Atlas: A Top Gun: Maverick Fanfiction

Chapter 24: The Aftermath Part 1

A/N: Fine I LIED! I can't possibly wait to post this until February so just have a small treat that is still deliciously full of angst while you wait. And NEXT chapter is a Jake/Bradley bonding chapter HAHAHAH! So that's hilarious and be ready for that between now and Valentines Day (But when for sure, Idk babe). Anyways, as always, let me know what you think and I'll see you at some point before I regularly update again!

Kelsey had made it all the way down the beach, finding her way to a small hut that sold food and drinks—immediately taking a seat and ordering a lemonade and a sandwich. She wasn't much of a stress-eater, to be honest (unless you count that phase in High School when she started dating).

In fact, the last time that she had angrily ate something like this was when she got over her first breakup. See, Kelsey wasn't the type of girl who goes for ice cream in a breakup. No, she's the type of girl who goes for the cookie dough. There's no context available for that, and no real reason for it, other than the fact that her mother's cookies were the best thing since sliced bread was invented.

For a moment, she just sat there stewing at the counter, flashes of hot anger still bursting up into her chest. The entire thing, was, as she had said, total bullshit.

What the hell was up with Jake telling her that he never would've gone near her? That had stung. She wished she could say that she was used to this sort of treatment—and maybe it was true enough for her brother—

But for Jake to do it?

In her eyes, he put the damn stars in the sky. Because when it came to Jake Seresin, she thought she knew who he was. She knew what she was getting into—in the sense of him being a cocky asshole at times.

That hadn't been a surprise to her to find out. Javy had mentioned what he was like when he was around other pilots. But she understood why. He was a damn good pilot and when you have the kind of credentials and feats that Jake did, a little bit of pride was warranted.

But he had never been like that around her. Never made her feel small or like she was unimportant. Sure, they had their arguments about some things. Some silly, and some serious. (See the curtain fiasco of 2016). Or when they had actually argued about if they would have kids one day—

They had both come to a consensus after a week-long argument that if it happened, then it happened and they'd cross that bridge when they came to it.

But they had always worked through their shit.

But this—she was going to be completely honest, it felt totally and irrevocably broken beyond repair. He hated her brother. And yes—there were moments when she wanted nothing more than to get in Bradley's jeep and run him and his dumb Hawaiian shirts over—

But he was her brother.

And no matter how many years passed, no matter what they said to each other, no matter where life took them or what they did, they would always be siblings. They loved each other—especially when they forgot that simple fact of the matter. And if it came down to it, and Jake made her choose—

It hurt to realize that she would choose Bradley. Out of some sort of obligation. Out of the way that they had been the only person the other person had ever had—

Besides, this wasn't the Jake that she knew. This wasn't the Jake that she had fallen in love with. And if this was the real Jake, then it was better to let the water come crashing down around her and break her heart now.

"So....Duckie?" Javy's voice cracked in slight amusement as he took a seat next to Kelsey, being followed by two other pilots.

She turned to look at him, a deadpan in her gaze. "You really want to go there, Solo?" She demanded pointedly.