurriedly, continuing to keep the plane in a steep ascent until I see us overtake the enemy jet, at which point I level out and cut the speed slightly. Drawing back, I allow the plane to speed off a little, before giving chase, moving in accordance with the other jet, the g-force pulling at me, the pressure almost overbearing. Leading us into a series of tight turns and spirals, I almost don't notice the second plane drop down behind me until it's right on my tail.

"Quicksilver, we have a problem!" Hawk yells at me, panickedly.

"Radio the other two, who's got that one?!" I ask, astonished.

"Goose, Slider, where're you two at?" The young RIO shouts into the mic as I throw the jet into a steep climb, spiralling to avoid missile lock from the others.

"We've got our own problems right now!" Slider's voice is also panicked, as is Maverick's when he replies after a minute or so.

"Us too, sorry Hawk!"

"It's fine, we've got this!" I reassure Hawk, nervously, levelling off to find the other two jets giving chase. "I have an idea."

Flying in a straight line, I slow the plane, allowing the other two to catch up sufficiently.

"Are you crazy? We'll be on missile lock in seconds!" Hawk's voice is terrified as he spots the jets coming closer.

"It's fine. Hold on." I growl through gritted teeth, suddenly pulling the brake and pulling the plane around until the left wing is pointing towards the ground.

As planned, the other two jets shoot by, the pilots turning heads as they watch me through the cockpit window, surprised to see us fly past. Levelling out again, I pursue them, quickly getting missile lock on the closest, watching it fly away as I continue chasing the other.

"One down." Hawk reports to the others, voice slightly shocked, "How did you know that was going to happen?" He asks me in disbelief.

"I've tried something similar a few times, but I guess I got lucky this time." My response is quick and breathless as I concentrate on navigating the tight turns the enemy is leading me on.

A couple of minutes later, I have the jet in my sights, the missile radar trying to lock on, eventually managing to do so, the plane flying off towards the base.

"Another one down. You guys need help?" This time I radio in, bringing the plane above the clouds for a better view.

"Yes please, Quicksilver." Goose's voice crackles through. Checking the radar, I locate their plane and angle towards it, allowing the jet to pick up speed as I drop down behind the aircrafts chasing them.

"We're here, Mav."

"Good, we're gonna need help getting them off our tail."

"On it." I target the closest, flying as near as I dare to its tail, activating the missile radar, focusing it on the jet in front of me. Instantly, the plane rolls off into a dive, drawing me away from Maverick, luring me into an elaborate series of twists and turns.

"Turn left." Hawk suddenly says.

"What?"

"Do it!"

Trusting his determined tone, I bank left, jumping when he speaks again.

"Now go right." Doing as he says, I return to my original path at a different angle, with a perfect view of the dodging plane. Moments later, the pilot is forced to land, due to our missile lock.

"Another down." Hawk reports, Iceman's voice coming in seconds later.

"One down."

"Another down." Goose adds, before Maverick chimes in a couple of minutes later.

"Last one down."

"We sure there were only six?" I ask quickly, looping around to find them on my radar.

"Positive. Requesting permission to land." Slider says, voice breathless over the mic.

"Permission granted." The message comes to all of us.

Goose's relieved "Great balls of fire!" filters through the radio seconds later, drawing a laugh out of me.

Making my way back, I allow the other two to land before doing do myself, bracing for the impact.

As we return to the hangers and get out of the cockpit, I turn to Hawk almost immediately.

"Thanks for that last one, that was clever thinking." I say, smiling at the RIO.

Visibly embarrassed, he scratches the back of his head, helmet tucked under his arm.

"No problem, you pulled it off really well. That stunt before was also really clever, I didn't see how it would work at first." He admits, looking me in the eye, "My actual name is Oli, by the way. Oli Green." He offers me his hand.

"I'm (Y/N), (Y/N) (Y/L/N)." I reply, shaking his proffered hand, glad that he isn't so shy anymore.

"Hey, you guys, thanks for saving our asses back there!" Goose calls over as he and Maverick come closer, followed by Iceman and Slider.

"Yeah, that was some real fancy flying there." Maverick grins, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Thanks, guys. We tried our best." I respond, smiling at them all.

"You guys sure you haven't flown together before? Because that was amazing." Iceman's offhand compliment surprises me, a sense of pride immediately washing over me.

"I'm sure. Maybe we just work well together." Hawk chimes in, happily.

"Come on, let's get cleaned and get something to drink, we all deserve it." Slider exclaims, patting us on the back.

As we start off, I feel cheerful and glad to be back, though a look at Maverick dampens my mood.

Why is he frowning like that?

Part Six

[kyber-crystal]

important!

⤷ about me

my birthday is on august 18

my ride or die is @darthkruge​

i love star wars

obi wan kenobi is my fav jedi! & him and anakin skywalker are my favorite characters

my favorite sw movie is rogue one, and my all-time fav films are interstellar, top gun (both!!), arrival, and the dark knight

i have a dog whom i named after the wookie himself! chewie :) he sleeps with 4 layers and prefers to eat rice for dinner.

i'm a rising college sophomore studying marketing and design!

i love rice (you’ll probably catch me talking about rice quite a lot lmao)

i’m 5′2

buy me tickets to top gun, disney world, my favorite foods, or a lightsaber, and you’ve officially won my heart

i’m extroverted

i’m an ESTJ

my enneagram type is 8!

i can kill a fly with just my bare hands and a tissue. don’t try me.

⤷ faq (+ some other important q’s answered)

who do you write for? 

obi-wan kenobi

han solo

poe dameron

cassian andor

luke skywalker

anakin skywalker

din djarin

pete “maverick” mitchell

bradley “rooster” bradshaw

jake “hangman” seresin

javy "coyote" machado

mickey "fanboy" garcia

reuben "payback" fitch

robert "bob" floyd

ethan hunt

benji dunn

steve rogers

bucky barnes

sam wilson

peter parker

and here’s who i will NOT write for:

kylo ren

r*ylo

obikin

any inc*st/large age gap/etc ships

do you take requests?

yes i do! if requests are open please feel free to do so. currently they are closed. i am on hiatus at the moment, but i most likely won't be opening requests for a while.

why aren’t you posting my request? why isn’t it up yet??

please keep in mind that i have a life of my own outside tumblr! i’m currently juggling a LOT so  if i don’t get to your request right away or decide not to write it i promise you i’m not being rude! i either just need some time to get my creative juices flowing, or i may just be busy atm. life is so crazy rn please don’t blame me fasdfasdf

however, if you continue to consistently bug me about your request being posted, i won’t post it. if you are rude in any way about the process, i will block you.

with that being said, i reserve the right to turn down requests. (whether said request is something i just can’t write, don’t feel comfortable writing, etc)

where is (fic name)? why can’t i find it? why did you delete your old fics?

if you can’t find my fic, i either just took it off my masterlist so that people wouldn’t find it as easily, or i deleted it altogether. 

as for why i’ve deleted some of my fics, i just didn’t feel comfortable keeping them up here. some of them were partially plagiarized (and i feel embarrassed at the fact that they’ve stayed up for this long. how did my dumb self not realize that lmfao) so i took them down; others i straight up hated so i removed them. 

can you add me to your taglist(s)?

you can click the taglist link in my bio, or just fill out the form here! or simply message me and i can add you myself! if i end up doing series in the future, i’ll be announcing separate taglists for that, and they’ll be added to the taglist form :)

can i add you to my taglist? can i tag you in things?

please please please tag me in stuff! :)) i’m currently tracking the tag #usersua. as for taglists, i’ll add myself to them on my own accord but whenever i announce that anyone can add me to theirs, because i’d love to catch up on some fic reading (i’ll do this from time to time) then you can!

⤷ do not interact if 

–over 32 and under 13, unless i follow you first

–racist, sexist, tr*mp supporter, pedophile, etc

–if you’re toxic (this should b a given though)

–ffs pls tag your nsfw posts if you’re 18+. although i'm not a minor anymore, i'm personally not comfortable with seeing tons of smut on my feed. i’m so sick and tired of this so if you continuously don’t tag appropriately i will block you, without hesitation

⤷ what i will not write

–male!reader (&before you come into my inbox bashing me for this i don’t feel comfortable writing it. i have 0 zero experience and would rather not write about it at all than accidentally upset someone)

–plus size!reader (same reasoning goes for as to why i won’t write male!reader. focusing on a specific body type for a fic makes me uncomfortable as i suffer with body dysmorphia myself)

–smut.

–noncon/dubcon/bdsm/nsfw 

–student/teacher, assistant/boss, any sort of power imbalances

–incest 

–mental health issues & suicide. these are topics that hit close to home for me so it makes me uncomfortable to even consider writing about them. (i’m willing to write minor/brief mentions of anxiety and such because i deal with it on the daily, but that is the sole exception i’ll make)

–terminal illnesses

–love triangles

–any other topic that i am not educated enough on or anything that makes me feel uncomfortable, because i don’t want to portray the wrong message by posting it

[streaming-film-complet-francais]

[HD`VF] Top Gun : Maverick [[2020]] Film Complet Streaming ││ R.E.G.A.R.D.E.R

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14 juillet 2021 / Action, Drame De Joseph Kosinski Avec Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly Nationalité Américain

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Synopsis du film: Après avoir été l’un des meilleurs pilotes de chasse de la Marine américaine pendant plus de trente ans, Pete “Maverick" Mitchell continue à repousser ses limites en tant que pilote d'essai. Il refuse de monter en grade, car cela l’obligerait à renoncer à voler. Il est chargé de former un détachement de jeunes diplômés de l’école Top Gun pour une mission spéciale qu’aucun pilote n'aurait jamais imaginée. Lors de cette mission, Maverick rencontre le lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, le fils de son défunt ami, le navigateur Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. Face à un avenir incertain, hanté par ses fantômes, Maverick va devoir affronter ses pires cauchemars au cours d’une mission qui exigera les plus grands des sacrifices.

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Le cinéma est une œuvre d’art sous la forme d’une série d’images en direct qui sont tournées pour produire une illusion d’images en mouvement qui sont présentés comme une forme de divertissement. L’illusion d’une série d’images produit un mouvement continu sous forme de vidéo. Le film est souvent appelé un film ou une image en mouvement. Le cinéma est une forme d’art moderne et populaire créée à des fins commerciales et de divertissement. Le cinéma est devenu une industrie populaire dans le monde entier, où les longs métrages sont toujours attendus par les cinémas.

Les films sont réalisés de deux façons principales. La première est par le biais de techniques de tournage et d’enregistrement à travers des caméras de cinéma. Cette méthode se fait en photographiant des images ou des objets. Le second utilise des techniques d’animation traditionnelles. Cette méthode se fait par l’animation graphique par ordinateur ou les techniques CGI. Les deux peuvent également être combinés avec d’autres techniques et effets visuels. Le tournage prend généralement un temps relativement long. Il nécessite également un bureau de trTop Gun : Maverickil chacun, à partir du réalisateur, producteur, éditeur, garde-robe, effets visuels et autres,,,

Regarder des films gratuits et des émissions de télévision en ligne Vous êtes au bon endroit si vous êtes amoureux de regarder des films. Les films et les séries télévisées sont un endroit amusant où les gens aiment passer leur temps libre. Faire une visite au cinéma ou au cinéma semble parfois être une perte de temps et d’argent.

Dans un tel scénario, les films en streaming en ligne est laissé comme une option car il vous aide non seulement économiser du temps et de l’argent, mais aussi rendre les choses pratiques. Imaginez la vie quand vous pouvez regarder des films à portée de main et gratuitement. Regardez un film, un drame ou une série. Tout cela à votre confort.

Parallèlement, des informations complètes sur les émissions de télévision sont présentes sur le site. Cette information est basée sur la cote IMDB, directeur, date de sortie, durée, synopsis de l’épisode, et le casting. En bref, il est considéré comme l’un des meilleurs sites Web pour regarder des émissions de télévision ainsi que des films d’origines différentes. Le cinéma est une œuvre d’art sous la forme d’une série d’images en direct qui sont tournées pour produire une illusion d’images en mouvement qui sont présentés comme une forme de divertissement. L’illusion d’une série d’images produit un mouvement continu sous forme de vidéo. Le film est souvent appelé un film ou une image en mouvement. Le cinéma est une forme d’art moderne et populaire créée à des fins commerciales et de divertissement. Le cinéma est devenu une industrie populaire dans le monde entier, où les longs métrages sont toujours attendus par les cinémas.

Les films sont réalisés de deux façons principales. La première est par le biais de techniques de tournage et d’enregistrement à travers des caméras de cinéma. Cette méthode se fait en photographiant des images ou des objets. Le second utilise des techniques d’animation traditionnelles. Cette méthode se fait par l’animation graphique par ordinateur ou les techniques CGI. Les deux peuvent également être combinés avec d’autres techniques et effets visuels. Le tournage prend généralement un temps relativement long. Il nécessite également un bureau de trTop Gun : Maverickil chacun, à partir du réalisateur, producteur, éditeur, garde-robe, effets visuels et autres,,,

Film is a work of art in the form of a series of live images that are rotated to produce an illusion of moving images that are presented as a form of entertainment. The illusion of a series of images produces continuous motion in the form of video. The film is often referred to as a movie or moving picture. Film is a modern and popular art form created for business and entertainment purposes. Film making has now become a popular industry throughout the world, where feature films are always awaited by cinemas. Films are made in two main ways. The first is through shooting and recording techniques through film cameras. This method is done by photographing images or objects. The second uses traditional animation techniques. This method is done through computer graphic animation or CGI techniques. Both can also be combined with other techniques and visual effects. Filming usually takes a relatively long time. It also requires a job desk each, starting from the director, producer, editor, wardrobe, visual effects and others.

Definition and Definition of Film / Movie While the players who play a role in the film are referred to as actors (men) or actresses (women). There is also the term extras that are used as supporting characters with few roles in the film. This is different from the main actors who have bigger and more roles. Being an actor and an actress must be demanded to have good acting talent, which is in accordance with the theme of the film he is starring in. In certain scenes, the actor’s role can be replaced by a stuntman or a stuntman. The existence of a stuntman is important to replace the actors doing scenes that are difficult and extreme, which are usually found in action action films. Films can also be used to convey certain messages from the filmmaker. Some industries also use film to convey and represent their symbols and culture. Filmmaking is also a form of expression, thoughts, ideas, concepts, feelings and moods of a human being visualized in film. The film itself is mostly a fiction, although some are based on fact true stories or based on a true story. There are also documentaries with original and real pictures, or biographical films that tell the story of a character. There are many other popular genre films, ranging from action films, horror films, comedy films, romantic films, fantasy films, thriller films, drama films, science fiction films, crime films, documentaries and others. That’s a little information about the definition of film or movie. The information was quoted from various sources and references. Hope it can be useful.

❍❍❍ TV MOVIE ❍❍❍ The first television shows were experimental, sporadic broadcasts viewable only within a very short range from the broadcast tower starting in the 1930s. Televised events such as the 1936 Summer Olympics in Germany, the 19340 coronation of King George VI in the UK, and David Sarnoff’s famous introduction at the 1939 New York World’s Fair in the US spurred a growth in the medium, but World War II put a halt to development until after the war. The 19440 World MOVIE inspired many Americans to buy their first television set and then in 1948, the popular radio show Texaco Star Theater made the move and became the first weekly televised variety show, earning host Milton Berle the name “”Mr Television”” and demonstrating that the medium was a stable, modern form of entertainment which could attract advertisers. The first national live television broadcast in the US took place on September 4, 1951 when President Harry Truman’s speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco was transmitted over AT&T’s transcontinental cable and microwave radio relay system to broadcast stations in local markets. The first national color broadcast (the 1954 Tournament of Roses Parade) in the US occurred on January 1, 1954. During the following ten years most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. A color transition was announced for the fall of 1965, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 19402, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season.

❍❍❍ Formats and Genres ❍❍❍ See also: List of genres § Film and television formats and genres Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documenta””&ry, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional MOVIE). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.[citation needed] A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 1980s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little.[citation needed] If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order.[citation needed] Since the 1980s, many MOVIE feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television MOVIE to have this kind of dramatic structure,[4][better source needed] while the later MOVIE Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intendevd five-season run.[citvatio””&n needed] In 2012, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film.[5] Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In 2012, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “”I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television.

❍❍❍ Thank’s For All And Happy Watching❍❍❍ Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama and Anime Movie. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings!”

▰Thanks for watching the video today▰ I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Like, share or share if you like what we share to get more excited. Spread a happy smile so that the world returns in a variety of colors :)

[academicgangster]

1) what is your favorite trope to write, 2) your ranking of your favorite tom cruise characters, 3) if you got to rewrite men in black 3, how would you have done it?

OOOH that last one is Particularly Interesting 💛

1. Hurt/comfort, all stripes and flavours. Varies somewhat according to canon, but always eventually involves hair petting, a character sleeping on another character, and/or a character wrapping another character in their jacket. Also a lot of things going unsaid.

2. #1 Ethan Hunt, the Softest Spy

#2 Jack Harper, Tech 49

#3 Vincent, Fighty Bastard

#4 Cole Trickle

#5 Roy Miller//Maverick Mitchell (don't make me choose)

#bonus honourable mention to David Aames, who Tried his Best

3. make young Kay younger (like 23, which is how old TLJ would've been at the time of the moon landing) and more like Quint (reckless idiot nerd bent on saving the universe). don't do the whole thing where the time travel means oh no this is somehow tied to Jay and Kay's first meeting now because destiny. absolutely none of that Kay-only-hired-Jay-because-he-knew-his-dad shit. none.

alternatively, scrap the time travel thing entirely. more wacky aliens and more dumb world-ending plots and more sexual innuendo and lots more snark with Will and Actual TLJ, rather than a Knockoff TLJ.

[don-lichterman]

Top Gun Maverick Box Office: Tom Cruise’s Film To Potentially Beat Elvis, Lightyear and Jurassic World Dominion Over the Weekend With $32M

Top Gun Maverick Box Office: Tom Cruise’s Film To Potentially Beat Elvis, Lightyear and Jurassic World Dominion Over the Weekend With $32M

Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the movie Top Gun, has garnered a lot of love and praise since its release. The movie focuses on Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, after 30 years of service as one of Navy’s top aviators. The movie has passed $900 M at the world wide box office. According to distribution experts the movie could be #1 at the box office over the weekend, beating out Elvis, Lightyear and…

[quotidiantimes]

'Top Gun: Maverick' jets to new box office records

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ jets to new box office records

The sequel to the 1986 blockbuster, which has Tom Cruise reprise his most iconic role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, made an estimated $156 million domestically for its four-day opening weekend, according to Paramount (PGRE). That gives the film the record for biggest opening over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, overtaking “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” which made $153 million in…

[bajournalismblogsite]

RISING ABOVE SETBACKS: NBA DURING PANDEMIC

By Jan Carl Daniel B. Abundo

The day the NBA suspended its season because of Coronavirus. | Photo credits: The New Yorker

The National Basketball Association is the top professional basketball league in the world and one of the biggest professional league in all of sports but it does not exempt them from the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with a large part of the world going full lockdown, the league decided to suspend the entirety of the 2020 season indefinitely due to the uncertainty brought about by the virus.

The announcement was made on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive prior to the tip-off of a game between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Gobert’s teammate, Donovan Mitchell also tested positive shortly after.

The league’s statement regarding the suspension of the season. | Photo credits: @NBA via twitter

“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of Wednesday’s schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic,” the NBA said in a statement.

As the figures rise, the question and fear continue to mount. Prior to the complete shutdown, the league had already made precautionary measures to protect the players, the fans, and the media by implementing social distancing during press conferences and closing the locker rooms to the media.

“It’s really not about basketball or money. This thing (COVID-19) is just exploding to the point where all of a sudden, players and owners alike, you think about your family. You want to really make sure you’re doing this the right way because now it’s much more personal,” said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in a courtside interview with ESPN.

What does this mean for the league?

Suspending the NBA season was not new to the NBA since the league had already suspended play in previous seasons. The most recent being the 2011-2012 season where teams only played 66 games in the regular season due to labor lockouts – the difference now is that a health crisis influenced the suspension of games.

During a meeting between the board of governors, they tackled different scenarios and implications of the suspension of the season. This suspension would mean a huge financial hit for the league. Empty arenas and loss of attendance would affect the players’ salary and impact the people with ties to the league like vendors and workers in the arena.

According to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, the league would lose hundreds of millions of dollars due to the indefinite suspension which would affect the salary cap moving forward.

NBA Commisioner Adam Silver in a press conference after the announcement of the suspension of the season. | Photo credits: NBA.com

In an interview with ESPN after the announcement, Silver said he wants to “believe we’re going to be able to salvage at least some portion of the season.”

The return of the NBA

After a long discussion and preparation between the league executives, the NBA finally decided to continue with the season halted by the pandemic.

“People need sports, something to get excited about right now,” said Cuban on the resumption of the season.

Back in action for the first time after a four-month hiatus, the league resumed play on July 31 but under different circumstances. Since the threat of the virus still looms, the season will explore unfamiliar territory in the resumption of the season. In order to salvage the season and crown a champion, the league decided to host a bubble in Orlando, Florida.

NBA Bubble facility in Orlando, Florida. | Photo credits: ESPN

The bubble is an isolated area that the NBA created to protect the players from contracting the COVID-19 virus during the final eight games of the regular season and entirety of the playoffs. A total of 22 teams were invited to the bubble to play at least 8 games.

The NBA implemented strict health and safety protocols throughout the duration of the season housing all games in the bubble with no presence from fans. NBA players and staffs were also not allowed to leave the bubble. Failure to comply with the rules inside the bubble would mean suspension and fine to the players and staff.

The bubble was a big success for the league since there have been no outbreaks of COVID-19 among the participants in the bubble. After 95 days inside the Orlando bubble, the Los Angeles Lakers left the facility as champions – the first ever bubble champion.

The Los Angeles Lakers celebrating their championship title in the Bubble. | Photo credits: Business Mirror

Following the success of the bubble, other professional leagues followed.

Rising to the challenge

The bubble was only short term solution for the league – a means to finish the remainder of the 2020 season.

Things did not get any easier for the NBA after the bubble season. The league shifted back to its normal set up in the next season: home and away games, fans in the arena, and 82 games in the regular season.

The change had its downside. To avoid suspending another season, some players are slapped with suspensions and COVID-19 protocols resulting to missed games – a small price to pay for the resumption of the season.

Despite the challenges the NBA faced and is facing right now, they continue to rise to the challenge – adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virtual fans watching the games from the comfort of their homes. | Photo credits: USA Today Sports