#gahh I want to write this so bad but I have a hangster fic that's taking up my attention

[gingerbeans]

Thinking about what would happen with Bradley whenever Maverick was shuffled off to another side of the world for pissing off yet another higher up after his mom died.

Did he stay with his grandpa Viper? Did Mike Metcalf take Bradley in and spoil him rotten with the rest of his grandkiddos? Did he sneak him treats to take home to Maverick when Pete finally came back around and told the kid stories about Maverick and his dad? Did grandpa Jester also come by and have a grill-off with Viper and making the grandkiddos judge the results?

Did he stay with his bastard Uncle Slider? When he came back to Maverick's care he knew how to cuss someone out in four different languages, full of even more sass, and was decently skilled in fighting dirty?

Did he stay with Uncle Merlin? Who regaled him with stories of his dad and Mav? Who talked about the shit they got up to on the regular whenever they were bored or drunk or both.

Did he stay with his Uncles Wolfman and Hollywood? The pilot and his RIO keeping the kid entertained by watching Baseball games on TV? Buying him his first baseball bat and jersey and coming to his games with handmade signs and a megaphone?

Did he stay with his Uncle Sundown? The other RIO letting him tinker with his radio and play with his daughters? Laughing as Bradley was dragging into tea parties with the girls or playing school with the girls? Eventually he and Sundown's younger daughter became close friends and study buddies when Sundown was briefly stationed in California for a few years?

He did stay with his Uncle Ice. The taught Bradley how to tie a tie, helped him pick out a tux so he could be the ring bearer at his wedding, listened to Bradley's ramblings about planes and the Navy and whatever captivated the boy's attention. Ice would take Bradley out when he was feeling sad and missing Maverick, Ice would hold him up so he could spot Maverick in the crowd of servicemen returning home. It was Ice who attended every baseball game, event, and promotion that Bradley ever got.