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Dating a Navy man is everything Penny had told her it would be. Always being worried during training and deployments; always praying he would come home safely.
(Y/N) Mitchell feels her heart drop when her boyfriend of almost two years tells her that he had been called back to Top Gun.
The two have always known each other, with their fathers being best friends back in the day. Bradley is four years older than her, but that little difference never stopped their relationship into blooming into something more than just friends.
After Carole, Bradley's mother, passed, (Y/N) and Bradley lost touch. Then during her college years, they met again. Her roommate was Natasha Trace, callsign Phoenix, and a friend of Bradley's. Their relationship sparked once again at that meeting. (Y/N) has stuck with him throughout his entire career in the US Navy.
Now, (Y/N) has to endure the anxiety building in her chest as Bradley tells her what he can about the call. Much to her dismay, it isn't much.
"Come with me," Bradley says. "It's just a month, hopefully."
She works an online job, one that works well with a military family. With that, she's quick to agree with him, and the couple goes to pack the essentials and hit the road for San Diego.
The trip doesn't seem to take as long as she'd hoped it would when she feels Bradley's blue Bronco lurches to a halt in front of the Hard Deck.
(Y/N) is excited to head inside in the hopes of seeing her father's ex-lover, Penny Benjamin. The two always got along very well, especially after (Y/N)'s mother passed away. Penny took over the role as a mother to the young Mitchell girl and loved and supported her in every way possible.
The young woman is shocked to see her father, Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, sitting at the bar, chatting with the lady she had come to see.
"Go ahead, I'll be over in a few with a drink," she says to her boyfriend.
Bradley gives her a quick nod and they walk their separate paths to their destinations.
"Is the whole family coming or what?" Penny asks as she sees (Y/N). Penny then heads out from behind the bar to give the girl a hug.
"Hi, Pen."
Maverick's head turns at the sound of his daughter's voice.
"Hi, sweetheart..." he says warily.
Pete is aware of his kid's relationship with Rooster. Honestly, he had always hoped the two would get together. Oh what Goose would think of their kids dating.
"Who'd you piss off this time?"
Both Pete and Penny let out a chuckle at her question.
"No, wait, let me guess... another admiral?"
Pete drops his head with a sigh.
Penny laughs again, shaking her head at their relationship.
"How's Bradley?" Penny asks after a couple moments of silence.
Maverick visibly tenses at the name.
"Good, considering being back here..." (Y/N) answers before adding, "I'm going to go meet everyone. We should get together and catch up one day, Penny."
Penny nods to her in agreement.
"I'll talk to you later dad." (Y/N) gives him a quick side hug.
With that, the woman orders a couple drinks and heads over to her boyfriend and the rest of the young aviators who are surrounding the pool table in the back of the bar.
When (Y/N) reaches the group, she can feel the tension between Bradley and another aviator, callsign Hangman, or bagman, depending on who you ask.
Bradley grabs her hand when he sees her beside him, pulling her to another part of the bar with a small piano sitting there.
He pulls her into his lap before playing.
"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain..." Bradley starts singing.
Before long, the whole bar erupts into song and the atmosphere shifts into something new.
Except for Pete Mitchell, who just got thrown out of the bar for a declined card payment, and is sitting outside with tears in his eyes. He can picture Goose and Carole in their spot with a small blonde-haired boy sitting at the top of the piano, singing along with his parents.
His heart breaks with every note played, but it feels full at the same time, knowing for sure that his daughter had found the one she'll spend most he rest of her life with. He was sure of it with just that one small detail of their relationship.
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"So, what's the deal with Pete and Bradley? They used to be so close," Penny asks the next day.
She and (Y/N) decided to meet for lunch at a small cafe that sits just a little further down the beach from the Hard Deck.
(Y/N) sighs into her drink. "Dad pulled his papers to the academy. I don't know why and neither does Roos."
Penny's jaw drops. "He pulled his papers? He must've had good reason, we hope. How far did it set Bradley back?"
"Four years. We actually reconnected during that time, so a blessing and curse, I guess."
Shortly after the brief conversation, their food was delivered to the table. They ate in silence, for the most part, save for the small talk questions.
Before the two split ways, (Y/N) asks Penny, "Do you think dad can mend their relationship?"
Penny feels for the woman in front of her. She knows how much these careers mean to the aviators.
"I think so... The real question would be how. Bradley seems to have nothing to do with him, according to Pete." she replies. "Is there something going on?"
(Y/N) shakes her head. "We've been together for a while, and we've been talking about our future together... I want dad's approval before we take it to the next stage, but I don't know if Roos agrees. But I'm not going to worry about that right now... I'm more worried about this big mission they're about to be sent on."
Penny reaches across the table, grabbing the other woman's hand. "Give it time, it'll all work out."
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The day finally came. The day that she'd been dreading since Bradley told her about going back to San Diego.
"When do you leave?" she asks, tears already spilling from her eyes and down her cheeks.
Bradley reaches up to wipe the tears away. "Tomorrow morning. I don't know how long it will take, and I won't be able to call for a while, most likely."
With that, he pulls her into a tight embrace, and they fall down to the floor together, neither of them knowing what to say.
They stay like that for a while, before she looks up to the clock.
"You need to get some sleep..." she says, a yawn escaping from her mouth soon after.
Bradley is still holding on to the woman he loves. He's not sure he wants to let go yet.
"Only if you sleep with me..." he says sleepily.
She giggles a bit before replying, "We only have one bed so I guess I have to..."
The two finally rise from the uncomfortable position on the rug and slowly stumble into the bedroom. They don't even bother to change into pajamas; the two are tired from the emotions of the past few hours.
Bradley falls asleep easily, but she can't make herself do it. The fear of losing him is too big, but she refuses to move. She doesn't want to let go yet.
The morning comes quickly, and Bradley finds himself alone in bed. The smell of coffee and breakfast cooking floods his senses, and he forces himself to finally get up.
He dresses in his normal attire, knowing the flight suit he needs to wear will be waiting for him on base.
Upon arriving to the kitchen, he hears the soft hum of his girlfriend as she finishes frying the bacon on the stove.
"Good morning, baby," he says, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and setting his chin on her shoulder.
"Hi..." she replies.
"You sleep okay?" Bradley asks, stealing a piece of cooked bacon.
The woman shakes her head. "I didn't really sleep at all..."
Bradley doesn't reply. He knows that there is nothing that he can say to make her feel better.
A few moments later, breakfast is on the table and Bradley is pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"You didn't have to do this, you know. But thank you anyways... I know it's early and you're stressed."
(Y/N) shrugs her shoulders, taking a sip of her own coffee. "I couldn't sleep anyway and thought you might need something on your stomach. We didn't really eat dinner last night."
The two sit in silence while they eat. Before they know it, the time for Bradley to leave has finally come.
The couple stands at the front door, neither of them moving for a second.
"I love you, darling," Bradley says. "And I'll call you as soon as I'm able to, okay?"
(Y/N) just nods in reply. She's afraid she'll break down if she speaks too much.
Before leaving, Bradley gives her a tight embrace.
"I love you, be safe." she finally whispers.
And with that, he leaves.
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A couple weeks later, Bradley finds himself at Maverick's "home base", which is really just an old Naval base that isn't in use anymore.
"She's really happy we finally got over everything..." Pete says to him.
Bradley nods. "I'm happy we did too... I know you did what you thought was right by my parents..."
Pete pats him on the shoulder, a sign of understanding.
"Listen..." Bradley starts and then stops himself, trying to think of the right words to say. "I love (Y/N). We met again at a time where I needed her the most. So, honestly, I should thank you for pulling my papers. A blessing and a curse, I guess. She's is everything I've ever wanted, needed really. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. So, I'm asking for your blessing to marry your daughter, Mav."
A wide grin grows on Pete's face. "Of course you can marry her, Bradley. God, your parents would be so proud of you. And they'd be thrilled that our kids are together and are going to get married."
Bradley chuckles. "I haven't even asked her yet!"
Pete shakes his head. "No, but I know she'll say yes. You're all she talks about. You make my not-so-little girl happy."
"She's my world, and I would give her everything if I could. But right now, I'll settle for giving her a ring."