robbiedj

Growing old is such a strange concept for them. None of their parents got old enough to be old at all: Mav's dad died he was shy in his forties and his mom not even in thirty-six, Ice's mom was twenty nine and his dad shoot himself at forty six. But they got to be in their forties and then in their fifties. A son, then none and then twelve of them. Slider's kids, of whom Ice was the godparent, and their birthdays and ballets and recitals and graduation parties and weddings. Too many of Ice's promotions and not enough of Maverick's.

(Pete used to joke he was going to die before his fiftieth birthday and when it come around Tom rented Penny's entire bar for the night and end up dancing and kissing with all his friends around them. The cake was horrible and the DJ even more nostalgic then them. Everyone had a great night.)

Tom's cancer (ah, we were relativitly close to grow old together love, 'm sorry) and Pete's God complex (do you think they'll give you a fidelity card? Once you reach ten visit a month at the hospital they'll offer us a free coffee?), Wolfman and Hollywood making Admirals and missing their own promotion party because they forgot to set the alarm, Bradley's fifteenth birthday and Bradley's fortieth, the shovel talk they give to Jake and their emerald anniversary. Falling in love behind closed doors, being the secret you hold against your chest and marrying in a spring day under the tree they used to plot revenge against every new class that came up at Top Gun. Blonde hair dryer swapped with black and then none at all because you look distinguish with all that salt and pepper Pete. The stack of letters they used to send one another when they were deployed that became e-mails, text messages and video calls. Soft hands and stupid back pain because they should think to invest in ergonomic sits for the new F-A, I'll make sure to pass the recommendation. The year that marked that Goose was gone as many years as he was alive. Their first apartment in only Ice's name that years later become a house with a single surnamen on it (Mitchell-Kazansky).

the people have chosen…. and they have chosen death icemav

thanks for participating in the poll! according to the other votes, my next drawings will be; MORE catdad mav, old man mav doing old man things and some kiddo rooster / mav wholesomeness (though the above kinda infers this).

But what about the other flyboys?

Slider is in denial because 'it can't be happening again, please, I can't go through that again'.

Wolfman and Hollywood would have already started a new betting pool if Ice&Mav hadn't costed them so much money by being the most oblivious assholes on planet earth and taken years to get their heads out of their asses.

Chipper and Sundown are very dutifully ignoring it because if they don't see it, it doesn't exist and that, my friends, is how you preserve your peace of mind and sanity.

Rooster and Hangman are very unaware of how much they traumatized these old men until Rooster brings Hangman to Ice and Mav's house to introduce him during the annual '86 flyboys get-together and Slider comes up to them and says to Rooster: "Fifteen years, Baby Goose. Fifteen. Years. You are so much worse than the other two and I had front rows when that happened."

Ice: "Mav whose on the phone?"

Maverick: "Oh its just the President"

Ice: *Falls out of chair and attempts to snatch said phone away* "Mav dont-"

KENDRICK LAMAR

Santa (looks at Icemav): Have you young men ever used any bad words like “Bah” or “Humbug”?

Bradley (gesturing to Ice): He’s used “for fuck sake”!

Part 1 Masterlist

The big photo albums that Goose kept all of his pictures in, took up the majority of the bookcases in the Bradshaw's study, lining at least the two bottom rows. Goose on Film Volumes 1 - infinity for all Ice cared. He never really bothered to count them, cause whenever he had tried to, Goose had produced another one, adding it to the shelf after making a whole show out of it. Goose would get out the projector and made all of them sit in his living room while telling them a story about each and every one of the photos he's taken for this album.

Ice would be lying to himself and everyone he knew if he didn't admit that he at least enjoyed those evenings just a little bit. In fact he loved them, together with everyone he cares about, Mav by his side laughing and smiling.

Today was another evening like that, celebrating Goose on Film volume 30-something. Mav's last mission, him and Bradley smiling and laughing as they had made it out alive, BBQ at their place last summer and much more.

Ice stared at the cork board with a faint smile, looking at the things Goose and Carole had deemed as important enough to hang up on there. Two post-it notes, one with an airplane Goose had tried to draw that came out looking more like a fish, the two photos he had to steal back from Mav and Slider's wife, a negative to a picture of him and Mav from the 90s and of course their entire pride and joy, a picture little Brad Brad had drawn them. Not being able to draw planes seems to run in the family.

Ice smiled like he only did in private, looking at all the memories the Bradshaws had kept over the years, their entire house a testament to a life full of memories worthy of being stored out in the open.

Goose on Film Vol. 5, open on the floor, first page showing Mavericks sloppy all caps handwriting in a pen that had already seen its best days by the time Goose made his husband write the title with it. The photo to the negative that was on the cork board, gleamed at him in mint condition, like it had never been touched or seen the light of day. Maverick never seemed to look at the camera when he was so most of the photos they have together are of either him or Mav looking at anything other than the camera pointing at them. Nothings changed there.

Sometimes Ice doesn't know which exit ramp on which highway he took to end up here, but he won't question it.

"Ice come back! Carole's getting the ice cream!"

His smile grew, bidding the albums and the cork board a last goodbye. "Until next time", Ice whispered and turned back around to his family.

o7 <- person saluting

ol <- person raising hand

o1 <- person scratching head