Chapter Text
“Talk to me Goose,” Mav asked, looking out at the curvature of the earth as he became the fastest man alive.
“Well Mav,” Goose started from his place on the wing of the craft. He didn’t feel G-forces or get moved from the wing of any craft anymore when he did this no matter the speed. “It’s a beautiful sunset we’re seeing out here. You’re officially the fastest man alive, and pissed off another Admiral all in the span of 30 minutes! Looking like a great day for shit to go wrong don’t you say?”
Mav of course couldn’t hear him as his speed ticked up to 9.4, continuing the acceleration towards 10.
“Windshield hot caution,” Mav announced to the comms, informing his team back on the ground.”
“You’re gonna listen to Hondo right Mav? You touch Mach 10 and you’re done or Ice is gonna kill you. I may kill you,” he stated as the craft started to shake, “Oh shit.”
But even when Mav touched Mach 10 he kept going, “Just. A little. Push.”
The speed continued to tick up by .1 then .2 past the agreed Mach 10. Honestly, Goose shouldn’t have been surprised when everything started to fail.
“Oh, shit.”
“And here comes the fiery ball of death that you’re gonna survive,” Goose quipped as both the right engine was lost and the left proceeded to explode. He was right. Definitely, a great day for shit to go wrong.
Goose popped into Ice’s office at the house as soon as Mav managed to stagger into civilization. Ice was already pacing the room seemingly waiting for him, following the outline of the rug as much as he could while he did. He was looking down at the ground but at the sound of Goose he looked up towards the guardian angel.
“Is he ok?” Ice asked walking over towards him.
“He’s fucking fine. Pushed the goddamn jet to 10.4 before it failed and exploded. He landed on the border of Idaho and Washington and was staggering into a small town when I left him,” Goose explained, moving to plop himself in the chair he always sat in when he was with Ice. “So you actually get to kill your husband for nearly giving me a heart attack.”
“You’re dead Goose. You can’t have a heart attack,” Ice muttered as he made his way back over to his desk and sat down, slumping into the seat, “How long do you think we have before they call me to say he’s alive?”
Goose shrugged and took the seat on the other side of the desk, swinging his legs over the side of the armrest, “Probably 20-30 minutes for it to get through all the appropriate channels.”
“I assume he’s in good enough condition and not close to dying based on how you’re lounging and sticking around instead of going back to him?” Ice asked. It was a reference to how Goose would always update Ice on Mav’s condition. If Mav wasn’t stable though Goose would automatically pop back instead of staying around with Ice.
Goose nodded, “Few bruised ribs for sure from the ejection. Gonna be sore for weeks so I’d avoid funny business with your husband when he comes home,” Ice who’d been dealing with Goose for too long didn’t acknowledge this comment. “But no concussion somehow. He’ll be fine after a while. The three weeks at Top Gun will do him some good to let it heal if he doesn’t continue to push himself.”
Ice snorted at the idea of Mav slowing down at Top Gun. “Like he’ll be able to achieve that. You going to stick with him when he gets a dressing down from Admiral Cain?”
“Seeing Mav get ripped apart by an Admiral? That’s every week shit Ice. Can’t hear me yelling at him for being a dumbass so why waste the energy.”
“Fair enough. If this mission goes well and they both make it home I promise you Goose we’ll finally get the pocket watch to Bradley. Even if Mav and him are still fighting.”
“Thank you Ice even if you won’t tell me what exactly this mission is.”
“Captain Pete, "Maverick" Mitchell. Your reputation precedes you,” Cyclone stated to Maverick. Mav had gone straight to Top Gun after being dismissed by Cain, not bothering to stop home to see Ice before this meeting with Cyclone. By Goose’s estimates, he was trying to be done with seeing Admirals that only gave him verbal dressing downs before seeing his Admiral.
“I wonder why,” Goose scoffed. He’d sat down at one of the chairs closest to Mav on the opposite side of the table from Cyclone and Warlock’s position.
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Wasn't a compliment. I’m Admiral Beau Simpson. I’m the air boss. I believe you know Admiral Bates,” Cyclone responded gesturing towards the 2-star admiral sitting next to him.
“Warlock Sir? I must admit I wasn’t expecting an invitation back here.”
“Ya after your teaching stint and all the shit you’ve pulled since then why would you,” Goose threw the offhanded comment mostly for himself. Maverick’s reputation was insanely long. His file was inches thick full of complaints and honors.
“They’re called orders, Maverick. You two have something in common. “Cyclone" here was first in his class back in ‘88.” Warlock stated.
Maverick nodded keeping his position before giving a small smile, “ Actually, Sir, I finished second to my husband. Just want to manage expectations.”
Cyclone was clearly already annoyed by Mav from the way he let out a breath of annoyance and set down his coffee mug. But Warlock continued, outlining the parameters of the mission and what needed to be accomplished by Maverick.
Goose let out a low whistle as he watched Maverick analyze the mission, “Damn. That’s worse than any mission you’ve flown before Maverick.”
He wasn’t wrong. All the elements of the mission were tough. And it proved to be even more so as Maverick discussed teams and aircraft type. Mav had all the elements of this mission under his belt already accomplished and Cyclone acknowledged that. But do to them altogether? Goose wasn’t going to leave his side this entire mission it felt.
“We don’t want you to fly it. We want you to teach it. We recalled 12 Top Gun graduates, from their squadrons. We want you to narrow that pool down to 6. They’ll fly the mission.”
Goose glanced back to the screen and automatically understood why Ice didn’t tell him what the mission was. That was Bradley’s face in the top right corner of the screen. Bradley had a 1/12 chance he’d be chosen to fly this mission. With this family’s luck though it was going to be closer to 100% he knew. Fuck.
Goose had zoned out though because the conversation had continued around him
“After Mitchel was cleared of any wrongdoings, Goose’s death was an accident,” Warlock insisted
“Is that how you see it, Captain? Is that how Goose’s son sees it?”
Goose wanted to fucking punch Cyclone the fucker. Maverick had already spent nearly 30 years feeling guilty for his death. It was something both Goose tried to tell him was not his fault and something even Ice had tried to get into Mav’s head as well. This airboss was a fucking asshole and had no right to the seat that had previously been Ice’s if he was going to treat Maverick like this.
“Well then let me be perfectly blunt. You are not my first choice. In fact, you weren’t even on a list. You are here at the request of Admiral Kazansky. Now, Iceman happens to be a man I deeply admire as he held this post previously, and he seems to think you still have something left to offer the Navy. What that is, I can’t imagine. You don’t have to take this job. But let me be clear. This will be your last post, Captain. You fly for Top Gun, or you don’t fly for the Navy ever again,” Cyclone informed him.
Fuck Goose really wanted to punch this guy in the teeth.
Mav only went to the Hard Deck because Ice told him to. And he’d only accepted it after he’d had a long discussion with Ice about how Bradley wasn’t ready for this mission. How he could have preferred a warning about the entire mission instead of being blindsided.
Ice’s headache was growing and he really didn’t want to deal with an angry Mav so he sent him towards Penny to try and make up with her. The last time he’d been in town he had pissed off Penny and that was a friendship Ice valued too much to let Mav neglect. Penny was their closest friend that still lived in Fightertown and owned the best bar. He wasn’t going to get Maverick get them banned from it.
“Go with him?” Ice asked looking towards Goose when Mav drove off on his motorcycle, “I have a feeling Bradley may be at the bar tonight as well and I need you to make sure he makes it home without crashing.”
Goose didn’t argue with that so he sat next to Mav as he watched Coyote and Hangman throw darts. The pit that settled in his gut at the sight of that unsettled him. Mav had no clue who either of these pilots was to Bradley previously. Only Goose knew the full story and Ice only parts of it. Seeing Jake again throwing darts was a vivid callback to the first time he met Bradley.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. Pete,” Penny greeted with annoyance lining her voice as she leaned against her bar.
“Hiya Penny,” Mav responded, his voice already apologetic, “It’s been a bit huh?”
“You here to apologize?”
Mav gave a shy smile and nodded, “Ya. Ice kicked my ass out of the house. Figured it was time to repair and cover my debt from that last night I saw you and Amelia. I thought I’d put up my services to help on your Porsche.”
Penny was clearly intrigued by that from the way she leaned over a little more towards Mav, “Who’d you piss off this time Maverick?”
Goose scoffed, “More like who didn’t he piss off.”
“Another Admiral, not including my husband.”
Penny shook her head and leaned back, “Exactly. I will take you up on your mechanic services plus babysitting Amelia.”
“I didn’t put up the second part.”
“And yet you’re still gonna agree to it aren’t ya Petey.”
Mav sighed in defeat and nodded, “Fine.”
“And one more thing.”
“What else are you gonna make me do to get your forgiveness Penny?”
And the bell was rung as she answered, her voice barely coming through the cheering crowd, “Buy a round for everyone Pete. You’re lucky it’s early.”
Maverick groaned and put his head in his hands but gave no verbal complaint knowing that if he did Penny would just torture him more. She grinned at his response though and handed him a fresh glass of his favorite beer before turning around and leaving to continue tending the bar.
Mav sat there holding the glass in hand and taking a few sips as he watched Hangman and Coyote move from the dartboard to the pool table.
Goose let out a low whistle at the sight of Phoenix walking in with Payback and Fanboy behind her in lockstep. He hadn’t seen her since the night she got released from the hospital after her burns. Seeing her now and the way she held herself showed just how much she recovered, seeming the same as she’d always been pre-injury.
“What do we have here? If it ain’t Phoenix. And here I thought we were special, Coyote. Turns out, the invite went to everyone,” Jake grinned leaning a bit on his pool cue as the three others approached. Goose hopped out of his seat at the bar and followed a step behind to watch the interaction take place.
The two bickering back and forth seemed almost reminiscent of old times when Bradley was around and they were all close friends. But this time it was laced with a bitter undertone to Goose, the way Natasha let anything Jake said to roll off her like it was water to a duck.
Natasha noticing the man in the corner surprised Goose who hadn’t noticed him either. Even as the newly introduced Bob swore he was a WSO and not a stealth pilot something didn’t sit right with Goose. For a brief second, he thought Bob was looking at him before Hangman walked right through him to get to the bar.
Goose barely paid attention to anything but the game until Phoenix’s voice called out “Bradshaw! Is that you?”
And there was Bradley, with his mustache and his Hawaiian shirt that had once been Goose’s. It wasn’t hard to miss how Mav turned his head away from looking at the kid to prevent him from being noticed when he paused. Once Bradley had spotted Phoenix though he quickly walked over.
“This is how I find out you’re stateside?” Natasha asked while he took off his sunglasses to tuck into his shirt.
“Yeah, I just thought I’d surprise you,” his son responded before getting jabbed in the gut with the back of a pool cue stick.
“Oh. I guess I surprised you back.”
Goose could feel Maverick’s eyes on Bradley as he moved around the pool table. He even glanced back to watch Mav pull his card out of his wallet. It wasn’t an awful move on his part Goose thought. The longer he stayed in the bar the more likely Mav was to notice him. The factor in this equation was the facedown of the exs.
“Bradshaw. As I live and breathe.”
“Hangman. You look… good.”
“Well, I am good, Rooster. I’m very good. In fact, I’m too good to be true.”
Goose sighed and ran a hand through his hair looking towards Bradley and talking over Payback, “Really Callsigns? You know that doesn’t exactly avoid sexual tension like you’re intending it to Baby Goose.”
“No, mission’s a mission. They don’t confront me. What I wanna know—who’s gonna be team leader? And which one of y’all has what it takes… to follow me,” another ball went into a pocket as Jake talked before he straighten to look towards Bradley.
“Hangman, the only place you’ll lead anyone is an early grave.”
Fuck that was a low shot. It was insinuating that Bradley still thought Jake was responsible for Natasha’s crash and clearly only Coyote and her understood what he meant other than Jake. Both’s glances dropped along with any playful smile they had.
It didn’t seem to shake Jake though, as he stepped around the table and made brief eye contact with Natasha. A look that passed between them was all Goose needed to know was this had actually been the topic of their fight at Top Gun 3 years ago.
“Well, anyone that follows you’s just gonna… run out of fuel. But that’s just you, ain’t it, Rooster? You’re snug on that perch, waiting for just the right moment, that never comes,” Jake answered, his coy smile never leaving as he came closer to Bradley.
Bradley’s eyes flicked down to Jake’s lips, the small grin on his face unmoving even as he flicked them back up to look at Jake’s eyes. It was a subtle move, one only those who were familiar with Bradley and Jake’s history would understand.
“Oh for the love of god,” Goose groaned, “You two are worse than Mav and Ice. Just fucking kiss him, Bradley,” he ordered his son, “For the love of god just fucking kiss him and get this shit over with so you don’t make the rest of us here uncomfortable. God kid you’ve got too much Mitchell in ya now. A Bradshaw would have jumped his bone already!”
Goose was too busy trying to yell at his son to get some sense in his head, he didn’t even notice the others looking in their direction, Bob’s gaze trying to be averted away while Fanboy just looked insulted over it all.
Once Hangman stepped back and away the tension dissipated a little. It wasn’t until Bradley had sat down at the piano that Goose noticed Penny set the card back on the bar with a little more hardness than she usually would.
“It’s been declined.”
“You’re kidding,” Mav asked in shock to which he got a coy smile back from Penny.
“You’re gonna get thrown overboard Mav,” Goose warned. It was Penny’s continued punishment for last time.
And Mav clearly knew it because he watched as her hand raised to ring the bell slowly in a taunting manner, “Come on Penny please no.”
“I’m afraid, rules are rules, Pete.” And the bell rung. And so Mav got thrown Overboard.
“I tried to warn ya Buddy,” Goose stated once Mav had hit the sand and the three that had thrown him out went inside, closing the doors behind them. “Penny’s just getting you back for last time. You should have seen it coming. Let’s just go home to Ice.” he suggested as Mav slowly staggered down the sand towards the parking lot.
When the notes of Great Balls of Fire , hit him though Mav stopped and looked to the window inside to see Bradley on the piano playing the song.
“Mav come on. You can’t watch this,” Goose pleaded knowing it still did nothing. Mav had taught Bradley to play this song. Mav had sung this song so many times with Goose before his death, with Ice, and Bradley. It was a jab in the heart once more to see his son playing it, seeming perfectly happy without him, without Ice, without Mav. Because Goose knew he wasn’t happy fully.
“Come on Mav… let’s go home. Ice is waiting.”
“I’m Admiral Bates. NAWDC commander. You’re all Top Gun graduates. The elite. The best of the best…” Warlock’s voice continued his introduction but Goose wasn’t paying attention. No, he was too busy standing by Rooster’s side silently going off at him.
“I swear to god Bradley, don’t go off at him this time, please. He’s here to teach you. He’s here to make sure you come home,” Goose lectured him. This had to go well. They had to solve their differences if Goose ever had a chance of talking to both of them on top of them coming home. “You’ve got to be able to come home if you want to go on this mission.”
“I give you Captain Pete Mitchell. Call sign—Maverick.”
And Bradley’s gaze darkened automatically as he refused to look towards Mav.
“For fuck’s sake kid,” Goose muttered before throwing his hands up in exacerbation, “That is Mav. You know he’s the only one who can teach this!” But Bradley couldn’t get that through his head for some reason.
“Today we’ll start, with what you only think you know. You show me what you’re made of,” Mav announced. And for a brief second Bradley and him locked eyes.
Goose just groaned, “You know what. Fuck it. Maybe you two going head to head is better than nothing and being silent.”
Goose always did put too much attention on Bradley or Mav. That was probably why he didn’t feel the set of eyes on him while he ranted. He didn’t feel them again later when the two confronted each other on the taxiway walking to their planes.
“You gonna wash me out?” Bradley’s voice came off as sharp and unmoving. Goose hated it.
“That’ll be up to you. Not me."
“Wow, great answer Mav. Totally not a great way to piss him off more,” Goose mumbled watching his son for his reaction.
“Am I dismissed?”
“Lord in hell you two are idiots.”
Goose was hunched over in the chair in Ice’s office again once more. He couldn’t stand to be in the air with either Mav or Goose right now with how idiotic they both were acting.
“I’m telling you Ice. They’re gonna end up crashing into the ground one day,” Goose sighed leaning back to look back at Ice. Ice for once wasn’t doing paperwork or emailing but just sat silently looking at him. It was a bad day for his throat Goose knew so he wasn’t talking.
“They nearly did today I don’t know if you heard,” Ice nodded that he’d understood Goose. “Mav’s just asking Bradley “How low you wanna go Rooster?” like they’re not plumiting below the Hard Deck. And the kid’s response? “I can go as low as you, Sir! And that’s saying something!” And I think Mav is trying to acknowledge that the past is done but Bradley still won’t accept it for shit.
“But when they pulled out of that stupid cobra maneuver they were both doing Bradley doesn’t take the risk and drop lower to take Mav out. He would have had him if he’d just dropped down,” Goose explained shaking his head in disappointment, “You and Mav tried to get it into his head to Do and not think and he’s been pushing that lesson out of his head since he got into flight school.”
“He has the skill though,” Ice muttered, his voice horse and low.
Goose nodded, “He does. I’ve seen it in his flying. When he stops thinking he’s incredible. He’s on the border of control like Mav sure but nothing could take him out of the sky it seems. I just don’t know how he’s gonna get it in his head to let go and apologize.”
Mav’s lessons didn’t get easier for Bradley or the rest of the class to digest at all. They were arrogant and snobbish and had been told they were the best for most to all of their careers. Having Mav in front of them was a reality shock to them all. And Mav didn’t hold back.
“Why are they dead?” He asked after Phoenix’s and Coyote’s hop.
Goose let out a low whistle, “Really trying to hit them hard ey Mav?”
Phoenix answered, “We broke the 300-foot ceiling. The SAM took us out.”
Maverick shook his head and looked towards Coyote for a better answer, “No. Why are they dead?” He didn’t phrase it as a question though.
“I slowed down and I didn’t give her a warning. It’s my fault—”
“Was there a reason you didn’t communicate with your team?”
“I was focusing on—”
“One that their family will accept at the funeral.”
And it finally hit the aviators what Maverick was going for.
Mav looked back to Phoenix to ask again “Why didn’t you anticipate the turn? You were briefed on the terrain. Don’t tell me. Tell it to his family”
Goose stared at the two, while Phoenix glanced over towards Bob. Bob refused to look her in the face though. But in an instant, Bob wasn’t looking at the floor Goose could have sworn the WSO’s eyes glanced up and looked right at him.
Goose’s eyes widened as he met Bob’s eyes. Bob’s weren’t moving around or seemingly fixated on the wall behind him. They were focused on Goose.
“What happened?” Maverick was now asking Hangman
“Can you see me?” Goose asked straightening from his leaning and relaxed position. He still remembered Ice’s words from years ago about how without an object most people who saw angels couldn’t hear everything they said so he pointed to himself while he spoke.
Goose’s answer was a nod back from Bob.
“Well, I flew as fast as I could. Kinda like my ass depended on it,” Hangman’s reply came back.
“And. You put your team in danger and your wingman’s dead,” Rooster’s retort came.
Goose wasn’t paying attention though, he was still locked in eye contact with Bob.
“Can you hear what I’m saying? Every word?” he asked the WSO. Another nod was his response. “How? Where’s your object? You’re carrying it while you’re in a flight suit?”
Bob shifted slightly before tapping the side of his glasses and breaking his basically staring contest with Goose to look back towards Mav who was asking Rooster where he went wrong.
“Your glasses huh?” Goose questioned in confirmation, “That’s damn smart kid. Good move.”
He got a slight nod from Bob but the WSO refused to look back at him anymore instead of watching the verbal fight going on between Maverick and Rooster.
“It’s not the plane, Sir. It’s the pilot.”
“Exactly!” Maverick’s voice boomed, causing all the pilots in the room to straighten as they realized just exactly what they’d signed up for technically.
Goose let out a sigh of relief. But it didn’t seem to be over because the tension was continuing to build as Jake and Bradley started to rile each other up more. Then Jake crossed the line in a way that Goose clearly understood as him trying to get Bradley off his perch and into action for once.
“I can’t be the only one that knows Maverick flew with his old man—”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Maverick’s voice tried to stop him.
“Or that Maverick was flying when his old man—”
Then Bradley was launching himself at Jake and the entire squadron was jumping up and running to tear them apart from one another.
“Shit! Bob get him back! Mav, what the fuck don’t get in the middle!” Goose exclaimed watching as the two were pulled apart and Maverick was left in between the two exes. But Hangman continued to taunt Bradley by saying he was fine.
“You’re all dismissed,” was Maverick’s answer.
For once after Goose didn’t follow Bradley or Mav or even popped back to Ice. He lingered by the locker room until he knew everyone Bob had left for the day. That was when he walked back into the locker room to find the WSO by his locker looking down at his phone waiting.
“You ok if I ask you a few questions?” Goose stated, leaning against one of the walls by the entryway catching Bob’s attention, “Everyone else is gone for the day so don’t worry about someone walking in.”
Bob nodded, “Can I ask who you are first? I have a small idea but I’m still not the greatest at this.”
“The name’s Nick. But I like going by Goose.”
“You’re Rooster’s father aren’t you?”
Goose nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, “That I am. Now your glasses are your family’s heirloom?”
“No, not technically. My Great-Grandfather was trained in how to build objects to concentrate our abilities. He trained his son, who trained his son, my dad, who trained me. I built these glasses when I was 18.” Bob explained, “How do you know of heirlooms?”
“Ice told me.”
“Ice?”
“He’s the third person I’m tied to. Maverick and Bradley are both my other assignments,” Goose answered, “But you can’t tell Mav or Bradley you see me.”
Bob’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, “They don’t know they have you around as their Guardian Angel?”
“No. And you cannot tell them.”
Maverick was always good at playing sports on the beach. It always been a Top Gun thing and a way to build morale. To see Mav continuing the tradition with the group he was supposed to be teaching brought a smile to Goose’s face. It also didn’t hurt that for once Mav and Bradley weren’t fighting. And Bradley actually helped Mav stand up when he’s fallen into the sand trying to get away with one of the balls.
It was small. The smallest of things but it was a start for Goose. The first sign that something was actually possible for the family to reconcile.
The group actually felt happy for once.
That was until they were informed the mission had to be moved up a week and all of a sudden they were practicing their drops. Mav had answered it best to if the mission was even achievable “The answer to that question… will come down to the pilot in the box.”
Goose had chosen to stay on the ground with Bradley when Coyote went into G-LOC. Goose stayed on the ground when Mav pulled him out of it. He stayed on the ground when the bird strike occurred. Only when he heard the calls of EJECT start being yelled did he jump to Mav to try and catch sight of both Bob and Phoenix.
The second they both landed he jumped next to Bob after checking in on Phoenix first.
“Are you ok?!” Goose yelled as he ran up to the WSO who was already getting out of his parachute and beginning to roll it up. There was a tug on his connection to Ice but he chose to ignore it in that moment.
“I’m fine,” Bob’s reply came, “Did you see Phoenix?”
“She’s right over the ridge. She’s fine,” Goose told him as he looked over Bob, “You’re both fine,” he breathed out with a sigh of relief.
He stayed with Bob until Phoenix came and joined him and then continued to stay until the rescue helicopter showed up, continuing to stay even as Ice’s string tugged again. He didn’t even think about how Bradley was doing until he popped back over to his son after Phoenix and Bob had been checked into the hospital and Mav had come. Even with only a week and a half of knowing Phoenix and Bob he’d clearly grown to care about these kids. Goose wouldn’t be surprised if after the mission Mav basically adopted them. Then again, Mav was always one who loved to give strays homes.
Bradley was still in the Ready room when Goose found him. The sun had already set and he was more than ok to head home Goose knew.
“They’ll keep Phoenix and Bob in the hospital overnight for observation. They’re gonna be okay,” Maverick told him when he walked into the room to see Bradley was still there lingering.
Bradley swallowed and nodded letting out a sigh, “That’s good. I’ve never lost a wingman.”
“You’re lucky. Fly long enough, it’ll happen. There will be others,” Mav’s voice responded. Goose wanted to strangle him. He knew Mav meant well and was speaking the truth but this was not what Bradley needed to hear. Bradley had almost lost Natasha for a second time today, he was shaking and he was off-put. Mav’s comments were not helpful and only would make Bradley angry. Which Goose turned out to be right on the nose about.
“Easy for you to say. Once you burn up, you leave behind Ice. Just like you left behind me. And nobody else will be there to mourn you when you burn in.”
Goose’s head whipped over towards Bradley. He knew Bradley was hurting but lashing out like this was another line crossed. But what the fuck. This was his son? This was the Bradley he’d spent 30 years watching over? This was the son that asked him for bedtime stories? This was the son that begged Mav or Ice to take him into the air? This was the son that cried when Ice had to explain why Mav got sent to Bosnia? This was the son who was so excited when he got the offer from UVA? What the fuck. What had his son become?
Mav was clearly shaken by the statement though from the look of pain on his face, “Go home. Just get some sleep.” It was a desperate attempt by a desperate man trying not to break down, to let the effect Bradley’s words had on him.
“Why’d you pull my papers at the academy? Why did you stand in my way!”
Maverick froze and Goose could see how he was clenching his fists in a further attempt to control his reaction.
“Mav,” Goose whispered, reaching out for his shoulder even knowing he couldn’t grab it, “Just tell him. You have to tell him.”
“You weren’t ready,” Mav’s voice cracked at the statement.
“Ready for what? Huh? Ready to fly like you?”
And Maverick turned around and straightened. Even if Bradley was taller, even if Bradley was angry and one of Mav’s weak points, this was Maverick who turned to face him. This was the man admirals feared when he put his mind to it. This was the man who had been sent on suicide missions time and time again and still came home. This was the man who had helped to repeal DADT and dealt with homophobia for 25 years in a hidden relationship. There was a reason Maverick was known so well in the Navy and the Military in general.
“No,” Maverick spat, “You weren’t ready to forget the rulebook, to throw away all that thinking you do up in the air. You clawed your way here to be one of the best of the best but you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Ice and I tried to ingrain into you to trust your instincts and every time you fly you’re fighting them. You think up there you’re dead Bradley. I’m not having your death on my hands when I know you can be the best flier out there but only fall short because you’ve hesitated too much. Believe me.”
Bradley looked at Mav. He was shaken clearly by the words that Mav said. They’d hit too close to home. “My dad believed in you. I’m not gonna make the same mistake.”
And the look on Maverick’s face showed a man who’d crumbled into pieces.
“What the fuck Bradley,” Goose breathed out in shock, his eyes fixated on his son. They were never gonna be able to fix this were they?
“Maverick,” came Warlock’s face causing them to look towards him.
Fuck. It was Ice.
Mav was hunched over in the hospital chair, his head in his hands as he listened to Ice’s breathing. It was steady which was good. But Maverick was kicking himself, how hadn’t he noticed Ice’s fever, his recent coughing, the way it bothered him more to talk in the past two days?
“Mav,” Goose tried to comfort him. Ice didn’t have the pocket watch. He’d dropped it on his desk when he’d nearly collapsed, only being prevented by Sarah who had stopped in to visit with her brother. “The cancer isn’t back. He’s going to be fine. Two to three days here and he’ll be back home and yelling at your ass.”
They’d been lucky that it was just pneumonia. But with Ice’s history of throat cancer, they’d wanted to keep him in the hospital for another night at minimum to just observe him.
Goose didn’t feel right when Cyclone showed up at the hospital either.
“I can only imagine what you must be feeling right now. Take some time, whatever you need,” the air boss offered, glancing through the window to Ice’s hospital room where he slept. Him and Mav were having this conversation in the hallway to try and not wake up Ice who needed the sleep.
Mav nodded in thanks “I appreciate that Sir, but there’s no time. The mission—”
Cyclone broke him off by lifting a hand in a stop motion, “No, I’ll be taking over the training from here.”
“Sir?”
“We both know you didn’t want this job, Captain,” Cyclone pointed out.
“Sir, they’re not ready.”
“Well, it was your job to get them ready.” Goose hated how Maverick flinched at those words.
“Sir, they have to believe that this mission can be flown.
“And all you’ve managed to do is teach them that it can’t. You’re grounded, Captain. Permanently.” Cyclone stated before walking off, leaving no room for Maverick to argue.
Mav stood there in the hallway, alone and thrown off.
“Mav,” Goose tried, “Mav. You have to show him it can’t be done. Bradley’s gonna die if he does it his way. You can’t give up. If it was Ice or any wingman when you were flying you wouldn’t leave them. Bradley is your son Mav. You raised him. He is Ice’s and your son. You have to go help him. Show him this mission can be flown.”
In the nearly 30 years since his death, Maverick had never once indicated he heard Goose. But somehow and someway, Goose could something flick in Mav’s eyes and face. He could see his best friend coming back to life. He could see his words sink in somehow, and he knew Maverick wasn’t going to take this lying down. Thank god he had Ice still around to cover for his ass.
Maverick… Maverick did it. He proved it could be done his way. That the mission could be completed his way. That there was a possibility they could all come home. The second Ice got discharged from the hospital he glared Maverick down for stealing an F-18. But somehow Mav was named mission leader and soon enough was on a carrier heading towards the mission.
Ice would be flying onto the carrier later in the day after the squadron had already launched to supervise, but the mission was in Cyclone’s hands not his when it came down to the final decisions. He was there in his capacity as the Commander of the Pacific Fleet, not to support Maverick.
“Talk to me Goose,” Maverick mumbled looking out into the sprawling ocean.
“Well Mav,” Goose started, “It’s looking like a beautiful day to live. No pissed-off admirals in sight yet. You have 12 excellent pilots to pick from. You’re gonna make it home. You’re gonna makeup with Bradley. And Ice is gonna finally put the pocket watch in your hands and you’re gonna get a long ass lecture on how when you ask to talk to me you’re gonna actually have to listen.” It was a hopeful wish, but speaking it into existence made it feel more like a promise to Goose.
Goose stood by Maverick’s side as he picked the teams.
“Choose your two Foxtrot teams.”
“Payback and Fanboy,” Maverick stated looking at the two before looking towards his next team, “Phoenix and Bob.”
The two glanced at each other in acceptance before looking back towards Maverick. Only Goose noticed Bob’s eyes flick towards him. Goose nodded back at him in support, a small acknowledgment that he’d be with them through this mission.
“And your wingman?”
Maverick hesitated for a second. Goose knew who’d he pick, even if he didn’t want to. But him following his gut could be the first step to them reconciling.
“Rooster.”
Goose tried not to be heartbroken by how thrown off Bradley looked. It seemed the kid had just accepted that Mav wouldn’t choose him and wouldn’t be going. That Bradley had already mentally decided to be mad at Mav if he didn’t choose him.
Goose should have stuck with Mav as he began his pre-flight checks, watching him move through the movements he’d been doing for years. But he instead stayed next to Bradley, noticing how his son was sweating and still mentally stuck in his head.
“Come on Bradley,” he whispered, “It’s Mav. Go talk to him.”
As Bradley walked out towards his own plane he ran into Hangman, who was standing and waiting. Goose noticed how Jake held onto his words for a second, moving his jaw slightly as he did. The two exes stood in silence for a moment before Bradley finally spoke first.
“I’m sorry. For everything,” he stated, his voice a little loud so he could be heard over the jets and choppers getting ready for the mission. “You were right. I shoved everything down. Didn’t tell you anything and was angry and bitter towards you. I know it can’t do much but I’m sorry.”
Jake looked at Bradley as if trying to see if he was lying, or just saying that to avoid something else but all he was was sincerity. “You give ‘em hell!”
Goose let out a sigh of relief. It was a start. Somehow Bradley getting picked for the mission had finally started to get something into his head. And clearly more so than first expected because continued along the tarmac over to Maverick.
“Sir. Sir!” Bradley started causing Mav to turn towards him in surprise. I… I just wanted to say… I’m sorry. For everything. Everything I’ve done and said since that fight.”
“Good first step kid,” Goose sighed in relief.
“We’ll talk. When we get back,” Mav answered, his eyes full of hope. Goose can’t tell if it's because he wants this to be a real apology or because he’s praying they both make it home. Bradley nodded and Mav spoke again after he turns away, “ Ah hey, B-Bradley, Bradley! Hey. You got this kiddo.”
For the first time in 15 years since the fight Bradley doesn’t snap at someone using the word Kiddo to address him. He simply gives Mav a soft smile and walks over to his craft. And then they’re launched and off into the air and the mission has begun.
Goose hated this part. The fact he can’t help. He stuck with Mav’s wing for the majority of the flight through the canyon, watching the SAMs pass overhead as the crafts pass below them. But then there was the warning of Bandits in the area and Mav was telling the group to speed up. Something Goose could tell Bradley was mentally struggling with.
“Rooster, where are ya?” Maverick’s voice shook as he spoke. He knew exactly where Bradley was mentally. This was his son after all. He raised this kid. He was debating if he should stop holding back, get off the perch and let all that Ice and Mav taught him to shine through.
“Come on, Rooster! Bandits in-bound, we gotta make up time now. Let’s Turn and burn!”
“Talk to me, dad,” Bradley breathed lowly under his breath
Mav’s voice over the comm answered him, “Come on, kid, you can do it. Don’t think, just do.
“Listen to him kid,” Goose mumbled closing his eyes and feeling the tug towards Bradley tighten for a few seconds more before it became completely loose and Bradley’s plane sped up. Dagger 2 was re-engaging.
“That’s it, kid, that’s it.”
Goose let out a sigh of relief and rode the rest with Mav. And then miracle 1 got completed as Mav’s bomb hit right on target. He only jumped to Bradley’s craft when Payback and Fanboy’s laser went dead eye.
“Shit! Deadeye, deadeye, deadeye!” Fanboy’s voice came out frantic
“Come on, guys, we’re running outta time. Get it online!” Bradley shouted at them as they continued to descend into the valley.
More squabbling as they tried to get the laser to work but Goose knew it wouldn’t work, they were running too close to the edge of time and at this point, it wasn’t going to be reliable.
“There’s no time, I’m dropping blind,” Bradley finally announced. It’s a move that proved he was now trusting this gut as he dropped the bombs without the eye and quickly got to climbing Coffin Corner.
“Bullseye, bullseye, bullseye!”
Miracle 2 completed. Now was the attempt to get everyone home.
In Goose’s 25 years of being a guardian angel, he made a list of everything he learned and knew.
1) He was a guardian angel. He was here to watch over and try and help. Make sure they made it home alive.
2) He was assigned to three people: Mav, Bradley, and Ice. Ice was safe, just landing on the carrier. Mav and Bradley were in the air though, dodging for their lives. Somewhere along the way though Goose assigned himself to the other Daggers.
3) He could blink back and forth between the 3 with just a thought. He was jumping between Mav’s ship to Bradley’s to Phoenix’s to Paybacks. He was yelling missile positions even though no one could hear him.
4) When one of them was thinking about him, Goose felt a tug on the connection. The intensity of the tug lined up with the strength of the thought. He only felt a tug from Ice right now. Bradley and Mav were too engaged with dodging.
5) Ice had been a savior to Goose just as much Goose to him. Without Ice, Goose would have spent 25 years in silence with no one to talk to. Ice was family.
6) Electricity didn’t like Goose when he was pissed off. In the chaos, no one would ever realize that 2 of the missiles the SAM launched weren't exploded by flares.
7) He couldn’t touch things. He barely had tangibility. But if when he was mad he could throw things a little. And a missile missed Phoenix by a breath’s hair.
8) Goose hadn’t aged in the entire time he’d been dead. Never had his clothes changed in those years either. But at this moment Goose felt like he was in his flight suit again.
9) Sometimes. Very rarely. He could see other guardian angels. He was the only one around today for this team.
10) Bradley couldn’t maybe see him, and neither could Mav.
11) Ice and Mav were Bradley’s dads more than him now. One thing real parents would always do was put their life first if it meant their kids would survive. Maybe that was why Goose wasn’t shocked by Mav placing himself between Rooster and the two missiles. One was destructed. The other destructed Mav.
“Mav, no!”
“Dagger 1 is hit! I repeat, Dagger 1 is hit! Maverick is down!” Phoenix cried over the comms system.
“I didn’t see a parachute!”
“We have to circle back!” Bradley insisted looking over his shoulder towards where Mav’s plane had been heading when it went down.
“All Daggers flow to E.C.P. You have bandits headed for you. Dagger, you are not to engage. Repeat, do not engage,” the carrier ordered.
Now Goose had gone down with Mav. He was dead, he wouldn’t die by an explosion so he was with Mav when the parachute deployed, when he hit the ground and passed out. But he felt Bradley’s tug on their connection, Ice’s tug grow more intense. Goose refused to leave Mav though. But he knew from that tug Bradley was thinking about him, what he’d do, and Goose could say with certainly Mav wasn’t going to be alone for long.
“Come on Mav, you got to get up,” Goose insisted, squatting down next to Mav, trying to yell. Maybe in a concussed state, Mav would be able to hear him, “Come on Mav! GET UP!”
Mav’s eyelids pulled open slightly, blinking as he got adjusted to the brightness of the snow.
“There we go Mav! Now get up fucker! You got a chopper incoming!” Goose warned, hearing the beating of the helicopter propellers come closer.
By some miracle, Mav did exactly what Goose told him to, breaking free from his parachute and sprinting towards the fallen tree a little bit off. Mav jumped behind the tree, tucking himself low to the ground to above getting hit by any of the bullets from the machine guns on the chopper.
Goose sent a little prayer up to whatever god there was as the chopper came around the tree, aiming its guns at Maverick. He was going to stay with Mav till the end though, no matter what. Turned out it wasn’t needed at that moment as the chopper exploded and Bradley’s jet came out of nowhere.
It didn’t take long for the SAMs to get a lock on him though. In the next instance, Bradley’s parachute was able to be seen and Mav started running towards Bradley.
Goose ran with Mav, ignoring the increasing tugs that he felt from Ice. God, he hoped ignoring Ice’s tugs this time didn’t end up with him in the hospital like last time.
“You alright?!” Maverick shouted as he came up on seeing Bradley who was rolling up his parachute.
“Yeah, I’m good. You alright?”
Mav pushed Bradley into the snow.
“Really Mav?” Goose asked, “You both get shot down and the first thing you do when you see him is shove him down? What if he was injured!?”
“Fuck. What the hell!?” Bradley asked as he scrambled back up to a standing position, “What was that for?!”
“What’re you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” Bradley yelled back.
“You think I took that missile, so you could be down here with me! You should be back on the carrier by now!”
“I saved your life!”
“I saved your life. That’s the whole point. What the hell were you even thinking?”
“You told me not to think!” Bradley shouted in response and that silenced Maverick for once. Bradley had finally stopped suppressing the lessons he’d learned from Ice and Mav. So the two looked at each other, catching their breath and recovering from the encounter.
Then Mav pulled Bradley in for a hug. The kid hadn’t been this tall the last time they hugged. He’d just been hitting his last growth spurt when he said goodbye that Christmas before everything went to shit. Bradley hesitated for a second, stiff and unmoving before he melted into the hug slowly. He hadn’t had a hug like this, one of Mav’s tight and loving hugs in so long. It was like coming back home.
And for that moment they both forgot all the fighting, the words thrown in pain, the actions done. They were a father and son again. Figuring out the rest, the apologies could come later. For right now they were both alive and that was more than enough.
“I’m sorry,” Bradley mumbled into Mav’s shoulder, hunching over the shorter pilot.
“Kid, I’m just happy you’re alive,” Mav answered, rubbing circles slowly on his back to comfort Bradley a little.
“So what’s the plan?”
With Bradley and Mav starting their trek through the snow towards the enemy airbase Goose finally popped back over to Ice to let him know they were both alive. He wasn’t in the mission room but instead in his own cabin, pacing it slowly in methodical lines. He was clearly distracted and lost in thought from the way he didn’t notice Goose pop in.
“Ice,” Goose spoke softly.
Ice’s head snapped up and looked right at Goose. “You’re here. Why are you here? Are they both dead? Goose please tell me they’re alive and I haven’t just lost them both. I don’t think I could survive losing them both.”
Goose had never seen Ice so panicked before and it shook him to his core.
“Goose. Please just tell me.”
“They’re alive."
And Ice crumbled, collapsing to sit on his chair as he took in deep breaths trying to calm himself down. “They’re alive?”
Goose nodded and squatted in front of Ice, setting his hand down on the armrest, “They’re alive Ice. Both ejected safely.”
“They’re alive. They’re safe.”
“Yep. And they’re together.”
“They’re together?”
“Bradley stopped thinking Ice. He finally listened. He went back for Mav who was alive then he got shot down himself. Mav ran to him and shoved him into the snow as soon as Bradley answered he was on.”
Ice snorted at that last part, “That… that sounds like Mav.”
“Don’t we know it. They’re heading towards the base, going to see if any of the aircraft there are still salvageable,” Goose explained.
“One F-14. We missed one F-14.”
“Then Mav’s gonna get them both out. Just be ready for them.”
“You’re not serious. You’ve gotta be shitting me. An F-14? We don’t even know if that bag of ass can fly,” Bradley complained, as he took the binoculars down from his face to look at the destroyed airfield in front of him.
“You have a better idea how to get out of here kid? Try to think of one as we at least try mine,” Mav told him before he got up and was making his way down towards the airfield. Leaving Bradley to play catch up.
Mav’s giving Bradley instructions on what exactly to do with the F-14 and Goose can’t laugh at the place they’re now at. Bradley wanted so bad to try and be like him and here they were with him being Mav’s RIO in an attempt to get home. Goose couldn’t do anything to help though and watched as his son ran around the plan pulling all the pins and Mav started the old craft up.
The second Bradley hops into the backseat and they start moving the craft he exclaimed “Oh my god. This thing is so old.” And Goose can’t stop cackling to himself. Because this craft was probably just a few years older than Bradley himself.
“Both runways are creatored. How are we gonna get this museum piece in the air?!” Mav didn’t answer him though “Why’re the wings coming out, Mav?” Bradley may have spent 15 years away from his pseudo father but he definitely could still remember how crazy Mav was “Mav, this is a taxiway—not a runway. This is a very, short, taxiway, Mav!”
“Just hold on tight for the ride kid,” Goose smiled and took in a breath as he placed himself on the wing of Mav’s aircraft. “It’s Mav. You can’t do shit to stop him.”
And Mav got them off the ground and into the air somehow, though they didn’t have any landing gear now. That was an issue they could handle later.
“Bradley turn on your beacon now,” Goose suggested right as his son did. Somewhere he knew Ice was walking onto the command room, watching Bradley’s beacon come back on, and Overwatch would be reporting an F-14 in the air.
“Okay, Bradley. Get us in touch with the boat.”
“I’m working on it. Radio’s out. No radar. Everything’s dead back here. What do I do, talk me through it,” Bradley asked as he looked around in the backseat trying to figure out the placement of everything
“Okay, first, the radio. Throw the, uh… UHF-2, circuit breaker, try that.”
Goose scoffed, “Come on Mav. He’s not a backseater. You need to give him something more specific.”
Bradley clearly agreed with Goose’s assessment “There’s 300 breakers back here, anything more specific?”
“Oh, I don’t know. That was your dad’s department.”
At least Maverick would admit it that he didn’t know most of the shit Goose ended up doing for him.
“I’ll figure it out,” Bradley sighed in annoyance. Then he noticed the two enemy bandits.
“It’s gonna be a dogfight,” Goose warned already seeing the signs of where this was going based on the hand motions that neither Mav nor Bradley could decipher.
“Mav. Can we outrun these guys?”
“Not their missiles and guns.”
“Then it’s a dogfight.”
“An F-14? Against 5th gen fighters?”
“It’s not the plane. It’s the pilot. You’d go after ’em if I wasn’t here.”
“But you are here.”
“Come on, Mav. Don’t think. Just do.” Good Bradley had actually fully accepted the lesson now apparently. Thank god.
Mav let out a sigh, his face thinking for a second.
“You’ve got this Mav,” Goose whispered watching his best friend prepare for a fight that could lead to death. “Don’t think. Just do.”
And then the fight started. Goose held on, watching as Maverick took down two 5th gen fighters knowing he couldn’t help other than make sure a flare hit the missiles launched at them. But when Bradley started looking for the right breaker for the radio Goose could. He knew this plane. He died in this kind of plane.
He put his finger over the right breaker, making sure the breeze he always brought with the curtains lingered over the switch.
“Mav, I got the radio on!” Bradley cheered in celebration
“Outstanding. Get us in touch with the boat.”
“Copy that.”
But they weren’t done it seemed. And Goose knew they couldn’t outlast and bet this last 5th gen. So he went where he knew he could help.
He jumped to Bob who was standing on the tarmac. Phoenix was up on the ladder of Hangman’s plane, trying to convince him to get out of the plane but the pilot was refusing to.
Bob looked at Goose with shock at first, clearly not expecting to see the Guardian Angel.
“Tell him to launch,” Goose ordered pointing towards Hangman.
“What?”
“Bradley and Mav are in a dogfight against a 5th gen in an F-14 with no ammo left and minimal flares. Jake is the only one fully prepped and you’re the only one who can see me right now! Tell him to launch!” Goose demanded pointing
Bob nodded before looking towards the Jet, “Phoenix get down from the jet. Hangman needs to launch.”
“What?” both voices came in shock.
“Rooster and Maverick are in the air and need backup!” Bod yelled as he basically pulled Phoenix down off the ladder and started to pull it back”
“Tell him Admiral Kazansky will cover for his ass. He's cleared it already!” Goose insisted. He knew Ice could see him on the deck from the command room. He’d catch on quickie and orders would be coming any second.
“Admiral Kazansky will cover for you! Launch!” Bob repeated. Deck workers around them were already moving to help. The orders had just come through.
“How the fuck do you know that?” Jake asked but still started to move to get the plane going.
“Just fucking Launch!” Bob yelled before he pulled back to let the plane start and roll out of its position.
Goose let out a sigh of relief and climbed up onto Jake’s plane as it began its prep to launch, the orders now being spoken over his comm’s system. “Listen here kid,” he started knowing the pilot couldn’t hear him but still wanting to say it, “I know you still love him. And he loves you. But for god sakes work on your communication this time before you start hooking up.”
And Hangman launched.
Goose prayed he’d made it in time. That Hangman would make it quick enough to save Mav and Bradley. Because all he could feel was his string with Maverick tightening like there’d be no tomorrow. Goose’s chest felt like it was being weighed down, like the G’s that Jake was pulling he was actually feeling for the first time since his death. Maverick was thinking he was gonna die. Thinking he’d lead himself and Bradley and was about to see Goose again.
“Just hold on Mav,” Goose mumbled and closed his eyes as the enemy aircraft came into view. Then he felt Jake launch the missiles. He heard the wooshing and then the loud boom, praying it wasn’t Mav and Bradley.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your savior speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts, return your tray tables to their locked and upright positions, and prepare for landing.”
Goose opened his eyes and there was Mav and Bradley, looking at Hangman. The tug in his chest was still there. Mav and Bradley were both still alive. They were alive.
“Hey, Hangman. You look good,” Bradley’s voice was anything but flat and smoothed. He’d clearly been on the verge of tears at the thought of death.
“I am good, Rooster. I’m very good. I’ll see you back on deck.”
Goose tried not to linger too much during the time it took Mav to heal along with Bradley. Both were battered and bruised but they were alive and that was enough. They were talking again but Goose noticed the way Bradley hesitated to start conversations still. How Maverick didn’t meet his eyes all the time during a conversation. How Ice stood more rigged around Bradley.
It took 3 weeks after the mission until Bradley showed up on Mav’s and Ice’s doorstep at 9 am on a Saturday with a bag of donuts from Mav’s favorite place in the city and dressed in a Hawaiian shirt. Mav opened the door for him.
“Can… can I come in?” Bradley asked, his voice shaking and unsteadily as if he was afraid Mav would turn him away.
Mav nodded and opened the door ushering Bradley in who headed towards the kitchen, trying not to look at all the pictures on the wall in the entryway.
Ice glanced up at Bradley from his newspaper, setting the mug of coffee he’d been sipping down on the table in front of him. “Bradley…. How can we help you?” he asked. His voice was rough and cracky like it usually was when he woke up and hadn’t used his voice a lot yet.
“I…” Bradley glanced towards Mav who had moved to grab his own coffee mug from the kitchen, “I came to apologize. For everything. Everything I did. Everything I said. How I lashed out. How I didn’t reach out. How I intentionally said words that would hurt you then I didn’t fully mean them. I know I apologized in the woods and on the ship but… I wanted you two to know I meant it. I want to rebuild this relationship.”
Ice looked over to Mav who was frozen at the apology. He sighed and folded up his newspaper and laid it down on the table.
“Why? Tell me why you want to now,” Ice insisted looking Bradley in the eyes.
“Because I wanted to years ago. When DADT was repealed,” Bradley admitted, “I was prepared back then. I tried to get off from work. I tried to make it up to Massachusetts for the wedding. Your wedding. My CO wouldn’t let me get off and leave the state to go that far away.”
Pain flickered across all his fathers’ faces.
“I… I read every letter you sent that night. I broke down and somewhere along the way I think I believed that you’d hate me for not coming. For not reaching out. So I forced myself to be angry again, to be angrier at you than I thought you’d be at me. To not let either of you get close in the fear I’d get hurt when you got mad about me not showing up,” Bradley explained further, crinkling the top of the bag of donuts as he fidgeted with his hands. “It was idiotic and stupid I know that and I’m sorry for it.”
Mav stepped up finally and took the bag out of his hands and set it to the side on the kitchen island before setting his hands on Bradley’s shoulders. Bradley looked down at Mav and tears were clearly welling in his eyes.
“I’m sorry Mav. I was wrong. I’d mourn you. I didn’t tell you that. That I’d mourn you if you burned in. That I cared so much that I thought I’d lost everyone if Nat died and you were going to leave me. I’m so sorry Mav,” his son stammered
“Bradley. I accept your apology. I forgave you for everything the second you came back for me,” Mav whispered, pulling the kid down for a hug, one much like the one he gave him in the woods, this time with less equipment to cause awkwardness between them. “You’ll always be our Baby Goose.
And Bradley sobbed into Mav’s shoulder. He had come home. Bradley had finally come home.
Slowly Ice stood and walked over to the two. Mav pulled back slightly and made eye contact with Ice. They both knew Bradley probably had a longer way to go to make up with Ice. But they were a family no matter what. So he pulled Bradley into a fierce hug, one with a tightness that had always reflected how proud Ice was of him when he’d been younger.
“You did good kid. You did good,” He mumbled into his son’s hair, before giving him a quick forehead kiss, “Welcome home.”
It wasn’t until later after they’d eaten the donuts that Bradley had brought and chatted and reminisced that Ice pulled his pocket watch out of his robe pocket where he’d been keeping it.
Maverick groaned, “God, I always forget you have that on you for some reason. 25 years and I’ve never seen you without it.”
“Did I ever explain what this is to you, Bradley?” Ice asked, knowing full well what he’d told him as a child. Bradley shook his head
“That it’s a family heirloom,” Ice started holding the watch out by its chain to show both Mav and Bradley, “It’s been in my family since the late 1700s. Passed down from eldest child to eldest child on their 20th birthday. I wanted to give it to you when you turned 20.”
Bradley’s eyes flicked down to the watch in curiosity before glancing up to Ice.
“You’ve never let me touch it in our years together,” Mav grumbled teasingly, “Now you’re just gonna give it to the kid?”
Ice nodded, “There’s a reason Mav. Do you remember the stories I use to tell Bradley about guardian angels? How a select few, or those with objects, could see these angels guiding them through life?”
“Ya they started constructing the objects in the 1600 or 1700s wanting to talk to their angels they couldn’t hear,” Bradley confirmed. It had been his favorite story growing up, he’d always loved hearing it because it sounded so much like it was possible, “You use to way the watch was one of them,” he added remembering more of the story from his childhood.
Mav looked at Ice, “Are you about to say that your watch, that you refused to let me touch our entire relationship, is one of these objects Ice?”
His husband nodded and took Bradley’s hands and put the watch in it while giving a section of the chain to Mav before taking the tail of the chain in his own hands. Then he looked over towards the empty seat at the table set for 4, closed his eyes, and took in a breath, “Alright Goose talk to us.”
Mav and Bradley blinked, and one second the table seat was empty and the next, there sat Goose. Looking the same he had in his mid-twenties, looking directly at Mav with a cheeky smile and wearing the exact same shirt Bradley was currently wearing.
“Come on Mav, I thought you had a little faith in me considering how many times you asked to talk to me,” the angel grinned.
Mav’s eyes widened and he dropped the chain of the watch. Goose disappeared, and Mav scrambled back for the chain, and there was Goose again laughing at him.
“What I’d tell ya Ice. Man wouldn’t believe it at first,” Goose joked bouncing his eyebrows and fakely nudging Ice, “He’s survived death god knows how many times, asks me to talk to him, and the one time I do he panics. Damn.”
“Dad?” Bradley’s voice croaked out, his grip on the watch in his hand tightening.
Goose’s gaze turned to him, “Hiya kiddo. We have a lot of things to discuss and I have a lot of things to give you shit on. But I have to say, falling off that roof not the smartest of moves. Even if you carried on the Bradshaw tradition of bird callsigns.”
Bradley blushed at that.
“How is this possible?” Mav asked looking towards Ice for answers.
“Goose here is a guardian angel. He’s been assigned to the three of us to make sure we don’t make dumb decisions. To make sure we stay together as a family no matter what,” Ice explained, “He’s been here every day. Every moment, bouncing between the three of us. Making sure we were all ok.”
“It was a tedious job I’m telling ya, all of you are fucking idiots nearly every day,” Goose joked.
“He’s been here this whole time?” Bradley questioned, his eyes unmoving from his father.
“Between the 3 of you yep,” Goose nodded, “Through everything. I’ve seen you fall off roofs. Mav get thrown out of the Hard Deck by Penny multiple times, Ice come out to the president because he was fucking tired, and watched all of you fight for 15 years.”
“We planned to tell you when you turned 20 Bradley, but after the fight… I thought you’d hate us, me, more than I’d kept your father from you,” Ice explained a bit further.
“It’s tradition in Ice’s family not to tell their children before they’re 20,” Goose added, “You’re his and Mav’s kid more than you were ever mine Brad Brad. I wasn’t going to disrespect that. You have any right to be mad you be mad at me”
“Goose?” Mav finally spoke again, seeming to get over his shock finally.
Goose looked towards his pilot, “Hiya Mav.”
“Goose.” Mav’s voice cracked, and tears built in his eyes, “I’m… I’m so sorry.”
“Hey no. None of that bullshit. Mav. It’s been 30 years and I never blamed you. I never blamed you for anything. You did exactly what I wanted you to do and that was be there for Bradley and Carole. And you even took that so much to heart with what you promised Carole.”
“You were there?” Mav asked, “You were there during Carole?”
Goose nodded, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest, “I was. And I understand why she asked.”
“What. What did mom ask Mav to promise,” Bradley asked, his head snapping over to look at Mav who wouldn’t look at him, and Ice whose face was set flat and tight. “What did you promise to Mom?”
“Tell him Mav.”
“Goose….”
Goose sighed and sat back up and looked towards Bradley, “Know how proud I am of you, how proud your mom was of you. But your mom hated me flying enough when I was alive. Her dying wish was to make sure you lived longer than I did. That you didn’t die because you thought you know what you wanted to do at 18.”
And he saw it click into place for his son.
“Mom was the one who asked you to pull my papers,” Bradley stated, didn’t question, looking back at Mav, “You pulled them because you promised her.”
Mav slowly nodded but didn’t meet Bradley’s eyes.
“Bradley, what’s past is past though,” Goose stated, “All that matters is the three of you are back together.”
“How... how are we all going to be able to see you if only one of us has the pocket watch? I want to talk to you more but you’ve been with Ice for over 25 years,” Bradley asked, his eyes flicking over towards Ice.
“Don’t worry kiddo. I know a guy who will be able to make objects for all of you likely,” Goose answered, a smug look on his face.
“Who?” Ice asked, completely confused.
“Natasha’s WSO. He’s trained in making them.” Bradley sputtered at Goose’s words.
“Bob can see you?” Maverick yelped.
“Ya. His glasses are his object.”
“What the fuck,” Bradley mumbled under his breath.
And Goose smiled. Because he had his family, all in front of him, all talking and engaging, and poking fun at one another. He had his family again under one roof. And God, if that didn’t make him feel alive again.