Rooster Imagines (Top Gun: Maverick)

Somebody to Love

Author: Whynnter

"Look what the cat dragged in!"

I turned around to see who caught Hangman's eye and was surprised to see Rooster walk through the doors of The Hard Deck.

I hadn't seen him in years. It was hard to stay in contact with people when you fell into the 1%, as none of us were ever in one place for too long. Except, the circumstances were different with Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw and I. We grew up together after both of our moms passed away a year apart. My dad raised us both along with some of his buddies, but after Bradley and my dad got into, he moved out and I barely spoke to him since.

I wasn't sure how this interaction was going to go. The last time we had run into each other it didn't go well. We both pretty much spoke our peace, each of us upset with the other for not reaching out after the incident. However, I wasn't going to be the first one to reach out. He had left us, not the other way around.

"Did you know Rooster was going to be a part of this detachment?" My friend Phoenix asked from the other side of the pool table.

I shook my head and leaned over the table, lining my cue up with the white ball. "I'll act civil as long as he does."

"Phoenix." Rooster said, tipping his imaginary hat. He walked up behind me and stopped, "And who might this be?"

I took the shot and the 10 and 12 balls went into the same pocket. I spun around and was amused by the surprised look on his face.

"Fox."

"Rooster."

I glanced over at Phoenix who had a mischievous smile on her face. I placed the cue on the table and turned back to Rooster.

"How've you been, Fox?" he said, leaning against the pool table beside me. "Have you taken up farming since the last time I saw you?" He asked, making fun of the overalls I was wearing.

"You're so funny," I muttered, grabbing my bottle of beer from the counter. He reached out and took it from me before I could take a sip, "Sure, you can have it. I wasn't drinking that."

He chugged the rest of my beer and sat it back down on the counter, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I narrowed in on him and rolled my eyes, "Why on earth would you think I want to talk to you?"

"Listen Fox, I know the last time I saw you it didn't go well. But if we are both going to be here, and most likely flying together, we need to forget the past and move on."

I barely waited until he was finished, "I am not going to let it go."

"It was a stupid fight! I was drunk, it never should have happened-"

I shook my head, "No, that I can get over, I'm over it already. What I won't get over is you leaving all those years ago and forgetting about me. You may have thought you were hurting dad when you left, but the only person you really hurt was me."

He stood there silent for a moment. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, but what he did do was walk away without saying a word.

I scoffed, "Well, that was pointless." I shook my head, frustrated with what just happened. Before I could say another word, the music that was blaring through the bar ceased and the sound of the piano echoed through the bar. I immediately knew what song the person was playing, the memories flooding through my mind.

I spun around to see Rooster sitting on the piano bench, his finger beckoning me over.

I couldn't help but smile as I walked over to the piano, the crowd parting ways to let me through. I hadn't sung in front of strangers in a really long time, the last time I had was probably with Rooster on this exact piano. But when Penny stood there holding the microphone out to me, encouraging me to sing, I knew it was the right time to pick it up again.

I jumped up onto the top of the piano right as Rooster started playing the beginning notes of the song, 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. Our favorite song when we were kids.

"Each morning I get up I die a little, can barely stand on my feet," I belted out, the lyrics coming back to me.

"Take a look at yourself in the mirror, and cry, yeah yeah," Rooster sang along with me.

"Lord, what you're doing to me! I have spent all my years believing you, but I just can't get no relief, Lord! Somebody..."

Rooster echoed, "Somebody."

"Ooh, somebody"

We sang together, "Can anybody find me!"

"Somebody to love," And that is when it all came back to me.

I jumped up on the top of the bar, Rooster cheering me on "I work hard, every day of my life. I work 'til I ache my bones. At the end.."

Rooster sang louder than I'd ever heard him sing, "At the end of the day!"

"I take home my hard-earned pay all on my own. I go down on my knees and I start to pray, 'til the tears run down from my eyes, Lord!"

"Somebody," The crowd joined in.

I sang, "Oh, somebody!"

"Somebody!" Rooster yelled.

"Can anybody find me," I smiled at Phoenix and our friends who stood around the Piano singing too, "Somebody to love, ohhh! I work hard..."

"She works hard!" Rooster pointed at me and I smiled.

"Everyday. And I try and I try and I try," I screamed into the microphone, "But everybody wants to put me down, they say I'm going crazy! They say I got a lot of water in my brain, I got no common sense, she's got nobody left to believe in. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

I winked at Rooster as he tipped his sunglasses and performed the next part for the full engaged crowd, "Got no feel, I got no rhythm,I just keep losing my beat. I'm OK, I'm alright, I ain't gonna face no defeat. I just gotta get out of this prison cell, one day i'm gonna be free, Lord!"

"Come on, we know you all know the lyrics to this song," I said to the crowd and they all started singing.

"Find somebody to love, find me somebody to love, find me somebody to love," The crowd chanted the words.

Our friends joined in, "Somebody!"

"Somebody," I sang back to them.

"Somebody," Rooster yelled in my direction.

I jumped down from the bar and sat beside him, "Can anybody find me," he smiled at me and I smiled back at him. "Somebody to love!"

Everyone in the bar cheered and I stood up and took a bow. I felt Rooster standing up behind me and I turned to face him.

"I'm sorry, Fox. My fight was with your dad. I should have never left like that, left you. I regret it everyday," He said, looking down at me.

I looked down at my hands that I didn't realize were shaking then back up at him, "It's alright, I forgive you."