Runs in the Family

It's too much (9)

"Alright aviators today we are doing doubles training excersises in combat. We are going out in pairs of two, two planes. Let's hop to it," Maverick calls from the classroom, "First up is Phenix and Bob, Hangman and Mustang." 

The people not called for this drill go to the control room to watch them fly. Maverick goes up with them as a mediator and wouldn't fight/be a target. They got up in the air and I could tell Hangman was not going down with out a hard fought battle, he wanted to prove to Maverick he could do it more than anyone else here. Me and Bradly sat together and waited to hear the conformation on the coms system. 
"Ready folks?" Mav asks.
"Ready," Phenix says.
"Born ready," Hangman says with a twinge of cockiness. 

They speed up, Phenix passed Hangman and pulled up trying to get a leg up. Hangman followed fast behind them. 
"Bob, what's going on back there?" Phenix asks.
"He's riding our ass!" 
"Better believe it! Hey Bob I think we need to make Bob stand for something!" Hangman yells.
"Don't take the bait Bob," Phenix warns.
"How about Baby-on-board?" 
I stand up and lunge at the coms at base, Brad grabs my arm and pulls me back down, 
"Fight him when he lands, let them fly Hawke."
"Fucker," I say sharply.
"Yep," Bradly mutters to himself. 

Hangman aims and shoots at Bob and Phenix, they narrowly miss the shot and assend higher.
"That was close," she says.
"Too close," Bob adds.
All of a sudden alarms start blaring in the control room. 
"Bird strike! Maverick bird strike!!" Nat yells.
"Left engine is on fire Phenix!!" Bob yells into the coms. 
"Shutting fuel off to left engine and ascending higher, extinguishing fire."
"Right engine is out!" Bob yells.
"Still spinning restart!" 

I look at Bradly, his hands are in fists under his chin, I am panicking that's my best friend and my boyfriend up there and their plane is spinning out! 
"Bradly," I whisper.
He wraps and arm around me and we both glue our eyes to the coms system in front of us. Hurricane and Jumbo do the same while Hondo is flicking switches and buttons left and right. 
"Your engine is on fire!" Mav yells.
"Strattling up!" Phenix says.
"Oh my god." I had never heard my uncle sound worried in my life but today was a first. 
The plane drops and starts to barrel roll down, Phenix starts to extinguish the other engine but it was no use, their were alarms blaring and lights everywhere, systems were failing. I could hear the panic in Bobs voice as he updated Nat from the back of the F/18. 
"I can't control it!" Phenix says with panic.
"We are going down Phenix!!" Bob yells. 
"Holy shit." That was the first time I had heard Hangman speak in five minutes and he sounded worried. 
"You can't save it! Eject! Eject damn it!" Mav yells.
"Brad..." I say with tears in my eyes, he says nothing just hugs me a little tighter. 
"Eject!" Bob yells.
"Eject!" Phenix adds.

Dead air.

"No!" I stand up, "No," this time nothing but a whimper. 
I look behind me and see Bradly with one single tear fall down his cheek. 
"Lets get you two out of here," Hondo leads me and Brad out of the room and into one of the classrooms in the complex. Bradly sits down I slump against the wall and sob into my hands. He gets up and sticks his hand out to me. I don't even have in me to take it. He scoops me up like he did when we were kids and sits me on the bench beside him. He wraps me in a hug and I cry into his uniform.

I remember as a kid Bradly was the closest thing to a dad I had ever had. This one time I was out playing with my childhood best friend Elle. I was playing on the swings across from our house and I tried to be a bird (laying on my stomach on the swing with my arms out) but my weight made the swing flip and I fell off, breaking my arm. I was about six so Brad was about nine maybe just turned 10. Elle ran back to my house and grabbed him since mom was working. He came to the park where I was laying with a broken arm and crying hysterically, scooped me up and carried me to the hospital which was about four blocks away. He was my father/daughter dance at my high school graduation, my biggest supporter while also being my biggest criticizer at the same time. After all what are big brothers for? When I came out as Asexual to him he just looked at me and said, "checks out," and then bought me a pride flag. He never told me I just needed to meet the right one or that I just didn't know what I liked, he just did what I needed, support me. 

It had been a while and eventually the tears stopped. Me and my brother sat in an anxious silence waiting for word on Bob and Phenix. We hear the door to the classroom click open and closed and Maverick walks in. Bradly lowers his head and then looks up, I stand to face uncle Mav. 
"They're keeping Phenix and Bob in the hospital wing overnight for observation, they are going to be okay," Mav says to us. 

I briskly walk up to him and give him a hug. He awkwardly wraps his arms around me and quickly steps back, Bradly stays seated.

"I have never lost someone like that." Bradly says to the room.
"Lucky, fly long enough and you will, both of you," Mav glances at me. 
"Easy for you to say." Bradly says coldly, "No wife, no kids, nobody to mourn you." 

My eyes dart between both of them, I say nothing. 

Maverick turns to leave, 
"Why did you pull my papers at the academy? And Hawkes? Why did you stand in our way!?" He yells angrily. 
"Bradly." I whisper, my voice cracking slightly.
"You weren't ready. Both of you. You need to trust your instincts, don't think, just do. You think up there you're dead. Believe me." Mav says. 
"Our dad believed in you, we are not going to make the same mistake." 

Maverick looks like he just got punched in the stomach. Bradly stands back:
"Come on Hawke, let's go."

He takes my hand and pulls me to the door,  I look back at Mav, he looks stunned, but then I was out in the hallway.  

Heya! Hope you liked this chapter! 
Lots of love and stay safe <3 :)