Ok so. Any more sloose thoughts? Cuz you got me curious 👀
First, I left some Sloose-adjacent thoughts in this post that I wrote the morning after reblogging that gifset.
Second, lemme jump off of that with a more Sloose-y focus: Thing one, Whether they are hooking up in the Academy or not, I like the idea of them definitely having feelings for each other already at the time.
Thing two, I don't think Goose would be repressed or in denial about it exactly, but I do think he wants to have a family, wants to have a kid, wants to be a dad, and when he meets Carole and falls in love with her, he definitely wants it all with her.
Thing three, Goose and Slider at the beginning of Top Gun seem to me like two guys who haven't talked in a long time, so they probably lost touch after graduation, and I like to imagine that it was partially on purpose from Goose, in an attempt to distance himself from his feelings for Slider so he could really focus on his family.
I think that might be my favorite set up for them, because I do love my ships with a bit of angst and tension, as long as everything ends happy.
Naturally, Slider's kind of hurt about the whole thing come Top Gun, and finding out that Goose is married with a kid absolutely doesn't help, especially when he puts the timeline together. Additionally, he's always gonna back Ice up and him bickering with Mav maybe gives him an opportunity to get some of those feelings out, which in turn hurts Goose because - sure, they haven't talked in years but they used to be friends and he really wasn't expecting that treatment from Slider.
By the time Carole comes to visit, this whole mess is impossible to miss, and she wants to know exactly why it's getting to Goose so much, and he has to admit that he maybe sorta kinda still has feelings for Slider, just a little bit, and for all he knows, Slider really hates him right now.
Naturally, Carole refuses to tolerate anyone hurting her Goosey this much and demands a group hang out, under the guise of meeting Goose's old friends that she's heard so much about. To sell it, and also because this whole mess is kind of their fault too, Ice and Mav are also invited, and Carole's not quite sure how, but she's determined to get Slider and Goose alone at some point and talk it out.
Except, before she can figure it out, she realizes something that Goose has definitely not mentioned - Slider doesn't hate him, Slider's jealous. It's so painfully obvious from the way he looks at her and Goose, at the way they hold each other and kiss each other and play with Bradley too.
She forgives her husband for not seeing it, but also makes sure to get Ice and Mav out of the house first and makes Slider stay behind with some weak excuse about wanting his help with Bradley - though it's not unfounded, because the boy really, really likes the giant man.
She then leaves Slider and Goose alone in the living room while she goes to put Bradley to sleep. And right in the doorway before she leaves, she makes sure to mention that they have her full permission to kiss, but only AFTER they talk it out.
