Emerson Blackwood and Skye Kazansky had dreamed of becoming pilots for as long as they could remember.
Through an extensive amount of training at the Naval Academy and flight school, the two best friends had easily become some of the best Naval Avia...
"So, Rooster, mind if I ask you a personal question?" Jake's smooth, arrogant voice echoed over the coms.
Pete had been running dogfight maneuvers for almost the entirety of the day - with him having 'taken down' the graduates as each round had continued on.
He wanted to see how they would do in a team of three - Emerson, Skye and Bradley being teamed up with none other than Jake 'Hangman' Seresin.
"Would it matter if I did?" Bradley retorted with a brief glance over at the cocky pilot.
"So, what's the story with you and Maverick?" Jake quizzed, a smirk evident in his tone. "Seems like he's got you a little rattled."
"That's none of your business." Emerson responded, her words laced with venom as her brown gaze flittered around the sky. "Can we just focus? Where the hell is this guy?"
"Been here the whole time." Pete replied and twisted his aircraft around, becoming inverted over between Emerson's and Bradley's plane.
"Holy shit." Jake mumbled as he watched the maneuver, glancing between the two pilots and their instructor.
"Do you see me now?" Pete quizzed.
Emerson scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "Clearly."
"Come on, let's get it over with." The Captain stated, more so to Bradley, who was seething in his cockpit.
"Fight's on!" The tall pilot replied and in a matter of seconds, both him and his godfather had spiralled downwards towards the ground.
"Rooster!" Emerson exclaimed and released a heavy sigh as she tilted her plane slightly, her gaze trained intently on the two spiraling F18s.
"What is with these two?" Jake quizzed, him too tilting his plane slightly to watch the scene taking place between the two pilots.
"Get a life, Seresin." Skye bit back with a roll of her eyes.
"Well, you got us here." Pete stated. "How are you gonna get yourself out?"
"You can quit whenever you want!" Bradley responded through what sounded like gritted teeth but then again it could have also been from all the weight beginning to settle on his chest.
"How long do you want to continue with this, Rooster?" The Captain questioned, his own words struggling to escape.
"I can go as long as you, sir, and that's saying something!" The tall, stubborn pilot answered with a grunt.
"Outstanding, really." Emerson commented with sarcasm laced in her tone. "Now can the both of you grow the hell up and end this already?"
"The past is past for all of us." Pete said.
"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" Bradley retorted, the two continuing to stare at each other as they spiralled toward the ground.
"Your strategy is about to run you both into the ground!" The brunette pilot gritted out in frustration as she overheard the warning echo from their cockpits.
All of a sudden, both F18s had jerked up with Pete flying ahead of Bradley.
"Come on, Brad.." The brunette whispered softly as she watch the two pilots below her.
"Come on, Rooster, you've got him!" Jake stated. "Drop down and take the shot!"
"It's too low!" Bradley responded.
"Too late. You had your chance." Pete replied and hit the brakes, pulling his F18 up in the Cobra Maneuver and got behind his godson - ultimately getting him in missile-lock.
Emerson released a frustrated sigh as this was another fail for them that day.
"Damn it!" Bradley exclaimed.
"Same old Rooster." Jake commented with a shake of his head.
"Go see Hondo about your push-ups." Pete instructed.
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"Okay, that's enough." Hondo said with a soft sigh as he watched his friend's godson push himself. "Rooster, that's enough, man."
Emerson approached the two, her brown gaze filled with concern as she stared at her best friend - his brows knit together with sweat covering his face as spit fell from his mouth as he released a soft grunt.
The brunette tore her gaze away from him and met Hondo's gaze - the man giving her a sympathetic smile before he had left the pair to themselves.
"Are you finally going to tell me what's wrong?" She asked as she crouched down in front of him as he sat down on the ground. "Breaking the hard deck? Insubordination? Are you trying to get kicked out?"
"Don't worry about it." Bradley replied, not meeting her concerned gaze as he wrapped his arms around his knees.
"Bradley.." Emerson sighed softly and shuffled closer towards him and placed her hand on his. "You've got to talk to me. You could have gotten yourself killed.."
The tall pilot remained silent.
"I'm going on this mission." The brunette continued as she moved to sit down in front of him on the tarmac, crossing her legs. "But if you get kicked out, you'll leave us flying with Hangman. Talk to me, what happened up there?"
"He pulled my papers."
Emerson was silent for a moment, her chest rising and falling. "What?" She breathed.
"Maverick." Bradley clarified. "He pulled my application from the Naval Academy. Set me back four years."
The brunette closed her eyes briefly, pursing her lips in frustration. As if her father hadn't already done enough.
Opening her eyes, she placed her hand in her lap which forced Bradley to meet her brown gaze.
"I get it. You're frustrated, and you have every right to be." She said and squeezed his hand gently. "But right now, we have to keep our focus on the task at hand. This is our biggest mission yet, they need you. I need you."
Bradley stared into her brown eyes, finding himself getting lost as she did in his.
"I'll do better." He whispered.
A soft smile graced the brunette's lips and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug - his arms wrapping around her waist tightly.
"I know you will." She whispered into his ear and kissed his cheek. "And I love you, Brad, but you smell worse than the men's locker room right now."
Bradley chuckled into her neck which sent chills down her spine before they pulled away from the hug.
"Right." He responded with a teasing smirk. "Like you're any better."
Emerson narrowed her eyes at him in a playful glare as she tried not to smile. "Shut up, Bradshaw."
