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#bill cougar cortell

thatsrightice · 6 months

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Before Iceman received his callsign his friends called him Kaz. So Goose and Cougar and Merlin? They knew him as Kaz first. On occasion Ron calls him Tommy but Ice always gave him an unamused look when he does, not that it stops him. Let’s make one thing clear, though, no one else is aloud to call him Tommy. Slider makes sure of that.

#Kaz #this is really important to me you have no idea #cue mavericks confusion like ‘who tf is Kaz???’#tom iceman kazansky #ron slider kerner #nick goose bradshaw #sam merlin wells #bill cougar cortell #the boys #top gun #top gun 1986 #tom kazansky #iceman #top gun: maverick #top gun iceman #my boys #ron kerner #just a little thing I wrote

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pollyna · 6 months

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au in which the slots at the top gun are five and not four, so Cougar and Merlin are there at the same time as Maverick and Goose.

What happens is that while Mav is serenading Charlie at the O-Club, Slider is in the parking lot, putting Cougar on the ground with a single punch on the face and "Cortell, ten feet. If you're nine feet from him without a real reason, I'm going to make your life a living hell. Have I made myself clear?"

And if the next day the man is sporting a black eye and if Slider's knuckles are a little red than usual, nobody asks a question. Expect Mav, but for once, he has the tact of not going to either of them for an answer, but to Goose, who just says, "Bad history" without adding much. It makes Mav's skin crawl with the need to know.

#ron slider kerner #bill cougar cortell #pete maverick mitchell #does slider punches cougar bc of ice? YEP #bad history means you broke my bbf's heart and then proceeded to walk over him having the guts to invite him at your wedding and probably-#-shit talking about him because why not

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k9effect · 10 months

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Maverick's Win (feat. Cougar)

[Click for better quality, reblogs and tags appreciated]

I've been missing this au so enjoy some art for the single dad/aerobatics pilot goosemav au :)

The sponsors are named after some of my friends! Love you guys <3

[AU masterlist]

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caystar13star · 11 months

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New one shot- Cougar comes to Goose’s funeral and helps clear the air between Mav and the rest of the flyboys

#top gun #pete maverick mitchell #bill cougar cortell #tom iceman kazansky #top gun 1986 #icemav #ron slider kerner #rick hollywood neven #top gun fanfiction

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blazingstar29 · 6 months

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so i got to some thinking about Merlin (top gun) (but bbc too) and about his background bc it's pretty much a given his entire history is with cougar and has always been his rio.

but I was thinking about Merlin (mainly bbc bc i don't actually know the legend that well at all) and how Merlin's future is kind of pre-written. Merlin was given his callsign for being a little bit on the offbeat but an absolute genius RIO who saw things before they were even happening.

What before Cougar there was a tall blond hot shot with a kind side called Arthur (callsign or real name u decide) who was Merlin's pilot who died in an accident. No one mentions it, no one even implies it.

Not a soul even makes a joke. Because they all liked Arthur but they love Merlin and he'll be forever stuck with the callsign that's but a legend and his legacy.

#lots of thoughts tonight about merlin #sam merlin wells #top gun 1986 #bill cougar cortell

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compacflt · 9 months

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I just finished rereading Slider's oneshot and I loved it just as much as I always do. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on how the conversation between Ice and Cougar went at Ice's retirement ceremony. You gave us little snippets of it from Slider's point of view, but I'd love to hear more of it if you have thoughts on it you'd like to share.

this is such a kind ask. i have no idea

for the same reason there is no explicit reaction in ch 12 when ice first hears mav say i love you—i spent a good week low key trying to figure out whether a reaction was needed there—it’s such a potent powerful cocktail of so many wild & unfamiliar emotions that i don’t personally think i have the literary juice to even attempt to try to describe it

i also am allergic to writing ice or mav explicitly coming out to anyone because it gives me secondhand embarrassment for them. the idea of the commander of the pacific fleet having to psych himself up to awkwardly mumble “um i should’ve told you all this time … i think i…i think im gay” to his friend gives me the ick sorry he’s not fifteen years old. so he Could be doing the big lgbt rite of passage of emotionally apologizing and coming out to Cougar in that conversation. but he Could Also be doing the ‘im nearly sixty years old im not gonna bullshit you’ thing of simply saying: “you and I have been very shitty to each other in the past and i apologize for that in x,y,z way and you were right about me and maverick and we’re gonna make it official this summer and if you want to come we’d really love to have you & normalize diplomatic relations between us again, you’re a real great friend when you’re not being a massive fucking douche”

#slider doesn’t get to hear that convo for the meta reason of ‘he’s a sideline character he’s not important to the narrative at all’#And to further the theme of the slider one shot that being ices friend is learning about his life secondhand & reading lips #was it Samuel delany who wrote that the post-stonewall act of coming out is just a way to play into boring straight ideas of #normal and notnormal?#that it is counterproductive & only serves to isolate lgbt people more by making their existence an event that needs to be commented on?#speaking as someone who Did have the teary ‘i think im a lesbian’ confession with my parents at 15 like… it shouldn’t be that serious #the whole point is just—ok this is a part of me so take it or leave it.#it’s neither conversation nor announcement. it’s just life. lol. just logistics. come to my wedding or don’t idgaf #tom iceman kazansky #ron slider kerner #bill cougar cortell #top gun #edts notes #my posting schedule might be wack for a week or so—am out of the country #will try to post around 10am ET the way i usually do #but that is solidly dinner time where i am currently so might miss it #i reread the slider oneshot all the way through for the first time since posting it to answer this ask #wow it’s pretty miserable isn’t it #btw in the original draft that went up to 2022 slider marries sarah which makes him and ice brothers for real.#one big happy family #send tweet

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redhead-writes · 1 year

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Top Gun AU: Strip Club edition

Just tiny snippets for this Strip Club universe, that was inspired by this song. Helped to come to life by @pollyna

PART 2

The club was Carole’s and Nick’s idea because they had to put the money their families money somewhere and Carole as ex-dancer herself wanted to create space safe enough for dancers. She had enough run ins with horrible clients that Ron had dealt with easy. Ron is always in their corner no matter what the other two menaces come up with.

Carole runs whole thing with iron fist on the business side of the deal but at the same time she loves the band of misfits that is her club employees. Carole calls them family because they got each others backs.

All the dancers are here either for the love for the art of dancing (Hollywood, Sundown) or for to make good money to get in schools they want (Iceman, Wolfman, Chipper). Others are there just because they feel safe enough to be themselves and finally to feel loved and cared for.

Carole is pregnant with Bradley when she starts noticing that some money goes missing. It is not a lot but she takes money home and the accounting book with her. She and Chipper go trough them and see that some numbers are fixed which means that in the end they are in big debt.

There is possibility that they will lose the club. Nick and Ron try to calm her down because she needs to think about baby more. Goose goes to police chief Metcalf and explains the situation. Man says that he will take a look at it but Nick is now in debt for him. Also most of the strippers bring in the money to cover the debt of the club. They can’t lose the place as much as the Bradshaws - Kerners can. Carole’s hormones make her break down crying while hugging all her boys.

Week later Cougar disappears leaving only one letter. Ron finds it suspicious but he know has hands full with Tom who is absolutely heartbroken over his boyfriend leaving without another word. There was only one sentence that was addressed to Iceman. He moves Tom in with them three for now. They give Iceman two week break from performing because Carole is all about mental and physical safety. So she won’t see her best dancer on stage in such vulnerable state.

When baby goose aka Bradley is born, the club is closed because whole maternity waiting room is littered with these men. They had to be there and see their new addition to family straight away. Carole is happy to know their baby is gonna be the most loved one.

Metcalf’s call comes as surprise. He is calling in for Nick’s debt. All he needed was for Goose to give this kid a job and roof over the head. When Nick sees Pete, he straight up feels protective over the younger guy. His eyes tells story that pulls on Nick’s heartstrings. He brings Mav like he likes to be called home. Ron is away for a week to visit his family. Carole comes to same conclusion as Nick. This kid needs all the love and care that their weird family can give. Carole gives Mav the bartenders spot that had been free for long time. Ron or Nick taking over position. For week Maverick lives in their house, helping Carole with Bradley. Mav is really good with baby goose.

Maverick really didn’t think he will stay at the strip club for long, not after his verbal spat with Slider. He thought that was it. He will be suited and booted again but all he got was loud laugh out of the man and pat on the back. It was like he passed some kind of test. Also he really enjoyed the job he was doing. Pete felt like he found his place for once. Not to mention that this dancer Iceman have caught his eye.

To get better at his job, Mav takes bartending classes. After finishing those, Pete dedicates drink to each of the dancers. Iceman gets specialy made ice glasses or extra frosted over simple glass. Slider gets drink that tastes bitter and than sweet because Carole calls Ron sweety. Mav is yet to see the soft side but then he walks on Slider spending time with Bradley and he gets it then. Hollywood has the fanciest drink Pete could come up with. They charge well for it but it seems to be popular at bachelorette parties. Wolfman is Appletiny. Sundown has like red liquid at bottom and orange at top like sunset.

Cougar comes to strip club after he left and Mav sees Iceman tense. Maverick does not like that so he finds Slider with his eyes who today acts as overlooker to keep boys safe. Ron catches Mav looking at him and then follows Mavs eyes, and it lands on Cougar. Slider tells Nick to take over, he has to get to Tom. Nick sees who it is and goes: Do you want me to use my owner privilege to throw him out?

Ron: No, no, no! Iceman would not want that. He really could not bring this mess to this club.

Nick: Tom is part of this family. If he needs us in his corner, he got us. It was Cougar who left with damn letter.

Ron: Gosh, I would kiss you right now but I have my bestie to safe from panic attack. Also send someone to calm Maverick he looks like chihuahua ready to bite Cougar in balls and tear those off.

Nick: I will keep you to it, Ron, I will keep you to it. Mav is as protective over Tom as you but I will send Wolfman to him.

Then Carole comes in with Bradley because she needs documents that she wanted to go trough but both Ron and Nick forgot to take home. So she had to do it herself and Carole needed to get out of house more. When she comes face to face with Cougar in her strip club again. To say she is livid, is to say nothing. She beckons Maverick to take Bradley from her. Babies too easily pick up on emotions of their parents. Slider has come back without who was in good hands of Chipper. When he sees Bradley in arms of Maverick and then his sweetheart glaring at Cougar. Instant boner and looks up at Nick in 2nd floor who has same thoughts. Goose mouths: "He is dead man."

"How dare you come back here?" asked Carole, making herself look taller. "Carole, I am sorry. I was confused and lost."

"You are sorry. You left your family with letter. You left Tom with one line in that letter. You are not sorry. You just saw club doing better so you came back." "No, Carole,..."

"It is Mrs. Bradshaw - Kerner for you Cougar. I don't want to hear any of your excuses. You are lucky that man behind bar is holding my son or else you would be plump on floor."

Cougar threw a look at Maverick who was playing peekaboo with Bradley. It was like Pete felt look on him. He looked up to see that strange man that ruined Tom's mood looking at him. So Mav glared as hard as possible. If looks could kill, then there wouldn't be Cougar at all.

"I really hope new life treats you well but don't you dare to come close to Iceman. Generally forget road to this club."

"You can't keep me away from him." Cougar said louder, putting out all his anger. Maverick caught it and before Slider could even step forward to punch bastard who dared to shout at his wife. There was baby Goose in his arms. Mav stalking to the man. He grabbed this man by collar of the shirt, hitting Cougars legs out so he went on the knees, starting to drag him out of club. Street knowledge coming out in full force. When outside the club, Mav leaned in close to Cougars ear whispering: "You will listen to what Carole says or else..."

"Or else what? You will pour your fancy cocktails down my throat? Tom will never date you. You are bellow him. Just a bartender." It didn't phase Maverick. Cougars words landing over Petes head. He had heard worse from people in oprnhage.

"Or else two of the best this towns police chiefs will be on your arse. That is what. I think Heatherly and Metcalf will be happy to dig under you, oh so happy. And about Iceman, you are wrong because you never saw him beyond the Iceman. Also if he doesn't date at least I have his friendship that you seem to have lost."

That angered Cougar and he tried to launch for Maverick when handcuffs were put on Cougars wrists. He was taken in custody for trespassing, stealing money from the club and dealing drugs to youth.

"Thanks, kid!" said Metcalf, before getting back in the car.

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derpinathebrave · 1 year

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Finders Keepers - IceMav SpyAu Part 1 - Finding

READ ON AO3

So I got the brain rot again! We were talking SpyAu and IceMav dads on the discord and now this. Don't take it too seriously, this is 100% just me dicking around and making myself happy.

SUMMARY: “Don’t get attached, Mitchell,” Ice said, mumbling soft enough that the kid wouldn’t hear but the words were piped through the earpiece to Mav.

Maverick gave him a look of mild disinterest before returning his attention to the kid. Just because Ice was a cold-hearted bastard, didn’t mean Maverick had to be. There was nothing wrong with being kind to a child that they had rescued from a house of traffickers. It wasn’t like he was about to adopt it...

TAGS: Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, OC Child Character, Ron "Slider" Kerner, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, Bill "Cougar" Cortell, Mike "Viper" Metcalf, Rick "Jester" Heatherly, Fluff, Family Fluff, Literally found family, MavDad, IcePops, SpyAU, Very Mild Violence, Spycraft innacuracies, Mild mentions of human trafficking, Selective Mutism, No Beta we die like goose.

WORDS: 7808

PART 1 - PART 2

Minor Content Warning: NPC death, mild violence, minor mentions of trafficking, minor mentions of kidnapping.

There was a lingering smell of smoke, ash and charred flesh in the air. Mav had thought that after ten years of doing this, he would be used to it. Now he was starting to suspect it wasn’t something you got used to.

With a sweep of his eyes he scanned the room. From the busted window he had come through, across the shattered television and half-broken half-burned pinewood dresser, to the other side of the room where the bed was spattered with blood and still smouldering a little. Mav used one of the pillows to beat the embers out. There was no movement. The body at his feet thoroughly incapacitated.

“Mav, why do I smell smoke?” Ice’s voice cut into his head through the earpiece.

“Not your concern, Iceman,” Mav replied, tossing the cushion down and pulling his shotgun back to his shoulder.

“You loaded incendiaries, didn’t you?”

Maverick could practically see the scolding expression on Ice’s face. He rolled his eyes as he carefully picked his way across the room the the door opposite.

“That’s none of your concern either,” Maverick said quietly.

He stepped around the doorframe, clearing the room shotgun-first. It was a hall. He had stepped into it near the end. To his left he could see the darkness of stairs descending. To the right were more doors. Four more, to be exact. All of them closed.

Mav paused, listening. There was a shuffling and a rapidly muffled voice. Both noises gone too quick for him to nail down which door they were behind. All he could gather was it was the opposite side to where he was lingering.

He stepped into the hall heading for the next door, only a few paces from him.

“It concerns me if the house burns down around my ears,” Ice said after a long pause, sounding slightly more strained this time.

“Relax,” Mav said, barely moving his lips as he spoke in an effort to stay undetected as he sassed Ice back. “I put out the fires I start. Mostly.”

“Minsk.”

It took more than a little effort for him to suppress the startled laugh that threatened. Mav placed his ear to the door and listened. Silence. He pushed the handle down and pushed it in, whipping the shotgun into place and stepping back and to the side.

Nothing happened. It was a bathroom. An empty bathroom.

“I said ‘mostly’,” Mav replied.

He stepped back into the hall.

There was the distinct pop of a suppressed gunshot beneath him. Another two followed it in quick succession. Mav paused. Waiting to hear anything else.

After a long silence, Mav continued down the hall. He paused at the next door.

A creak of wood was the only warning he got.

The door exploded outward in a spray of woodchips.

Mav dove to one side, tucking and rolling. His gun was back up and pointed at the destroyed door before he really caught up to what had happened.

The hinges screamed as the wrecked door was opened. Mav took a long, slow breath in. His eyes were locked to the edge of the doorframe.

The black barrel of a shotgun appeared first. It was swiftly followed by the man wielding it.

Maverick didn’t think. He pulled the trigger.

Fire spattered across the man’s chest and the rest of the hall.

There was a startled shriek, there always was. The man dropped his gun, frantically slapping at the flames on his clothes.

Mav pulled his pistol out, shooting to kill. The gun was back in his holster before the body hit the floor. He stepped forward, still leading with the shotgun. He checked the room quickly, finding it empty.

With that done he turned to the body and muffled the flames with the hall rug.

“Ground floor, clear,” Ice spoke into his head again.

“Two rooms to go,” Mav said, straightening and heading into the cleared room. He stepped onto the creaky floorboard that had saved his life and smiled a little.

“I’ll head up.”

The room was another bedroom. It was easy to clear as it was bereft of any real furniture. There was no bedframe, only a single mattress on the floor and the remnants of takeaway food. A closet door set into the wall on the right.

Maverick stilled. There was one other thing in the room. A set of shackles. The chain was looped around the bars of the radiator on the wall, the cuffs empty on the mattress.

“Ice,” Mav said, staying quiet. “Remind me what we were sent in here to retrieve.”

There was an irritated sigh before Ice replied. “We’re looking for a hard-drive of names and locations.”

Mav turned to face the closet door. His gut began a distracting churn but he pushed it away.

Ice was still speaking, “The agency got word this was a subsect of the trafficking ring we’ve been hunting for the better part of six months. Do you actually listen when we’re being briefed, or do you just wing everything you do?” Ice’s voice was snarky.

“Thank you, asshole,” Mav remained solemn, unable to rise to Ice’s bait. He approached the closet door. Each step was slow and measured.

He slung the shotgun onto his back and unholstered the pistol.

The faintest sound of a whimper reached him.

Maverick winced. He lifted the pistol and pulled the closet open.

A body crashed into his middle.

Mav went over backward. His training kicked in as he hit the floor. He used the backward momentum to pull the body off him and tumbled it into the far wall.

There was a pathetic noise of pain.

Mav scrambled back to his feet, his shotgun in his grip again.

Movement in his peripheral caught him. Mav spun, aiming.

Ice, tall, broad and blond, glared back down the sights of his Ruger.

They turned simultaneously. The body was still crumpled on the floor against the wall. It resembled a bundle of rags more than a body. If he hadn’t felt the force of it and the bony protrusions, he wouldn’t have recognised it as human.

He bent and retrieved his fallen pistol. Ice’s weapon now trained on the lump of clothes.

“The other two rooms aren’t clear,” Mav said, slinging the shotgun behind him again.

Ice disappeared without a word.

With a silent sigh, Mav approached the body. He squatted down a few feet from it, pistol casually aimed with one hand as he placed his elbows on his knees.

“Alright,” he said, voice tired. “That wasn’t enough to knock you out, I know you’re faking.”

Nothing happened. He watched, a wry smile on his face as he noticed the rags rise and fall with breath. Maverick reached out and nudged the closest bit he could. It felt like an arm underneath the folds of grey knit.

“House is clear. I found the drive,” Ice reported.

Mav nudged the body again. “C’mon, let’s hurry this up.” He sighed shortly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I might even get you out of here. But you have to cooperate.”

The mass of grey shifted. A small, grubby face peeked out from between the arm Mav had poked and what was clearly a hood of a sweatshirt four sizes too big. Brown eyes, wide with fear, locked into his own. The limbs shifted, curling tight and shrinking the size of the human to almost tiny.

His heart stammered and slammed hard into his sternum. This wasn’t just a trafficking victim. This was a kid. He bit into his inner lip. What the hell was he supposed to do now? This was not how it was supposed to go.

“Hi there,” he said after a long moment. “You ready to get out of here?”

“They aren’t the mission, Mav.” Ice cut through his uncertainty with one sentence.

“Fuck the mission, Ice,” Mav snapped, sliding his eyes away from the kid. He holstered his pistol. “I’m not leaving them here.”

He glanced back to find the kid pulling the hood back over them.

“Hey, no, don’t hide. We have to go,” Mav said, softening his tone once more.

Footsteps announced the arrival of Ice. Mav glanced up long enough to find an exasperated expression on the other man. He turned back to his quarry with a small smile.

“I’m going to have to pick you up if you won’t walk yourself,” Mav said, still gentle.

His heart hammered again. He had no idea what he was doing. Somehow having Ice watching him was only making him more aware of that fact.

There was a long pause. He was about to give up and man-handle the kid out, when the legs unfolded once more and the face appeared among the grey fabric again.

“Ready to go?” Mav smiled with relief.

The eyes snapped to Ice. They were still wide with fear.

Mav could understand. Ice was nothing short of intimidating. His black turtleneck straining over his broad chest and muscled arms. He was still wearing his pissy expression and hadn’t holstered his pistol. There was a back-up strapped to his thigh over his cargo pants and his combat boots were laced with military precision to mid-shin.

“Don’t mind him,” Mav’s smiile grew. “He’s not as scary as he thinks he is.”

Ice rolled his eyes but kept his reply to himself.

The brown eyes found Mav’s again.

He held his hand out. “Ready to go?”

He was given a small nod. Good enough for him. He reached out and pulled the small body to its feet. There was a small squeak of surprise and then silence.

“Can you walk?” Mav asked, astounded at how little they weighed.

Another nod.

“Good.” Mav nodded to Ice.

The other agent turned on his heel, raising his gun once more and leading the way out of the room.

Mav took a single step, watching closely as his new charge stumbled and sprawled onto the floor. He winced.

“Alright, I’m going to carry you. Just until we’re out and in the car, OK?” Mav said gently. He bent and scooped the kid up. The pants dangled almost a foot beyond the end of their legs and the hoodie rucked up unevenly, everything was far too big.

He tossed them a little, resettling his grip more securely. With another small squeak, the face turned and buried itself into his shoulder. Mav ignored the odd sense of affection it gave him. He followed Ice out into the hall.

They remained quiet, moving swiftly down the stairs and through the ground floor. There were three bodies sprawled on the floor. Mav was glad that his charge had elected to hide their face.

Mav was growing increasingly alarmed at how little the child in his arms weighed. It barely affected his ability to keep up with Ice as they jogged across the lawn and down to the back street where they had left their vehicle. Ice pulled the door open without a word, waving Mav in.

He considered depositing the kid and climbing into the front, but at the last moment, he simply climbed into the SUV child and all. Ice swung the door shut behind him.

“Alright, we’re safe,” Mav whispered. “We’re safe now.”

Ice climbed into the drivers seat, still conspicuously silent. As they set off, Ice driving quick and clean, Mav attempted to put the kid back down on the seat beside him. Small, strong hands had laced themselves into his webbing though, and they were resisting fiercely. He gave up with barely a fight. Instead he shifted the shotgun out from behind his back and leaned more comfortably into the seat. His arm came naturally back around his charge, holding them to his chest once more.

“What’s the plan here, Maverick?” Ice said at last. There was a brittle edge to his voice and Mav felt the kid tense against him.

“Calm down, Ice,” Mav said, voice even. “You aren’t helping by being pissy.”

There was a strangled noise of anger from the front seat but Ice remained silent once more.

“You’re alright, don’t worry about him,” Mav mumbled down at the kid.

He was rewarded with the small face appearing once more, staring up at him. Now he wasn’t trying to get them out of a potentially hostile situation, Mav could spend some time looking. The face was small, a pointed chin, grubby cheeks with a dusting of freckles underneath and a mess of mousy brown hair that looked long enough to brush their chin.

“I’m Mav, by the way,” he said with another smile. “What’s your name?”

The little mouth opened, revealing white, straight teeth. No sound came out and the lips snapped shut once more.

Unconsciously, he gave the kid a squeeze of affection. “That’s alright, take your time.”

He looked up to find Ice watching him through the rearview mirror.

“Don’t get attached, Mitchell,” Ice said, mumbling soft enough that the kid wouldn’t hear but the words were piped through the earpiece to Mav.

Things weren’t quite so simple. Maverick sighed as he sat on the hospital bed, the kid still clinging to his chest. Nothing ever was simple, he should know that by now.

Ice had disappeared to report and debrief as soon as they had made it back. Mav, unable to detach his passenger, had headed to medical. Dr Bill “Cougar” Cortel was standing across from them, arms crossed and a slightly bemused look on his face.

“I really need to put you down, kid,” Mav tried for the third time. “The doc just needs to make sure you aren’t hurt and that you don’t need anything.”

The little hands on his webbing tightened again. Mav sighed and shook his head at Cougar.

“That’s alright,” Courgar shrugged. “I’ll just try again in a while.” He shook his head a little before wandering off to sit at his desk and tap rapidly on the computer.

“I’m not going anywhere, kid,” Mav mumbled. “I’ll be right here. I won’t leave you. I’ll even hold your hand while the doc does his thing.”

He felt the kid twitch but not relent.

“I’m just worried you’re hurt. Can you just help me out this one time? Let the doc look you over for me?” It was a gamble, who was he to this kid, what right did he have to ask for anything, but he was running out of ideas. Not to mention time before Jester stormed into medical and ordered him to report in.

There was a small sigh and the fingers loosened off. Mav slid the kid off his lap and onto the bed beside him instead.

“Cougar,” Mav called, excitement obvious.

The doctor was back in a heartbeat, stethoscope already in his ears.

Mav looked away as Cougar did his examination, attempting to give them a little privacy. They were mostly done when the door to the infirmary opened and noise arrived.

“Shit, it’s true!” Slider boomed, laughing loudly.

The kid let out a muffled sound of fear and leaped straight back into Mav’s chest. Bony knees caught him in the stomach and he grunted with pain. Without hesitation he wrapped his arms back around the kid.

“Slider,” Cougar snapped, frowning at the taller man. “This is an infirmary, not a circus. Shut up.”

Slider was still chortling, eyes taking in the scene. He finally settled down, wiping at his eyes a little.

“Sorry, doc, I had to come and see if it was true. The infamous Maverick suckered in by a sprog,” Slider grinned, still laughing a little.

“Did you see Ice?” Mav asked, exasperation clear in his tone.

“I did,” he said. “He passed the drive off to Goose already. We should have everything extracted by tomorrow morning. And you need to get your ass up to Viper’s office and report.”

“I kind of cant now.” Mav nodded, gesturing the best he could to the kid on his chest. “Thanks to you and your natural ability to scare children.”

Slider laughed again, the insult rolling right off his too-wide shoulders.

“Go away, Kerner,” Cougar sighed, looking up from a folder. “I need to get this kid into come clean clothes and maybe even a shower. You aren’t helping.”

“Sure thing, doc,” Slider shook his head a little as he looked at Mav once more. “Have fun, Mav.” It was meant as a playful jab, but Mav found himself more defensive than usual.

Sure, they were a group of hardened spies that were tasked with grisly jobs more often than not, but that didn’t mean they had to be heartless. He was allowed to enjoy playing the hero for a while. He was allowed to want to do a good deed.

With Slider gone it took another fifteen minutes of gentle coaxing and blatant bribery to get the kid back off Mav’s lap and into the small shower cubicle on their own. Mav stood outside the door, chattering away so the kid could hear him the whole time. He stared hard at the ceiling as he spoke, desperate to avoid seeing the way Cougar was shaking with laughter in his peripherals. He was starting to become concerned that Cougar would throw a rib out when the door finally opened again.

Now that they were showered and dressed in better fitting clothes (the smallest scrubs they had, cut down to fit), they looked less scrawny. Their hair hung to the jaw and was cut straight with a flat fringe over their forehead. The freckles on their cheeks now much more obvious.

“Alright, I just need to ask a few questions,” Cougar said from his seat at the desk, his voice a little hoarse from stifling his laughter. “Can you answer a few easy questions for me?”

The kid nodded.

“Are you a girl or a boy?” Cougar tried.

There was silence. The kid backed up until they were leaning into Maverick heavily.

“That’s alright, you’ll find your voice again. How about for now you just nod or shake your head,” Cougar was smiling but Mav could see the tension around his eyes and lips. None of them were prepared to deal with kids.

The kid nodded.

“Are you a girl?” Cougar paused.

Another nod.

“OK.” He made a note. “Do you know how old you are?”

Another nod.

“Show me?”

Slowly, hands shaking a little, she raised her hands to show 10 fingers.

“Ten?”

Nod.

“OK. Do you know where your parents are?”

Automatically, Mav placed his hands on her shoulders and held her tight against him.

She shook her head before turning and burying her face in his stomach.

The door of the infirmary slammed open. Mav had her in his arms in an instant. He should probably be concerned how attached he had already become, but he was ready to take a bullet to protect this little girl.

“Mitchell!” Jester didn’t raise his voice but you could always tell when he was shouting at you. “Get your ass up to the office and report, immediately.”

“Respectfully, sir, I can’t at the moment.” Mav snapped to attention, arms holding his girl to his chest. “As soon as I am able, I will report.”

Jester’s mouth fell open before he snapped it shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose and then spoke again.

“Maverick, stop playing around down here and get up to the fucking office,” Jester said.

“Unless I can take her with me, sir, I cant.” Maverick’s heart thudded once before he settled himself into the detatched place of his brain that he always retreated to when he was doing stupid, risky things.

There was a pregnant pause. Jester opened his mouth. Mav watched him gulping in a lungful of air, about to let loose properly, when Ice stepped into the infirmary as well.

“I’ll take her, Maverick,” Ice said, voice calm despite the electric feeling of tension in the air. “Give her to me, go report, then you can come back and get her.”

Mav glanced at Jester. The man’s jaw was shut but ticcing with effort as he waited for a response.

“Will you go to Ice for a while?” Mav asked, mumbling to the girl.

She stared at him, terror in her eyes again and skin pale beneath the freckles.

Ice walked over, movement slow and measured. He paused a few feet away and folded his arms behind his back.

“You know Ice, he helped get you out,” Mav tried, ignoring the other men watching him like hawks. “I’d trust him with you.”

The fear softened a little.

“I won’t be long. Maybe half an hour. You can stand half an hour with Ice, right?”

She bit her lip a little. Maverick felt like an asshole but forged on.

“I know he’s a mean looking bastard, but really, he’s a softie. He’ll probably even let you hold his hand if you’re scared.”

Maverick might have heard the small scoff from Ice and the snort from Jester, except he was completely enraptured by the girl in his arms. Her brown eyes were flooding with tears but she gave a shaky nod.

“Brave girl,” he whispered to her and gave her a squeeze. “I promise I’ll be as fast as I can, and I’ll come straight back.”

She slithered out of his arms and onto her feet. Mav took her hand, small in his. He was convinced she was still too small for a ten year old.

He jerked his head at Ice, signalling him to approach.

“Squat down, asshole, you’re too tall,” Maverick muttered as Ice towered over the girl.

“Fuck you,” Ice snuck out the corner of his mouth before he obliged. He gave a terse smile and held his hand out to her, palm up.

Hands shaking again, the girl folded her fingers around his palm and held on. Ice’s smile shifted to genuine and he huffed a little.

Mav gave her skinny shoulder a squeeze before he stepped around them and headed for the door.

A small squeak made him turn back as he made it to the door. She was reaching for his with her free hand, face twisted with pain.

“I’ll be back, honey, just half an hour. Stay with Ice,” Mav said, his own heart breaking a little.

The last thing he saw was Ice folding himself onto the floor in a tailor seat and the girl clinging to his hand.

The trip up to Viper’s office was torture. Jester was hot on his heels, clearly concerned that Maverick would turn-tail and go back to his girl. He wouldn’t. He knew his duty. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t counting down the minutes until he could.

Viper’s office was near the top floor, a beautiful view of the city lights in the heavily reinforced windows. Everything was dark wood and green suede leather, luxury and expensive without being ostentatious. The man himself was willowy, with an impressive moustache that was a little more salt than pepper and chill eyes. Eyes that locked onto Mav with radar precision as he entered the room.

Jester moved to stand to one side, his usual position as the agents reported, were briefed or reprimanded. Maverick almost smiled, he was probably about to get all three in one go.

“Good of you to fit me into your schedule, Mitchell,” Viper said, voice dry as the desert.

“I apologise, sir.” Maverick pulled his shoulders back. “I had a situation I couldn’t abandon.”

There was a ghost of a smile beneath the moustache for a bare instant. Viper gave a slow nod and folded himself into his desk chair. He gave a languid motion with one hand, inviting Mav to begin.

With more brevity than usual, Mav recounted his part of the mission. Going in the upper window, dispatching two enemies, finding a small child in a closet with evidence of kidnapping, convincing the child to leave with them while Ice completed the mission. The last 45 minutes of the infirmary.

Viper listened without expression. None of it surprised him, Ice had already told him most of it.

Maverick fell silent. He itched to get out of there, checking the clock swiftly. He had fifteen minutes before he was a liar.

The silence dragged. Viper was sitting, a finger stroking his moustache idly.

The seconds ticked by. Maverick’s itching increased. He fought the urge to squirm.

“So,” Viper began at last. “Now we have a charge that, by all accounts, is unreasonably attached to you.”

There was another silence. Maverick didn’t bother filling it.

“We will need to contact a foster service, it’s currently Saturday night. I doubt any action will be taken until at least Monday.” Viper fixed his grey eyes onto Maverick’s. “Are you prepared to take responsibility for this child until that time? You won’t be sent on assignment until this matter is resolved.”

He almost laughed. He could tell they were testing him. Maverick was the cockiest, most outspoken agent in the company. He knew he was. He lived for the job like no other. With the exception of Iceman. He knew they expected him to cave at the idea of having no assignments. At the idea of Ice getting ahead of him in their stupid competition of who was the best agent. But he didn’t care.

The appeal of a silly competition paled next to the appeal of seeing if he could make that little girl smile, laugh or even talk. From the second Slider had scared her back into his arms, Maverick wanted nothing else but to climb that new mountain.

He nodded. “Yes, sir.”

There was a choked off noise of surprise from Jester. Viper’s expression didn’t shift, but Maverick thought, just for a second, he saw a flare of pride in his eyes. It might have been wishful thinking though.

“Fine,” Viper said, curt, “see to your charge. You’ll be provided a safehouse, we will be in touch with details from the foster home. You are dismissed agent.”

Maverick nodded to them both and strode from the office without a backward glance. He had 4 minutes to get downstairs.

He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, urging the elevator to move faster, when the doors opened to reveal Goose. Mav smiled, feeling it tight and abnormal on his face.

“Hey Mav,” Goose said in his easy way. He stepped into the elevator and pressed for the doors to close. “How’s the kid?”

Of course he had already heard. The gossip in this place moved faster than Mach 10. If it was anyone else, Maverick would have lied, but this was Goose. His recruiter. His best friend. A man that had his own wife and kid. If anyone was going to get it, Goose was

“She’s half-starved and completely terrified,” Mav sagged a little. “She won’t even speak. All she seems able to do is squeak.”

“She’ll be OK,” Goose patted him on the shoulder, rubbing his upper arm a little. “Kids are tough. They bounce back better than we do.”

“You sure?” Mav’s brow peaked and furrowed with fear. “What if I fuck her up more?”

Goose laughed. He dragged Mav into a proper hug, slapping him on the back firmly before releasing him.

“Yeah, that fear never fades. But you’ll do fine,” Goose said, grinning. “Just call me or Carole if you get really stuck.”

A small kernel of anxiety shrivelled and died in Mav’s chest. It was only one less thing to worry about but he was grateful nonetheless.

“Thank you,” Mav smiled.

The elevator doors opened again. Mav checked his watch. He had 45 seconds.

He took off at a dead sprint, vaguely aware of Goose calling his name with a laugh.

He skidded to a stop in the middle of the infirmary, out of breath from his bolt through the hallways.

The girl was sitting in Ice’s lap, his hand still in hers and his sleeve pulled up to expose his watch. She snapped her eyes to Mav, a powerful frown on her brow.

Maverick laughed between gasping breaths. “I have fifteen seconds left,” he argued with her glare.

“By my watch you’re fifteen seconds late,” Ice said mildly. His blue eyes were dancing.

“Your watch is wrong,” Mav complained.

“Excuses, excuses,” Ice tutted.

“Shut up, Kazansky.” Mav turned to where Cougar was snickering quietly at his desk. “Is she all good to go, Cougar?”

After a moment to compose himself, Cougar cleared his throat and nodded. “We did a few more tests while you were gone. She needs a decent meal and some fluids but not badly enough that I want to give her the trauma of an IV.” Cougar stood he waved Mav over.

With a smile at the girl, still ensconced in Ice’s lap, Mav moved to stand at the desk with Cougar.

“She hasn’t been assaulted, Mav,” Cougar said quietly, his face turned away from the pair on the floor. “She let me ask her a few questions while you were gone. She didn’t speak. But she let me know they didn’t assault her.”

Another seed of anxiety shrivelled and died. Maverick almost fainted from relief.

“She does have a few bruises that are healing. Some newer than others. But mostly she’s just starved and traumatised,” Cougar sighed. “Just. As if that isn’t awful in and of itself.”

“Thanks, Cougar,” Mav said, voice a little rough. “Its better than I expected.”

“Yeah,” Cougar sighed again and gave a nod. “Alright. That’s all. You can take her now.”

Mav smiled. The anxiety he was nursing flooded higher, battling for dominance over a warm happiness that took him by surprise. He was terrified. This was all too fast. He was delighted. There was something special about this fierce little girl.

He turned back to her with a smile.

“Alright, kid, doc says we can go.” Mav walked over and bobbed down to speak to her face to face. He realised now he had seen Goose do this with Bradley. His confidence grew just a little. “Are you ready to go?”

She nodded, eyes growing wide again.

“We’re going to a safehouse. You and me,” he said, holding out his hand.

After a pause, a small wrinkle appeared in between her brows.

“What’s the worry?” Mav asked, voice gentle. “I’ll be right there with you the whole time. They’re working on finding your parents. You’ll be safe.”

The wrinkle didn’t move. She pulled Ice’s hand to her chest and clung tighter.

He would be lying if he said that didn’t hurt a little. He had only been 15 seconds late and she already preferred Ice? As if Mav didn’t feel completely out-done by Ice in all other aspects, even his kid preferred Ice.

“I mean, we can ask Viper if you can go with Ice, but it’s already set up for it to be me,” Mav said, attempting to hide his hurt.

Her small hand reached out and tangled into Mav’s webbing. She looked at him, then at Ice, then back to him again. The same concerned expression on her face.

Oh. Maverick grinned his shit-eating grin. She didn’t want to replace him. She wanted to take Ice with them.

That sparked a fresh cacophany of emotions in Mav. He would love to fuck with Ice, take him out of assignments so their score would remain stagnant, he would love to watch the tall, blond idiot attempt to relate to a child. But he also didn’t particularly want to live in a safehouse with Ice and a ten year old. He didn’t really want Ice to see him out of his agency persona. He wasn’t sure he even wanted to see Ice out of his persona. The idea was a little frightening, but Mav wasn’t quite sure why.

“You want Ice to come too?” Mav clarified with her.

She nodded, face flattening out of the fear.

“I’m not sure—“ Ice started but immediately stopped when she turned to gaze up at him.

Maverick pressed his lips tight together, biting down on his laughter.

“Well, I think that’s decided. Let’s go, I’m tired.” Mav straightened and stretched.

There was a heavy sigh but Ice stood, carrying the girl on his hip with ease. She had slung her arm around Ice’s shoulder and gripped the fabric of his turtleneck tight. Maverick allowed himself one smile at the picture they made before he turned and led the way toward the exits.

Getting her into the car in the garage was an exercise in patience. She was still clinging to Ice with fierce determination and despite his repeated attempts to pry her off, the girl would shimmy around like a monkey and find a new hand hold. It probably would have been easier if Maverick had actually helped. Instead Mav stood back and giggled like an idiot the entire time.

With a ten year old half-choking him from behind and bony ankles digging into his hipbone, Ice gave up. He heaved a sigh and looked over his shoulder at his passenger. She was scowling at him.

“Alright,” he said, scowling right back, “you win. Come here so we can get in the car.” Ice patted his chest with one hand.

Her eyes turned suspicious but after a moment she levered herself around his torso. Ice wrapped his arms around her and climbed into the backseat. Maverick swung the door shut behind them without a word.

With Mav driving, Ice and the kid in the backseat, they pulled out of the garage. Ice checked his watch. It was close to 2am and he was beginning to feel it. His eyes were itchy and tired, his body beginning to protest the various spikes of adrenaline and activity he had forced it through for the day.

“What food do you like, sweetheart?” Maverick asked, eyes flickering to them in the rearview mirror.

Ice watched as her mouth opened, eyebrows crowding down over her eyes in a frown. Nothing came out. She closed her mouth again and he felt more than heard the small sigh of frustration.

Without thinking, Ice rubbed slow circles on her back. She pressed her cheek into his chest.

“That’s OK,” Ice mumbled to her. “It’ll come back when you’re ready.”

When he looked up, Mav was watching with concern through the mirror. Ice gave a subtle shake of his head.

“How about this, if you want pizza raise Ice’s right hand. If you want burgers, raise Ice’s left hand.” Maverick’s voice was cheery, no sense of frustration at all.

Her small strong hands gripped his right arm and lifted it. Ice couldn’t stop the flare of tenderness it caused in him. He was beginning to understand why Mav was ready to lay his career on the line for this kid.

“Pizza it is,” Mav said happily.

The rest of the drive was quiet. Ice watched the city lights slide by the window, one arm still encircling the girl and the other still clutched in her hands.

It was just for that night. Ice had a life and a job to get back to beyond this. He was only here because it was easier to go along with this kid than fight. He sighed internally at that thought. He was more than proficient at hand to hand combat, he was exceptional at shooting and tactical analysis. He could pick almost any lock, if given enough time he could crack a safe, he could even, with help he’d admit, hack into simple security systems. The one thing he couldn't do, apparently, was say no to this kid.

They had to stop to get the pizza. It was spy-craft 101 to avoid giving a safehouse location to anyone, even a pizza delivery guy. As Mav got out to go and order, the girl set up a fuss. A quick series of squeaking noises sounding and she began to thrash around. There was more than one near-miss of him getting nutted as the kid attempted to keep sight of Mav. She wouldn’t stop until Ice pushed the door open and called Mav back to the car.

With a confused face that quickly jumped to guilt, Mav jogged back to them. As he did, the girl settled down immediately.

“Sorry,” he smiled at her kindly. “I have to go and order. Stay here with Ice. I’ll come back and wait with you guys, OK?”

She was frowning again but gave a slow nod anyway. Mav reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. It seemed to help her relax back down against Ice once more. In turn, Ice relaxed back into the seat.

They sat in comfortable silence. Both gazing out the window at the pizza place across the carpark. Mav returned relatively quickly, the line probably wasn’t huge at 2am. He passed a bottle of water to the kid.

“Drink, kiddo,” he said, a distinctly paternal tone in his voice.

She hesitated.

“Just three mouthfuls and I’ll be satisfied.”

Ice was surprised at how effortless it seemed to be for Maverick. How did he know how to do this?

The little girl unscrewed the bottle and took three obvious sips. Mav beamed at her. Ice gave her an encouraging squeeze as well. The affection was contagious.

They waited in silence. Mav leaning against the car in the opening of the back door. Slowly, eyes darting from Mav and out to the carpark and back, the kid sipped more water. Ice didn’t know shit about kids, but he was going to take that as a good sign.

This time, Mav turned and let her know he was leaving before he went to collect their food. There was no fight or noises of distress. She simply clung onto Ice a little harder until Maverick returned. And if that made Ice’s heart melt a little more, then that was just between him and whatever power observed the universe.

The safe house was standard fare. A small house in a quiet suburb. Someone from the agency kept the lawn clipped and the cupboards stocked. Mav pulled into the garage and the three of them waited until the door was closed before they made a move. It wasn’t that they felt pursued or unsafe, it was merely habit.

When they stepped into the house, Ice moved to lower the girl to the floor but she let out a loud squeak.

“OK,” Ice sighed and pulled her back onto his hip again. “But you can’t stay here forever. I’m going to need the bathroom eventually.”

Her look was somewhere between annoyed and expressionless. Ice shot her a teasing smile.

“How about this, squeaker, I’ll walk the house with you while Mav gets the food ready. When we’re done, you have some time on on your own. Once you’ve eaten you can use me as a jungle-gym again.” Ice attempted to hold onto his fraying patience.

There was a long moment, her brown eyes pensive as she considered his offer. After a short sigh she gave a nod. Ice nodded back.

He carried her through the house. It was small. An open plan kitchen, dining and living area, a bathroom and two bedrooms and a patio out the back. He crossed each bedroom and opened the wardrobes to let her see they were empty of anything but spare clothing and equipment.

They were back in the kitchen as Maverick was placing plates of pizza on the bench. Ice stopped at one of the stools.

“We had a deal,” Ice said, eyes firm. “Sit on your own stool and eat.”

He waited, watching her closely. It took a long moment but she gave a nod and released her deathgrip on his shoulders. Ice set her down on the stool. He backed away with measured steps. When she didn’t begin thrashing and squeaking once more, he let his shoulders sink a little.

Maverick pushed a plate of pizza in front of her. He stood on the opposite side of the bench, munching away at his own piece. Ice, a churning uncomfortable sensation in his stomach, stepped to the end of the bench and snagged his own piece to eat. He didn’t particularly want to play happy family. He wanted to go home to his own bed.

All it took was another look into those brown eyes and Ice was gone again. Yeah, he didn’t want to be there. But he wasn’t about to be anywhere else if she needed him.

With food finished the kid stood, hopped precariously from one stool to the other and then onto the bench proper. Ice had his mouth open to scold her for acting like a delinquent when Maverick let out a loud laugh and plucked her up easily. He cradled her into his chest with a practised ease. It was hard to think she wasn’t actually Mav’s daughter with the way he had taken to her so quickly.

“Alright, you,” Mav said, wandering out of the kitchen area. “It’s time to sleep.”

Ice busied himself with packing the left over food into one box and stowing it in the fridge. He could hear Mav mumbling away from the lounge area. When he turned back, the pair of them had disappeared. Ice felt a weird surge of panic before he heard Maverick’s voice again and it settled once more.

They were on the couch. Mav was tucked up between the arm of the lounge and the back, his feet on the floor, his girl was snuggled into his chest, her knees hooked over Mav’s thigh. Ice couldn’t stifle his smile. He was still smiling as Mav’s eyes opened and looked up at him.

“Do me a favour, Ice?” Maverick said, his eyes soft and happy.

“Depends,” Ice smiled back in spite of himself.

“Can you take my boots off? I forgot.”

Ice rolled his eyes, biting back a nasty refusal. He bent and unlaced Mav’s boots with quick movements. With the laces loose he pulled them off and set them by the couch. As Ice looked up he found Mav looking back once more. Another swoopy sensation of delight hit him.

“There,” Ice said and cleared his throat. “I’m going to shower and change. And then I’m going to sleep.”

“Sure,” Mav nodded. His green eyes were yet to leave Ice’s. The longer they stayed the warmer Ice was feeling.

Stiff and awkward, Ice straightened and marched off to the bathroom.

The one special talent Ice had that he hadn’t worked his ass off to attain was his ability to sleep anywhere. He showered, changed, climbed into one of the beds and dropped off almost immediately. He dreamed, as always, of colours that were too bright and loud. The pressure of a crimson, the weight of a purple, the violence of a yellow, all the colours and actions of his dreams assaulting him as he slept.

He woke with a low groan of discomfort. His head spinning and the ghost of an ache threatening his forehead. If he laid there and ignored it, it would be a pounding misery by breakfast. Ice heaved himself up and shuffled to the kitchen.

Maverick was passed out on the couch, his arms hanging limp either side of the kid. She was sprawled on him, face finally slackened out of the perpetual fear. Ice shook his head at them and carried on to search the cabinets for the first-aid kit.

With two pain pills swallowed down, Ice did a better inventory of their supplies. He made a small list of what needed replacing and what they needed to source all together. With that finished, he made some coffee, collected a cleaning kit from the bedroom, and padded past the sleepers onto the back patio.

Ice spread pieces of his Ruger out onto the rickety outdoor table. Working with methodical precision, he disassembled the gun and began the calming process of cleaning it.

Somewhere around when he was oiling the barrel, the kid appeared in the frame of the back door. Ice gave her a smile before returning to what he was doing. She approached him, eyes scanning the whole area and his face on repeat. Her eyes flickered over the pieces of pistol as she came to a stop beside his elbow.

Ice paused to look at her once more. She tugged at his elbow before climbing beneath it and into his lap. Ice chuckled, powerless to stop her.

“Did you sleep OK?” He asked, returning to his task once she was settled.

She gave him a nod.

“Good.”

They sat in companionable silence. Ice could feel her watching his hands. Her own reaching up onto the table before retreating again. On the third appearance of her hands Ice set the frame of the pistol down. He wiped his hands off and set the box of bullets out of her reach.

“Alright,” he said, voice quiet. “First we need to make sure our magazine is empty.”

With more patience than anyone had ever bothered to give him, Ice went through all the pieces of his gun. He named them, explained what they did and where they went. He let her touch them, feel their weight and showed her where they would connect back into the other pieces.

He loved his Ruger. It often felt like a puzzle-box he had become an expert at. Slider thought he was crazy; the mess of pieces it became when he had to clean it, the fact that at times Ice needed to hit it with a hammer to reassemble it, the fact that if you missed one small step the gun would be irreparable. But that was why they were best friends, Slider liked his guns big and simple. Ice preferred something more subtle.

When he was finished labelling and explaining, he walked her through the assembly. Mumbling the steps and instructions as he worked. With the whole thing back together, he looked down at her.

She was staring up at him with a rapt expression. He smiled, and gave her a quick hug. The bubbling relief at seeing something other than fear and sadness in her eyes was a heady thing.

“You want to try?” Ice asked.

He was given the most enthusiastic nod he had seen yet.

“Alright, then I’ll teach you how to take it apart too.”

And he did.

#icemav #top gun #tom iceman kazansky #pete maverick mitchell #an oc child character #ron slider kerner #nick goose bradshaw #bill cougar cortell #mavdad #found family #fluff #fanfiction #spyau

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aki-draws-things · 10 months

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So, inspired by this post (which is not mine, and if OP doesn't want me to take it as inspiration it's alright) and my inability not to wrote angst... Here's a bit of what I scribbled over lunch!

Feat. Cougar and Slider still being close from academy days, and Goose trying to spare him a heartbreak.

Not feat. Merlin, but he'll be there too. And an absolutely oblivious Ice. Like... Man, really? He can't stop staring and you spend years not noticing? Ugh!!!

[...]

Maybe winning Top Gun could do the trick.

Yeah. Yeah, it could.

"hey, Coug. How you doing?"

"I'm good. Fuck, sorry... That migs truly messed up our lifelong plans, mh?"

"can't blame you. How's your baby boy?" Cougar laughed on the line.

"keeping me awake at night. worse than you."

"hey! I never--"

"Sli. My dear, good Sli. How many times I threatened to dump your restless ass out of the room?"

"you guys would've never." slider pout over the phone, he knew his tone would reflect it, and he knew Cougar was still not immune. The man laughed again.

"no, because you would make us feel guilty forever with that puppy face. Enough about that. Tell me." he lowered his voice to a more conspiring tone. "you gonna do it? You can't have done already, we would know."

Slider hesitated.

"when we win..." he settled in the end. Cougar let out a soft whistle.

"when you win. Not if. When. Sli, you start acting like your pretty boy too."

Yeah, he was. Except Ice wasn't his.

And he never would.

"keep me posted on your training, yeah? I know, I know, I'm out and I chose it, but you're still one of my closest friends. You're my baby brother. So you'll have to tell me everything."

Slider hummed in agreement and the phone call finished with him not telling everything. Actually, with him lying.

[...]

"you were friends. He can't be that terrible." Mav said.

"he is. Let me tell you, it's gonna end up in tears and heartbreak. I'd hate to see that."

But whose, he wondered. And yet he knew. And he hated it much more than he ever claimed he would.

"what are you trying to do, Goose?"

Slider asked, his voice so different now, hardened, where was the softness?

"me? Nothing. Why do you think--"

"telling your short pilot that Ice is not good enough for him. What the fuck?! Ice is more than enough."

Goose frowned, he swallowed, looked back at him.

"I was--"

"are you trying to hurt Tom? Because that's what's gonna happen. Fuck. He can't stop talking about him. The way he laughs, the smile, the way his eyes shines and--"

"reminds me of someone..." goose found himself whisper and Slider chuckled. He sounded vaguely wet.

"your pilot too, mh?" the smile was far from reaching his eyes. Goose wanted to reach out the way he used to.

"both of them, yeah."

"both of----"

Oh. Oh...

Goose noticed his lower lip tremble slightly as he stretched them in a smile. So, so sad. Distant. Teary.

"don't Goose."

And there. There it was, that softness. Not lost, just hidden. Hidden behind pain and tears a heart that Goose knew was hurting more than he deserved.

"I'm not worth the trouble. Besides, I love the smile he has now. Don't take it away for something never meant to happen."

(goose thought of calling both Merlin and Cougar to Miramar for backup. He didn't thought he would make that call with his heart stuck into his throat after the disaster Hop 31 ended up being. He expected the tears, but not the punch Cougar managed to land on Ice. Neither him nor Merlin stopped him when he lounged, though.)

⬆️ That is just an idea if I want it to end in actual tears. The other idea still has tears and a punch, but Sli is "just" in a coma.

#Top gun fanfic #Slice #unrequited love #icemav mention #Oblivious ice #Yeah cougar may have stepped down but he would still go the mile for Slider #Different hop 31 outcome #(love to write the boys adopting each other's at various times)#Angst #And potentially more angst too #Aki writes #Ron slider kerner #Tom iceman kazansky #bill cougar cortell #Nick Goose bradshaw #Pete maverick Mitchell

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thatsrightice · 9 months

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HOW TO BECOME A FIGHTER PILOT

So as you may or may not know, I am writing a fanfic. Unfortunately for me, I can never do things half way, and because aviation is my passion I must do hours of research on a particular subject that I probably won't even use or reference in said fanfic. Here is a guide for how our favorite characters (probably) became fighter pilots. If there are inaccuracies let me know, I want to know :)

United States Naval Academy

The USNA is an undergraduate college that is a combination of academics and military development programs. Students who want to go into Flight School could qualify with one of a variety of different majors, but there are particular majors that obviously may provide a bit of an advantage to aspiring pilots. The USNA currently offers a variety of different majors and minors, though there are fewer than you might expect from a typical university, and overall the degrees are more tailored towards the Navy. They encourage participation in athletics in the form of a Varsity or club/intramural sport(1).

NOTE: Maverick likely attended a regular college and was a part of the Naval ROTC program at that school. He would have gotten his degree in a field relevant to aviation, likely Mechanical Engineering given his mechanical aptitude seen in Top Gun Maverick, and then attended the 13-week program called Officer Candidate School. To be honest, Maverick’s path within the Navy is a mess and impossible to follow but in the most straightforward scenario, he would go to flight school following Officer Candidate School.

Flight School

Flight School is an approximately 2-year-long program that is required for Naval Aviators to earn their wings. Primarily located at the “Cradle of Naval Aviation” aka Pensacola, FL, flight school consists of many different phases that will divide students into different specializations.

1. Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation (NIFE)

Divided into four phases, NIFE is a program that evaluates students’ aeronautical aptitude as well as screens them to ensure they’re capable of becoming aviators. Students may earn a “pink sheet” for any score below 80% or a failure of a task, requiring them to stand before a panel of instructors to explain why they failed and how they plan to improve. Too many pink sheets result in removal from the program(2).

1a. Water Survival Training Following medical clearance, students are taught and tested on their ability to swim while wearing flight gear as well as formerly instructed on various survival techniques and CPR(2).

1b. Academics A 3-week phase where students take classes and exams in five subjects. It is condensed to test a student’s ability to retain information, learn new information in a high-stress environment, and challenge their self-discipline in regard to time management and other areas(2).

1c. Introductory Flight Screening (IFS) Students are entered into a 2-week-long modified civilian flight training program where one week is dedicated to ground school courses before they must conduct a series of flights in a Cessna using Navy flight procedures during the second week. Students had to memorize and prioritize information to complete the flights, specifically in regard to conducting pre-flight briefings and emergency procedures. Overall, they’ll conduct seven flights in which they are required to complete a set of standardized maneuvers(2).

1d. Aviation Physiology A week-long training course that consists of emergency-specific training evolutions such as the hypoxia chamber, emergency first aid, and the “helo dunker.” The “helo dunker” (from what I understand) is a particular training device that consists of strapping a pilot into a cockpit-like or helicopter contraption within a pool and submerging the entire structure under the water, simulating an environment in which their aircraft has landed in the water and they need to escape from the seat(3). An image of this can be seen below(2).

The Top Gun cast had to undergo a similar training course in order to be allowed to fly in military airplanes for filming. A video of some of their training can be viewed below.

youtube

2b. Aviation Pre-Flight Indoctrination

A 6-week long program that marks the beginning of the aviation pipeline. Located in Pensacola, FL, students attend classes covering the basics of aerodynamics, weather in relation to aviation, air navigation, flight rules and regulations, and aircraft engines and systems (3).

Prior to API, those interested in becoming Radar Intercept Officers (RIO) will have expressed their interest and requested a designation as a Naval Flight Officer (NFO).

2c. Primary Flight Training

A 6-month-long program that teaches the students the basics of flying. There are two locations for Primary, one at Training Air Wing 5 at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Pensacola, FL, or Training Air Wing 4 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, TX. Both Naval Air Stations (NAS) are taught the same curriculum and fly the same aircraft, the T-6 Texan II. The students learn about the instruments, flight basics, radio instrument navigation, formation flying, and aerobatics, and also conduct several solo flights. At the end of Primary, students choose which pipeline they would like. This is conducted depending on the needs of the Navy and how many spots are available(3).

Obviously, Iceman, Slider, Goose, Cougar, and everyone else got Jets, though they may not have gone through flight school at the same time.

2d. Intermediate Flight Training

Intermediate Flight Training is a 27-week program. Split into five platforms; Jet, E2/C2, Helicopter, Maritime, and E-6 TACAMO. The jet platform flight training focuses more on navigation, air traffic control, individual skills, and cooperative skills of flying jets. The intermediate flight training program for jets is located at Meridian, MS (Training Air Wing One) at either VT-7 or VT-9, and Kingsville, TX (Training Air Wing Two) at either VT-21 or VT-22, both of which teach the same curriculum. Students in the jet platform will complete 58 graded flights in the T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft(3).

2e. Advanced Flight Training

Similar to Intermediate Flight Training, the program is split into five platforms but lasts 23 weeks. The students will probably have stayed with the same training squadron throughout the intermediate and advanced flight training. This stage includes learning skills specific to the chosen platform. The Advanced Flight Training program for jets is what’s called the Strike Syllabus. The Strike Syllabus includes an additional 67 graded flights in the T-45 covering air combat maneuvers, low-level navigation, tactical formation flying, and aircraft carrier qualifications. Students will then graduate from Advanced Flight Training with the Wings of Gold(3).

3. Squadron Selection

The final selection process assigns naval aviators to a particular squadron based on the needs of the service. Naval Aviators are assigned to a fleet replacement squadron or other similar training assignments for further training on their specific aircraft type. Here, RIOs and pilots must become qualified by gaining the required flight hours and meeting the proficiency standards necessary.

NOTE: It’s kind of hard to figure out when exactly the RIO training occurs. I know it takes place over the course of all the primary through advanced training occurs as well but I’m not sure if they have to attend seperate courses for it.

TOPGUN

From there, pilots and RIOs may have been moved to their first official squadron for deployment. They would have been in their first squadron for approximately one and a half years, deploying with them. Their squadron would come back from a deployment and during the stand-down time before their next deployment, their commanding officer would select them to go to TOPGUN.

Sources

(1) https://www.usna.edu/homepage.php

(2) https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2944668/nife-lays-foundation-for-naval-aviation-training/

(3) https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/tw4/flight-school.asp

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pollyna · 1 year

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My dream team (volleyball) with the '86 class:

- setter(s): Iceman and Sundown. Ice starts as hitter but he got bored too soon. Every coach on the east and west coast always says that him and Sundown are almost as good as Zaystev.

- middle blocker(s): Slider, Goose and Merlin. They have a complete different way to play, reason way Viper can't take one of them out of the team. They all are good players and needed in different moments on the match.

-attacker: Wolfman and Hollywood. Jester finds them bored as hell in a basketball court and takes them to meet the team. The first time Wolf dunk the ball Viper almost cries because we found him. He cries when it's Hollywood turn. There's a video somewhere.

-wing/hitter spiker: Chipper and Cougar. Chipper finds his way in that particular role after he tried them all but nothing stucked, expected this one and Cougar likes to say he was born to be the best wing on this god green earth.

-libero: Maverick. Everybody looks once at him, for like 0.1 second, and yep, that's your role bye.

- coaching: that two poor souls of Viper and Jester.

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k9effect · 1 year

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Mav and Cougs should be banned from doing press together because they constantly crack up laughing over stupid things

[Click for better quality]

#sam draws #single dad au #single dad goose #aerobatics pilot maverick #maverick #pete mitchell #pete maverick mitchell #cougar #bill cougar cortell #bill cortell #fanart #digital art #top gun #top gun fanart #top gun 1986 #goosemav #mavgoose #SD/AP

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callmemana · 1 year

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Unhappily Ever After: "Friends on the Other Side" equals Don't Trust the Shadows

This is a collaboration with the amazing and talented @crazyk-imagine ! Thank you so much for partnering up with me! It's a fairy tale au for the 86’ Naval Aviator squad! I hope you enjoy the stories!

A/N: the HEA's are going to be mostly the same story line as the Disney movies, UEA are going to be darker and more towards the Grimm fairy tales/stories.

“Please tell me that you’re not as stupid as you look and didn’t go see the Shadow Man?”

He nervously shrugged, “I did…”

She glared at him, “Well that’s just great! We either have to find a voodoo priest or a princess for you to charm!”

“If it’s up to me… I prefer the princess.”

“I bet you do Prince!”

Luis speaks up, “I might know a voodoo priestess.”

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alabasteralbatross · 2 years

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Oh my god a Gougar.

I think it's pretty funny that Cougar and Iceman both ended up being mountain lions in their head. Oh well! I tried to make them look different enough.

So here's this goofy little doodle (insert pointing spiderman pic dot jpeg). Not my best work but it's all I could do tonight!

#top gun #top gun movies #tom iceman kazansky #iceman #cougar #bill cougar cortell #digital art #my art #albatross's art

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