automatic stop, bradley bradshaw

nineteen.

"okay, smartass." she said, nudging his shoulder with her own. "sounds like a plan, though."

"are we driving separately?" rooster asked. "or are you guys wanting to leave your motorcycles here?" 

skye shrugged. "it doesn't snow in the golden state, so i'm not worried about driving on snow. why, are you offering to give katia and i a lift?"

"i mean, gas is polluting the environment." he said, a smirk mirroring her own spreading on his face.

"and we can't have that, can we?" skye raised a brow.

he shook his head. "no. driving in the same vehicle is much, much better for the earth." 

"god bless america." she agreed. 

"so i'll pick you guys up tomorrow morning and we'll drive up?" 

she nodded. "yeah, sounds like a plan." 

they parted ways to analyze their individual performance in the day's exercise, and then suddenly the whole base felt like a high school before break. everyone seemed to let out a collective cheer as they were officially released from their classes for the next few weeks. 

if there was one thing skye didn't like about top gun, it was how time consuming it was. sure, she was learning so much more being there. but, she hadn't been on a proper break since she'd arrived, since both she and katia had time to make up during what should've been their thanksgiving break. 

the girls weren't really ones to get homesick; if they were easily homesick, they wouldn't have packed up and enlisted. but they were both missing their fathers after going over half a year without being able to see them in person. 

but, for that night, they were gearing up for their final appearance at the hard deck before the new year rang out. skye and katia arrived in baggy ripped jeans and t-shirts, having lazily thrown on the first clothing items they could find.

skye easily located rooster standing by the bar, and she moved to join him. "you're not gonna drink as much as you had last time, okay?" he told her with a laugh. "we don't want anymore brad brad situations."

she rolled her eyes. "okay, bradley bradford bradshaw."

"that is not my middle name." he retorted, though there was an amused smile on his face. 

"it should be." she replied, ordering herself a beer. "at ease, roost, this is the only thing i'm drinking tonight." she assured him. 

he laughed again. "good. i don't really want to have to carry you home again." 

she chuckled as she swished her drink around in the can. "you know, next week is christmas." she reminded him. "and you're wearing a hawaiian shirt." 

rooster shrugged. "it's comfortable." 

"it's wintertime."

"we're in california."

she rolled her eyes. "this is still not the hawaiian shirt time of the year." she argued.

he only shrugged. "it's always hawaiian shirt time of the year." 

they were hanging out by the bar until they'd finished their drinks, and they then decided to be social. skye joined katia, who was currently beating everyone's asses at pool. "rack 'em." she said as she handed skye the cue stick. 

"get that phrase from phoenix?" she asked, looking over at the other woman who laughed.

she lined up her shot and made it, laughing as the pilots around her cheered. "perfect aim not just in the air but also at the pool table, both of them." fanboy laughed, referencing the exercise earlier that day when she and katia had made a bullseye shot.