Chapter Text
“I thought you two were getting along,” Mav asked, as he rolled the sleeves on Ice’s blue button down.
His godson instead of being at the Hard Deck for their mission success celebration was currently sitting on their bed. Mav planned on showing up later, when he knew he was going to be hurting for drinks.
Ice had to rub elbows with the Governor first. By proxy Mav had to suffer through a late lunch as the ‘spouse’ meaning he had to converse with the Governor’s wife who didn’t want to be there either.
Mav didn’t miss the way Bradley’s face pinched in a wince. While it had only been four days since returning from the mission, while they were still on the carrier the tension between Bradley and Hangman had dwindled. They’d been taking meals together with the entire Dagger team. Their banter had turned more lighthearted and teasing than hostile as before.
“Yeah, not exactly,” Bradley admitted rubbing the back of his neck, with a tone that told Mav he wasn’t going to like whatever happened this time.
Hoping that whatever went down between the two wouldn’t put them right back in the same territory they’d been in during training. While he knew that Hangman could be a cocky know it all, he actually really liked the kid. He was a damn good pilot and if he and Bradley would stop fighting and learn how to work together they’d be an unstoppable force.
It was interesting that neither he nor Ice had heard about this ‘Seresin’ kid until three weeks ago with the way Bradley and the two butted heads. There was certainly bad blood there. He’d asked Goose if he knew Seresin, hoping that maybe his son had talked to him about it at some point but all he’d gotten was a ‘never heard of him’.
Mav waved his hand for him to elaborate. Maybe he could lend advice to fix this before it got worse. Or worst case scenario he’d knock their heads together himself. If he wanted his plans to work for a permanent Dagger Squadron he needed his two best pilots acting like Naval Aviators instead of toddlers.
“It’s nothing, in a few days he heads back to Lemoore so I don’t even need to worry about it,” Bradley explained, not wanting to lend him any information.
Mav paused, meeting Ice’s clear blue eyes, he wasn’t supposed to say anything about what was in the works until it was completed. Ice sighed tilting his head toward their godson who’d they’d helped raise along with Goose after Carol passed away when Bradley was 6. Goose had been spiraling so badly that Bradley had lived with them for nearly a year. Even then the boy spent a chunk of his childhood with them.
“You didn’t hear this as it’s still in the works, but Dagger Squad is being made permanent, stationed on North Island,” Mav said, watching as Bradley’s face went through seven different emotions before the man let out a loud groan falling back onto the bed. “That’s definitely not the reaction I was hoping for.”
Bradley puffed out a sigh “That’s not.. No. Look I want the Dagger Squad to stay together, we are all friends and it would be great to stay together. But Seresin and I? We can’t work together. What happened— Just know it isn’t going to work itself out.”
There was no missing the hurt that was on Bradley’s face. What the hell had happened? Ice, the overprotective Uncle and not liking the hurt in Bradley’s tone, asked sternly “What happened, Bradley?”
Mav knew there was no protecting Seresin from Ice when he was in protective Uncle mode. Nor would he want to, while Mav liked the kid, he’d chose his godson everyday of the week. He’d helped raise the boy, at the end of the day, Bradley wasn’t just Goose’s son, he was Ice and Mav’s as well.
Bradley's eyes shifted around the room, trying to figure out what to say or not say. But When Ice got that demanding tone in his voice, answers would be had. It was why the man was the youngest COMPACFLT to date.
“Promise not to demote him or send him to a remote carrier to be pushed off or anything crazy,” Bradley said, though his words said ‘don’t’ his tone said he’d like to do it himself.
Well shit. If Bradley was asking for Seresin not to be punished then it was bad. What the hell could the man have possibly done? While Seresin tended to be a cocksure pilot with a mouth, he’d never seen the man be outright cruel.
Ice only grunted, which definitely wasn’t a ‘I won’t’ but more of a ‘let me hear it and I’ll decide for myself’.
“We’ve been hooking up since we met. No commitments or anything, we’d just see each other and get together. But two years ago, we were together in Italy, something changed, we were stationed there for three months. Instead of just a quick hook up, we started going out together, doing activities. Essentially dating or so I thought,” Bradley replied irritation lacing his words “but according to him we weren't together just ‘having fun’. After that our interactions turned hostile. But apparently I’m still an idiot because as always I fell into the great orbit of one Jake Seresin. I’d be lying if I said our hookups had been just that for me. But emotions were high on the carrier after the mission and we hooked up. I am so stupid, I thought maybe this was it, you know? We could finally be together that ‘just fun Jake’ was ready for commitment. We were together for the two days on the carrier and I went to his house yesterday. I made the mistake of calling him my boyfriend, he just stared at me in silence and I….”
Mav felt his throat tighten as he watched pure anger and hurt lace Bradley’s face. Bradley pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes “I am so stupid. Once again I’ve been played by Jake fucking Seresin.”
“Tell me the rest.” Ice’s voice could cut glass.
There was no mistaking that danger in it. If Mav wasn’t so angry himself he’d been texting Hangman informing him to get out of town. But currently he wanted to teach the man a lesson about messing with his kid.
“Nothing really. I was pissed; I told him we were either together or we were nothing. He got mad wanting to know why I had to put labels on it? It got heated, I asked if he was just using me for sex? You know what the asshole said? ‘It’s good sex’. I nearly punched him in the face. I walked out after that.”
Mav felt like he’d just taken a rollercoaster ride with several loops. He hadn’t even known or considered that Hangman and Bradley had a thing going on. He didn’t have time to process his thoughts as he watched Ice pull out his phone.
Bradley and Mav both watched in stunned silence as Ice canceled the meeting with Governor Rayes, informing him that he needed to reschedule due to family concerns. Once Ice hung up those icy blue eyes landed on them.
“Let’s go, I want to meet this Seresin prick,” Ice grunted, waiting on them expectantly.
Bradley fumbled for a second before replying “Uncle Ice, please, don’t make a big deal out of this. It was my fault-”
“This is not your fault, he used you Bradley,” Mav interrupted, he wouldn’t stand for Bradley blaming himself for something that was nowhere near his fault.
“It was just sex, I should have known that. And he saved our lives, remember? Jake might not be a great guy when it comes to relationships, but he’s a damn good pilot. I don’t want to ruin that for him,” Bradley replied, still unable to keep from defending Hangman despite what he’d done.
Ice’s jaw ground down and Mav could have sworn he heard his teeth grinding, “I won’t do anything. But I will be meeting this little prick. Your Dad will be at the award ceremony tomorrow?”
Mav could see the conflict warring on Bradley’s face but finally he conceded “Yes, he’s flying in early in the morning to be here… What does that have to do with anything?”
Goose was the Vice Commander of the Atlantic Fleet and had spent the last few years stationed in Virginia. But Goose wouldn’t miss Bradley being pinned with an award for anything if he could help it.
“Good. I want this little shit to know exactly who is in your corner, so he doesn’t get any ideas about trying to come on to you again,” Ice replied, already texting someone as he headed for the door.
Mav had a pretty good idea that it was the Flyboys, Bradley’s other uncles, Ice was texting. He placed a hand on Bradley’s back for support. “I’m sorry, Bradley, in the least, we’ll get him transferred.”
“Don’t. Jake deserves to be on the Dagger squad and it would look suspicious to make an elite squadron without the only pilot of our generation to have two ACKs. I won’t use nepotism against him.
Don’t let Dad or Ice do anything, let me handle it okay?”
“I’ll do my best. But Hangman better keep one eye open. No one hurts you Bradley.”