Finding Freedom | Part 10
Summary: After your dad pulled not only Bradley’s Naval Academy application but your own as well, the two of you cut him out of your lives. Forced to find your own way to make your dreams come true, it became you and Bradley against the world. Now, engaged and highly successful, despite your father’s interference, you’re both recalled to Top Gun for a high stakes mission. Will this be an opportunity to put the past behind you all and find freedom from the hurt and anger…or will it lead to you losing everyone you’ve ever loved?
Cast/Pairings: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mitchell! Reader (Female) call sign Siren , Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x Daughter! Reader, All the Daggers! Penny.
Warnings: angst , fluff, implied smut, kissing/making out.
Word Count: 3507 (SORRY FOR THE DELAY!)
A/N: Top Gun Maverick is property of Paramount, I do not own the characters, I DO own original/reader characters and the storyline pertaining to the original characters. I do NOT give permission for anyone to copy my work, use my work in AI, translate, print, sell, or post my work to any other platform, including this one. I will find you. Don’t be an asshole.
Taglist is open! If I missed anyone who asked to be tagged, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM to be added. It’s getting to hard to keep track of asks.
Requested by @kcloveswrestling Hope you like it!!!
Masterlist Part 9
You arrive at base the next day with Bradley and you’re still numb from the day before. Phoenix is already there with coffees for both of you. You all go into the mission room and instead of Mav up front it’s Admiral Simpson.
You sit down with Bradley, looking at one another confused. You pull out your cell phone before the Admiral starts to speak and quickly send a text off.
You: Are you ok?.... Why is Simpson leading?
Before you can wait for a reply Admiral Simpson starts talking.
“Captain Mitchell is no longer your instructor,” He said, his gaze moving across the room, but seeming to find yours. You kept your own gaze neutral, “And as of today, there are new mission parameters.”
He clicks a button and the course comes up on the screen.
“Time to target is now 4 minutes.” He said.
All of us look around at one another in shock. You feel a pit settle in your stomach.
“You’ll enter the valley at a reduced speed, not to exceed 420 knots.” He continued.
“Sir, won’t that be giving their planes time to intercept?” You heard the question but can’t register who’s speaking, your mind is spinning. You knew if your Uncle Ice were still alive, Simpson wouldn’t dare pull this. He hadn’t wasted any time.
A beeping sound comes on the monitor.
“What the hell?” Simpson asked, turning to the screen.
“Maverick to range control, entering point alpha.” Mav said over the comms. You sucked in a breath at your dad’s voice and leaned forward in your seat, anxiety taking hold.
“Uh Maverick, uh Range control, green range is confirmed,” The air traffic controller said, “But uh, we don’t see an event scheduled for you, sir.”
“Well I’m going anyway.” Mav answered.
“Nice.” Phoenix said softly
“Setting time to target Two Minutes: Fifteen seconds” Mav said.
“Two: Fifteen? That’s impossible.” Payback said.
You all watch and listen as Mav completes the first part, flying perfectly, maintaining speed, taking the sharp corners of the valley with the low hard deck.
“Popping in 3….2…..1” He said.
You hear the target lock beeping over the comms.
“Bombs away.” Mav said,
You can hear more beeping and the sound of Mav breathing.
“Bulls-eye! Holy shit!”
“Yes!” Bob said softly
Mav successfully completes the last part of the mission course, and everyone is cheering as he is directed to return to base. The look on Simpson’s face is hard to interpret. You can tell even he has to respect Mav’s skill at pulling that off but is seething at his methods. You have no doubts your dad is in for serious trouble when he comes back to base.
“You’re all to report to the tarmac. Apparently two minutes fifteen is the new target time. Admiral Bates will be handling the teams. Dismissed.” Simpson said, leaving immediately.
Bradley slipped his hand in yours, looking down at you, “You ok, Siri.” He asked softly.
“Yeah,” You replied, squeezing his hand reassuringly, “I’m ok. I’m stuck between being really impressed and really pissed that he endangered his career with that move. He has to know that Uncle Ice isn’t here to bail him out anymore.”
“I have a feeling he’s very aware.” Bradley said, “I’m guessing Simpson pulling him off the mission as our instructor after Ice’s funeral wasn’t by chance… and I’d be willing to bet it went beyond just taking him from this mission.”
“Do you think Simpson is trying to get Captain Mitchell discharged?” Phoenix asked quietly.
“Simpson hates my dad.” You said, sighing, “Honestly, I’ve learned growing up that many higher ups do. Uncle Ice protected my dad…. With him gone now, he’s going to have a target on his back unless he stops acting so much like…. Well… like himself.”
“We should get out there.” Phoenix said, “We’ve gotta make the course in 2:15 now.”
You all walked out together. You and Bradley turned to walk to your jet to start the pre-flight checks. Jake, who’d just finished his pre-flight checks, walks over. You find that you don’t brace for whatever will come out his mouth anymore. He seems to have somewhat toned down in the recent days and had been extremely supportive after Ice died. You also noticed he was no longer actively trying to goad Bradley.
“Hey, Siri.” He said, his voice loud enough to be heard over the jet engines. “Just wanted to check on the two of you. Didn’t get a chance when you got here this morning.”
“We’re doing ok, Jake.” You replied, smiling softly at him, “Thank you for checking in though… it really does mean a lot.”
“Of course.” He said, looking a little sheepish. It was almost endearing to see this side of him. “Be safe up there. Keep your head in the game.”
“We will. You too.” You replied, reaching out to pat his shoulder, then offered a playful smile, “Just try to keep up.”
“I think that’s my line, Siri.” He chuckled, shaking his head.
He headed back towards his jet and you finished checking the wings and flaps then headed to the ladder. Bradley was finishing up his stuff and was meeting you as you started to climb up.
“What was that all about?” He asked as you both got situated inside the jet, neither of you having turned on the comms yet.
“He was just checking on us.” You replied, flipping on switches to make sure everything was powering up. You pulled your harness on and tightened it. “He also said to be safe and keep our head in the game. I told him he should too… and to try to keep up.”
Bradley laughed, turning his head to wink back at you.
“Not sure how to really take this new version of Hangman…”Bradley said, “But… I’ll take the truce.”
“It started when we helped Javy when he was in G-lock…” You noted, “But… he’s been almost gentle and protective since Uncle Ice died. I think there’s a lot more to Jake than we know… more than he’s let us see. I hope that once this mission is over we’ll get the chance to get to know him better.”
“Let’s focus on surviving this mission first, Baby.” He said, starting the engine and flipping switches up front, “Then we can focus on maybe mending relationships… and getting to know people better.”
“That sounds like a good plan, Roo.” You replied, pulling your helmet on and flipping comms on.
The day was long and frustrating. If you thought the mission parameters were impossible before, they seemed even more strenuous and just out of reach now. The time to target required them to fly faster than they had been while also ensuring nobody went into the side of a mountain. While it was just on a simulator here… on the real mission the mountain would very much be real.
“I need food, a hot shower, and bed.” You groaned as you made your way to the hangar. “Not necessarily in that order.”
“Showering here or at home?” Bradley asked, walking close to you.
“As much as I wanna get out of here…” You replied, looking over at him with a small smile, “We both need a shower before we get into the Bronco.”
“Probably a good call.” He chuckled, agreeing.
“Let’s just be quick though, because I really do wanna get home to eat and then crash out.” You said.
“Hey, y’all wanna head to the Hard Deck?” Javy asked, coming from the side where he’d just left his jet. “I think most of the squad is going. Bob said he was out tonight but Payback and Fanboy are going, Hangman is in, Phoenix is going and I think she’s trying to get Halo to come.”
“I think we’re gonna pass tonight, Man.” Bradley said, smiling tiredly, “But we’ll definitely come next time.”
“Don’t make any bets with Hangman on darts though, Coyote.” You teased, “You know he beats you every time. It’s actually unnerving how accurate he is.”
“Maybe I’ll have a shot at beating him at pool.” He laughed.
“Ask Nix to be your partner and play doubles.” You suggested, trying to encourage whatever spark was happening between the two of them, “You won’t lose.”
“I’ll do that.” He replied, smiling, “Y’all take care tonight. Get rested… you can call if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Coyote.” Bradley said. “Have fun tonight.”
“Will do.” He smiled.
When you got into the locker rooms you separated to head to the showers and get changed. Phoenix was just getting out of the shower, heading to her locker when you got in.
“Are you heading to the Hard Deck tonight?” She asked as she opened her locker.
“Nope.” You smiled tiredly, “Bradley and I are going home to eat and pass out. We’re both emotionally, mentally and physically tapped out. We need to recharge prior to the mission if we’re going to be any good.”
“Do you need anything?” She asked gently.
“Just for you to go and have fun tonight…” You smiled, “Be open to see where things go with Javy.”
“I’ll … see.” She laughed softly, “I will have fun though.”
“I guess I’ll have to take that.” You laughed, grabbing your towel and shower stuff. “I’m going to hit the showers.”
“See you tomorrow. Call if you need anything.” She smiled.
“See you tomorrow, Nix.” You replied, smiling
You showered quickly, too in a hurry to take your time. Once you were done, you dried off and pulled on a pair of jeans and tank top, tucking your dog tags underneath. You slid your feet into flip flops, always preferring them to actual shoes whenever possible, picked up your bag and headed out of the locker room.
“Hey, Beautiful.” Bradley said, smiling as he leaned against the wall outside the locker room. “Ready to head home?”
“I sure am, Hot Stuff.” You replied, “Are we ordering or running through a drive thru?”
“What sounds good to you?” He asked, linking your hands together.
“Honestly?” You replied smiling over at him, “I kinda want a burger and milkshake from the diner.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” He said, “Because that sounds fucking amazing.”
“But let’s get the food to go…” You suggested, “So we can get home and crawl into bed.”
“Baby, I fully support that idea.” He agreed.
***
Later that night after eating, you and Bradley were curled up on the couch, not having made it to bed yet. You’d put on a movie, but neither of you were actually watching, too lost in your own thoughts. You were laying tucked against Bradley, his arm securely around you. Your own hand resting over his, fingers mindlessly tracing over his.
You were pulled from your thoughts by your phone dinging. You leaned over to the coffee table to grab it and unlocked it.
“Who is it?” Bradley asked, his voice sounding tired.
“Uncle Sli.” You said, smiling softly, “He’s just checking in on us. Wants to know if we want to get lunch or dinner tomorrow.”
“Of course.” Bradley replied, “We won’t know what we’re doing though until we get to base. So we can either play it by ear or just plan on dinner.”
“I’ll just call him.” You laughed, hitting the call button, putting the call on speaker.
“Hey there, Honeybee.” Slider said, answering on the second ring. “Everything going ok?”
“Hi Uncle Sli.” You replied, “We’re doing ok. Today was extra frustrating and long…but we’re good. I’m sure you talked to my dad…”
“Yeah…” He chuckled, “That’s some typical Mav maneuvering right there. Can’t say that I blame him though… Simpson was trying to ground him permanently. Didn’t even wait and give anyone a chance to catch their breath from Ice passing. I’ve never liked Cyclone personally… had respect for him professionally… but after that stunt… not sure I even have that… kicking a man when he’s down… kind of a dick move.”
“I guess he knew Uncle Ice wasn’t there to stand in his way.” You said sadly, “I understand why he did it too… to some extent… but it definitely didn’t make things easier on us today. And it just made the target on his back larger… I’m assuming since he hasn’t called he hasn’t been recommended for court martial or anything?”
“Simpson will keep gunning for him as long as he can.” Slider scoffed, “And no… he’s not up for court martial or disciplinary action. I’ll let him fill you in on everything though. You two up for lunch or dinner tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Bradley said, joining the conversation. “We don’t know what our day is going to look like though. Do you want to play it by ear to see if lunch will work or just plan on dinner?”
“Hey, Little Goose.” Slider said. You could hear the smile in his voice. “Let’s plan on dinner then. That way we know we’ll have time. I want to spend as much time with you two as I can before you head out on the mission.”
“Hi, Uncle Sli.” Bradley said, chucking. It still amused him that Slider always called him Little Goose despite the fact that he had his own call sign now. “Dinner works. You want us to come there or do you wanna come here?”
“I can come there. I’ll pick up dinner on the way.” He replied, “You two rest up and fly safe tomorrow.”
“We will, Uncle Sli.” You replied, “Love you.”
“Love you too.” He replied.
After hanging up Bradley pulled you back into him, nuzzling his face into your neck.
“Wanna go to bed, Baby?” He asked, his voice muffled.
“Yeah… yeah I do.” You replied, softly. He pressed a tender kiss to your neck, just behind your ear, making you shiver.
You got up from the couch and pulled him with you heading to the bedroom.
***
“New intel has come in and the mission has been moved up.” Simpson informs you all in the morning briefing. The good news is, your dad did not get court martialed. Begrudgingly, Simpson realized Mav was still needed…for not at least. “Your training is officially concluded. You have 24 hours to get ready and report back. You will be flying out to the ship at 0700 tomorrow morning. Captain Mitchell is mission leader. He will decide his teams once on board.” He paused looking around at you all. “I don’t have to tell you this mission is not like anything you’ve ever flown before. As in every mission, it’s advised you put your affairs in order before leaving, make sure your directives are up to date and paperwork is current with next of kin. That being said… “ He looked directly at Mav. “My goal is always to bring all my pilots home. This mission is no different in that regard.”
There was silence as you all sat there taking it in. You reached for Bradley’s hand under the table needing the connection and silent reassurance. He squeezed your hand and looked over at you, communicating without words.
“You’re all dismissed.” Simpson said.
Everyone got up and started to make their way out of the room. Most likely congregating outside of the hangar. You stood up with Bradley ready to turn to walk out.
“Siren, Rooster.” Mav said, causing you both to pause.
You turned to your dad who was walking over to you.
“I just…” He paused, hesitating. “I wanted to make sure you both were ok.” He said, “I didn’t get a chance to check in after the funeral… and then yesterday…”
“Yesterday you tried to get yourself court martialed?” You asked, a ghost of a smile on your face. “We’re doing Ok…ish.”
“To be fair, I was already going to be washed out.” He admitted quietly, “I knew it was coming… but… I didn’t think it would before the mission. I… Y/N… Bradley… I know I made some bad calls and you’re both still angry… eventually, we….should probably talk. But I couldn't live with myself if I just rolled over and watched you both get sent into a mission with parameters that were sure to get you killed….yesterday…. Hell the entire time you’ve both been back… it wasn’t about me proving something… or you having to prove anything to me. It was about me doing everything in my power to make sure the two of you have every shot at living through this…”
You stood there, years of conflicting emotions once again wreaking havoc on you. You weren’t sure what to say, how to process anything of what he just said. Bradley, wrapped his arm around you, sensing your turmoil.
“We appreciate that.” Bradley said, his voice neutral and respectful as if he were speaking to any of his commanding officers.
“Dad,” You said, your own voice wavering a bit, “There’s been so much that’s happened since we got back to San Diego. It’s been hard enough to process and then this mission… I just… Bradley and I both need to focus on this mission first. Afterwards… maybe once we’ve had a chance to catch our breath… you and I can sit down and talk. I won’t promise it’ll change the feelings, but I did promise Uncle Ice…”
“I can live with that.” He said, giving a small smile. “You two get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Bradley takes your hand and the two of you head out of the hangar that had become a makeshift classroom.
“You all want to meet up for a drink at the Hard Deck tonight before we leave tomorrow?” Javy asked
“I have some stuff to get done this afternoon since we’ve been given off but I can meet tonight.” Phoenix said.
“I’m down. Blow off some steam before we head out.” Jake replied, “As much as it pains me to say it, we should make it an early night.”
“That’s the smart thing to do.” Bob agreed, “I can come out for a bit.”
Payback and Fanboy both agreed too. They all looked over at you and Bradley.
“We’re having dinner with Uncle Slider.” You said.
“Bring him with!” Phoenix said, smiling, “You know he spent lots of time there while at Top Gun.”
“Oh, he definitely did.” Bradley laughed, “We grew up hearing all the stories of him and Uncle Ice, my dad and Mav.”
“Definitely bring him.” Jake smiled.
“We’ll ask him.” You agreed, “But it’ll absolutely be an early night so we’re all in top form tomorrow.”
On the way to the Bronco, after saying goodbye to everyone, you kept your hand in Bradley’s, your mind on the mission ahead.
“B?” You asked, once you reached the passenger door. He threw both of your bags into the back and turned to look at you. “Now that my dad is the Mission leader… what do you think the odds are that we actually get chosen?”
“I don’t know, Baby.” He sighed, “But to be honest… I thought he’d wash us out before we even got this far. Maybe he’ll surprise us?”
“History shows my dad’s surprises are usually not great.” You pointed out. “The last one blew our whole world apart.”
“I know… but, it’s out of our hands now.” He shrugged, “And… I’m kind of banking on him wanting a relationship with you again… and washing you out of this mission would probably scrub that…so… maybe he’ll surprise us in a good way.”
“One thing we both know is my dad never does anything that’s expected.” You said, leaning over to quickly kiss him. “Let’s go get all of our crap in order… we need to figure out how to update our stuff without the higher ups all finding out that we’re married.”
“You know we’re going to catch heat from Simpson when he does find out right?” Bradley chuckled, “It’s only a matter of time before all of Uncle Ice’s paperwork is gone through.”
“I know.” You smirked, “But that’ll be an after the mission problem… and we technically did inform our commanding officer of our marriage status. It’s not our fault he didn’t share it… and that the commanding officer we chose to share it with was the COMPACFLT. Besides… they don’t seem to have an issue with us flying together being engaged… why would that change because we’re married?”
“I have a feeling they just looked the other way because of Uncle Ice, Baby,” He smiled, “But, I guess we’ll see once the paperwork is found and officially filed.”
“Cross your fingers it’s once we’re back from the mission.” You replied. “But I don’t want to fly with anyone else… except maybe Nix but she’s already with Bob.”
“Just focus on now… we’ll deal with whatever they throw at us after… when it comes.” He said, leaning down to kiss your forehead, “Us against the world, Baby.”
“Always.” You answered, smiling up at him. “Let’s go get packed and call Uncle Sli.”
***
A/N: Again... always delayed... sorry! I will start on part 11 immediately! We're almost there... only a few more parts to go!
***
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