The Best of the Best | Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Part 3

Third Person POV

Rooster is doing his push-ups back at base.

"Alright, that's enough." Hondo said but Rooster ignored it and continued going. "Rooster, that's enough, man." But he kept going, so Hondo gave up and walked away.

Once Rooster did his last one, his arms gave out then he turned and sat up while leaning on his knees.

"Breaking the hard deck. Insubordination. Are you trying to get kicked out, Rooster?" Smile yelled at him.

"Don't worry about it." He said. She squats down in front of him.

"Tell me, what's up? Why'd you pull a stunt like that, Bradley?" She asked calmly.

"He pulled my papers."

"Who did that?"

"Maverick. He pulled my application in the Naval Academy. Set me back four years."

"Do you know why he did it?"

"Who knows."

"I know that I can't fix things between the two of you but I'm gonna need you to straighten up for your team."

"I can try."

"Okay, thank you for telling me, Rooster." She then stood up and patted him on his head and ruffled his hair a bit before walking off.

Rooster's POV

I watched her walk away after our talk, but for some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off her. I then place my hand on my head as I begin to blush.

'I never notice how beautiful she is.' I thought. 'Wait, what am I thinking!? That's my Captain. But, she was hot when she yelled at us with her serious voice. And the way she flies is incredible and perfect.'

I sigh dreamily while thinking about Y/n.

Y/n's POV

As I walk into Simpson's office, he's yelling at Mitchell while Bates sits off to the side.

"The hard deck is 5,000 feet above ground level. A perimeter set, not just for the safety of our pilots but for the safety of their aircraft. 5,000 feet is not just a rule, it is a law, as immutable as gravity!" Simpson said as I walked over and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"The hard deck will be much lower for the mission, sir." Mitchell mentioned.

"And it will not change without my approval, especially not in the middle of an exercise and that cobra manoeuvre of yours. That could have got all four you killed. I never want to see that shit again."

"What exactly do you suppose you were teaching, Captain." Bates asked.

"That as good as they are, sir, they still have something to learn."

"You are talking about the best fighter pilots on the planet, besides Smile, Captain." Simpson mentioned.

"And they've been told that their entire career while they've been dropping bombs from a high altitude with little to no dog fighting. The parameters of this mission call for something they haven't encountered."

"Okay, you have less than three weeks to teach them how to fight as a team and how to strike the target."

"And how to come home." I finally spoke up and took them by surprise. Then there was a moment of silence.

"Every mission has its risks. These pilots accept that."

"We don't, sir." I said while standing up from my seat.