SKYE COULD HEAR PEOPLE CHEERING ON EVERY SIDE OF HER AIRCRAFT AS THE CANOPY OPENED. a wide grin spread across her cheeks as she unbuckled herself from her seat and turned, immediately enveloping katia into a hug. "thank you so much. for everything you've done for me." she said, feeling her helmet bump into her best friend's matching one. "i love you, kat."
"i love you, too." when they pulled away from the hug, both aviators were teary eyed and laughing. "you.. need to go talk to your man." katia said once her laughter had ceased, wiping at her eyes.
skye laughed before also putting a hand to her eyes, trying to stop any tears from escaping them. "no, i need to talk to my dad." she argued, looking around for him. she spotted him standing a few feet away with hondo, an excited smile on his face.
fanboy and phoenix came over to cheer on skye and katia, but skye was already hopping onto the wing of her f-18 and running off of it, jumping down to the ground.
"dad!" she then raced towards him, frantically unclipping her helmet's strap from her chin. she dropped the helmet to the ground as she reached her father, practically launching into his arms.
the father and daughter held each other for a moment, seeming to be the only essence of calm amidst the excited pilots and crew around them. skye had her face pressed into her father's shoulder, squeezing her eyes shut so that she wouldn't cry. he, however, seemed to already be crying, and he squeezed her body closer.
"i'm so sorry." was the first thing maverick said after pulling away to look into his daughter's eyes. "kid, i- i am so sorry." the guilt was evident in his eyes as he put his hands on her shoulders. "bradley.. he told me two years ago that he was in love with you."
skye's brows immediately furrowed in confusion. "w-what?"
maverick hung his head. "i.. i was worried. and i was overprotective. and he asked for my blessing to date you, and i told him no." he admitted. "and it's because.. because i was too afraid of letting you go. of losing my little girl, the most.. important thing in my life." he began to cry again, looking into her eyes. "i was wrong. i kept two.. excellent people from each other. and for that, i- i can't apologize enough. but you have to understand, skye, you have to know.. how deeply bradley loves you. he just couldn't say so," he sighed, "because of me."
the silence between the two was deafening for a moment as maverick allowed his daughter to process all of this, but skye was soon wrapping her arms around him again. "dad, you almost died today." she said, holding him tighter. "you aren't always perfect, but you are my father. and you are the most important thing in my life, too. i'm sorry i haven't ever been the best at showing that."
he held onto her, struggling to keep his composure. "i love you, kid." he spoke through tears. "i'm sorry that i haven't ever been the best at showing it, either. and i'm so sorry for interfering with your life. i should never have turned bradley away-"
"hey," skye interrupted, pulling back to look into his eyes, "it's okay. you.. you saved his life today."
"he saved mine." maverick countered.
a smile spread to his daughter's lips. "i'm just so glad that you're alive." she admitted, hugging him again. "that's what really matters." they stayed like that for a moment before she cleared her throat. "have you talked to him about.. your change in thoughts?"
maverick nodded, his hands back on her shoulders. "yes. i still need to formally apologize to him, but-" he seemed distracted by something over her shoulder, and skye followed his gaze to see rooster standing with hangman. the two exchanged a respectful handshake, smiles on their faces. "go talk to him." maverick encouraged his daughter, nudging her arm.
when skye turned to look at her father's face, she was met with a pride-filled smile and a nod of encouragement. she smiled back at him before turning and handing him her helmet, which was still at their feet. "can you hold this for a minute?"
as her gaze turned back to rooster, skye noticed that his eyes also landed on her. the two began jogging towards each other until they had broken into a run, colliding into each other. skye's arms were immediately around his neck, his hands on her waist and their noses pressed into the other's shoulder.
"you asshole!" skye said into his shoulder, holding onto him even tighter. "you could've gotten yourself killed." her feet were barely even on the ground at this point. "and you saved my dad, you.. you saved him. and.. you flew in an f-14?" she exclaimed. "how was it, was it everything i've always dreamed it would be? i'm so jealous, you were actually in an f-"
he pulled away then to look into her eyes, keeping his arms around her. "i love you." bradley said, watching as her eyes softened. "i.. god, i love you, skye. it killed me not getting to say it back to you, but i couldn't. because i.. i was so afraid of losing you. but i could've died today, and i.. all i kept thinking about was getting back here to you. because honestly, skye? i don't know who i am without you. i am your bradley. i have always been yours. i've been in love with you since you first sat down next to me on the piano bench at the hard deck. i loved you when we sat on the beach and watched the sun set, and when we went to that diner and you nearly choked on your milkshake from laughing. i loved you when we were cooking food together, when you'd smile at me when our jets passed each other. when you wore my jacket, when you got.. so so drunk and i had to take you home. i've loved you when you've laughed, and when you've cried, when you've threatened to kill a man, i.." he was at a loss for words. "i love you."
"i know." she said back, a smile on her lips at his confession.
rooster's brows furrowed. "what?"
"like princess leia and han solo-"
"no, what do you mean, you know?" he asked, his hands still on her back.
"my dad told me about two minutes ago."
rooster was, truthfully, dumbfounded and at a loss for words. "i.. wow. okay, mav stole my thunder." he joked, a smile spreading onto his cheeks as the woman in his arms laughed. "but i will say it a thousand times over to make up for not saying it before." he promised. "i love you, skye. i love you so much. i love-"
skye raised her brow at him, moving closer. "are you going to keep saying that, or are you going to shut up and kiss me, bradshaw?"
he didn't need to be asked twice.
bradley's hands still on her waist, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. skye had always heard people say that kisses felt like fireworks erupting, and she'd called them insane. she now understood. she could feel herself exploding with happiness at that very moment, her hands moving to his neck, her fingers laced in his hair. they were both smiling into each other's lips, putting all of the unspoken words and all of the time waiting into that one kiss.
when skye pulled away to breathe, rooster put his forehead onto hers. they were both still smiling like giddy children, their noses brushing against each other. "i changed my mind." she breathed. "i want to hear you say it again."
"i love you." he whispered, kissing her again. this one was just as passionate, yet shorter and more sweet.
she smiled as he pulled away, putting a hand on his cheek. she ran her finger along one of the scars that ran down it, wanting to memorize everything about him in case it was all a dream. "i love you." she whispered back, feeling her cheeks start to hurt from how much she was smiling.
they then hugged, both of them feeling completely over the moon. a crowd of people started cheering behind them, and skye looked over her shoulder to see katia, phoenix, bob, fanboy, payback, hondo, and hangman all at the head of the group cheering them on. skye immediately flushed red, hiding her face in rooster's chest.
"come on, guys." she groaned, though she was still smiling.
katia seemed the most excited out of anyone, pointing to a camera in her hands. "you're going to want these pictures." she mouthed, laughing as skye couldn't even pretend to be mad at her.
hangman stepped forward from the crowd of people, seeming to not quite know whether it would be appropriate to put a hand on skye's shoulder or not. she barely hesitated in wrapping her arms around him in a hug, feeling him tense with surprise before hugging her back. "thank you for saving their lives."
"hey, it's the least i can do." he replied, pulling away to smile at her. hangman looked at rooster, who didn't seem jealous, still smiling. "we. we had a talk, a few minutes ago." he said, looking back at skye. "i already explained everything to him about.. you and me. i didn't want him to think that you ever had feelings for anyone other than him."
skye hugged him again. "not only did you save their lives, jake, you've.. you've saved mine by being there for me when i needed a friend. thank you."
he smiled as she pulled away from the hug, and he looked back over at rooster. "now, i just saved your life, bradshaw." he said, his teasing tone back in his voice. "you two are a little gross, but you're also adorable and perfect for each other. but.. promise me you'll name a kid after me." he said. "you know, for saving your life."
skye moved back over to rooster, wrapping an arm around him. "oh, yeah? a kid named after you?" she looked up at bradley as if she was seriously considering it. "dipshit does have a really nice ring to it, don't you think?"
hangman rolled his eyes at her joke, stepping back from the two as phoenix ran over to them. "oh my gosh!" she cheered, hugging skye. "i'm so happy for you guys!"
"you got yourself another kill there, huh riot?" hangman asked.
she shrugged. "eh.. i'll let you take the credit for it this once."
he smiled. "that makes two for me."
phoenix laughed. "mav has five! makes him an ace."
rooster tilted his head with a shrug, daring hangman to argue with the facts. he didn't argue, though, only smiling and shaking his head. rooster then seemed to catch someone in the crowd, looking up over everyone. "captain mitchell!" he called. he moved his hand off of skye's waist. "i'll be right back." he said to her. "captain mitchell!" he walked over to maverick, both of them looking at each other with seemingly nothing to say. "sir-"
maverick didn't wait for him to say anything, only wrapping his arms around rooster in a hug. he pulled away, keeping a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "thank you for saving my life."
rooster nodded. "it's what my dad would've done."
they stood in silence for another moment before hugging once more, finally reunited and fully forgiven. "take care of her." maverick said. "you two.. are going to be an amazing couple."
bradley smiled. "thank you, sir. and i will. i will take care of her." both men looked over at skye, who was laughing as fanboy and payback attempted to lift her and katia into the air. skye looked back over towards the two men she called family, and her eyes found bradley's. they both smiled.
____
when they got off the carrier and back to fightertown, skye and rooster walked side by side to their respective vehicles. rooster had, of course, driven to the base in his truck while skye had brought her motorcycle designed by her father. "so.." skye said when they reached her motorcycle.
"so.." rooster replied, rocking on the heels of his feet.
"can i maybe.. stay with you tonight?" she asked.
his brows raised in surprise. "oh! i mean, uh.. yes. yes, if you'd like to. i.. i would like you to."
she chuckled. "okay." they stood in silence for a moment before rooster helped her pick up her motorcycle and put it into the bed of his truck, making sure to secure it. they were comfortably silent on the drive to rooster's place, and he hesitantly moved his hand over to her knee. skye took his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers and looking over at him to see that he was already smiling.
when they arrived at his temporary house, rooster lit a candle and plugged in his record player.
"whatcha gonna play?" skye asked as he pulled out a 45 from his collection. she moved behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face into his back. he adjusted the settings of his record player before dropping the needle, turning the volume up just slightly.
he turned around in her arms, taking one of her hands into his and placing his other on her waist as she moved her free hand to his shoulder. they didn't waltz, though, they merely swayed back and forth as 'these arms of mine' by otis redding began to play.
"these arms of mine," the record hummed, "they are lonely. lonely and feeling blue. these arms of mine, they are yearning. yearning from wanting you. and if you would let them hold you. oh, how grateful i would be."
"i love the dirty dancing soundtrack." skye smiled, looking up at him.
he smiled back. "i know."
skye rested her head on rooster's chest, the waltzing position forgotten as they just held each other, listening to the music fade out. "i love you." she said once the song ceased.
bradley smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "i love you."