#they go public in the quietest and less maverick's way possibile

[pollyna]

Warlock designs them because the kids deserve something nice to remember the whole experience by. It's just a patch but it has two daggers meeting in the middle with a little F/A-18E to complete the scene. Hondo offers to iron them on the jackets and ends up giving a lesson on how to iron things to a group adults. It's pretty funny and the photos Solomon takes are even better. He asks Maverick if he needs his ironed too and he smiles before saying no thank you, I have someone waiting home before leaving the base for a month. His answer isn't really an answer but Hondo has worked with him long enough to know he isn't going to get a much better explanation.

They, collectively, see him at the briefing thirty one days after, all twelve with their patch on the jacket and Maverick's is proudly occupying a spot under the one of his first squadron. He seems relaxed, his skin a little darker and a ring is decorating his left hand, on his fourth finger. The strangest things is that he's smiling and he seems free and light as the wind itself while he walks around the Naval complex. Cyclone jocks that some poor soul finally agreed to marry him and Fitz looks at Rooster for answer he doesn't have. Maverick smiles at them and doesn't answer a single question they have related to his private life but, on the other hand, he has an idea too many on what to do with them now: he talks about a permanent base and of maintaining their formations as permanent. He talks about training them for something new and a little different without going in too many details and to let them teach some of the classes for the new TOP GUN round. He talks and talks for almost an hour straight and not even Cyclone knows what to say to him or how to stop him. Hondo finds it hilarious and the ideas are actually pretty good and they can make it happen for real this time, not as for the others hundreds of projects Mav always has around his mind. At the end they have to reschedule the whole meeting because the Admirals have to study all the new projects and they have to evaluate what is possible and what is not.

Even the office seem different when the whole squad, and Hondo, arrives in front of it. It looks homier and there are so many new photos and books and things that weren't around before. There's a couch on the right side of the room and it's green with a pillow too many on it, but Maverick isn't there. Phoenix is looking at the window, the one she swears he always has closed, when she notice that someone is sitting on banch in a garden she didn't even know they had around. It's two someone's, one of them is Maverick and the other one is a tall blond man who is looking right in his eyes and smiling while he shares is lunch with the Captain. He has a golden ring on his left hand too and when he kisses Maverick their cheeks are a little red and their giggling like little girls and they seem so happy to the point that Phoenix finds herself laughing softly too. Oh, so he's back Rooster says softly and only now she realises they're all watching at the same thing. That's Mav's husband, they were a part for almost two years and before that they were the worst kept secret of the Navy. Everyone is looking back at the garden and Maverick has his husband's face between his hands and they're kissing, and kissing a little more.

A week from that moment on Mav's door and desk the new plates will announce you're in the presence of the Rare Admiral Pete Maverick Mitchell-Kazansky.