ALPHA STRIKE |rooster x oc|

chapter 1- new assignment

She held the envelope in her hands, trembling. She was literally holding her future in her hands. She looked to her friend, who also held an envelope. They shared a nod before tearing open the envelopes and holding the papers in front of them. ACCEPTED. Both of them had been accepted into the United States Naval Academy. Their dreams had come true and their lives were never going to be the same again.

Clarke smiled as she thought about the memory of when she and Bradley read the letters, Blair at her side like always. She couldn't believe it had been six years; she remembered it like it was yesterday. The proud, yet worried, look on her father's face for both of them. Blair crying happy tears and hugging them both while her dad gave them the same look. Bradley looking the happiest he'd ever been, even though he was sad neither of his parents could be there to share this moment. Whenever she thought back to this life-changing moment she couldn't help but also think about what her father had done. She knew why he'd done what he did, but she still didn't fully understand it.

Being the daughter of a Navy captain was the best, or at least the best to Clarke. She didn't know anything different. There was never a dull moment, especially with Pete "Maverick" Mitchell as a father. Her first time in a plane had technically been illegal and she was no stranger to the looks people would give her when they found out that Maverick was her father. They all had the same worried look in their eyes; worried that she would grow up to be a trouble maker like him. They weren't exactly wrong. It seemed that anytime something went remotely wrong, Clarke seemed to be mixed up in it, especially at the Academy. Bradley always hated being roped into her devious pranks on the other ensigns or lieutenants, or the worst, the one time she decided to prank one of the Admirals right before graduation. He'd threatened to not let the both of them graduate, but was overruled by Iceman. It was obvious that everyone else hated the 'special treatment' Clarke, Bradley, and Maverick seemed to get. It helps when the highest ranking officer, basically the man in charge of the whole Navy, is your second father. It came in handy when they got in trouble, or when Clarke and Bradley graduated and needed letters of recommendations for squadrons.

Clarke, Bradley, and Blair had been the best of friends all their lives. After Bradley's father's death when he was only four, his mother made sure to always stay close to Maverick, claiming that Bradley needed a father figure in his life. When Clarke was born, Bradley was glued to her; at least that's what she'd been told her whole life. Blair and Clarke were born on the same day, and always said they were twins. The two girls were baffled when they found out that their dads had hated each other when they met at Top Gun, and endlessly thanked them for becoming friends.

"Can you believe we almost never knew each other???" Clarke remembered Blair asking her when they'd found out. The three families became so close it was more like one big family, which only grew when Blair got two younger twin brothers. Bradley was so happy there was finally some boys around.

Blair and Clarke emailed almost every day while she and Bradley were at the academy, since Blair had no interest in joining and had gone off to college. They didn't mind it, though, and ended up living vicariously through each other between stories shared and a couple visits. The worst for the girls was when Clarke and Bradley were both chosen for the Top Gun program and it was almost impossible for she and Blair to talk for the nine weeks they were in California; even worse is that Blair's college was only an hour drive from Top Gun and they couldn't see each other. After graduating, the girls moved in together while Bradley claimed he wanted to see the world more and joined an international squadron. They had only seen him face to face once since he left.

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Clarke thought back to the last time she and Blair saw Bradley. She couldn't believe it had been almost two years. The last time he was in California Clarke was in D.C. for a special training and Blair had refused to see him without all three of them being together. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out to see a text.