Now playing from "Riot's in the sky":

𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐒
0:57 ━━━•──────── 3:59
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

AFTER COMPLETING MY RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF PUSHUPS I made my way to my dorm, tired and defeated. I walked in seeing Phoenix sprawled out on her side of the room. Man, I do not miss living in these stuffy dorms.

"How were your pushups?" She smirked up at me.

"Terrible."

"You almost got out of doing them, what happened with that?"

"Rooster and I could have both gotten out of them, if it wasn't for him being such a bad wingman." I huffed sitting down on my bed. "He wouldn't talk to me while we were up there, It was so weird, Nat.  And as soon as we were back down he was his normal cocky self."

"Is that what you were yelling at him about?"

"Yes. He's just so frustrating sometimes." I sigh laying down on my bed.

"He only does that cause he's so in love with you. He just doesn't know how to communicate his feelings, or really communicate with you at all."

"Oh shut up." I throw a pillow at Nat but she catches it.

"I'm serious! You guys were so close at Top Gun, everybody thought you guys were hooking up."

"First of all, that was like 5 years ago and people change." I sit up to look her straight in the eyes. "Second of all, we did hook up, but only once."

"Nuh uh, spill!"

"Ew gross no. We took each other's virginities back in high school. Nothing more to it."

"Nothing more to it? If you say so." She gave me a look that told me she knew I was lying.

"I'm being honest." I defended myself. "If there was something more we'd probably be married by now or something." I rolled my eyes getting up.

"Well, you've still got plenty of time to do that. I can see it now, 'Bradley and May Bradshaw'."

"Natasha!"

"You should see your face right now." She giggled.

"I haven't seen him in five years after he stopped talking to me, do not be telling me he's in love with me or something."

"Okay, I won't tell you then." She sighed. "I'm just saying, maybe you weren't in love with him, but he was so painstakingly in love with you."

"No he wasn't, I think I would know if he was."

"He sang to you all the time and called you his 'lovely Lady May'" Natasha deadpanned.

"5 years ago."

"Whatever. Just flirt with him a little bit. You can't let my otp die."

"Goodnight Natasha, I'm gonna go find a roommate who doesn't like to meddle in my love life." I say opening the door.

"Try Bradshaw!"

-¯'★'¯-

"TIME IS YOUR GREATEST ENEMY," Maverick announces at the start of 'class'. Behind him on the board is a map of our mission. "Phase one of the mission will be a low level attacking of two plane teams. You'll fly along this narrow canyon to your target. Radar guided surface area missiles defend the canyon, these SAMS are lethal. But they were designed to protect the skies above, not the canyon below."

"That's because the enemy knows no one is insane enough to try and fly below them." Rooster interrupts.

"That's exactly what we are going to do." Maverick says with the most serious expression while I think he really is as crazy as my dad bought him up to be. "On the day, your altitude will be 100 feet, maximum. You exceed this altitude, radar will spot you and you're dead. Your air speed will be 660 knots, minimum. Time to target, 2 and a half minutes. That's because 5th generation fighters wait at an air base nearby. In a head to head with these planes in your F-18's, you're dead. That's why you need to get in, hit your target, and get out before the planes even have a chance of catching you. This makes time your greatest adversary"

"So today we're gonna take it easy on you. Max ceiling, 300 feet. Time to target, 3 minutes."

Easy? Yeah right.

"Good luck.'

-¯'★'¯-

I FAILED. Again. Goddamnit. I was on a team with Phoenix and Bob and everything was just fine. We were 2 seconds behind so I tried to increase my speed, and unlike Rooster would have, I announced it to Phoenix, but for some reason it malfunctioned. Because I hadn't sped up, Phoenix had to pull up and break the 300 ft ceiling.

"Why are they dead?" Maverick asks me.

"We broke the 300 ft ceiling and a SAM took us out." Phoenix explained.

"No, why are they dead?" He continues looking at me.

"I told them I was speeding up but my aircraft malfunctioned."

"Why didn't you anticipate the turn? You were briefed on this terrain." He asks Phoenix but before she could answer he nods toward Bob. "Don't tell me, tell it to his family.'

We all look down at our laps. Next was Hangman, Payback, and Fanboy. According to a replay of their run, Payback pulled up while Hangman left him in the dust. Classic Hangman.

"What happened?"

"Well I flew as fast as I could, kind of like my ass depended on it." Hangman smirked, sucking up to Maverick.

"And, you put your team in danger and your wingman's dead." Rooster added. I looked over my shoulder at him.

"They couldn't keep up."

Next was Rooster's group. They were the only ones to make it out alive, although twenty seconds behind and probably dead in the end.

"Why are you dead?" Maverick questions. "Your team leader up there, why are you, why is your team dead?"

"Sir, He's the only one who made it to the target." I defended Rooster.

"Yeah and a minute late, he gave enemy aircraft time to shoot him down, so now he's dead."

"You don't know that." Rooster responds.

"You're not flying fast enough." Hangman complains. "You don't have a second to waste."

"We made it to the target."

"And superior, enemy aircraft intercepted you on your way out." Maverick scolds.

"Then it's a dog fight."

"Against fifth generation fighters?"

"Yeah we still have a chance."

"In an F-18?!"

"It's not the plane sir, it's the pilot."

"Exactly!"

After a long pause Rooster responds, "There is more than one way to fly this mission"

"You really don't get it." Hangman buts in. "In this mission, a man flies like Maverick here, or a man does not come back."

"No offense, Lieutenant." He nods at Phoenix.

"Yet somehow, you always manage." Bob leans forward to look at Hangman.

"Hangman quit being such a kiss ass." I scoff looking over at him "Sucking up to Maverick is not gonna make you team leader."

"And what, you think you have a shot of being team leader?" He shoots right back at me. "No offense, sweetheart, but it's called a cockpit for a reason." He winks at me. The nerve this man has.

"If you think you're going to lead this mission, forget it, you're no leader, sweetheart." I spit out at him.

"Enough." Maverick scolds.

"I'm just saying, We're going into combat." Hangman continues, still wearing that annoyingly prideful smile. "On a level no living pilot has ever seen. Not even Maverick. It's no time to be thinking about the past." He smirks at Rooster.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rooster replies with a slightly shaky voice. I knew where this was gonna end up.

"I can't be the only one that knows Maverick flew with his old man."

"Okay that's enough."

"And that Maverick was flying when his old man-"

Rooster ran towards Hangman, not letting him finish his sentence. Everyone ran to pull them apart. I made a beeline for Rooster.

"That's enough!"

"You son of a bitch!"

"Hey, I'm cool, I'm cool." Hangman continued smiling at Rooster, even though he was being held back. "You know I'm right." He says to Maverick as he leaves.

"You're all dismissed."

   Everyone starts to file out of the room. I looked down, not realizing I grabbed Rooster's hand. He storms out of the room and I follow him even though my head is telling me not to.

-¯'★'¯-

I find Rooster outside sitting down leaning against the building.

"Rooster." I walk towards him. "Bradley, hey."

He runs his hands through his hair, taking big breaths. When he looks up at me, he is visibly shaken. I put my hand on his knee to comfort him.

"Hey it's okay Bradley." I say sitting down in front of him. "Don't let Hangman get into your head."

"He is trying to convince Maverick to not send me on the mission." He takes a breath. "And since he pulled my papers, I have a hard time believing he will even let me go on the mission."

"That was years ago, Bradley. You've proved yourself to him now, you're more than capable of handling this mission." I smile at him, he smiles back although his eyes are watery. "I mean, your here at Top Gun after all."

"Hangman's just an asshole." He picks my hand up off his knee and holds it. "I can't stand the shit he said to you and Phoenix today."

"Yeah, definitely not the first time I've heard sexist comments in the Navy."

I stand up, pulling him with me. "Come on, let's do something to get your mind off this. It'll help you feel better."

He pulls me in for a very unexpected hug. "Thank you May." he says into my ear. I melt into his embrace, taking in the scent of his cologne.

"Anytime."

A/N

we are kind of making progress with May and Bradley :) i think this chapter is my favorite so far

I hope you guys are enjoying it so far, please leave feedback I appreciate it

-cj