Bradley and Natasha get platonically married a few years into service and confuse the crap out of everyone.
They do it for a multitude of convenient reasons - they've been friends since flight school, they both accidentally found out they're bi but leaning toward same-sex attraction more, and had been each other's cover any time someone would start to suspect something. It comes up after Bradley puts Natasha as his next of kin and pension beneficiary (in case of death) and Natasha is like, 'you know, people are going to start questioning why we're so close'
So they don't give people a reason for suspecting - they make it official before. Nat doesn't talk to her family anymore and also makes Bradley her next of kin, they get a tax rebate, their health insurance is cheaper, they can evoke spouse privilege and get prioritised for base locations, keeping together. Married couples qualify for better housing as well and no one questions if they get a two or three-bed house, because you know, they're young, maybe they're planning to have kids soon. No one can treaten them with a DADT because who is going to believe that they're gay if they're married to each other, they have enough space that they can bring whoever they're dating back home without feeling like they need to do everything in secret.
Maybe, you know, whenever they're both alone and feel like it, they have some platonic sex...
Sure, maybe they're a weird couple - not that affectionate, not that open, talk to each other more like bickering best friends than lovers, maybe years go by and they still have no kids, maybe Natasha kept her surname, etc etc but it all could be swiftly avoided. We tried for kids but it didn't work, don't mention it around Nat/Bradley, he/she still feels guilty. We're best friends first, spouses second. The surname swap is a stupid tradition anyways. PDA is awful to see so why would we do something we don't wanna see others do?
The only real downside is that they can't be deployed together anymore.
When Jake meets Bradley after he gets re-stationed, Natasha is on deployment. They get close and closer, there's some flirting going on, and Jake is like 90% sure Bradley is not straight and is somewhat interested in him.
Push comes to shove and Bradley and Jake get deployed together (while Nat comes back home) and things continue and Jake gets 99% sure because damn, Bradley is fucking brave with how open he is with flirting, given where they are.
Then something happens and Bradley has an accident while onboard the carrier and Jake is there in the treatment bay and their CO comes around and asks Bradley, "Do you want me to call your wife, Bradshaw?" and Jake's whole world gets swept from under his feet. Because, you know, he was this close to fucking a married man.
And the worst thing is when they come back ashore and he finds out who is Bradley's wife - because Jake and Nat knew each other pretty well in USNA and he's not going to come into the mess that is their marriage.
Scratch that - the worst thing is that he can see Bradley does love Nat and that Nat loves Bradley and he doesn't know if he should say something to either. (He just doesn't know they love each other platonically only.)
They do stay married, even after DADT gets revoked, just because they're used to it now, and because the benefits are good, and really, neither of them are dating anyone seriously enough to go through the hassle.
Jake only realizes when after the mission years later, he sees Phoenix and Halo making out at the Hard Deck and tells Bradley "I think your wife is cheating on you with a woman, Bradshaw" and Bradley is like, "Yes, that would make sense given that she is a lesbian and all that."
This is how it starts: they are on a carrier for the first time in three years and they are - the whole Dagger squad - together. And there's a party going. Roo is playing the piano, Hangman is actively discussing with him about something, Coyote is having the time of his life flirting with a sailor, and Bob and Omaha are close enough to look like they are kissing except they aren't. Everybody wants a piece of Maverick, asking about him all night but the newly decorated admiral is nowhere to be seen and he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to be found.
If I made a women/wlw centric top gun challenge, which appeals to you more?
Top Gun Women's Week
Top Gun WLW Week
A combination of the two
Voting ended onJun 12, 2024
(Thatās if anyone is at all lol. Who would've thought that a film franchise about the navy would've had enough female characters to count on one hand? (/s))
I wish Fritz, Yale, or Harvardās actor actually took the selfie when filming that scene!! Before they got their ass whooped by Mav Would be such a fun picture to share lol! Payback and Fanboy! Their heights rlly are like giraffe meets mouse šš¦š¤² then HALO AND PHOENIX OFC bc who needs men š
Huge contribution from my lovely friend @pollyna. Alternative name for this is: ā Haloš¤the daggers: we're going to fix what it's broken because mavdad and icepop can't be sadā.
Halo had impressed the Admiral Kazansky a lot and so he put her on this mission team. He knew she would do her best on this and keep an eye on Maverick for him.Ā
When Maverick found out that Callie āHaloā Shen will be on this mission team, he realised he has to impress this young WSO because his husband cares about her a lot, but it seems they didnāt get off to best of the start. Mav seemed to get into a lot of trouble while Halo was working with his husband.
Maverick would go around talking with himself,saying stuff like "Don't fuck this up Mav, you need you're husband's kid to like you" and so everybody starts to think Halo is actually Adrmial Kazansky's kid. Mav is so embarrassed because they tell that to Halo. She doesn't understand why someone would think something like that!Ā It confuses hell out of her until she heared Mav over the comms.
Halo sends recording to Ice. Ice goes on spiel that he would love to be, he would feel honored to be counted as father figure to Halo, of course, if she wants to. Because Mav had Bradley and yes, he co-parented. Halo is different. She brings out his soft side again. He feels responsible to take care of her. Callie also never treated him with gloves like others after his sickness. Halo even tears up and says yes but that she will grill Mav for some time. She canāt allow the old man not to pay for his sins.
Ice is taken by all that and how Mav is concerned that he tries to do his best to shoot his husband's cautions away because I could never ever feel less for you even if Halo doesn't like you. āYou're my wingman, Mav, and I'll take you with me even to afterlife, my love.ā
But Mav still wants to impress and be on Halo's good side because she is the first kid after Bradley that his husband had shown his soft side to. This is important to his husband, so he is gonna nail it whatever it takes him. When it comes down to Ice and proving to his husband that he cares deeply about people he cares about? He wants to nail it down but it has to be good too, so it's extra work but it's all worth it.
And like Mav telling Halo after a strenuous training session I SEE WHAT HE SEES IN YOU AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF HIM FOR ME. After that Callie canāt keep grilling Maverick. He had broken down her walls, too, like he had done with Iceman before. So she answers with the same to him, taking Mav by surprise. That spurts Maverick asking her and Phoenix to come to dinner on Friday.Ā He knows they are dating each other and has since they were deployed together on previous mission. Mav has constant need to fill their nest and now he has the chance again.
Mav didn't even know he wanted all those people around until he started having them and now he just continues to invite people over and it's awesome because he can cook with Ice and it's the win of a win. When the Navy made you lose so much but finally it is giving you back what you deserve and finally these old men can be happy. And Mav takes it all, and sometimes he thinks he's a little selfish but then he looks around and on Ice's desk mostly and realizes he's hoarding too, all the moments he can in pictures and he can finally breathe.And they are the first piece of Mav's family? Literally the first two people he can call his own?
Halo teaches them how to cook her national dishes that her grandma thought her how to. Halo teaches Maverick how to eat with chopsticks and Ice sends video out to the '86 group chat because some tries are too funny. Halo is happy. She now has two gay dads that are proud of her chosen career and of her partner. Also she notices baby Roosters on the mantel and how sad her dads look at them. So she gets Phoenix help for intervention because Halo knew Rooster was an idiot but this is some kind of absurd level of it. Ok, intervention could wait because the anger was too great right now. She could not believe that someone could carry anger for over 15 years.
Bob is first to join Halo and Phoenix at these dinners. He is shy at the start but then he warms up and Ice is amazed by how smart this WSO is, not only about planes but life, when you allow him to feel safe to talk. They get into deep discussion. Next time Bob brings books that he thinks Ice would love to read.Ā That house becomes Bob's safe space. Bob brings Fanboy next and he is amazed by the science fiction library Iceman has because secretly Ice is a geek. So Fanboy starts bringing over Lego sets. They start with Dark Star from Star Wars that they all construct together.
Bradley tries to think of what he did to piss off Halo. Because she won't stop glaring at him. He asks Phoenix but she also is curt with him. Bob looks like he is contemplating murder and it seems it is Bradley's.
Hangman: Hey, Rooster. What did you to piss off those three? Usually, it is my job. Like even Baby on board looks murderous. Even my dumb jokes never get him like that.
Rooster: Wish I knew, Bagman.
So next they bring in Hangman and he isn't his usual cocky self. More like a star struck puppy, catching every word that comes out of the admiral's mouth. But after time he also relaxes and lets his walls down. Iceman had talked with him about his attitude that reminded Ice of his own once. The hug Jake got at the end of conversation brought him close to tears, to be honest, he cried a bit. It was nice to be just Jake. Now he got why Halo, Bob and Phoenix looked so murderous to Bradley. How would that prick choose loneliness over this? Over being loved and cared for. After Hangman the rest of mission squad ends up in Icemav house, except Bradley because that would end up in drama. Ice gives them all the keys to their home. Rooster finds it strange that each Friday all the mission group disappears somewhere without bringing him along.
And Bradley is like : āWeird, where everyone has disappeared to?ā He asks them but everyone tells some lies because they still need to fly this mission with him. Even if right now they would trust Hangman more than Rooster. Shame, that they arenāt the ones in power of choosing who flies it.
Tom comes in the car to get all the kids and promises doctors that he will wake Bob and Nat up for their concussion checks. So they all are allowed to leave. Fanboy and Payback had taken over the kitchen, making dinner for everyone. The Ivy league and Omaha are turning living room in one huge bed.
Halo is the one to walk in on Bradley shouting at Maverick. She had heard raised voices on her way to get Javy to hospital. Callie just stands between them both because no one talks to her Dad like that, not even this child who he raised. Rooster is towering over her, seething but she is not breaking the eye contact she has with Rooster. He once again had hurt Maverick. The man finally had started to look happier but he had to ruin it. Now Halo had seen that man really could carry anger for over 15 years. Well, if he was gonna hurt Maverick, she was gonna hit back even worse.
Halo: He has me, other daggers and his husband. Who do you have, Bradshaw?
With that she puts arm around Mavs shoulders and leads him out of room, feeling the older man's body tremble under it.
Halo: We are gonna get you some juice, dad, pick up Jake and Javy and go to hospital to visit Bob and Phee.
The older man just nodded and allowed himself to be led out of the station. There were people behind him who wouldn't leave him. He had his kids who he was going to bring back from this suicide mission.
Tom was scared when he got a call about an ejection accident because it still hit too close to home. After hop 31 every ejection is a mini heart attack for Ice and Mav. But seeing both Bobby and Phee coming out of their hospital room on their own was enough for him to relax.
So everyone stays in the living room. Those two old dogs guarding the kids and watching their chests rise and fall. Like a reminder that they all are here and okay.
Ice to Mav: You have to bring them all back.
Mav: Isn't that the reason why I am the instructor?
Ice: You know that was always just half of theĀ point. You have to bring them all and yourself back, Mav. I won't tolerate any less.
Mav: I promise and then I am gonna take the promotion so you don't have to worry anymore. But if you promise to come up with me again?
Ice: With you I would go anywhere. I am happy that you for once will be close by again. Just one piece of the puzzle missing.
