killshot (bradley bradshaw)

XIX

7 DAYS UNTIL THE MISSION

Jenna kept herself hidden around the corner as she watched Maverick and Warlock walk down the hallway. They kept their voices low as they headed away from her. She was curious about what was going on with Admiral Kazansky, but she figured she'd hear about it if it was important. Once the hallway was empty, Jenna walked back towards the radio room and slipped through the door. The air was still charged with the tension from the argument she overheard.

Rooster was sitting down with his head in his hands. As Jenna shut the door behind her, he picked his head up and swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, still facing away from her..

"Back for more, Captain Mitchell?" He grunted.

"It's Lieutenant, actually, but I appreciate your confidence in my ability to rise through the ranks," Jenna said, trying to lighten the mood. Rooster turned his head around at the sound of her voice.

"Thank God," he said, standing up and rushing over to her. "Are you okay? You went into g-LOC earlier-"

"Rooster," Jenna said, but he continued talking.

"and we didn't know what was gonna happen to you and-"

"Bradshaw," Jenna tried to interrupt again, but to no avail.

"I kept hearing Maverick's voice on the radio and he sounded so panicked and—"

"Bradley!" she pleaded, and he finally stopped talking. "I'm okay. The medic cleared me. I'm standing right in front of you and I'm perfectly fine!"

"I know, I know I was just—" Rooster cut himself off and pulled Jenna into a hug. She hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in. She'd missed him a lot during the past couple of days, but she wasn't going to let the way he'd treated her go without a conversation.

The two pilots stood wrapped in each others embrace for a few moments, and Jenna felt the stress of the day begin to wash away. She could still feel the tension rolling off of Rooster in waves, so she took a step back and looked up at him.

"We need to talk," She said, moving to sit down.

"Yeah, I think we do," Rooster agreed, following her lead. He sat down on the brown leather couch next to her and Jenna turned her body to face his, tucking her legs underneath her.

"Okay not that I was eavesdropping, because I could hear you two yelling from down the hall, but what on earth is going on with you and Maverick?" Jenna asked. "I've gathered that there's a lot of complicated history between the two of you, but that" she said, referencing the conversation she overheard, "did not sound like it was productive."

"He wouldn't give me a good explanation as to why he pulled my papers," Rooster said. "All he said was that he didn't think that I was ready. How would he even know that?"

"I don't know," Jenna admitted. "Listen, I know you hate him because of what happened with your dad. I think I'd feel the exact same way if I were you. I don't know if you feel like you could ever forgive him and I'm not asking you to; that's something only you can decide. But I can't imagine that Maverick doesn't carry the weight of Goose's death with him every single day, regardless of the fact that he was cleared of any wrongdoing."

"I know," Rooster mumbled.

"I'm not defending him in either situation. But yelling at each other isn't going to get you the answers you want. I do know," Jenna said, "that both of you are going to have to put this aside if this mission is going to have any chance of success."

"Yeah," Rooster let out an exasperated sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "You're right about that."

"I always am," Jenna said with a small smile. "Promise that you'll try? You know he is my dad, right?"

"Yeah I know," Rooster responds. "I don't want to be on his bad side forever. But there are things he's said and done over the years that have hurt me and I need him to realize that. I know yelling won't fix things. I know that. But every time I look at him I see my dad."

"I'm so sorry," Jenna spoke softly, feeling at a loss for words. The two of them sat together quietly, letting the emotions of the conversation diffuse into the air around them.

"I wanted to talk to you about something else," Rooster broke the silence between them.

"Yeah, what's up?" Jenna asked. Before Rooster could open his mouth, Jenna's phone rang. Looking down at it, she saw that Maverick was calling.

"I'm so sorry, give me a second," Jenna said.

"Is that your new friend, Fritz?" Rooster asked, his voice tinted with jealousy. Jenna couldn't believe he was bringing that up at the moment.

"Don't." Jenna reprimanded him, her phone still ringing. "Don't do that. I'm allowed to be friends with other people."

"But-" Rooster started but Jenna cut him off.

"Isn't that what I am to you? Just a friend?" She couldn't help taunting him. "I've gotta take this, it's Maverick." Jenna walked out of the room and answered her phone.

"Hey Mav, what's up? You don't normally call," she said.

"Jenna, it's Iceman. He's passed away," Maverick replied, his voice breaking.

"Oh no, Maverick I'm so sorry," Jenna responded, her heart breaking for her father. Everybody who came through Top Gun knew the history between Maverick and Iceman. You couldn't miss the picture of the two pilots shaking hands after taking down enemy MiGs that sat in the entryway to Iceman's office. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just stay focused on the mission. The funeral is in a couple of days," Maverick explained. "We'll train as much as we can beforehand."

"Alright," Jenna said, unsure of how to comfort him.

"I gotta go, I'll see you tomorrow, kid," Maverick quickly hung up the phone. Jenna shook her head, shocked by the news. Admiral Kazansky had been a force to be reckoned with. Jenna has met him a few times, and had always admired him. She knew what he meant to Maverick and to the Navy. Now, suddenly, he was just gone. She opened the door to the radio room and walked back in. Rooster sprung up from the couch.

"Jenna, I'm sorry I-" Rooster began, but stopped when he saw the crestfallen look on her face. "What's wrong?"

Jenna inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath. "Admiral Kazansky is dead."

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AN: Shorter update but I'm super busy! Thank you for reading! Leave a vote/comment if you liked it!!