Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

December 1987 

          Mav wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of his landline ringing. He staggers down the steps of his house, rubbing his eyes and feeling around blindly for the doorway to the kitchen. He picks up the phone and stifles a yawn into his fist. 

          "Mitchell." 

          Rather than the immediate response he expects, Mav instead gets a muffled sound that takes him several long seconds to identify as female crying. "Maverick."

          He blinks. He knows that voice. "Charlie?" 

          "I need- I.... Pete, I'm so-"

          Pete's eyes widen and he suddenly feels far more alert. Charlie never sounded anything like this for the brief time they were together, and it's been over a year since then—over a year and a half, in fact. "Slow down, Charlie. Take a deep breath." 

          "Pete. I've tried to do this on my own, but I don't know what to do."

          "Just take a minute to breathe, and then you can tell me what's wrong, all right?" 

          After several long minutes of tense silence, Charlie heaves a soft sob and says, "Jack left me."

          Maverick blinks again. He really doesn't understand why she's calling him about this in the middle of the night. Even Carole would be more helpful than him. Hell, Ice could do better. This kind of thing isn't exactly Mav's department. 

          "Why did he leave?" Mav asks, probably too blunt for her current emotional state, but it's too early for tact. 

          "Jacob.... He married me because of Jacob, remember?"

          Oh, yeah. Mav remembers. Carole spent days trying to sort through all the bullshit, and Mav heard about everything by proxy. What a fucking nightmare. Jake is Charlie's son, conceived out of wedlock, wherein Jack's parents and Charlie's parents both insisted they get married and Jack caved. Charlie loved him at the time, so she said yes, and they've been co-existing ever since to raise Jake. Good ol' Jack Seresin. Asshole. 

          "Is the kid okay?" 

          "He's safe, just...." Charlie sobs, taking far too long to compose herself again. When she does, she whispers, "Jack wanted to leave. He wanted to leave, and he figured that if Jacob wasn't his, he wouldn't have to stay, so he-.... He made me get him tested. Jacob.... Jacob is...." Charlie's breath hitches. "He's yours, Maverick."

          Maverick freezes. 

          What the fuck?!  

          For the longest time, all Maverick can do is stand there, hardly moving or breathing. 

          "Maverick? Please, say something."

          A scoff rises in Pete's throat that he's not quick enough to stop. "I don't know what the hell you want me to say, Charlie. I'm sorry?!" 

          "No apologies," she croaks. 

          "Right. No apologies," Mav mutters, sinking down against the wall and lets his head thump back against it. "I don't know if I can help you. I'm only on leave for the next three weeks, and I can't take him with me, not in the Navy. You know that." 

          "Neither can I. I have a career, too. A demanding one that I'm not ready to give up. I built this life, Maverick. I plan to live it. I can't do this and raise him. I've tried. But even though I can't do this, I also can't imagine sending Jacob off somewhere to some random family where I don't know if he'll even be loved. I don't know what to do."

          Same old career-driven Charlie. This, right here, is the exact reason why Maverick and Charlie never had a chance. Granted, he's not about to quit the service, either, but like hell is he going to leave his own kid to the nightmare of the foster system. Fuck that. Charlie may not be able to balance both Jake and her job, but he'll find a way, make one if he has to. 

          "Let me make a call, Charlie." 

          At first, Charlie is speechless. Then, soft and serious, she implores, "You're serious? You'll help me?"

          "I'll help you. I'll call you back in an hour." 

          "Thank you-"

          Mav cuts her off. He won't hold her leaving him against her, but not only did she leave him high and dry, now she's calling him because if he doesn't do something, she'll leave Jake the same exact way. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Jake, because he deserves to be happy, not pushed to the wayside like a project you started and got tired of."  

          Charlie sniffles, pulling herself together at the steel in his tone. She used tough love on him once, and, apparently, she likes it just about as much as he did at the time. "I understand. Still. Thank you."

          After he hangs up, Maverick takes a moment to breathe. 

          He has a kid—a kid with Charlie, no less. What a mess. After she left while chasing her ambitions the first time, he figured he would never see her again. Now, it turns out, she went and had another fling right after him and ended up with the whole disaster crashing down on her head. And here's Maverick, left with the rubble. Again. 

          Fan-fucking-tastic. Mav puffs out a breath and dials a number he knows by heart. 

          The phone picks up after the seventh ring. Carole must've been asleep. "Hello?"

          "Hey, Carole." 

          "Mav? It's really early. Is everything okay, hon?"

          Mav lets out a sharp laugh without meaning to. "I guess that's a matter of opinion, but, uh.... I have some news." 

          "What kind of news?"

          "Well, you remember Charlie and that whole thing with Jack, right?" Mav takes a steadying breath when she agrees. "As it turns out, he's a bit more of an asshole than I thought. He didn't hurt her or anything, before you ask, but.... Jack left her. Because-" Maverick grits his teeth. Rip it off like a band-aid. "He wanted out of their marriage, but felt trapped because of Jake, so he had the kid tested." 

          Carole makes a noise. "But why would she call... you." She takes a sharp breath. "Oh, Pete. Is he...?"

          Mav nods, even knowing Carole can't see it. He feels tears sting his eyes. He hasn't even known for half an hour yet, and he already feels like he failed this kid. "Yeah. Yeah, he's mine." 

          "What's she going to do?"

          Anger at Charlie wells up in his chest, but he forces himself to talk through it. "She doesn't want to raise him. Says she won't give up her career, but doesn't want to put him in foster care if she has another option." He doesn't blame her for not wanting Jake in the system, but aside from hiring a nanny who the kid will end up knowing better than his own mother, she really isn't leaving herself with many options. "I know how this is gonna sound when I ask, Carole, but I don't know what else to do. I want him to have a family, and to be there for him, and the only way I can see that happening without giving up what little stability we have is-" 

          "You know, I do sometimes wish Bradley had a little brother."

          Mav knows he sounds nearly like a child himself when he squeaks out a, "Carole?" 

          "That boy is a Mitchell, and that means he's family. You bring him home, Pete."

Chapter Text

          The night of Charlie's call, Mav drives to Carole's house. He helps her with everything he can possibly think of and more, carving out a place for his child in the home of his last remaining family. He tries to apologize for the sudden imposition, but Carole won't hear a word of it. 

          Bradley, five years old and ever-curious little Bradley, follows them around despite the ungodly hour. It's not even midnight. He should be in bed, but instead he stalks Mav through the house wearing his blanket as a cape. "Who are we putting in the crib, Uncle Mav?" 

          "My son, Jake." 

          Bradley gasps. "You have a son? Can I meet him?" 

          "Yeah, kiddo. You'll get to meet him real soon. He'll be staying here with you guys." 

          "Is he my age? Will we get to play?" 

          Mav chuckles and ruffles Bradley's hair while he dresses the crib mattress. For now, it sits in the corner of the guest room, a makeshift nursery of sorts. "Sorry, buddy. He's pretty little, yet, but that's not saying you won't be able to play. He probably doesn't know many games at his age, though." 

          "Well, that's okay. I can teach him." 

          Damn, Maverick loves Bradley. "You sure can, kiddo. Just remember, he's barely ten months old and probably won't understand much of it. And no wrestling like you and I do, okay? He's gonna be pretty fragile." 

          "Mav," Carole calls. "Did you remember to call Ice about picking up the baby food?" 

          "Yeah, I called. I didn't tell him who it was for, but I called." Mav wiggles the rails of the crib to make sure they're tight before leaning down to swoop Bradley up onto his hip. He finds Carole presiding over several freshly opened boxes of Bradley's old baby clothes in the living room. "I think he's gonna get Slider to help him out. Merlin should be here in a couple hours. He was further upstate visiting his girlfriend. Wood and Wolf are still on deployment until next week, so they'll be late to the party." 

          "That's fine. We'll be glad for the help whenever we can get it for the first little while. It'll be an adjustment for all of us." Carole holds up a tiny blue onesie. "This one? Or do you think he'd like the yellow one?" She waves a hand. "Nevermind. I'm sure he won't care either way. What about Charlie? Did she say what time her flight was?" 

          Mav glances at his watch. "Uh.... I think she said the 0800 was the earliest she could catch because she had a couple things to nail down, so she still won't be here for another ten-ish or so hours. It's a two-hour flight with the layover, right?" 

          Carole shrugs. "Thereabouts. I wouldn't worry too much. She already has a rental car on reserve at this end." 

          "But she's traveling with Jake. What if something happens?" 

          "Babies fly on planes all the time, Mav. Nothing is going to happen," Carole soothes, standing on her tiptoes to kiss Mav's forehead. "Now, why don't you go put Bradley back to bed. He's starting to fall asleep on your shoulder." 

          Bradley, of course, perks up immediately. "No. I wanna see Jake when he gets here." 

          Mav squeezes Bradley a little tighter. "Jake's not gonna be here until late this morning, kiddo. I promise, you'll be awake again by that time, okay?" 

          "But what if I wanna help?" 

          "Honey-" Carole starts. 

          Mav presses a kiss to Bradley's temple. "All right, baby goose. How about I make you a deal?" When Bradley nods enthusiastically, Mav puts him down. "When he gets here, I doubt he'll have a whole lot of toys, so why don't we pick something out of one of your old boxes that you think he'd like? Something he'll be able to get dirty or chew on or any number of things. Then, once we pick, you'll head to bed." 

          Bradley still looks pouty about the bed portion of the deal, but he nods. "Okay." 

          Together, Mav and Bradley open up two different boxes of his old toys. Bradley lays them all out on the floor, perusing the rows with an adorable little crease in his brow while Carole works on child-proofing. Twenty minutes into the process, Mav grins when Bradley decides firmly on a stuffed shark holding it up in triumph. No doubt, the rest of the toys will come out eventually, but Mav doesn't want to overwhelm Jake. So, for now, the shark will do. 

          "Okay, kid. Time to hold up your end of the deal." 

          "M'kay." 

          Mav moves the two boxes of toys into a corner nearby for later and then holds Bradley's hand all the way up to his room. After tucking him in, he kisses his nephew's forehead and cards a hand through his blond curls. "There we go. All snug." 

          "You'll wake me up if he gets here early?" 

          "Sure thing. Now, get some sleep, baby goose. Night." 

          Bradley yawns and twists onto his side, nestling into his pillow. "Night, Uncle Mav." 

          When Mav skips down the stairs, he sees Carole hovering over an open box with something clutched to her chest. She has her nose buried in the fabric of a blanket that's now all too familiar—the baby blanket Goose sewed for Bradley while he was at the academy. Mav slips his arms around Carole from behind and she leans into him without hesitation. 

          "He'd be losing his mind, you know," Carole whispers. 

          "I know he would." 

          Carole turns her shoulders toward him so she can lean against his chest, the blanket held in between them. "He'd want you to use this for Jake, too. Let Goose keep him warm, Maverick." 

          Mav's throat closes at the quiet plea, and it's all he can do to nod and bear his best friend's absence without crying. Goose would be bouncing off the walls if he was here, running around like a madman doing a million different things. He'd be so excited. 

          He'd also be just as pissed, if not more, at Charlie as Mav is. 

          "Okay," Carole whispers, wiping at her eyes. "Let's get back to work. How far down the list are we?" 

          Mav glances around for it, finding it lazily discarded on the kitchen table. He brings it back to the living room while Carole sorts through the boxes of baby clothes with the blanket over her shoulder. "Okay, so Ice is getting the formula and baby food. That was the first thing. Merlin's bringing like a million diapers. Second thing. I got the crib ready to go. We've got toys, clothes, blankets, wet wipes.... Ointment? Why ointment? What's that for?" 

          "In case he gets diaper rash." 

          "Diaper rash? That's a thing? Bradley never got diaper rash." 

          Carole shakes her head with a fond smile. "That you were present for. Baby powder is right there next to it. What exactly did you think baby powder was for when you used it?" 

          Mav blinks. "Uh.... The smell?" 

          "Well, you're half right. Look at you go, dad." 

          The statement shouldn't sucker-punch Maverick as hard as it does, but holy shit he needs to sit down. Mav sinks onto the couch and cups his hands around his mouth and nose. He heaves three steadying breaths. When Carole's hand lands on his shoulder, he looks up at her with tears building in his eyes. Emotion swirls in his chest, a confusing and potent mixture of excitement, dread, incompetence, and anger. The anger burns hot, but he'll deal with it when he talks to Charlie. Everything else, he can handle now. Probably. 

          "I'm... a father, Carole. I don't...." Mav drags his fingers through his hair. "I don't know how the fuck I'm supposed to do that." 

          Carole snickers at him. "Honey, you're already doing it. Yes, you do." 

          For some reason, the laughter calms Pete down, but he still feels his hands shaking. "But he's already almost a year old. I feel like.... I feel like I failed him by not even thinking he might've been mine. All that shit between Charlie and Jack, and I didn't even consider for one second how close together those two relationships were." 

          "Pete." Carole takes his hands and crouches in front of him. "You haven't failed him. Both of them figured the baby was his, and by then, Charlie had moved on from you. You couldn't have known, and now that you do, you're doing everything you can to make sure he's safe and happy. Taking responsibility isn't a failing. Letting him go when you can give him a home would be." 

          Mav scrubs at his eyes. "But with the Navy, I won't even be here all the time." 

          "How do you think Nick felt? He was doing what needed to be done to support us, and it's an important job." 

          "But leaving you to raise my son is-" 

          Carole flicks his ear, making him flinch in surprise. "I told you already; he's family. You're being a father to Bradley, so let me be a mother to Jake. Okay?" 

          Mav sniffs and nods. 

          "Good. Then, let's get back to the list, shall we?" 

          "Y-Yeah. Let's," Maverick stammers, finding his feet. The list, now a little scrunched where it lays on the floor, waits patiently. "Okay, pacifiers. Didn't we have like seven of those at one point?" 

          Carole smiles. "They're in one of the kitchen drawers. I'll go find them." 

          While she does that, Mav digs out every baby bottle he can find, rifling through silverware drawers and junk drawers to find the rubber nipples for the tops that seem to have inexplicably disappeared. Carole hands him the plastic spoons to put away while he searches. Finally, he finds them in a small box in the corner cabinet, protected from dust and whatnot. He washes them anyway. 

          "Mav, could you put the baby clothes in the guest room dresser?" 

          "Yeah. I've got it." 

          She's keeping him busy. Pete knows that, but he can't bring himself to care. He needs to be busy, because he still has to wait nine and a half hours to meet Jake. Even preoccupied with a sudden list of chores, he counts the minutes almost religiously. As hard as he tries not to, he cries a little bit when he folds the tiny pairs of socks. 

          Almost an hour later, a knock on the door interrupts his distracted mopping of the kitchen floor—distracted, because he's been on the same spot for five minutes. "I'll get it, Carole." 

          "I'm in the guest room if you need me." 

          "It should just be Ice and Sli," Mav answers, weaving through the living room to the front door. True enough, when Mav opens it, he finds Iceman and Slider standing on the stoop, each with both hands full of grocery bags. "Come on in, guys. The kitchen table is clear." 

          Ice pops his gum irritably while they shuffle through the door and into the kitchen. "So, do we get to ask whose kid you and Carole are taking care of on such short notice? In case you weren't aware, it's the middle of the night." 

          Mav follows after them, helping them sort the tubs of formula and the jars of food. "I'm aware." 

          Slider pauses at the subdued nature of Mav's voice. "Everything okay, man?" 

          "Not really." 

          Ice stops, too, leaning his hands on the kitchen table and arching a brow. He huffs when Mav refuses to meet his eyes. "I've seen you a lot of ways, Mitchell, but this is new. What's going on?" 

          "You guys remember Charlie?" 

          "Yeah." 

          Mav grimaces. "Well, after she got her promotion, she moved up to Washington and met this guy named Jack. While they were dating, they found out she was pregnant. They got married. But apparently, they didn't stay in love, and Jack wanted out, so he figured he would see if he was obligated to stick around. He got the kid, Jake, tested and, uh, turns out...." 

          Realization dawns on the other pilot and his RIO. Then, miracle of miracles, Slider rounds the table and squeezes Mav in a hug. "You're a dad!" 

          Relief buds in Mav's chest. A part of him wondered if they'd be upset with him. He feels Ice's hand on his back, its weight comforting while the man himself offers his congratulations. When they finally pull away, Mav feels tears on his face again. 

          "So, she's bringing him down?" 

          Mav nods, opening a tub of formula to start mixing together a bottle for later. "Yeah. She is. We both know I'm not about to marry her, but she doesn't want to raise Jake. So, rather than putting him in foster care, she called me. We decided she'd give Carole and I custody. Once the paperwork and whatever is done on our end, she's going back to Washington." 

          Ice frowns. "She doesn't want to raise him?" 

          "Says her job is more important." 

          "That's some bullshit." Slider grumbles. 

          Mav shrugs. "She chose her job over me, too. She's ambitious and driven, so I can't say I'm too surprised that she'd make the same decision twice." 

          "Nice excuse. Still bullshit." Ice deadpans. 

          "Yeah, well.... That's why we're taking him," Mav answers. "Bradley's excited to meet him. He didn't want to go back to sleep until Jake got here, but that won't be until around ten or so." He turns toward his friends with a slight smile twisting his lips. "I appreciate you guys helping me out so early in the morning. I know I didn't give you a whole lot of context on the phone." 

          "You sounded pretty wound up, so we figured it must be important." Ice putters over to the coffee machine. "You mind?" 

          Mav shakes his head. "Go for it." 

          Slider perches on a stool at the table. "So, the kid's name is Jake?" 

          "Yup. Jacob Thomas Seresin." 

          "Thomas?" Ice muses, a smug smile twisting his lips. 

          "Don't get excited, Ice." Mav rolls his eyes. "She didn't name him after you. She named him after her grandfather. As for his last name, Carole and I think he'll be safer if we keep Seresin for now, seeing as there's a lot of rumors and scuttlebutt attached to mine. When he's sixteen, I figure we can ask him if he wants to change it." 

          A slight hiss leaves the coffee machine while the water heats up and Ice taps on the lid to make it stop. "That sounds like an okay plan. You're making Charlie send financial support, aren't you?" 

          Mav nods. "She already had a budget plan." 

          Slider smirks at Mav, shaking his head. "It's like she knew you'd take him." 

          "Well, I sure as hell wasn't about to let him go to foster care. Been there, done that," Mav grumbles, stacking up the jars of baby food in the cabinet Carole emptied earlier. He finds himself reorganizing them by flavor just for something to do when Ice's hand folds around his wrist. A nervous and embarrassed smile flickers onto his features. "Sorry." 

          Ice clicks his tongue and starts leading him away. "You don't need to be sorry. What you need is sleep. You're gonna burn yourself out before the kid even gets here." 

          Mav tries to wriggle loose. "But there's still so much stuff I-" 

          "Stuff that Slider and I can handle." Ice admonishes, leading Mav into the bathroom and popping open the medicine cabinet. He drops a sleeping pill into Mav's hand. "Take this, and then go lay down in the guest room, okay?" 

          "Carole's in there working." 

          "Then borrow her bed. I know she won't mind." 

          Mav struggles again, shaking his head as he drops the pill down the sink. His breaths turn fluttery in a hurry. "I can't be dead asleep like that. What if I take this and miss when Charlie shows up? I can't do that. I need to be here- I've gotta be here for Jake-" 

          Ice pulls Mav into his arms from behind and traps his shaky hands against his chest. "Easy, Mav. I won't make you, but you do need to rest." When Pete calms, Ice directs him out to the living room couch. The younger pilot doesn't argue when Ice lays him out on his side and throws a blanket over him. Ice rubs Maverick's shoulder in comfort. "Even if you can't sleep, stay here, all right? Slider and I will talk to Carole and see what else needs doing. Just close your eyes." 

          Chewing his bottom lip, Mav eventually caves and closes his eyes. 

          Ice wanders out into the kitchen, taking the filling coffee pot and pouring himself the first available cup. He leans against the kitchen table, his eyes falling back to Mav out on the couch. The tiny pilot already looks worn out. "It's gonna be a long night, Sli." 

          "Yeah. We've got him, though." 

          "Always." 

Chapter Text

          Slider answers the door when someone knocks at 0400, pleased to find Merlin on the other side. "Good to see you. I assume Mav called you, too?" 

          "Oh, yeah. I come bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and diapers. Merry Christmas." 

          "Still a couple weeks too early for that, but I'm sure Mav will appreciate it all the same. Come on in," Slider says, taking one of the boxes from the other RIO and opening the door further. "Mav's on the couch, but I'm not sure if he's asleep or just staring at the floor." 

          Merlin blinks. "Is he sick?" 

          "No, he's not sick. Charlie's coming back into town." 

          "And Charlie is...?" 

          Slider snaps his fingers and makes a whirling motion near his temple. He lowers his voice on the off chance Mav isn't asleep. "Right. You weren't at Top Gun with us. Charlie was one of our instructors, and she and Mav dated. She left him for a big job in Washington, but now she's back because it turns out the kid she and her husband had was actually Mav's, so the husband left her and she doesn't want the kid in the way. Mav's all kinds of wound up, so Ice made him lay down a while ago." 

          Merlin puffs out a breath. "That's quite the mess." 

          "Yeah, it's a whole big thing, but Mav spent the last few hours scrambling to put things together for the kid, since she's only coming to sort out custody papers to give him up to Mav and Carole. After that, she's gone." 

          "Got it." Merlin follows Slider inside and places two large boxes of diapers under the kitchen table. He slips into the living room and sees Mav passed out on the couch. "He really crashed, huh?" 

          "Guess so. Ice is in the guest room with Carole if you need him, but otherwise, you're free to find something to clean. I've been working on the bathroom." 

          Merlin glances around. "Uh.... I think I'll just sit with Mav for a little while, actually." 

          "That works, too." 

          Slider heads back to his earlier project while Merlin settles himself on the floor and leans against the couch. He was just here the other day, and already, it looks so different. The boxes labeled 'toys' in the corner have fresh finger marks in the dust on them. Childproof outlet protectors line the walls, and near-invisible foam strips cover the sharp corners of the coffee table. He sees an army of baby bottles perched on the edge of the kitchen counter. 

          "Hey, Merlin." 

          Merlin jumps at the soft voice next to his ear, chuckling to himself when he realizes it's only Mav. "Hey, buddy. Thought you were asleep." 

          "Almost, but then I heard you come in. Thanks for coming." 

          "It was no trouble." Merlin offers Mav a hand, smiling when the young pilot takes it. "Is this the part where I congratulate you on being a dad?" 

          Mav sniffs. "I'm so fucking scared, Merlin. What if I fuck up his life?" 

          Merlin chuckles. "From what I heard, it'd be hard to fuck it up more than it already is." 

          "I guess, but.... I'm doing the exact same thing Goose did. What if-" Mav squeezes Merlin's hand a little tighter. "What if I freeze up out there like Cougar and leave him without a father? I can't leave Bradley and Carole alone, but I also can't just quit the Navy. I don't have the money to settle anywhere, and I can't-" His voice breaks, crawling out in a trembling whisper. "I need to fly. For me. For Goose." 

          "I know." 

          A soft noise of unease leaves Mav. "I know it's a risk we sign up to take, but I don't know how Goose handled it." 

          Merlin tips his head back against Mav's. "He flew with them in his heart and on his mind, and so do you. All the time. It's no different, Mav. You do everything you can to protect them out there so you can come home to them here." 

          "But if I die, I leave her with not only Bradley, but Jake, too. That's not fair." 

          "No, it's not. But life isn't always fair. You know that. All you can do is your best, and that's all any of us can do." 

          Maverick presses his face into the couch and cries. Merlin lets him, providing quiet support while Mav settles himself. He knows Maverick well enough by now to know he'll keep flying. It's just going to take him a little while to calm down and process the night's events. 

          "You know, you're gonna be the best dad in the world to that kid." 

          "Think so?" 

          Merlin huffs a laugh. "Well, I don't think a poor father spends this much time worrying about the impact he'll have on his kid's life before he's even met him. That's not even mentioning all the prep you've already done just to make sure you're ready for him to be here." 

          Mav sniffles again, curling the blanket over his shoulders a little closer. The nose of a stuffed animal appears under the edge of the hem and Mav smiles when Merlin takes it. "Bradley picked this for him." 

          "Cute shark." 

          "Bradley always called it a 'sarth' when he was little." 

          A low chuckle rumbles from Merlin's mouth. Yeah. No way in hell is Maverick half as bad at the whole parenting thing as he seems to think. "And is little.... What's his name?" 

          "Jake." 

          Merlin smiles. "Is Jake going to be talking soon?" 

          Maverick shrugs. "I dunno. He's ten months, so he might've already said his first word, but if not, I'd assume it'll be any time now. I don't even know if he's even taken his first steps on his own, yet. Hell, I don't even know if he has any allergies." 

          "All things you can ask Charlie when she gets here." 

          "Yeah." A heavy sigh huffs from Mav's nose. "I don't even know what to think about Charlie right now. On the one hand, I'm excited to meet the kid. I'm thrilled and terrified at the same time to have one. On the other hand, I'm so pissed at Charlie for leaving him behind. I don't like why she's doing this, but I'm also glad she knows where her downfalls are enough to know she's not going to be a good mother to him. I don't know." Mav rubs his face. "Just a lot of shit I don't know right now. So damn confused." 

          Merlin clicks his tongue. "What about the guy she was married to?" 

          "Don't even get me started. What a fucking asshole." 

          "He's that bad, huh?" 

          An irritated scoff leaves Mav's throat. "Used Jake not being his kid as an excuse to leave. When I called her back, we got to talking, and Charlie said they started fighting before the kid was even born, and it only got worse from there. Apparently, he thought that when he married her, she was going to give up her job to stay with the kid all the time. I could've told him that wasn't gonna happen. Not to mention that of the two of them, her income would've been the most stable-" 

          Merlin thought Mav was kidding when he said not to get him started, but it really feels like he just opened a can of worms. 

          "Are you even hearing me?" 

          "Uh...." Merlin blinks. He wonders just how much of Mav's rant he just zoned out for. "Yes?" 

          Maverick sighs and burrows deeper into the couch. "Whatever. It's just such a mess, and I don't care anymore who's to blame or who did what or why. I just want Jake to be safe." 

          "I think that's smart of you. The only part of this that's really your problem is the initial sperm donation-" 

          "Don't call it a problem. Jake's not a problem." 

          Merlin's smile grows and he turns his head to look at Maverick. "You're gonna be a great dad, Mav. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Between you, Carole, and Bradley, that kid's gonna be happy. And don't you think for a second that he won't have five uncles vying for his attention." 

          "I think you mean competing." 

          "Kid's gonna be spoiled." 

          Mav shrugs. "No more than Bradley." 

          Well, he has a point. When they show up, Bradley is never sure who to greet first—excluding Maverick. Maverick always gets first billing, and then Bradley does his cute little wiggle as he tries to figure out who to run up to next. 

          "Why don't you try to get some sleep, Mav?" Merlin says softly, balancing the stuffed shark on Maverick's shoulder. "We've got things handled on this end." 

          "If I do manage to get to sleep, wake me up at nine." 

          Merlin gives Maverick's hand another gentle squeeze. "Will do." 

Chapter Text

          Maverick rouses slowly with a light groan and he opens his eyes. He blinks several times to clear his vision only to realize the fuzz in his eyes isn't fuzz, but instead the curly blond locks of Bradley's hair. He lays on his back now, Bradley snoozing quietly on his chest with his toy F-14 in his hand. 

          "Morning, Mav." 

          "Ice?" Mav rasps, his voice rough with sleep. He must've really conked out, because he doesn't remember a thing past his talk with Merlin. "Time is it?" 

          A shift from Mav's left draws his eyes to the armchair, and Ice perches neatly on the seat with a cup of fresh coffee folded in his hands. "It's 0930. You got in about five hours of actual sleep. Before you ask, no, Charlie isn't here yet. She called from the airport and won't be here for another forty-five minutes, so we thought we'd let you sleep a bit more." 

          "Why isn't Bradley at school?" 

          "It's Saturday, and Christmas break starts next week anyway, remember?" 

          Mav tugs the boy a bit closer, a tired smile tipping his lips when Bradley nuzzles into him. "Forgot all about it, honestly." 

          Ice hums. "Can't say I'm surprised. Here." 

          "Thanks," Mav murmurs, hitching Bradley up on his chest so he can sit up and drink the coffee Ice offers him. While Bradley sinks down against his side, Mav savors the first sip. "You flavored it the way I like it." 

          "You know how much I hate letting you have sugar in the morning, but I thought you could use it." 

          Mav puffs out a soft breath through his nose and takes a bigger drink. "You got that right." He puts his cup beside his thigh for a second to rub his eyes, leaning his elbow on his knee and resting his head. "Forty-five minutes. You believe that, Ice? In forty-five minutes, I'm gonna have a kid." 

          "Technically, you've had a kid for ten months. And if we count Bradley, five years." 

          "Shut up and let me have this." 

          Ice raises his hands in surrender with a smile. "All right, all right. Drink your coffee. You've got enough time to take a shower if you want one, since the rest of us handled all the chores." 

          "Thank you. Seriously." 

          "It's not like it's the first time you've called in the middle of the night. At least, this time was under happier circumstances, don't you think?" 

          Mav smiles at Ice. "Well, thanks for all those other times, too." 

          A look of exasperated indulgence flickers over Ice's features before it smooths over into acceptance. "You've already thanked me, but you're welcome." 

          Peaceable silence washes over them until Mav decides he probably could use a shower after spending half the night running around like a crazy person. He lays Bradley down with a quick kiss to his forehead, takes another swallow of his coffee, and disappears into the bathroom. One look at it and Mav knows someone cleaned, because the room is spotless. He could probably see himself in the tile if he bothered to look. 

          "You guys ain't foolin' around," Mav muses, quickly shedding his clothes and hopping inside. 

          After spending all of last night teetering wildly between panic, excitement, and obsession, Mav feels oddly settled this morning. Maybe the sleep, though foreshortened, helped. He'd be annoyed Ice was right if the man hadn't blindly accepted his midnight request for baby food, of all things. 

          Before Top Gun, the only people on that level of dependable were Goose and Carole. It's good to have people. Goose would be thrilled. 

          Once out of the shower, Mav changes into the spare clothes in his go-bag and wakes Bradley for a late breakfast. At 1000 hours, he starts getting antsy again. At 1005, he starts pacing around the living room with Bradley following him around, giggling the whole time while he imitates his uncle. Ice's eyes trace his path while he remains seated in the armchair. Slider and Merlin take over the couch, both watching him and Bradley in bemused silence. Carole sips coffee at the kitchen table, mirth in her expression while she tracks the tiny pilot around her house. Maverick shakes out his hands to disperse his nerves, checks his watch, and starts another loop of the living room. 

          He doesn't hear the car pull up, but he does hear the kid. Jake's wails could probably be heard for the next six blocks when the car door is opened. Mav opens the front door and skips down the steps, opening his mouth to greet Charlie when she turns away from the car seat in the back. 

          Okay. So.... In kind terms, Charlie looks like shit. 

          Dark circles line her red eyes. Her clothes are rumpled and slightly stained in a couple places. Her hair, while held up in a bun, is trying to escape. It looks matted, snarled, and all manner of frazzled. 

          "Maverick." 

          Mav swallows. Any and all of the anger he was harboring fizzles into sympathy and a tiny bit of pity. Unable to help himself, he opens his arm to her. At first, she only glares at him, but Jake's continued screaming pushes her over the edge and into his arms. The hug doesn't last long, and soon enough, she turns around and finishes unbuckling Jake. 

          "The baby bag is in the trunk," Charlie says, resting Jake on her hip. 

          After retrieving it, the two of them head inside and Mav places the bag beside the door. Charlie stands in the living room, noting the pilots perched on the furniture all peering at her. She looks bad enough that none of them outright bleed hostility. Bradley peeks out from beside Ice, hands placed lightly over his ears.  

          "When was the last time you slept, Charlie?" Mav ventures, his tone cautious. 

          For all his tact, she levels a glare on him that could burn down a house. "For the last ten months, between juggling work, myself and Jack fighting, the divorce, and Jacob's constant screaming both since birth and in the month since Jack left, I'm not sure what you count as sleep." 

          Mav winces, but he picks the baby blanket off the coffee table and offers her a pained smile. "I can take him for a little while if you want to borrow the guest room." 

          "But the custody forms and meetings-" 

          "Can wait until you've had sleep." 

          Charlie hesitates, grimaces at Jake's wails, and then gives in. "I don't know if he'll stop crying, but you know what? Be my guest."  

          She lifts Jake toward Mav with her hands under his armpits, leaving his feet kicking in the air. Fuck, she's terrible at holding the kid. One would think with ten months of having one, she'd at least know how to hold him. No wonder Jake is upset. She practically cringes away from him because she's so dead tired, she can't take it anymore. 

          Mav holds Jake in his arms, gently wrapping him in the blanket and cradling him to his chest. "Hey," Mav croons, pressing a kiss to his son's forehead and lightly bouncing him. "It's okay, baby. That's not so bad, huh?" 

          Slowly but surely, Jake's red-faced screams taper off into soft whimpers. His tiny fingers curl into Maverick's shirt. Mav feels the kid's body trembling from all the stress, so he presses another kiss into his downy white hair and whispers soothingly in his ear. The circumstances of this might not be what he wishes they were, but damn, does it feel right to finally be holding his kid. He doesn't notice Charlie staring at him until he opens his eyes again, still bouncing Jake. 

          "I'd be impressed or annoyed, but I'm too tired." 

          "Carole?" Mav calls, keeping his voice low. "Would you show her to the guest room?" 

          Carole hops up from the kitchen table and leads her away, returning only seconds later to get her first real look at Jake. She strokes his hair with a smile. "He's got a set of lungs on him. That's for sure." 

          "Yeah," Mav murmurs. "He does." 

          Ice chuckles and stands, trailing over with the two RIOs. "Would he really be a Mitchell if he couldn't make enough noise to wake a city block?" 

          "Uncle Pete, Uncle Pete, come on. I wanna see." 

          Mav chuckles when he hears Bradley's voice and feels the boy pulling at the hem of his shirt. He waits for the others to back off a step before kneeling down on the floor and tugging the edge of the blanket away from Jake's face. The kid, now fast asleep, twitches in response but otherwise doesn't move. 

          "Here's Jake, kiddo." 

          Bradley stares at him in wonder. "He's real little." 

          "You were this little once, too, you know?" Mav answers, grinning when Bradley giggles and lifts his fingers delicately to Jake's head. "What do you think? Do you like your little brother?" 

          The boy's eyes go wide and he beams at Maverick. "You mean he's gonna stay here forever?" 

          "Yeah, kiddo. Jake is staying." 

          Bradley, sweet and brilliant Bradley, stamps his feet excitedly and kisses Jake's head like Mav did a minute before. "He's a little loud, but that's okay. I'm gonna be the best big brother ever, Uncle Mav. You'll see." 

          Maverick dies a little inside from the cuteness alone before managing a helpless, "I'm sure you will, kiddo." 

Chapter Text

          Charlie stays with them for a week and two days. Mav trails behind her when they go to custody meetings, watching in mild confusion and feeling far out of his depth every time she hands him and Carole something to sign. After the first few times of Mav soothing Jake, Charlie gave up all pretenses of wanting to hold him. She cares about him, but she had a point. She's not mother material, and it becomes more blindingly obvious every day she stays with them. 

          As long as Maverick hovers in their proximity, chances are, she'll have him holding Jake just to keep him happy. It's not like he never cries while Mav holds him, but the chances of pitched wails dwindle significantly. Hearing the child laugh instead of scream cheers Charlie immeasurably. 

          Another thing that became clear is how sensitive Jake is to raised voices.  

          When Wolf and Wood arrived at the end of the first week, all boisterous and curious about the supposed kid Mav picked up, they got excited fast when they learned Jake belonged to Maverick. Jake started crying on the spot. 

          Mav watches him sleep in his crib now, a pensive frown on his face as he wonders just how much fighting Charlie and Jack did in front of him. He can't imagine it came to blows or anything like that, because Charlie would never stand for it, but he's certain they fought, long and loudly. Jake kicks his foot in his sleep, content in the cocoon of quiet the guest room provides. Charlie only used the room the first day she was here. After that, she got a hotel room. 

          The guys, however, rotate between Mav's place and Carole's, alternating who stays on the couch and armchair and then congregating during the day to spend time with the kid. Mav sleeps in the guest room, mere feet away from his kid. He has a little less than two weeks now to spend with Jake, so he'll make the most of it. 

          Someone knocks on the doorframe and Mav turns his head, finding Ice standing there with a stoic look on his face. Of all the guys, Mav thinks Jake took to Ice the most. Whatever hopes Wolf had of being the favorite uncle were dashed when Slider placed him in the middle of a big circle of aviators, Mav excluded, and Jake crawled right up to Ice. The stony aviator tried to play it off, stating that the kid was probably just looking for a way out of the circle to get back to Mav. Considering how Jake curled up in his arms, Mav doubts it. 

          "Hey, Ice." 

          "Hey. He still asleep?" 

          Mav nods, motioning his wingman inside with a slight wave. "Been asleep for a couple hours now. He'll probably wake up soon for lunch." 

          "How long have you been in here?" 

          "Since I got back from the last meeting with Charlie." 

          Ice hums and joins Mav at the side of the crib, a faint smile tracing his lips as he stares down at Jake. "Did she say her goodbyes, then?" 

          Mav nods again, stepping back and perching on the corner of the guest bed. "Yeah. She did. I thanked her for doing what was best for Jake, but," Mav pauses, sighing when Ice shoots him a curious look. "I also might've told her not to walk back into his life years down the line and try to be his mother...." 

          "That sounds reasonable to me. What did she say?" 

          "'So long.' She wasn't mad." Mav shrugs. "She seemed more like herself when she left than she did the entirety of the last week, so knowing Jake was taken care of must've been a load off." 

          Ice clicks his tongue, his eyes falling on Jake and softening. "I thought I'd be angrier at her." 

          "So did I. I still am, a little bit, but seeing her with Jake, I understood. She loves him, but she knows her priorities." Even if they're wrong, in Mav's opinion. Maverick tilts back against the quilt and folds his arms behind his head. "I know I'll be back again, but I can't help but feel like this last two weeks is already going by too fast. Christmas is in five days. We'll be gone the week after that, and then we won't see Bradley and Jake again for another few months. Bradley's gonna give me those doe eyes when I have to go, and you know how helpless I am against those, and Jake.... I don't know. Jake will probably forget me." 

          "I sincerely doubt that. He's ten months, which means he can remember well enough. You've held him and talked to him every day, and I have no doubt you'll continue to do it every day until we leave. Even if he doesn't see your face, that kid is gonna know your voice. He'll remember how you made him feel." 

          "Maybe." 

          Ice huffs and leans against the edge of the crib, arms crossed. "No, not 'maybe.' You call home several times a week while we're deployed, in case you forgot." 

          A smile breaks across Mav's lips as a familiar memory floats to the surface. "You know, I think Goose and I had this exact same conversation once. I never really thought I'd be on this side of it." 

          "You never worried about Bradley forgetting you?" 

          Mav ponders that. "I think Goose did all the worrying for me. I was just excited to see him and be a part of his life. Was terrified of the kid the first time I held him. Jake's had time to get some weight on him, but when I held Bradley in the hospital the first time, I could hold his whole body in one arm. He had the tiniest little fingers, and I remember nearly having a heart attack when he sneezed." 

          Ice chuckles. "The Navy's second-best pilot, terrified by a baby." 

          "That's the Navy's best pilot, to you." 

          "We'll agree to disagree." 

          "No, we won't." 

          Another fond laugh leaves Ice's throat. Mav grins, then closes his eyes and listens to his son breathe while his wingman watches over him, sinking into contented silence. He thinks of Bradley, and how the boy he loves so dearly won't be lonely, and he thinks of Jake, a child who will grow up knowing he's loved. Maverick would do anything for those two boys. 

          Come Christmas morning, Ice and Slider both laugh their asses off when Carole hands Mav his present—and a wriggling, giggling baby with a red bow on his head. 

          "Merry Christmas, Pete." 

          Maverick grins, holding Jake in one arm and wrangling the box with the other. Inside, nestled among a copious amount of tissue paper, is a perfect replica of Goose's helmet. Despite all the struggles of the last year and the terror of suddenly becoming a father to a ten-month-old, a piece of his life slots back into place, no matter how small. When he plops the helmet on Bradley's head, familiar brown eyes beam up at him with glee. 

          Talk to me, Goose.

          "I love you, Mav!" 

          Mav wiggles the helmet, making Bradley laugh as it shakes his head around. With a choked voice and tears building in his eyes, he breathes a soft, "Love you, too, kiddo."