Runs in the Family

The Bar. (1)

I pull my arm back and the satisfying sound of contact follows me hitting the pool ball, followed by the even more satisfying sound of the ball going into the pocket. 
"Bingo," I smile.
"Nice shot, sis," Bradly smiles.
"She hasn't lost a game yet," Bob says from his barstool in the corner.
I smile, "Not a chance Bobby!"
He glares at me, because he hates being called that. Bradly adjusted his sunglasses and cocks his arm back, hitting the ball hard, he missed the shot. 
"Shit." 
"Ha!" I yell.
Bob pulls the dry erase marker from his pocket and adds another tick on the white board, "Six for Hawke, zero for Rooster and Phenix."
"We are getting destroyed!" Phenix yells. 
"How is it I am playing against two people and still winning, actually kicking ass." 
"Shut up," Bradly states with distaste.

We continue to chat and start another game when the familiar chimes of the bar door opening  rang through the hall. People cheered in greetings as always and we could see a blonde head through the crowd. He comes over to us, I pull my arm back and hit the pool ball in a perfect shot to the corner basket. 
"Who's the 10, Bradshaw?" 
Bradly ignores the comment, "Hangman," he says flatly. 
"Seriously," he comes over to me, "Jake Seresin, but everyone calls me -"
"Hangman," I say flatly.
"Why yes." 
Phenix snickers.
"Your reputation precedes you," I come a little closer to him.
"Oh really?"
"Don't flatter yourself, it's not in a good way. You hang everyone out to dry, only care about your career even in the expense of your teammates, you think you are hot shit when really everyone thinks you're an asshole." 
I thought Phenix was going to pee her pants, "You met your match Bagman." 
"Hangman! And who the hell are you?" he asks me in a sharp tone.
I step closer to him and stick my hand out, "Hawke." 
"Full name?" he asks in a sarcastic tone of 'you're stupid'.
"Hailey "Hawke" Bradshaw." 
His jaw drops, "Bradshaw," he crokes.
Bradly comes up behind him, "Meet my little sister, Jake, Lt. Hailey "Hawke" Bradshaw."
"She was in my year at Top Gun," Phenix added. 
Hangman swallows hard and shakes my hand, "Nice to meet you." 
I laugh, "You look like you've seen a ghost." 
Hangman looks up at Bradly and walks towards Phenix, he slumps against the wall and I hear him say to her, "I just hit on Rooster Bradshaws sister." 

Bradly goes over to the piano by the bar and sits down, I follow behind him. 
"Come on Bradly sing with the family!" I yell at him.
He pushes his sunglasses up and hits a chord on the piano 
"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain," he sings
"Too much love drives a man insane," I sing back
"You broke my will, oh what a thrill!" We sing together.
The whole room erupts, "Goodness gracious great balls of fire!"

By the end of the song Bradlys sunglasses were on the very tip of his nose all of us were cheering:
"ROOSTER ROOSTER!" 
He smiles that shy Bradly smile and stands from the piano, he drapes his arm around my shoulder and both of us yell, for good measure, 
"Great balls of fire!" 
The room erupts in cheers once more and Phenix comes over to me, clapping a hand on my other shoulder, "See you tomorrow Hawke." 
I smile, "Love ya!" 
And with that me and Bradly walk out of the bar. 

~|~|~

Bradly was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, I was laying on my bed with my book. 
"Have you talked to Uncle Mav?" I ask.
"Why should I?" he retorts with a mouth full of toothpaste.
"Cuz we are going back to Top Gun?" 
"Why do you care so much about Maverick anyways?" he emerges from the bathroom. 
"He's the closest thing to dad we have. He spent more time with him than mom did, I just want to know more about dad. Thats all, I was stupid for bringing it up." 

My dad, Nick Bradshaw or better known as Goose was Pete "Maverick" Mitchells co pilot in the 80s. During a training accident gone wrong my dad's chair ejected from his plane at an odd time and he hit his head on the canope of his plane, he died instantly. My mom found out she was pregnant with me two weeks after he had passed. Thats why my full name is Hailey Nicole Bradshaw, Nichole being the feminized version Nick. Uncle Mav tried to make it so both me and Bradly couldn't become pilots, but it didn't end up working, and both of us went to Top Gun, that always makes me laugh. Bradly never forgave Mav for what he did, I on the other hand did, mainly because I never met dad. 
Bradly spits out his toothpaste and comes and sits on the end of my bed, "You're not stupid, I get why you want to know more about dad, but ask Iceman then not Maverick. Dad was a brave man who loved his family, and he loved to fly, and if he could be here to see us grow up he would. Come 'ere kid."
I shuffled to the end of my bed and he gave me a big hug, "Come on kid, we got a big day tomorrow."