sunshine [bradley bradshaw x OC]

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the next two weeks go by smoothly and pretty soon its our last week at top gun. i can already tell that hangman is going to finish first, so ive been trying to manage expectations and finish second. i know it wouldnt be my fathers ideal, but at least im not going to have first place stuck on me for the rest of my career.

florence and i have decided that were going to stay in our home in mirimar, seeing as our squadron isnt locacted too far away from here. so while all the other pilots have been slowly packing up their home, flore and i have been resting peacefully on our couch.

weve coninued our sunday dinners and sometimes the little get togethers floodded into the weekdays as well. i think everyone enjoyed feeling like a family for a few weeks. a lot of us didnt have families to go home to after we graduated so i think it felt nice to be a part of one for a little while. even though i have a family, which i love, im not super close with my dad. he and i used to get along great until i became a teenager and got really reckless. i started staying out all night drinking. we had a really big fight the night before i went to the naval academy and we havent really had the chance to talk since.

rooster and i have been getting along well. he hasnt been a terrible pilot and i havent treated him badly for it, so the relationship has been prospering. then again, we havent been forced to fly together since the first week, so it hasnt really been an issue. except for today.

"rooster, storm, sunshine, and hangman, you four are up in the air today. your assignment is to shoot down every other plane before they shoot you down. do not go below the hard deck of five thousand feet. dismissed." theres a loud clatter of chairs and people as everyone gets out of their seats to either go to the tarmac or to the radio room. i walk with florence to our planes which are always side by side.

"bet you twenty dollars ill shoot you down first," i smirk at her. i always thought she would make a better back seater than a pilot, but shes stubborn and wont listen to me when i voice that observation.

"youre so mean," she laughs, putting her helmet on and getting into her plane. i do the same, flipping her off.

once were in the air, i stay back a little bit, wanting to take them by surprise. they are all casually flighting straight, waiting for our timer to begin. as soon as it does i blast forward, causing rooster and hangman to pull up.

"where the hell did she come from?" i hear bradshaw over the coms, hangamn voicing his agreement as well. i laugh at both of them as i continue forward. i can see rooster begin to chase me and hangman follows storm to my left.

i maneuver left and right, leading rooster to nowhere when i hear that hangman shot down storm over our coms. i slow down a little to allow rooster to catch up and then i slam on the brake, pulling up hard at the same time. as soon as rooster is past me, i speed up again, now tailing him. i quickly get missile lock on him and then its just me and hangman in the game.

"i think i can tolerate your flying as long as i get to shoot you down rooster." i can hear him scoff over the radio and i smile.

"yeah yeah whatever, storm where are you?"

"im heading back to base, did sunshine get you?"

"oooh bradhsaw, letting a woman shoot you down? thats brave." hangman chimes in with his daily dose of misogyny.

"that same woman will kick your ass if you come and find me, hangman."

"on my way, sunshine."

i fly toward base a little ways, keeping bradshaw in my sights when i finally spot hangman on my three o'clock low. i drop down and we are both heading straight for each other. and thats when i hear the familiar sound of missile lock, although i cant tell if i got it on him, or if he has it on me. getting lost in my confusion, i almost forget that hangman and i are about to collide. he pulls up just in time for us to not hit each other but in doing so, i fly right through his jet wash.

"shit! jet wash!" i shout, seeing my right engine go out. "right engine is out. shutting off both engines now." i turn off my engines, turning them back on almost immediately. the right one doesnt turn back on and the left sputters for a second and then goes out.

"shit! mayday, mayday, sunshine is in a flat spin!" i hear hangman call over to the tower. "eject! eject! eject!"

i repeat him and pull the handles under my seat, launching out of my aircraft and into the air, my parachute opening. i watch as my plane crashes into the ground, causing an explosion as i slowly descend.

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