Summary: Bradley (age 11) gets a migraine at school and has to call Pops (Ice) because Dad (Mav) is on training.
Read on A03; TGM Masterlist
A couple of weekends ago when I wasn't feeling the best, I had the idea for a sick!Bradley fic with Mav!dad. Well when I started writing it, Ice came in and said "Hey, here I am," and now we have Ice taking care of a sick Bradley. It turned out way sweeter than I was expecting and I really like this so I hope you do too. I have another chapter of Letting Go I'm working on as well, but this demanded to be written first.
Any time Mav wasn't at home, Bradley was more anxious than normal. Ever since he'd lost both parents young, he'd been anxious, but Uncle Mav made things better. As long as he could remember Mav was a constant in his life, and after both Goose and Carole passed, Mav was all he had left. Of course he knew of the others in his dad's class; they were all pseudo-uncles in some way, but Mav was the best.
He’d been living with Uncle Mav for two weeks when Uncle Ice moved in. Bradley was six and thought it was great that he got to have two of his favorite people to live with even if he missed his parents. Ice started teaching at TOPGUN, and any time Mav ended up deployed, he was there for Bradley. At six, Bradley didn’t question it. “Mav” became “dad” at seven; but Ice remained Uncle Ice. At eight, he still didn’t question anything even though Ice and Mav stopped hiding things around the house. They made sure Bradley understood that outside of their house and his uncles, they were just friends making do and raising a kid for their friends. At eight and half, “Ice” became “Pops” which the rest of his uncles thought was the greatest thing.
When asked how he came up with “Pops,” Bradley shrugged; “PopUps are his favorite, and he always lets me steal some,” he grins. His point was proven as Ice rejoined his circle of friends with a PopUp that he let Bradley have the first bite of. Slider, Wolf and Hollywood all died laughing to which Ice just scowled at them having heard the tail end of the conversation. At nine, Bradley started having nightmares and headaches. They got him back into therapy and ended up with a prescription for migraines. Mav ended up back at TOPGUN in the hopes that being home more would help Bradley’s stress level.
It took almost six months and lots of talks between the three of them and the therapist, but Bradley seemed to finally be back to himself, and Mav deployed once more. It was rough on Bradley, and most nights he ended up in the bed with Ice to prevent the nightmares, but they made do, and Maverick was back home before they knew it. At eleven, Maverick was assigned to a testing department; he still got to fly, but stayed stateside a whole lot more which seemed to make Bradley happy. Ice was rising through the ranks and they were a happy little family.
Bradley hadn’t had a migraine since right after his tenth birthday, almost a year and a half ago. But that morning when he’d gotten up for school, he hadn’t felt the best. He’d assured Pops he'd be fine because he had a test he couldn’t miss, and while Ice was hesitant to send him, he knew Bradley wouldn’t back down. He gave him some meds to hopefully stave off a headache, but Bradley just looked miserable.
“Call me if you get worse ok?” Ice tells him as he drops him off at school.
“Promise.” Bradley gives him a tentative simple and a hug before climbing out of the Jeep. “Remember dad will be home soon and everything is ok,” Ice reassures. He’s not sure Bradley is stressing about that, but they always try to reassure him anyway.
“Thanks Pops. Love you,” he says as he closes the door and heads into school.
He made it through his first few periods, his headache steadily getting worse. He knew he should go call Ice, but he wanted to get this test out of the way. The minute he was done with his test, he barely made it to the garbage can in the classroom before he was sick. He hated it, hated that everyone was having to see that. His head was pounding, and he had tears leaking down his cheeks as his teacher rubbed his back in sympathy. He was just glad he at least was in a teacher’s room that he liked. Once he was sure he was done, he headed off to the nurses office, trying not to get sick again from the lights and pain.
His teacher had already alerted the nurse he was coming, so he was thankful when he was able to just collapse straight on the cot. He explained his headache, and was grateful when she dimmed the lights. His head was hurting too bad to remind her to call Ice instead of Mav. He drifted a little once she went out, but her quiet voice brought him right back into wakefulness.
“Bradley, your emergency contact isn’t answering,” the nurse says softly. “Is there anyone else we can call?”
He rolls his head on the cot he’s on, “Who’d you call?” he whispers, trying not to make his head pound anymore. He refused the meds the nurse tried to give him, knowing once he gets home he’ll get what he needs.
“Captain Mitchell. He’s the emergency contact listed.”
Bradley softly snorts, forgetting that the school doesn’t bother to keep up with active duty deployments or training exercises. “He’s training today. You’ll have to call my Uncle Ice. He’s listed on the pickup list. Uh.. Tom I mean.” He always forgets that call signs don’t get listed on the contact list.
The nurse goes back out, quietly closing the door, but Bradley still groans as his head pounds. He’s not sure why he has a migraine now, but he just wants to go home. The nurse comes back after a few minutes, and quietly lets him know that she was able to reach Tom and he would be there soon. Bradley just grunts softly in acknowledgement and tries to breathe through the splitting pain.
It’s not even ten minutes after the nurse returned, before the door opens once more. Bradley knows the school is close to base, but not that close. He softly snorts as he feels a hand card through his hair; “And you say Mav is reckless,” he whispers barely remembering to not call him dad.
His uncle snorts before helping him up. The nurse is quietly giving Ice the details of the incident that she’d gotten from the teacher while Bradley grabs his bag and the aviators being held out to him. He lets out a soft sigh as he slips them on, and then feels the hand at his back. “You ready?”
He swallows deep, fighting through the nausea at being upright before turning his face into Ice’s chest. “I gotcha kiddo. Just a little bit longer and we’ll be home.” Bradley just nods knowing if he talks he’s going to slip up and say something he shouldn't, so he takes another deep breath before pulling back and following Ice out to the Jeep.
Once settled in the passenger seat he lets out the whimper he was holding in as they walked out. Ice carefully lays the front seat back, before hurrying around and starting the Jeep. He blasts the air on cold knowing it will help the kid keep from throwing up and turns the radio off. “I text dad so he wouldn’t freak out when he saw the school had called,” Ice says quietly.
“Thanks. I guess we forgot to tell them he’d be busy,” he shrugs.
Ice’s hand finds Bradley’s hair and softly runs his fingers through it. “Not on you kiddo. He’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Unless he pisses someone off,” Bradley snorts and then whines as it makes his head throb. Maybe he was more worried about that than he’d thought.
Ice chuckles softly before running a thumb across the frown lines on Bradley’s forehead. He feels guilty that he hadn’t picked up on Bradley’s anxiety at Mav being gone. “He won’t. Knowing you’re not feeling well will have him home in no time.” He makes a note to text Mav that he better come home tomorrow.
They make it to the house without incident, but as soon as the cool air cuts off, Bradley knows he’s going to be sick again. He flings the door open, and stumbles out of the jeep. “Easy, easy, I gotcha,” Ice murmurs, catching him before he face planted in the driveway.
They make it to the grass beside the driveway before Bradley doubles over dry heaving because there was nothing left in him. Ice rubs his back the entire time and whispers words of comfort to him. But the dry heaving and the sun peaking in around the too big aviators are making his headache worse. “Come on Baby Goose, deep breath.”
Bradley takes a couple of exaggerated breaths before gagging some more. Once he’s sure he’s done he lets Ice help him up. “Alright, fastest way upstairs,” Ice murmurs before scooping Bradley up. It’s been a long time since he’s carried the kid, and it's a testament to how bad he feels that he doesn’t protest. “Shower or bed?” he asks, once they’re upstairs near the kid’s rooms.
“Shower,” he whispers, finally pulling his face from Ice’s neck.
Ice puts him down in the bathroom leaving the light off. “I’m going to get your meds and some Gatorade.” Bradley makes a face at that as Ice starts the shower. “Don’t give me that look. You’ve puked enough, you're dry heaving. You need electrolytes.”
“Dad has sprite in the garage. I’d rather have that.”
Ice looks up at the ceiling holding in a sigh. This kid was so much like Maverick sometimes it wasn’t even funny. “Gatorade first. Then we’ll see about sprite. Yell if you need me. I’ll be right back.” He stands at the door listening to make sure Bradley gets in the shower before going downstairs to get the migraine meds and Gatorade. He grabs a sprite out of the garage too knowing the kid will protest the Gatorade after a couple of sips.
He sees a text from Mav that he quickly answers. B is going to be fine. Don’t piss anyone off so they extend your testing. He’s expecting you tomorrow! And so am I! Being with Mav was a decision he never regretted no matter how much trouble Maverick seemed to find himself in; he’s just glad that most of the time Bradley is enough of a deterrent to keep Mav out of trouble. He shakes his head before heading back upstairs. “B you good?” he calls out through the bathroom door.
“Yea. Be out in a sec.” The kid sounds like he’s still in pain so Ice heads to his bedroom and quickly closes the blackout curtains. He grabs some boxers and drops them inside the bathroom before coming back to lay out some sweats for the kid and pulling the desk chair beside the bed. He’s just sitting down in it when Bradley stumbles through the door. Ice quickly catches him and settles him on the edge of the bed. “Here, swallow,” he says, passing him the meds and holding up the Gatorade.
Bradley wrinkles his nose at it, but takes it to swallow the pills knowing he won’t get anywhere arguing with Ice. Ice pulls the sweats up his legs before eyeing the bottle that barely had anything missing, which pulls another whine out of Bradley. “Two more swallows.”
Bradley huffs, and Ice knows he’d roll his eyes if his head didn’t hurt so bad. He takes two more swallows before fake gagging and flopping back on the bed. Ice goes to get a cold wash cloth to lay over his eyes along with the garbage can just to be safe. When he comes back he offers a quiet “Here,” holding out the can of sprite. Bradley’s eyes sparkle, and Ice just tucks the blankets around him.
“I don’t know why dad doesn’t think you’re a pushover, because you are.” The kid must be feeling some better now that he’s horizontal if he can throw some Mitchell sass back at him.
“And that stays our secret Baby Goose. Your dad causes enough trouble without thinking he can just blink his eyes and get his way.”
Bradley sets the sprite on his bedside table as he lays back down. “Yea our secret Pops,” he murmurs with a crooked grin. They all know Ice is a pushover for Mav too, but they try not to say it and inflate Mav’s ego anymore. Ice sits down on the bed beside him and lays the cold cloth over his eyes. He runs his fingers through Bradley’s curls as the kid relaxes into the bed. “Stay,” Bradley whispers so softly that Ice can’t tell him no. The kid drifts off quickly, the meds taking effect and doing their job.
As requested here's another chapter. It's not exactly Dad!Mav taking care of a Sick!Bradley, but I tried. Iceman just kept butting in. Maybe I'll do a different fic of Dad!Mav/Sick!B but I still hope yall enjoy this unexpected addition to this little one shot. It got out of hand and ended up kinda long, but again I'm blaming Ice for that. And since I apparently lost track of the timeline, just pretend the "text" IceMav sent in Ch. 1 and here are emails. Hope you enjoy! The inset italicized portion right under the cut is a flashback. I think it’s pretty clear, but just wanted to make sure in case.
Read on A03; Read pt. 1 on Tumblr
Once Bradley has been asleep for an hour, Ice quietly sneaks out to his office. He’d left the door cracked so he could hear Bradley if needed since his office was just down the hall, but he needed to get some work done. He sent Mav another message assuring him Bradley was fine and currently sleeping, and Mav promised he would be home in the morning. He bumped his flight up, catching a red eye that night. Ice fondly shook his head at his partner and promised they would be waiting.
Mav had been terrified the day he learned Bradley would be his, but he was the best father ever in Ice's opinion. Ice remembers it like it was yesterday.
He’d just finished a run that morning when his phone rang. He decidedly ignored it in favor of a shower, but before he could get in said shower, it started ringing again. He let out a groan before turning the water off and heading back towards the phone in his kitchen. He didn’t make it in time, and contemplated turning back for the shower, but the decision was made for him when it started ringing once more.
“Hello?”
All he could hear from the other end of the line was panting breath. “Hello?” he growled this time.
“I…. Ice?”
“Mav? That you? What’s wrong?” Ice asked, his body instantly snapping to alert at the sound of his wingman so upset. He knew Mav frequently got nightmares, but usually that meant middle of the night calls, not mid-morning calls.
“Ice,” he choked out.
“Mav, I’m here. Just breathe. Breathe with me,” he said. He intentionally altered his breathing making it slower and louder. He counted his breaths too, until he heard Mav doing the same. “Tell me where you are.”
“Base.”
Ice knew that meant his house on base. When Maverick was midpanic, he didn’t talk as much and Ice had learned to do a lot of inference during these calls. “Gimme ten minutes Mav and I’ll be there ok?”
“K.”
It was all Ice could do to hang up the phone not wanting to leave Mav alone. Ever since the Layton rescue, he and Mav had gotten so much closer. He still never acted on the feelings he’d had since day one of meeting the brunette pilot, but having Mav in his life was more than enough. The man had been through enough without Ice adding his feelings on top of it. Slider told him he was an idiot for not telling Mav, but Ice didn’t always think his RIO and best friend gave the best advice. He grabbed a shirt, slipping into it quickly as he grabbed his keys and wallet. He was out the door and across base in record time, knocking on Mav’s door.
He tried the knob when he didn’t get an answer and was relieved when it opened. “Mav,” he called out, closing and locking the door behind him.
“Uncle Ice!” Bradley screeched, launching himself from the couch into Ice’s arms.
“Baby Goose! What are you doing here?” Ice asked, easily catching the boy. His worry spiked even more knowing Mav was somewhere in the house, likely hiding from Bradley, so the boy wouldn’t see his panic attack.
“Mama had to go somewhere, and Uncle Mav is babysitting.”
“Well I bet that’s been fun. Where is Uncle Mav?”
“Went to take a shower while I watched ‘tartoons.” Even though he knew the correct word, Bradley still liked calling them “tartoons” for the smile it got from his uncles.
“Well why don’t you finish the cartoons and let me check on Uncle Mav ok? I’ll be right back,” he promises. Bradley readily agrees, and Ice puts him back on the couch to go in search of his wingman. He makes it to Mav’s bedroom and gently knocks on the bathroom door. “Mav. It’s me. Let me in?” he asks softly, not wanting to draw Bradley’s attention to them.
The door creaks open, and Ice lets out a sigh of relief. He leaves it cracked just in case Bradley needs something and he sinks to the floor pulling Mav into his arms, Mav’s back to his chest. He lays a hand over Mav’s chest and intentionally slows his breathing once more hoping to get Mav to match it. It takes a couple of minutes, but Mav does finally slow his breathing. Ice reaches up and finds a wash cloth already wet and gently runs it over Mav’s face.
“Wanna tell me about it?”
Mav gives a shaky nod. “Carole asked me to keep B today. Said she had a doctor’s appointment. But before she left, she gave me those,” he says pointing to some papers lying on the floor.
“May I?” Mav gives another shaky nod and Ice leans over and picks them up. He holds them above Mav’s head; seeing as this was the likely cause of Mav’s panic attack, he didn’t want him to have to see them again just yet. The words at the top caught his attention; “The Last Will and Testament…”
“Shit,” Ice murmurs, dropping the papers and wrapping Mav up tight.
“Yea. I… I get B. I can’t… I’m not a father Ice. I can’t do this, whatever this is she’s wanting. I can’t. It should be her, and Goose, and I just…”
“Easy, easy, Mav.” He let his hand rub steady circles into Mav’s chest trying to calm him. “We’ll figure this out.. Together ok? You’re not alone in this; you’re not alone in anything anymore ok?”
Mav gives another shaky exhale and a nod. “Together.”
“Together,” Ice promises. Once he’s sure Mav is ok, he starts the shower and takes the papers with him, promising to keep Bradley entertained until Mav is done. Mav gives his hand a squeeze, a gentle thanks, a reminder of all they don’t talk about, and then Ice is rejoining the six year old on the couch.
“Is Uncle Mav ok?” Bradley asks him quietly once he’s curled into Ice’s side.
“Yea Baby Goose. Uncle Mav is just fine.”
Bradley gives him that megawatt smile that can steal anyone’s heart, and Ice can’t help but lean down and kiss the top of his head. “And even if Uncle Mav wasn’t ok, I’d make sure to get him ok.”
“Because you’re his wingman,” Bradley grins.
“Yea that’s right.” He stays all day, playing with Bradley and Mav. They end up going down to the beach to play ball and swim. They get pizza for dinner, and by the time it’s dark, and Carole still isn’t back, Ice gives Bradley a bath while Mav tries to call her. It isn’t until a couple of hours later after Bradely is sound asleep in Maverick’s bed do they learn that Carole was in a car accident leaving her doctor’s appointment and didn’t make it. It’d taken the hospital a little while to figure out who next of kin was to contact, and Ice is extremely glad he’s still there when Mav gets the call.
Ice ends up staying the night, holding Mav all night long on the couch so they don’t wake Bradley. And the next morning, they do the hardest thing they’ve ever had to face and tell Bradley that he’s going to be living with Mav from now on. Ice handles calling their COs, and does his best to get his deployment pushed back. He helps Mav make arrangements, and he’s there for every step of it, holding him and Bradley through all the tears.
Mav’s request to return to TOPGUN is granted right away, but unfortunately Ice still has to do his six month deployment. Bradley is wrecked even though he doesn’t fully understand it, but Ice promises he’ll be back and that Bradley and Uncle Mav will be just fine. He promises weekly phone calls and letters, and he makes Viper and Jester promise to look out for Mav. He knows they’re on to him and his feelings he keeps pushing down, but if it means Mav and Bradley will be looked after, he doesn’t really give a damn if they figure him out. He has Viper to thank for getting him back stateside and at TOPGUN a week and a half into his deployment. He doesn’t know what kind of favors he pulled, he just knows he owes the man dearly.
Ice is brought out of his memories hearing a groan from Bradley’s bedroom. He’s down the hall in a flash sneaking in the door without letting too much light in. “How ya feeling Baby Goose?” he asks as he kneels beside the bed, running his fingers through Bradley’s hair. The kid is in desperate need of a cut, his curls getting out of hand, but they were waiting for Mav to get back for that.
“Sick,” he whimpers, curling towards Ice.
Ice climbs up on the bed and pulls Bradley between his legs to lay back against him. The wash cloth has lost its chill, but he still runs it over Bradley’s face. “I know kiddo. How’s the head?” he whispers.
“Not as bad,” Bradley sighs, sinking into Ice.
“The meds are working even though they’re making you nauseous. Think you could eat a cracker or two?”
Bradley gags a little, but then nods. “Ok, I’ll run grab some crackers and re-wet this cloth. Think you can get some more Gatorade down?”
Bradley scrunches his nose, but concedes as long as Sprite follows it up. Ice asks him if he wants another cold Sprite, to which Bradley assures him the lukewarm will be fine. Ice makes a face at that, which draws a quiet chuckle from Bradley.
“I swear you’re just like your dad,” he groans, before he goes out to grab the things he promised. He brings a cup of ice back with him knowing that while Bradley will drink lukewarm Sprite, the Gatorade will have to be cold. He gives Bradley a few crackers while he goes to wet the cloth and then he pours the Gatorade into the cup. He climbs back on the bed knowing Bradley is just as clingy as Mav is when sick, and Bradley lays back against him. Ice passes him the cup of Gatorade and Bradley whines, but doesn’t argue.
Once his stomach is settled a little more he drifts off to sleep laying on Ice. The rest of the afternoon passes with Bradley sleeping and Ice doing some reading while he holds their boy. That night he manages to get Bradley to eat a grilled cheese, and Bradley assures him that he’s starting to feel better. Ice insists he stay home again tomorrow, promising that Mav will want to see with his own eyes that Bradley is ok. That night Ice ends up falling asleep with Bradley and the next morning, Mav sneaks in before five am and finds Bradley asleep on Ice’s chest.
It’s precious and if the bed was bigger or if they had been in Mav and Ice’s bed, he would’ve crawled in with them. He takes his bag and drops it in their bedroom before returning and gently running his fingers through Ice’s hair. Mav isn’t surprised when Ice snaps awake, tightening his hold around Bradley.
“Hey,” he whispers, relaxing once he realizes it’s just Mav.
“Hey. Everything ok?” he whispers. His hands drift to Bradley’s hair, and a soft snort is the only acknowledgement Bradley gives.
“Yea. Gave him meds, got some Gatorade in him, and let him do a lot of sleeping. He agreed to stay home today.”
“Mmmm. Sounds perfect. Think we can move him to our bed?” Mav asks around a yawn.
Ice gives him a tender smile and soft chuckle. “I carried him up here yesterday; you can carry him to bed.”
Mav snorts as he leans down and gently pries Bradley off Ice’s chest. “Softie,” he teases, pecking Ice’s lips. Ice just rolls his eyes and gives Mav a firmer kiss before following him to their room. He kicks Mav’s bag to the side knowing he’ll end up dealing with it later. “You got all day here?” Ice murmurs helping Mav get comfy with Bradley between them.
Mav gives him a nod and a raised eyebrow, which is his silent question back to Ice. Bradley turns his face into Mav’s neck now that he’s settled once more, and he stays sound asleep. “Nope. Will need to go in since I didn’t get everything done yesterday. But you can call me if you two need anything and I can come home.”
“We’ll be fine Admiral,” Mav smirks. “Probably spend majority of the day right here.”
Ice snorts but smiles. He lays there with them for another hour, Mav drifting off pretty quickly, before he gets up and gets ready for his day. He quietly sneaks out of the house and heads to work, knowing a day with Mav is just what Bradley will need.
Bradley wakes around eight, quickly realizing he’s in his dads’ bed. Shortly after that, he realizes it’s Mav’s chest he’s curled into instead of Ice’s. “Dad,” he murmurs, gently shaking Mav awake.
“Hey Baby Goose,” Mav smiles, pulling Bradley back into his arms.
“I’m glad you’re home,” Bradley says with a smile.
“Me too kiddo. Me too.” Mav sits up and looks around noticing Ice’s absence. “Guess Pops has gone on to work. So it’s just you and me today. How are you feeling?” He brushes the hair off Bradley’s forehead as his kid moves to sit up beside him.
“Better. Head’s not hurting this morning. Stomach doesn’t feel like it’s going to crawl out my throat either.”
Mav has to hide his laugh with a cough. Dear God Ice is right. The kid is just like me. “That’s good. Want some breakfast? Pops said you didn’t eat much yesterday.”
“Yea. Was too sick.” He shrugs it off as he climbs out of bed. “He made me drink that nasty crap he thinks replenishes electrolytes.”
Mav does laugh at that as he follows Bradley out of bed. “You know he’s right though, especially with how sick he said you were.”
“Doesn’t mean I like it any better.”
Mav chuckles at the dramatics as he pulls Bradley into his arms. “Missed you kiddo.”
Bradley smiles as he breathes in the scent that is uniquely Mav. “Missed you too Dad.”
“How about a Sprite with breakfast to make up for the Gatorade?”
Bradley snickers. “Pops gave me one yesterday. I told him where they were. It was supposed to be our secret.”
Mav acts shocked for Bradley’s sake, but he knows his wingman is a pushover when it comes to them. “You must be special,” he teases, as they head down the stairs. Coffee is already in the pot, and Mav makes a note to thank Ice properly once he gets home. Bradley settles at the island while Mav whips up some eggs and bacon for breakfast sandwiches while Bradley catches him up on everything that’s happened since he’s been on the testing assignment.
After they eat, they spend the day on the couch cuddling and watching TV. Ice finds them in a pile of blankets that afternoon when he gets home. “I brought pizza,” he calls out. He chuckles as both heads pop up at the same time with identical smiles before they follow him to the kitchen. He can tell Bradley is definitely feeling better, and he’s glad he had a day at home to be assured that Mav made it home to them and all is well once more.
Letting Go A03; Tumblr - Rooster is recalled to Top Gun for a special mission. He has to face Maverick for the first time since his papers got pulled. He promises his Uncle Ice he would try with Mav, but things are messy and complicated.
Migraines Tumblr pt 1, pt 2; A03 -: Bradley (age 11) gets a migraine at school and has to call Pops (Ice) because Dad (Mav) is on training.
Baby Goose is an Aviator Tumblr; A03 - Halloween fic - Bradley (age 6) wants to be an aviator for Halloween, and enlists the flyboys (Slider the most) to help with the costume. Some meaningful conversations take place while the costume is coming together, and then Bradley gets to trick-or-treat with all his flyboy uncles.
1st Christmas as a Family Tumblr; A03 - Icemav with Bradley for Christmas & Icemav smut
Coming Home: Tumblr; A03 - Top Gun Maverick but Ice lives. Pt. 2
Trick or Treat: tumblr; A03 - Bradley's best Halloween
The Maverick Chronicles Tumblr ML; A03 - 3 part series spanning TG to TGM
