Chapter Text
Oh, sweet young love. Sitting back on the swing, you observed Viper’s granddaughter, Natasha, giving puppy love eyes to Bradley.
Bradley is a carbon copy of his father. For as much as a menace, he and Maverick are, you love Goose 'til there’s no tomorrow. They adopted you into their little family. Carole often had to fight with Goose and Mav to spend time with you.
“Natasha…” you call her over and pat the empty space next to you on the swing. “Come here.”
“Hi, Auntie Whiskey!” She runs to you with a big smile on her face. Upon reaching you, she gives you a tight hug. “You’re the best pilot! Even better than my g-pa!” She accommodates herself next to you. “I’m gonna be like you.”
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m boring… Hey. Did I see you trying to be friends with Bradley? He seems sweet.”
Her cheeks flush and she nods shyly. “Yeah but he don’t wanna be my friend.”
You shake your head dramatically. “Well, he’s dumb just like every boy. And let me tell you a secret… They never stop being dumb.”
Behind you, Goose and Wolfman chuckle as they know who you’re referring to.
“Speak of the devil,” Wolf whispers to Goose as Slider arrives at the party carrying two cases of beer.
“Mother Goose! Puppyman!” Slider calls out to them once he spots them. The two men had shifted to cover you from Slider’s view.
There was no denying at how your heart raced at hearing his voice. It had been a few years since graduating from Top Gun. The last time you saw him. The same day he broke your heart.
You play with Nat’s raven hair. “Now listen carefully. I’m going to give you a lesson.”
*****
Rule 1: You gotta have fun, but, baby, when you're done, you gotta be the first to run.
It was a typical summer Sunday morning as you were running along the beach. You knew what tomorrow would bring and you needed every second of today to prepare for it.
Being an admiral’s daughter already painted a target on your back.
Being an admiral’s daughter and the only female to be in the 1986 class of Top Gun added flashing lights to that target.
You finish your run and head back to the housing provided to your family. You decide to head to The O Club to scope out your fellow classmates.
Dressed in your jeans and a low-cut, black tank top, you make your way through the club to get to the bar. Looking around you see that there are a lot of aviators in their dress whites.
You shake your head at the show that two of the aviators sing to the blonde across the bar from you. You smirk when you recognize who it was they were singing to. You remain quiet and say nothing. Oh, the surprise they’ll have tomorrow.
“That smirk tells me you know something I don’t,” the rich voice that accompanies the incredibly handsome and tall man says as he comes to stand next to you.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” You tell him.
“Of course. If you’re beautiful with a smirk, I can’t even imagine how much more beautiful you’ll be laughing all carefree,” he says with a wink. “I’m Lieutenant Ron Slider Kerner. But you can call me yours.” He extends his hand to you.
Gesturing to the bartender for a refill, you shake his hand. “Lieutenant? You’re in the Navy?”
“Naval Aviator. One of the best of the best,” you see his cocky smile return at his response.
“Oh, that’s cool… Are all… Is everyone here in the Navy?” You ask with a fake tone of naïveté.
“Only those in uniform. The rest are civilians… So tell me beautiful… What’s your name?”
“Actually… I’m Lie-“ Before you can finish telling him your name, a fellow aviator, a blonde with his sunglasses on, comes to collect your acquaintance, much to the disappointment of you both.
*****
The next morning you’re getting ready and run into your neighbor as you’re both going to your cars.
“Hi, Charlie… Had fun being the center of attention last night?” You ask teasingly.
The blonde just gives you a look. “That was embarrassing but I’ll admit the pilot was cute.”
“Hmm. Let’s see how he reacts to seeing you today.”
“The same way a certain tall Lieutenant will react seeing you… I saw Kerner talking to you,” she says smirking.
You feel your cheeks flame and rush to your car seeing the time. “See you later!”
Upon your arrival at the base, you head to the locker room to put your belongings away and head to the classroom. Because of who your father is, you already met your instructors, Viper and Jester.
You made sure to sit behind the Lieutenant that tried to chat you up the night before. You smirk when his surprised eyes land on you and he removes his headphones. “You’re a pilot too!?”
“Yes sir…” you reply with a proud smile.
“There’s no way you’re really a pilot… She probably snuck onto the base and is faking it,” one of the other student pilots said.
“Big mistake my man,” you hear a familiar voice say.
When you turn, the first thing you spot it the cowboy hat. You then notice the wink and smile he gives you before you reach him for a hug. “Wolfe! I’ve missed you! Wood! You’re here too?”
“Let me tell you she’s as go-“ Wolfe starts but you don’t let him finish.
“It’s okay. They’ll learn,” Hollywood says winking at you.
The blonde pilot from the bar last night was smirking at the glare his RIO was giving the other pilot and RIO duo at their interactions with you.
*****
Climbing down from your jet, you stretch your neck and shoulders as you head to clean up. Your father had taught you how to fly and the rules of naval aviation, yet you still had to prove your worth to your classmates.
Not ideal, that you got shot but you did last longer than your classmates and you didn’t break below the hard deck.
You’re done showering and are now gathering your things when you hear someone enter the women’s locker room.
“I knew pilots were a hot commodity but you Whiskey… You’re the best I’ve ever seen. And I’ve flown with Iceman for a few years now.”
“So you two will be my main competitors?”
“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see… Maverick and Goose are also a pretty good team,” Slider says. “Don’t tell them I said that.”
You chuckle. “Life’s too short to make promises you can’t keep.”
“I like that,” he says moving closer to you. “How about you tell me about yourself over a dinner and a drink?”
*****
Little did you know, and expect, that dinner and a drink would be the same thing that would break your heart when Ron told you that it may be best to go your own ways.
It was then that you remembered what he once said to the rest of the guys. “Flying and being a RIO will always be the love of my life. Nothing will ever compare to that joy.”
You were too stunned to say anything at first. All that you could think of both of you being deployed the next day. “I- If that’s what you wish for… Ron Kerner.”
He hated the way you called him by his first and last name. He was never Ron Kerner to you since you both started seeing each other. He was always Slider, Ronnie, honey, or dear to you.
Ron could read you like a book and he knew in this moment the pain you were in. But he also knew it wouldn’t be fair to string you along when he didn’t have any plans to settle down any time soon. So he does what he thinks is best and he runs.
“We had our fun Whiskey… So I’ll be on my way now. I have to get back to the base to get ready for deployment,” he says standing and kissing your forehead before he leaves.
*****
Natasha giggles at your rule. “You run from boys?”
“Well sort of… I just mean… You have to do what you can to protect your heart. You’re a smart girl Nat. You’ll understand one day,” you say kissing the top of her head.
Once she ran back to her parents and Viper, you can’t help but fiddle with the large academy ring that still hung with your dog tags. Your mind begins to wander as you think of what might have been between the two of you in the past five years had Slider decided to stay and had you decided to fight for him to stay.
Wolfe noticed your sudden withdrawal. He also notices the moment Slider catches sight of you and how his world stops at seeing you with Nat.
If anyone asked him, he would deny loving to gossip with Carole and Goose. They all know the torch you and Slider still carry for each other. So he vowed to help you, unbeknownst to you.
While knowing he was in Slider’s vantage point, he goes to sit next to you and wraps an arm around your shoulders. Goose and Carole are confused at first but then notice the look of murder Slider is giving Wolfe.
Goose calls Bradley over and conspires with the little boy, who would do anything for his favorite surrogate aunt.
Bradley runs to Slider and tugs on his pant legs. “Hi Uncle Slide… I’m supposed to make sure you let Uncle Wolfman and Aunt Whiskey sit together with me. I can’t sit with you and Uncle Ice.”
Bradley then runs back to you and discreetly gives Wolfe a high-five when you look up and catch sight of Slider.
He’s about to walk to you to say hi when his eyes fall to your dog tags and his world stopped at the sight of his class ring.
Could it be? Did you still harbor feelings for him? Could he get a chance again with you?
Before he could get answers to those questions, Carole and Charlie were dragging you away to sit with them.
“We have the weekend Slide… You’ll get your girl back,” Goose says as he comes up to his fellow RIO. “Just trust me and Wolfe.”
Ha! Last time he did that he ended up sharing a bunk bed with Bradley, who kicks in his sleep. But this time, when he allows his eyes to find you, he sees you already looking at him.
When it came to you, he knew his fellow Top Gun classmates would always take care of you. So, yes. This time he would trust Goose and Wolfe. He knew it mattered the most this time.