Only The Good Die Young (Top Gun fanfic)

Friends in Low Places

***

At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart, but not in your life.
Unknown

***

Michael Seresin was born on a hot August day.

He died on one twenty-four years later, under a clear blue sky, the heat of the asphalt burning through his clothes until he'd lost so much blood even that couldn't keep him warm.

Two days from his birthday.

Three weeks from his wedding.

It took his family five hours to find out what happened and six days to receive his body for burial.

They buried his fiance seven days later.

Mary Seresin's second son died on a lonely stretch of Texas highway, alone.

The man who shot him, a lead foot on his third strike, ended up killing himself a month later, driving drunk on the wrong side of the highway.

They'd gone to school together, kindergarten through senior year.

Been something like friends for a bit in the middle there, until they just grew into different people the way most did.

Odd how things worked out.

****

There's something holy in a Texas sunset.

And sunrise.

But it's sunset now, and it occurs to Javy that he's had a lot more important sunsets than sunrises.

Always more work in the morning his mother says. Sunrises are for fresh starts and sunsets are for relaxing and Javy may be in his thirties but he still listens to his mama.

Bradley follows him without question.

The idiot.

Seriously.

Jake's probably close to a genius, even though Javy will never be able to convince the man himself of that, and this is who he chose.

Bradley's a glutton for suffering Javy's figured out. Has convinced himself that if it doesn't hurt it's not real or worth the effort.

The man's a fool. So stuck in the past that he can't see the way forward.

He might be getting better, but that could just be Javy's optimism. There's not enough evidence yet.

But Jake's serious. So Javy's going to take it seriously.

Which means Bradley needs an introduction to where he comes from and why he'll crush him before he lets him hurt Jake when he's got so little time left.The walk out to the pasture is relatively short. Twenty minutes.

Juan Cole was heavy and none of them wanted to waste too much energy on him.

The pastures still so flat and compact that nothing grows there. They use it as a branding area now.

Bradley's clearly trying to figure out what the fucks going on.

Patient.

Stuck on that perch.

When's he gonna learn that's what gets him hurt?

"Nice field?"

"It's a pasture Bradshaw."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes."

"Are you fucking with me?"