Chapter Text
+ 2019
“Hey Mav, we’re about to land,” Bradley murmured, nudging Maverick to sit up from where he was half-dozing on Bradley’s shoulder.
Maverick yawned widely, rubbing his jaw as he felt it click. God, but he was sore everywhere.
“Feeling okay over there, Pops?” Hangman drawled with a smirk.
“Listen up, kid, let’s see how you feel after ejecting twice in a month,” Maverick responded, giving Hangman a dry glare. The smirk slid off Hangman’s face.
“Twice?” Hangman questioned, staring at Maverick in disbelief.
“In a month!” Rooster yelped, spinning around to fully face Maverick.
Maverick glanced between each of them with raised eyes. “That’s classified,” he said simply, shrugging.
Rooster puffed up, his mustache twitching. Maverick was reminded of his father on the few occasions he got pissed off at him. “How were you cleared to fly?” he demanded.
Maverick made a face. “Not you too,” he muttered, rubbing his face. Rooster was still glaring him so he relented. “Needs must, okay? I was cleared to fly, so I flew.” Rooster’s glare deepened, becoming a full scowl, and now Maverick was reminded of Carol whenever she nagged him about being too reckless. God, but now his heart was hurting as much as his body.
“Okay, so let me ask this: were you ever checked out? Because I noticed on the boat that you still have that same habit of avoiding medical,” Rooster asked, leaning back and crossing his arms. Hangman glanced between the two curiously.
“I’m fine, Rooster,” Maverick said dismissively, leaning forward to look towards the back of the plane where the others in their squadron were sitting. “And I’m sure I’ll get dragged to some kind of doctor soon enough, anyway,” he added mindlessly, eyes roving over the other aviators to make sure they were all alright.
A small smile grew on Bradley’s face. “Oh, I can’t wait to see how Iceman acts when he sees you again.”
Pete leaned back, gripping his seat as they started to descend, even as his stomach clenched uncomfortably. “I don’t even want to imagine it,” he muttered to Bradley. “Help me run away. I can start a new life south of the border.” Things had been awkward between him and Ice during the training for the mission, with Pete irritated with Tom’s failure to warn him made worse by his panic and worry for his aviators, and Tom’s worry about Pete and Bradley. Tom had been livid that Pete was chosen to lead the mission, and their last night together had been filled with tense silences, neither willing to start a fight but also unwilling to be away from each other.
Bradley’s smile became gleeful. “You must be in so much trouble.”
Pete quirked an eye at him. “Don’t think you’re out of hot water yourself,” he shot back, and Bradley’s smile faded as realization crossed his face.
“Oh crap, we’re both so dead,” he whispered, horrified. Maverick nodded sagely, patting his godson on the shoulder.
“Yes, we definitely are,” he responded with a wince as the plane touched down. “We’re completely screwed.”
*
Maverick and Rooster were last off the plane, carefully making their way down the ramp. Rooster hovered close to Maverick, aware of his godfather’s pride but also noticing the stiff way he handled the decline.
“Alright there, Mav?” he asked quietly as they reached the tarmac, hoisting his bag up higher and wincing as it smacked into his harness bruises.
Maverick nodded tightly, rotating his neck with a pained look on his face. He hunched slightly under the weight of this bag, uncomfortable with its weight, but he wasn’t willing to ask any of the others for help.
“Do you know where you’re going after this?” he asked Bradley, keeping his gaze straight ahead as he focused on each step, despite the steadily pain growing in his back. Sitting up for the duration of the flight had done nothing for the aches he had woken up with this morning on the boat.
He saw Bradley shake his head out of the corner of his eye. “Nope,” he drawled out. “Not sure if I’m being sent back to Japan, or if I’ll get a new assignment after this.”
Maverick nodded slowly. “What I heard is that each of you will be getting some leave after this, at least for the next week, since the mission was moved up,” he replied carefully. “You’d be more than welcome to stay with us if you want to get off-base.”
Bradley stopped to look at him, cautious hope on his face. “You’d be okay with that? And Ice?”
Maverick stopped too, looking at Bradley in surprise. “Of course,” he said simply. “You’ve always been welcome at our house. That never stopped, kid.”
Bradley looked overcome with emotion, and he leaned down, pulling Maverick into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry,” he mumbled. “I never should have stayed away so long.” Maverick shook his head, patting Bradley on the back.
“Water under the bridge, kid,” Maverick responded, pulling back with a wince. God, but he was going to sleep with heating pads on him for the rest of his life.
Bradley seemed to pick up on his discomfort. “Come on,” he urged, tugging Maverick forward. “Let’s get you back into the base so you can sit down. You should probably wait a bit before getting on your bike.”
Apprehension filled Maverick at the thought of riding. “I might have to call a cab,” he admitted, scowling. “I don’t know that I’m good to ride, right now. At least not without getting some painkillers.” Bradley looked at him in concern as they got inside. The others were already down at the end of the hall, making their way towards the front so they could return to their housing, eager to rest after the flight back to land.
“I could always give you a ride,” Bradley offered. Maverick looked at him in appreciation, nodding. Bradley nodded back, looking pleased.
“Oh, hey Mav,” Hondo called from behind them, and Maverick turned. His friend walked quickly over to them. “I was told that Admiral Simpson wanted to see you in his office.”
“Now?” Maverick asked with a groan.
Hondo looked at him sympathetically. “Yeah, sorry man. And he wanted you too, Rooster.” Rooster looked at him in surprise, standing straighter in confusion.
“Me? Did he say why, sir?” Bradley asked. Hondo just shook his head.
*
“We’re not about to get in trouble, are we Mav?” Rooster asked worriedly.
Maverick shrugged. “Well, I don’t see what I did to get in trouble,” he said dryly. “I didn’t disobey any direct orders.”
Rooster glared at him. “I saved your life!”
Maverick looked at him, amused. “Which I thanked you for. But how many times were you told to go back to the boat?”
“Five, by my count,” a voice called out. They both turned to see Cyclone walking towards them. Rooster flushed at the unamused look he received from Cyclone.
“Sir,” Rooster muttered, straightening up. Cyclone waved him down.
“If you gentlemen could follow me,” he said, walking past them both to a conference room. Rooster and Maverick looked at each other as he opened the door without stepping it. At their pause, he rolled his eyes and gestured them both inside. “As you requested, Admiral Kazansky,” he called, before shutting the door.
Maverick took a deep breath, and Rooster went very still beside him. Standing at the head of the table was Tom, in full uniform, looking extremely unamused. He looked over both of them, his icy eyes seemingly piercing straight through them.
A tense silence filled the room, and Maverick shifted, his back protesting the rigid posture he held and the weight of his bag. Ice’s sharp eyes caught the movement immediately, and he strode forward to stand in front of Maverick.
They both stared at each other, Pete unable to read the expression on his wingman’s face. And then Tom crumpled, pulling him into a tight hug.
“You goddamn idiot,” Tom rasped, pulling Pete as close as he could, running a hand up his neck and into his hair. Pete breathed out, gingerly wrapping his arms around Tom, feeling the tension in his shoulders leak out. He felt his husband kiss the top of his head once, letting out a deep breath into his hair. Pete closed his eyes, grateful that he still had this, hadn't lost this when he was shot down.
“Well,” he responded cheekily after a beat, knowing Bradley was in the room. “I made it back, so it’s all good, right?”
Tom leaned back, still holding his shoulders, and rolled his eyes. “And I hear you’re an ace now. Like you needed anything else to inflate your ego.”
Pete grinned back sharply. “Aren’t you lucky to be married to such a highly-decorated pilot?”
Bradley cleared his throat, and they both turned to look at him. His face was red, and he was resolutely looking at the wall. “Sorry, but I’m just having flashbacks to high school,” he explained uncomfortably.
Pete snickered, but sobered quickly at the look at Tom’s face. Tom was staring at their boy, the love and heartbreak on clear display across his face. With a start, he realized that Tom hadn’t seen Bradley up close in the last two weeks, not like he had. This was the first time he was really seeing their kid in eighteen years.
“Bradley,” Tom choked out, lunging forward to pull him into a hug as well.
“Hey, Uncle Tom,” Bradley responded, also sounding choked up. Pete felt tears well in his own eyes at seeing them together again, clutching each other tightly. He was amazed to realize that Bradley was taller than Tom now. When he left, they had been the same height. With a pang, he realized that Bradley had continued to grow, but Tom had also gotten smaller, age hunching his back and illness stripping him of his strength.
After a long moment, Tom pulled back, just to place his hands over Bradley’s face. “Look at you,” he rasped out, a small smile on his face. “You’ve grown so much.”
Bradley sniffed, closing his eyes tightly for a moment as tears began to roll down his face. Tom gently brushed them aside. “I’m sorry I stayed away,” Bradley whispered. “I got your letters and messages, and I should have come back. Especially when you were sick.”
Tom swallowed roughly, glancing over at Pete, who jerked his eyes down, unable to revisit that time in their lives, when every day brought a new horror and the chance of living without Tom seemed more and more likely. When he had desperately reached out to Bradley, knowing that Tom wanted to see their kid, knowing that Bradley would regret it forever if he didn’t get to say goodbye. But it had just been that same black hole all of the other messages had gone into, disappearing without response, without any hint they had been received.
“You’re here now,” Ice eventually said, smiling sadly at Bradley. “That’s what’s important.”
Bradley’s face crumpled he broke down into sobs, and Pete stepped towards them, putting his hand on Rooster’s back.
“Shh, it’s alright,” he tried to soothe.
Bradley grabbed at both him and Tom, clutching at them both. They glanced sadly at each other before gathering him into a hug. And oh, isn’t this what Pete had been missing for almost twenty years? The remains of his family, held together in his arms. And they might be a bit broken and battered, but they were together again. Pete felt some jagged piece of his heart slide back into place, painful but healing.
Bradley’s tears tapered off as the minutes went by, and he pulled back, roughly wiping at his eyes.
“You okay?” Tom croaked, his eyes red. Pete knew he didn’t look much better.
Bradley nodded. “Sorry,” he muttered. “It just all kind of hit me.”
Pete nodded back sympathetically, patting Bradley on the back. “It’s been a long few days. You could use a rest.”
Ice turned to look at him with raised eyes. “Advice I hope you plan on following yourself,” he shot back dryly, looking over Pete again, who realized he was shifting his weight from side-to-side in discomfort again. He shrugged back, and Tom sighed, shaking his head. “I’m going to have to lock you in the bedroom, aren’t I?”
Even with Bradley right there, Pete couldn’t help the smirk that crept onto his face. “Well, if that’s what you want to do…” he replied suggestively. Bradley groaned, making a face. He turned towards his godson. “Hey, give me a break. I’ve been in the doghouse for two weeks.”
“I wonder why,” Ice muttered, stepping back to straighten his uniform. Pete stepped forward to help him fix his collar, a habit formed after years of doing this in the mornings they had together. Tom looked fondly down at him, the weight in his eyes making Pete’s ears redden. He reached out, cupping Pete’s jaw, his thumb stroking Pete’s cheek. Pete gave him a soft smile in return.
“Well,” Bradley started. Tom dropped his hand, and they both looked at their kid. “Mav invited me over to your house. Would it be okay if I headed over there?” Then he broke off, his face becoming uncertain. “You guys haven’t moved, right?”
Pete cleared his throat against the lump that suddenly formed. “No, no, we’re still at the same place,” he responded carefully. “Your room is still there.”
Bradley inhaled sharply, looking lost. “Really?” He sniffed once, and then seemed to make an effort to not break down again.
Tom’s arm reached around Pete’s side, offering some support. “Of course it is,” Tom rasped.
Bradley nodded, sniffing again. “Okay,” he said, scratching his chin. “I’m going to head out, then. I can pick up some food on my way over. I just feel like I need to sleep for a day.”
Pete chuckled. “I get it kid,” he said fondly, exchanging a glance with Tom. “We’ll be right behind you.” With another nod, Bradley strode out, closing the door firmly behind him.
Pete turned to Tom with a laugh. “Well, that hasn’t changed,” he told his husband.
Tom grinned widely, his face lighting up at Pete’s easy laugh. “No, some things don’t change,” he responded quietly, reached out again to cup Pete’s face.
Pete’s laugh turned into a grin. “Good thing his room is at the other end of the house.”
Tom quirked his eyebrows. "Feeling lucky there, hotshot?"
Pete shrugged, patting Tom's chest, right over his heart. "Are you saying I shouldn't be?" he asked softly. "Because I feel like the luckiest guy in the world."
Shaking his head with a fond smile, Tom leaned forward, pulling Pete into a soft kiss. Pete relaxed into the embrace, relief filling him again that he hadn’t lost this, that Tom was here, healthy, and that Pete had made it back to him.
Too quickly, Tom pulled back, brushing Pete’s hair back. “Come on, Mav,” he whispered. “Let’s go home.”
Pete reached down to take Tom’s hand. “Yes, sir,” he said softly. And together, they left the room, making their way down the hall to go home.