Chapter Text
“Care to explain what you were thinking?” Ice asked, leaning against his desk, arms crossed, frustration sharp in his voice.
“No,” Maverick snapped, crossing his arms in turn. He knew it was the wrong move, felt the words land like fuel on a fire, but he couldn’t stop himself.
Ice’s eyes narrowed. His voice dipped dangerously low. “Maverick. Would you like to try that again?”
It wasn’t a question. Not really. But Maverick didn’t back down, still didn’t see what had Ice so upset. “No,” he repeated, meeting his partner’s gaze. “I wouldn’t.”
The room went still. Then, Ice stepped forward, closing the gap in three quick strides, grabbing his shoulder and turning him sharply to the side. Before Maverick could react, Ice landed three blistering swats to his backside, hard enough to let him know that the man was in no mood for argument.
Maverick gritted his teeth, his jaw locked tight. He refused to react, standing stiffly, though his face burned with the effort of keeping quiet.
Ice stared at him for a moment, and Maverick could see his legendary control beginning to waver, frustration showing in the way he clenched his jaw.
The silence stretched uncomfortably long. Then, Ice exhaled through his nose and pointed sharply toward the nearest corner.
“Corner, please. Right now.”
Maverick stayed put, almost daring his partner to do something about it.
“I’m not asking, Maverick,” Ice said, his eyebrow raised so high it almost met his hairline.
Maverick hesitated, then moved, if only because he knew Ice was seconds away from snapping. He trudged to the corner and planted himself there, staring at the wall. He could hear Ice pacing behind him, each footfall heavy with irritation. Then, abruptly, came the sound of retreating steps.
The door clicked shut.
Maverick frowned, glancing over his shoulder to confirm he was alone. Ice never left him in the corner. Not like this.
He shifted uneasily, his earlier bravado fading. Ice must have been really pissed.
It was fine, Maverick thought. It was fine. He’d fix it. Probably. Eventually.
After a few restless minutes, the silence grew unbearable. Maverick edged out of the corner, glancing at the door, and made his way to Ice’s desk. His eyes landed on the phone.
Without a second thought, he picked it up and dialed the first number that came to mind.
The line clicked, and Goose’s voice filtered through, cheerful as always. “Hello?”
“Help me,” Maverick whispered, glancing over his shoulder like Ice might storm back in at any moment. “Ice really might kill me this time.”
There was a beat of silence, then a heavy sigh. “What did you do?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Maverick hissed, keeping his voice low. “Can you come rescue me or not?”
“I—yeah,” Goose said after a pause, already sounding resigned. “I can be there in three.”
“Thank God,” Maverick muttered, placing the receiver down and immediately heading for the French doors leading to the backyard. He pushed one open, glancing toward the driveway, and made a break for it, hightailing it toward the road.
Five minutes later, Goose’s station wagon screeched to a halt at the end of the driveway. Maverick burst out from behind the bushes and yanked open the passenger door.
“Drive!” he said, jumping in and slamming the door shut.
Goose raised an eyebrow but shifted the car into gear without question. They were halfway down the road when he finally spoke.
“Okay,” he said, glancing at Maverick, “what’d you do this time?”
“Does it matter?” Maverick snapped, still glancing over his shoulder as though Ice might appear in the rearview mirror. “Just get me out of here.”
Before Goose could respond, a small voice piped up from the back seat.
“Hi, Uncle Mav!”
Maverick froze, whipping around to find Bradley sitting there with his stuffed bear in one hand and a juice box in the other.
“Hi, Bradley,” he said quickly, waving at the small boy before turning back to Goose.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Maverick hissed.
“Carole’s running errands,” Goose said casually, keeping his eyes on the road. “I’m multitasking.”
“You brought a child to a rescue mission?” Maverick demanded, his voice climbing in pitch.
Bradley tilted his head. “What’s a rescue mission?”
“It’s what this isn’t,” Maverick muttered, slumping back in his seat. “This is a disaster.”
Goose smirked. “Relax, kid’s good. He can keep a secret. Right, Bradley?”
Bradley beamed. “Secret! Are you in trouble, Uncle Mav?”
“No,” Maverick said quickly. “I’m not in trouble.”
“He’s in trouble,” Goose said, and Maverick forced himself not to slap him silly with the kid watching.
Bradley giggled. “What’d you do, Uncle Mav? Did you crash something?”
“I didn’t crash anything!” Maverick snapped, glaring at Goose. “Why do you encourage this?” he hissed under his breath.
“Because it’s funny,” Goose said, shrugging. “And because you always make it so easy.”
Maverick groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I can’t believe I called you. I should’ve just run for it on foot.”
“Yeah, because that’s worked out so well for you in the past,” Goose quipped, grinning.
From the back seat, Bradley piped up again. “Is Uncle Ice mad?”
“Let’s not talk about Uncle Ice,” Maverick said quickly, shooting a panicked look at Goose.
“Oh, we’re definitely talking about Uncle Ice,” Goose said, his grin widening. “In fact, I think we should swing back around right now and see if he wants to come with us, huh Bradley?”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Maverick said, eyes narrowing.
Goose just chuckled. “Relax. You’re safe—for now.”
Maverick groaned again, leaning his head against the window. “I’m surrounded by traitors.”
Eventually, Goose pulled into a quiet stretch of beach, which was all but deserted. The sun glinted off the waves, and the rhythmic crash of the surf filled the silence as he parked the car.
“What are we doing here?” Maverick asked, frowning as Goose cut the engine.
“Laying low,” Goose said, stepping out of the car. He opened the back door to help Bradley out. “You’re lucky I packed snacks for the kid, or I’d be charging you for this.”
“I didn’t ask for a full-family road trip,” Maverick grumbled, following Goose out.
“Yeah, well, beggars can’t be choosers,” Goose shot back, handing Bradley a bag of Goldfish crackers. “Now, let’s talk about why you’re hiding from Ice like he’s the boogeyman.”
Maverick hesitated, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. “I’m not hiding.”
Goose snorted, grabbing a towel from the back of the car and spreading it out on the sand. “Right, because running out the back door and diving into my car is the picture of bravery.”
Maverick ignored him, kicking at the sand.
“Uncle Mav, are you in big trouble with Uncle Ice?” Bradley asked, plopping down on the towel.
“No,” Maverick said quickly.
“Yes,” Goose corrected, sitting beside Bradley. He gestured for Maverick to sit, but Mav stayed standing, scuffing the sand with his boot.
“I’m not talking about it,” Maverick muttered.
“Buddy, you have to talk about it,” Goose said, leaning back on his elbows. “I can’t help you fix this without knowing what you did.”
Maverick let out a frustrated sigh, finally dropping onto the towel. He picked at a loose thread on his sleeve, avoiding Goose’s gaze.
“I… got a speeding ticket,” Maverick sighed.
“What’s a speeding ticket?” Bradley asked, turning his small face to them, brows furrowed in confusion.
“It means Uncle Mav was very naughty and needs to be more careful with his… toys,” Goose said slowly.
Luckily, Bradley seemed satisfied with that answer and turned his attention to a nearby flock of seagulls.
“That’s it?” Goose asked quietly, raising an eyebrow. “It’s not good, but you made it sound like Ice needed to cool off.”
“It’s not just a speeding ticket,” Maverick muttered.
“Oh, here we go,” Goose said, leaning back on his elbows. “How bad are we talking?”
“It’s the third one,” Maverick admitted reluctantly.
Goose stared at him, then let out a low whistle. “And Ice handed your ass to you and made all manner of horrifying threats after the first two?”
Maverick shrugged, avoiding his gaze. “Something like that. And I might have refused to talk about it when he found out.”“You’re unbelievable,” Goose said, shaking his head. “Do you try to make your life harder?”
“I didn’t think he’d find out,” Maverick said weakly. “I wasn’t even going that fast.”
Goose laughed, loud and incredulous. “Mav, Ice finds out everything. He probably knew the second the ink was dry on the ticket.”
Bradley looked up from his snack. “Are you gonna say sorry, Uncle Mav?”
Maverick blinked, caught off guard. “I… don’t know.”
“Yes, you are,” Goose said firmly, sitting up. “You can’t keep running from this. Ice is mad, sure, but he’s not unreasonable. You just have to stop digging the hole long enough to climb out of it.”
“What if he doesn’t want to hear it?” Maverick asked, his voice quieter now. “He left me in the corner, left the room; he never does that.”
“Trust me,” Goose said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Ice always listens. You just need to stop provoking him for five minutes.”
Maverick stared out at the ocean, feeling the tension in his shoulders soften slightly. “I don’t even know what I’d say.”
“Lucky for you, we’ve got some time to figure that out,” Goose said, grinning as he pulled a sand bucket from the car. “Bradley wants to build a castle, and you need to sit here and think about your life choices.”
Bradley tugged at Maverick’s sleeve. “Will you help me, Uncle Mav?”
Maverick sighed but knelt in the sand beside him. “Yeah, kid. Sure.”
Kneeling down next to him, Goose shook his head. “You’re hopeless, but at least you’re entertaining.”
The sun was starting to set, casting a warm glow over the beach. Maverick sat cross-legged in the sand, watching as Bradley put the finishing touches on his lopsided masterpiece. Goose stretched out on the towel, looking as relaxed as ever. God, Maverick envied him.
“All right,” Goose said finally, sitting up and dusting off his hands. “Time’s up, let’s pack up and get you home to face the music.”
Maverick frowned, glancing out at the sea, trying not to let his nerves show. “Maybe I should lay low for a while longer, you know, let Ice really cool off.”
Goose raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, because that will definitely work. You want to sit alone out here until he gets even more pissed?”
Maverick groaned. “I’m not exactly eager to walk right into the firing squad, Goose.”
“Better to go back on your own terms than wait for him to come find you,” Goose said, standing up and brushing the sand off his jeans. “You know he will. You can’t dodge this forever, Mav.”
“Are we going home now, Daddy?” Bradley asked, his voice sleepy. He was leaning against his sandcastle, stuffed bear drooping from his hand.
Goose bent down to scoop him and the bear up. “That’s right, kiddo. Time to pack it in and get you home.” He gave Maverick a pointed look. “You too.”
Maverick sighed, dragging himself to his feet. “Fine, let’s go.”
The drive back was quiet at first. Bradley had fallen asleep almost immediately, his head slumping against the bear tucked under his chin.
Goose glanced at Maverick, a slow grin spreading across his face. “So,” he said, “you’ve been on the lam for what, three hours now? How’s life as a fugitive treating you?”
Maverick shot him a glare. “I’m not a fugitive.”
“Really? Because sneaking out the back door, hiding in the bushes, and calling for a getaway car sure sounds like fugitive behavior to me.”
“I wasn’t hiding,” Maverick muttered, slouching in his seat.
“Oh, no, of course not,” Goose said, grinning wider. “You were just… enjoying the landscaping?”
“Remind me why I called you again?” Maverick asked, shooting him a withering look.
“Because you were desperate,” Goose replied. “And because you knew I’d actually show up.”
Maverick groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m beginning to think this was a mistake. Ice is gonna kill me.”
“He’s not gonna kill you,” Goose said, his tone softening. “He’s mad, sure, but he just wants you to stop being a dumbass and listen to him for five minutes. You know that.”
“Easy for you to say,” Maverick muttered. “You’re not the one who has to deal with him.”
“True,” Goose said, smirking. “But I’m also not the one racking up speeding tickets like I’m trying to qualify for the Indy 500.”
Maverick groaned louder, leaning his head against the window. “Can we not?”
“Fine, fine,” Goose said, shrugging. “I’ll let Ice handle that part. He’ll probably enjoy it.”
Maverick didn’t respond, and he watched as Goose gave him a sidelong glance, his grin fading into something softer.
“Hey,” he said after a moment. “He’s not mad for the sake of it, you know? He just worries. You’re important to him, Mav. You just need to suck it up and show him you get that.”
Maverick sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Yeah. I know.”
“Good,” Goose said, his grin returning. “Because if you try to run again, I’m dropping you off on the nearest street corner and letting him come get you himself.”
“You wouldn’t,” Maverick shot back. “You want me alive too much for that.”
“Just try me,” Goose said. “You might not like what happens to you.”
Maverick looked over at his friend in horror, comforted when he saw a smirk on Goose’s face.
“Thank you,” he said finally, his voice smaller than he’d like.
“I’d say anytime, but that would be bad for both of us,” Goose replied, grinning at him. “But you’re welcome.”
They sat in comfortable silence the rest of the way home, and before he knew it, Goose was pulling into their drive.
When the car stopped, Maverick leaned back and looked plaintively at Goose.
“Maybe I better come home with you—”
“Go on, get it over with,” Goose said.
Groaning, Maverick pushed open the car door and hauled himself out before he could change his mind. Heading into the house, he was surprised to find it calm and still, with little sign of Ice. Wandering through the kitchen and living room, he found them similarly empty. Dread growing in the pit of his stomach, he headed reluctantly down the hall toward Ice’s study.
Before he got halfway, he heard Ice’s voice. “In here, please, Maverick.”
Stomach dropping, he considered turning tail and running for the second time that day, but he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other until he found himself pushing open the door to the study and edging through it.