HARD DECK
a top gun: maverick fanfiction

CHAPTER NINE: THE GODFATHER

Bradley felt like shit.

Summer Hackett was wreaking havoc on him.

That was why he'd gotten to base two hours early, because he knew Dr. Hackett would be in her office, using the silent time before her staff came in to catch up on paperwork like she did every day. He wanted to apologize for acting like a fool, even though she was being difficult, and it was driving him crazy. If she really wasn't into him, that was fine. He could handle rejection. Not that he liked to admit it, but he'd been rejected enough times to know how to move on.

But he couldn't move on from Summer Hackett. He couldn't.

There was something there. There was something tangible between them. A line, a connection, a feeling. He felt it, and he was almost positive Summer did, too.

However, he couldn't exactly argue with her reasoning. It was sound. Why should she bother going on a date with a guy like him? Hopefully, he was about to embark on a dangerous mission that everyone seemed to think was a death sentence. He didn't blame Summer for not wanting to get attached.

"Bradshaw. You're here early."

Pete Mitchell was Bradley's godfather. He was his father's best friend. He was the only semblance of a paternal figure Bradley had known.

Yet the sight of him made Bradley want to punch him in the face.

He turned around, coming face-to-face with Maverick, who was watching him curiously, arms crossed over his chest.

"I've got some things I need to do," Bradley mumbled, turning away from Pete.

"Listen, can we talk for a second?" Maverick said, taking a step towards him.

Bradley gritted his teeth, his fists clenching. "LIke I said, Captain, I have some things to do." He took a step towards the door.

"You wouldn't walk away from a superior, would you?" Maverick asked.

"Is that really the move you're going to pull right now?" Bradley asked, not bothering to look back at Maverick.

The older man let out a dejected sigh. "No. I'll see you at 0600 sharp, Lieutenant."

"Captain." Bradley nodded and sidestepped him, heading down the hallway and towards the med bay.

The lights were on as he approached the area, putting a little spring in Bradley's step. He was right. Dr. Hackett always got to base ungodly early, and she was there again today.

The door was open and he headed inside, past the empty receptionist area. He walked the now-familiar path to Dr. Hackett's office, seeing light streaming in from underneath her office door.

He knocked sharply, plastering his signature smile on his face as the door swung open.

"Morning, Dr. Hac-- you're not Dr. Hackett."

A man stood in front of him, dressed in the light blue scrubs of the nurses. "Can I help you, Lieutenant?"

Bradley's mouth fell open and closed, before falling open again. What excuse did he have to be standing in front of Dr. Hackett's office, two hours before he was even supposed to be on base?

"I was hoping to speak with Dr. Hackett."

"Dr. Hackett isn't in today," the nurse replied. Bradley's eye fell on his name badge, and he recognized the nurse as one of the men that gave him his medical exam. Lucas or something. "I'm doing her paperwork for her this morning."

"What do you mean, she isn't in today?"

"I mean, she's not in today. She took a day of personal leave. I'm not at liberty to discuss why." Lucas replied.

Bradley's face flushed and he nodded, averting his eyes from the suspicious gaze Lucas was glaring over at him. "Okay."

"Is there something I can help you with, Lieutenant? Are you feeling well?"

"Uhh, yes, I'm fine," Bradley stammered. "It's nothing. Have a good day."

Lucas gave him another suspicious look before nodding and closing the door in his face.

Bradley felt like a fool once again as he trudged out of the medical area. Here he was, two hours early for work and Dr. Hackett wasn't even there. And the nurse was so vague about her personal leave. She didn't leave because of him, did she? Had he made her uncomfortable? The thought made Bradley nauseous. The last thing he wanted to do was make Dr. Hackett feel uncomfortable in any way. There were plenty of reasons that she could have taken a personal day, and it wasn't any of his business. Hell, maybe she just needed a day off. Spending as much time as she did amongst the chaos of TOPGUN was most definitely tiresome. Especially for someone who wasn't technically in TOPGUN and still had to put up with the logistics and bullshit of it all.

He left the med bay and headed down the hallway, wondering if he'd even be able to find some coffee that early.

"Rooster."

He stopped and turned around, seeing Maverick leaning against the wall.

"Did you follow me?" Bradley asked.

"You were purposely vague about your reason for being here so early this morning," Maverick replied. "And now that I just saw you come out of the med bay, I want to make sure that you're okay. I can't have a sick pilot fly for me. Your health cannot be a distraction."

"I'm not sick," Bradley replied.

"Then why are you here, two hours ..." Maverick trailed off, a knowing smirk filling his face. "Oh. I see." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Really, Lieutenant? Do you think it's wise to hook up with the doctor?"

Bradley rolled his eyes at Maverick's casual demeanor. After all this time, he was finally going to start acting like his godfather, and not the jackass captain that had gotten Bradley's papers pulled at the Naval Academy?

"I don't know what you're talking about, Captain."

Maverick chuckled. "Please, Rooster. Take it from someone who knows. It's better to leave romance outside of TOPGUN."

Bradley missed the days when this was something he would have talked about with Maverick. When he was just Uncle Pete and not Bradley's superior. He was the man that taught Bradley how to shave, tie a tie, ride a bike -- and yet he'd done something so painful, so treacherous, that he didn't trust him. He didn't want to be around him. He had no interest in talking to Maverick beyond anything that was necessary professionally.

It hurt, knowing that was where their relationship had landed. But Maverick had never apologized for doing what he did, and Bradley wasn't about to forgive him.

"Excuse me, Captain." Bradley cleared his throat and sidestepped Maverick, remaining silent as he walked down the hallway. He needed some goddamn coffee. 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ author's note ✫・゜・。.

it's been a while! hello, hope y'all are well. 

i decided to write something in honor of miles teller hosting SNL tonight, so that's what we have here :) i also wanted to deviate a little from the summer/rooster plot line and focus a little more on rooster and maverick. i feel like the movie touched a little bit on mav & rooster's relationship, but not as much as i wanted it to. i'm hoping to explore their dynamic and reconciliation a bit more in this book :) thoughts?

as always, thanks for reading, and don't forget to vote and comment!

xx,

madi