Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Maverick’s Daughter!Reader, f!reader
Word Count: 2309
TW: Fluff, Kissing, Angst, Explicit Language
Note: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for the request “Do you really want me? Or is this your way of getting back at my father?” and thank you to @lorecraft for beta reading for me!
This story takes place BEFORETop Gun: MaverickbutDOES contain spoilers for the movie
As you stand outside the front doors of the main building, you struggle to remain professional and contain a squeal of excitement. Your whole life has been leading to this moment and once you walk through these doors, your dreams will finally become reality. Despite the double-edged sword that came with being Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s daughter, you had made a name for yourself independent of your father’s reputation and earned your spot here same as everyone else. One of the elite few admitted to Top Gun.
Taking one more deep breath, you throw open the doors and hurry down the hall which is currently crowded with cadets, instructors, and other Navy personnel. While you recognize many of the instructors as friends or colleagues of your dad’s, you don’t seem to know any of the students outside of passing acquaintances. You roll your eyes when you notice Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the corner with a few other cadets who look vaguely familiar. Hangman only stood out because he had relentlessly hit on you at one of the awards ceremonies you had gone to with your dad. The night ended with your drink in his face and if he didn’t watch himself now, you’d resort to a much harsher deterrent.
You are so focused on your thoughts of Hangman that you don’t even notice the man walking directly towards you until the two of you almost collide. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed you either because as you both made eye contact, the same look of surprise is mirrored on each other’s faces. Standing before you is a man you haven’t seen for years but had once been as close as family. Your best friend, your first (unrequited) love, Bradley Bradshaw.
You lingered outside the briefing room, waiting for the news you were certain was about to come but yet you prayed didn’t. As much as you knew Rooster wanted on this mission, the thought of him going made your stomach roll and your heart clench. Though you only worked the coms in the control room for the mission and had no clearance for the details of the current assignment, you had managed to sneak a look at the mission plan. It was a near-suicide mission, and everyone knew it. And yet, you knew better than to ask Rooster to step down. It was missions like this that he trained for his entire career, and he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to fly it. Even for you.
Suddenly, the door to the briefing room flew open and Hangman stormed out. The second you saw his face, all of your fears were confirmed. The only reason he would look that pissed off is if he hadn’t been selected for the team, which meant…..
Rooster walked out of the room, and he stumbled to a stop when he saw you standing there. Without saying a word, he opened his arms and you were instantly in them, wrapped in his tight embrace for what might be the last time. Burying your face into his chest, you said in a muffled voice, “I told you he would pick you. Maverick knows talent when he sees it.”
Rooster sighed as he rested his chin on the top of your head. “Yeah, well, you’re not exactly objective when it comes to my skills.”
You chuckled softly but the sound quickly shifted into a sob. You tried to bite your lip to keep your tears from falling, but it was useless. Rooster placed his hands on your arms and pushed you away from him, getting a good look at your face. “Aw, baby, please don’t. If you cry, I’ll cry and that won’t be good.”
“I’m sorry, I just- I need you to come back. Okay? I can’t…. I can’t sit there and watch you go down.” The tears were flowing more steadily down your face and Rooster reached up and wiped them away with his thumb.
“I’ll come back. I promise.”
You shook your head. “You can’t promise that. There are so many things that could go wrong, so many chances to fail. You know I believe in you, baby, but this….. this isn’t something that just relies on skill. If even the slightest bit of information is incorrect, if they miscalculated anything, this could all go wrong, and I can’t-”
“It’s not going to. I will come back. I promise you. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He trailed his hand down your cheek before lifting your chin with his thumb. His lips brushed against yours, gentle and soft, and as much as his words were saying differently, you knew this was him telling you goodbye.
You rested your head on his chest once more and the two of you held each other in silence for as long as time permitted.
To everyone’s astonishment, the mission had been accomplished perfectly even with Dagger 4’s laser malfunction. You smiled broadly as pride swelled in your chest as Rooster managed to hit his target without the guidance. However, that feeling quickly faded as he crested over the top of Coffin Corner and into range of the SAMs. As missiles filled the radar screens in the control room, you gripped the arms of your seat so tightly, that the muscles in your arms began to tremble. And it felt as if your heart stopped when Rooster’s desperate cries filled your headset as he informed everyone he was out of flares. But Maverick had flown in at the last second and saved him. And as much as it pained you to see Maverick go down, at least Rooster was safe.
Until he wasn’t. Despite his orders, despite your desperate pleas to him over the coms, Rooster went back for Maverick. And it was then that your world exploded as you watched a SAM slam into his plane before his signal blinked out.
Frantically reaching for your controls, you said, “Dagger 2, come in….” Silence. “Dagger 2, I repeat, co-come in.” Still no response. You jumped to your feet as you slammed the com button and screamed, “Rooster! Answer me!”
The entire control room was deathly silent as you felt every eye on you. But you didn’t care. You just needed Rooster to answer. But he never did.
You collapsed back into your seat in stunned silence, still unable to grasp the reality of what just happened. From somewhere behind you, you heard Vice Admiral Simpson mutter, “Get her out of here” before you felt a pair of hands gently rest on your shoulders and help usher you out into the hall.
It wasn’t until the door to the control room closed that you collapsed to the floor in a heap of sobs and tears. Rooster couldn’t be gone. He just couldn’t. He promised you he would come back. He promised he wouldn’t make you go through watching his readings blink off of your screen, wouldn’t make you watch him go down. Yet, he had gone back for Maverick and made you watch him die.
Another sob rattled through your chest and you felt the hands from before rest softly on your shoulders. Looking up, you saw Hondo staring back at you, a tear running down his face as well. You nodded at him, a sign of thanks and understanding. While you had just lost the man you loved, Hondo had just lost a dear friend who he had served with for many years. The pains you were feeling were different yet not really so dissimilar. And as terrible as it was to think, at least you weren’t alone in your grief.
As he lowered himself to the floor, you slid over and rested your head on his shoulder. Neither one of you said a word. You both just sat silently as you tried to come to terms with what had happened and what you had lost.
After what seemed like an eternity, you managed to stop crying and pull yourself together for the most part. The pain was still there, but the initial shock had started to fade a little, leaving a deep emptiness instead. But you knew that feeling would take much longer to fade.
Just as you were about to ask Hondo how he was doing, the door to the control room flew open and Rear Admiral Bates stuck his head out. “You two need to get back in here now.”
Through your puffy, bloodshot eyes, you looked up at him in confusion. “Sir?”
“We’re receiving a signal from Rooster’s tracker.” Your eyes went wide as your breath caught in your chest. “He’s currently in the air in what appears to be in a F-14 Tomcat headed this way.”
“Maverick.” Hondo chuckled in relief.
Your head swam as you tried to grasp the miracle that was being presented to you. “Are you saying they’re both okay and on their way back?”
Warlock shook his head. “We can’t say for certain. We haven’t been able to hail their craft and…. there appears to be two, possibly three Su-57s closing in on their position.”
Suddenly, the entire ship shook as a roar of a plane taking off sounded from the deck above. Exchanging a confused look with Hondo and Warlock, you all hurried back into the control room where chaos was currently ensuing.
As you looked around, you heard someone saying, “Dagger Spare, you were not cleared for takeoff. I repeat you were not cleared for takeoff.”
A smile spread across your face as you realized what just happened and a voice came in over the comms. “This is Dagger Spare and with all due respect, you’ve been denying my requests to go help my team all mission and I won’t let my fellow pilots die because you refuse to give me authorization. So, I’m willing to take whatever reprimands are warranted when I get back, but I won’t be coming back alone.”
Hangman.You made a note to never bad-mouth the pilot again. He had just risked his career to save Maverick and Rooster and for that, you would never be able to repay him.
There was a pause as the room held its breath, waiting to see what Hangman’s fate would be. Finally, Vice Admiral Simpson sighed and said, “Dagger Spare, you are cleared for the mission. Go bring our men home.”
The room erupted in a cheer as Hangman said, “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Hope soared through you for the first time since you found out Rooster was going on the mission. With Hangman and Maverick (two of the only men in active duty ever to have a confirmed kill in aerial combat) by his side, you knew they would make it.
Rooster was coming home.
They wouldn’t let anyone from the control room up on deck until all aircrafts had safely landed (safety protocols or some bullshit). But the second you received the all-clear, you burst through the door. The deck was swarming with people trying to congratulate the returning pilots, so you had to shove and elbow your way through. Finally, as you approached the spot where the planes had come to a stop, you could see Rooster and Maverick embracing. It looked like an emotional and tender moment that under any other circumstance would have warmed your heart to see the two men seemingly settling their differences. But after what you just went through, you were willing to spoil their moment.
“Rooster!” you screamed.
Immediately, he dropped his hold on Maverick and pivoted towards the sound of your voice. Without saying a word, he opened his arms and you were instantly in them, wrapped in his tight embrace after fearing you never would be again. As you buried your face into his chest, he whispered, “I promised you I’d be back.”
His voice was choked and strained and when you pulled back to look at him, you saw tears shimmering in his eyes. Quickly reaching up to wipe them away, you said, “Oh, baby. Come on. If you cry, I’ll cry, remember? And no one wants to see that.”
“I don’t care, let them see.” Rooster smashed his lips into yours and you quickly returned his embrace with just as much love and devotion. Soon, you could taste the salty sting of tears on your lips and you weren’t sure if they were yours or his but you didn’t mind. Because Rooster was alive and safe and back in your arms. And that was all that mattered.
From the moment Rooster stepped into the bar, he was second-guessing his decision to come back. Phoenix had given him a warm welcome (before jabbing him harshly with a pool cue) and there were some nice enough new guys he had just been introduced to. However, before he could even grab his first beer, Hangman was already all over him with subtle jabs and sarcastic comments. Rooster couldn’t deny the man was an excellent pilot, but he was also a selfish, narcissistic, jackass who got on his nerves more than anyone else he had ever met.
And this opinion was only reinforced when Hangman looked down his nose at the rest of the cadets and asked, “Who’s gonna be team leader? And which one of ya’ll has what it takes to follow me?”
Rooster opened his mouth to make a comeback when another voice sounded from over his shoulder. “I don’t know, Jake. Last time I let you lead we almost ended up under arrest for flying in restricted airspace. Think you can do better this time?”
All eyes turned as another cadet strolled up to the group. Rooster didn’t recognize you but there was something about the way you carried yourself that made him take notice. Though not as intimidating looking as most of the guys in the room, you stood as if you owned the space and dared anyone to try and take it from you. But while that attitude seemed egotistical or arrogant on someone like Hangman, your half-smile and the gleam in your eyes teased a more playful side to you as well. Rooster sat up straighter in his seat, instantly intrigued.
However, he wasn’t the only one taking interest in you. Hangman’s eyes grew wide and a stunned smile spread across his face. “No fucking way. Livewire? Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were coming?” He dropped the pool cue onto the table and immediately scooped you into his arms. You squealed and laughed as he spun you around.
Fanboy nudged Payback as he muttered, “Dude, Livewire’s here? I thought she was on some top-secret mission overseas?”
Rooster leaned in so you and Hangman wouldn’t overhear as the two of you caught up. “Who is she?”
“She was the top of the class our year. Apparently, she and Hangman used to be a thing a few years before that. Since our class was the one directly after your guys’, he was brought up a few times and she sort of mentioned their past. Seems they were pretty serious at one point.”
Rooster looked over at you and Hangman, his arms still around your waist as you rested your hand on his chest. “And now?”
“Jesus, Rooster. I told you to let a rescue team come for her. There’s nothing you can do in a single-seater plane, and you just put yourself in more danger.” Maverick sighed into the coms, “But you’re there now. You need to try and find someplace the two of you can hide until help can arrive.”
“I-I don’t know if I should move her. She’s hurt and it’s…. it’s bad, Mav.“
From the moment Rooster stepped into the bar, he was second-guessing his decision to come back. Phoenix had given him a warm welcome (before jabbing him harshly with a pool cue) and there were some nice enough new guys he had just been introduced to. However, before he could even grab his first beer, Hangman was already all over him with subtle jabs and sarcastic comments. Rooster couldn’t deny the man was an excellent pilot, but he was also a selfish, narcissistic, jackass who got on his nerves more than anyone else he had ever met.
And this opinion was only reinforced when Hangman looked down his nose at the rest of the cadets and asked, “Who’s gonna be team leader? And which one of ya’ll has what it takes to follow me?”
Rooster opened his mouth to make a comeback when another voice sounded from over his shoulder. “I don’t know, Jake. Last time I let you lead we almost ended up under arrest for flying in restricted airspace. Think you can do better this time?”
All eyes turned as another cadet strolled up to the group. Rooster didn’t recognize you but there was something about the way you carried yourself that made him take notice. Though not as intimidating looking as most of the guys in the room, you stood as if you owned the space and dared anyone to try and take it from you. But while that attitude seemed egotistical or arrogant on someone like Hangman, your half-smile and the gleam in your eyes teased a more playful side to you as well. Rooster sat up straighter in his seat, instantly intrigued.
However, he wasn’t the only one taking interest in you. Hangman’s eyes grew wide and a stunned smile spread across his face. “No fucking way. Livewire? Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were coming?” He dropped the pool cue onto the table and immediately scooped you into his arms. You squealed and laughed as he spun you around.
Fanboy nudged Payback as he muttered, “Dude, Livewire’s here? I thought she was on some top-secret mission overseas?”
Rooster leaned in so you and Hangman wouldn’t overhear as the two of you caught up. “Who is she?”
“She was the top of the class our year. Apparently, she and Hangman used to be a thing a few years before that. Since our class was the one directly after your guys’, he was brought up a few times and she sort of mentioned their past. Seems they were pretty serious at one point.”
Rooster looked over at you and Hangman, his arms still around your waist as you rested your hand on his chest. “And now?”
Both Fanboy and Payback just shrugged, and Rooster sighed. Anyone who would date Hangman probably wasn’t someone he was going to get along with. Any excitement he had felt when he first laid eyes on you quickly faded. It seemed as if you were going to be just one more person for him to butt heads with.
However, as the evening passed, he noticed you weren’t like Hangman at all. You reconnected with Fanboy and Payback as the three of you swapped stories of your time at Top Gun together. You chatted excitedly to Bob about his position at the Naval Air Station in Lemore and how he felt about being here. You and Phoenix had a hushed conversation that involved a lot of pointing and laughing at the male cadets. And when Rooster had settled down at the piano to play “Great Balls of Fire”, you were right next to him belting out the song at the top of your lungs.
Yet, it still came as a surprise when you came over to him towards the end of the night and smiled brightly as you said, “So, mister piano man. You’re the infamous Rooster, huh? Jake’s mentioned you before.”
Rooster gave you a tightlipped smile. “All good things I hope.”
“I wouldn’t say that. But I know how he gets so I’m not putting too much stock into it.” You laughed softly. “Besides, I’ve also heard about you from other people, and from what they say about your skills in a plane, I think it was just his jealousy talking. I can’t wait to see what you can do up there with my own eyes.” You smiled as you trailed your hand down his arm. “I’m gonna go grab another beer. Do you want one?”
“Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks.”
You winked at him. “Be right back.”
Rooster watched as you headed to the bar, leaning across it to get the bartender’s attention. He had expected you to be just as belittling and stuck up as your ex, yet not only were you being kind and supportive to everyone here, but you were admitting you recognized Hangman’s flaws instead of supporting them. Maybe you weren’t the person he thought you were.
When you returned, you handed him his beer and settled into the seat next to him. For a moment, the two of you just sipped your drinks in silence until Rooster finally cleared his throat. “So…. you and Hangman, huh?”
You shook your head with a soft chuckle. “I guess word travels fast around here. Yeah, we were together, but it was a long time ago. We met back when we were both at the Naval Academy and we started dating. But once we graduated, it only lasted a few months. Now we’re just really close friends.”
“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”
You shrugged. “Everything was fine while we were physically together at the academy but as soon as we got separate assignments far away from each other, things sort of fell apart. I thought he was cheating on me, and he thought I was cheating on him. So, in the end, we just broke up. It was insanely messy. But about a year after that, we ran into each other at a Naval banquet, talked things out, and we’ve been close friends again ever since.”
“Wow, I’m sorry he didn’t trust you.”
You laughed. “Oh no, neither one of us should have trusted the other. We were both sleeping with a lot of different people.”
“What? Really?” Rooster stared at you in surprise, both at the fact you were a serial cheater and the fact that you would so freely admit that to someone you had just met.
You shrugged again. “We were both in our early twenties, traveling all over the world, meeting new people all the time and we were never in the same location together. Plus, we thought we were pretty hot shit back then.” You glanced over at Hangman and chuckled. “Well, Jake still thinks that.”
“And you don’t?”
“Nah. I got knocked down a few pegs when I was trying to show off on a mission. I almost got shot down and that would have compromised everything. Luckily, my wingman was able to cover my ass and he completed the mission for me. After that, it kind of sobered me up and I straightened out. That’s when I got into Top Gun originally and the rest is history. But I still have a wild streak every once and a while in case you were wondering.” You winked at Rooster as you took a sip of your beer, and he couldn’t hide the smile that spread across his face.
It seemed as if he might have judged you too quickly based on your relationship with Hangman. You weren’t like him at all. In fact, there was just something about you that was unlike anyone else Rooster had ever met. You were confident yet not cocky. Snarky yet not cruel. Intelligent yet not belittling. You were a mess of contradictions, and Rooster needed to figure them all out.
But before he could ask you another question, a voice cut him off. “Bradshaw! Are you flirting with my number one girl over here?” Hangman appeared at your side and threw his arm over your shoulder, pulling you in close to him.
You rolled your eyes and shoved him away playfully. “Oh, come on, Jakey. Calm down. We’re just talking. Don’t get jealous.”
“Jealous? Of Rooster here? I doubt it. Besides, I wouldn’t hold your breath with him. By the time he works up the courage to make a move, we’ll all be old and retired. Rooster has a tendency of waiting for the right moment even though it never comes.” Hangman narrowed his eyes slightly with a smirk.
But it quickly faded as you smacked his arm. “Well, who says I need him to make the first move? Or are you forgetting I’m the one who kissed you first? Besides, maybe I need someone a little more cautious and less reckless in my life.” You smiled at Rooster, but Hangman wasn’t letting it go.
He scoffed, “He couldn’t handle you. There’s a reason they call you Livewire.”
“Yeah, and there’s a reason they call you Hangman. So, drop it, Jake. You don’t have a say in what I do with my life anymore or who I become friends with.”
Hangman opened his mouth to respond, but Rooster cut him off. “Listen, I don’t need to be in the middle of whatever this is between you two. I just came here to relax, meet up with some old friends, and grab a drink before things start getting intense in the next few weeks. But since that doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anymore, I’m just going to head back to base. See you tomorrow.”
Rooster downed the rest of his beer in a single gulp then turned and walked out the bar, ignoring the arguing he heard coming from behind him.
However, he was only to the side of the building when he heard you calling after him. “Hey, Rooster! Wait up!”
Reluctantly, he stopped walking as you hurried to catch up to him. “Hey.”
“Thanks for waiting. Listen, I know there’s already some tension or animosity between you and Jake and I totally get that. Jake can be…. a lot. Well, more accurately, he can be an asshole.” You rolled your eyes. “But I’ll talk to him and get him to back off some. He’s just being a little protective over me because we still care about each other, and he just really doesn’t like you. However, from what I’ve seen tonight, you seem like a great guy. I just don’t want my friendship with Jake to sour the chance for us to get to know each other a little better.”
Rooster nodded softly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “No, I wouldn’t want that. I like what I’ve seen of you so far too.”
You grinned, a playful glint sparkling in your eyes. Gesturing down to your outfit, you said, “If this is impressing you, just wait until I’m out of uniform. You ain’t seen nothing yet….. but I have a feeling you might soon. Goodnight.” You winked at him and slowly backed away, leaving Rooster standing there stunned and not quite sure what had just happened.
But as he stood there trying to figure it out, he realized he never paid you for the beers. Quickly hurrying after you, he skidded to a stop as he heard familiar voices coming from just around the corner.
“Hey, we need to talk.”
“Hey, Jake, what’s up? Is something wrong?” you asked.
Rooster carefully peeked his head around the side of the building to see you and Hangman standing close together at the edge of the parking lot. Hangman reached out and took your hand. “We need to talk about us. Now that we’re gonna be here together for the next month, maybe we could try working something out. Maybe this time-”
However, you cut him off with a sad sigh as you pulled your hand away. “Jake, just stop, okay? We both know that’s not gonna work. I love you and I will always love you. But…. I don’t think I can ever be in love with you again. And if you’re honest with yourself, I don’t think that’s really what you want anyway. You like the idea of us together, but the reality is so much different than the thought. We just don’t work as a couple. When we tried it again last year, we almost ruined everything we had built between us and I don’t want that to happen again. You were too jealous, I was too controlling, and it’s all because neither one of us really trusts each other after what happened the first time. We need to just be friends, best friends, but nothing more.”
“I know.” Hangman stared down at the ground, his hands shoved in his pockets. “You’re right. I do love you, but not in that way. Not anymore. I think I’m just afraid of losing what we have if you find someone else. And I do want you to be happy, really I do. But do you seriously have to go out with Rooster of all people?” Rooster’s head snapped to attention. Since when was that decided?
You must have had a similar thought as your brow scrunched in confusion. “Who said anything about going out with him? We just met tonight and all we did was talk. You were the one who brought up him making a move!”
“Yeah, but you like him, I can tell.”
Now it was your turn to look shyly down at the ground. “I mean, it wasn’t a long conversation or anything, but yeah, I do. He seems to know who he is, and he owns it. I like that. And I know you two have your differences or whatever, but if something were to happen between us, I’m not going to not see him because of that. I respect your opinion, Jake, but if I didn’t date any guy you had friction with, I might as well join a nunnery.”
“I’m not that bad!” Your ex scoffed.
“Of all the people here, the only people you like are me and Coyote. That’s it. And I heard you tell Coyote that he better not try anything with me. So, who does that leave me with?”
“Fine. I get your point. I’ll try to behave.”
You grabbed his chin between your fingers and squeezed it playfully before planting a kiss on his cheek. “That’s all I ask.”
Hangman sighed dejectedly. “But could you at least not try rubbing it in my face. I don’t need to see you guys making out or whatever in front of me all the time.”
“Oh, come on, Jakey! Don’t spoil all my fun! I was planning on sneaking in tonight and making out with Rooster on your bed. Then having sex with him in the cockpit of your plane in the morning.” Rooster knew you were joking, but he still felt his face grow red as he shifted, flustered at the mental image you had just created in his head.
Hangman pretended to gag. “Ugh! Don’t even make me think about that! Just…. don’t do that and I’ll deal with whatever else you want to do.”
You smiled and placed another soft kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, Jake. And I know seeing me possibly with someone else can be tough, so I will try my best not to flaunt anything that might end up happening between me and anyone else.”
“Thanks,” Hangman grumbled softly. Then he dug his keys out of his pocket and said, “It’s late and we have an early morning tomorrow. We should both probably get some sleep.”
“Good idea.” You took his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “It’s good to see you in person again, and I’m glad we’re able to go through this together, whatever this mission is.”
Hangman smiled. “Yeah, I’m glad too. But watch your back because that team leader spot is mine!”
“We’ll just have to see about that,” you chuckled. “Goodnight, Jake.”
“’Nite, Livewire.”
Rooster stared at your back as you watched Hangman disappear into the darkness. Then, without turning around, you called out, “So, now that we have his blessing, what do you think, Rooster? Dinner tomorrow night after our training? Just the two of us?”
Rooster froze as he realized you must have known he had been here the whole-time listening in. But you were still asking him to dinner so that was a good sign… he guessed. In a hesitant, yet excited voice, he said, “Yeah. I would really like that.”
And though you still didn’t turn to face him as you started to walk away, Rooster could hear the smile in your voice as you said, “Good. It’s a date.”
I might do a Part 2 for this if there is interest. So, let me know!
“Jesus, Rooster. I told you to let a rescue team come for her. There’s nothing you can do in a single-seater plane, and you just put yourself in more danger.” Maverick sighed into the coms, “But you’re there now. You need to try and find someplace the two of you can hide until help can arrive.”
“I-I don’t know if I should move her. She’s hurt and it’s…. it’s bad, Mav.“
You lingered outside the briefing room, waiting for the news you were certain was about to come but yet you prayed didn’t. As much as you knew Rooster wanted on this mission, the thought of him going made your stomach roll and your heart clench. Though you only worked the coms in the control room for the mission and had no clearance for the details of the current assignment, you had managed to sneak a look at the mission plan. It was a near-suicide mission, and everyone knew it. And yet, you knew better than to ask Rooster to step down. It was missions like this that he trained for his entire career, and he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to fly it. Even for you.
Suddenly, the door to the briefing room flew open and Hangman stormed out. The second you saw his face, all of your fears were confirmed. The only reason he would look that pissed off is if he hadn’t been selected for the team, which meant…..
Rooster walked out of the room, and he stumbled to a stop when he saw you standing there. Without saying a word, he opened his arms and you were instantly in them, wrapped in his tight embrace for what might be the last time. Burying your face into his chest, you said in a muffled voice, “I told you he would pick you. Maverick knows talent when he sees it.”
Rooster sighed as he rested his chin on the top of your head. “Yeah, well, you’re not exactly objective when it comes to my skills.”
Rooster eases himself out of bed as quietly as possible. It is still pitch-black outside, so he does his best to navigate through the dimly lit room without running into anything. Once he makes it to the bathroom door, he slips inside and flips on the light.
He starts stripping down and is just about to step into the shower when his phone buzzes. Glancing at it, he curses under his breath. Another schedule change means there’s no time for a shower before he has to leave. So, he quickly pulls on his uniform and runs his comb through his sleep-tousled hair.
As he stares into the mirror, the man gazing back at him seems so much calmer and more composed than he feels inside. It is an ability he has mastered after years of practice. Because he knows he can’t walk out of this room with the terror and anxiety he is feeling about this mission etched on his face. He would never do that to you.
As he opens the door, he catches sight of the bed as it is bathed in the glow from the bathroom light. You are laying on your stomach, hair splayed across your pillow and over part of your face. One arm is stretched out onto his side of the bed, fingers clutching at the sheets as even in sleep you are searching for him.
Walking over to your side of the bed, he leans over and places a gentle kiss on your temple causing you to stir softly. Without opening your eyes, you mumble, “Mmm. What time is it?”
Rooster brushes the hair off your face as he whispers, “It’s only 4:30. Go back to sleep, baby.”
You nod slightly and roll onto your back. The movement causes your thin nightshirt to ride up, revealing the slight bump of your stomach. At only three months along, most people would probably not notice the slight swell in your midsection, but to Rooster, who knows your body inside and out, it stands out immediately. He knows that it is his child in there, a child that if things went wrong on the mission, he would never get to meet.
Rooster eases himself out of bed as quietly as possible. It is still pitch-black outside, so he does his best to navigate through the dimly lit room without running into anything. Once he makes it to the bathroom door, he slips inside and flips on the light.
He starts stripping down and is just about to step into the shower when his phone buzzes. Glancing at it, he curses under his breath. Another schedule change means there’s no time for a shower before he has to leave. So, he quickly pulls on his uniform and runs his comb through his sleep-tousled hair.
As he stares into the mirror, the man gazing back at him seems so much calmer and more composed than he feels inside. It is an ability he has mastered after years of practice. Because he knows he can’t walk out of this room with the terror and anxiety he is feeling about this mission etched on his face. He would never do that to you.
As he opens the door, he catches sight of the bed as it is bathed in the glow from the bathroom light. You are laying on your stomach, hair splayed across your pillow and over part of your face. One arm is stretched out onto his side of the bed, fingers clutching at the sheets as even in sleep you are searching for him.
Walking over to your side of the bed, he leans over and places a gentle kiss on your temple causing you to stir softly. Without opening your eyes, you mumble, “Mmm. What time is it?”
Rooster brushes the hair off your face as he whispers, “It’s only 4:30. Go back to sleep, baby.”
You nod slightly and roll onto your back. The movement causes your thin nightshirt to ride up, revealing the slight bump of your stomach. At only three months along, most people would probably not notice the slight swell in your midsection, but to Rooster, who knows your body inside and out, it stands out immediately. He knows that it is his child in there, a child that if things went wrong on the mission, he would never get to meet.
Notes: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for beta reading for me! And a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported Part 1! The response has been amazing and it really means so incredibly much to me!
Rooster… It had been a faint sound, feeble and hoarse, but he had heard you whisper his name across the coms. You were alive. For now at least. And Rooster was determined to do everything in his power to keep it that way even if that meant risking his own life.
He had seen the look of pain that flashed across your face as the missile that was aimed at his plane suddenly slammed into yours instead, and he had managed to catch a glimpse of your limp body as it hung beneath your parachute after you ejected. As much as he had screamed into the coms for you to turn on your beacon, as much as he kept insisting to the others that you were alive, part of him didn’t believe it. So, the second he saw your location beacon flicker to life on his radar, his heart leaped in his chest.
Now, as he ignored everyone’s incessant calls for him to return to the aircraft carrier, he was circling the area around your beacon. It seemed luck was on his side because, while he was unable to spot where you landed amongst the trees, he was able to find an old service road that had been recently cleared of snow. It wasn’t his best landing, and he knew takeoff would be tricky on the uneven surface, but at least it was something he could work with.
His engine didn’t even have time to sputter to a stop before he was out of the cockpit and jumping to the ground. The signal from your beacon had placed you not too far from here, but as Rooster sprinted towards the location, he saw no sign of you. A million thoughts spiraled through his head. Maybe you had been captured. Maybe the beacon had fallen off your suit and malfunctioned, turning on by itself. Maybe he wasn’t going to reach you in time, wasn’t going to have the chance to tell you….
But just then, he spotted something to his right. You were laying on your side with your back towards him, crumpled at the base of a tree with your parachute tangled in the limbs high above you. As he rushed to your side, he noticed your entire body was shivering but whether it was from the cold, the pain, or some sort of shock, Rooster couldn’t tell. Normally this fact would have worried him, but at the moment, he was just relieved for a sign that you were alive. As carefully as he could, he eased you onto your back, before gasping in alarm.
Vee… you’ve done it again. Had me on the edge of my seat, heart beating fast. Did she hear him? Was she gonna make it? God, this was so good.
And I loved the part with Hangman
Rooster shook his head and gave you a teasing half-smile, “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to remind you how much I love you. Tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. Until you never forget it.” … Leaning over, Rooster placed a soft kiss on top of your head. “As long as it takes, and for every day after that.”
Oh my fucking God, this made my heart flutter, made me giggle, swoon and squeal. God, I love a happy ending
Thank you Sofie! I am fine with unhappy endings but I couldn’t do that to them! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Rooster eases himself out of bed as quietly as possible. It is still pitch-black outside, so he does his best to navigate through the dimly lit room without running into anything. Once he makes it to the bathroom door, he slips inside and flips on the light.
He starts stripping down and is just about to step into the shower when his phone buzzes. Glancing at it, he curses under his breath. Another schedule change means there’s no time for a shower before he has to leave. So, he quickly pulls on his uniform and runs his comb through his sleep-tousled hair.
As he stares into the mirror, the man gazing back at him seems so much calmer and more composed than he feels inside. It is an ability he has mastered after years of practice. Because he knows he can’t walk out of this room with the terror and anxiety he is feeling about this mission etched on his face. He would never do that to you.
As he opens the door, he catches sight of the bed as it is bathed in the glow from the bathroom light. You are laying on your stomach, hair splayed across your pillow and over part of your face. One arm is stretched out onto his side of the bed, fingers clutching at the sheets as even in sleep you are searching for him.
Walking over to your side of the bed, he leans over and places a gentle kiss on your temple causing you to stir softly. Without opening your eyes, you mumble, “Mmm. What time is it?”
Rooster brushes the hair off your face as he whispers, “It’s only 4:30. Go back to sleep, baby.”
You nod slightly and roll onto your back. The movement causes your thin nightshirt to ride up, revealing the slight bump of your stomach. At only three months along, most people would probably not notice the slight swell in your midsection, but to Rooster, who knows your body inside and out, it stands out immediately. He knows that it is his child in there, a child that if things went wrong on the mission, he would never get to meet.
Rooster. If you have resorted to calling him that, then there is nothing left to say. He nods and turns back to the door. As he opens it, he pauses for just a moment. Without turning around, he says, “I love you.”
This was really really good and lovely Vee
Thank you so much Sam! I was really in an angsty mood when I wrote this But I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Rooster eases himself out of bed as quietly as possible. It is still pitch-black outside, so he does his best to navigate through the dimly lit room without running into anything. Once he makes it to the bathroom door, he slips inside and flips on the light.
He starts stripping down and is just about to step into the shower when his phone buzzes. Glancing at it, he curses under his breath. Another schedule change means there’s no time for a shower before he has to leave. So, he quickly pulls on his uniform and runs his comb through his sleep-tousled hair.
As he stares into the mirror, the man gazing back at him seems so much calmer and more composed than he feels inside. It is an ability he has mastered after years of practice. Because he knows he can’t walk out of this room with the terror and anxiety he is feeling about this mission etched on his face. He would never do that to you.
As he opens the door, he catches sight of the bed as it is bathed in the glow from the bathroom light. You are laying on your stomach, hair splayed across your pillow and over part of your face. One arm is stretched out onto his side of the bed, fingers clutching at the sheets as even in sleep you are searching for him.
Walking over to your side of the bed, he leans over and places a gentle kiss on your temple causing you to stir softly. Without opening your eyes, you mumble, “Mmm. What time is it?”
Rooster brushes the hair off your face as he whispers, “It’s only 4:30. Go back to sleep, baby.”
You nod slightly and roll onto your back. The movement causes your thin nightshirt to ride up, revealing the slight bump of your stomach. At only three months along, most people would probably not notice the slight swell in your midsection, but to Rooster, who knows your body inside and out, it stands out immediately. He knows that it is his child in there, a child that if things went wrong on the mission, he would never get to meet.
Ahhhhhh Vee! This hit even harder the second time around! I felt Reader’s emotions so deeply, and Rooster’s, too! What a beautiful fic! Just like we spoke about earlier, I’m so glad we know how it pans out on the mission. But that did nothing to detract from the angst. It was fantastic!
Thank you so much Katy!!! Your comments were so encouraging as I was working on this and it really helped motivate me to finish it! I really appreciate it!
Rooster eases himself out of bed as quietly as possible. It is still pitch-black outside, so he does his best to navigate through the dimly lit room without running into anything. Once he makes it to the bathroom door, he slips inside and flips on the light.
He starts stripping down and is just about to step into the shower when his phone buzzes. Glancing at it, he curses under his breath. Another schedule change means there’s no time for a shower before he has to leave. So, he quickly pulls on his uniform and runs his comb through his sleep-tousled hair.
As he stares into the mirror, the man gazing back at him seems so much calmer and more composed than he feels inside. It is an ability he has mastered after years of practice. Because he knows he can’t walk out of this room with the terror and anxiety he is feeling about this mission etched on his face. He would never do that to you.
As he opens the door, he catches sight of the bed as it is bathed in the glow from the bathroom light. You are laying on your stomach, hair splayed across your pillow and over part of your face. One arm is stretched out onto his side of the bed, fingers clutching at the sheets as even in sleep you are searching for him.
Walking over to your side of the bed, he leans over and places a gentle kiss on your temple causing you to stir softly. Without opening your eyes, you mumble, “Mmm. What time is it?”
Rooster brushes the hair off your face as he whispers, “It’s only 4:30. Go back to sleep, baby.”
You nod slightly and roll onto your back. The movement causes your thin nightshirt to ride up, revealing the slight bump of your stomach. At only three months along, most people would probably not notice the slight swell in your midsection, but to Rooster, who knows your body inside and out, it stands out immediately. He knows that it is his child in there, a child that if things went wrong on the mission, he would never get to meet.
He had always been unsure about having kids. Knowing the dangers associated with his job, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to risk leaving a kid without a father like he was. Yet, the moment you had called and told him, all the doubts, all the fears instantly melted away and he was left wondering how he could have ever imagined his life without a child of his own. One that he created with you.
The two of you had been high school sweethearts, married right after graduation, and you had been with him through every major moment in his life and there was no one else he could picture having by his side for this one. However, this mission he was leaving for is more dangerous than anything he had ever flown before. And there was a good chance he wouldn’t be making it back.
Rooster thinks about his confrontation with Maverick just after Phoenix and Bob’s accident. He had thrown it in the older man’s face that Maverick didn’t have a wife or child to mourn him if something happened to him. And as much as he was referring to his dad’s death at that moment, in his head, he also meant it as what would happen to you and the baby if he didn’t come back from this mission. At least he still has photos and vague, fuzzy memories of time with his dad. But if Rooster was killed tomorrow, his child wouldn’t even have that.
That realization brings Rooster to his knees beside the bed. The idea that his child would never get to hear his voice, see his smile, feel his love….. Somehow this possibility had never crossed his mind until now. Slowly, he climbs onto the bed and rests one hand on your stomach, spreading his large fingers across your bare skin. He rests it there for a minute, silently trying to express all the things he wanted his child to know, especially how much he loved him or her.
Bending down, he lightly brushes his lips across the tender skin of your stomach, causing you to giggle softly. Lazily, you push at his head as you playfully whine, “Bradley, stop! Your mustache is tickling me and I’m trying to sleep.”
“Sorry about that. Is this better?” He slides up your body until he is able to press his lips against yours.
You hum softly against his mouth. “Yes, much better.”
He deepens the kiss, knowing he doesn’t have time but also knowing that just like his child, he needs you to know how much he loves you.
After a moment, you grab his arm and try to drag him further into the bed, but he reluctantly resists as he pries himself from your grasp and sits up. Seeing how his loving expression has slipped into something more somber, you sit up, suddenly awake. “What’s wrong?”
Rooster sighed. “Phoenix just texted me. They moved up our check-in time. She’s on her way right now to pick me up.”
The sorrow on your face shatters Rooster’s heart. “But… we were supposed to have the whole morning! I got those cinnamon rolls you like from the bakery for your farewell breakfast!”
He cups your face as you lean into his touch. “I know. I’m sorry, baby. But I have to go. Phoenix will be here any minute to pick me up.”
He runs his other hand gently across your stomach and you sigh. “You didn’t tell them, did you? Any of them, not even Phoenix.”
Rooster shakes his head. “If I did, they’d have found some excuse to not let me go.”
“And that’s such a bad thing?” you ask with a doleful scoff.
“Baby, you know I have to do this. It’s my job and I’m one of the only people who can do it.”
You tilt your head so it leans further into his caress. “I know. That’s why I’m not asking you not to go. I’m just asking you to come back.” You place one hand softly on your stomach. “I can’t do this alone. We need you.”
Rooster chuckles. “No, you don’t. Not really. You’re going to be an amazing mother, with or without me.”
“Oh, I know I’m going to be amazing. Don’t worry about that,” you tease before becoming more serious once again. “But don’t make me prove I can do this alone. That wasn’t a challenge. I need us to do this together.”
“I’m going to try my absolute best……. but I want you to keep this.” Rooster slips off his wedding ring and holds it out to you.
You stare at it in horror, tears springing to your eyes. “No, Bradley, no. I know what that means and I’m not taking that.”
He moves his hand closer to you, urging you to take it. “If something goes wrong, they may not be able to get it back to you and I want you to have it. Please.”
You began to shake your head forcefully. “Don’t ask me to keep that. You’ve never asked me to keep it before. You’re going to come home, and you’ll be wearing it when you do.”
“Baby, it was my dad’s, and if something goes wrong….. I want our kid to have it. I want you to be able to give it to them one day.”
Your lip begins to tremble as you stare at the ring. Then slowly, you reach out and take it from him. “Don’t you dare make me do that, Bradley Bradshaw. Don’t you dare…. This is going back on your finger in a few days, then it’s never coming off again. Do you hear me?”
He nods before gathering you into his arms. You cling tightly to him and bury your face into his chest as he leans over and rests his head on top of yours. The two of you remain silently wrapped in each other’s embrace, both trying not to think about the meaning behind what just happened.
Suddenly, Rooster’s phone buzzes. Glancing at it, he sighs. “Phoenix is here. I have to go.”
He places a long, lingering kiss on the top of your head before carefully extracting himself from your grasp. As he stands, he runs his hand softly over your stomach one final time. Then he walks over to the bedroom door. But just as his hand wraps around the door handle, he hears you whisper from the bed. “I could call Maverick you know. The second I tell him the truth, about the baby, he would ground you.”
Rooster sighs as he rests his head on the doorframe. “I know. But I also know you love me too much to do that. You understand what this mission means to me.”
“Apparently more than we mean to you.”
Rooster whirled around, his face shifting quickly between a dozen different emotions. “You know that isn’t true!”
You nod softly with your head down, but Rooster can still see the tears beginning to stream down your face. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I just….”
Another buzz of Rooster’s phone cuts you off. He quickly mutes it. “Sorry. Go on.”
But you shake your head as you purse your lips. “No, you need to go. You can’t keep them waiting.”
“Baby…”
He takes a step closer to you, but you hold up your hands, halting him. “Go, Rooster. You have a job to do, so do it and come home. Come home to us.”
Rooster. If you have resorted to calling him that, then there is nothing left to say. He nods and turns back to the door. As he opens it, he pauses for just a moment. Without turning around, he says, “I love you.”
There is a three-second pause that seems to stretch on for an eternity before you whisper, “I love you, too.”
And with that, Rooster walks out the door. As soon as it is closed, he hears you collapse onto the bed sobbing. But he can’t look back. If he does, he knows he will never leave. So instead, he places one foot in front of the other as he heads off into the unknown, hoping that one day soon, he will be walking back down into that room and into your arms once more.
Notes: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for beta reading for me! And a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported Part 1! The response has been amazing and it really means so incredibly much to me!
Rooster… It had been a faint sound, feeble and hoarse, but he had heard you whisper his name across the coms. You were alive. For now at least. And Rooster was determined to do everything in his power to keep it that way even if that meant risking his own life.
He had seen the look of pain that flashed across your face as the missile that was aimed at his plane suddenly slammed into yours instead, and he had managed to catch a glimpse of your limp body as it hung beneath your parachute after you ejected. As much as he had screamed into the coms for you to turn on your beacon, as much as he kept insisting to the others that you were alive, part of him didn’t believe it. So, the second he saw your location beacon flicker to life on his radar, his heart leaped in his chest.
Now, as he ignored everyone’s incessant calls for him to return to the aircraft carrier, he was circling the area around your beacon. It seemed luck was on his side because, while he was unable to spot where you landed amongst the trees, he was able to find an old service road that had been recently cleared of snow. It wasn’t his best landing, and he knew takeoff would be tricky on the uneven surface, but at least it was something he could work with.
His engine didn’t even have time to sputter to a stop before he was out of the cockpit and jumping to the ground. The signal from your beacon had placed you not too far from here, but as Rooster sprinted towards the location, he saw no sign of you. A million thoughts spiraled through his head. Maybe you had been captured. Maybe the beacon had fallen off your suit and malfunctioned, turning on by itself. Maybe he wasn’t going to reach you in time, wasn’t going to have the chance to tell you….
But just then, he spotted something to his right. You were laying on your side with your back towards him, crumpled at the base of a tree with your parachute tangled in the limbs high above you. As he rushed to your side, he noticed your entire body was shivering but whether it was from the cold, the pain, or some sort of shock, Rooster couldn’t tell. Normally this fact would have worried him, but at the moment, he was just relieved for a sign that you were alive. As carefully as he could, he eased you onto your back, before gasping in alarm.
Notes: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for beta reading for me! And a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported Part 1! The response has been amazing and it really means so incredibly much to me!
Rooster… It had been a faint sound, feeble and hoarse, but he had heard you whisper his name across the coms. You were alive. For now at least. And Rooster was determined to do everything in his power to keep it that way even if that meant risking his own life.
He had seen the look of pain that flashed across your face as the missile that was aimed at his plane suddenly slammed into yours instead, and he had managed to catch a glimpse of your limp body as it hung beneath your parachute after you ejected. As much as he had screamed into the coms for you to turn on your beacon, as much as he kept insisting to the others that you were alive, part of him didn’t believe it. So, the second he saw your location beacon flicker to life on his radar, his heart leaped in his chest.
Now, as he ignored everyone’s incessant calls for him to return to the aircraft carrier, he was circling the area around your beacon. It seemed luck was on his side because, while he was unable to spot where you landed amongst the trees, he was able to find an old service road that had been recently cleared of snow. It wasn’t his best landing, and he knew takeoff would be tricky on the uneven surface, but at least it was something he could work with.
His engine didn’t even have time to sputter to a stop before he was out of the cockpit and jumping to the ground. The signal from your beacon had placed you not too far from here, but as Rooster sprinted towards the location, he saw no sign of you. A million thoughts spiraled through his head. Maybe you had been captured. Maybe the beacon had fallen off your suit and malfunctioned, turning on by itself. Maybe he wasn’t going to reach you in time, wasn’t going to have the chance to tell you….
But just then, he spotted something to his right. You were laying on your side with your back towards him, crumpled at the base of a tree with your parachute tangled in the limbs high above you. As he rushed to your side, he noticed your entire body was shivering but whether it was from the cold, the pain, or some sort of shock, Rooster couldn’t tell. Normally this fact would have worried him, but at the moment, he was just relieved for a sign that you were alive. As carefully as he could, he eased you onto your back, before gasping in alarm.
mav keeping all those pictures of bradley and also goose and carole over the years. mav having flashbacks after bradley played great balls of fire on the piano at penny’s bar. mav canonically being bradley’s adopted father until he pulled his academy app. mav taking the blame because he’d rather bradley resent him for the rest of his life than carole. mav desperately not wanting to lose bradley like he did goose. mav and bradley flying that f-14 together. mav and bradley BOTH saying (variations of) talk to me, goose. mav and bradley still loving goose so fucking much. mav and bradley encouraging each other. mav and bradley saving each other’s lives and refusing to apologize for it or leave each other. mav and bradley repairing their relationship. Mav And Bradley.
