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justabigassnerd · 10 months

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I've Got You

Pairing - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x daughter!reader

Word count - 2,751

Warnings - self-harm, bullying, cancer mentions, angst, Goose mentions, mentions of death

Summary - at a low point in your life, your dad is there to help you through it

A/N - hey y'all sorry it's been a while since the last fic I've just been busy. this was an anon request and I hope I did it justice. I did do some research and I tried my best to approach this subject in a way that would be acceptable and I'm so sorry if it's not bc it was not my intention at all. as per y'all, please send requests, feedback and enjoy

Growing up, you were an outgoing and confident person. You’d be the first person to extend a hand to make new friends at school and try to make sure people were happy. Parents of your fellow pupils, when you were in preschool, had gushed to your dad about how confident and comfortable you were as a young girl when they noticed you give your dad a quick hug and disappear into the classroom while every other child clung to their parents, begging to stay with them.

However, in your final year of high school, people began to change.

Over time, girls in your grade at high school began to turn on you, listening to the whispered words of the queen bee and her gaggle of followers and you became isolated. You tried everything and anything to get someone, anyone to talk to you but everyone turned away from you. You refused to let anyone see that they were getting to you. You were a Mitchell. Mitchells are tough and you knew your dad wouldn’t want you getting upset over something so trivial. You tried to remain tough, but your defences came crumbling down when you reached the security of your bedroom. Your only friend was Bradley, but he was a year older than you, at college, and incredibly pissed off at your dad so it was near impossible to communicate with him. You were sure he hated you too for your dad pulling his papers and you couldn’t blame him. He had every right to be mad.

As the noises and voices in your head grew louder, you started searching for ways to quiet them down, even for just a moment. You tried and failed multiple different ways to keep yourself calm and level. You couldn’t talk to your dad, he was in the middle of dealing with your Uncle Ice’s cancer scare, both men waiting with bated breath for the test results to come back. So, with all his focus on Iceman, you faded into the background, the noise in your head almost unbearable at this point.

One evening, after your shower you caught a glimpse of your razor sitting snuggly inside your shower caddy, gleaming against the bright light of the bathroom as you stared at it. You tried distracting yourself, splashing your face with cold water before changing into your pyjamas but the object continued to call out to you making you squeeze your eyes shut in an attempt to banish the thoughts from your head until they became too much.

Over the coming days, the bathroom and your razor became your escape, the only way for you to temporarily forget what you had been through during the day. Maverick had noticed that you’d been pulling away slightly and had asked if everything was okay, but you were quick to tell him that you were just busy with school work and didn’t really have time to hang out with people while you prepped for your exams. That weekend, Iceman had invited you and your dad around for a barbecue in his garden since it was almost summer, and the San Diego weather was exceptionally gorgeous.

“Have you noticed that y/n wears a lot of hoodies lately?” The hoarse voice of Iceman cuts through to Maverick who had been staring intently at his beer bottle. Maverick winced at his wingman’s voice, sore from the constant coughing fits that attacked the pilot. Maverick glanced across the garden to where you were sat with Iceman’s wife Sarah and a friend of hers, remaining silent as the two women chatted. He then briefly glanced up at the sky, unsurprised to see no clouds in the sky which made him realise how out of place you looked sat next to Sarah and her friend in an oversized hoodie while the two women were in sundresses.

“I also feel like I haven’t seen her much recently either.” Maverick thinks aloud, glancing over at Iceman who sips on a glass of water.

“You should talk to her, Mav. Maybe she needs her dad and just doesn’t know it yet.” Iceman says as he and Maverick watch you carefully, both men realising your smile seemed forced and didn’t meet your eyes in the same way it used to. You used to love spending time at the Kazansky household, usually sticking with Iceman and chatting with him while simultaneously teasing your dad. Iceman figured you chose to sit with Sarah because he’d figure out something wasn’t right too quickly. He was good at reading people, and it was something he had relied on a lot in his lifetime. In taking a step back and just observing, Maverick was able to pinpoint behaviours he’d never seen from you before and could feel the worry tightening his chest with each passing second.

“Mav. Breathe. It’ll be okay. Just, make her feel safe and loved like I know you do.” Iceman urges gently, resting a friendly hand on Maverick’s shoulder and squeezing it softly, fighting the hoarseness of his voice to comfort his wingman. Maverick nods lightly, putting his beer bottle down before crossing over to where you were sitting.

“Come on squirt, let’s head home. We’ve bothered these fine people enough.” Maverick says, throwing a teasing wink in Sarah’s direction who laughs and rolls her eyes.

“You mean you’ve bothered Tom too much. y/n has been an angel like usual.” Sarah says as you get up bidding the two women goodbye with a soft voice and a small smile before crossing the garden to Iceman and hugging him quickly.

“Bye Uncle Ice.” You whisper, pulling away almost as quick as you initiated the hug, barely giving him time to reciprocate.

“Goodbye, y/n/n.” Iceman says, a small smile on his face yet it couldn’t hide the sadness in his eyes at how fast you pulled away from the embrace. Maverick muttered a goodbye to Iceman, giving him a hug and clap on the back before exiting the Kazansky household. You climb onto the back of your dad’s motorbike and wrap your arms around his waist loosely.

“Hey, tight grip kid I can’t risk you falling off.” Maverick says, taking your wrist softly to pull your arm further around him but stopping instantly when he felt you flinch and lets go.

“I got it.” You mumble, tightening your grip around his waist as he flips the kickstand up and begins the journey home. When he pulls into the drive, he turns the engine off and kicks the kickstand back down as you climb off the back of the motorbike. You wait at the front door for Maverick to unlock the door since he was the only one out of the two of you to bring the house keys with you. The second the door is opened, you make a beeline towards the stairs, but Maverick is quick to call you back, making you stop in your tracks and turn to face him as he closes and locks the door behind him.

“Can we speak in the living room, please?” Maverick asks gently, waiting patiently for you to nod lightly and head into the living room with Maverick following behind. Both of you sit on the sofa, a small space separating the two of you.

“Is everything okay, dad?” You ask quietly, worried you were about to receive some bad news.

“That’s actually what I wanted to ask you. I haven’t seen you much recently, and I’ve noticed you wear hoodies a lot more than you used to, especially in this weather when everyone else is in t-shirts.” Maverick asks, making you immediately avert eye contact, focusing on your hands as you instantly start fiddling with your hoodie toggles.

“I mean, you’re the kind of guy to wear a jacket in the middle of summer. I don’t think you’re in much of a position to judge, are you?” You ask weakly, a feeble attempt at a chuckle escaping your lips.

“Yeah, I was asking for that one. But I am worried about you, sweetheart. You’ve locked yourself away and I just want to help. You can tell me anything, you know that don’t you?” Maverick says softly, his eyes filled with worry as he watches you carefully. You pressed your lips shut, not wanting to tell your dad what was going on with you when he already had enough on his plate with Iceman’s possible cancer, Carole passing away recently and Bradley cutting off all contact.

“I’m fine dad, just stressed about school.” You say, plastering a smile on your face to convince your dad that you’re okay.

“Sweetheart. This is a safe space; you can tell me whatever is upsetting you. I know it’s not school because you would’ve gone to Ice about it. He’s always helped you with school work.” Maverick says, his voice never raising or showing any more than his genuine concern.

“I know Uncle Ice is dealing with a lot right now. Waiting for his test results must be terrifying and I didn’t want to bother him.” You say, grabbing at the first excuse that came into your head.

“We both know Ice prefers to be busy and doing stuff when he’s awaiting big news, regardless of whether it’s good or bad news. He would’ve loved to help you with your work. Please tell me what’s wrong, y/n.” Maverick urges softly, his worry reaching an all-time high as you briefly glance at him.

“You’ll hate me.” You whisper, your voice cracking as some tears make their way out of their ducts.

“y/n, I promise you, there is nothing you could say to me right now that would make me hate you.” Maverick says, watching you carefully as you think over his words, taking a deep breath before you speak.

“Recently, a lot of girls at school started picking on me. At first, it was manageable, just whispers in the hallways but they started spreading rumours and I lost all my friends. I felt so alone, no one likes me at school anymore. I know it shouldn’t bother me, but it does. I just hate it so much.” You say, a tear rolling down your cheek as you speak. Maverick reaches out for your hand, pausing when your hand twitches away from his.

“Is there more?” Maverick questions quietly, warning signs flashing in his head at your behaviour, remembering how you reacted on the motorbike as well.

“I started… hurting myself. The noises were just so loud in my head that it was the only way to make it quiet even if it was just for a moment. I just wanted the noise to stop.” You say, tears now flowing freely down your cheeks as your dad wastes no time pulling you into a hug, a hand running up and down your back as he presses repeated kisses to the top of your head.

“Oh y/n/n. I’ve got you.” He whispers, squeezing his eyes shut to stop the tears that threatened to fall at your confession.

“I’m sorry, dad. Please don’t hate me.” You say through your tears, clinging to your dad as he shakes his head against the top of your head.

“You have nothing to apologise for, sweetheart. I couldn’t hate you for this. I’m the one who didn’t notice you were struggling.” Maverick says gently, yet firmly as he squeezes you just that little bit tighter.

“You were busy with so much. I didn’t want to bother you. I just wanted the noise to stop.” You whimper, burying your face in your dad’s chest as Maverick let the tears fall, gently cradling your head to his chest.

“Please don’t ever feel like you’re bothering me. Not about something like that. I love you so, so, so much and I hate that you went through this alone because I wasn’t paying attention to you. I should’ve done better.” Maverick says, his voice breaking as he spoke, giving away to you that he was crying which made you cry harder. You made your dad, the strongest person you know, your hero, cry.

“It wasn’t your fault dad. You’ve been dealing with so much.” You say, reaching up to wipe at your eyes with your hoodie sleeve.

“But I could’ve lost you.” Maverick whispers, every worst-case scenario now flashing through his head.

“I didn’t want to die. I just wanted something to stop everything going on in my head. I swear.” You say urgently, not wanting your dad to think the worst, although you were sure it was too late as you looked up at his face. He remains silent for a moment before speaking.

“I know how that feels.” He says, keeping you in his embrace as you pull away slightly to look up at him.

“You do?” You question softly, unable to imagine your dad in such a state.

“You were only little when Goose died. But when he did, I practically shut down. I stopped training for a while, and I could not stop thinking about how I could’ve, how I should’ve been better for him. I thought about hurting myself then. Just to shut the voices up.” Maverick says, lifting a hand to swipe your tears away.

“How were you strong enough to not hurt yourself?” You ask, you were sure you tried everything you could’ve done to not get to that stage, yet you still did.

“Viper sent me to therapy after the accident. I didn’t think it would work at first but once they got me to open up, it helped a lot more than I could’ve ever thought. Maybe, if you want, we’ll look into finding a therapist for you, to help you through this. You’re not alone, y/n. Not while you have me, Ice, Slider, and the others.” Maverick says, running a hand through your hair. You lift your hand to swipe away at any excess tears Maverick missed and your hoodie sleeve slipped down an inch, exposing part of a scar and Maverick was quick to look away. You hadn’t chosen to show your scars and so he wasn’t going to impose anything on you unless you made the decision. After wiping your tears, you gingerly lift a hand and wipe at Maverick’s face, making a soft smile appear on his face.

“Thank you for being here for me dad.” You say quietly, making Maverick nod.

“No need to thank me, sweetheart. It’s my job. I just want you to know that I’ll always be here for you. You don’t have to be afraid to tell me anything, no matter what’s going on with me. You can always come to me for help.” Maverick says, his gaze never leaving you as he speaks, making you nod in understanding.

“I know dad.” You whisper before a small yawn slips past your lips, it was then that Maverick had noticed that the sun was almost gone, and night had fallen.

“Let’s get to bed, it’s been a long evening. We’ll talk more in the morning.” Maverick says, getting to his feet and waiting for you before the two of you head upstairs. You enter your room while Maverick enters his, both of you getting ready for bed before Maverick knocks on your bedroom door, asking for permission to enter. He finds you already curled up under your covers and as he bends down to bid you goodnight, you speak up.

“Stay. Please.” You whisper, watching as your dad nods and you quickly move over to make room for your dad. Once he’s settled next to you, you curl into his side, allowing him to wrap an arm around you and allowing your eyes to slip closed.

“I love you dad.” You whisper in the darkness.

“I love you too, y/n.” Maverick replies, beginning the action of running his hand up and down your back which lulls you to sleep almost instantly, the final thought running through your head being how grateful you were for your dad, and how much you loved him.

Maverick watched you sleep for a moment, listening to your soft breaths as he continued to run his hand up and down your back. He couldn’t stop thinking about how much you went through without him knowing. But as his eyes slipped closed for the night, he swore that he was going to do better by you, and he was going to make sure you never felt alone again. Because no one deserves to go through that.

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its-the-pilot · 7 months

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Save Me From Myself | One-Shot

I hope you like this! I've got a few of these rolling around in my head, so let me know if you want to see them!

Summary: Bradley is struggling after the death of his mother, and you help him back to solid ground. (Mav's niece!reader)

Warnings: swearing, mentions of teen drug/alcohol use

Length: 2.5k words

Pairing: teen!Bradley Bradshaw x teen!Female Reader

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Save Me From Myself

The porch swing moved gently as you sat on it with your feet tucked under you, the history book off to the side open to the assignment you were working on. Your earbuds were tucked into your ears, playing music from your discman as you enjoyed the last throes of summer. It was your favorite time of year, still warm enough to wear shorts and tank tops during the day, with the crisp fall air sweeping in at night off the ocean.

Setting the pen and notebook down on your lap, you reached for the glass of iced tea on the table beside you and took a long sip, looking out at the sky as the sun started to set. You swept your hair off the back of your neck and put it into a messy bun, giving you some relief from the late summer humidity and you set back to finishing your assignment when you heard the sound of raised voices coming from inside your house over your music.

You took one of your earbuds out in order to hear what was going on just as the louder of the two voices came closer to the front door. “You’re not my fucking dad, so just let me live my life!”

“I never said I was your dad, but I am your guardian until you turn 18, and this is my house, so you will follow my rules.” As the words left his mouth, you sighed, understanding that while your uncle was trying to lower the temperature of the situation, it was only going to upset him further.

“Fuck you, Commander.”

The words came out as a growl, and before you heard any response from your uncle, your best friend of nearly ten years burst through the front door, practically jumping off the porch on the way to his father’s old Ford Bronco that was parked in the driveway.

Throwing your notebook and headphones down, you grabbed your flip flops and caught up to him just as he ripped the door to the truck open. “Bradley, wait,” you said, resting a gentle hand on his forearm before he could climb in. You glanced back at the door to your house to see your uncle standing just inside the screen door still dressed in his khaki uniform, having just gotten home from work. He looked between the two of you briefly before turning away and moving deeper into the house, hoping you would have better luck at calming him down. “What happened?”

His chest was heaving and he ran his right hand through his wavy hair as he shook his head. “Maverick’s an asshole,” he muttered, gently shaking your hand off his arm.

“He’s just worried about you. He promised your mom he’d keep you safe, you know that,” you tried, tucking your hands into the back pockets of your cutoff shorts. You knew what he had been up to, hanging out with the wrong crowd all summer, and you would be lying if you said you weren’t worried about him too.

“It’s not his job,” Bradley sighed, turning away from you and sliding into the driver’s seat of his truck before starting it up, the engine roaring to life. “I can’t be here right now. If you want to come with me you can, but I’m leaving.”

Looking back to the house again with a sigh, you nodded and moved around to the passenger side of the truck, sliding into the front seat beside him. You wanted to talk more, but he was still radiating anger and you knew that driving would calm him some. The conversation could wait until you got to your destination, unless he wanted to talk before then.

Bradley Bradshaw had been your best friend since you moved to Virginia Beach to live with your uncle, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, when you were eight years old. Your parents, his brother and sister-in-law, had died in a car accident and wanted him to take custody of you in their will. Maverick was very close with Bradley’s mother, Carole, ever since his father, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, had died in a training exercise when Bradley was only two.

He helped raise the boy in his friend’s absence as much as he was able, given the frequent deployments and special detachments he was sent on. It was even more challenging once you came to live with him a few years later, but fortunately Carole stepped up and you routinely stayed with her and Bradley when Maverick was away, even going so far as having your own room at their house.

You dropped your flip flops to the floorboard of the truck and pulled your legs up to sit cross legged on the passenger seat, glancing over to Bradley on occasion as he drove further away from the house. Things had been tense since Carole died in March and Bradley had been slowly spiraling further and further out of control, unable to deal with the loss. Your uncle had tried getting him into counseling after he came to live with you, but he refused to go, choosing instead to start drinking and smoking pot. He had even quit playing baseball, something he had done for as long as you had known him. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, losing his dad so young and now losing his mom too. In some twisted way it made you feel fortunate that you lost both your parents at once.

His hand was resting on the shifter, and when you noticed that his grip on it had loosened, a sad smile tugged at the corner of your lips. You didn’t like seeing him upset, and lately it seemed he was looking to self-destruct, pushing everything and everyone he loved away.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, his voice much calmer than it had been at the house as he looked over at you, bringing the truck to a stop in a parking lot beside his favorite beach.

You shook your head and looked up into his hazel eyes. “Just worrying about you.”

He rolled his eyes and shoved the car door open with a grunt, climbing out of the cab and heading toward the beach. You got out and followed him, the long strides that matched his 6’1” frame forcing you to jog to catch up. When he finally spoke, you could hear the frustration in his voice returning despite his attempts to hide it. “You don’t have to worry about me. No one does. I’m fine. I just want to get on with my life.”

“Sounds like you’re trying to burn it to the ground.” The statement made him stop and turn to face you. His large hand ran through his hair as he sighed, opening his mouth to speak when you stopped him with a finger to his lips. “Don’t. You quit baseball, you don’t come to school half the time, you’re drinking, smoking… what are you doing, B?”

You challenged him, and it was his favorite thing about you. He was silent for a long moment, the two of you staring each other down, before he finally sighed and sat down on the sand, looking out at the ocean as the sun began to set. “I don’t know,” he said, resting his forearms on his knees. “I want to get out of here, away from VA Beach.”

“Then why don’t you just do it right? You’re at the top of your class, and right now you’re throwing it all away. Graduate, enjoy your senior year.” You sat beside him on the sand, leaning over to bump his shoulder with your own as your voice softened. “That’s what your mom wanted, for you to have a normal life. That’s all Uncle Pete wants too.”

You could tell by the wry chuckle he gave that he didn’t believe you, or your read on your uncle. “Maverick doesn’t give a shit about me,” he said, his deep voice quiet against the sound of the waves on the beach.

“That’s not true, Bradley,” you scolded, shifting to your knees and facing him, forcing eye contact by taking his hands in yours. “If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t say anything to you at all. He’d let you destroy yourself.”

He locked eyes with you, silently challenging your statement before finally releasing a sigh, shaking his head as he looked away. You reclaimed your position beside him and you both stared at the ocean in silence for a long time, until the last remnants of the day’s light dipped below the horizon. You shivered as the wind picked up, your bare arms and legs reminding you that you didn’t bring a sweater.

Bradley didn’t hesitate in taking his hoodie off and pulling it over your head before standing and dusting the sand from his jeans. He offered a hand to help you up and when you stood he couldn’t help but chuckle at how big the sweatshirt was on you. “Been a while since we’ve worn the same size I guess,” he teased, watching you push the sleeves up to expose your hands as you rolled your eyes, though there was a smile on your lips. “Wanna walk down the pier?”

“What time is it?” you asked, watching as he checked his wrist where he wore his dad’s old watch.

“Just after 7,” he replied, his biceps flexing as he stretched out after sitting for so long. He was a sight to behold, even wearing something as simple as jeans and a t-shirt.

A Varsity baseball player since his Freshman year, he had always been in good shape, and it was hard to not appreciate it. Even though he hadn’t played since last season he was still well toned, most of the time he was forced to be at home was spent in their garage working out. Girls were constantly all over him, and while he appreciated the attention he had been in a relationship up until his mom passed, when his change in behavior led to a breakup.

“Sure, we can walk down the pier,” you smiled up at him, unable to ignore the warmth that ran through you when he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and led you toward it.

He smelled like sandalwood and salt water, a scent that was familiar and made you feel safe. The two of you had practically been raised as siblings, and until recently you had never considered anything more than a friendship with Bradley. Puberty had changed that, at least for you, but his girlfriend and the chance that it could ruin your friendship forever had prevented you from making a move.

Even now, you didn’t say anything, knowing that there was a delicate balance within him. You didn’t want to push him over the ledge he was teetering on, but to pull him back onto solid ground if he would let you.

It was a relaxed walk down the beach, and by the time you reached the pier, there were only a few people left watching the ocean under the dim lights. You were both quiet as you made your way to the end of the pier, tucked into Bradley’s side by his arm that was still wrapped around your shoulder.

The sea breeze tousled your hair as you leaned against the pier’s railing, gazing out at the dark expanse that was the Atlantic Ocean. The sound of waves crashing against the pilings filled the silence between you as you stood shoulder to shoulder, each of you trying to find the right words.

Your name passed his lips first, and as he spoke his eyes remained on the ocean in front of you. “You’ve always been there for me, Dimples, even when I don’t deserve it, like these past few months. I’m sorry I haven’t told you how much I appreciate that.”

A smile formed at his words and you rested your head on his shoulder. “You don’t have to say it, Brad. We’re family, remember? That’s what family does.”

He remained still for a moment before shifting to face you slowly, giving you time to lift your head. Hazel eyes caught yours in a soft gaze before dropping to your lips briefly. He had been attracted to you for a couple of years, but thought you were off limits due to Maverick, who kept you both on a tight leash. But you understood he was still dealing with the losses of his best friend and his brother, all while trying to raise their children into functioning adults.

“You’re supposed to be looking at the water, not me,” you teased, feeling self conscious as his eyes roamed over you.

Bradley smiled, his large hand reaching for yours and lacing your fingers together. “You’re better to look at.”

You bit your lip and looked away, feeling the heat in your cheeks rising. Before you could say anything else, his fingers tipped your chin up and his lips were against yours in a tender kiss. His confident demeanor made an appearance when he wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you closer as the kiss continued, soft and slow.

When you finally parted, you couldn’t help but search his eyes, looking for any sign of regret. Instead he shook his head, seemingly reading your mind as he stroked your cheek with the hand that wasn’t resting on the small of your back. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time. You’re a good kisser.”

“It was my first time,” you admitted, slightly embarrassed. As the bookworm to Bradley's social butterfly, you were content to stay home, reading or watching a movie, rather than going out. As a result, you had never been on a date, let alone kissed someone.

“Then you’re a natural.” He leaned in and kissed you again, briefly. “Is this something you want?”

Your heart raced as you met Bradley's eyes, and you swallowed the lump in your throat. "Yes," you whispered, your voice filled with uncertainty and longing. "I want this, Brad, if you do."

He grinned, his eyes lighting up with happiness. "Of course I do, Dimples. We only have this moment once. The present moment.”

“The present moment,” you repeated, chuckling when he hummed in affirmation. “So what do you suggest we do to harness this present moment?”

He didn’t hesitate to kiss you again in response to your question, resting his forehead against yours. “I know Mav might give us shit, but I want to make this work."

You nodded and wrapped your arms around his neck, your heart full with emotion. "We'll figure it out together."

#bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw angst #Youtube

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crazyk-imagine · 2 months

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Blast to the Past

Pairing: Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe x Wife!reader

Characters: Wife!reader. Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, Robert "Bob" Floyd

Briefly mentioned: Carol Bradshaw, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Ron “Slider” Kerner, Rick “Hollywood” Neven, Marcus “Sundown” Williams, Sam “Merlin” Wells, Charles “Chipper” Piper

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of the 86' squad, reader is still involved with Top Gun, mav and reader are besties, everyone still talks to one another, wolfman is a simp for his wife, wolfman and reader are lowkey hella cute, bradley remembering reader hanging out when he was a kid, reader teasing mav, reader thinking of hangman as mini mav, Bob being the reader's fav, Wolfman loves gossiping with his wife, this is lowkey gives off kicking your feet vibes

Word Count: 1,070

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The text from Beau was not the one you were expecting.

Admiral Jackass

"You've been called back." Sent Read 1:02pm

Admiral Jackass typing…

You're one stop away from making dreams happen again, you shiver with anticipation and take a deep breath, thinking back to your favorite group of students when they were younger.

At that point, it was within the early years of your teaching career.

After the class of 86' you didn't teach as often but when there was an important mission or the admiral's needed someone they knew could get the lieutenants properly trained, they called you.

You take a deep breath, walking down the hallway, realizing you've missed the feeling you (still) get walking down the halls towards your next group of lieutenants.

You walk down the pathway in between the desks much like you did when you taught his class.

Another reason for the text, he's late and Beau wants them to learn now.

You turn and eye each of the lieutenants, seeing who's confident and who's not. Something else you were known for, identifying the weak and making them stronger if they're up for it.

It was how you got him back when he lost his family.

They don't call you "Sly Fox" the Modifier for nothing (you wish your husband didn't get that started, it's stuck and you can't get rid of it).

The corner of your lips twitch, remembering more of your infamous class of 86' only because of the overly confident blond sitting in one of the first few seats.

You lean against the podium, clasping your hands together. "Who thinks they have what it takes for this mission?"

They start turning, glancing at one another.

"Do you?" You turn your attention onto the infamous Hangman.

He smirks, messing with his toothpick. "I don't think, I know I do."

"Cockiness gets you and your crew into some seedy situations."

"It get me out of them."

The door opens and your favorite captain enters.

You straighten your posture and turn back to him. "These people are you crew, you need to have their backs, or no one will have yours and you'll be alone."

He walks down the path you and uses the confidence you told him to.

The one you've claimed as "Mini Mav" turns, flipping his toothpick before sinking into his seat, followed by two others.

"It seems it's my time to leave." You throw a wink in Pete's direction before walking towards the opening.

You didn't see the way Bradley's eyes widened at the way you interact with him.

He has a vague memory of you hanging out with his family once or twice and calling his mom after losing his dad.

"Don't have too much fun, Mav." You pat his shoulder, "you've got a live one."

He furrows his brows.

You glance back at the class once more before deciding to take your leave. "Good to see you again, Bob."

He smiles and waves back at you.

Natasha turns to him with furrowed brows. "How do you know her?"

He shrugs, "she taught my first class a while back."

"She remembers your name?"

"And," he shrugs.

"You were so her favorite."

You make your way to the opening of the hanger and sigh, "I told you guys to- no, no."

You pinch the bridge of your nose and groan.

One of the technicians runs back into the hanger tripping over his feet.

You pull up beside him on one of the carts. "I told you not to run. I wasn't upset."

"I beg to differ ma'am."

You grab them by their collar. "I'm going to show you a thing or two. I was trying to help you."

You drive back out without looking back, already knowing that Beau is shaking his head while Pete and the class are trying not to laugh.

"Do you get it now?"

He nods. "That wasn't as complicated as I thought."

"Good, now do it again to this row." You can see the excitement fall from his face and can't help but chuckle.

"No, kid. She's just messing with you." You husband wraps an arm around your waist, pecking your cheek as he places his hat on your head. "Hey, sweetheart."

You smile and lean in for a kiss, having missed him with the grandkids out at school and spending more time with their friends since they're starting to get more freedom from their parents now that they've proven themselves responsible.

"Feels like I haven't seen you in forever."

He smiles, "feels like it's been forever."

"It has. What brought you out here?"

"A little birdie told me you might be maiming one of the techs."

You scoff, "as if."

You both turn to the technician and finding him staring at the two of you in awe. "Holy- Wolfman and Sly Fox are married?"

"Where have you been?" Leonard asks.

"Under a rock apparently."

You snort, covering your mouth. "Alright, we'll talk more later. Get to work before Cyclone comes for you."

"Yes, ma'am."

You two start walking away and head towards the hanger.

You glance at him through your lashes, grateful he put his hat on your head. "You're not gonna believe who's teaching and in his class."

He groans. "Don't tell me, Mav's here."

You nod. "Along with baby Goose."

"Nick's kid is here?"

You nod, pulling him behind you.

You both turn the corner, searching over the hanger for the one person you want him to see.

Pete turns to you and pauses, raising a brow.

You sheepishly smile and pull your husband away from the hanger.

"He looks just like him, don't you think?"

"Mustache and all. Damn."

"What?" You stare at him, watching him get dressed.

"Goose would have loved this."

The corner of your lips tugs upwards. "I know." A wishful sigh slips past your lips. "You'll never guess what I discovered in their class."

"What?" He asks with amusement.

"Don't be a smartass."

"Hey, you married me in spite of it."

"Yes, yes. Whatever. Mav has a mini Maverick."

"Mav produced?"

You scoff, "no but there's a kid just like him."

"That's less fun than him teaching his own kid."

"He's got baby Goose for that."

"True." He closes the locker, "you ready?"

You all but run into his arms, letting his arm rest over your shoulders. "Take me home, honey."

"As long as you'll have me."

Tag list:

@kmc1989 @callmemana @blueoorchid

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callsigncurse · 6 months

Text

Offense & Defense - (Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x Reader)

[Part Two of the Agents of Chaos series]

A beach day meant to be spent on team bonding has Maverick hot under the collar. Sure, you're his soulmate, but how the hell is he supposed to compete with Jake "Hangman" Serensin, the much younger (than him) pilot who seems to have a soft spot for you? Or, the chapter where Maverick nearly loses you for good. Warnings: Shirtless, Jealous Maverick (which is, let's be honest, is downright deadly) mentions of a bodily injury (to the reader) Disclaimer: Some of these lines (the ones marked with an asterisk) are copied directly from the movie, but I do not claim them as my own! All rights belong to Paramount Pictures and the writers. Words: 3.3K ← part one

flying idiots gc

Captain: We are meeting at the beach today. Bring water and wear your civvies. I'll provide snacks. Chaos: 🫡 Hangman: Hell yeah Rooster: 👍🏻 Bob: Ok Phoenix: Weird, but alright. Fanboy: Whatever you say, man. Coyote: you had me at snacks Payback: Let's goooo Agent: I'll bring the sunscreen 💕 Hangman: lame 👎🏻 Agent: I will kick your ass, Ken Doll Captain: I'm surrounded by idiots.

The sun is beating down on you when you step around the Hard Deck. The sand is hot to the touch, but the ocean looks cool and inviting. It's a beautiful, sunny day, and it lifts your spirits a little. It had been a rough and stressful few days.

You briefly wonder where Maverick is, looking around the beach to see if you can spot him. You haven't seen him outside of Top Gun since the night he walked away from you. You're just about to start walking further down the beach to see if you can find him when your tattoo constricts tightly around your wrist, alerting you to his presence.

He's standing not even a foot away when you turn around. His aviators are perched on his perfect face, his expression completely unreadable. He's wearing a worn black t-shirt and dark blue jeans rolled up, and he looks good. Really good.

"Hey." He finally offers. It's the most he's said directly to you in the days after you'd first met. The fact that he's been ignoring you for over a week has a hollow feeling growing in your chest, and you merely nod in greeting.

You squeeze your eyes shut for a moment before you huff out an exasperated sound and turn away from him. It's like he's trying to pretend that nothing has ever happened between the two of you, and it hurts. He'd turned his back on your connection, running away from what could be.

"Sweetheart, please." A shiver wracked down your spine at the sound of his voice, pleading with you. You want to turn around, you want to see his eyes, and you want more than anything to love him. But he doesn't want you; he's made that perfectly clear. You weren't good enough.

"Hey, now wait, don't-"

The sound of your friends startles you, but you don't turn around. You just set up your beach chair and wait for them to settle in, too. You can hear Josh all the way in the parking lot bickering with Phoenix over something you don't quite catch.

You'd told Josh about your string appearing a few days ago, right after Maverick had left you standing on the front porch of your little bungalow. He'd fallen silent, completely in shock, but had told you that he'd keep it to himself. You weren't ready for word to get out about your soulmate, especially not wanting to explain that he was completely rejecting the bond.

Hangman reaches you first; his green eyes warm when he smiles down at you. "Hey there, pretty girl. You come here often?"

A strangled sound reaches your ears, and you turn your head to see Maverick gulping down water while Phoenix pats him on the back. He sees you watching him and waves you off. "Went down the wrong pipe; I'm good."

Bob arrives next, surrounded by Payback and Fanboy, with Rooster trailing behind him. You watch as Bob strolls over and bumps Phoenix with his shoulder to alert her to his presence. It was nice to see them getting along; most of you had gotten pretty close in the last few days.

"Alright." Maverick's voice rang out, and everyone turned to face him. "Today, we're gonna play a little game I like to call Dogfight Football. Offense and defense at the same time. Two footballs, two teams, each trying to score as many touchdowns as possible."

The team breaks out into excited chatter, already arguing over who would be on whose team for the game. You briefly wonder why he's got you guys playing games when you only have so much time to train before the mission.

Maverick must've heard your thoughts because you suddenly felt his presence in your head again. He wasn't looking at you, but he was there all the same. It felt like his hands were cupping your face, his thumb smoothing along your cheekbone, just like he had the first night.

"Trust me, you guys need this. It'll be fun, I promise."

His honeyed voice soothes the frayed nerves that have made themselves known over the last few days. You practically purr at the sound of him in your head, but you push that away as quickly as it came on.

"Whatever you say, Captain Mitchell." You respond, and you feel him flinch at the use of his official title. You slam the mental block down quickly, and he flinches again, harder this time. Only you and Hangman seem to notice the captain's strange behavior.

"You good?" Jake's voice breaks through the noise as he sidles up beside you. He throws an arm around your shoulders as he smirks. "You're looking a little jumpy there. Afraid we're gonna run you into the ground, old man?"

You can't hear him, but you can feel him. Maverick is seething, his jaw tight, while he stares at Jake through his aviators. If looks could truly kill, Hangman would've been gone and buried by now. You can't tell if you're more worried about Jake or aroused by the sight of Maverick; he's really hot when he's angry. You're not sure what he's more pissed about—the way Jake is talking to you or the way he's got an arm wrapped around you.

"We'll see." Maverick finally speaks, with a sharp bite to his voice when he answers. He's calmer now, at least, and you push your presence into his mind. Experimentally, you whisper in his head, your voice soothing.

"Relax. This is supposed to be fun, remember? Don't let him get to you."

He visibly relaxes and shoots you a grateful, beautifully crooked smile.

You were prepared for the game, but you really weren't prepared for a very sweaty, very shirtless Pete Mitchell. He'd shed his shirt halfway through the game, leaving his tanned skin glistening in the sun. Your breath had left your lungs immediately, and you were so focused on how gorgeous he was that you didn't see Fanboy running full speed in your direction.

Hangman sees it all go down and swoops in as quickly as he can. He's fast on his feet and has you up in his arms just a split second before Fanboy was about to crash into you. You're breathless, looking up into those impossibly green eyes with a dazed look on your face.

"Hey, pretty girl." He greets you, a smile flashing over his lips as he adjusts you in his arms. Yours are slung around his neck, your legs wrapped around his waist, and you wonder what it would be like to just lean in and kiss Jake Seresin. At least he acted like he wanted you, even if he was a little bit of a player. (Or, so the rumors said.)

"Hey." You answer, one hand gliding gently through the soft, golden hair at the nape of his neck. "Thanks for saving me back there; I thought for sure I was gonna be a goner. Fanboy is heavier than he looks."

That draws a laugh out of him, and you're a little too into the way the sunlight gleams off of his golden hair and tanned skin. "You got it, doll." And then he's setting you down gently on the sand, but he doesn't move away.

"Seriously?"

You jolt, and Hangman looks at you with disappointment in his eyes when he sees the flash of your soulmate string against your skin. "Ah, shit. Did I overstep?"

"Tell him to let go of you. Please."

His voice is a low growl in your head. You're not sure where Maverick even is, but you're sure he's somewhere behind you. You can feel his eyes boring into your skin as you look up at Jake, your face burning with embarrassment. "I'm not sure why he's even mad; he's made it clear he doesn't want to be with me."

"Chaos."

"It's Maverick, isn't it?" He murmurs, still looking down at you with a look of disappointment. "He's giving me a look that's actually a little terrifying right now." He admits, and his hands slip off of your skin and into the pockets of his swim shorts.

You sigh. "Yeah, it is. Just don't tell anyone, okay? He already made it perfectly clear that I'm not what he wants, so it doesn't matter, anyway." You can hear the sadness in your own voice, and Jake just sighs.

"I'll keep your secret. Scout's honor. And he'll come around, pretty girl." He sets a hand on your shoulder, yanking you into him so he can give you a hug. "But if he doesn't, you're totally welcome to give me a call anytime."

You hear Maverick's frustrated growl in your head again, but this time you just shut him out.

By the next day, you're still angry with Maverick. This game of hot and cold with him is getting old, quickly. You couldn't even hang out with Jake without your soulmate (the one who was constantly saying he didn't want a relationship with you!) getting jealous and getting all growl-y in your ear.

Things are tense; no one has yet to complete the mission. Either Rooster was going too slow and holding you up, or Hangman was going too fast and fucking up the rest of his teammates. You were ready to strangle both of them, even if you loved them both.

"Agent, do you have a lock on the target?"

"Negative, this laser is bugging the fuck out. I've got dead-eye."

You curse out loud, and then your soulmate, the one who has done nothing but piss you off for two days, 'shoots' you down. The fucker even tells you across the radio that you're dead.

*"Coyote, we're out. Maverick got us." You tell him, not even trying to hide how utterly annoyed you are at the captain. Sure, he's just training you to make sure you cover all possibilities, but still.

*"That's a fail, Coyote. Return to base." Maverick repeats, but Coyote's plane is rising even further into the sky. He's not saying anything in the comms and you're getting a little worried now.

*"Coyote? Level wings." Maverick orders over the comms, a panicked edge creeping into his voice. You're watching with bated breath as Coyote's plane starts to nose dive, and then he's free falling through the air.

"Mav, he's in G-Lock. You gotta get tone on him!" Your heartbeat is slamming against your chest, watching your friend's plane start to plummet straight toward the Earth. You knew if he didn't wake up, he was going to die as you watched, helpless.

Maverick's plane goes screaming towards him and you can hear him yelling Coyote's call sign over the comms. After what seems like a lifetime, at the last possible second, Coyote's plane levels out and he starts climbing back into the sky. You can't help but laugh, relieved to see that your friend was alright.

"I'm alright, I'm good." You can hear Coyote now, and you breathe out a long sigh of relief. That had been way too close for comfort, and your heart was still hammering in your chest.

"Good job, Mav." Your plane levels out next to his, giving him a thumbs up so he can see it.

"You did good, Chaos. The tone idea was brilliant."

There's maybe a moment more of calm before the next round of chaos begins.

"Bird strike!"

*"Shit, Chaos. Climb!" The left engine is out, and you pull hard on your stick to climb higher into the sky. Agent's voice is panicked when he follows up with, "Left engine is on fire!"

*"Throttling back. Shutting off fuel. Extinguishing fire." You rattle off what you're doing, flipping switches and pushing buttons on autopilot. This is what you've trained for, you tell yourself. Stay calm, and everything will be fine.

*"We’re losing the right engine." Agent's sounding a little more panicked, and you take a deep breath.

*"It’s still spinning. I’m gonna try to restart it." You flip the APU switch and push the right throttle forward. "APU on. Throttle up. Shit, nothing's happening." Okay, now you're starting to panic. It would really fucking suck if you had to bail out.

*"The right engine is out!" Agent says, and yeah, he's full on panicking now. "Chaos, I think this is it; I've got every warning light lit up back here."

*"We lost hydraulics; I can't control it!" The stick is useless in your hands, and you're starting to lose complete control. You're spinning out, and yeah, this is really not good.

*"Eject! Eject!" Maverick is practically screaming over the radio, "Chaos, Agent, eject now!"

You grab the handle and pull, and you watch as the canopy flies off your plane backwards. You're launched into the air, and there's only a split second before you see Agent do the same.

It's almost peaceful, floating down with a parachute. But then the plane crashes into the mountainside and something metallic shoots toward you, and the last thing you remember is thinking, "Ow, that hurt."

The next time you wake up, you know you're in a hospital. The room is stark white; there's a heart monitor next to you and an IV attached to your arm. By the look of the clock on the wall, you know it's well past midnight. You wonder if Agent is here too, and if he managed to land okay.

The next thing you notice is the feeling of someone holding your hand. You turn your head, and you are absolutely flabbergasted to find Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, asleep in a chair that's been pulled up to your bedside, holding your hand.

You shift slightly, moving towards him, and you notice that his normally tan face looks pale. He looks like he hasn't slept in days, and his face looks swollen, like he's been crying. "Maverick?"

He twitches, but his eyes stay closed and his hand stays wrapped around yours. One more urgent whisper of his name, and those intense blue eyes of his slam open, and he looks at you like he's seen a ghost. "Oh, thank God." He leans forward, pressing his cheek against your joined hands, and breathes out a sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" Not that you mind that he's touching you or even that he's here, but you're beyond confused.

"Bird strike, you had to eject." He looks back at you, his other hand coming out to cup your hand in both of his. "Shrapnel came flying from your plane and hit you as you were coming down. Smacked you right in the chest. You were bleeding out pretty badly when they found you; you had landed hard and hit your head, too."

"Oh." You frown, reaching up with your free hand to touch the edges of the bandages on your chest. Now that he mentions it, it's throbbing uncomfortably. "What about Josh? Is he okay? How long was I out?"

"Agent is fine; he was treated for some light scrapes and bruising and released the next day. You've been asleep for three days. I've, uh, been here every night with you." He admits, and his eyes are still trained on your face. It's almost like he can't believe that you're awake and that you're okay.

"Shit, I've missed that much?" You struggle to sit up, but Maverick stands and gently pushes you back down onto the hospital bed. "Mav, c'mon, I gotta get out of here."

"No, you don't. Simpson has already released you from the mission." He tells you quietly, and your throat constricts. A chance of a lifetime mission, and you were completely out of commission. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you were hurt. You need to rest and heal."

You let out a wounded sound, angry at yourself for being in this position. Your plane was gone; you'd put Agent in danger, and now you were going to miss out on this special assignment. Things couldn't possibly get any worse than they are right now.

"Why are you even here?" That's the question that's nagging at you the most, and in your still-exhausted mind, you deserve an answer. "I didn't know you cared that much."

He looks taken aback, but his hands refuse to let go of yours. His eyes are trained on your face, and to your amazement, they're slowly filling up with tears. His lower lip was swollen from being constantly worried between his teeth, and in this moment, he looks almost delicate. Like he's about to break.

"I almost lost you," he whispers, and he sounds devastated. "I haven't even given us a fighting chance, and I almost lost you."

You turn as much as you can, staring at his face with wide eyes. The strongest man you'd ever met was breaking apart before your eyes, and you almost couldn't believe it. Did he really care that much?

"Of course I do." He swipes a hand at his eyes, catching the tears that had started to slip down his face. "I've never not cared. I'm just... Sweetheart, I'm no good at this. I've never been able to keep down a relationship; I have no kids of my own, and my only godson hates me."

You shift in your bed, moving as much to the side as you can before you pat the space beside you. "Lie down, Mav. You're exhausted; how long has it been since you slept?"

He looks like he's not going to do it for a split second, and then he seems to change his mind. He kicks off his boots and carefully climbs in, sliding his arm under you so you can lie on his chest. You're careful not to jostle yourself as you settle down.

"I care about you too, Mav." You tell him, your hand gently drawing patterns over his chest. "I knew the moment I first saw you that you would be everything to me, you know? And you denying us just... well, it hurt. I guess that's why I was letting Jake hit on me at the beach."

He makes a sound in his chest, and you can't help the exhausted giggle that slips out. "Easy, Pete. He's a great friend, and it won't happen again. Not unless you let me go for good."

"I won't." He answers without hesitation, and you tip your head back so you can see his face better. "I think this week has taught me that I care more about you than I thought. When I'm not training everyone, I'm here. I caused quite a stir the other night when they tried to get me to leave. Iceman had to call and make sure I got special clearance to stay with you at night."

Your heart thumps in your chest. "Hey, Pete?"

"Yeah?" He peeks down at you, his dark eyes studying you with that same intensity that always took your breath away.

"I really like you. And when I can get up and brush my teeth, I'm going to kiss you." Maybe it's the exhaustion you're feeling that's making you so bold, or maybe you're just drunk on the overwhelming affection you feel for him. "Because I really, really want to kiss you."

He stares at you for a solid moment, and then he carefully shuffles you so that he can lean down and press a sweet kiss to your forehead. And then he leaves one on your nose, and both of your cheeks. His lips graze yours, so softly that you can barely feel it. Regardless, your body lights up for him, and you meet his kiss with sweet affection.

"Get some sleep, sweetheart." He murmurs, brushing one last kiss against your lips. "I'll probably be gone when you wake up, but I'll be back before nightfall. I promise."

When you wake up the next morning, your bed is still warm from his body heat, and he's left a flower and a note for you where he'd been sleeping.

I'll be back soon. Don't miss me too much.

Love,

Mav.

#pete mitchell x reader #maverick x reader #top gun fanfiction #soulmate!au #chaos!reader

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averagewriter-inthedark · 1 year

Text

The Doc Is In 🩺 | Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell Imagine

Takes place during TGM

TGM Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell x doctor!reader (romantic), dagger squad (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, slight profanity, mentions of medical operations | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 2.7k

Requested 📨 yes/no (for @wildellaa 🤍)

Premise: Funny how a routine checkup after a near-death experience can lead to sudden revelations. For the dagger squad, this revelation comes in the news their infamous instructor happens to be quite close to the new base physician…who happens to be a high ranking Air Force personnel.

Note: I’m sorry by how long this took and I apologize if its bad/weak 🥹 I started a new job (my first job every) and it’s been a wild couple weeks but I promise I’m coming back! Also side note- the joke I added about the Air Force Dress Blues is an actual jab the branches use against the Air Force 😂 my mom was in the AF for 24 years and hated the Blues after they changed the uniform.

———————————

“Are you feeling any lightheadedness, nausea, or ringing in your ears?” Nat squinted against the light shining in her eyes, but adjusted before answering.

“No, just a little shaken. That’s all.” She kept her gaze forward as instructed, blinking once the light turned off. A light chuckle left the physician's lips.

“I would expect so after what you just experienced,” her smile was kind, jotting down notes on the pad beside her. “Normal behavior, but if you feel any of the symptoms I just listed at any point let me know. It doesn’t appear you have a concussion but we can never be too careful. And no visible sign of injuries to the chest or torso, indicating you had a more graceful landing than most pilots I see.”

“Is emergency ejections a common occurrence for you, Colonel?”

The woman chuckled, “You’d be surprised. Between the Air Force and Navy, my resume with treating you a lot doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.” She goes to the computer to enter the report, “Most cases involve broken or bruised ribs. But thankfully you appear in good shape. We just wanna watch out for any changes regarding your head.”

Nat nodded, moving to zip up her flight suit while the physician, an Air Force Colonel, the highest ranking for Air Force officers, with the last name L/n-Mitchell, wrote up the report notes on the computer.

Huh, funny how she shared the same last name as her boss.

“Your vitals are normal, no visible external injuries, and no sign of a concussion,” she repeated, fingers typing away, “but again we’ll keep an eye on those. I’ll get you and Lieutenant Floyd checked in for overnight observation—in the meantime is there anyone I can call to bring you anything you might need?”

“No need,” Nat waved a hand, “They’re all out in the lobby waiting for an update.” Rooster had sent her a text saying they had her and Bob’s things from their locker and food from the base Exchange.

Colonel L/n-Mitchell chuckled, “I’ll go grab them for you two.” She goes to the edge of the curtain, speaks to the person on the other side briefly before moving the fabric away to release the divide between the two spaces. When she does so the curtain reveals a pale-faced Bob on the opposite side.

“You good, Floyd?” Nat asks, untying her boots to make herself comfortable since she was to stay the night. Her answer was a groan.

“I might have thrown up a couple times.”

“What’s the diagnosis?”

“Just the case of my stomach being flipped upside down,” Bob leans back until he’s sprawled out on the bed. “I’m surprised I didn’t crap my pants.” Phoenix cringed, but bit back a laugh.

The Colonel placed her pen in her front pocket, smiling at the aviators, “I’ll be right back with your friends. Hang tight.” She opened the front curtain and disappeared, combat boots echoing with each step.

Bob and Nat waited about five minutes tops when she returned with Jake, Bradley, Mickey, Reuben, and Javy. “They’re in one piece,” she teased, moving to the side so they could all greet each other.

“We got your favorite,” Jake lifted a bag from Subway. Pulling out two sandwiches for Nat and Bob. They thanked them and started showing down when the curtain drew back again to reveal Pete.

“Sorry I’m late,” eyes instantly go toward the physician causing a smile to form on his lips. “Well this is a surprise.” Her own smile appeared.

“I told you I was transferring here.” The statement had all eyes, minus Bradley’s go wide. In fact Bradley mirrored Mav’s happy expression. Indicating he had some sort of familiarity to the Colonel.

Pete shocked them even more when he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I was expecting to see you next week,” he lets his eyes wander her uniform clad figure, grinning from ear to ear. She was in her Air Force ABUs, “Did you get in last night?”

“I did. Got settled at tlf, was planning on surprising you tonight but it looks like fate had other ideas,” she giggled, accepting his kiss causing gasps to ring out. “I take it this bunch belongs to you?”

“Hold the phone,” Javy said what everyone was thinking. He pointed at Mav, “You,” then pivoted to the woman, “And you are….”

She finished for him, “married.”

“Married!”

“I missed some chapters.”

“You never said you were married,” Phoenix stated, not seeing a wedding ring on either of their hands. It was common for military personnel to not wear rings due to their jobs, but surely Maverick would’ve mentioned in passing.

“I thought you guys knew.”

Javy scoffed, “We sure did not. Let alone to the base physician.”

“New base physician,” she corrected, “I just transferred here so really no one would have known. Although,” she turns to Bradley, “I thought you would’ve said something, Bradley.” The pilot just shrugged and mumbled how his thoughts were occupied with Nat and Bob. “Anyway, it is nice to meet you all. Sorry we had to become acquainted in these circumstances.”

The pilots were flabbergasted. First to find out that their instructor was married, and second to discover it was to a full bird Colonel.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Colonel,” Jake began, not used to addressing Air Force personnel. The Navy’s equivalent to a full bird colonel was Captain. Which happened to be her husband's rank. And generally when licensed physicians enter the Air Force they’re automatically ranked Captain or Major. So it made him wonder how long Pete’s wife had been in the Air Force to reach the rank of Colonel. “But where were you before coming to Miramar?”

“Vandenberg.” Ah, the Air Force Base up north in central California. One of the largest bases in the country and satellite home of both NASA and SpaceX.

Not to mention in the last two decades it had several shark attacks on its beaches.

The next hour consisted of the squad asking the couple several questions including the typical, “how long have you two been together?” “Have you always been in the Air Force?” And “Why haven’t you mentioned you were married, Captain?”

“Again, I thought you knew,” Mav reinstated, slightly flustered from the knowing look he received from his wife.

“We’ve been married ten years,” Y/n explained with a smile. “Though we’d been friends for some time. So…” she brought a finger to her lips, “I wanna say it was 2004 when we met for the first time. I had just commissioned.”

“What did you come in as?”

“Captain,” she answered Payback, “well, Lieutenant in your case.”

“And how long have you been a full bird, ma’am,” Mickey’s eyes were full of curiosity. He thought it was so cool his instructor was the highest officer rank for the Navy and married to the highest officer rank of the Air Force.

“About three years,” her face was full of pride, as was Mav’s. “And to answer your question from earlier; no, I hadn’t joined until after six years of being a civilian practitioner following my residency.” If they were to do the math, it would put Y/n at graduating from both high school, college, and med school one year early.

Oh she was smart smart.

One could guess by the John Hopkins and Duke University class rings on her fingers.

“I gotta ask,” Mickey looked between the two, grin already forming. “Do you ever have rivalry?”

“You mean because of Air Force vs Navy?” Y/n laughed. “Of course we do. Especially during college football season.” Pete laughed with her.

“You’re outnumbered here, darling.”

She playfully scoffed, “It’s only fair since you were back in Lompoc.” Turning to the pilots who were holding back smiles she added, “fifteen years and things don’t seem to change. I hope,” she motions a hand between them, “we can find some civility. All things considered.” Of course it was a joke, the branch rivalry and all that. But Y/n loved a good friendly bicker and the squad seemed to also.

“Just don’t wear your Blues around here,” Javy started, “unless you wanna be called a flight attendant.” The entire room erupted in laughter, Y/n pointing a finger as if to say, ‘Good one.’ She hated how the Air Force Dress Blues looked. It was the running joke between the branches and she couldn’t blame it.

Every time she had to wear them when flying she was stopped by people asking where to find their gate.

Hangman let out a whistle after they all calmed down. “When I woke up this morning I didn’t expect It end with meeting Mrs. Mitchell?” The couple shared a look, a smile on Y/n’s face.

“I prefer Doctor Mitchell.”

Pete went into detail of how the two met—which had Nat snapping her head to Y/n only to receive a wink.

No wonder she mentioned chest injuries as a theme when dealing with pilots.

It was a stellar retelling of how the man decided to defy yet another Admiral resulting in him ejecting from a high speed plane over a mountain range. Y/n had recently commissioned and was sent to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, but was TDY to Oceana Naval Base for a seminar. Seeing she was the most qualified and only personnel available at the time, she was to conduct Pete’s medical examination.

“So,” she mused at the name on the clipboard, not bothering to pay him a glance as he sat on the bed. “You’re the infamous Pete Mitchell everyone has been buzzing about.” Beelining to the computer, Y/n heard a deep chuckle.

“Guilty.”

The response led to a roll of the eyes, focusing on the screen in front of her, “Are you experiencing any nausea, dizziness, lightness of the head?”

“No.”

“Ringing in the ears, distortion of the eyesight, or pain in any area?”

“No, ma’am.”

The clicking of the mouse rang with each check off the electronic list, “It says you made physical contact with the ground when you landed. Are you feeling any discomfort in your chest or abdomen?”

Pete shook his head despite her not looking at him, “just a little soreness and a bruised ego. But other than that I’m good.” Biting back a grin, Y/n grabbed the stethoscope and began to turn.

“Well we can't be too careful now can we?” Upon settling her gaze on Pete Mitchell, Y/n felt an instant ‘Woah’ to her otherwise relaxed composure. Freezing for a bare second as their eyes locked before remembering where she was, stepping to his side to begin her evaluation.

Only her heart was beating a little faster than the average rate.

The nurse had already taken Pete’s vitals. Blood pressure, temperature, and all that. Now it was time for Y/n to conduct a more thorough scan.

“Deep breath for me, please,” were her instructions, the scope on his back, “And tell me if you feel any pain.”

Pete, hoping the skip in his own heart goes unnoticed by the doctor, does as he’s told. A slight wince causes her brows to raise in concern, “Commander?”

He clears his throat, “Yes, sorry. I feel a little tense.” She steps away from him, asking to point out the area. She places the scope lightly where he locates the discomfort.

“Deep breath, slow this time,” leaning in, Y/n pays close attention to the sound thumping against her ears. “Inhale.” Pete draws in a breath. “And exhale,” he winces again. Removing the stethoscope, the Captain instructed him to lean back until he was laying down.

“Would you mind unzipping your flight suit, Commander Mitchell?” Pete was left in his undershirt, suit unzipped to his hips allowing Y/n to lift the material to assess his chest. She was trying not to look flustered at her obvious attraction to the man. He had to have been nearly ten years older than her, probably in his 40s to her mid thirties.

Still, he was quite the looker. And without a ring on his finger.

The light purplish-yellow swelling on Pete’s torso was an indication he sustained more than just a damaged ego. “By my accounts, Commander, it appears you have acquired at least one if not two bruised ribs,” she lifts his shirt back down, helping him sit up, “I’m impressed you’ve managed to hide the pain you’re experiencing.”

Pete flushed, “I’m used to it. Feels no more than a tickle nowadays.” Y/n snickers, returning to the computer to log the report, “Well you certainly live up to your reputation.”

“I try to,” Pete winked, sending a ripple of warmth through Y/n. Quickly she shook it off to remain professional.

“I’m putting you on bed rest for at least three weeks. Considering this isn’t your first rodeo, I assume you know it takes three to six weeks for bruised ribs to heal completely before going about any physical activities.” Taking a pad to write down his prescription, Y/n continued, “over the counter ibuprofen works fine, but I’m gonna go ahead and prescribe you with Naproxen which is basically Aleve. Cold compress for ten to twenty minutes each day and I would recommend you coming back to the physician on duty for a green light before getting back in the box, Commander.”

Pete makes a face, tilting his head slightly, “You won’t be giving me the green light,” eyes flicker to the ranks on her collar, realizing they were indeed Air Force and not Navy ranks, “Captain?”

His question has her smile, albeit sadly, “Unfortunately I will be back at Langley, Commander. I only assessed you because everyone else on duty was occupied.”

Well that instantly had Mav deflate, stomach sinking at the thought of not being able to see her beautiful face again. Already the pilot was becoming smitten. He wanted to learn more about Y/n, like her career and the things that make her laugh and smile. The type of food she ordered and what she envisioned her life would be like.

“How long are you in town?” He couldn’t help but ask. It made her lips curl up.

“Till Sunday.” It happened to be Wednesday. Allowing the two half of week to allow the sparks starting to form to ignite into fireworks.

One can best believe Mav and Y/n took the opportunity once it was in their grasp. It started with lunch on Thursday to dinner on Friday and a late night drink at the bar on Saturday. By Sunday Y/n left with a light heaviness to her chest that was amended with the fact Pete’s number was in her phone and they had made plans to meet again. Langley and Oceania were not far in distance, so there was hope for the two.

And it was very well received.

The next five years were endless bliss. They had done the distance back and forth for some time and were lucky when they got duty stations near each other, but it wouldn’t be until they married that the Air Force and Navy would station them together or within the same state.

With Y/n as a licensed physician she could be sent to any base, be that Air Force, Navy, or Army. Working through the ranks at an impressive rate. Every base wanted her at their clinic then of course local hospitals were fighting to get her on their board. Then there was Mav as the Navy’s best fighter pilot with a reputation they both loath and admire. Sometimes they were at a base for six months to a year. Other times they didn’t even unpack the boxes.

Let’s just say….Pete lost count of the amount of disapproving looks when he fucked up.

“Seriously, Pete? Again?” Her eyes remained on the paperwork in front of her, arms crossed across her chest while her boyfriend pouted on the opposite side of the table. “We haven’t even been here for a year.”

“I know, but……” he paused, unsure if he would make it worse with his defense. “You did say you hated it here and wish to be reassigned.” He was met with a groan.

“That didn’t mean I gave you the green light to piss off your boss! Again!”

On their five year anniversary, Mav made sure it was one to remember. Following a long day at work all he said to Y/n was to change and met him in the car. Overlooking his typical Levis and white tee, she asked, “Any particular way I should dress?”

“Cute and cozy,” he kissed her cheek, “just like you love.”

Say less. Throwing off her Abu’s Y/n put on a sweater dress since it was chilly and simple shoes. Finishing off the look with one of Pete’s bomber jackets knowing he loved when she wore them. Evident by the smirk on his lips.

Driving down to their fav outdoor bar and grill they ordered appetizers and drinks while enjoying the live music and setting sun. Afterwards he took her to one of their favorite spots in the park. It was filled with lights and fountains, stars twirling from the sky above.

When it came time to present Y/n with the ring, Mav took her hands in his, got down on one knee and relayed a speech straight from his heart that brought tears to both their eyes.

“What do you say, Mrs. Mitchell?” He ended with a cheeky smile, the diamond ring sparkling from within its velvet boxed.

Teary eyed and grinning from ear to ear, Y/n leaned down to kiss him on the lips. “I prefer Doctor Mitchell.”

………………

Tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan , @caitsymichelle13 , @poppyalice2001 , @cutelittlepotatofry , @luckyladycreator2 , @americaarse , @elenavampire21 , @back-tooo-black , @wildellaa , @artemissunn , @pinkpantheris

#Spotify #pete maverick mitchell #pete mitchell x y/n #pete mitchell imagine #pete mitchell fanfiction #pete mitchell x reader #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick #tgm imagine #TGM fluff #pete mitchell fluff #pete mitchell x you #dagger squad x platonic!reader #dagger squad x reader

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drowninginliquidsmooth · 2 years

Text

A Letter to My Beloved -Tom “Iceman” Kazansky x wife!reader

Warnings: ANGST!!! Hurt/some comfort, detailed description of a dead body, mentions of throwing up, major character death.

You knew it would happen.

Deep down in your gut, you knew it was a very real possibility. For some reason, you had never allowed yourself to believe it would happen.

Being a naval aviator, there was always great risk to your husband's job, but for some reason your brain had completely shut off the idea of any bad happening to Tom.

It was Tom “Iceman” Kazansky for god’s sake. He was an amazing pilot; he was one of the most skilled pilots in the U.S Navy. A graduate of Top Gun, he was an extremely sensible flyer who rarely made mistakes.

You honestly believed that you had nothing to worry about. You had seen other military wives become widows and had pitied them, but you had never considered the fact that you could end up living their lives.

Now, you really regret not taking the time to think about what you would do if you lost your husband to his job.

On the second of November 2003, you had been married to the love of your life for ten years. You wouldn’t change a thing about the life you led. You lived in a cute little house in San Diego with your 5-year-old golden retriever, Sunny, and your gorgeous baby girl, bonnie, aged 3.

At that time, Tom had been training for a top-secret mission for six months, and you were beyond desperate to see his beautiful grin and bright eyes once again.

However, that hope had been viciously ripped from your brain and aggressively stomped on under heavy military boots.

At 4pm on the 13th of November 2003, you received a call which caused your entire life to crumble into a dilapidated skeleton of what it once was.

You had been sprawled on your couch with your precious girl asleep on your chest and your snoring dog laid atop your feet and legs.

It was an adorable sight to behold, the house in a beautiful state of tranquility. The only thing missing was your gorgeous Tom.

It took you a while to reach your phone, which was ringing in the kitchen, as you had to ease yourself from under your children.

Eventually you regretted ever picking up the phone.

“Y/n? This is Pete Mitchell, remember me?” You were asked. Of course you remembered him, he and Tom had been very close since their shared time at Top Gun.

“Hey Pete! What can I do for you?” You asked him cheerily, expecting him to just be calling in a favour from your husband.

“Y/n I am so, so sorry. There’s been an accident. The plane Ice and Slider were in came crashing down into a mountain and- and,” He was sobbing now. Something terrible had happened to your Tom and a painful feeling consumed you.

You asked the painful question, “Did they both make it?”

“We don’t know yet, the rescue team are still out but it’s not looking good,” You were both sobbing now, unsure if the fate of your husband and friend.

“All I know is you need to get down to Top Gun right now, that’s where they’ll be taken to. A driver has been sent for you, pack a bag for a few days and bring Bonnie and Sunny with you. You can stay with me,”

“Oh god I don’t know I’m gonna do if he’s hurt,” you sobbed, the pain of the possibility of your husband being much more than injured was gnawing at your brain.

You thanked Pete and hung up the phone before racing to pack some clothes for you and Bonnie to wear over the next few days. You hesitated before you went down stairs where you grabbed Sunny’s lead, food and bowl.

Within an half an hour, you were in a cab being driven towards the Naval school your husband and his friends had told you about so many times, and you prayed that you’d be able to hear him re-live his memories once more.

When you arrived, Pete met you outside the base. You sobbed in each other’s embrace briefly before he took Sunny back to his place for you, and you were ushered into an Admirals office.

“Mrs Kazansky I am so sorry to be the one to tell you this. The rescue team have just arrived back at base with Iceman and Slider. Slider is currently in a coma, but unfortunately Kazansky did not survive the crash,” the information relayed to you by the Admiral caused your heart to burn.

The second the news had processed within your mind, you had collapsed to the floor screaming out for your dead husband. You were a sobbing mess by the time Pete entered the room, and instantly he was a mess with you as he realised what this meant.

Pulling you up from your place on the floor, Pete grabbed you within his arms and cooed in your ear, he was clearly used to comforting distressed newly widowed women and men.

“Once again, I am so, so sorry for your loss Mrs Kazansky, the Navy will pay for the entire burial and funeral, and you’ll receive great compensation for your loss,” the admiral told you, clearly used to this kind of situation.

“I’m sure your kind words are appreciated , Admiral, as well the actions of the Navy towards Toms funeral, but your apologies are futile when there’s a Widowed lady and her fatherless child on the floor of your office,” Pete spoke on your behalf.

In your overpowering pain, you had almost forgotten the toddler who was now cradled within the arms of Pete, but now she was all you could think of.

You couldn’t raise a child on your own, you’d had your struggles even when Tom was around for help. Sure, the compensation from the Navy would help for a while but it would run out eventually and you’d be left to take care of yourself, a child and a dog on a single salary.

It was this thought that made you realise you would never see the smile of your husband as he read a bedtime story to your daughter again.

You would never be able to sit and watch amusedly as he galloped around the bedroom, enacting a very convincing knight who was attempting save princess Bonnie.

Never again will you wake up to your husband sitting beside you, a tray of your favourite breakfast and a cup of tea in his hands.

You’ll never be able to see his famous smirk again, the one he displayed to you six months ago as he bedded you, on the night before his deployment.

Thankfully, you were broken out of your spiralling thoughts as you were handed a letter.

The envelope was a baby pink colour, it was one of your own. In a black marker, the words “To my beloved, Y/n” were scrawled across the front. You would recognise the handwriting of your lover anywhere.

Turning over the envelope, you saw it was sealed with image of a heart stamped in gold wax. Carefully -as you wished to preserve the final letter you would receive from the love of your life- your shaking fingers opened up the envelope to reveal a letter that you wished you would never have to read.

To my sweet Y/n,

If you are reading this, I am dead. But I suppose you already know this, my love.

I am so sorry to have left you so early, my darling, I would never do it purposefully.

As I write this, you are pregnant with our first child, and I hope we manage to have many more before you have to read this letter.

I truly wish I didn’t have to write this, but my job is a hard one, it comes with extreme consequences that sometimes cannot be avoided.

I want you to enjoy your life without me, please do not dwell on our past together for too long, it will only make the truth more painful.

Please, my dearest sweetheart, live your life to the fullest, even in my absence.

You will be given access to the money I have saved since I was in college, I want that to go your life without me. Spend it however you want, as what is mine, is yours.

I want you to know that you and our unborn child are the best thing to ever happen to me. I know sometimes you doubt your ability to be a mother, but I can assure you you are perfection.

I love you, and am sorry to leave you however I have.

Yours in both life and death,

Tom Kazansky.

As you read the letter, your soul was once again crushed by despair. You could no longer deny that your husband was dead, as he had confirmed it himself within the letter.

“I want to see him,” you bravely demanded, attempting to wipe your tears before taking your daughter back into your arms.

As you were lead to the mortuary on base, you wailed as you watched Bonnies face. Her blue eyes and blonde hair made her the spitting image of her father. It wrecked you beyond belief to think that he would never see her grow up, but you were slightly comforted that you would always have a peice of him, stored within her.

The Morgue, as expected was a cold place. The pain you felt grew significantly as you entered the room and saw a covered figure laid out on the metal table in the middle of the room.

“I want to be alone,” you told the Admiral and Pete, handing your daughter over once again, you couldn’t let her see this.

You hated the amount of time you’d had to give away your daughter that day, it made you nervous for the future. Would you be able to raise a child on your own?

Once they had left, you slowly walked on wobbling legs towards the table.

Taking a deep breath in, you grasped the sheet within your hands, pulling it downwards.

The sight of your husband, rigid and pale, caused you to vomit on the floor next to you.

However, you managed to look at the now ruined face of your sweetheart.

You could clearly see injury that killed him, a piece of glass had jammed into his brain, quickly ending his life.

As well as this sickening image, his entire body were covered in scars, some of his fingers were broken, and the tip of his once-cute nose had been sliced off.

It was a gruesome sight, not something any wife should ever have to see, but despite this you managed to place a quick kiss to his bruised lips, saying good night to him one final time, before you collapsed to the floor once again.

When you awakened, you were no longer on the cold floor of the morgue, but in a warm comfy bed- much like the one you had shared with Tom.

At this thought you began to sob, and a warm weight beside you began to shift. Evidently, Pete had been kind enough to take you home and hold you as you sleep.

However as you began to fully wake up, tears streaming down your face, you were not met with the voice of Pete Mitchell.

Instead, your face was grasped within the hand of your husband, whose thumb was wiping away your tears.

“Hush now my love, whatever is the matter? Did you have another nightmare?” A sweet voice asked you.

A nightmare.

Ever since there was a close call on a mission, involving engine failure and mountains, you had been having relentless night terrors involving the death of your husband.

Choosing to stay quiet, you nodded slightly, and in response your husband - who was alive and well- pulled you into lap and held you in his strong grasp.

And there you fell asleep one again, within the warm embrace of your love, who cooed in your ear and ran his fingers through your hair.

A/n: IM SORRY. This was supposed to be a hurt/no comfort fic but the crying I was doing gave me a headache and I just couldn’t take it. There was supposed to be a painful funeral scene but I couldn’t bring myself to write it.

If you enjoyed this fic, please consider following me for more.

#tom kazansky x reader #tom kazansky #iceman #iceman x reader #pete mitchell #top gun #top gun x reader #top gun maverick #angst fic

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topgunruinedme · 1 year

Text

And now I’m saying goodbye

Summary: “I’m not ready” he begs face tilted towards the sky, heavy machinery meeting his ears as the helicopter grew closer. “I’m not ready yet, please”, his voice flattered, arms tightening as his voice cracks, a single tear falling down his cheeks. “We haven’t talked yet”.

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47681809

Word Count: 1.7

Relationship: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw & Pete "Maverick" Mitchell

Characters: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, mentions of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw

Additional Tags: Shot down in foreign land, Shot down, reunion, Anger is not a good motivator, Past Character Death, Saving Grace - Freeform, Agony, grief, Very short Greif Fic, Sam corrupted me, I’m going to hurt you all

His heart stopped in his chest as he watched a jet - a very familiar jet - fly out of the smoky remains of the helicopter aiming to kill him, the snow shifted under his foot as he watched in horror as a SAM launched and collided with the jet which had been left defenceless.

Bradley.

He wasn’t sure when he had started running, only that a pulsing hot anger flooded through him as he sprinted across the snowy landscape. Ignoring the sharp pain running through his chest settling on his right side as he twisted to duck under a heavy branch. Snow shifting under his feet almost causing him to trip and fall. Heat radiating off him warming his body despite the freezing climate. He wondered briefly if the snow behind him was melting.

How could he be so reckless? How could he be so stupid?

A faint pain on the side of his head faded into the background as his helmet thudded against his leg as he sprinted in an attempt to get to the man before his jet did. Heart pounding, lungs burning, throat closing.

His body was too old for this shit.

He stumbled into a clearing spotting the man standing up and unclipping himself from his parachute. Groaning and coughing as he stumbled slightly trying to pack away the chute before any enemies caught sight of it.

“Bradley!”

The man’s head shot up, chucking his helmet to the side with a grin. “Mav!” He cried in relief.

How could he be so irresponsible?

He looked so happy to see him, relieved. Dropping his chute and stepping towards him, ignoring the task completely. His shoulder dropped as joy flooded the man’s face. Face twisting slightly in confusion when he failed to stop, continuing to charge towards him.

He crashed into the younger man, hands on his shoulders and he shoved him, hard. Bradley landed heavily in the snow with a wince, staring up at him in shock “what the hell!”. The younger man scrambled to his feet when he continued to follow him.

Barely making it to a standing position before he was pushing him again. Bradley managed to catch himself that time, feet planted safely in the snow as he stared at Mav with a bewildered look.

His teeth grinded as he glared at the man, fire racing through his veins, how dare he take that risk. “What the hell were you thinking!” He snarled. Demanding to know what the hell the man was thinking in order to be this stupid. He refused to lose another Bradshaw.

“You told me not to think!” Bradley cried out in frustration throwing his arms out to the side like he did as a teenager, he waited for the glare to follow with the man’s childish excuse.

“So you thought it was alright to threaten the entire mission? The very being of why we were here to begin with.”

“What” Bradley spluttered, eyes widening as he crossed his arms defensively stepping back as he approached, eyeing him wearily eyes darting across his face, “Mav did you hit your head? Are you alright?”

“Shut up,” he seethed “if it wasn’t for your stupidness, your recklessness ! We wouldn’t have been down here to begin with,”

“Mav” Bradley’s voice wobbled slightly, the boy stepping back looking slightly frightened, hurt plastered across his face. “You don’t mean it, you just have a concussion. It’s fine, we’re fine ”.

“If you have just trusted your team instead of swooping in to be the hero every time there was a threat then you wouldn’t have run out of flairs, you wouldn’t have been defenseless-”

A loud sound of blades cutting through the air met his ears in the distance Bradley sent him a panicked look. “Mav we have to go!”

“-then I wouldn’t have had to save you! If you Bradshaw weren’t so keen on dying, I wouldn’t have to keep babysitting you” he spat unconcerned of the approaching danger. A second chopper, the others would handle it. There’s no way Bradley is stupid enough to come back on his own. He had taught him better than that, they had taught him better than that.

“Mav! Please” Bradley reached out tugging on his flight suit sleeve only causing his anger to rise to a new level. He shrugged the man off with a fierce glare.

“Don't touch me”.

Trapped. Held down. Dragged. Hurt.

“Mav! Come on. We have to get out of here!” Bradley tugged again, eyes darting past his shoulder. Face filled with worry and panic as he attempted to drag him along behind him. “Please Mav” he begged, eyes clouding over with barely suppressed tears, his jaw flexing as he tried to push past the harsh words.

“I said don’t. Touch. Me” he roared, shoving the man back, his sudden aggression seemed to startle Bradley causing the younger man to fall back. Body hitting the snow with a sickening thud, grip on his sleeve loosening and falling limply to his side.

He didn’t get back up.

He rolled his eyes “Oh come on” he scowled “You're not five anymore Bradley, don’t act like it”. He nudged the man's leg with his boot, impatience eating away at his skin, his anger fading slightly at the lack of response, he swallowed thickly when a small line of red dropped down into the snow from under Bradley, the mans face having paled to frightening match the now below him.

The blood pooled around his neck, possibly from his head as it stained the snow. The sight made him freeze. A bloody Bradshaw, silent, still. He could feel the cold water surrounding him, Nick’s heavy weight in his arms as he struggled to keep them afloat. He could almost hear Nick's playful laugh in his ears.

“B-Bradley?” His voice cracked slightly as a cold wave rushed over him, he pushed back the urge to gasp for air as a heavy weight settled in his chest, he felt like he was suffocating. Water flooded his throat down to his chest, relentless as he choked, his hands flexing as if looking for the extra weight of Nick's body. Horror bloomed in his chest as his godson refused to move.

“Bradley, this isn’t funny” he attempted, his scolding falling flat as he stared down at the man. He refused to answer. “This isn’t a joke!” He cried out, dropping to his knees beside the younger man.

The disappointment and pain as what had happened really hit him. God why did he say such horrible things to the kid. His kid . He should have controlled himself better, had more tact. He would have learned, he would have taught him better.

He grunted as he leaned back pulling the man into his lap, his head resting against his chest with his legs on either side of the still man as he pulled him into a sitting position, arms around his waist to hold him up. Trying to ignore the blood sneering against his skin and clothes. His stomach heaving at the much larger pull that had been hidden under the man’s body, blood slighting down his neck, blood smearing across his lips and chin. His skin chilled from the surrounding snow. He hugged the man tighter, he couldn’t let him get cold. Bradley doesn’t like the cold, he could remember all the times he had woken up in the middle of the night to an extra bed mate, the boy preferred to curl into his chest stealing his warmth.

You’re warm uncle Mav! You're safe!

His chest tightened as he tried to push past the similarities of Nick, the mustache, the blood, his neck, laying limp against him, cold.

He swallowed harshly, “Bradley?” His breath hitched as he brushed his hand against the man’s forehead brushing his hair out of his face gently “Baby can you hear me? I need you to say something, anything” he pleaded.

The silence was deafening, head pounding as he blinked trying to focus. The sound of the blades cutting through the air only hurt his head more as he pulled Bradley closer. Trembling fingers brushed against his face, smearing blood as he reached down to the man’s neck waiting for the thudding of the man’s heart. Waiting for the bleeding he had always taken for granted to kiss his fingers. The only thing that could soothe his nightmares, it was an accident- so was Goose. He flexed his fingers, readjusting his grip when he failed to find a pulse. Ignoring the bluing of the man's lips as he bit his cheek, his chest caved in on itself, tugging sharply. A strange feeling of emptiness filled him as he stared at the little boy he had watched grow up.

He almost felt hollow.

It was cold, he argued. Maybe he was in the wrong spot.

Tears formed in his eyes when Bradley stayed silent, the vein under his fingers failed to pulse. The helicopter blades slicing through the air were barely heard under his scream of agony. His cry of grief, of pain, of heartbreak cutting through the air sharply. He held his little boy in his arms tightly, rocking them back and forward with a half choked laugh “Come on baby, don’t do this to me”.

The boy who he had sacrificed everything for, the boy who despite everything followed him. The boy that he had killed.

“Please” his heart was breaking, everything around him seemed so bleak compared to the vibrant blue draining Bradley’s lips, the red cast aside bleeding into the now stealing his life force, the pale skin that resembles porcelain. He certainly felt fragile.

“I’m not ready” he begs face tilted towards the sky, heavy machinery meeting his ears as the helicopter grew closer. “I’m not ready yet, please”, his voice flattered, arms tightening as his voice cracks, a single tear falling down his cheeks. “We haven’t talked yet”.

His body shook with a sob, burrowing his face into Bradley’s neck as he trembled. “We haven’t talked yet” he cried hoarsely, his squeezing shut as he heard the click of a gun.

Pain flooded through his body as he felt his body slump to the side. Fire eating at his skin as his last passing thought hit him, eyes staring blankly at the blood stained snow. His arm reaching out, fingers brushing against Bradley's face. His blank clouded eyes staring at him in a look of shock and pain.

This still hurts less than saying goodbye.

#top gun fanfiction #top gun imagine #top gun fandom #top gun maverick #pete maverick mitchell #bradly rooster bradshaw #crash #agnst #whump #let me hurt you #it wont hurt i promise.#i lied #nick goose bradshaw #hehe i aim to break you all #Goose is crying in the afterlife #Mav is absolutely being haunted #main character death #mavdad

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one-boring-person · 4 years

Text

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

#top gun #top gun imagine #top gun: maverick #tom cruise #goose #iceman #slider #quicksilver #hawk

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theliberaltony · 4 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

When things look bad, people have a tendency to head for the exits. The same is often true of Congress. Back in early August, nine Republican House members had said they would not seek reelection in 2020 and would instead retire. That number has now grown to 16 “pure” GOP retirements (in other words, excluding those who left to seek another office.)

This isn’t that far off from the 23 Republicans who voluntarily hung up their House spurs in the 2018 cycle — even though there are comparatively fewer potential GOP retirees this time around, as the party lost 40 seats in the midterms. It’s not always easy to nail down why someone has decided to leave public office, and there could be a number of factors at play, including dissatisfaction with President Trump, reelection worries or loss of institutional clout. But given that many of these recent retirees have been members of the House for at least two decades and would have been safe bets for reelection, their retirements could be taken as a sign that many Republicans aren’t confident in their party’s ability to win a majority in 2020. By contrast, only six Democrats have said they won’t seek reelection in 2020.1

To retake the House2 in 2020, Republicans need to pick up 19 seats, but swings that large are atypical for an incumbent president’s party. So instead of hanging around to see if their party can reclaim control, these seven members are retiring even though all but Rep. Pete King of New York represent districts that are at least 20 points more Republican than the country as a whole, according to FiveThirtyEight’s partisan lean metric.3.

16 GOP House members are now retiring

Republicans who declined to seek reelection in the 2020 cycle, excluding those leaving to run for other office, as of Dec. 4, 2019

Retired after Aug. 7 District Member Trump Score Partisan lean* 2018 vote margin TX-13 Mac Thornberry 94.3 R+68.2 +64.6 IL-15 John Shimkus 94.4 R+44.7 +41.9 FL-19 Francis Rooney 75.0 R+26.9 +24.5 WI-05 Jim Sensenbrenner 87.0 R+24.5 +24.0 OR-02 Greg Walden 74.5 R+21.4 +16.9 TX-17 Bill Flores 94.2 R+24.9 +15.5 NY-02 Pete King 79.6 R+7.0 +6.2 Retired before Aug. 7 District Member Trump Score Partisan lean* 2018 vote margin TX-11 Mike Conaway 96.4 R+64.7 +61.7 UT-01 Rob Bishop 96.2 R+40.5 +36.7 MI-10 Paul Mitchell 94.3 R+27.0 +25.3 AL-02 Martha Roby 92.6 R+31.0 +23.0 IN-05 Susan Brooks 92.6 R+15.3 +13.5 TX-22 Pete Olson 94.2 R+19.4 +4.9 TX-24 Kenny Marchant 92.0 R+17.3 +3.1 TX-23 Will Hurd 57.4 R+4.3 +0.4 GA-07 Rob Woodall 98.2 R+17.2 +0.2

Trump Score is just for the 116th Congress.

*FiveThirtyEight’s partisan lean metric is the average difference between how a state votes and how the country votes overall, with 2016 presidential election results weighted at 50 percent, 2012 presidential election results weighted at 25 percent and results from elections for the state legislature weighted at 25 percent. Note that the partisan leans in this article were calculated before the 2018 elections; we haven’t calculated FiveThirtyEight partisan leans that incorporate the midterm results yet.

Sources: ABC News, U.S. House of Representatives, Media Reports

So what do we know about these recent retirees other than the majority of them are from safe Republican districts? Well, age could have played a role in many of these departures. Combined, these seven retirees share about 150 years of experience in the House and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, for instance, is the second-longest serving House member, having first been elected in 1978. But only two — King (75) and Sensenbrenner (76) — are actually older than 70. The others are still in their early-to-mid 60s, which isn’t that far off from 58, which is the average age of a congressional member in the 116th Congress. In fact, because Reps. John Shimkus of Illinois, Mac Thornberry of Texas and Greg Walden of Oregon are all still in their early 60s, the relatively young age of these retirees reinforces the idea that Republicans might have misgivings about winning back the House.

Members who plan to retire will also often telegraph their intentions with diminished fundraising totals, but that wasn’t the case for many of these retirees. In Walden’s case, for instance, he raised $650,000 in the third quarter, which was more money than all but six Republican incumbents who are still seeking reelection, so his Oct. 28 retirement announcement came as a surprise to many in Oregon. Similarly, Shimkus decided to retire on Aug. 30 despite raising $450,000 in the first half of the year, although he did briefly reconsider his decision after Walden announced he was retiring as that meant Shimkus could have taken Walden’s seat as the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

But that door may have already been closed to Shikmus. And that’s because he broke with the president over his plan to withdraw troops supporting the Kurds in Syria, asking his name be removed as an official supporter of Trump’s reelection bid. Yet unlike some of the other outgoing Republicans, Shimkus hadn’t demonstrated anti-Trump behavior prior to retirement; in fact, he’s voted with Trump 94 percent of the time in this Congress, according to FiveThirtyEight’s Trump Score.

Meanwhile, although it was Thornberry’s final term as the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, his fundraising numbers didn’t foreshadow an imminent departure either. In fact, he had raised about the same amount — about $405,000 in the first two quarters of 2019 — prior to his retirement announcement as he had during the same period in 2017.

And even though King and Sensenbrenner were older, that didn’t mean they were sure bets to leave office, either. Based on their fundraising reports, both incumbents actually raised more money prior to retiring in 2019 than they had at the same point in 2017. Not to mention, both of them represent Republican-leaning districts where they would have been favored to win.

As for the other two Republican retirements, they’re a bit harder to classify, although in the case of Texas Rep. Bill Flores, there’s an argument to be made that he may, too, have been concerned about Republicans’ chances in the House. A supporter of congressional term limits, Flores had never planned to serve more than six terms; however, he was only in his fifth term, which means he could have served one more term before his self-imposed term limit was up. He, too, had raised more in the first two quarters of 2019 before his announcement than in the first two quarters of 2017.

Florida Rep. Francis Rooney’s retirement doesn’t say as much about a pessimistic GOP outlook for taking back the House, but he does fit in with some of the other Republican retirees from earlier this year who may have faced reelection woes over their anti-Trump comments. Rooney was the first (and only) House Republican to publicly say he was open to impeaching Trump. He then announced he was retiring the next day.

In sum, Republican retirements since early August — particularly those by veteran GOP members — collectively suggest a lack of confidence in winning back the House in 2020. That’s understandable, too, given the last time control of the House changed hands in a presidential cycle was 1952. Big swings are just more likely in midterm years. Moreover, the electoral environment doesn’t look all that promising for Republicans: Democrats have about a six-point lead in early generic ballot polling, a measure that even this far out tends to be fairly predictive.

We can probably expect a few more GOP (and Democratic) retirements considering the large number of states with outstanding filing deadlines. However, it’s unclear just how many more Republican exits might happen, given the turnover the GOP caucus has experienced since Trump was elected in 2016. There just are not as many members who might retire anytime soon. Still, these retirements aren’t a promising tea leaf for the Republicans.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Geoffrey Skelley

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justabigassnerd · 8 months

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Periods and Mood Swings

Pairing - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x daughter!reader

Word count - 1,230

Warnings - periods, mentions of blood, fluff

Summary - you have your first period and your dad tries to help

A/N - hey y'all sorry it's been so long since my last fic I'm working as hard as I can to get these fics out for y'all I swear. this was an anon request so I hope I did it justice. I won't ramble so as per y'all please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

Since you didn’t grow up with a maternal figure in your life, Carole had made it her goal to be the figure you were missing, however, she often made sure to educate your father, Maverick in the process to make sure he was ready for anything that fatherhood could throw his way.

One of those things being periods.

Carole had sat Maverick down and given him an intense talking to about the importance of making sure you were aware of what a period was and what it meant before you started to have them. She made sure Maverick knew what products to buy and what to expect with your behaviour. By the time Carole’s intensive bootcamp had ended, Maverick was sure that was harder than any training he had done at Top Gun, yet he felt very prepared for what was to come around the time you turned thirteen.

When you reached your teens, you had been thoroughly prepared by your dad for what was to come when you hit puberty. However, your period, while you had been somewhat awaiting its arrival, struck before you could’ve ever been ready. You woke up one morning and were immediately hit by a strong stomach cramp. You suddenly shot out of bed and darted into the bathroom sighing heavily when you saw the patch of blood on your pyjama bottoms. You cleaned yourself up, grabbing the pads and spare underwear you had squirrelled away in your drawer just for an occasion like this and rushing back into your room to get changed into something clean and checking your bed sheets, relieved to see that they didn’t fall victim to your period. Not feeling motivated to put anything more on than a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt with a hoodie, you grab your pyjamas and take them downstairs, putting stain remover on the blood stain and chucking them in the washing machine before starting the wash. You decide that while you’re downstairs you’ll make yourself some breakfast, you pour yourself a bowl of cereal and sit at the kitchen table to eat your food. When you finish you put your empty bowl and spoon into the dishwasher and head into the living room, intending to relax and watch some tv but as you sit down, a wave of cramps overcomes you, forcing you to curl into a ball and squeeze your eyes shut in an attempt to rid yourself of the pain.

By the time Maverick had finally gotten out of bed and made his way downstairs you had resigned yourself to the fate of never being able to leave the sofa, the pain being too much. When Maverick stumbled across you curled up on the sofa, he immediately assumed the worst and was rushing over to your side in seconds.

“y/n, what’s wrong sweetheart?” He asks worriedly, kneeling down and looking you over for any signs of illness or injury.

“Period.” You mumble grumpily into the cushion, the word barely understandable but Maverick managed to hear it clear enough and his eyes soon widened.

“Are you okay?” Maverick asks, regretting his words when you lifted your face enough of the cushion to glare at him.

“Oh yeah dad, I’m doing great! I love feeling like I’m being repeatedly stabbed in my stomach.” The sarcasm was practically rolling off of you in waves and Maverick found himself almost cowering under your gaze.

“Got it, not asking that question ever again.” Maverick mumbles, glancing down at the floor briefly before looking back up at you.

“Is there anything I could do to help?” Maverick then tries asking, watching carefully for your response. He could see you itching to fire another snarky comment his way. He knew he was doing exactly what Carole had predicted. He was panicking, and because of that, he was asking all the wrong questions. He waited with bated breath for the inevitable sassy comment to leave your mouth, but it never came. Instead, you relaxed back against the cushions.

“Could you get me some pain meds? I didn’t think to take any.” You ask, wincing as another cramp shoots through you, your arm winding around your stomach as you curled in on yourself to try and reduce the pain.

“Yes, of course, sweetheart.” Maverick was nodding frantically as he scrambled to his feet and rushed off in search of something to alleviate your pain. He dug through the medicine cabinet until he found the ibuprofen, then rushed to the kitchen to fill a glass with water before bringing the water and medicine to you.

“Here, sit up so you can take it.” Maverick says gently as he helps you sit up so you can take the medicine. Maverick watches as you take the pills quickly, setting the glass down on the coffee table once you’re done with it. Maverick then goes to move to grab the glass and take it back into the kitchen, but you stop him with a hand on his wrist.

“No, stay please.” You request, your mood doing a whole one-eighty from the sass Maverick had briefly been on the receiving end of. Maverick knew he couldn’t deny you anything you wanted, especially when you weren’t feeling a hundred percent because of your first period. Without speaking, Maverick sat back down alongside you, letting you curl into his side, and wrapping an arm around you as you settled your head on his chest, just above his heart.

“Do you want the tv on?” Maverick asks softly, glancing at the tv remote sitting on the arm of the chair alongside him.

“Only if there’s something good on.” You mumble, adjusting yourself slightly to get in a more comfortable position as another cramp attacks you. Maverick turns on the tv, flicking through the channels until he finds a movie that is good enough to have on.

“Sorry for being a little moody with you.” You say after a few minutes of silence, your gaze remaining fixed on the tv as you speak.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Carole warned me about this. It’s like she knew I’d panic and say all the wrong things.” Maverick says with a soft chuckle, hearing you laugh lightly as well.

“Carole does know everything.” You say, smiling as you imagine Carole giving your dad an intense pep talk about everything.

“But you didn’t say anything wrong. My stomach just hurts so bad, and my mood just feels all over the place.” You continue, curling further into your dad’s side as he runs a hand up and down your back.

“Carole prepared me for that. It’s okay. I’ll look after you as best I can. And if I’m ever overstepping or irritating you, tell me.” Maverick says, looking down at you as you look up at him, nodding at his words.

“Thank you, dad.” You whisper, smiling as he presses a soft kiss against the top of your head as you rest your head back on his chest, relaxing in his arms and focusing on the tv and the steady thump of his heartbeat. Unconsciously, you hugged your dad a little tighter as you thought about how grateful you were for him. He wasn’t perfect. Nobody was. But he was doing his best and he was going to be there for you as best he could.

You didn’t doubt his words for a second.

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crazyk-imagine · 1 year

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Persuasion at it’s... Finest?

Pairing: Tom “Iceman” Kazansky x Pilot!reader Characters: Pilot!reader, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, Bradley Bradshaw

Briefly mentioned: Carole Bradshaw, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell Warnings: Nick being traumatized, friends with benefits situation, Bradley doing all that he can to fight the monsters in his room, did I imagine Nick calling reader at 2am... yes, Tom doesn’t care if Nick knows, not gonna lie... Toms told Ron about the reader, and he approves (not just cause, it pisses mother Goose and Mav off), Carole is a trooper for enduring this chaotic mess, P.S. Carole loves the reader Word Count: 619

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You grunt at the sound of your ring tone. ‘Maybe it’s a dream.’ Your phone is tossed beside you.

“Phone.”

You roll your eyes even though they’re still closed and blindly reach for the phone, not prepared for the brightness of the phone even as you thought about it to mentally prepare yourself.

You close your eyes, setting your phone on the mattress. “Let’s try this again,” you mumble, slowly opening your eyes to peek at the, still, bright screen.

“What the hell?!” You answer the call, wondering why the hell your damn cousin is calling you now when he knows you’re gonna met up with him and Pete later today after your done with work.

“Why are you disturbing my slumber, asswipe?”

He ignores your crankiness and gets right into what he called you for. “Do you know how to make anti-monster spray? Brad doesn’t believe I know how to make it?”

“You’ve got to be f-”

“Speaker.”

You know he’s pulled away from the phone to tell the young boy to say hi, which he does and dammit- it warms your heart. “Hi, Bradley. Why don’t you think your dad knows how to make the monster spray?”

“He didn’t do it like you.”

“That’s because he’s trying to distract you with jokes, so you forget what he’s making. It’s a- a clever way to throw the monsters off his trail.”

“Really?” He asks, like he doesn’t believe you.

“Yep. Now, that you know how your dad can make the special spray and let him work his magic, can I hangup and you two cleanse the whole house?”

“But I,” he yawns. “Like talking to you.”

You smile, knowing how hard he’s fighting to stay awake. “I know, Brad but you gotta let Nick do his thing so you can get all the sleep you need in order to help your mom out with some things.”

“Okay. We’ll see you soon, right?”

“Of course. I’ll try to make it over earlier than I said so I can scare your dad.”

“I heard that.”

“Good.” You can hear rusting, slowly figuring out that Nick is getting the phone away from Bradley.

“Hey,” he whispers. “Sorry about that. I know you were sleeping but-”

“He has your genes.”

He chuckles, “exactly.”

“If I don’t make it on time, I’m blaming you and we all know how much Viper likes me. Some might say I’m his favorite.”

“No one says that.”

“That’s because they know to keep their mouths shut.”

“See they do talk about how you’re his favorite, then I don’t believe you.”

“You’re annoying.”

“Oh! I’m annoying.”

“Yeah,” you say, without missing a beat.

“You’re one to talk.”

His hand brushes against your low back as he reaches for you. “Are you done yet?” He wraps his arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

“Who is that?” Nick asks after Carole takes Bradley so he can be put to bed (making sure to take the spray with her). “Is that- was that ICEMAN!? What is he doing in your-”

You hang up on him and quickly turn your phone off soon after.

“He’s not gonna stop calling,” Tom points out, mumbling into your pillow.

“I know but I can hold him off for right now.”

“As long as we get to sleep longer, I’m fine with that.” He burrows his head deeper into the pillow.

You shake your head. “You’re getting up when I do, buddy.”

“No.”

“Yes, you are. We both have to be there early.”

“Anyway, I can persuade you into a different activity, other than sleeping?”

“Nice try.” You pat his cheek and lay back down, pulling your sheets and comforter over your shoulder.

#top gun #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun imagine #top gun imagines #tom iceman kazansky #tom iceman kazansky x reader #tom iceman kazansky imagines #tom iceman kazansky imagine #iceman x female reader #iceman x reader #tom iceman kazansky x you #tom iceman kazansky x pilot!reader #crazyk-imagine

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crazyk-imagine · 2 years

Text

Checking Trick ✔️ or Treat ✔️

Pairing: Tom “Iceman” Kazansky x Pilot!reader

Characters: Pilot!reader, Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe (Henry “Wolfman” Ruth), Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Ron “Slider” Kerner, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky

Briefly mentioned: Carole Bradshaw, Bradley Bradshaw

Warnings: Reader and Wolfman being besties, Maverick playing pranks while being a little shit, Goose being the best psychologist, Classic Mave quote for his Goose pal, the terrible trio (Slider, Goose, and Maverick) trying to get Combat and Iceman together, Wolfman being a dramatic bitch, Iceman being a sweetheart and a horny little shit, implied smut but no details

Word Count: 2,046

A/N: Reader’s call sign is Combat

Happy (almost) Halloween!

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“He’s gonna be there,” your annoying (one and only) friend, Leonard tells you.

“Thanks, Peaches.”

He groans, “how many times have I told you not to call me that?”

“I don’t know. How many times have you not gotten a girl’s number because of that hat?”

“Woah. Woah. Too far, Combat. Too far.”

“Whatever.” You start working on your makeup, hoping you can get it right (unlike the past week when you’ve failed every other time).

“When are you gonna be done and ready?” He whines, his hat resting over his face. “We’re gonna be late.”

You scoff through your nose, “we’re not gonna be late. Get your shoes off my bed, Dogboy.”

“Don’t be mean.”

“Don’t get dirt on my bedspread.”

“I’m raiding your kitchen.” He stomps out of your room.

“Have fun! You won’t find anything you want.”

The stairs creak under you as you walk down.

He puts away the jar or peanut butter and tosses the spoon into the sink (as if you won’t know what he did). “Finally, I was beginning to think-” he cuts himself off at the sight of your costume. “Wow! Please tell me you ain’t looking nice for one of my classmates because, I got to be honest, you look good, too good and I don’t want to be bearing up people all night long. I’ve got people to impress too,” he tugs on the collar of his buttoned-up flannel.

“I’m sure you’re getting ladies left and right. Oh, that is until they realize that hat never comes off. Talk about a real deal breaker.”

“Bite me.”

“Not on this lifetime, Dogboy.”

“You know what my call sign is. Use it.”

“How about… no.”

He groans, shutting the door behind him.

“You better lock it!” You shout as you get into his car.

“Give me your keys!”

You toss him the keys; he almost drops them but is able to make a recovery and clutches onto them before the keys could fall into the bushes. “How are you in Top Gun?”

“Okay. One, rude and second, Top Gun doesn’t require you to play catch. You know that.”

“I also know that you’re gonna want to bang everyone at the bar tonight.”

“This is why we’re such good friends.”

“We’re friends because your dumbass got burned too many times at that weird club and you looked like you needed someone who needed a friend.”

“Is that compassion that I hear from the scary, big, bad, Combat.”

“I’m this close to opening the car door and tumbling onto the road.”

He pulls to a stop at the red light and looks over at you. “Your fingers are touching!”

“Exactly!”

You lean your head closer to him, “if you leave me so help me God, Leonard.”

“I’m not. I’m-”

You look at him and back to the girl he’s been working up the nerve to talk to for the past few weeks. “No,” you shake your head.

“I’m leaving you.”

“You little sh-”

“It’s not you, it’s me and me needs to talk to a pretty lady to make me feel better.” He practically runs away after that.

You purse your lips, slightly pissed off at Wolfman but overall impressed with his dramatic skills. You make your way over to the bar, ordering your usual.

“Well, don’t you clean up nice.”

You sigh, hoping to whoever is listening that this isn’t some douche, talking to everyone else from Top Gun is enough. You turn, a wide smile dancing across your lips at the sight of your favorite non-official photographer. “What’s up, Nick?”

He smiles back knowing he did good with his douche voice. “Not much, just came by, drop Mave off, say hi and run home so we can take Brad trick or treating.”

“You’re such a good work husband to Maverick.”

He snorts, shaking his head, “why are we using call signs? We all know you don’t use ‘em unless you’re upset, or they’ve done something to piss you off.”

You don’t answer him and take a sip of your drink.

“Come on,” he continues. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“It’s bad, alright.”

He pats your shoulder, “tell psychologist Goose, what happened so I know how bad I need to kick Mave’s ass.”

You lightly slap your hand against your chest, “aw. Nick, I didn’t realize you cared so much.”

What you hadn’t realized was that a certain follow the rules Naval Aviator watching the two of you talk, a bitter feeling flooding through his veins as you pick at the skirt of your costume.

He knows he doesn’t have a right to be feeling this way, but he can’t help himself. Ron nudges his shoulder.

“What?” Tom grumbles.

“If you’re gonna be pissed off all night I’m ditching you for that one,” he points to a woman dressed like red riding hood. “I know I’ll have a better time with her than I would with you.”

“If you want to talk to little red then go. I don’t care,” he mumbles before throwing his head back to drink the rest of his drink.

Ron walks away from his friend, walking over towards the annoying blond one.

You pinch the costume skirt between your fingers, lifting it for him to understand. “This is not what I wanted when I said I wanted something scary.”

Nick furrows his brows, “you wanted something scary, okay.”

“You want to know how this princess costume is scary, right?”

He nods.

“Maverick told me that me dressing up so nice, like a princess was scary.”

He bursts out laughing and quickly covers his mouth. He turns resting his forehead on his arms, making a terrible attempt to hide his laughter.

You shove his shoulder, “don’t laugh you jerk.”

His head snaps up. “I’m not laughing,” he answers you with the widest smile on his face.

“You’re an ass.”

There’s a tap on your left shoulder, you look to see who it is only to find no one.

You turn back to ask Nick who it was but, he’s disappeared. You scoff, “what an ass.”

Ron continues to haul Nick further away from you and Tom.

“Okay, okay.” Nick shoves his hand off the back of his neck, “ease up on the grip.”

“That’s not what I heard.” The RIO furrows his brows, glancing his opposing RIO up and down. “We’re not doing this tonight. Your friend already did is part. It’s time you did yours.”

The mustached man scoffs, “I’ve been doing more than you have all night.”

Ron raises a brow, “are we gonna keep doing this or are we gonna get those two to fess up and get together?”

“Who knew you were such a romantic?”

“I’ve got Ice, you keep Combat there.”

He walks away, aiming back towards his friend.

“You keep Combat there,” Nick mimics with a sarcastic tone. “Who does he think I am? I can keep her there. Oh shit. No, no, no.” He pushes and shoves his way through the crowd.

He slaps his hand down on his buddy’s shoulder. “Mave,” he says through a faux chuckle, leaning his head closer to whisper, “the hell are you doing here?”

“He came to piss me off,” you snap, ordering another drink.

“You should go.”

“I think I’m good.”

Nick purses his lips, “hey, is that- is that the woman from the coffee shop?”

Pete’s head snaps up, “What? Where?”

Ron gestures his head to the side.

Nick turns to find Leonard waving him over and gives him an okay hand signal. “Over there. Come on, Mave. Let’s go find her.”

The two disappear from your view.

“What the actual-”

“Language, sweetheart.”

It takes you a few seconds to realize who it is that’s beside you.

Nick and Pete stand in front of Leonard and Ron.

The duke’s son pouts, “where is she?”

The other three glances at one another, ignoring his gaze. “Weren’t you here with, Freezie?”

Ron looks off to the side, pretending to find the lights on the wall more fascinating than this conversation.

“Wolfman?”

The man in question turns to his fellow Top Gun classmate.

“You got any idea what’s going on here?”

He gives Pete a confused look and sprints away, going back to his lady’s choice of the evening.

“Talk to me, Goose.”

“I gotta go. I’m late for trick or treating.”

“Goose! Hey, Goose!”

The two exit the bar in a chaotic fashion.

You slowly turn towards him. “Kazanksy.”

The corner of his lips tugs upwards, he raises his glass in greeting. “Good to see you too… Princess.”

You thin your lips, “really? Did you have to go there?”

“I figured it’d be my only opportunity.”

“You think you’re cute, don’t you?”

He shrugs.

“If you must know, Maverick-”

He chuckles to himself at the call sign, like Nick said, when you’re pissed, you use their call sign, everyone knows it. Everyone.

“Bought me this damn thing when I specifically asked for something scary.” You let out a quiet huff.

“If you asked for that, why’d he get you this?”

You stare at him for a couple of minutes. “He told me dressing up so nice, like a princess, was scary.”

Tom scoffs, “he says a lot of things, but I wouldn’t listen to him.”

“You’re just saying that, so I stop pouting.”

“If anything, it’s to stop talking about Mitchell.”

Before you can even try to fight it, a smile stretches across your lips.

“And you think I’m mean when I bash on him.”

It might be the contents of the drink flooding through your system, but you giggle.

He takes the opportunity to scoot closer to you; a mere few inches separating the two of you. “There’s that gorgeous smile fit for a princess.”

“Does that make you, my prince?”

“I could be, if you let me take you out.”

“Oh wow.”

The humor falls from his face. “Is that- should I not have asked?”

“No,” you shake your head. “I… think I could check my schedule and maybe make some time for you.”

“Is that how it is?” There’s that charm.

“Yeah, do you not like it?”

“Oh, I never said that.” He leans in, whispering in your ear, “how about we ditch this place and you let me take you out tonight?”

You interlock your arm with is, “a poorly costumed zombie and a princess. Who would have thought?”

You owlishly blink, trying to turn the brightness of your phone down. You quietly groan to yourself.

Peaches with the Hat

“How was the date? ;)” 4:51am Sent Read

Combat Wins

“Why are you up?” 4:53am Sent Read

Peaches with the Hat

“Good Halloween… ” 4:53am Sent Read

Combat Wins

“Gross” 4:54am Sent Read

Combat Wins

“How do you know about the date?” 4:56am Sent Read

Peaches with the Hat is typing…

Peaches with the Hat

“I’m superrr tired.” 4:59am Sent Read

An arm pulls you closer to their arm body. He hums against your shoulder. “Who’s that?”

You pat Tom’s sheet covered thigh, “no one we need to worry about right now.” You glance over at the wall, “not until I see him later today.”

His breath hits your skin causing you to shiver. “Cold? Need something to warm you up?”

A smirk tugs at the corner of your lips. “I mean, I am in bed with Ice.”

A loud, annoyed groan escapes him.

“Don’t be like that, you know you like it.”

“I’d like it if we were in a similar situation that we were earlier.”

You hum, turning around so you can be face-to-face with him. “I bet you would.”

He lifts you hand up, placing a kiss on your knuckles. “Hop on.”

You snort, “please tell me you didn’t just say that?”

“I did and I have no regrets.” He lifts your leg, resting your thigh in your hip.

“As much as I would love to go again. We need sleep.”

He maneuvers you onto his lap. “I’m not tired.”

You place your hands on his chest to balance yourself. “How can you still be so cocky?”

“I got a date with a princess.”

“Shut up.” You and he share a laugh before he sits up, pulls you closer, and kisses you like there’s no tomorrow.

462 notes · View notes

crazyk-imagine · 2 years

Text

The Good, The Bad, and The Working on It Prequel

Pairing: (Future Stepdad) Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Mom!Reader

Characters: (Future Stepdad) Jake “Hangman” Seresin, Mom!Reader, Penny Benjamin, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, Javy “Coyote” Machado, Cody and Marty (bartenders)

Briefly mentioned: Amelia Benjamin, Maryanne and Edwin (the kiddos), Robert “Bob” Floyd

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, mentions of past issues with the other parent, brief thoughts of harm coming to a person, Edwin is a mama’s boy

Word Count: 3,080

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You sigh, your social battery is running low. You feel like you’ve been at the hard deck for hours when it’s only been, maybe two. You don’t want to look at the clock and get annoyed when you see what time it is.

It’s just one of those days when all you want to do is go home and take a nap with the kids (even though your girl, Maryanne probably wouldn’t stay still long enough to enjoy a nap). You know for a fact your boy, Edwin would want nothing more than to nap with you (oh, how you love your mama’s boy).

The door slams shut; howls of laughter fill the nearest corner.

You take a deep breath and put on your best customer service smile and make sure your voice doesn’t waver, not wanting anyone to know how tired you are. As you refill another customer's drink, you glance around the room not letting your smile fall. ‘The pilots are here. Great.’

Penny stands beside you, also watching the group pilots. “You ready for the next rush?” she asks.

“As ready as I can be, Penny my dear.”

“Someone’s tired.”

“What does that mean?”

“You only use that nickname when you’re tired. Do you want to take your break now?”

You turn to her, “and leave you alone? No, I’d rather not have feeling bad checked off on what I feel today.”

“It won’t be that bad. Plus, we have Marty and Cody working again which is why,” she leans closer to you, whispering, “we haven’t had to do any of the heavy lifting.”

That gets you to crack a smile. “Okay, okay. After they get their drinks, I’ll head into the back and start doing inventory, yeah?”

“That’s not a break.”

“It could be considered a break to some.”

“I’m not a part of that group.”

“Obviously.”

“Ladies.” You two turn to see Penny’s boy toy (you like to tease her from time to time), Pete sitting there with a smile stretching across his lips.

“Pete.” “Pete.” The two of you say with two obvious tones.

“Penny,” he nods before glancing over at you. “You doing, okay?”

You sigh, throwing the rag on the bar top. “Why does everybody keep asking me that? I’m fine. I’m good. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Okay, okay. I won’t ask again. How are the-”

“A round of beers and a soda.”

“With beer nuts!”

“And a thing of beer nuts, thanks,” the blond orders without looking up from his phone.

You tilt your head, not appreciating his tone and look over at Penny, nodding your head at him.

She gestures for you to take care of him as a customer calls her over by name.

You pat the edge of the bar top, “I’ll get your drink in a second, Pete. I gotta take care of this real quick.”

“Take your time, I’ve got all night.”

You smile, grabbing the beers, setting them on the counter in front of the blond. “Date night, is it?”

“Maybe.”

“Don’t keep her out too late. You know, Penny will be off in Pete land that she forgets to actually text Amelia and I’m the go to information person when you two are out.”

“Don’t worry, tonight will be movie night with my two girls.”

You set the beer nuts beside the drinks and smile at Pete. “Aw, that’s too cute but how are you gonna pick a movie? You know Penny likes those action movies while Amelia prefers something with a little more comedy.”

“That’s why I’ll be out getting dinner.”

“Oh,” you chuckle through your nose, “so, you’re gonna let the two hash it out.”

“I wouldn’t phrase it like that.”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing.” You turn back to the occupied pilot in front of you. “Excuse me?”

He hums.

“I’d prefer it if you actually looked at me when I'm talking to you.”

He lifts his head and loses his breath (which you don’t know). “Well,” he smirks, preparing to lay his charm on you.

“No,” you shake your head. “Don’t try that, it won’t work. Is this going on a tab or am I taking your money now?”

“Straight to the point.” He gulps, a nervous smile takes place, all confidence he had a second ago disappeared. “I- I’ll do a tab.”

“Name?”

“Jake.”

“Hangman, hurry up man!”

“Or Hangman, I take it?” You glance up at him through your lashes.

He nods, “it’s a likely possibility.”

“Better take your drinks and snacks over there before your friends get too rowdy.”

“Right.” He grabs all the drinks and works and holding the beer nuts (for Bob). “Thanks again.”

“Yep.” You serve a small group of people before pouring Pete his drink. “You got something you want to say Pete?”

Jake glances over at the bar, not looking for anyone in particular (lie) and his gaze happens to fall on you.

He watches as you and Pete talk, wondering how you know his former teacher.

“Me? No,” he shakes his head, “no.”

“Sure, you don’t.”

“I- are you sure you’re, okay?”

“Honestly?”

“I’d prefer it and I think it would be good for you.”

“It’s that time.”

“Time for?”

“The time he decided he didn’t want to be a part of our life anymore, when he walked out on us.”

“Oh, why didn’t you say anything?”

Jake may not know you, but he does want to, so he can make sure you don’t look this upset again (if only he knew what the future entailed).

“I’m not going to make my pity party anybody’s business.”

“It’s not a pity party, you know you have a right to be upset.”

“I do but I also feel like I should have moved on from this. It’s been- what, six- almost seven years now?”

“Grief and heartache don’t heal fast enough for everyone.”

You close your eyes, pinching the bridge of your nose, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think-”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I mean I still miss them, and our situations may be different but what we feel is the same. You just gotta take your time. No one will judge you for that.”

You chuckle, wiping the corner of your eyes. “When did you get so wise?”

“I didn’t. I just remember a lot of words.”

“And Penny wonders why I worry about the two of you?”

“Now that was uncalled for.”

“But I’m not wrong.” You breathe out a deep sigh, “thank you, Pete.”

He nods, lifting his drink to take a sip.

You close your eyes, taking a few seconds to gather yourself enough to pass by the customers. You pat Cody’s arm, telling him to take over while you do inventory.

“You can do this,” you whisper to yourself. “You can do this.”

You grab the clipboard off the desk and start your new task.

“Bars closing in an hour,” Marty informs you as he grabs a box of liquor. “Okay- wait- wait- how much of that do we have left?”

“I think this is the last of it.”

“Thank you!”

“No problem.”

You set the clipboard back onto Penny’s desk and exit the back room.

“Hey, Peggy Sue.”

Penny shakes her head, “you’re never going to give up with that nickname, are you?” She sets the clean glass back in its proper place.

You shake your head, “never.”

“Alright then.”

“If you want to leave early, you can. I’ve got this.”

“Are you sure?” She glances over at the clock.

“It’s only gonna be roughly fourth five minutes before you need to leave. I can ever lock up.”

“Are you sure? You’ll be completely alone.”

You nod, “I got this.”

“Thank you, my dear.” She comes around the bar, hugging you tightly. “Thank you.”

You chuckle, awkwardly patting her arm, “go, go. You’ll have fun and that’s all that matters.”

“You swear you don’t have to go home early? Mary and Eddie are doing alright?”

“They’re fine. Maryanne is at a friend’s house for a sleepover, all set to be picked up in the morning and Edwin is at home with the babysitter.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I’m going. I’m going.”

You double check the doors, make sure the tables and bar are wiped down, the information for the next order is ready.

“All set,” you whisper. “Time to lock up and hit the road.” You grab your purse and pull out your keys while you hum “hit the road jack”.

There’s the click and you set the work keys back in your purse.

The gravel crunching beneath the stranger’s shoes puts you on high alert. You place your keys between your fingers. “Whoever it is, you should know to turn around and go back where you came from before you get an ass kicking.”

“Uh- shit- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you or anything.”

You turn around to find the cocky pilot.

“I just- I felt I should apologize for the way I acted earlier. I shouldn’t have done that. Lord knows I was taught better than that.”

“And you thought waiting until it was late at night, waiting for who knows how long to apologize.”

“Who’s to say I didn’t want to wait until her next shift to talk to a pretty lady?”

Your brows rise slightly, “oh?”

“Could I- would it be alright if I asked for your number?”

“You sure move fast, don’t you?”

He straightens his posture. “I didn’t hear a no.”

“I guess you didn’t but, how do I know you won’t send me graphic and inappropriate pictures?”

“I won’t send you anything you wouldn’t enjoy.”

You gasp, throwing your head break as you chuckle.

He finds himself smiling, feeling better now than he did before.

“If I give you my number, do you promise not to stalk me?”

“I was gonna ask the same thing.”

“Okay, jokester. Give me your phone.” You hold your hand out for him to set his phone in your hand.

“Woah, hey now.”

“What?”

“We’ve just met. How do I know you won’t run off with my phone the second you get it?”

“Do I look like the kind of person to do that?”

He shrugs, “no, but you never know.”

“Okay,” you pull your phone out of your pocket, “we trade on the count of three. We say one, two, three then we trade. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“One. Two. Three.”

You return the others phone almost as fast as you got them.

“Jake?”

“Yep.”

The corners of your mouth twitch slightly, tugging upwards hard enough for someone to tell if you’re smiling unless they were looking at you (which he was). “Cute but I don’t think it fits with your whole “cocky, I could careless” attitude.”

He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck, “you caught that.”

“Mm-hmm, kind of hard not to.”

“Right,” he mutters, averting his gaze from yours.

You’ve seen him around the bar, honestly all the pilots but more so him but he usually has some random woman around his arm, and it’s never been the same one.

“Are you okay?” You ask with a concerned tone.

“What?” Your question catches him off guard.

“Are you okay?”

“I,” he pauses, trying to come up with an answer maybe the same answer he’s been giving everyone, but he doesn’t want to lie to you. “Why do you ask?”

“You seemed distracted today and there was no young thing hanging off your arm, giggling at everything you say.”

One corner of his lips tugs upwards. “Didn’t realize you noticed about me.”

You tilt your head, staring at him with a raised brow (giving him the “mom” look like Maryanne says), “that’s not an answer.”

“Is pass an option?”

You sigh, “if you don’t want to answer the question that’s fine but I need to-”

“No, no. I’m sorry. I- I did have a “date”,” he says with a grimaced expression. “But they had to cancel which felt like a huge relief and I’ve never felt that way. Ever. I just- I also haven’t felt like this...”

“Let me guess, ever?”

He nods, chuckling, “yep.”

“Can I ask you something without you getting upset?”

“Fire away.” The nickname sweetheart sits on the tip of his tongue.

“How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Go out with a bunch of different women whenever you’re back here. I mean- I thought- wouldn't you want to be with one person who could support you and be there for you whenever. You know you would have someone who knows who well enough to help you after you come home from a- a mission whether it was a good one or a bad one. You wouldn’t have to ask because you’d already have that support. I- uh- I just realized I'm rambling about something that is not my business. I’m sorry.”

Jake shakes his head, “no, no. It’s okay. Honestly, it’s kind of refreshing. No one’s asked me before. I- sometimes I do think about that, but I don’t think it’s going to happen for me.”

You furrow your brows, “why?”

“Have you met me? All people see is the asshole Hangman who leaves his teammates behind. Why would that guy find someone to be by his side?”

“Has anyone else seen the other parts of you or are you so programmed to be an asshole that you can’t?”

He says nothing.

Your phone buzzes, you turn it on to find that Maryanne asking if you’re home yet because Edwin stole the babysitter’s phone to call her asking the same question. He’s not going to sleep until your home.

“I’m gonna take it that your silence means you’re so programmed to be an asshole which sucks but if you try to be less of that “Hangman asshole” maybe you’d find something unexpected. I also have to go. Keep this conversation in mind, alright? Later, Jake.”

He nods, watching as you run to your car, hair swaying side to side.

After your car exits the parking lot, he realizes he’s alone... again and heads to his own car, making his way home.

Therapist Bartender

Ik you didn’t ask but I made it home 2:46am Sent Read

You throw your head back against the pillows, finding yourself cringing at your text until the dimming light becomes bright again.

Jake (From the Bar)

I was going to ask but looks like you beat me to it 2:46am Sent Read

You don’t realize it but you’re smiling as you text him, the same goes for Jake.

Therapist Bartender

Guess I’m in your head… oh and there are the provocative pictures 2:48am Sent Read

Jake (From the Bar)

You think you’re funny, don’t you? 2:49am Sent Read

Therapist Bartender

*Shrug woman emoji* I try 2:49am Sent Read

Therapist Bartender

Am I making your night better with my terrible humor? 2:50am Sent Read

Jake (From the Bar)

You have no idea 2:51am Sent Read

You cover your mouth when you yawn, you’re so tired but you don’t want to stop talking to him. You can’t fight it anymore.

Therapist Bartender

I’m gonna have to put this on pause or else you’ll be talking to a sleeping person lol 2:55am Sent Read

Jake (From the Bar)

If we must 2:55am Sent Read

Jake (From the Bar)

Goodnight sweetheart 2:57am Sent Read

The next night Jake and the others come into the hard deck for some fun, none of them have a mission coming up soon so they figured why not actually enjoy the night and drink until they can’t anymore at their favorite bar.

“How was the sleepover?” asks Penny.

“Maryanne had a blast,” you answer with a smile.

No one quite knows what’s happened to you, but no one is certainly going to question it.

“That’s good to hear. I know you were a little out of it and were worried how she was going to be. Believe it or not, I was the same way with Amelia.”

“I’m gonna with or not.”

“Oh, don’t be like that.”

You laugh as you move towards the end of the bar, serving a customer.

Jake offers to get the first round of drinks.

He starts walking towards the bar, spotting you almost immediately.

You offer a wave with a small smile.

He waves back and almost bumps into someone right after.

You cover your mouth, not wanting him to see.

He shakes his head; you know he sees you “trying” not to laugh at him but neither of you care. “Hey,” you greet, leaning on the bar top.

“Hey back to you.”

“You gonna order something?”

“Is staring at the therapist bartender not on the menu tonight?”

You scoff, “flirting will get you nowhere.”

Natasha smacks Javy’s arm.

“What?” He asks, rubbing his arm.

“When did he get close with the bartender?”

“I- oh. Oh,” Javy starts chuckling.

“What?”

“I don’t know they got close, but it looks like he’s got a crush.”

“Are you serious?” She asks with a smirk stretching across her lips.

“Big time.”

“How much you wanna bet?”

“Not now,” he shakes his head.

She tilts her head and furrows her brows, “why not now?”

“He won’t make a move for a long time.”

She shakes her head, lining up her shot. “I may not be betting on Bagman, but I just made fifty off your dumbass.”

“That’s cheating!”

“It’s not cheating if I play by the rules.”

Javy narrows his eyes at her. “Double or nothing.”

“You’re on.”

“I think flirting is giving me all that I want.”

“And what’s that, Jake from the bar?”

“A few more seconds to talk to you.”

You click your tongue, “you’re good I’ll give you that. A round of beers plus a soda and beer nuts, right?”

“You remembered. Does this mean I’m your favorite?”

You shake your head, “no.”

He grabs the order, “you’re breakin’ my heart, sweetheart.”

“Have fun, Jake.”

He walks away with a satisfied smile on his face.

Penny stands beside you with her hands on her hips, “what was that?”

“That was nothing.”

“That was not nothing.”

“I work to do. Bye Penny!” You move to the end of the bar as quick as you can, catching Jake’s eye.

He raises his beer to you; you nod and resume with your previous activities.

“When’s the wedding?” Bradley asks.

“I’m not listening to you, Chicken.”

The pilots chuckle, knowing full well that Jake “Hangman” Seresin is completely smitten with you.

TGTBATWOI Master List

Taglist: @abaker74 @ebonyhogan24 @shanimallina87 @starkleila @kurtkunkle17

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crazyk-imagine · 1 year

Text

Rekindle with an Angel but, Don’t Break her Heart

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Pilot!reader (present), Natasha “Phoenix” Trace x Pilot!reader (past) - Briefly mentioned

Characters: Pilot!reader, Jake “Hangman” Seresin, Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Penny Benjamin, Eric, Jack, and Mark (Bartenders), Delilah (reader’s little sister), Larry (main range control man), Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (briefly mentioned?), Beau "Cyclone" Simpson, Bernie "Hondo" Coleman, Robert "Bob" Floyd, Reuben "Payback" Fitch, Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia, Javy "Coyote" Machado, Neil "Omaha" Vikander, Billy "Fritz" Avalone

Warnings: Angst, fluff, cursing, Jake becoming a softy for reader, not opening up to people when its necessary, jealous pilots being dicks, reader having a past with a few pilots (platonic and not), jealous pilots hurting the reader

Word Count: 9,733

Gif is from @unicornships

A/N: You guys have no idea how happy I am to finally be able to post this. I have had this in my doc for months... thank you for coming to my ted talk

*Was not expecting this to be this long. Definitely a surprise for me

Answers to RWAABDBHH

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You could say it was a bit of a surprise when Pete called. You haven’t heard from him for a few months (after your minor disagreement) and he really needed to speak to you and calling the bar was the only way he could make sure you wouldn’t screen his call... again.

It was just about after the third ring; you pick up the phone. “Hard Deck, bartender speaking.”

He smiles. “Good to hear your voice again, Angel.”

You’re surprised, you didn’t think he’d call the landline ever.

He usually tries not to call the bar as much as possible, not wanting people to butt into your business since your coworkers know what you did before joining the Hard Deck.

You decide to be nice and put in the effort to have a conversation with him. “Finally took a break from the sky’s, did you?”

He chuckles, “you’ve still got that sense of humor. Good.”

You sigh so much for being nice. “What’re planning?”

He lets out a faux noise of offense. “Why do you assume I’m up to no good?”

You scoff through your nose, “I didn’t say that. But now that you mention it, are you?”

He says nothing.

“Goodbye, Maverick.”

“Hang on-” He sighs, staring at the phone. ‘Please don’t hate me.’ He steps back into the room. “Did you speak to her?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“She’ll be here soon.” ‘Don’t hate me, Angel.’

A few hours later…

The lunch rush ends only for the midnight rush to begin, although when you think about it, it’s not actually midnight, but it sounds better than, it’s dark, drink up. And that’s when you stopped letting the other bartenders come up with names.

You turn to call for Eric or Jack to help out with drinks only to find they’re busy taking care of their sections.

Penny calls you over, “can you take care of anyone who comes over here while I go over there?”

“Yeah. Go take care of the customers over there.” You finish making the drinks, keeping the customers satisfied and willing to give a decent tip. You walk over towards Penny, “I’m gonna start cleaning up a bit. Jack’s finishing putting the latest order away in the back and Eric is getting ready to start in the kitchen. We have a few minutes to do some of the “boring” work so we’re doing it when we can.”

She nods, “got it.”

A few more show up, the crowd starting to become livelier in your section.

Penny walks over to you and helps you with cleaning the glasses and wiping down the counters after the customers move away and sit at one of the few vacant tables. “I need you to take care of that table over there.”

You nod to Penny, walking away with the drinks for the group of pilots, “be back in five, Peggy Sue.”

She shakes her head, sighing although she has a smile on her face. “Please, just once, use my name.”

You turn to look over your shoulder, whispering “never.” You walk away before she could say anything else.

“Here are your-” You happen to glance up and find one of your old friends from school, jabbing a mustached man (with a questionable fashion sense) in the gut, “fuck.”

You hand the last beer to – one of the khakis, as you mumble to yourself, “why?”

When she turns around to grab her drink, her eyes widen at the sight of you.

“Hey, Phoxy. How’ve you been? I’d love to talk but-”

She shakes her head, getting out of her thoughts as she grabs your wrist. “You are not getting out this. We’re talking right now.”

You sigh, feeling yourself being pulled elsewhere. So much for not running into anyone from your past.

She whirls around, facing you. “Where the hell have you been?! What happened to you? You graduated early, got a job at the best pilot school and leave with little to no contact. I mean seriously, what the hell, Wings?”

You glance back at her angry face every so often unable to keep eye contact with her. “I can’t talk to you about this, Natasha.”

“Now, we’re back on a first name basis. Is that what our friendship has gone down to? I thought we were closer than that.”

You sigh, “don’t give me that attitude-”

“I’ll stop giving you attitude when you talk to me.” She finally takes notice of your expression, her’s softens, “what happened?”

You swallow the saliva that’s stuck in your throat. “I can’t talk to you about this right now.”

She opens her mouth to say something else, but you stop her, placing a hand on her forearm.

“It’s a long story and I really don’t think now is a good time to talk about this, okay?” Your hand falls off her arm before you walk away.

She sighs unsure of how to handle the situation. You obviously don’t want to talk about whatever happened and it’s throwing her off. Nothing like this ever happened before and she really doesn’t know how to help you.

Jake furrows his brows, after watching you brush her off. A smirk appears across his lips. ‘Interesting.’

Natasha stands beside Bob, absent mindlessly watching the others play pool.

“So,” Jake says, extending of the letter “O”, brings Natasha out of her thoughts.

“What do you want Bagman?”

“What was that about?” He asks, with a mix of a concerning and nosey tone.

“It’s none of your business,” she snaps.

He smiles, “I could easily make it my business, Princess Phoenix. You forget we all went to the same school.”

“I am this close,” she pinches her fingers together. “To getting drunk so I can’t hear your ass.”

“Your fingers are touching,” Bob points out.

“I know.”

Rueben sits beside her with Mickey playing pool against Jake and Bradley playing against Logan. “What do you think happened with her?” asks Reuben.

“I don’t know,” she says, shrugging. “This is the first time I’ve seen her since we were in school together.”

“So, you didn’t hear the rumors.”

“What rumors?” She turns to him with raised brows.

“One of the ones I heard was that she got in a fight and got kicked out.”

“She wouldn’t do that,” Natasha says, defending you. She knows you’re not dumb enough to do anything like that.

Two days later…

Thankfully today the bar opens a little later than usual as you decline Cyclone’s call.

The door opening gets you to pause, you don’t want it to look like you’re on your phone and sigh, tucking the item into your back pocket. Although you didn’t see it, it was only one of the bartenders who does the late shift.

Penny walks over with new rags. “You okay?”

You quickly give her a fake tight-lipped smile. “Peachy.”

“They still trying to bring you back officially.” You shrug, not entirely in the mood to talk about this, as usual.

“I know you don’t want to hear this but you’re good. You are… the only pilot that I like enough to call my friend and I know working here is making you miserable.”

You open your mouth to argue with the classic, “no. I’m happy here.”

She shakes her head, a gentle smile gracing her lips. “Don’t argue with me on this, I know you are and it’s okay. I’m not taking it to heart because being in the sky has been your dream for such a long time and you were miserable when your arm was healing, and you still are because you’re not in the air because that’s where you belong.”

You clench your jaw, the burning sensation in your nose prevents you from answering her.

“What if I’m not the same?”

She tilts her head, trying to understand what you’re saying.

“What if I’ve lost my speed or- or my quick thinking, you know. What if- what if I’m in the air and that’s when they realize that I’m not good enough to be at Top Gun anymore.” You sniff, wiping the corners of your eyes.

“They’d be stupid to let you go.”

“I know you’re just saying that but, thank you.”

She knows you don’t like it when people try to comfort you, but her maternal instincts take over and she pulls you in for a hug and letting you take your time to calm down. “Better?”

“No, you made me talk about my feelings. I’m upset.”

She chuckles, “you’ll have to put those feelings on the back burner because we still have to get ready for tonight.”

“Has anybody cleaned back here yet?” Mark asks.

“Not yet, I’m coming over to help you.” She turns back towards you. “Are you sure you’re gonna be alright?”

“Yep. Get back to work, Pegs.”

The older woman shakes her head.

Four days later...

You were surprised when he tried the Hard Deck’s landline and calling the bar is the only way he can make sure you wouldn’t screen his call... again.

It was just about after the third ring when you pick up the phone. “Hard Deck, bartender speaking.”

He chuckles, “good, you’re still there... how are you?”

“You’re clearly up to something that I’m not gonna like and with how many times Beau has called me, I’m gonna say that it involves Top Gun which I told you and him that I’m not coming back so stop calling me if you’re gonna keep asking about that.”

“I’m- I’m not-”

“Goodbye Maverick.”

You slam the phone done onto the wall receiver before walking away, shaking your head. “Oh... you’re here.” You turn around finding your boss, standing there. “Why do you have that look on your face?”

“What look?” She asks, setting her stuff down in the back office.

“The look you have when you know stuff that involves me or my past,” you pause, searching for the right word. “Job.”

“Well- I mean, there is this one thing.”

“And that thing is?”

“A group of people are coming here today.”

“A group of who people?”

“A teacher and his students.”

“Children students?” You ask, hoping it’s not who you think it is.

She shakes her head.

You groan and drop your head onto the bar top.

Two hours later...

The sound of cars scares you and sends you to “find a broom” in the storage closet.

You hope if you stay inside and hide long enough unit they’re gone so, you won’t have to deal with certain people (playboys or people you typically went to, for “guidance”). But then again, maybe it would be good to see Natasha again and her friends.

You shake your head remembering the two separate times when she was paired with Bradley and then when Mickey and Rueben were put into their little squad... the smile falls from your face when you think about your old squad.

You gulp, having a hard time swallowing the spit that built up in your mouth.

Would it be a good idea if you looked for Penny and told her you weren’t feeling good?

You know it wouldn’t end the way you’d want it to but that doesn’t mean you can’t- the clacking and snapping of flip flops and shoes has you pause. You don’t move as they all pass by.

The sounds of their voices carrying throughout the bar fills you with a mix of sadness but you bite back your tongue because there’s no one else to blame but you; you’re the one who pushed everyone away, you’re the one who didn’t tell anyone the... truth about what happened but that’s the past; all you can do is move on and live whatever life you have.

You still can’t believe you saw her. You knew it was bound to happen at some point and yet, it was still a sucker punch to the gut. And to hear that the reason they’re all here, being taught by the Maverick is for a life-threatening mission and they wanted the best of the best from your generation is still so crazy.

Once you're out of your thoughts, you realize everyone’s moved outside and it’s okay for you to exit the closet now. You don’t find anyone else but Penny, who wipes down the counter. “What’re you doing in here?” You ask, taking careful steps closer to the bar.

“Cleaning before tonight.”

“I can do that,” you offer.

She shakes her head, “no. I couldn’t leave you in here by yourself to clean. I should be doing it.”

“That’s the good thing about having someone who’s ignoring people they knew. They’re very helpful and will clean everything.”

She turns to look at you, “that’s not funny.”

“You’re right, it’s not but you always say you want me to be honest and this is it.” You continue before she could get a word in. “Nope, you deserve to finish your book and check out the eye candy. I’m sure there’s a certain old flame of yours out there that wouldn’t mind you ogling him.”

“Cheeky.”

“It’s called the truth, neither of you can hide your feelings whenever either one of you glances back at the other.”

“You think so?” She asks, sounding so unsure, something you’ve never heard from her before.

“Absolutely.”

A heavy sigh slips past her lips. “Are you sure?”

“I am,” you nod. “Yes. Absolutely. One hundred percent. Please leave.”

The older woman smiles, “okay, okay. I’m going.”

All you gotta say is, Pete’s lucky you’re a nice person. No one asked for you to make anyone drinks but you know they’re gonna need something and you know water ain’t gonna cut it right away.

You finish and set the drinks on a tray before heading out the back.

You scoff, watching as the line of boys fall with the playboy raising his arms up in celebration at an “obvious” win. You shake your head at the sight and conveniently, it’s like he sensed someone watching him and looks over in your direction, giving you a cocky wave.

You groan looking away, jumping at the sight of Penny sitting there. “When did you get here?”

“You’re the one who told me to come out here.”

You give her a suspicious look.

“What were you doing out here?”

You throw an arm out, gesturing to the scene in front of you, "watching as they get sand in places sand shouldn't be. I feel bad for them honestly."

She covers her mouth, hiding her laughter, "that's what you're worried about?"

You wrap your arm around her shoulder, leaning your head on hers, "sand is no joke, Peggy Sue."

She shakes her head, "still not my name."

"And, yet you respond to it." You start taking the drinks off the tray, setting them a few inches away from her book, not wanting it to get wet. The last cup, you set down in front of her. "Make sure they drink something."

"Okay, mom.”

"Hey, hey. Dehydration is no joke. Neither is-"

She cuts you off, finishing your sentence, "getting sand in places it shouldn't be."

You nod, "exactly." You take one last look at the group, the happiness you shared with Penny vanishes when you remember the different life you had a year ago. You sigh, shaking your head as you head back inside.

Penny frowns, knowing you miss being a part of the pilot life, even if you don’t want to admit it.

You clean a few glasses you missed earlier, preparing for the “midnight” shift. After cleaning the inside of the now, clean glasses you set them up so, they’re ready to go for later. You set the rag down on the bar top, reaching for the phone in your back pocket, annoyed at the person who keeps calling you.

The Godfather Accept □ Decline □

You click the answer button. "I’ve told you once and I’ll tell you again. No. I won’t be in the air anytime soon. Stop calling." You hang up before Beau could say anything else.

“How the hell could he have known to call now?” You groan, realizing what happened, “Maverick. Oh, you son of a-”

The door slams open, putting Penny on high alert.

"Mitchell! Hey, Mitchell!" You shout at the man sitting in the stupid lawn chair you just want to- You shove his chest before pointing your finger at him, “you are an absolute idiot! Do you know that?”

“Hey, there’s no need for name calling, Angel.”

“Do NOT use that name with me right now.” You stand a few inches away from him with a clenched jaw. “I told you and everyone else there, I’m done. I’m not going back in the air. I can’t.”

He knows you’re hurting but you can’t keep pushing yourself away from what you’re good at. “You can, you’re just choosing not to.”

“You don’t know what happened and you never will. So, stop trying to force me into coming back.”

“I would but, you’re one of the good ones and anyone would be lucky to have you up in the air with them.”

No one notices the blow up going on in the back as they continue with their game, well, except for Bob who happens to see everything going on.

You bite your tongue, taking a step back. “You don’t get too sweet talk to me into coming back. If I feel I’m ready, you’ll see me in the air.”

“But what if he’s right,” a deep voice says, walking closer to you.

You glance back at your godfather and whirl around to face Maverick once more. “You called him?!”

Now is when he struggles to give you an answer. “I didn’t- this isn’t how I wanted this to happen.”

“But you made it happen.”

“He didn’t.” Beau stands beside you. “I did. You know you’re good, and being in the air is where you belong. You know it, I know it, your parents knew it when you kept asking me about my job when you were seven.”

You turn around, facing him. “If you wanted me to come back so bad, why didn’t you come to me yourself?”

“I did-”

You shake your head, “no, calling is completely different than you coming to me and talking to me.”

“It’s hard to do that when one of you won’t talk about what happened.”

A young girl runs out the back door.

You turn at the sound of a child calling screaming your name, just in time as the short body tumbles into you. “Hey kiddo.” You pull back, bending down Delilah doesn’t have to stare up at you.

“Hi,” she says, giving you a wide smile with her gap in her front bottom teeth that always gets you to smile.

“How was school?”

“Boring but, I did good on my spelling test.”

You give her a high five, “awesome. See all that studying does pay off.”

She groans, “I know. Can we go swimming now?”

You nod, “I gotta change but I’ll be quick, okay?”

She nods.

You glance over your shoulder, talking to Pete, “and don’t break her heart again. She’s good for you and your, sort of, good for her.”

He nods.

“Come on, Del. We gotta get ready for some fun!” You bend down, lifting her over your shoulder.

Delilah squeals, giggling while you walk back towards the table.

Penny looks up from her book, “you want me to watch her while you change?”

You nod, “please?”

“Of course, but you gotta put her down first.”

You set Delilah on the edge of the table, helping her hop down so she can sit beside Penny. You stare at the sand while walking back, the phantom pain in your shoulder returns.

You hold your arm against your stomach, using your non dominant hand to open the door.

Beau watches as you walk away, noticing how you’ve closed yourself off like you did when your parents died.

“What was that about?” Bob asks Natasha when she sits down beside him at the table, reaching for one of the glasses. She shrugs, “I don’t know. Maybe we should-”

“That’s not a good idea,” Penny interrupts.

“Why?” Natasha asks.

“She’s-” she glances down at a distracted Delilah, “uh- she's still working through some things.”

The younger woman doesn’t say much after that.

You stand in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at your shoulder.

You still remember what the asshole did to you, you may not remember the sounds, but you certainly remember the hand hitting your ribs, forcing you off the ladder.

You slam onto the ground. The pain radiating in your shoulder, you couldn’t move it and you knew for a fact, it wasn’t good.

The ladder fell on your calf, fracturing your tibia. And to top it all off, the asshole had the audacity to laugh as he knelt beside your head; his hand clamped on your chin, forcing you took look at him.

You don’t remember how you got out of there.

You don’t realize you’re hyperventilating until your body forces you to take quick, unsteady breaths.

Jake walks in with a smirk, expecting to find you around somewhere, hoping to talk to you (partly to piss off Natasha and to see what’s got you so frazzled, you’ve never acted like this before).

All and any humor fall from his face when he realizes you’re crying. He stands beside you, placing a hand on your arm.

You jerk back, tripping over your foot.

He’s quick to hold onto you, forcing you to stand up before you could fall.

You can feel his hand on your cheek and know he’s asking you questions but you can’t get enough air into your system to reply.

Jake wraps his arms around you, pressing you against him; he wraps one of your arms around his neck, the other flush against your waist. He hugs you. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

You close your eyes, trying to calm down. The tears roll down your cheeks faster than you would like but, Jake says nothing about it and continues to comfort you.

You move your arm off you, wrapping it around his lower back, clenching his shirt in your shaky fist. You’ve calmed down enough to realize, Jake, the infamous flirty playboy is whispering comforting things in your ear.

Your head rests two inches from the crook of his neck.

“How are you feeling?”

You sniff, “fine.”

“You okay enough to let go of my shirt?”

There it is. You give him one last squeeze before pulling away from him. You look up, wiping your cheeks, “how’s it feel?”

“How does what feel?” He asks, pulling a paper towel out of the dispenser, wetting it in the sink.

“Not being the reason, a woman cries.”

“What makes you say that?” He cups the back of your neck, wiping your cheeks to get rid of the wet mascara streaks.

“You say you bring all your hookups to tears.”

The corner of his lips tugs upwards. “I knew you were listening to me.”

Your roll your eyes, “yeah, because you take up half of my section.”

“Maybe it’s because I want your eyes on me.”

You shake your head, taking it out of his hand; pushing past him to throw away the wet, black stained paper towel. You reach for another, making sure to get rid of any evidence that you were crying. “Why’re you in here?”

“It’s a bathroom,” he shrugs.

“Then go.”

“I’d rather not.”

“We all use a bathroom.”

He chuckles, “it’s not that.”

“Hookup?”

He shakes his head, “no, not really my scene anymore.”

“Is it because of the mission?”

“Maybe.”

You throw away the paper towel, turning back towards the sink; turning on the faucet to cup cold water in your hands and splash your face. You need a little more energy if you’re going to have a day at the beach with your favorite little girl.

The sink turns off, you assume it was Jake.

You open your eyes, staring down at the drain. Your chest heaves with every breath you take. You shake your hands, reaching up to wipe away the droplets on your chin. “You know,” you start, “I figured while you were here, you’d be waiting until later for some- uh- stress relief.”

“You offering?” He leans against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Yeah,” you look up, staring at him with no emotion.

His smirks drops and he squints his eyes, trying to decipher whether you’re lying. “Really?”

“No.” You snatch a paper towel and pat your face dry. “Seriously, thank you for helping me but- uh- could you not mention this to anyone else?”

“It’s not my place to talk about it. You know that.”

“Still, thank you. You’re oddly good at giving really good hugs.”

He shakes his head, “I can honestly say, no one except you has been the one to tell me that.”

“I’m happy to be the first.”

Your phone buzzes again, you groan, yanking it of your pocket. You don’t even need to see the number before you press the power button, shutting your phone off. “Looks like I have to go back out there.”

“Save my spot?”

“Can’t promise you anything? Does it look like I’ve been crying?”

He steps on front of you, staring into your eyes for a minute.

You’re worried he’s seeing something you don’t see; his stare makes you nervous, butterflies in your belly, the whole nine yards... which worries you because you only ever feel this way when you like someone. Oh crap. You thought those were gone.

He shakes his head, getting out of his thoughts “no, you’re good.”

“You sure?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

You weren’t expecting him to say that. “Okay.” You exit the bathroom, heading for the bar.

“You alright? You looked upset back there?” Penny asks.

You nod with a tight lip smile, “I’m good, Peggy Sue.”

“Why don’t you take the night off? You know spend the rest of the day with Delilah.”

“You need help behind here later.”

“I’ve got it, besides Mary, Travis, and Jamie work tonight.”

“Are you sure?”

“You haven’t stopped working since I hired you. Take the night off. You deserve it.”

“Are you really-”

“Yes, I’m sure. You deserve to take the night off.”

“You gonna play game with us or not?” Natasha asks, stepping away from the others.

“I mean I could, if it’s alright with you and the others.”

“After we swim though, right?”

You tilt your head at your little sister who holds onto one Mickey’s shoulders. “You’re gonna have to climb off Mick in order for that to happen sweetie.”

“Let me down. Let me down. If I don’t do it now, she won’t go out with me.”

You scoff, “that’s not true.”

“You did it last time.”

“Because you were napping.”

“I was... resting my eyes.”

“Well, then lets’ go before you need to rest your eyes again.”

“Can I come?”

You glance back at the man with a buzzcut. “You want to go back outside? Aren’t you hot?”

“Did someone call me hot?” Jake asks, placing his hand on your lower back, letting you know he’s right behind you.

“No one did, Bagman,” Natasha chimes in.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Princess Phoenix.”

“You’re so nice,” you mumble.”

“Only when it counts, sweetheart. You know that,” he whispers in your ear.

You jerk your arm back, elbowing him in the stomach.

“There’s that spark.” He wheezes out. “I knew you remembered.”

“That’s payback for leaving me out to dry.”

“It was one time.”

“It was four times and each time I wound up saving your ass.”

“We’re going swimming now,” Delilah interrupts, dragging Mickey behind her as Rueben laughs his ass off at the sight of a child dragging his grown friend outside, matching the same pace as her.

“If you two can stop with the flirting, then I can talk to my friend.”

“Not before I do.”

“I thought you left, Maverick,” you say with a curt tone.

“Just let me say what I need to say then I’ll stop trying to explain myself.”

“Fine.” You huff, “follow me.”

Natasha glances back at Jake with raised brows. “What?”

“You know what? It didn’t work out the first time. What makes you think it would work again?”

He doesn’t say anything because she’s right, if it didn’t work out the first time, why would anything be different now. “Nothing.”

She takes note of his sad demeanor. “Wait- Jake.”

He walks out before she could apologize.

“What do you want, Maverick?”

“You to not call me that.”

He sees the little response he gets out of you and decides not to push it. “Okay, I’m gonna cut to the chase-”

“You’d be wise to.”

He purses his lips at the comment. “Cyclone wants you back because he thinks you’d be able to help show everyone that this mission is possible.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Okay, fine. Cyclone wants you back and I think you’d be the better candidate to help me show everyone its possible. I can’t tell you anything about it but, let me finish, I see the look you’re giving me. You can match the speed required for this mission. I know you can. This will be a walk in the park for you.”

“As much as I enjoy you trying to kiss my ass. I’m gonna have to pass.”

You spin around, slamming the door open; your foot hadn’t touched the floor when he asked, “so, you’ll be there tomorrow.”

You step into the doorway, eyes wandering around the bar. ‘Is it really time for me to leave to leave this place?’ “I expect you to keep up with me.”

He lets out a victory chuckle.

You shake your head, biting your lip to keep you from smiling. “Pen?”

“You’re covered forever. Let me know when you want to give in your two weeks.”

“Wow! You sound excited to get rid of me.”

“I am because you’re going back to do what you were born to do.”

“Whatever,” you roll your eyes. “I have a current little problem who is probably trying to drown grown men right now.”

“Yeah, please save them before you lose your friends.”

“Not my friends.”

“Fine, your squad!”

You shake your head and smile as you walk out the back door.

“Finally.”

“Oh, hush.” You smile, lifting her in your arms.

“Look who joined the party.”

“Oh, Bagman. You joined us.”

He smirks, one eyebrow rising about the frame of his sunglasses. “Who said you could use that nickname?”

“No one but it’s better than anything I could come up with.”

“And she admits it.”

You scoff, setting Delilah back on the ground, letting her run back into the ocean so she and Mickey can have a splash fight.

“Admit it, you’ve missed this.”

You scoff, “I’ve missed nothing about you.”

“See that’s where we beg to differ.”

Natasha groans and drags you away from him, forcing you to sit beside her and Bob. “What’s got you so happy?”

You shrug, “nothing.”

She narrows her eyes at you before her eyes widen and jaw drops to the floor. “Are you- are you coming back?”

“What? No.”

“Yes, you are! You have your pre-flight glow.”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Fine, I’ll pretend like I don’t know you’re coming back,” she says and then throws herself onto you, hugging you tightly.

You chuckle, patting the arm she has wrapped across your chest.

“I’m so happy you’re coming back,” she whispers into your shoulder.

“I know you are,” you lean back into her. “I am too.”

Delilah calls out for her.

“Aunt Nat duty calls. Get up.”

You groan, giving her enough room to move out of the way. “You’re no fun.”

“I am fun!”

You enjoy the warmth filling your heart as you watch Natasha, Mickey, and Reuben playing with her as Jake observes.

“How are you?”

“What?” The one with glasses asks.

“How are you?”

“Me? You’re talking to me?”

“There’s no one else here and you seem less likely to annoy me.”

“Oh? I don’t know if I’m supposed to say thank you or not.”

“It’s not necessary but you’re welcome,” you nudge his arm with your elbow.

“I think they’d be mad if I tried to talk to you without them here,” he mumbles.

You furrow your brows trying to figure out what he’s talking about. “I don’t know who they are, but I know they would, and they can suck it up.” You scoot closer to him, who holds his snack of choice to you, silently offering you some. “Not now, person who’s name I still don’t know. Thank you though.”

He nods. “Oh, I’m Bob.” He quickly wipes his hand on his shorts before holding it out for you to shake.

“Well, Bob, it’s nice to meet you. It’s always good to know the people watching out for your friends.”

“Uh- oh- I’m not-”

“I know,” you give him a small smile, so he knows not to worry. “You’re not a pilot but a back seater and I hear the way I said it hut I promise I mean nothing bad about it, I’m just making an observation. I’ve known a few good back seaters in my day. Do you have a call sign Bob?”

He shakes his head, “ah, no. It’s Bob just- just Bob. Although the blond one with the sunglasses, he came up with an acronym for Bob.”

“Of course, he did. What’d he say?”

“Baby on board.”

You groan. “That’s terrible.”

“I know.”

“I mean the acronym. Don’t get me wrong he shouldn’t be saying this to his fellow teammates but that was just, terrible. He did not put any effort into it.”

“I guess not.”

“I’m gonna give you a makeshift call sign, something special just for you... Bound outta buoyancy.” You shake your head, “that doesn’t work.” You mumble other potential words in your head. “Okay all I’m coming up with is something that ends in buoyancy, and I mean like no other word besides that one.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“No, I mean- why are you trying to come up with a call sign for me?”

“You should have one that isn’t a shorter version of your name, even though Bob is a cute nickname.”

“Oh... thanks.” He pushes his glasses up, “Natasha mentioned you were nice but, I didn’t expect you to be this nice.”

You turn, staring at him with your head tilted. “She talks about me?”

He nods, “yeah- I mean, not all the time though. Just- every- a little.” He grabs a handful of his snack and tosses it into his mouth.

Now you know the perfect nickname for him and it’s most definitely not going to be an acronym. “Muchies?”

“Yeah?”

A quiet chuckle escapes you; you find it funny how he doesn’t realize what you called him. “What has she told you?”

“You two went out a couple times.”

You weren’t expecting her to tell him that. She must really like this kid. “And?”

“She was surprised to see you here that’s for sure and misses you… so does Jake.”

You nearly choke on your spit. “What?”

He freezes, realizing he’s said the wrong. “Nothing- nothing. It's- people say the weirdest things to me.” He lets out a nervous chuckle, reminding you of a certain mother on “That 70’s Show”.

“Bob, have Jake and Natasha talked about me before?”

“Uh- no?”

“Are you lying?”

“No,” he nods his head yes.

“I didn’t think Jake talked to you like you were friends.”

“He mentioned you two went out.”

“Nothing nice like Natasha, right?”

“No, but she did say that you two agreed you were better as friends, and she doesn’t want you to get hurt because of something stupid he does.”

“You sit quietly and learn all the gossip, don’t you?”

“I don’t mean to.”

“It’s okay.” You pat his back, “I believe you.”

“It kind of feels like you don’t.”

“Good.”

A shriek escapes you as your little sister crawls into your lap. “Lilah, you’re wet.”

“That’s what happens when you’ve been in the water.”

“Okay, smarty pants. How are you? You tired?”

“No, I just-” She yawns. “I just need a break.”

“Sounds like they’ve tired you out.”

“More like she tired me out. We had to do two hundred push-ups during training, and she was worse than that,” Natasha tells you as she sits beside Bob.

Mickey sits in front of you, playing hand games like slide as Jake settles beside you with Rueben trying to steal Bob’s snacks while simultaneously trying to mess up their game.

The next day…

“I thought you weren’t scheduled until next Tuesday,” Larry says.

You ignore Pete and Bernie’s looks. An awkward cough escapes you. “Yeah, I was.”

“You finally coming back?”

“We’ll see.”

“It’d be nice to have you back here.”

You nod before walking ahead of the two.

“I knew you were BGA. I told you.”

“Shut up, Bernie.”

“No, your godfather owes me ten bucks.”

You whirl around to face the two. “You made a bet on me?”

He sees the look in your eyes and quickly back tracks, correcting himself. “No, we all knew you’ve been coming here but your alias was the question we’d all been asking.”

You start to walk away, not wanting to listen to them anymore. “You guys’ suck.”

“Not when I know I have ten bucks waiting for me.”

“Actually, that goes to me,” Pete corrects him.

“Dammit Mav.”

You shake your head and continue ditching the two as Bernie tries bargaining with the man.

“You realize your putting your career on the line right.”

“I could say the same thing to you.” You tell him, not looking up as you fiddle with the straps of your helmet.

“I’m serious,” he says, adding your name so you understand the seriousness of the situation.

“I fully understand what I’m about to do, Pete.”

“And you’re not afraid of missing your chance to come back? Even if Cyclone is your godfather, which would have been nice to know beforehand.”

You shrug, “you never asked.”

“I didn’t think I had to.”

“Hurry up, Pete. Or else I’ll take off without you.”

During this time, your dearest godfather is informing the students about Pete no longer being their instructor.

The monitor beeps, Beau turns around. “Who the hell is that?”

Another beeping sound comes from the monitor, further confusing the admiral.

“Maverick to range control. Entering point Alpha. Confirm green range.”

“Uh, Maverick, range control, uh, green range is confirmed. I don’t see an event scheduled for you, sir,” Range control tells him. “We’re already aware of your partner but your name is not on our schedule.”

“Well, I’m going anyway,” says Pete.

“It’s a beautiful day to be in the sky.”

“You say that every time, Angel.”

Natasha, Mickey, Rueben, and Bob push themselves to the edge of their seat at the sound of your call sign.

Jake uses his fist cover his mouth, hiding his smile.

“And I will continue to do so.”

“Nice,” Natasha mutters.

“Setting time to target: Two minutes 15 seconds.”

“2:15? That’s impossible,” Rueben says to himself.

“Final attack point. Maverick’s inbound.”

A hearty chuckle escapes you before you could stop it, getting the man to smile. “Let’s light ‘em up.” You maneuver yourself beside him, “if you can keep up.”

“I think it’s the other way around. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you.”

“We’ll see.”

“Popping in three, two, one,” he says.

You follow his lead. You two try and wait until your target is locked but your’s isn’t quite there. “Gotta go in blind,” you mutter. “Do it, Mav.”

“Bombs away.”

Jake mutters to himself, “damn.”

“Bull’s-eye! Holy shit! Holy shit! Mav!” You pull up beside him, taking off your mask, showing him how pumped you are that you were able to do this. “Aw shit.”

“What?” He huffs.

“You know what.”

“Oh, that. We’ll be fine.”

“I will blame everything on you.”

“I see why you’re Angel now. You know just how to comfort someone.”

“Don’t make me kick your ass.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Once you're on the ground, you head over towards the class, with Pete slowly walking beside you. “He won’t do anything. He now sees what the other old man saw in you,” you tell him.

“I don’t know.”

“No,” you shake your head. “Goddaughter knows best. Believe me.”

“I’ll believe when I walk out of here without being discharged.”

“You know why they call me Angel.”

He shakes his head.

“I tell prophecies and you being discharged is not one of them. Coming back to Penny is the one I see.”

He chuckles until it falls when he realizes how close he is to standing before his students.

You pause in the wide doorway when you hear you call sign being called by a voice you never wanted to hear again.

You slowly turn, face void of emotion as you stare at him.

“Look at you all dresses up. You really think you can come back, and everything will be fine?” He stares at you waiting for a response.

You blink once. “Are you done?”

That throws him off. “What?”

“Are you done because this whole douche persona is not working and honestly right now, you’re ruining the adrenaline high I have right now so if you could just go that’d be great.” You spin around, aiming to stand beside Pete.

“How’s that shoulder of yours?” He grabs the shoulder you fell on because of him and quickly spin around, grabbing his hand, twisting so he feels nothing but pain and cries out as if he’s afraid you’ll break it.

“This is getting pathetic. You have two choices, stop being a prick and harassing me.”

He groans. “What’s the second choice?”

“There’s a lot to think of but the first one would be ideal.” You barely move him, and he immediately agrees. “Good. Now, go away.”

He gets up, cradling his arm to his chest. “You deserved it!”

You shake your head at his idiotic and hot-headed behavior. “What was that?”

He’s gonna get what’s coming to him if he keeps going. “You should be lucky all I did was push you off that ladder. It was great without you here.”

You glance over Beau, “you get that.”

He nods and calls for the jerk and Pete to follow him to his office.

You’re then bombarded by people.

“I told you. I told you,” she repeats hugging you.

You smile, hugging her back. “Shut up.”

She pulls back, shaking her head. “How are you not shaking or get stuck in G-Lock?”

You don’t answer her.

“You- you’ve been practicing?!”

“Just because I wasn’t here doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have practiced and make sure I don’t lose my skills.”

Mickey and Reuben push past her, giving you side hugs and shoulder pats.

“You have balls,” the taller one of the two tells you.

A chuckle exits your nose, “thanks.”

“No, I mean it. You and Maverick did that with sixteen seconds to spare.”

“Sixteen?”

He nods.

“I was hoping for twenty,” you sigh. “Oh well.”

Bob moves forward aiming to give you a high five. “That was... something.”

“Thank you, Munchies.”

“That’s my nickname?”

“Yep.” For some reason you look over his shoulder and find Jake staring at you. You can the corners of your lips tugging upwards and the longer you look at him, the more you smile.

Bob glances over his shoulder, catching sight of the blond. He leans in, whispering in your ear, “go over and talk to him.”

You furrow your brows, “what are you-”

“Just trust me.” He walks away, neither of you take the first step that is, until Javy’s had enough and shoves him in your direction.

“So- uh,” Jake scratches the back of his neck.

“You intimidated?”

He scoffs, “yeah, right.”

“Seems like you can finally have that rematch,” you tell him, reminding him of your first day in class together.

“I can, can’t I? But I think that’ll have to wait until after I buy you a drink.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, plus I owe your sister a piggyback ride.”

You quietly groan to yourself. “You don’t have to, Jake. I know she asks everyone but you-”

“I want to.” He looks like he says he wants to say something else and is holding it back.

“Something on your mind.”

He chuckles through his nose. “I know why they call you Angel.”

“Oh, yeah? Why?”

“There’s this glow you have when you’re in the air and on the ground.”

“Is that a line you say to every pretty girl you see?”

“No- no,” he stutters, struggling to give you a proper response.

Warlock announces with everything that’s happened, it’s time for everyone to head to the locker rooms and rest until the mission.

You pat his arm before walking away and all he can do his stare at your back, wondering what you’ve done to make him struggle with talking to you.

Three weeks later... (after the mission)

You’re happy Penny lets you come in once a week for a shift, it’s good for you. Being at the hard deck gives you time to clear your head and keeps you occupied when you’re not at Top Gun.

Plus, your shift is usually right around the time when the crew comes by.

It’s been a few weeks since you’ve seen them and you guy’s plan on hanging out for most of the night since Delilah’s spending the night at her friends place for a sleepover.

A few of them stopped by at the beginning of your shift, you glance over at the pool tables, watching as Mickey and Billy play against one another while Neil and Rueben count their cash, clearly placing bets.

After a couple of hours, Natasha comes in and grabs a round before heading towards the back where the others are. She was the only to notice when Bagman came in and how he hadn’t left his chair to come over and sit by you as you chat with the others.

It’s been half an hour and she watches the way he’s staring at you, surprised that he hasn’t walked over to you yet. So far, she’s counted six lingering glances, two long sighs, and one-half drunken beer.

She can’t handle this anymore and heads over towards him. “If you’re trying to get back together with her, don’t break her heart.”

He spins to face Natasha. “What?”

She groans, taking a minute to think about her next course of action and jams her finger into his chest, “don’t act the same way you did before. You and I both know she deserves someone who’s...”

“Not me and not a douche, right?”

She sucks in a quick breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Although most of that is true and I’m not going to say what is and what isn’t. You- you've changed.”

He furrows his brows. “I have?”

“Yeah. When you’re around her, you act like a civil guy and not like Bagman.”

“I mean, I don’t-”

“Please shut up and just go walk over there. It’s pathetic.”

“Says the one who couldn’t keep her.”

She rolls her eyes, “you are not allowed to be near Bob anymore.”

“He was just being a good guy and answering my question.”

“She’s definitely got a hold on you, you’re saying Bob’s a good guy,” Natasha jokes.

“I’m not even gonna respond to that.” He pushes himself out of the chair. “Wish me luck, Princess Phoenix.”

She groans, shoving him in your direction. Once he’s at the steps just a few feet from you, she downs the rest of the beer he left behind.

Penny raises a brow.

“Add it to his tab.”

“Look who finally decided to show his face around here,” Javy jokes as his friend tries to make a move on you.

“Don’t you have a bet to lose, Coyote.”

His buddy only offers a sly smile. “Nope.”

“Yes, you do. Come on,” Natasha and Bob pull him away from you two.

You turn to him. “You know what that was about?”

Jake shrugs, “not a clue.” But he knows and knows that everyone else, but you know.

“How’s it feel?”

“How’s what feel?” He asks, giving you his full attention.

“Having two kills in your belt. You know, being a hero and all.”

He chuckles, suddenly feeling bashful. “I- uh- it’s- its fine.”

“Really? You’re not bragging about it like you’d been doing since you saved Rooster and Maverick. What’s with the sudden change?”

He shrugs because he can’t even tell what’s going on with him when he's around you anymore.

“Do you wanna go for a walk outside?”

He nods. Maybe fresh air is what he needs right now.

You two close the doors just as Bradley heads for the piano. “Are you sure you’re, okay?”

He rests his forearms on the railing. “Yeah. The more you ask, the more it sounds like you’re concerned about me, sweetheart.”

You roll your eyes, feeling a little happier now that he’s starting to act like his old self. “You wish, Seresin.”

“Maybe I do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Huh?” His head slowly turns in your direction, barely moving up from his arms.

“What do you mean?”

The two of you don’t say anything for a few minutes and continue staring at one another, you try to figure out the meaning behind what he said, and he realizes that he’s been an idiot ever since you two broke up before you two were shipped off to different places.

You furrow your brows. “Are you trying to tell me that you like me because, I don’t know if you remember, but we tried this,” you point to the two of you. “Before and it didn’t work out.”

“I can’t help what I’m feeling and honestly even if I could, I wouldn’t want to.”

“Okay,” you gulp down all and any spit that’s built up in your mouth. “If you want to give this one more shot, I’m gonna need you to be a big boy and put on your big boy boxers.”

His head drops, he’s fighting the urge to smile but you take it as he can’t tell you what he feels.

You’re not gonna stand around and wait for him to tell you no so you this opportunity to walk away.

He grabs your wrist pulling you into him. “I am not letting you go again.” His other hand brushes away the strands of hair that come flying into your face as the wind picks up. “Do you hear me?”

You switch between his two eyes, seeing if he’s being serious or not.

“I think the first time I was too scared to let you in even though I already had, and I thought breaking up was better than us trying to make it work because I missed out on a lot of things,” his voice slowly becoming lower and lower towards the end.

You can’t fight the urge to hide your runny nose or your tears, but you could care less to wipe away the tears trickling down your cheeks and sniffle. “Yeah, you did.”

“I wasn’t there for you, and you needed me.”

“I didn’t need you-”

“That’s my fault, you’re right. You didn’t need me, but I think we both know it would have been easier if I was there to help. I mean, I wouldn’t have been much help, but I could have definitely taken Lilah out for ice cream after school or something.”

“Oh, yeah. Load her up either sugar. Grade A parenting, Jake.”

His lips tug upwards into his soft, boyish smile that he only reserves for you. “I want to be there for you. Anything and everything, all of it.”

“Ja-”

He shushes you. “Just kiss me, please?”

You roll your eyes, “I was going to say when did you become such a sappy guy, but you ruined it.”

He leans forward pressing his forehead against yours. His breath hitting your skin as a chuckle slips past his toothy grin. “You love it when I beg you.”

“I don’t know. My tastes have changed,” you shrug.

“Bullshit they have.”

“My, my. You’ve got quite the potty mouth on you-”

“Just shut up and kiss already.”

Your heads snap over at the door, seeing Natasha’s head sticking out of the doorway.

You groan, hiding your head into his chest.

“I swear if two don’t- no, let go- no-”

“She’s gonna take a five-minute break,” Bob tells you before closing the door.

“And you said, I ruined the mood.”

“Oh, shut up,” you giggle, enjoying the warmth emanating from him.

“You know you never told me, yes or no.”

“To what?”

“To me.”

You pull back, leaving enough space so when either one of you leans in, the other isn’t too far. “Oh, I didn’t.”

He narrows his eyes. “No, you didn’t, and you know that.”

“I guess you’re right.” You tilt your chin up, waiting to see his next move.

“Hey guys.”

“Why are you out here, Chicken?” Jake asks, keeping his gaze on you.

“Oh, you know, just enjoying the... scenery. Have either of you ever watched the way the moon just reflects off the water.”

Neither of you turn your heads.

“Because you should.”

You two do as he suggests, not realizing that he moves closer.

You turn back to look at Bradley with furrowed brows. “That wasn’t much different than other nights.”

He shrugs, “guess you’re right.”

Jake moves back to his previous position.

Before either of you two can understand what’s happening, you’re kissing Jake and you start chuckling when you hear the mustached man whine for the others to let him in.

“You find that funny, sweetheart.”

“Little bit.”

“Maybe I can do this to distract you.”

“Are you jealous?” You mumble against his lips.

He pulls back, resting his chin on top of your head, enjoying this moment. “As I’ve I’d ever be jealous of Chicken. He doesn’t have what I have.”

“And what’s that?”

“The best thing I could have asked for.”

You groan into his shoulder, trying to hold it together.

“What’s that sound for?”

You unwrap your arms from his waist to hold his cheeks. “Why are you so cute?”

“I’m not cute,” he pouts.

“Yes, you are.” A mischievous grin spreads across your lips. “You’re my cutie pie.”

He shakes his head, “no. Get off me.”

“You know I’m joking. Don’t be mean.”

“I’m not mean.”

“Well, you’re not being very good.”

“You’re lying. I’m good, I’m very good and we both know it.”

“You’re not making this moment any sweeter.”

“I’m making it so sweet; Baby on Board is gonna get his firs cavity.”

“Why are you still being so competitive? You’ve got me.”

“This is just something you’re gonna have to get used to, sweetheart.”

You let out a fake deep sigh, “guess I am.”

He grins, pecking your lips. “I win.”

“Moment ruined.” You shove him away from you only to be pulled back into his embrace.

“Not so fast.”

“Can you two tease each other later and come back in to play pool?” Natasha asks, pulling you away from Jake.

You glance back over your shoulder, giggling back at him.

He stands behind you as you wait for Mickey to take his shot. “You know what I realized,” he whispers in your ear.

“What?”

“You’re the future Mrs. Bagman.”

“What makes you think I’d be the one taking your callsign?”

“Sweetheart, do I seem like the type people would call angel?”

“Yes.” You spin around, placing a hand on his chest keeping yourself from losing your balance.

“Really? Who?”

“Me. You’re my little angel baby.”

The corner of is lips tugs upwards, you still remember your guys’ song, and the one that just so happens to be playing at this exact moment.

“And, we’d have to be engaged for that to happen but before that comes boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Did that confession and kiss out there make you think I wanted to be your best friend or something?”

“You didn’t ask me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, there’s no one else I’m kissing tonight or any other night but you.”

You squint your eyes at him.

“I see the looks you’re giving me and I’m gonna confess another one of my truths to you,” he leans down, his lips a mere few centimeters from your ear, his breath hitting your skin causes goosebumps to rise on your skin. “When we were together officially and unofficially the first time, you were the only one I ever kissed.”

“I was?”

“Yep. It’s your turn.”

You don’t know how you one the game after hearing that but when you shot the last ball into the corner pocket and looked up, you realized how you did and you don’t hold back the smile that stretches your lips wide from corner to corner as you look at Jake, who walks towards you, a sense of pride in his eyes.

His hand cups your cheek as he pulls you in for a deep, long kiss, earning sounds whooping and hollering combined with the sounds of fake disgust.

Neither of you cared what was going on around you as you enjoyed the others embrace.

When he pulls away to catch his breath, you tell him, “guess I’m good too.”

He smirks, “finally, I get someone worthy enough to be called my competition.”

“Don’t get cheeky with me, Hangman.”

“Say it again.”

You peck his lips, “keep it in your pants, Jake. It’s your turn to play now,” you hold the pool cue out for him to take.

He shakes his head as he takes it, heading over towards the table Bradley is playing at.

“I can’t believe you’re with Bagman.”

You grin at her, taking a sip of Jake’s drink. “I know.”

“But I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you. You spot the brunette eyeing you in the corner by the jukebox?”

“No, thanks for the heads up. Don’t wait for me.”

“Oh, believe me. I know the way you work, and I won’t, Phoxy.”

212 notes · View notes

crazyk-imagine · 1 year

Text

I Wish... You Nothing but the Best

Pairing: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x Civilian!reader (past), Pete “Maverick” MItchell x Penny Benjamin (present), Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Jake “Hangman” Seresin (implied)

Characters: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Civilian!reader, Carole Bradshaw, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Penny Benjamin, Robert “Bob” Floyd (briefly mentioned), Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood (briefly mentioned) Warnings: Angst, mentions of Goose’s death :(, mentions of cheating, mature ending of a relationship that didn’t end properly?, adorable baby Bradley aka reader’s godson and Bob being her nephew, Carole is a sweet and caring friend, the Bradshaw’s love the reader and don’t want to be without her, Jake is a jackass but only because he loves Bradley, Pete apologizing for his behavior Word Count: 3,353

*Idk where this was going but here, we are

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You thought it was a little weird when Pete didn’t great you with as much enthusiasm as he usually did, not even a peck on the lips; he opted for your lips instead. This adds to the festering thought you don’t want to believe and are afraid to ask him.

But the signs are there.

The calls haven’t been the same for a long time and the last few times you’ve heard a woman’s voice in the background, and she aren’t as subtle as she thinks she is.

Plus, there’s no way it’s Nick because you always know when he’s being a goof just like you know when Pete isn’t being his normal self.

Carole can tell those smiles of yours aren’t real just like how he’s not all there for you. But dammit if she doesn’t try to get you to enjoy yourself.

You stick closer to the happy couple, stealing Bradley away from him and not just because your favorite and only godson wants huggies.

Nick ventures towards the piano with baby Bradshaw in his arms.

You watch the wide smile on your friends face as Carole watches her family be… happy. You gaze wanders over towards the other end of the place, the Bradshaw boys’ voices slowly being tuned out as you stare. Your shoulders sag, your worst fears have officially come true.

No thoughts come to the surface of your mind. The irrational part of you hopes it’s just your mind is playing tricks on you but as you watch them, the rational part becomes much clearer.

You think back to the warnings everyone gave you before you officially accepted Pete’s attempts at asking you out. It’s a never-ending loop as they play on repeat.

“He can’t be tied down.”

“He’s not the kind who does relationships.”

Nick sets Bradley watching as his son runs back to his mother, wanting to make sure the boy doesn’t fall before he loses himself in the song.

A heavy sigh slips past your lips, you lean over to Carole. “Hey, Care?”

She turns, giving you her attention as the boy turns wanting to be as much a part of the conversation as he could for someone of his age. “I think I’m gonna go.”

Her smile falls. “Oh, no. Why?”

You pause, owlishly blinking while you try to come up with an answer. “I just- I remembered I had a meeting I was supposed to be a part of.”

She nods and repeats what you said in her head. “But you said-”

“People say lots of things.” You look over at Pete and the blonde woman laughing and flirting like no one's watching. “And sometimes they don’t mean it.”

She glances over at Pete, her confused expression changing to one of worry. “Please don’t go.” She would never be able to forgive herself if she just you leave, even if Pete’s done with you; she’s not. She doesn’t want you to leave and go back to your lonely apartment while she’s still here.

You shake your head, a sad chuckle slipping past your lips. “I’m not welcome here anymore.”

“Yes, you are,” Carole argues. How can you say such a thing?

You place a hand over hers. “I’ve lost the one thing that helped me…” a heavy sigh slips past your lips. “He was one of the few people who have helped me become the best me I could and now,” you sniff at the burning feeling you get in your nostrils, and you shake your head, finding it to be uncomfortable for a few seconds. “I can’t stay here anymore.” Tears begin pooling in your waterline.

“We could go out. You know Bradley and I absolutely adore you. We could make it a fun day out with the only two memorable women in his life.”

You admire her spirit as she fights to keep you here and happy. A sad chuckle slips past your sorrowful smile.

Carole purses her lips, she doesn’t want to accept that you’re going to leave, making this seem like a goodbye when it’s only going to be a temporary farewell, she’ll make sure of it but knows she can’t keep you here. She nods, accepting defeat, “okay.” She’s only saying this before she can change her mind and before the boys notice the shift of emotions in the air. The tears in her eyes don’t help either of you accept this.

“I’m gonna miss you,” says you, wanting to end this fast.

“We don’t have to stop talking.”

“I’m doing this to prevent any awkwardness for you and Nick.”

She shakes her head, griping your hand. “We don’t care. We love you. You know we do, you’re like a sister to us. You’re Bradley’s godmother for goodness’ sake.”

“I love you guys too but sometimes… love hurts us.”

“And that’s when friendships come in to help pick up the prices.”

“I don’t think that’s going to help us right now, honey.”

“Let me at least call a sitter and I’ll drive-”

“No,” you shake your head.

“You enjoy your time with Nick. You three need some family time, not trying to keep me from moping around because of my relationship ending. That doesn’t make for a fun family day.”

She grips your hand, rubbing her thumb against the back of your hand to comfort you in a subtle manner the boys won’t catch onto. “Call me when you get back, okay?”

You nod, squeezing her hand. “Always.”

Pete doesn’t glance over at you three when he walks over towards his pal.

You grab your bag and start scooting out of the booth.

Bradley hops off his mom’s lap, practically chasing after you.

You catch him before he could run into your legs.

He lifts his arms, a clear sign he wants to be picked up.

Your lips twitch, either way you’d feel bad if you didn’t lift him up and just as bad if you walked by him without saying anything. You give in, unable to resist his squishy cheeks and pouty expression. “Hey, bud.”

“You leaving?”

“I am but you, mama Carole, and Nick the Goose can visit anytime you guys want. As long as I get a call first so I can clean up and make sure I’ve got room for my favorite little guy.” You lightly poke his ribs earning giggles in return.

Pete glances over at you, watching as you whisper into the little boy’s ear making him giggle. He furrows his brows, wondering where you’re going but his heart won’t let him. If he truly wanted to know where you were going, he would follow you, but he knows better, knows he shouldn’t after what he's done.

He has a feeling the sad smile tugging at the corners of your lips is because of him, he didn’t try and hide the flirtation he and Charlie have going on now. He should have told you what happened, broken up with you before he could ruin one of the best relationships, he’s had in a long time, but he didn’t and now he can’t take that back.

What’s done is done.

You try to set Bradley down but it’s as if he knows something’s wrong, he won’t go down.

Nick begins another rendition of “Great Balls of Fire”, the song manages to lift anyone’s mood (and has become Bradley’s nighttime song when he can’t sleep).

Pete sucks it up and walks over towards you before Carole could get out of her seat. “I got him.”

You let out a deep breath, “thanks… Mav.”

He gulps, no more pet names. He oddly feels sad, not at all expecting this emotion to be the thing he feels the most right now. He hoped he would truly realize this was the end after you had gone back to your hotel and he had access to a bar, even though that’s the place where he ended your relationship with his actions and thoughts.

“You leaving already?”

You nod, “I am.”

Neither of you say anything, he doesn’t know what to say and you don’t want to say it.

“I don’t think I’ll be coming around as much.”

He stays still. “What? No, come on. You- you- you’re family. You can’t just not visit.”

“We haven’t even ended the relationship officially and it’s awkward. Besides, it’s not forever you know. We- uh- we need some time to- uh- grieve I guess.”

He gives you a look. “That sounds like an excuse.”

“I wish it was, believe me.”

“Do you have to leave now?”

“Well, I’m certainly not gonna stay here while you flirt and try to-” you glance down at a distracted Bradley. “Sleep with her again.”

His silence answers the question you didn’t want to ask. “Yeah, that right there, is all I needed to know and that’s why I’m leaving. Our relationship was going downhill, and I think we knew it, but we were so comfortable with one another that we couldn’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

A smile tugs at the corners of your lips. “Good. It's the least I could get from you.”

“Do you need a ride?”

“No,” you shake your head. “I’ll call me a cab. I’m a big girl, I can do this.”

“I don’t want our friendship to end over my-”

You stop him, “we’re gonna take some time to heal and see if we can still be friends.”

“What if we can’t?”

That’s the one question you didn’t want him to ask. “Then I… wish you nothing but the best, Pete. You're always feeling the need for speed, right?”

A chuckle escapes him, always loving it when you would use his phrase against him. “Yeah, always. You know me.”

Your tongue clicks, “yes, I do.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“I know you are.” You can tell by the way he lowers his eyes and by how tired he looks, its only him hiding his sadness because even though it was his doing that brought the relationship to an end, he does care about you. You can’t focus on that for long, you got to get out of here before he pulls you back in.

You make the semi-irrational decision pull him and Bradley in for a hug, leaning into whisper to the taller man. “You are good, Maverick. Remember that.”

He furrows his brows. “Good at what?”

“Take that however you want, that’s my parting gift for you.” You pull away from him and head over towards your favorite mustached, Hawaiian shirt wearing man, throwing your arm around his shoulders, pulling him for a side hug. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

He pouts, “you leaving me already?”

“Afraid so back seater.”

“Oka- hey!”

“I bid you farewell, Nick the Goose.” A quiet chuckle slips past his lips.

“He shouldn’t have let you go,” he whispers. He turns his head towards you, his sunglasses low enough for you to see the serious look in his eyes. “Keep in touch.”

A tearful smile dances across your lips, you’re not quite sure what to say. “Thanks. I’ll try to. Play me out?”

“For you, doll? Always.”

You walk towards the door, listening to the familiar tune. “GOODNESS, GRACIOUS, GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!” You scream as you walk out the door.

Your back hits the wall, you want to look back, see them all one last time but your heart has been through enough for one evening. You decide walking away is easier, not wanting to add onto it, that doesn’t stop the tears from falling though.

Nick and Carole didn’t say anything to Pete’s faces while the five hangout, although there was a significant change with their dynamic after that.

Then Nick died and Pete broke up with Charlotte.

Yet, there was only one person he could go to, but he never quite got there… or he did, but never knocked on the door.

Never asked to come in.

Never spoke to you that night even as he sat on the steps leading up to your apartment building.

And you did periodically check on him, even went as far as flying out to wherever he was stationed and asking his former enemy turned wingman, Iceman, how he was doing… that was a good conversation.

With Pete off, living his life, you decided it was time to stay with Carole and Bradley for a while. You helped take care of the two with little to almost no contact with him since it was always awkward and hard for him to talk about your mutual loss whenever you tried to bring it up, wanting him to stop his guilt trip.

Eventually you two lost contact with one another, only finding out how the other is through the grapevine.

Even when Bradley was upset with him when Pete pulled your godson’s papers, he didn’t answer your call and deleted your voicemail without listening to it.

Sometime after that, your little family becomes smaller due to the loss of Carole.

Pete didn’t stop by the funeral; he did send flowers along with a note saying how sorry he is that he couldn’t make it and he hopes the two of you are okay.

And, of course, the first time you see him is well after thirty years.

You saw him when you first walked into the bar and didn’t make your way over to him; he’s the one who stopped calling, why should you be the first to try and rekindle your friendship with him.

He glances around, happy to see every one of his students safe and sound, living life and enjoying themselves. His eyes land on you, eyebrows up to his forehead.

You can feel eyes on you, your gut telling you it’s him; you still search for the burning gaze and find the one and only man who always felt the need for speed.

You offer a small wave.

Penny looks back and forth between the two of you, putting the pieces together. “Is that her?”

“Yeah.”

“You gonna go talk to her?”

“And say what?”

“Ask her simple questions, like what she’s doing now? How’s she been? Things that make it seem like you want to talk to another human being and not a jet.”

He responds with a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I’m going.”

“See you tonight?”

“Tonight,” he confirms.

A wave of nostalgia runs through you while you watch your grown godson sing his father’s song. It still doesn’t surprise you that he never forgot it, it was practically ingrained in his brain before he could even talk. You can sense him beside you, still as awkward as ever. “How you been, Mav?”

“You stole my line.”

“Hmm, I don’t think so because you ran out of lines years ago and I’m sure you were lucky enough that Penny took pity and decided you were worthy enough to date again.”

“How’d you know?”

“My favorite and only godson is a bit of a gossip.”

He nods. “Good to know.”

You turn away from the scene and give him your attention. “How you been? You feeling better now that the missions over?”

He nods.

“I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“I think you’re just saying that to one up me.”

You scoff through your nose. “I’ve always been able to one up you and you know it besides, I never stop caring about my friends.”

“We’re still friends?”

You roll your eyes, “We never stopped, Mav. We started out as friends and just because our relationship didn’t work out doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you because I do. Hell, I kept tabs on you just to make sure you don’t make any stupid mistakes like how you almost did when Nick died.”

You can tell that really hit him. “I’m sorry for sounding harsh but I want you to know that just because we’re not in love anymore doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you. I’m always gonna look after you and Bradley. It’s my job after all.”

He furrows his brows. “Your job?”

“Yeah, I take care of you two and you two take care of my tab.”

He rolls his eyes, “ha ha.”

“Thank you. I know I’m hilarious.”

“You haven’t changed.”

“Nope and you’d know that if you ever returned one of my many calls and texts.”

“Getting in trouble tends to ruin talking hour.”

“Oh, now who’s joking.”

You two chuckle before you bump his elbow with yours. “You picked a good one. I’m happy to know you’re doing good.”

“I’ll be there for you, you know.”

You nod. Your godson and a couple of his buddies from his squad walk over towards the two of you.

The pretty, cocky blond changes the song on the juke box.

You smile when Bradley leans against you, throwing his arm around your shoulder giving you a side hug.

The blond turns around and raises a brow at the two of you. “Bradshaw, you never told me you were dating a cougar.”

Bradley’s groans can be heard all across the bar. “For the last time. She’s NOT-”

The guy walks away, clearly proud of the rise he got out of him.

“Brad. Brad,” you call out to him. “Breath. He’s just being a punk who will get what’s coming to him.”

“But he’s saying things about you,” he whines.

A tight lip smile stretches the corners of your lips wide. “I know,” you nod. “And if he doesn’t, he’ll get what’s coming to him.”

He huffs.

“Do not use that attitude with me Bradley. Just because you’re like your father and don’t know how to act around the person you love, doesn’t mean you need to turn into a brat.”

His eyes widen and his jaw drops. “Wha- I don’t- I don’t-”

You lean into whisper, “Nick was the same way before he asked Carole out on a date. Learn from him and don’t act like a jackass.”

“But I don’t-”

“You do and you know it. He’s just as interested as you. There’s no other reason he would be acting like such a jackass. He wants your attention, that’s why he keeps looking over at you and making inappropriate remarks.”

He avoids your gaze as he asks, “you think?”

“What do you think your dad would say?”

“Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire?”

“Only because you wouldn’t listen, and he would have to take matters into his own hands. Do I need to embarrass you so you can get his attention?”

“I need another drink.” He squeezes your shoulder before heading towards the bar.

You shake your head.

“What happened to the sweet person I knew?” Pete asks.

“I met you and Goose.”

He scoffs, “we weren’t that bad.”

“Are you kidding me? I was lucky to keep my eyebrows after you dumbasses tried smoking cigarettes.”

“We were seventeen,” he argues.

“And I’m still traumatized from the thought of losing my eyebrows.”

“It would have been one.”

“Is that what you’re sticking with? You’re lucky I didn’t know you then.”

“But it’s a good story to tell at parties.”

“That’s exactly how I found out it was you two morons.”

“We were kids.”

“And, I would have made millions because I would have sued.”

The laughter dies down, the sounds of the bar chatter filling the silence.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He shrugs. “Everything. You deserved better.”

“I know.” You knock his shoulder with yours. “But thank you for the second apology… you happy with her?”

He lowers his gaze, the summer heat finally getting to him. “I am.”

A slow, nostalgic smile graces your lips. “Good. I hoped you had nothing but the best life.”

“How’s Bob?”

You didn’t realize he knew the man with the wired glasses was your nephew. “He’s good. How’d you know?”

“He’s got your sarcasm.”

You let out a dry laugh, “ha ha. They’d be proud, you know.”

“Maybe. Only after Carole would have to drag Nick off the floor and stop him from embarrassing Bradley.”

“Unless she’d join in.”

“She wouldn’t.”

You shrug, “maybe not but you never know.”

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