#heres how the mavs can still win

[muirneach]

THERE WAS A MAVS GAME LAST NIGHT THAT I DIDNT KNOW ABOUT??? AND WE WON??

[eliashirsch]

God Tier Top Gun Fanfictions. A Masterlist. (4/3)

More Top Gun fic recs:)) Different pairings ahead.

Winner Categories:

1. Best of the Best Authors (1/3)

2. Best of the Best Series (2/3)

3. Best of the Best Fics (3/3)

4. Honorary Mentions (4/3)

REMINDER! READ THE AUTHORS' TAGS AND WARNINGS!!!

Honorary Mentions

gold rush by gamerring @asimmutableasgravity

All his life, Jake Seresin has wanted to live his life as loud as possible. So that when he dies, people can place flowers on his casket. When the light hits him, sunbaked and smiling and grinning. He's whole and happy and everything he could ever want. He bites down on his teeth. Later, he hunches over the porcelain, petals falling out of his mouth, and is already one step in his grave. - Flowers, fighter pilots and the true fatality of your feelings spilling out.

Jake angst:)) And here’s another one from gamerring:

it's nice to have a friend by gamerring

"Will you marry me?" Ice is on his knees. His posture screams military, but his face is genuine. His eyebrows are furrowed in worry and a hesitant smile plays at his lips. The ring sits in a green velvet box. The band is gold and shiny, with a diamond inlaid in the middle. The rock seems to glow under the sunset, and Maverick's heart starts beating against his chest. This- it's spectacular. It's breathtaking. It's not for him. He bites his cheek for a microsecond, and then forces a smile."That's great. She can't say no to that." And a traitorous part of his soul hopes she does. - Three times Maverick should have said something, and the one time he did.

Just read the summary:) (This is canon.)

Lessons in pushing boundaries by will_thewisp

Maverick never needed lessons in pushing boundaries. Not if those boundaries are about going faster, further or screwing up on an ever increasing scale, because he'd run off the edge of the world before he'd let a thought that scared him shitless take root in his mind. It was enough that it was already in his heart. Or Maverick crashes the Darkstar and needs a very long time to learn that there's things that can and should be fixed. And that he's always had the tools to do it.

Don’t forget a tissue when reading this!

Amen by demiclar @demiclar

"What do you want done with your body when you die?" Pete Mitchell grieves his best friend.

Can you tell I love Mav angst?:)

Vanilla Milk by Specter_Ross

After the mission, Rooster is struggling to sleep so Maverick pulls some old methods out from when Bradley was a kid, in hopes of helping him.

I never get tired of reading MavDad and Bradley:)

A Perch Built for Two by chase_acow @cowsalot

Rooster is well known for keeping his own company, but between Maverick's reemergence and the suicide mission, Hangman manages to weasel his way into Bradley's attention. He's never let an alpha so close to him before, but Hangman might be the best choice - experienced and unlikely to ask for more than Bradley was willing to give. Unfortunately for him, it's Bradley who wants more, and he has no idea how to ask for it.

Another win for Hangster!

A Little Unconventional by McDanno50

Maverick didn’t know how he ended up here a month after the mission – on his back with his legs spread for not one, but two, hungry alphas. These alphas wanted Maverick so much that they no longer fought but worked together all in the name of mutual pleasure. It felt too good to be true, like a fevered dream conjured up by a broken mind. But even if he couldn’t believe his eyes, he had four other senses to rely on. A self-indulgent fic in which Omega!Maverick gets fucked by Alpha!Bradley and Alpha!Jake. That's literally it.

Mav/Bradley/Jake:)))))

Not Clamorous For Pardon by Arsenic @arsenicjade33

Okay, but what if the Navy didn't outlaw flogging as a punishment in 1896? Asking for a friend.

Another one of my favorite tropes: Mav being bullied by the Navy:(

still dangerous by cygnettine

Where was he? Jake was to his right, Bradley in front of him, the girls between their dads. Someone was missing. He was missing. Why was he missing? He was supposed to be there; that was a family dinner and he was family, he was his whole soul, why wasn’t he there? *** Maverick loses himself and wanders helplessly in his own mind until someone finally comes to his rescue.

Mav has Alzheimer's Disease:(

take a chance on the edge of life by Lacerta

It was a suicide mission. Of course they didn't succeed on their first try. - When Maverick dies, he loops back to the morning before.

An Edge of Tomorrow AU. Love this one. 

you've got the win in your bag by discosleaze @paulmezcal

“I’m going to go in and get something pierced, and if you’re a good boy, it’ll be my nipple. If you’re not, it’ll be my tongue.” Speaking of tongues, Bradley just about swallows his. “Why would that be a bad thing?” he croaks out, not enjoying how amused Jake is, mocking, even. “Well, Bradshaw, because I wouldn’t be able to blow you for weeks afterwards.” Jake contemplates a second piercing, Bradley contemplates nothing.

asdfghfghjkjhgfdsadfg. This one’s too hot for me.

How Big? by thenofutureshoe

"Most people would have had to give themselves a pep-talk, most people would have been nervous or unsure of the whole thing, Maverick Mitchell was not most people. He was a fucking power bottom and proud of it. This was not his first rodeo, pun intended. And he always got his man." Once Maverick hears the story behind Slider's callsign, it sounds more like a challenge than anything else.

This one… I never thought their difference in size could be this hot…

a dream of crashing by thefireplanet

Maverick buys a plane. Somehow, this becomes Iceman’s problem.

THIS ONE’S NOT COMPLETED! But it’s still so fun to read and the characterization is spot on!

and the bunny goes 𝒽𝑜𝓅, 𝒽𝑜𝓅, 𝒽𝑜𝓅 by Meadow_Wanderer

Contrary to expectation, he rarely measures time by the number of years he's lived without his father. Instead, he appraises in happenings. Every birthday, school graduation, and precious firsts; every milestone passing as the memory of his father becomes fainter and fainter until finally he reaches the last occasion where the end and the beginning meet, the son and the sire a breath's width apart, like reaching to touch one's reflection in the mirror. The very same one he'll face in just shy of a few hours.

Weird and fun!

you are not alone (i watch over you) by redwithlove

“Bradley, do you remember the time when you were eight and you wouldn't let me near your Pops for two days?” “What, really? Why?” “Yeah, for two whole days, can you believe it? And it all started over a can of Pringles.” Or—Bradley with Ice and Maverick over the years.

Mav and Ice and Bradley being family:) My favorite genre of topgun fics:))

PHEW! That's all the fics I've got! Thanks for reading until the end! Don't forget to leave a comment on these fics if you enjoyed them!

Here's my google doc for all four categories! >> God Tier Top Gun Fanfictions: A Masterlist

[topguncortez]

Float Like A Feather || Whumptober Day 11 - J. Seresin

Whumptober Masterlist

synopsis: fear does a strange thing to the human body, and you've become victim to its paralyzing affects.

word count: 2.7k

@ailesswhumptober prompt: paralyzed, adrenaline

warnings: sexual assault, work place violence, victim blaming, fear, cursing, grief, sexual harassment, mentions of retaliation, mentions of emergency contraceptives, mentions of self harm.

Fear does a strange thing to the human body. Some, when they get scared, choose to run. They choose to get as far away from things as possible and as quickly as they can. Others choose to fight. They’ll stand in front of the gates of hell and battle their way out of it. 

And some freeze in the face of fear. Their bodies are paralyzed, unable to move. Unable to run or fight. Unable to even make a sound. 

You always imagined if you were in a situation, you’d be the one to fight back. You’re a Naval Aviator for Christ’s sake. You do the extreme every day. You’ve gone through hell and came out laughing on the other side. But in all those moments, you had been in total control of your body. You had control of the jet, the joystick in your hand as you expertly maneuvered yourself away from the danger. 

You had been utterly defenseless against him. It was almost as if you were having an out-of-body experience as he had your body pinned, your cheek smashed into the cool hardwood of his desk. You couldn’t do anything but stay still and pray that this wasn’t actually happening to you, as he forcefully pulled your pants down. Your eyes screwed shut tightly, your ears straining to focus on the clock ticking away on the wall above his desk. It would be over soon, he even told you as he held your wrists down, surely leaving bruises behind. 

“You tell anyone, and I’ll ruin your career.” He said as he tucked himself back into his khakis, leaving you still frozen in fear and lying with your cheek pressed to the desk. He bent down and placed a kiss on your cheek, running his hand over your hair, “Told you it wouldn’t be bad if you stayed still.” 

You were still frozen to that desk even as he left, shutting his office door behind him. He let out a deep sigh, plastering a smile on his face as he finished tucking in his shirt. 

— — —

Jake felt stupid. 

Here he was, 6’0 190 pounds with about 6 percent body fat, dressed in his green flight suit, carrying a bright pink Starbucks drink and a cake pop in his hand. The heads of some of the flight crew turned as Jake walked through the hangar, pink drink in hand and a scowl on his face. He wouldn’t be doing this if he wasn’t totally head over heels in love with a girl who hardly paid him any attention. But from day one, when you had totally schooled him during a dog fight, he had been in love with you. 

“Never thought we’d see the day,” Rooster spoke, “Hangman. . . drinking a girly drink with 500 calories of sugar in it. You feeling okay?” 

“Shut up,” Jake mumbled as he sat down in his chair, and placed the drink in the cupholder next to him, “It’s for Grim.” 

Rooster let out a loud laugh, “Was her diss yesterday not enough for you to get the hint?” 

“There was no diss.” 

There was a total diss. You had fired back one of Jake’s infamous “this is how you bury a fossil” lines as you left him hanging in the air and wide open for Rooster to come in and get the shot. Jake could hear Fanboy’s loud laugh over comms, congratulating you on your win and mocking Jake. He landed with a bruised ego and a semi-hard-on. 

Everyone took their seats as Maverick walked in, giving the day’s brief and starting in on the new flight plan for the week. Jake looked over his shoulder noticing, taking note of your absence. He knew that you had a morning meeting with Captain Underwood, some new hot shot that was brought on to take Mav’s spot now that he finally got prompted. It wasn’t that Jake didn’t like him, it was that Jake somewhat hoped that Maverick would stay head of the squadron. Captain Underwood just had a sort of arrogance that Jake had no time for.  

As the brief droned on, Jake was starting to get concerned. It wasn’t like you to be late for meetings like this. Jake kept checking his watch every thirty seconds or so, and glancing over his shoulder, waiting for you to appear. You were almost annoyingly on time to things, giving Jake shit for being on the dot. Hell, he was almost positive that you had never taken a sick day in your whole career. 

Rooster also noticed Jake’s strange behavior in your absence. He leaned forward, “Do you think she’s-” He whispered right as the door clamored open. Everyone turned towards the back, as you stood frozen in the doorway. 

Jake knew something was wrong just by looking at you. Your normal confidence was gone as you walked forward under the scrutiny of everyone’s eyes. You threw yourself down in your chair, not bothering to look up at Maverick. Jake had expected you to apologize to Mav and the group, and give some sort of explanation for your tardiness. But instead, you sat there, with your eyes trained downward, rubbing at your wrists. Jake looked up at Maverick, the older man’s eyes filled with confusion and concern. The two men locked eyes and Jake simply shook his head, willing him to go on and not ask you why you were late in front of everyone. 

“Anyway, as I was saying. . .” Maverick continued. 

Jake wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to the lesson Maverick was droning on about. Instead, his eyes were on you, trying to figure out what the hell happened. 

The second the squad was dismissed for the day, you were the first one out the door. Jake didn’t even get the chance to talk to you or to offer you the watered-down pink drink that was still sitting in the cupholder. 

Your same odd behavior went on for about a month. You hadn’t shown up late again, but you showed up barely on time. You wouldn’t talk to anyone or look at Jake as you sat down in your chair and kept your eyes trained on the ground. Jake noticed that you weren’t even taking notes like you usually did. But somehow, you managed to soak in everything Maverick was saying. The second you were in the sky, you executed each drill with textbook precision. You gave minimum calls to Jake as you moved about the sky, but the two of you had been flying side by side for longer than you could remember. 

The hop for today had been anything but easy. Jake had been paying attention to the lesson and he still wasn’t sure if he understood it all. For once in his career, he was a bit nervous about going up in the air with you. He knew you wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt him or yourself, but he felt a sense of unease as he sat in the cockpit and watched as you went through pre-flight. It was as if you had been flying on autopilot these past couple of weeks, and Jake was hoping that you hadn’t turned it off yet. 

“Dagger One, you are cleared for take-off,” The tower said over comms. 

“Roger, dagger one, taking off,” Jake closed his eyes as he heard your voice. Hearing those small tidbits was all Jake or really anyone, got to hear from you. 

You moved with expert precision through the air. This is where you know you are in control. This is the one place in your life where you can conquer your fear. Jake kept up with you the whole time, reciprocating your every move and anticipating the next. You hardly even had to say anything for Jake to know what you were going to do next. It was one of the reasons why you and Jake were the best pair in the sky. 

The second your boots were back on the ground, the adrenaline was still coursing through your body. You had that giddy smile on your face as you took your helmet off and looked over at Jake. Everything felt normal. Everything felt like it should be. 

“Nice flight, Fossil,” You shouted over the tarmac. 

Jake’s head whipped towards you, his bright smile on his face, “Hey! You can teach old dogs new tricks, ya know!” 

You giggled and walked over to him, “Almost thought I lost you there on the-” 

“Ain’t she amazing, boys!” You were cut off by an all too familiar voice. It felt like ice had been poured down your spine. You looked at Jake like a deer in the headlights as chills arose on your skin. Jake’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked over your shoulder as Captain Underwood, Cyclone and some other Admirals walked over to them. 

Captain Underwood stood next to you, a bright smile on his face, “This is Grim, short for Grim Reaper. She’s one of the best, boys.” 

“Lieutenant Commander L/N,” Simpson started, “We just saw your last run with Lieutenant Commander Seresin. You’ve got some skill. The both of you.” 

“Lieutenant Commander L/N is one of the best,” Admiral Underwood said as he put a hand on the middle of your back. You stiffened at his touch but knew better than to shy away. You knew that if you did something to give anything away, things would just get worse. 

“It’s not so bad if you stay still.” 

Jake’s green eyes narrowed in on you, as Admiral Underwood talked with the Admirals and Cyclone. You were even more clocked out than you had been in the classroom. Your gaze was fixed on the ground and you stood frozen in your spot. It was almost as if you had stopped breathing altogether. 

Jake cleared his throat, interrupting the officers, “If you’ll excuse us, Admirals, we got some post-flight ops to go work on.” 

“Oh of course,” Admiral Underwood said, smiling at Jake, “I’ll see you later, right, Lieutenant Commander L/N, to work on your packet?” 

You looked up at him and noticed that glint in his eye. All you could do was nod, before turning on your heel and walking towards the locker rooms. Jake said a quick goodbye to the men, before jogging after you. You had already ditched your stuff, pacing into the locker room. 

You were trying to calm your racing heart as you placed both hands on the cool metal lockers. The adrenaline rush you had felt after flying was quickly diminished by the paralyzing fear of being near Captain Underwood. You never had any interaction with him outside of his office and for that, you were somewhat grateful. When you would leave his office, you pushed those memories to the back of your head. You willed the feeling of his hands on you out of your mind. 

Closing your eyes, you felt more in control of your breathing, as you opened your locker. All you wanted to do was go home. You wanted to go home and sit on the couch in the dark, in that oversized burnt orange sweatshirt that you had stolen from Jake on your last deployment. It had been your routine for the past month or so. Sitting on your couch and staring into the void until you fall asleep on the couch. 

“Grim,” Jake’s voice boomed as he walked into the locker room. You didn’t turn to look at him, closing your eyes again and trying to keep your heartbeat at a normal pace. “What is your problem? You were fine talking to me and then all of a sudden you go silent,” Jake asked, slamming your locker shut. You jumped, still not saying a word as you stared straight ahead, “Not gonna talk?” Jake huffed, “Fine. When your ass gets kicked out of the fucking squadron for your inability to work with others, don’t come fucking crying to me.” 

You clenched your jaw tightly, willing back the tears as Jake turned on his heel and stalked out of the locker room. When you heard the door slam, it was as if the damn had finally broke. You let out a loud scream and slammed your fists into the metal of the locker. Tears clouded your vision as you repeatedly slammed your right fist into the front of your locker until your knuckles split and there was a noticeable dent in the metal. 

— — — 

You were tired of the never-ending questions about your hand for a week. You told everyone that you had smashed it in your car door after a night at the Hard Deck. Except Jake saw straight through your bullshit. He wasn’t going to press you on it, knowing the last conversation you had wasn’t very friendly. The two of you had kept your interaction to a strictly work basis. 

It was a rainy day and you were sitting in your office, staring at the small pink box that Captain Underwood had placed on your desk while you were out at lunch. He had a strict rule that he had broken and went out to make sure that nothing would transpire from the meetings in his office. You felt sick to your stomach as you looked at the morning-after pill box. You could hear the voices of your squad outside your closed door, throwing a small foam football around. 

For once, in a long time, you wished that they were anywhere else but in the office. 

“Whoa,” You heard Rooster’s voice call out, “Where’s the fire, Nix?” 

“Where’s Mav?” Natasha asked, looking briefly into the open offices, “Where is he!?” 

You quickly stood up from your desk, grabbed the pill box, and shoved it into a drawer. You opened your door, making eye contact with a panicked-looking Phoenix. Her eyes were red, tears ready to spill. 

“He’s in a meeting with Cyclone and Warlock. . . what’s going on?” Jake had stepped out of his office, looking at his friend with concern. 

“Ad. . . Admiral Underwood,” Natasha began, but the tears threatening to spill made her choke on her words, “H-He invited me into his office ‘cause he said he wanted to talk to me about a possible promotion. He sat down on the couch next to me and h-he. . .” Natasha looked up from fiddling with her fingers, finding your burning stare from across the room. No words needed to be exchanged between the two of you. You both knew what she was going to say. 

“Did he touch you?” Jake spat, his chest heaving up and down rapidly. Rooster’s hands balled into fists, his knuckles turning white. Bob’s jaw was clenched so tightly, that Nat was scared he was going to break his teeth. 

“No,” Natasha shook her head, “He tried. He put his hand on my thigh and he kissed me. I fought him off, he said it would-” 

“Hurt less if you stay still,” You finished her sentence. Natasha simply nodded. Everyone’s heads turned towards you, both shocked that you had spoken and that you knew what Natasha was going to say. 

“It’ll hurt less if you stay still.” 

The room was silent as everyone was processing the truth that had been unraveled. 

“Grim. . .” Rooster swallowed, “Did Underwood-” 

“He’s tried shit with you?!” Jake snapped, his green eyes boring into you. You didn’t know what to say, so you just nodded. Embarrassment flooded your body as you looked down at your boots, “He touched you?” You nodded again, tears falling down your cheeks. You lifted your head and looked at Phoenix, who had tears down her cheeks. 

“Y/N, oh my god,” Phoenix shook her head. She took a tentative step towards you, but Jake stood in the way. 

“Why the hell didn’t you say anything!” Jake yelled. 

“I couldn’t!” You yelled back, tears running down your face, “He said he’d ruin my career. I-I need this! I need my job, my career! I’d have nothing.” 

“So you’d thought to keep quiet and let a monster go after your friend!” Jake scoffed. 

You covered your face with your hands as sobs left your body, “I-I didn’t think he-” 

Jake shook his head and turned towards Phoenix, “C’mon, let’s get you to someone and file a report.” 

Phoenix looked at you one more time, before turning on her heel and walking out of the office, Jake following after her. It took all your strength to not collapse right there on the floor, as the rest of the dagger squad looked at you. But you swallowed your pride and held your head up as you walked to your office. The second you slammed the door shut, you fell to your knees.

taglist: @els-marvelvsp @sarahsmi13s @topgun-imagines @cassiemitchell @xoxabs88xox @seitmai @a-reader-and-a-writer @bradleybeachbabe @kmc1989 @senawashere @beautifulandvoid @ohtobeleah @rogersbarnesxx @oatmealisweird @dempy @devil-angel-winchester @gillybear17 @cornylovers

[the-ace-with-spades]

trying to get myself in the mood to finish slow down (you're doing fine) so here are some headcanons, technically fic-specific but can be read as casual, mostly about the icemav fam feels and bradley

-Whenever they would go out to things like fairs, museums, amusement parks, etc Mav and Bradley would be running around from place to place trying out every thing available with Ice trailing behind them. Bradley grows out of it and is now more trailing behind Jake, letting him choose where to go, whenever they go out somewhere

-Mav met Carole in his last group home in foster care, kept in contact after he aged out and he was the one who introduced her to Goose

-When Carole was still alive, she and Mav would teach Bradley how to play the piano - years later he turned out to be much better than both of them despite being mostly self-taught

-When Ice was stressed out, he would sit down and ask Mav or Bradley to play something for him

-Bradley actually has perfect pitch - he can name any note without the aid of a reference. this makes him incredibly sensitive to musical errors and things being out of tune. Despite that, Bradley was taught by his mom that music performed by loved ones always sounds better, no matter the actual performative value. Despite being a music teacher, Carole would never sing/play at home, always asking Mav or Bradley to do so for her, for the same reason.

-Years later, he realizes Jake has an absolutely terrible singing voice and no sense of rhythm. Despite that, he purposefully tells Jake his shower singing is annoying, knowing fully well Jake will keep doing it to annoy him more and he could keep on listening without being caught being sappy.

-This is also why he never taught Jake how to play piano - he knew it'd be an otherworldly experience and he was pretty sure he'd cry the first time Jake would be able to play the smallest of melodies on his own

-Mav was absolutely terrified that Bradley would end up like him - with a dead pilot for a dad, a sick mom who died before he made enough memories with her and then landing in foster care. In case something happened to Ice and Mav, they had plans C, D and E for Bradley's legal guardianship

-Ice and Mav argued about who would teach Bradley how to shave -- ended up doing it together

-Most admirals (and people who work with Ice in general) know that Bradley is his son, heard him gush about him throughout the years - from Bradley's high school musical roles, baseball matches to Bradley's scholarship and getting his wings and ending with Bradley winning TOPGUN

↑ Literally the proudest dad ever, it's adorable

-Ice hadn't liked a single boyfriend/girlfriend Bradley had and the jury's still out on Hangman

-Mav, on the other hand, hadn't been even aware that Bradley dated - he'd literally invited his high school girlfriend for family dinner and Mav had thought they were 'close friends' and when Ice told him about Hangman and Bradley moving in together after flight school (keeping tabs on Bradley during the no contact era), Mav didn't realize he meant together-together until Hangman told him years later

-Ice also has a photo from Bradley's winging ceremony in his office, standing in front of one of him and Mav and one of the three of them

-Mav absolutely teases him about it even though he literally once blocked up a queue in a grocery store to tell the cashier all about his naval aviator son who had a baseball scholarship and could play the piano after she asked if he has kids. Bradley was already over 25

-When they settled in for Bradley's high school years, they rented a house off-base so he could go to a better school than the ones around the base

-Phoenix is the first girl Bradley slept with and he was the first guy she had slept with. It happened during the beginning of flight school and they did it as friends.

-Bradley's homeroom teacher (who was also his drama club teacher) knew about Mav and Ice since Bradley's freshman year as they would sometimes both come to P-T meetings

-Ice started climbing ranks because he thought Bradley needed more stability and that way he would be able to stay home/in one place - he knew it would break Mav if he was the one to stop flying

-After Ice stopped being deployed, Slider became Mav's RIO for the few years he was still on active duty

-They would both take Bradley flying a lot but the first time when he was allowed to pilot was when he was 14, with Mav in the plane

-Ice would actually take Bradley on unauthorized flights in jets more often, just because he was smarter about it - when he didn't know how to make Bradley feel better, he would pack him in the F-14's backseat and fly

-Whenever the '86 class would meet, Ice and Mav usually would take Bradley with them since they didn't have anyone to leave him with most of the time, hence a twelve-year-old Bradley sitting in a bar late at night with about ten navy guys and goating them into bets over card games that Mav taught him how to cheat at

↑ that's also how Bradley learned to play pool

-Bradley didn't know they weren't married because they couldn't get married until he was 12 and was absolutely horrified when he found out gay marriage wasn't a thing

-Ice, while loving being Bradley's dad, struggled with not feeling guilty about it - legally, only Mav was his godfather, and he felt like he built his happiness (their family) on Bradley's tragedy

[whistler-king]

WARNING - this is very sad ok?! Don’t read it unless you want the big sads. TW death

I’ve listened to ‘ I hope you die first’ by Ashe too many times today and now can’t stop thinking about Icemav to it.

Ice staying up nights worried about Mav and his tendencies to risk it at the first opportunity, he loves that about him. How it seems like he’s reckless but really his brain is just fast enough to think through all the probabilities, and with the trust he has in skill - he relies on that to answer any other doubts he has. (Mind you, Maverick is just sleeping peacefully next to him, smile on his face while he dreams the sweetest dreams about whatever havoc he will cause next.

“You're faster than I've ever been

And I love to see you win

It doesn't even make me sad

'Cause I don't mind coming in last”

Anyway, after a while, he’s like wtf, Goose is gone, Carole’s not gonna be here for long, who’s gonna look after him when I’m gone. What if I’m not there if he actually does miscalculate? Who’s going to pull him out of whatever mess he’s made?

So he starts to plot, yeah he stops smoking, he’ll give up the jet to climb the ladder to keep them together and have enough sway in their circle.

“Yeah, I'll get inventive, I've got incentive, you make me wanna change”

And while he loves his job, loves the navy and all the friends he’s made along the way. He’s also like, when he’s gone…what do I really have to go on for. He knows he’ll be like those sweet, sad couples that are so connected that they end up dying a few days/weeks apart. Keeping each other going til the end.

He would never want to see that for Mav though, nah, when he’s gone he would want his spark to live on. Keep spreading his spirit, he just knows the next generation of pilots need him.

But it never occurred to him that it might be out of his control, that, despite how much effort he put in - he still gets sick. That they would have get a good few years tacked on when he’s in remission.

When it comes back, he’s at peace with it because he can see that Maverick will have people around him. He just knows they will work it out with Bradley, even if he is grounded, after this mission there’s no way the Navy wouldn’t keep him even for his knowledge and skills alone.

He’s had a good life with him, one he never thought he would have before they met. Despite all the obstacles, all the arguments - they actually got their shit together. They had their happiest days together, he laughed enough for two lifetimes with him.

“You always beat me to the punchline

And the punch bowl at the party

Where you're first to dance and first to say,

‘Goodnight’”

And anyway, it could hardly be the end for them when he would just wait for him on the other side. He’s had enough practice arguing to get his way with whoever’s in charge over there too.

“I don't wanna say this

But, if I don't make it

Please don't rush for me

I'll be waiting”

[amostexcellentblog]

The Hangman's Guide to Winning Over Your Disapproving Admiral-In-Law

Step 3: Never, Ever, Let Him See You Cry

(Part 1 and Part 2)

Maverick: ...and the doctor says it's a miracle he survived at all. Jesus, it should've been me. The Darkstar was my project, I was the test pilot for all the earlier models, but I wanted him there with me, and I wanted to show that I trusted him.

Iceman: He chose this life, he knew the risks. We have to accept that Mav... But damnit it's easier said than done.

Hangman: *Shouts getting louder as he approaches* Rooster! ROOSTER! *Stops in the doorway, out of breath, still in a flight suit* Oh, Bradley... *Walks to his bedside* What.. Is he... Will he be okay?

Maverick: It's hard to say. The doctors say they've done all they can do, at this point it's largely psychological. If the spirit is willing he'll wake up within the next few days and he'll survive, get better and live out his life. But if he doesn't wake up then his body will start to shut down and eventually... They say the odds are 50/50, but I don't know.

Iceman: The thing is, even if he wakes up the doctors are sure he'll never walk again. Everything he's ever wanted, gone just like that, his career as a pilot, the navy, his engagement. How could he possibly want to wake up to all that?

Hangman: Engagement? What, you think he won't want me anymore just because he can't walk? Well tough luck Bradshaw because I ain't goin' nowhere! You tried to get out of this before during the uranium mission and I put a stop to it then too. You're never getting rid of me Bradshaw! Even if I have to steal your wheelchair and tie you to the bed! *Wipes the first tears from his eyes*

Hangman: Speaking of beds, remember we were looking at houses and I wanted that 5th floor walkup because you could see the ocean, but you wanted that 1-story bungalow because it had a yard? Well I guess you went and made that decision for me, you sneaky son of a bitch! But if you wake up, I'll forgive you. I'll even build you a ramp to the front door, and a deck out back so you can sit and enjoy that backyard you wanted so much. Course, I'll have to learn about carpentry and power tools first, but how hard can it be?

Hangman: Hmm... What else can I bribe you with? Ooh, if you wake up we'll have a fun new role playing opportunity. We can pretend we're in Coming Home and you'll be Jon Voight and I'll be Jane Fonda. Unless you wanted to try it the other way, but I don't know how well that will work... *Choked sob*

Hangman: I'm runnin' out of things to say here, Bradley. I guess the real reason you need to wake up is that I love you. I love those hick shirts you wear and the way you always have them buttoned wrong. Look like a giraffe, and I love you. I love how you can only play three songs on the piano, one of which is chopsticks, but whenever you see one you swagger over to it like you're Mozart, and I love the way you blush right up over your ears. I love you because you don't know how to kiss, always shoving your tongue down my throat like you have to map every inch of it because this might be your last chance. You jerk!

Hangman: I love you. Please wake up. I love the life we've had together, but I'm a selfish prick who wants more. Please wake up. I'll love the future life we'll make together and I promise I'll do everything I can to make you love it too... Please wake up Bradley... Please... I love you... Plea... *Breaks down in tears*

Iceman: Jake, my bubbe, when she was married back in Poland she wore a lace veil she'd commissioned from the finest lacemaker in Paris. When the war came and they had to sell everything they had to raise the funds to get out of the country, it was the only thing she kept from her old life. When her son got married, she gave it to my mother to wear as a welcome-to-the-family present. For our wedding, Maverick wore it wrapped around his arm. When you and Bradley get married, I'd like you to wear it.

Hangman:

Hangman: Thank you sir, I'd be honored.

[callsigndragon]

Seeing Red | Ch. 4: A war between us ✍️

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x ex-wife!Reader (Call sign: Red Queen)

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: sad Jake, mentions of pizza, sassy reader, and I think that's it?

(Whoever wants to be tagged, comment down below!)

Masterlist on pinned

Jake's phone slips through his fingers, falling into the passenger seat of his car. He closes his eyes, an unknown feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. 

There was only one rule.

Don't see her ever again.

It was the only rule he didn't want to break. And yet, only seven hours set him apart from his wife. 

Ex-wife.

A knock on the window startles him. "Jake, you've been parked in front of my house for thirty minutes." Mav says, standing next to Hangman's car, barefoot. 

Jake can see the outline of Penny's figure leaning against the main door of the house. "I'm sorry, Mav. I drove here, and then I noticed the time... I didn't want to impose."

"If it were for me, I would send you back home. But my wife loves you, and so do I, so please, come inside. Amelia is heating up some leftovers."

Jake gets out of the car, and watches Maverick walk back to the house. He trails behind, his head low and his heart tense. What's he going to tell them? 

Penny pats his back when he reaches the door, a sympathetic smile adorning her sleepy face. 

"Sorry." 

"Don't need to apologize. Come inside. Pizza is waiting for you." 

Jake walks inside, and takes off his jacket, seeing Amelia place a plate of pizza on the wooden table in front of the sofa. 

"You're too good to be so young, Ames." He smiles and kisses her cheek as a thank you. 

"You're like my brother, Jake. Mom said she should adopt you." She chuckles, sitting next to him and caressing his arm. "Is everything okay?" 

He waits until Mav and Penny sit, watching how Mav slides his hand in between Penny's. He plays with her ring, a golden band that he placed there almost a year ago. 

"My ex-wife has been offered the team leader position." He mutters, grabbing the slice of pizza and eating it slowly. 

"Who's your ex-wife?" Mav asks, a bit shocked by the news. 

"Red Queen" 

"Holy shit." 

"Language." Penny says, looking between the two men. "Who's Red Queen?" 

"There's a picture of her in the main hall of the Naval Academy. She excelled in every possible way. It's like... the perfect student."

"And the perfect aviator." Jake adds, leaning back on the sofa. "She never breaks a rule. Never deceives her superiors. Never fails on a mission. Never misses a target. Never leaves anyone behind." 

"So she's everything you two will never be." Penny says, earning a glare from the two pilots. "Don't give me that look; I'm just telling the truth!" 

"Was she like a robot or something?" Amelia asks, interested in her voice. 

"She was the smartest and most kind human you'll ever meet. I remember when we were training once, and she apologized after winning me in a dogfight. She knows she's the best, but she never lets that feeling get to her head." 

"So she was a sweetheart." Amelia states, earning a nod from Jake. "Then why the fuck did you divorce her?" 

Jake sighs, closing his eyes. "That's a question I can't answer." 

"Was she the one that asked for a divorce? That makes so much sense." 

"No, Penny. I walked into our house one afternoon, divorce papers in hand. Left them on the counter and turned around, leaving her in the house. I haven't seen her ever since." 

There's a silence in the room that almost hurts him. "You mean to tell me," Maverick begins, rising from his seat on the sofa and walking around the room. "That she doesn’t know why you asked for a divorce, but she was so kind to just sign the papers?" 

"That's exactly what happened." 

Mav smacks the back of Jake's head, shaking his head in disappointment. "You deserve it."

"I deserve more than that, Mav. If only you knew" 

"Then tell me, help me understand. Because that look in your eyes tells me you're still so in love with her, you came to my house in the middle of the night hoping that we would listen to your story." 

"I've never told anyone. Not even Javy knows. He thinks Red cheated on me or something." 

“You let Javy think that she would do such a thing? From what I’ve heard of her, she seemed to be so in love with you that she walked out of the picture to make you happy.” Penny scolds him, and Jake just lets his head hang low, knowing that she’s damn right. 

Jake inhales deeply, running his sweaty palms against the fabric of his jeans. He needs someone to know the reason for his actions; he needs to share this with them—this little family that has allowed him to be a part of them, inviting him every weekend to dinner. Amelia, or Ames, as he likes to call her, sees in Jake the role of big brother, a role that he shares with Rooster; somehow both of them share that position. But whenever Amelia needs help, a ride, or just someone to talk to about teenage problems, she calls Jake. She knows that no matter what, he will always be there for her. 

They deserve to know about this. 

“I’ll tell you what happened” 

You walk around the base, looking for Cyclone’s office, with trembling hands. When you got that call, offering a better position than the one you had on an elite squad, you couldn’t say no to that. It would be an important milestone in your career. 

But maybe you should have asked a bit more about the job before accepting. Not because of Jake; you couldn’t care less about him. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. 

You just hadn’t thought that you could end up being your ex-husband’s new boss. 

“What do we have here?” A familiar voice cajoles behind you. You turn around, a characteristic mustachioed man standing at the end of the desolate hallway. 

“Rooster? Oh my gosh, it’s been a whole minute, isn’t it?” You stride in his direction, arms open wide to hug him. 

“Let’s not make this a habit, I missed you a lot.” He hugs you tight, almost lifting you from the floor. 

“You sure know why I’m here,” you point out, moving back to see his face. It’s been a few years, but he hasn’t changed that much. 

“Well, nothing that Mickey hears stays a secret for too long.” 

“Who’s Mickey?” 

“One of the wizzos. Listen, we filled them in on the whole Jake being a dick agenda, so they’re gonna give you some looks, but they’re very kind and loving people. You know half of them already. Phoenix, Javy, me, He-who-must-not-be-named… There are a few more, such as Yale, Fritz, Harvard, Bob, Fanboy, Payback, Omaha, and Halo.” 

“That’s not half of them, did you pass Maths in high school?” 

“Shut up. Anyway, if you’re looking for Cyclone, he’s in the briefing room waiting for you.” 

You frown. “We were supposed to meet in his office.” 

“Yeah but Jake pissed him off again this morning and he wants to torture him.” He says this as he moves his hand behind your back and leads you to the briefing room. 

“Cyclone called me to annoy Jake?” 

 “Yep.” Rooster pops the p, a smirk on his face. “Don’t tell me you’re not happy about it.” 

“I have mixed feelings. But it’s gonna be fun.” 

You watch as Cyclone introduces you and notice how most of the people in the room look at Jake’s face and how he seems to slide further and further into his seat, as if wanting to disappear from the room. 

He hasn’t been able to make eye contact with you, not even when they introduced themselves one by one, as per Cyclone’s request. The Vice Admiral is sure enjoying every second of it. 

“And without further ado, I will leave you with your team, Commander. You have permission to practice dogfighting to see their abilities and test the chemistry between them. I want a report at my desk by the end of the day.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

He leaves the room, all eyes looking in your direction, and you notice Fanboy almost bouncing in his seat. 

“You want to say something, Garcia?” 

He nods eagerly. “So, first of all, Commander, I think I speak on behalf of all the group when I say that we’re honored to have you here.” 

Phoenix scoffs. “You didn’t know who she was.” 

“‘Cause I’m not into pilot gossip, okay? Anyway. I heard that you’re one hell of a pilot, and I’m sure we’ll be able to learn a lot from you, Commander.” 

“Please, just call me Red. Don’t want to make this awkward. I’ll be flying with all of you, like a member of the team. I’ll just be the one in charge of making y’all come back home. And the one who saves your ass from Cyclone's wrath." you joke, making them all laugh. 

“Well, I think one of us is already too far gone to be saved from Cyclone’s fury.” Bob mutters, he’s sitting in the front row, next to Phoenix, and you hear every single word. 

“One of us has gone so far that he called me.” you recall, making all of them laugh again, and Jake remains quiet, as if the conversation wasn’t about him. 

“Okay, how did you manage to keep him silent for so long?” Payback exclaims, trying not to laugh. 

“I don’t know, maybe divorcing him is they key to shut him up” 

Fanboy laughs so loudly that he almost falls from his chair. Phoenix stands up and gives you a high-five, while Rooster gives you a thumbs up from his seat. Seems like you’ve already earned your place on the team. 

“Everyone go get ready, we’ll be doing some exercises today. Show me the best you got.” 

They all nod and leave the room, only Jake stays, looking at you for the first time. It's difficult to be alone in the same room as someone you adored. 

“Want something, Hangman?” 

“Red, I-” 

“It’s Commander for you.” You interrupt him. 

He seems to reconsider his words, looking at the floor and taking a deep breath. “Just wanted to know, Commander, if I will be flying with you or with another member, as I’m supposed to be your wingman.” 

You nod. “Yeah, that’s true. You’ll be flying with Phoenix and Bob today. I want to see what you can do.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Dismissed, Lieutenant.” 

He practically runs out of the room, and you sit for a second, your stupid heart beating fast. You can do this. It’s just another job. 

You have Liam now. He will be coming soon with your mom. Everything will be okay. 

You don’t need Jake at all. 

Tag list: @purplevortexx @shrimping-for-all @caitsymichelle13 @callmemana @abaker74 @starkleila @topgunmenbefinebruh @blue-aconite @tayrae515 @alexxavicry @xoxabs88xox @mercurio23 @smells-like-perfect-senses @dempy @djs8891 @indynerdgirl @countryclubswifey @lauenderhaze @avaleineandafryingpan

[nixie-deangel]

Hey Nixie darlin'

For you to write about:

🦇 🦇 🦇 🦇 🦇 🦇

😎

💐

💐 serial killer Jake - hangster

"Ya know, honey," Jake starts, shifting awkwardly where he stands, head flicking up to the run down building Bradley's been calling home the last two months, "I could help move you into something better. Safer." Pausing, Bradley swallows down the immediate urge to snap about handouts and how he doesn't need any—despite the major fact he fucking really does—and takes a moment to breath deeply before releasing it slowly. "Jake. Jake while I appreciate and love that you decided to help with my, my debt. I don't. I don't want you to think that's what I want from you." Jake shifts till he's still, staring at Bradley with a furrowed brow. "I know that, darlin'. I know you ain't with me because you want something besides myself."

😎 win a date with jake - hangster

"Oh god, oh god," Bradley whines, tossing the calendar as far from him as he can before making grabby hands to Dex. "Drink. I need a drink now." Snorting, his friend slides the bottle of tequila towards him as he asks, "The hell is your problem now?" "My godfather's in there," Bradley whimpers as he upends what's left of the bottle and chugs the last of it, hoping it'll banish the sight of Mav half dressed as he leans against his plane.

🦇 vampire jake/human bradley - hangster: Here are a few snippets from different points in the story!

"Sweetheart, there is not a thing in this world I would not give you, if you but asked it of me," Jake quietly promises, as he stares down at where Bradley is huddled on his couch. "But you cannot ask that of me. Not now, my love, not...not when it is such a struggle for me to give in." Pausing, Jake moves to settle gently next to Bradley. "You are barely out of high school, and you have your whole life ahead of you, Bradley. I...I do.." he trails off. "But you don't want me. Don't want to bite me," Bradley whispers brokenly as he turns his head to stare down at his feet. "You don't need to make excuses, Jake." "I want you more than I have ever wanted any before," Jake swears, hand moving out to carefully grip Bradley's jaw and turn him so that Jake could look him in the eye. "I am the damnation of my kind, Bradley. I am the thing vampires fear. And you, my love, you are my light and my life. I could not bear to be a thing you come to regret because I turned you before you had the chance to live."

~~~~

Jake stumbles, falling down to his knees as he clutches at his chest, struggling to draw in a breath he doesn't need as it feels like his soul, his heart, is being ripped from him. "Wha...whats gon'....?" He tries to mumble out before the world is suddenly dark as the pain intensifies past the point he can tolerate.

~~~~

"One day, honey, one day I'll be with you again," Jake murmurs, hand reaching out even though he knows it's just a dream. That he only sees Bradley there. Will only ever see him there again. Snorting, the man laughs as he swats Jake's hand away, "Man, I think you've had just a bit too much to drink tonight." Jake squints because his dream Bradley has never talked back like that to him before. Dream Bradley only ever tells Jake he can't wait to be reunited, that he loves him. Dream Bradley doesn't call him man. Only calls him sweet pet names. But… but that man sounded like his Dream Bradley did. Sounded like his Bradley did when he breathed and lived.

Make Nixie Write This Weekend!

[chanandlersstuff]

Game Night

Pairing: Dagger Squad x Bluebird (platonic)

Summary: Playing games with nine adults would seem as an easy and fun task, but it wasn't or it's dagger squad game night but it just ends up with everyone shouting over each other while Bob is trying to read the rule book out loud.

Word count: 2.009

Author’s note: It's insipire by @hangmanapologist post about game night, so thanks to her. Bluebird is the callsign for the character I created, I'm still developing her and her story. Sorry in advance for the misspellings English is my second lenguage.

Request are open, and you can ask me for more Bluebird x DaggerSquad. Thank you so much for reading, have a nice day.

Game night was a tradition that the Dagger squad tried to follow as much as Football game day. At first it started on the Hard Deck, playing pool and darts while betting money but after one day that Penny couldn't open the bar, they moved the game night to someone else's house. Each of them was in charge of bringing food, drinks and games. Whatever they wanted to consume that night. Extremely organized, just like the Navy taught them to be.

With each game night passing on the calendar, a new game was crossed from the list. First was Twister, because Payback sprained his ankle trying not to fall from the mix of tangled limbs and in the process he kicked Coyote’s hand and he sprained his pink; ring and middle finger. One would think that the best pilots the Navy could offer would have some kind of agility, like a cat, but no. So that game was off the list to prevent future injuries. 

Second was Monopoly, Phoenix beat everyone assess and took all their fake money which ended in a two weeks roast from her part and the rest of the squad could not deal with a bragging Phoenix for far too long. Plus, the integrity of Banker Bob was compromised because Coyote was sure he and Phoenix were plotting or something like that. So it was taken out for the benefit of the group. 

Third was Movie Charades, a game the squad could not play, which they had to learn the hard way, with Bluebird and Fanboy. The pair guessed all the movies before the two minutes that the game required were done, even when it wasn’t their turn. Then they tried to switch it to normal charades but it ended with Bluebird getting frustrated with Hangman, him laughing at her mad face and her accidentally throwing her pen at him. None of the squad let her live the pen accident down, to the point where they all docked down when she moved her hands frantically with a pen between her fingers.

Fourth was Life, it was a funny night full of drinks until it ended in absolute drama. Everything was laugh until the game ended with Mav retiring first with lots of money, three kids and a beautiful life while Bradley ended up alone, almost broke and made bad decision after bad decisions. Normally they would laugh but the problem was that Bradley was drunk, so he ended up ugly crying about it and the whole squad doing something like a therapy group. The drama continued because the whole group, who was beyond drunk at that point, ended up crying about how much they all like each other and how they became a beautiful, disfuncional, family. Mav, the only one sober, watched them all fall asleep in his living room and, as the responsabile father he is, he covered them with blankets and told them he loved all of them very much over a breakfast hangover proof he prepared. So yeah, Life was a game the squad was not mentally prepared to play in the near future.

Now it was a new game night day and the squad was all gathered in Bluebird’s house playing Uno, a game so chaotic it was a surprise it was still on the list. At first everything was funny, skipping here and there, changing colors, Phoenix taking care of Bluebird’s cards because she had to go peeing, Bob being the first one to win because he played in silence and patiently. A few rounds later Phoenix won and then Mav.

The tension started growing when Hangman kept skipping Rooster’s turn and giving Bluebird a free pass to win, plus the benefit of messing with Bradley. At some point the reverse card was thrown and now who couldn't play because someone kept skipping his turn was Jake thanks to Bradley. The blonde pilot was having a taste of his own medicine and he didn’t like it because the mustache man was rubbing it on his face. Slowly, after plenty of UNO shout at the ones who were nearly finishing, the rest of the group ended with no cards to the point the only ones playing were Rooster, Hangman and Bluebird, whose poor soul was so caught up with the idiocy of those two that she forgot her own game.

Every piece of sanity the pair had until that moment was thrown out the window the second Hangman laid a +4 with a winning face. “Draw four, Chicken.”

Rooster, who has only two cards, looked at him smugly and laughed. “No can do, Bagman.” And he laid a +2 with the rest of the cards.

Bluebird stretched her hand to take the six cards that she had to but a hand slapped hers away. “Aw, Jake.” 

“Sorry, Birdy.” He smiled sweetly at her and then caressed her knuckles. "First of all, UNO!" Jake yelled. "You have to draw 6, Chicken, come on." He dropped Bluebird's hand and pushed the cards towards Bradley. "Second, stop cheating, Bradshaw, you know that that bulsshit you want to do is against the rules.” 

“No it 's not.” Rooster turned to look at him. “You wanted me to draw four but I had a +2 so now Blue had to draw six, those are the rules. And the other two we can discuss it, but I was just going to say it before you yelled it like a mad man."

Hangman shook his head. “No, they are not. You have to draw four and your turn is skipped.” He grabbed two cards and handed them to him. "And you are going to draw those two, you didn't say UNO."

“Nah-ah.” Bradley shook his head. 

“Yeah-ah.” Jake mimicked him, but he nodded instead of shaking his head.

“Guys, don’t worry I will draw six. Let’s forget this and keep playing.” Bluebird always trying to keep the peace between those two idiots.

Hangman stood up. “No way in hell, Birdy. I will not keep playing with a cheater.”

“Who are you calling a cheater, Seresin?” Rooster stood up too and they were face to face.

“No one, he was calling a cheater to no one.” Bluebird stood up between the two of them.

“You, Bradshaw. I was calling you a cheater.” The smirk on Jake’s lips was a clear example of how much he was enjoying messing with Bradley.

“Oh Crap.” Bluebird said under her breath. “GUYS, A LITTLE HELP HERE.” 

The rest of the group walked back from the kitchen confused. But seeing the scene in front of them they all tried to cool down the situation. “Why don’t we play another game?” Payback looked at everyone with a smile on his face. 

“Yeah, what about-”Coyote started saying when his friend from a long time cut him mid phare. “Hell no, not until Bradshaw here acknowledges he is a cheater.”

“No, I’m not!” Rooster said. “You are saying that because you want me to lose. Admit it.”

“I want to win-”

“Bullshit, you want Blue to win.” Rooster pointed at her and the rest of the group nodded discreetly.

Hangman chuckled, tilting his head back. “The idea it’s win fairly, not cheating like you.”  Bluebird elbowed Jake in the ribs to stop, but he just laughed.

Phoenix shook her head at their antics. “Why don’t you tell us what happened and we decide who’s cheating-” Bradley opened his mouth but she held her finger high. “or not cheating.”

In a mix of words the pair tried to explain what was happening but they ended up listening to Bluebird’s part of the story. What seemed to be the end of the stupid fight was not it, not by a long shot. One by one they all started shouting what were the rules of Uno, what they can do and what they can not. Phoenix and Coyote sided with Jake. Payback and Fanboy sided with Rooster. Bob was reading the rules out loud on his phone, who no one was listening to, Bluebird was leaning against the wall eating because she was not going to take sides in something that silly and Mav was sitting; sharing food with Blue and laughing at all of them.

After what felt like hours, Bluebird’s head started to hurt. “I'm stopping this madness right now.”

Mav looked up to her and stretched his hand. “Be my guest, Blue.”

“PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE!” Her voice stopped the shouts but they all kept talking under their breaths. “WHO ARE YOU CALLING, HANGMAN?”

He had his phone near his ear, hand in his hip and his feet tapping against the floor. “Uno’s Customer Support Line.” Everyone looked at him surprised. “So, Chicken, here can hear how right I am and how he is a cheater at Uno.” He pointed at Rooster with his head, but he just huffed and shook his head.

Blue pinched the bridge of her nose. “Hang the phone, Seresin, it’s two in the morning. You are not calling anyone.”

“But-” “No buts, you would not like someone calling you at two a.m.” He pursed his lips. “I’m sure mamma Seresin taught you it’s rude to wake people at such an hour.” Cursing under his breath Jake listened to her.

Everyone looked at each other at how with very few words Bluebird handled Hangman and his antics. Maverick, who was watching everything unfold, had to put his hand on his mouth to suppress his laugh. 

“This ends here.” Blue crossed her arms and put on a stern face. “We cross Uno from game night too.”

“At this point we can't play anything.” Fanboy said like a little kid that was being scolded by his mother.

“Not unless some of us learn how to act like human beings.” Coyote looked around the room. 

“Tell that to Chicken here.” Jake looked at Rooster smugly. 

Rooster’s nostrils flare. “I swear to God, Bagman-”

Bluebird took a deep breath. “Stop it, Jake.” Rooster smiled triumphantly. “You too, Bradley.” She looked at him. “You all are acting childish, it’s just a game. We were supposed to be having a good time, laughing, having drinks and food, with each other.” She looked around the room. “Decompress after all the hard work and stress up there, not shouting at each other over cards.” Clearly Bluebird was the one who had more common sense, at some things, off all them. 

The Dagger Squad stayed silent for a couple of minutes, some looking at the floor and others looking at each other. “Come on guys, Blue is right. Let’s forget this and eat.” Phoenix patted one of them in the back and went to sat on the sofa.

It didn’t take them long to sit around the sofa, eat and have fun. After a few minutes, while everyone was laughing Bob spoke after quite some time. “Guys.” The group looked at him, the secret keeper who was considered the cutests from them all by his sweet smile and glasses. “The official page of Uno on Twitter says, ‘If someone puts down a +4 card, you must draw 4 and your turn is skipped. It’s not allowed to put a +2 to make the other person draw 6.’” Jake gave everyone a big smile and raised his arms. 

“Heard that Chicken?” He looked at Bradley. “You know what that means? You are a che-AW” Jake’s comment was cut short by Bluebird, who pinched him in the arm. “Birdy, what’s that for?” He looked at his side, where she was sitting. 

“You know why. Cut it out, Jake.” She said tilting his head to the side and he nodded.

Rooster laughed. “Look at you, Bagman, wwh-psssh-AW” He too was cut short. “Goddammit, Bluebird.” Bradley rubbed the part of her arm where she pinched him too.

“You too cut it out.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Both of you, keep eating and playing nice. Otherwise, I will smack you.” Both grown up man nodded and did as she said.

[tngrace]

Chapter 3

Hope 31..... nough said 🤭 😭 This one hurts... but man did I have fun writing this chapter and the next. I also figured out how I'm going to write the last chapter this week so hopefully in the next two weeks I'll get it written. and then it'll be on to part two. Hope yall enjoy and Happy Easter weekend.

A03 ; Tumblr Masterlists: Main, Mav Chronicles

The weekend is fun and relaxing and just what they needed. Watching Pete with Bradley is a true treat and makes Tom wish for things he knows will probably never be. They head into Monday morning refreshed and ready to go, none of them realizing what’s to come.

The second hop of the day is intense, Mav and Ice going up against each other, essentially sealing the winner of the trophy. Though neither of them really care at this point, would be happy for the other, they’re both still very competitive and determined to win. They go back and forth for the kill, their voices getting more intense and annoyed the longer it goes, more argumentative and impatient. But neither expected the jet wash or the flat spin. 

“Mayday! Mayday! Mav’s in trouble. He’s in a flat spin. He’s heading out to sea!” His voice is calm and controlled but there’s a slight tremor there as he watches. 

He and Slider see the two parachutes, but they know something’s wrong. He circles over head, refusing to leave, even when Jester orders them back. 

“Ice,” Slider says after ten minutes of circling, watching Mav and Goose in the water. 

“I’m not leaving. We don’t know how long search and rescue will take to get here. They’ll need the coordinates as Mav floats.” 

Slider doesn’t push. They both had seen how Goose had hit the canopy, how his body floated listlessly down, how Mav had pulled him into his arms and Goose still didn’t move. Ice keeps circling, and ever so often it looks like Mav looks up at them, but they can’t be sure. 

“Ice, Slider, back to base. SAR is two minutes out.” Viper’s voice is firm over their radio, and finally Ice acknowledges and turns them towards base. He doesn’t say a word on the return flight, leaving Slider worried. 

Mike's heart is in his throat when he hears the mayday call come in. He dispatches search and rescue immediately and grips his hands in tight fists as he waits. He hears Jester order Ice and Slider back to base, but he still doesn't move. He wants to be a dad in this moment but he can't. He has to be a Commander and it's killing him. 

He sees Jester’s plane land, and he takes a deep breath, and then another one. He dials Carrie; "Metcalf's," she answers. 

"I'm going to be late." He doesn't know what else to say without breaking down, but he has to tell her. 

"Mike? What's wrong?" 

"There…." He cuts off, choking back a sob. He breathes deep before he continues. "There was an accident during training. I'll be at the base hospital most of the night." 

"Is everyone ok?"

"I don't know yet. I just…. Waiting on SAR right now. I…"

"Mike?"

"It was Pete," he breathes. He hears her breath catch and he'd love nothing more than to hug her. "I…. I can't go there as…. And you can't…"

"Mike. You call me the minute you lay eyes on him! You hear me? I have to know…" He can hear the hysteria in her voice and he’d love to let her come check on Pete for herself, but he knows they can’t. 

"I will… I will… I just… I have to be detached and I just…"

"I know. Just breathe. You can do this. But you let me know our boy's ok."

He takes another ten deep breaths after hanging up. When he sees that Ice and Slider still haven’t landed, he orders them back to base as well. He’s not sure what is going on with Tom and Pete, but he knows it’s something. Once he sees their plane heading for the landing strip, he pulls himself together and heads to the hangar where he knows the class will have gathered. “You’re dismissed for the day. SAR will take them straight to the base hospital and we’ll let you know when there’s an update.” 

“Can we wait there?” Wolf asks.

“Of course. But you might be waiting a while.” He takes in all their faces and knows he’ll be seeing them all at the hospital. “Dismissed.” 

They scatter, and Mike rakes his hand through his hair. He’d kill for one of Rick’s cigarettes at that moment, but he knows the hospital won’t allow him to have it inside anyways. He makes the trek over, bracing for the worst while hoping for the best. He’s not sure what he’ll do if something happened to his own kid under his watch. 

A nurse greets him as soon as he enters; “Sir.” He gives her a nod to continue because he’s not sure if he can speak right now. “Lieutenant Mitchell is going to be fine. He has some severe bruising, mild concussion and is currently in shock, but overall he will make a full recovery.” 

Mike blows out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “And Bradshaw?” 

The nurse stops their trek down the hall and Mike tenses once more. “I’m sorry Sir. Lieutenant Bradshaw didn’t make it. His neck was broken and likely died upon impact, we assume he hit the canopy. Lieutenant Mitchell hasn’t offered up any details on what happened as of yet, so the doctor is just making assumptions.” 

“Has Bradshaw’s wife been informed?” 

“Not yet, no. We were waiting to see who you wanted to designate to do that.” 

“I’ll handle it,” Mike decides. “Can I see Mitchell?” 

“Of course. Right this way.” She shows him to Pete’s room, and Mike pauses, gathering the strength to push the door open. When he does, he feels the breath knocked out of him once more. Pete looks so small in the bed, eyes closed, but Mike knows he’s not asleep. 

The nurse leaves him with it, and Mike quietly closes the door behind him. Pete’s eyes snap open at the sound of the door closing, and when they meet Mike’s, he quickly turns his head the other way. 

He pulls up a chair beside the bed, and tentatively reaches out for Pete’s hand that has an IV in it. He can see where Pete has picked at the tape around it, and it brings a small smile to his face as he smooths it back out. Some things with his kid will never change, he thinks. “Pete?” 

Pete turns his head back towards him, tears shining in his eyes, but he keeps them from falling. 

“I’m not going to ask you if you’re ok because I know you’re not.” He pauses as he watches Pete just staring at him. “I told mom. She’d be here if she could, you know.” 

“I know,” he croaks in a whisper. 

Mike squeezes his hand tighter once more. “You’re not ok right now, but you will be…. You will be.” 

Pete turns away again and Mike sighs. “We have to be even more careful now, so this is the only time I can offer you any form of comfort kiddo. There’s going to be an inquiry; they’ll let me know the date tomorrow.” Pete still won’t meet his eyes and Mike feels like they’re back at day one when they brought home a scared nine year old that didn’t trust them. “Pete? You know I love you son. But I need you to know that right now and for the next however long it takes to get the brass off our backs, I can’t be ‘dad’. No matter how bad I want to be.” 

Pete gives him a tentative nod, and Mike can’t resist any longer. He leans over and pulls Pete into his arms, into his chest. He resists at first, but the first hint of Mike’s cologne and Pete breaks. The sobs break Mike’s heart even more, and he just holds him. He murmurs soft innate words of comfort as his son breaks in his arms. It takes several, several long minutes before Pete starts settling, his sobs turning to quiet sniffles, before he eventually just goes silent. 

Mike softly strokes his back as he keeps holding him. “I’ll try to sneak mom in after hours ok?” 

He knows Carrie isn’t going to rest with just his reassurance that Pete is ok, and he knows Pete really needs her at this moment. Pete gives a small nod before his whispered words destroy what is left of his broken heart. “Just don’t get in trouble for me.” 

Mike pulls Pete’s head off his chest and stares into Pete’s eyes. “We’d do anything for you and you know it kiddo. If it comes down to a choice between you and the Navy…” Pete tries to interrupt him, but Mike just keeps talking. “If it does, I’m choosing you every time kiddo. Every. Single. Time.” 

“Mike…” 

“I mean it Pete. You are my son, my kid, and if the Navy doesn’t like it, they can go fuck themselves. You matter Pete. I love you son.” 

“Love you too dad,” he whispers as he falls back into Mike’s chest. 

Mike lets out a deep breath at that. Pete isn’t ok, but he’ll make sure he is, no matter what he has to do. 

After several minutes of letting Pete resettle he has the horrible task of making Pete recount what happened. It’s the most detached he’s ever heard his kid, and it strengthens his resolve to sneak Carrie in to see him later. Once he’s sure he has everything Pete can recall, he squeezes his hand once more. “Try to get some rest. I can keep the others out if you want?” 

“Na. It’s fine. I’m sure they need to see with their eyes I’m fine. Especially Ice and Slider.” 

“Alright. I’ll let them know.” He leans close in case anyone can hear; “I’ll get mom in here later. That’s a promise.” 

Pete gives him a weak nod. They both know what a risk it is, but he’d do it over and over for Pete. He gives him a nod and then heads for the door, with one glance back at his son. 

Mike’s not surprised to find the six aviators waiting in the waiting room. They all jump up as soon as they see him, and Mike pulls himself together. “Mitchell is going to be fine. Some bruises that will heal in time and a mild concussion. He’ll be discharged tomorrow.” 

He sees a small relief flow through the group, and he knows what he says next will cause it to vanish. 

“Bradshaw on the other hand, is… dead. Broke his neck on the canopy as soon as he hit. I’m going to inform his wife now.” 

The six aviators before him are deathly quiet, grief written across all their faces. 

“Can we see Mav?” Wolfe finally breaks the silence. 

Mike gives them a nod. “He’s pretty detached, still in shock. He’s resting, but he said it would be fine for all of you to visit. Probably do him some good to not be alone right now. Classes are dismissed for the rest of the week. When arrangements have been made, you’ll be the first to know.” He gives them a nod of dismissal and takes his leave. 

The six aviators scurry down the hall to Mav’s room. Wolf and Wood are through the door first, just barely squeezing in before Chipper and Sunny. Ice stands at the door for a long moment just breathing, trying to prepare, and Slider waits with him squeezing his shoulder. Tom wants nothing more than to race in and scoop Pete into his arms, but he knows he can’t. Once he lays eyes on his boyfriend, who’s barely engaging with the other four, he leans in the corner just watching. He can see Pete’s eyes trail over to him ever so often, and he finally sees when Slider realizes they need to go. Tom gives him a nod of thanks, and promises to get back to their base housing later, before Ron turns and ushers everyone out. 

Once he’s sure they’re gone, he walks over and settles on the side of Pete’s bed. His hand ghosts over Pete’s forehead, brushing the hair back. “Hey,” he whispers. 

Pete can’t speak, too choked up holding back tears. 

“Come here,” Tom whispers, easing down and helping Pete sit up some and lean into his arms. He holds him as tight as he dares, knowing under the gown Pete will be covered in bruises too painful to be held too tight. “I’m so sorry,” Tom whispers over and over as Pete sobs in his arms. He finally exhausts himself even more, and Tom can feel him drift off. He eases Pete back to the bed and covers him up. He sits and watches him sleep, knowing the coming days, weeks, and months are going to be hell, and wonders if Pete will blame him, wonders if this will be the end of them. Once Pete is deep asleep, Tom takes his leave, knowing he can’t stay any longer without them being found out. 

After talking with Carole, he finally makes it home; it’s late enough he knows he’ll just be leaving as soon as he’s through the door though. Carrie is waiting on him at the door just as he suspected, and he pulls her into his arms. “He’s going to be ok. Just some bruising and a mild concussion. He was still in shock earlier. I…” He feels her squeeze him tighter and he lets out a soft sigh. “I promised to sneak you in. He needs you.” 

“Do we tell the girls?” 

“Not yet. Sneaking you in is going to be hard enough. I don’t need Catherine leaving Cynthia and banging down the hospital door or Jamie freaking out.” 

Carrie gives him a soft huff of a laugh. “Alright. Let me get my purse and we can go.” 

Once at the hospital, Mike nods to the night nurses, but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t see any of the class in the waiting room, and assuming they’re not still with Pete, they should be at home. He stops right outside Pete’s room and tries to listen for any voices, but doesn’t hear any. He pushes the door open just a hair, and sees it empty, Pete just lying in the bed staring off into space. 

He turns back and gives Carrie a nod, before pushing the door open further for her to slip past him. He closes the door behind them, but stays near it, so he can run interference if anyone comes to it. As soon as she’s by his side, she sits on the side of the bed and pulls Pete into her arms. 

“Mom,” he cries as he clings to her, and it breaks Mike’s heart even more. Carrie just hugs him tight, her hand running up and down his back and into his hair. 

When Pete has finally exhausted himself of tears, he whispers “I killed him,” effectively tearing both his parents’ hearts out. 

Mike moves across the room at that statement, joining Carrie on the side of the bed. He eases Pete back from her hold and cradles his face. “Look at me son.” 

Pete slowly meets his eyes, unable to ignore the firm demand in Mike’s voice. “You did not kill Nick. You did not kill him. You hear me?” 

“I did though. He was my RIO, my responsibility.” 

“Pete…” 

Carrie cuts him off though, knowing that Pete isn’t going to believe a word of any argument at the moment. She cradles Pete’s cheek and kisses his forehead. “You need to get some sleep sweetheart.” 

“Don’t think I can,” he sighs. He knows he’d fallen asleep on Tom, but it doesn’t feel like he slept long at all before a nightmare gripped him. When he’d woken and been alone, he laid there staring off into space, knowing sleep would be hard to come by. 

“Try. We’ll stay til you’re asleep,” she promises. 

She gets him to ease back against the bed, and softly runs her fingers through his hair. It’s the fastest way to settle Pete; they'd learned the first time the kid hadn’t gotten sick after coming to live with them. She keeps it up until his eyes drift, and even after until he’s deep asleep. 

“He’s going to be ok,” Mike reassures her as they watch him sleep for a few more minutes. They don’t linger long though, despite Carrie wanting to stay.

The next morning, the inquiry information is waiting on Mike the minute he steps on base. He goes through Mav’s file one more time to make sure nothing of their connection is hidden in there, even though he knows the file like the back of his hand. When he’s sure everything is good, he makes the trek over to the base hospital to deliver the news about the inquiry. From here on he knows everything has to be above board until the brass is done sniffing around. 

When he walks into Pete’s room, he’s surprised to see him not there. He has a moment of panic before one of the nurses points him towards the bathroom down the hall. He gives her a nod and heads in. Mav is leaning heavily on the sink, but he somehow managed to shave. Mike catalogs the bruising along his chest and shoulders from his harness that he wasn’t able to see yesterday because of the gown. He knows there’s probably some along his thighs as well, he just can’t see them. He wants so badly to pull his kid into his arms and never let go, but they also have more eyes on them now more than ever. He just has to be careful, not show emotion or favoritism, he keeps reminding himself, and they’ll get through this. He calls on all his years in the service to keep it together as he meets his kids' eyes. He doesn’t like what he sees; Pete’s eyes have always been alive and full of mischief. They always shine and sparkle so bright. But right now, they are dead, lifeless, emotionless, same as yesterday.”How you doing?” he manages to ask.

“I’m alright.” It’s rough and so much quieter than Pete normally talks it throws Mike for a minute. He spins and meets Pete’s eyes in the mirror trying to portray that he has to be a Commander at the moment. 

“Goose is dead.” Internally he winces at how straightforward and harsh he has to be, and he knows the minute Carrie finds out, she is going to be livid. But they all knew when Pete joined up, that a time like this might come, and Pete told him then, as a bright eyed eighteen year old, that he’d never hold it against him. 

“I know.” His eyes drop back to the sink, hand splashing more water onto his face, and Mike can see he’s barely holding it together. He wants to tell him to come home with him, let Carrie mother him to death, but he bites it all back. Seeing her last night is going to have to be enough for now. Pete runs another hand over his face, and takes some deep breaths. Mike recalls words one of his former COs told him after Duke died. At the time he hated it, and he knows Pete is going to hate being told the same thing, but he needs to say it. “You fly jets long enough, something like this happens.” 

“He was my RIO, my responsibility!” It’s an echo of his statement last night and Mike knows the guilt is eating him alive. He knows he’s going to have to work hard to get Pete to let it go, if that will even be possible. He knows Goose was like a brother to him; that Carole and Goose both welcomed Pete into their family. But he can’t see his kid drown in grief, not if he can help it. 

“In my squadron in Vietnam, we lost eight of eighteen aircraft. Ten men. First one dies, you die too. But there will be others. You can count on it. You gotta let him go.” His hand touches his side, draws across his back, offering as much comforting touch as he can in that moment. “You gotta let him go.”  He knows it's harsh, hates the words coming out of his own mouth, but as a Commander, it’s what you’re supposed to say. 

Pete’s eyes are hard as they stare at him despite being red rimmed, but Mike does his best to let it roll off his back. “Your inquiry hearing is scheduled for two days from now at 0800. Jester and I will be there. I don’t see any reasons why you won’t be cleared and can return to finish the program before graduation.” 

Pete doesn’t say anything and won’t meet his eyes again. He walks away even though it kills him too. He passes Tom in the parking lot and he knows he was right about something going on between the two. He gives the Lieutenant a nod, wants to pull him to the side and threaten him if he so much as dares to break Pete in any way. But he knows he can’t, so he keeps walking and just hopes Tom will be able to get through to his kid. 

Tom finds Pete back in his room, trying to dress. “Can I help?” he asks from the doorway. 

Pete gives him a nod and Tom comes over, helping him pull his shirt down. The bruising looks worse today, and his body is stiff and achy. He’s refused anymore pain pills though and just wants to leave. “I saw Viper leaving.” 

“Mmm yea. Stopped by to give me the information for the inquiry hearing.” 

“It wasn’t your fault Pete.” 

“Let’s not. I don’t… I just want to get out of here.” 

Tom bites back all his retorts that Pete needs to talk about this and just gives him a nod. “Carole and Bradley are at the base housing. I can take you there.” 

Pete gives him another nod, and follows Tom out the door. Once in the car, the silence is almost unbearable. “Pete…” Tom starts when they’re in front of the housing, but stops when Pete cuts his eyes at him.  

“Might be best if we just had some space right now. You don’t need messed up in this hearing too.” 

“I have to be there because I was in the air with you.” 

“Better to be safe than sorry.” 

Tom wants to argue, wants to push that Pete doesn’t need to do this or push everyone away, but his own guilt is eating him alive. Thus, he’d do anything Pete asks. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is.” 

Pete won’t meet his eyes so Tom knows he’s lying. “I just want him back,” Pete says softly before he gets out. He closes the door and doesn’t look back. 

Tom watches him go, his heart breaking, but knowing he will give Pete anything. He watches until Pete is inside the door before driving off. 

[orchidvk]

Just a little something I wrote when I got the inspiration to do that :)

I know it doesn't quite fit with the timeline but that wasn't what I was going for, I just wanted some angst and a little bit of comfort with IceMav.

I hope you like it anyway.

Warnings: swearing

"You know, B told me what he wanted to be when he got older."

Ice said and stirred the pasta, Mav looked up from the book he was mindlessly reading in.

"Yeah?"

"Yep. He said he wanted to become a pilot just like us. He even asked me if we could recommend him, he is adorable."

Mav didn't respond, he couldn't respond.

"Promise me....not to let him fly, Pete. Please...I don't want him to end up like Nick.

Promise me, please."

"I promise..."

Ice turned away from the stove and looked at his wingman.

"Mav? What's wrong? Isn't that sweet?"

The smaller man stood up and looked at Tom, his hands shaking.

"I...We can't let that happen, Ice. I promised Carole not to let him fly."

"You...? You did what?"

The blond asked and felt stunned, anger bubbling inside of him but also a bit of pain, especially for Bradley.

"She asked me to not let him fly...She didn't want him to end up like Nick.

Please, you have to understand, Tom."

Tom shook his head in return, the dinner cooking behind him already forgotten.

"How can you just decide that for him? Do you know what you would do to him? Do you realize how much you would hurt him?"

"Thomas...I promised her...."

"But she isn't here!" Tom started to yell, tears shining in his eyes. "Carole is not here and neither is Goose! For fuck's sake! You are barely here! It is him and me...

I have to switch between father, mother, housewife, and rear admiral just because YOU CAN'T FUCKING BEHAVE!"

Ice didn't mean to yell but he couldn't keep his emotions inside any longer. All the things he has been keeping inside bursting out.

The tears are falling freely now.

"I don't want ghosts to decide what is good for my kid! I don't want ghosts to decide what he should do and what not! We are responsible...Both of us and we both decide what is good for him and he decides what is good for him!"

The brown-haired man stared at Ice with an expression full of hurt, tears are also falling down his cheeks.

"I never forced you to stay, Ice.

I never forced you to stay and take care of a child that isn't even yours."

That was a low blow that hit Iceman hard.

"Yes, you are right. I never had any obligation.

But I stayed and I still stay because I love you and I love him and if you think you can win this argument by saying I never had to stay in the first place then you are not only wrong but also an asshole."

Ice put the pasta in some colorful containers he got from his sister-in-law Becky and put them carefully into the fridge, he figured both of them wouldn't be eating anything tonight.

"I'm not going to discuss this with you any further. Take the bed, Mav.

I need to...I need to clean the kitchen."

That was an obvious lie, Mav couldn't see one single stain. The only thing Ice could clean was the pot where the pasta had cooked a couple of minutes ago.

But Mav also knew that Ice needed something to do and that if he wasn't stress-baking he needed to stress-clean.

So he started to make his way upstairs in silence but before he could reach the first step, Bradley came through the front door, eyes red and blood dripping from his elbow.

"Pa! Can you help me clean that up?" The kid's shorts were full of grass stains, Ice probably already got a heart attack from that sight, his shirt was full of already dried mud and his knees suffered also a bit but didn't bleed.

"Of course, Baby Goose. What happened?"

"We played and I stumbled and I hit the concrete instead of the grass."

Even though Bradley Bradshaw has reached the age of 8 years, Iceman's inner mother hen came out and he picked the boy up to drag him into the bathroom.

"I can do that, Ice," Pete said quietly, the blond man stayed still for a moment before shaking his head.

"No need. I'll do it, just go to bed."

And he was gone.

Maverick made his way upstairs and into their master bathroom, where he got ready for bed.

He knew he wouldn't catch one bit of sleep but the thought counts.

The pilot can hear his boys in the bathroom, talking and water running.

Mav can imagine exactly what Ice did, his lover was always gentle and caring.

He probably got rid of the blood, put a bandage around their kid's elbow, and brushed his teeth with him together.

Maverick remembers it like it was yesterday.

Bradley was still small back then, smaller than now and the three of them used to brush their teeth together every evening.

After taking care of Bradley, Ice send the boy to bed with a kiss on the forehead and went down into the kitchen.

He finally broke down there, weeping and sobbing. Today was just too much to handle.

He tried to be as quiet as possible because he knew that Bradley wasn't asleep yet but played on his Gameboy and he didn't want the kid to see him like this.

Ice's hands gripped the sponge tight while he scrubbed at the stain on the floor.

It doesn't come off.

For god's sake, why doesn't it come off?

It was driving the blond pilot insane, tears mix with the water from the sponge, and Ice scrubs so hard that he thinks the stain might come off with the wood.

He didn't stop, didn't let the soft material in his hand go until another hand grabbed his.

"Hey....love. We talked about this didn't we?"

Pete was kneeling in front of him, keeping his hands from moving.

"This is a wine stain we can't get rid of." The man finished his sentence and took the sponge.

"But it bothers me..." Tom whispers, voice full of sorrow and defeat.

"I know it does...."

The two men were sitting on the floor, leaning against the kitchen counter in silence.

"I'm sorry...You are right...." Mav says after some time and Tom freezes.

"No...I know how seriously you take promises, I should've talked differently with you about this.

I shouldn't have said those things to you."

Maverick intertwined their hands.

"Maybe but I also shouldn't have said certain things to you and I should be here with you and him.

I'm just sorry that you had to tell me how you felt in such a way. I made you yell instead of talk it out."

[tgmsunmontue]

Another Time (Chapter 7/14)

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX

Summary: Jake wakes up in Rooster's body ~30 hours post-Mission and they have to deal with it. They're adults. Apparently.

(Posting on Tumblr, chapter a day until it's complete (currently 14 chapters already written), after it's complete I will post it on AO3 once a day until it's completed there as well).

Odd chapter = Jake POV, Even chapter = Bradley POV

CHAPTER SEVEN

                He can hear Phoenix’s voice with his own, talking. He feels better, his mind much less foggy and his stomach is grumbling in anticipation for food rather than threatening to empty itself at the mere suggestion. He needs to use the bathroom and he sniffs an armpit and frowns, surprised to find that he maybe doesn’t need a shower.

                “Hey. How are you feeling?” Rooster asks, appearing in the door.

                “I’m feeling better… still in quite a bit of pain, but the headache is gone. So has the nausea.”

                “That’s good to hear, was starting to feel bad you were having to deal with it all.”

                “Well, let me help you assuage your guilt. I need the john.”

                “So romantic,” Rooster says, but he’s fetching the crutches and holding his hand out to help carefully pull Jake to standing.

                “I thought we were putting a pin in that,” Jake grunts as he becomes vertical, the ankle not liking the movement, throbbing again and he guesses he’s probably due for more pain killers. It’s not accompanied by any dizziness or nausea though, so he’ll take the small wins.

                “A pin is definitely in it. And you can probably shower by yourself next time…”

                “What? You… we showered together?” Jake asks, because he doesn’t have any recollection of that and that’s a crying shame.

                “I showered you. You tried to get me undressed and got me very wet in the process.”

                “First shower together and I don’t even remember it,” Jake murmurs and Rooster steps into his space, one hand going to his waist to steady him and Jake sways forward.

                “You’ll remember it next time.”

                “Promise?”

                “Yeah,” Rooster says, the word so quiet it’s a whisper between them and he’s being kissed again and it’s better than the first one. He feels fingers curl into the cloth of the t-shirt he’s wearing, feels the warm brush of skin on skin and his entire body seems to ripple with awareness. It’s still gentle, hopefully in deference to the bruises and pain rather than any hesitance on Rooster’s part. Although, kissing himself does feel very weird.

                “Go on, I’ll be right here,” Rooster says, drawing back and smoothing a hand over his side.

                He slowly maneuvers himself off to the bathroom, hears Rooster and Phoenix talking again and part of him is annoyed by her presence. Wants Rooster to himself, which is ridiculous. He’s in the man’s body, he can’t get much closer. He finishes up and moves back to the bedroom and Rooster is sitting on the bed waiting for him, helps him settle back and raise his ankle on additional cushions.

                “So, I need to explain some things. Because we’re meant to have an official debrief tomorrow –” Rooster says, and Jake swears under his breath, he’d forgotten about that. “But this is where I begin with my explanation. And you’ve already put some things together. You know my dad and Mav flew together…”

                “Yeah. I’m sorry about –”

                “We can have that conversation another time,” Rooster interjects and Jake nods. “One thing at a time. So. Mav effectively became my father figure. He was there for all my birthdays and Christmases that he could. Me and my mom would meet him when he got back from deployment. He… he was my dad.”

                Jake isn’t an idiot, knows the weight of the word was.

                “What happened?”

                “He pulled my papers for the Academy.”

                “What,” Jake says, blinking, because that makes zero sense. It’s not even a question, just a disbelieving statement.

                “Yeah, and I didn’t take it too well. I went and enlisted and then went incommunicado for over fifteen years.”

                “Ooohhh shit,” Jake mutters, tries to imagine not talking to his family for that long. “Wait, so when he walked into the room a few weeks ago…?”

                “First time I’d seen him up close since.”

                “Rooster… Jesus. I’m so sorry.”

                “Well, we’ve kind of made up. Well. No. We haven’t. But we’ve agreed to try. To talk. But haven’t really had that chance yet.”

                “Okay. But it’s coming right?”

                “Right. Like a storm. Plus there’s more.”

                “More?” Fuck if he owes Rooster a thousand apologies for bringing up his dad’s history with Mav.

                “Yeah, so. When I was thirteen, my mom died. Mav became my official dad, did the whole adoption thing, which I look back with hindsight and wonder how the fuck he managed that, but it happened.”

                “Okay. Mav is your Dad. Well, at least I’m on his good side already,” Jake says, attempting to lighten the tone at least a little although he feels like it fails miserably.

                “He’s not the one you have to impress…”

                A recent memory forces its way to the front of his mind and he groans.

                “You’ve got to be shitting me… Admiral Kazansky?”

                “What?”

                “Him and Mav right? They’re together?”

                “How… how do you know that?” Rooster asks, and Jake almost laughs at the deeply suspicious look on his own face.

                “I saw them talking on the carrier.”

                “Just talking?”

                “Yeah. But the Admiral told Mav he loved him and that he’d see him at home, and Mav replied with I love you and then I was getting on the greyhound…”

                “Yeah. They were together. I don’t ever remember them not being together. Nat said we can probably tell him about this… situation, and he could do our debrief…”

                “Phoenix knows?”

                “Yes. She’s my best friend. Although she didn’t know about Ice until tonight.”

                “Okay.” Absolutely fucking mind-blowing that Bradshaw is calling the COMPACFLT Ice.

                “She’s getting Coyote to come around so you can tell him what’s going on. And Bob. Anything else you think might help?”

                Javy. Just knowing his closest friend is on his way makes him feel lighter and he gets it then, that’s maybe why Rooster has Phoenix hanging out in his kitchen.

                “Painkillers? And food?”

                “Sure thing.”

EIGHT

[pinkberrytea]

5, 7, 11, 14, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25

Sorry that's maybe a lot to answer 😆😅

:3 💖

Oh no friend, don’t apologize, if you had asked me to answer all questions I would’ve have done so gladly! I love doing these 😭 Thank you so much for the ask! 🫂🌹

From this post!

5. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

Depends exactly on what the object of desire is. If it’s anything related to those she loves, then there’s nothing she won’t do. Otherwise, not very far.

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

Previously answered here!

Mav was a lot less soft initially! She was a bit prickly and not nearly as needy, but that didn't work as well with other aspects of her personality/background, so I decided to fully lean on her more demure side (and also made her quite a bit dumber since I think it's endearing!).

11. What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it?

Bloodthirst, the dagger. And yes, you can say it’s been… well-used.

14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

Previously answered here!

As someone worthy of love.

19. How does your OC behave when enraged?

It’s quite difficult to get a rise out of Mav, but if that does happen, she will either lose control to the Urge (although that more commonly happens when she is in a state of complete despair rather than enraged) or redirect the anger to herself and become completely closed off. She’s not great at communicating her own feelings and will typically just cry instead.

20. Does your OC have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does this manifest?

Mav is not necessarily the super jealous type, but she is very clingy so jealously can happen, especially if her loved one has been ignoring/neglecting her to spend time with someone else. She won’t let them know though, and will instead just keep it all to herself, while at the same time showering them with love and affection to possibly win back their attention (which may push them further away, of course).

22. What character alignment would you consider your OC to be?

She swings back and forth between true neutral and neutral good, leaning more towards the former.

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

Mav has a very hard time processing love and being on the receiving end of it, which is very ironic since it’s the thing she yearns for the most. Even if someone truly loves her, fully and unconditionally, she still has a hard time coming to terms with the irrevocability of it, and will think herself unworthy. As for which emotion is the hardest for her to express, probably anger, especially to a loved one; no matter how badly they hurt her, she won’t want to risk losing them.

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

Honestly, I love that Mav is so pathetically broken and flawed. It makes it easy for me to relate to her and it’s one of the reasons I’ve become so deeply attached to her character. Writing her as very imperfect but still lovable has been rather therapeutic, and though I know she is not everyone’s cup of tea, I’m quite proud of how she turned out! She’s my baby ♥️

[pollyna]

Penny/Sarah or how they end up together!au.

note pre-everything: Sarah is aroace, Penny and Mav are bi, Ice is gay and Slider is bi-greyaro. Sarah calls hers and Penny's a relationship because she likes the sound of it, they all are around their mid-twenties, and the whole thing is based on this tiktok.

• Mav and Penny are on a date when Mav thinks it could be funny, try and win something throwing the hop. He wants to show off a little because they're dating for a month and Mav I'd great at wooing the people he dates. Mav wons a little bear and then Penny wants to try because she is competitive and wants to win Mav something bigger but her aim sucks a lot so, instead of the object in front of her, she gets the gal in to the hop. And it's a kinda the perfect throw too! Both Penny and Mav end up laughing to the quiet shocked, and maybe a little annoyed, face of the girl and Mav, jokingly, says Penny should take her home as prize! Penny laughs but the girl, Sarah as her target says, smile and okay I'm here until five, come and pick me up!;

- Penny actually picks her up because she still thinking it's a funny joke but doesn't want to stand up the other girl. What Penny isn't expecting is how they just click with each other. They spent the entire night, from after Sarah's shift until midnight, talking and laughing and Penny has to impose herself some self-control because she finds she really want to kiss her. They exchange their phone numbers and promises to see each other the next day for a hot chocolate and Sarah promises to take her hot friend with her, and that's not her boyfriend!;

- the next afternoon Sarah is waiting at the bar with a tall guy, talking softly to her and the first thing Mav says when he sees him is he's some tall glass of water and Penny answers do you want to take a sip? And Mav is extra confused by her reaction. For how it proceed if feels like more a double date between them, him and Ice and Penny and Sarah, than a friendly meeting. When Penny, after the afternoon, says to Mav she doesn't think he's going to work between them he smiles and starts teasing her mercilessly about Sarah. Penny dubs in with yeah, because you and Ice where much better, uhuh?;

• the problem of this two very smart people? That they get dumb and dumber when they're around Sarah and Ice. Maverick can flight multimillion dollars jet but for the love of God be can't walk three steps without stumbling on his on foot when he's talking with Ice and Penny is taking a barman course with people that are twice her age and have a little more experience than her but she burns the water for the tea because Sarah is too pretty and she can't look anywhere else;

• Sarah and Ice (and Slider) have their weekly get together to rant about their partners and drink wine and watch stupid soaps because he said I can't fly because I'm too pretty and I would distract the enemy! and ohoh but it's not the worst! Pen' texted me a puppy and said I was cutter! And Slider is honestly living the best of his life, comfortable cuddling his best friends and not giving a single fuck about anything if not all the gossip he's going to take home to Goose;

• the point is: Sarah and Ice are as bad as Penny and Mav. She buys Penny eight flowers because it's the numer of days they didn't see each other and Ice bakes Maverick cookies because Mav forgot to have breakfast. Once. (Not that they could have been anything else, considering it's Carole's recipe).

For the anon of this morning because they gave me the idea and to @redhead-writes bc she shared the video and the plotting 🥺🥰

[honuofhawaii]

So I have a major angst fic idea but it has some holes in it that I will take suggestions on if anyone is interested in making them…

Explicitly IceMav retelling of Top Gun: Maverick set in 2009.

2009 bc extra devastation of Mav having to conceal the extent of his grief as DADT is not yet repealed, it’s before there were even discussions of the possibility of an appeal.

(This idea spawned out of another short fic idea of the Daggers (or a group of them) celebrating the appeal, and them wanting the invite Mav and Bradley or Penny telling them that Mav isn’t in a celebratory mood bc he’s mourning the fact that his partner didn’t live to see the appeal)

Okay so like I said SO MUCH ANGST!

but here’s some of the problems and the not problems with shifting the timeline:

Okay Mav was a Captain by 2006 so 2009 he’s still a Captain everything is good. Less snide remarks about him “only being a Captain” (but like seriously those were pretty ridiculous in the movie, it is really really difficult to rise to captain and being promoted to admiral is like winning an election)

The problem is Ice. By 2009 he at most might have two stars. Probably only one. He even could still be a Captain. But he’s definitely not the COMPACFLT. I don’t plan on creating new characters to fill Cyclone and Warlock’s shoes, but those characters would also be lower rank, but they need to be high enough that they outrank Mav but not so high they dont outrank Ice. (But like is this even important? Can I just have everyone at the ranks they are in the movie and Ice just had a extremely rapid ascent?)

I fully intend to ignore the fact that Penny only bought the Hard Deck three years prior.

My initial plan has been for Sarah to be Ice’s sister, and she’s there with her kids to help take care of him since Mav can’t actually take leave very often to help. I am open to the idea of a lavender marriage, Sarah being aro, or a lesbian. What do you prefer? And if you prefer the lavender marriage idea I’d love to hear your thoughts on why Sarah wants entered it?

Okay back to a real timeline problem. The Sukhoi Su-57 aka the 5th generation fighters that an F-18 Superhornet does not have the technological advantage over (it’s actually at a disadvantage) didn’t have its first flight until 2010. (And I’m guessing first flight, means test flight, not in production or service yet) so what do I use?! MiG-29’s? Or do I say fuck it again this is Top Gun fanfiction the enemy can have jets that were barely even built yet.

I mean I am letting Mav have Darkstar she’s too pretty not to include! Grant I have less qualms about that bc SR-72 does not officially exist in the real world.

I am worrying a lot about the logistics of a fic that I might never even write. But I’m a nerd, apparently a secret aviation nerd (secret as in I didn’t realize it until I started waxing poetically about how pretty Darkstar and the P-51 were and how I love aviation movies and that people should definitely read and watch the Right Stuff and my friend said “wow I didn’t you you were such a slut for planes”)

Hey if any of this rant struck a cord an you want to write it go right ahead, just let me know I want to read it.

[oh-surprise-its-me]

Okay so for your Chris seresin x slider au, I have a request. Well a couple but feel free to chose.

1. The daggers meeting Chris and Ron after the mission

2. The flyboy uncles and Jakes dads reacting to him getting in to top gun the first time then later on winning the trophy like his dad and Uncle ice.

3. Just anything fluffy you want to write about Chris and Ron.

I love this au so much. I check your tumblr daily to see if there’s anything new for it ❤️❤️❤️

AH I’m so happy you love them. I’m going to break these up into three different posts because I will write anything for them. 🩷

1. Daggers meeting Chris and Ron

They’re all at the hard deck. Mav is leaning against the bar when he hears Jake shout, he sees the blond take off across the room and slam into his dads and Tom.

All of the daggers and staring. Bradley slams his head into the bar when he sees Ron and Tom standing together. Everyone starts quietly whispering as to why the fuck Jake just slammed into hugging Admiral Kerner, the goddamn commander of the pacific fleet and some random blond.

Javy is the only one besides Bradley who isn’t confused.

Phoenix is the first to react to their ranks. She slams into stance. Once everyone sees her do it they all scramble to join. Mav has to laugh, because Jake just doesn’t care about ranks when it comes to his dad and uncles.

Tom laughs, not unkindly and walks over to Mav. “At ease sailors. You all are fine relax.”

Everyone drops from the salutes.

Ron raises his eyebrow, “I never said y’all could stop.” Jake and Chris both smack Ron. He lets out a laugh and kisses Jake’s head before going over and hugging Mav.

“Hangman you wanna explain some things?”

Weirdly it’s Bob that speaks first. Jake smiles, Chris is still holding onto his waist. “Y’all meet my dads.”

There’s a beat of silence before everyone starts talking, “hey Chris-!” “Hang what the fuc-?” “hey Ron-” “as in Ron kerner is your dad-?” “Who’s the blond-?”

“Woah!” Jake sticks his hands out to stop everyone from talking, he points at Phoenix, “you first.”

She tilts her head, “how long have you kept this a secret from us?”

Jake blushes a little, “uh the whole time. Mav and Javy obviously knew, Roo knew a bit. But yeah. I’ve never really announced it.”

She blinks at him. “How long have they been together?” Chris answers this one. “40 years.”

There’s a round of chatter before Ron pipes up. “Hey Mav and Ice have been together for 36.” Tom smacks Ron from where they are leaning. Payback raises his hand, Chris laughs, “you can just talk kiddo.”

Payback nods, “what kinda unit did you come from sir?”

Tom and Ron start giggling, Chris rolls his eyes. “Ignore them. I didn’t, I was a firefighter, I’m a mechanic now that we live in California.”

Everyone nods, Bradley raises his hand. Ron points at him “shoot birdy.” Bradley rolls his eyes. “Y’all forgive me for being stupid when I was younger?”

Chris let’s go of Jake, he walks over and hugs Bradley. “Yeah. Just forgive Mav for the stupid things he’s done. Next time don’t take it out on Tommy.”

Mav winces from where he’s drifted into Tom’s arms. He gets a squeeze around his waist “sorry Bradley.” Jake is leaning against Ron’s side, “y’all don’t do this here go outside.”

Mav tilts his head and Bradley nods. They leave.

Tom loops his arm around Jake, “glad you’re safe kiddo. Thank you for bringing my husband home. I’m Glad all of you are safe.”

Halo takes a swing of her beer, “can you guys give us stories of Jake when he was little?”

Chris laughs. “He collects animals like Snow White.”

“Oh fuck off dad you do the exact same thing.”

Bob leans over to Coyote, “he just said Snow White right?” Javy laughs but before he can answer Ron cuts him off. “Y’all know why Coyote has his name? They picked up a pup when they were 15.”

Jake and Javy both glance at each other. “Jake lit multiple trash cans on fire in schools.”

“Uncle Tom!”

“He what??”

Jake smacks Tom, he knows he probably shouldn’t based off the gasps he got, but fuck it, it’s a bar not the base he can smack his uncle.

“You’re a nepo baby Jake.” Jake blushes, “shut up Nat, so is Bradley.”

Chris laughs, he kisses Tom’s cheek. “You’re evil. Love it.”

Bradley and Mav wonder in, they both look like they’ve been crying. Bradley looks at Jake “wanna get beat in pool?” Jake hugs his dads again and then nods. “You’re goin down Bradshaw.”

Javy leans next to Chris, “they’ve been like this the whole time. Shoot me now.”

Tom laughs and says something in polish to Ron. “Please don’t say that about our kids. I don’t need that memory of you and Mav.”

Mav laughs “you should’ve seen them when Bradley was playing piano, it was crazy.”

Everyone eventually drags Chris and Ron into talking about their lives. It’s a good night. An even better one when they seen Bradley and Jake talking casually at the bar later.

Maybe they’ll have a full family reunion this year.