The days didn't get any better after the bird strike incident.

The day of the accident, news came in that Admiral Kazansky, Commander of the Pacific Fleet, had lost his battle to cancer.

It was a somber few days, especially since Maverick had been so close to the admiral.

The entire detachment attended the funeral, along with most of the base. The preacher was saying a few words before shots were fired for military honors.

Maverick had stepped forward, giving his wingman the final honor. As the last shot rang out, Maverick pushed in his wings, so Ice would continue flying, wherever he ended up.

Nadia held a stoic look on her face as four jets flew above, one breaking off to signify a man lost.

As Sarah Kazansky was presented with her husband's flag, the proceedings ended.

Ivy gave Nadia a look as she grabbed for Lex's hand as he walked over to them. “We're gonna go grab some lunch, okay? I'll see you back at your place.”

Nadia nodded her head as she watched the couple walk away.

The entire funeral, all Nadia could think about was that this could be someone she knew in a few days.

This mission was near impossible it was not for the faint of heart, and only the best could pull it off. She knew the detachment was just that, but it didn't stop the thoughts from emerging.

Nadia shook out of her thoughts when she heard the leaves crunching. She looked over her shoulder as Mickey came closer. She tilted her head. “Lunch?”

Mickey agreed, before asking, “where do you want to go?”

“Let's get changed first. You can meet me at my apartment and we can figure it out from there.”

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After the two had changed, Nadia invited Mickey back to her apartment to hang out.

She had the fixings to make some food, so they just made lunch and talked.

They talked about anything and everything. Favorite movies, favorite food. Their inspirations, their failures.

Hell, they even went on a tangent about  which football team was the best and why. (They severely disagreed on the answer but agreed to disagree eventually.)

“So,” Mickey started after they had a lapse of silence. “Can we count this as a date? Or are you more of the ‘movie and dinner’ kind of girl?”

Nadia, for what it's worth, kept her face completely neutral. Her voice, on the other hand, well that was less so. “Mickey…”

He pursed his lips and shook his head. “You're not interested. Got it. No harm done. Promise.”

She shook her head. “It's not that.” Mickey's heat shot up. “I do like you, Mickey. I really do. And I would love to explore whatever this could be.”

He raised an eyebrow. “But… I know there's a but coming.”

Nadia let out a sigh. “This mission is dangerous. Like, incredibly dangerous. And I'm already worried and scared with Lex and Reuben. I don't know if I can handle that kind of worry for another person right now.”

Mickey nods his head. “I get the fear and worry. Trust me, I do. But you can't let that keep you from living your life.”

Nadia took a moment before responding. “How about this.” Mickey listened. “You make it home from this mission. You come back and we can go to that dinner and movie. Your choice.”

“Just make it home, and we can see where this goes?”

Nadia nodded, holding out her hand. Mickey let out a small laugh before reaching his own hand out. “Deal, Nadia Novak. I hope you like spicy food and scary movies.”

Nadia used his hand to pull him towards her. She leaned in and gave Mickey a gentle kiss on the cheek, stunning the man into silence.

“I'm looking forward to it, Mickey Garcia.”

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Word count: 642

Short short, very short, I know. Sorry yall, just couldn't find the right words for this chapter. So DOUBLE UPDATE!!

But anyway, we got an official confirmation!! While Nadia might not be ready to take that leap until the mission is over, she is ready to take it in general.

We are getting a date yall!! It's happening!!!

Stay tuned for Lex and Ivy's reaction next chapter. Bye guys!!