Top Gun: G-Force

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

jade nodded a single tear slipping down her face, "Poor Aunt Sarah, I can't imagine them without one another. Yes, we definitely should go visit her." 

Bradley took a deep breath, "Maverick doesn't know about you does he jade?" 

Jade shook her head and sighed knowing this topic would have come up sooner rather than later, "No he doesn't and I plan on keeping it that way. I, he never came back Bradley. If he would have just stayed a while longer... but at the same time, if he knew, he'd keep me out of the air for good. Not to mention if he knows, and I win Top of my class like I plan to, that won't look good to the others - " 

Bradley cut off Jade, "Jade you can't blame him if he doesn't know. Yes, it would look bad if you won top of your class, but you can't keep this from him forever. You have to give him a chance. I know it's hard believe me. I've hated the man for the past thirty-six years, and it took him almost dying to realize the closest thing I have left to a family could be taken from me any minute. We're aviators Jade, the top one percent. We get sent in the life or death situations and most of the time it takes our lives to get the job done right. You know that, even at Top Gun some people die. I know that one very well. You have to tell him Jade. Who knows maybe telling him, he'll be able to teach you better because -" 

Jade sighed, "Yes I know, my previous Captain told me. My anger against Mav, my longing to prove myself worthy because the name that is painted on the side of my plane has baggage, is holding me back. But Bradley I don't need his approval, I want to graduate Top Gun with that trophy with my own reputation, not because I'm Pete Mitchell's kid." 

Bradley looked Jade in the eyes, "Jade, I think that's why you should tell him. However, I do understand where you are coming from. You want to earn this your way, yes yes I know Renegade. Since Ice went to cover this up with you I'll go along with it too. As long as you promise to tell him as soon as you graduate." 

Jade looked at him, "Promise". 

The two turned on a movie, and soon Bradley felt a weight leaning against his shoulder. Bradley looked down at Jade and smiled when he realized she fell asleep. He didn't know if she would want him to stay, but he decided against staying. She managed a lot of weight tonight, she'd want some time to herself to regroup in the morning. He also decided that it might not look good to the others if he left her apartment in the morning, since he was technically an instructor after all. He slowly maneuvered his way out from underneath her. He layed her down comfortably on her couch, pulling the blanket that had been resting on the back down to cover her up. He stood and moved the coffee cups to the sink, rinsing them out. He then grabbed a note off a sticky note pad - that seemingly was used for grocery lists - and wrote Jade a note explaining he had left. Finally, Bradley slipped on Mav's jacket, so he'd remember to return it and began the drive on his motorcycle to Penny's house, which Mav and Penny gladly let him stay at.

When Bradley arrived home, he hung up his keys and took off his boots - as to not track mud into the rest of the house. A voice arose from the darkness of the living room, "Home late I see"

Bradley scoffed and turned around, "I didn't think I had a curfew Uncle Pete."

"No you don't, I guess, but this late out with a student?! You should be ashamed of yourself." Maverick teased.

"Har, Har. She's not MY student Mav, only YOURS. I'm just here to learn to be a good RIO, so technically I'm a student as well. Besides, we were close before Top Gun, so its not weird or anything like that." Bradley huffed, somehow actually making a great point.

"Well you got me there kid... Did you get my jacket? The poor thing looked like she was freezing! Hope you made her warm Bradley." Maverick barely held in a laugh at the end.

"Yeah no not in that way Uncle Pete, you perv! And here's your bloody jacket." Bradley sounded kind of defensive, and Mav picked up on that.

"You okay kid?" Mav asked laying a hand on Rooster's shoulder.

Bradley sighed, "Do you ever miss anyone from when you were constantly moving stations? How were you able to just pick up and move? What about the people you left behind?"

Maverick's brows scrunched together, Jade had asked him relatively the same thing. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in Mav's head, the two pilots liked each other - that is from what he had seen tonight. He thought that they must be worried about the line of work they both decided to end up in. Pete knew he could bullshit his way to a comforting answer, but he had always been the man to give advice, whether the person liked it or not, " Look Bradley, it was hard moving from place to place. New missions every few months, new people. It was hard, very hard. Some places were more difficult than others, like Arizona. When I was stationed there about twenty or so years ago, it was so hard to move on. I thought I finally found love, and I've always been drawn to the place, but you just have to learn to move on. You're going to have to move a lot, it's part of the job. I wouldn't want it any other way though, honestly. Don't be afraid of the future, just fly right into the danger zone, you're a good pilot, and she - jade - is an even greater one. You two will make it through, tell her that the next time you see her. Which actually might be during class tomorrow, I want to get all the solos used to having a RIO in the future." Maverick now was walking off mumbling about his plans for class tomorrow.

Bradley was amazed by many things that night. However he was mostly amazed by two things one, Maverick was so clueless it was painful, and Two, Maverick might be a pretty damn good teacher.