ruby

Hunter McVey as Blue Bennings

this man grew up drenched in legacy. from day one it was Goose’s son, not Bradley. his world was flight suits and aviators and sunday barbecues with Ice and Mav and the ‘86 legends like it was completely normal. of course flying was the only path. what else was there?

he grew the mustache when carole got sick not because he liked it, but because she’d smile and say “you look just like your dad”

and then suddenly everyone was saying it. you really are Goose’s boy

so he stared in the mirror and tried to see himself, but all he saw was what he was supposed to be

that’s why when maverick pulled his papers, it HURT

because without the navy, without flying, without that version of himself… who even was he?

so yeah, he makes it to Top Gun. he survives. he says “yeah okay, I did it” like it means something and it SHOULD

until one day Jake—stupid perfect Jake with his dumb green eyes—asks him what his favorite color is

or maybe it’s his favorite movie. or sport. something ridiculous.

and Bradley just blanks full 404 error

because is his favorite sport really golf, or was that just what Ice would drag him to?

is his favorite beer actually that brand, or was it just the one Maverick handed him at fifteen with a wink?

and Jake sees it

he sees him

and from that moment on, he makes it his personal mission to take Bradley to every weird restaurant, every random hobby class, every indie concert and baseball game and cooking course just to show him there’s more

more than legacy. more than ghosts.

that he gets to choose

and one day Bradley tries a raspberry sour beer and lights up

and Jake’s like “that’s it. that’s your beer. we found it”

and for the first time, he’s not being Goose’s son

he’s just Bradley

Jake, flushed, rolls his eyes but it‘s an act. "Yes, big guy. We‘ve established that."

They‘ve been together for three months the first time Bradley does it; they have 'defined the relationship' and they‘re both psyched. It becomes one of their routines. It‘s obnoxious. Jake pretends to hate it. (LOVES it)

Then two years later Bradley does the same thing. Takes Jake‘s hand, places it on his chest. "Feel that?"

Jake grins, takes a sip of beer with his free hand.

"That‘s husband material."

Jake chokes on his beer and all the smoothness Bradley tried to convey flies right out of the window as he thumps Jake‘s back and helps him recover.

i'm specifically thinking of the scene right before ellie goes into his house, where it pans to all the letters and flowers and everything in memoriam of him outside.

and i'm literally sitting here crying because like? they loved him. not just ellie. people in jackson loved him. he protected them.

he had ellie and he had his brother back and he was probably starting to feel okay again, okay enough to help a random girl stranded in the woods and trust her just for it to end like that.

joel deserved better. he deserved to be a grandfather and he deserved to live.

they loved him.

rudy pankow icons.

two tru-

Mb.

wrong stall, bub