Chapter Text
“Hello, sir. What can I get for you?”
Maverick stared at the board in front of him, neat chalk writing out more easy-to-cook meals than he could think of off the top of his head, all written out under JAX USO, in bold red, white, and blue letters. At the counter in front of him, a young woman watched him patiently, a polite smile on her face as his eyes jumped between her and the expansive menu behind her.
“Maybe a sandwich?” He managed at last, weakly returning her smile. He found the section on the menu with the sandwich options and lunged at the first one that stuck out to him. “A BLT, please.”
“You got it.” The woman sent him another smile, and Maverick had to withstand the urge to pull out his wallet, knowing the only money anyone in this place would take from him would come in the form of tips, and he’d already put the last of his cash into the tip jar near the coffee machine. “Oh,” the woman caught his attention again, just as he’d dropped his eyes to take in the cases upon cases upon cases of Girl Scout cookies stacked underneath the counter. “We also have a couple jars of dog treats on the shelves over there, and some dog food under the counter. Feel free to help yourself.” She pointed to a spot on the counter, just above where the rows of Girl Scout cookies ended. Beside the cookies was a large green bin, cut-outs of a dog food bag taped to the lid showing the brand and the ingredients. On the shelves nearby sat a few jars of dog biscuits, some of them looked to even be homemade.
“Oh.” Maverick glanced down at the leash in his hands, and the German Shepherd hugged close to his side. He hadn’t realized the woman could even see her from behind the counter she was standing at. “Thank you.”
The woman turned away, already setting to making his sandwich, and Maverick looked down at the dog beside him, his brows lifted in question. The dog stared back, deep brown eyes watching him intently, just as she’d been doing for the past three weeks.
He and the dog, Tess, had met three weeks ago, paired together after Maverick had applied for a service animal from a program dedicated to helping veterans. The mission with the Daggers had been his last, and no more flying for the US military meant Maverick could finally take an honest look at his own issues, something Ice had been waiting for him to do for years. His issues, as both of them had understood for many years, were nearly debilitating PTSD, anxiety, and survivor’s guilt, an emotional cocktail that had only gotten worse after he’d returned from the mission. He’d spent two weeks at home wracked with anxious episodes and panic attacks before Ice had set his laptop in front of him, the home page to an organization that trained service dogs for veterans displayed on the screen. Medication had been an option, but Maverick had seen its side effects on fellow veterans in the past and had decided Ice’s suggestion wasn’t a bad idea.
His application had been processed in record time, he’d taken a plane to Florida and spent three weeks training with his new dog, and now they were on their way back to California together.
“Well,” Maverick eyed the dog beside him, glancing towards the jar of treats. “I guess you’d never say no to a treat, would you?”
Her ears perked at the familiar word, and he felt himself smile. He dropped a quick scratch behind her ears.
“Alright, we’ll eat together, how about that?”
He’d already fed her breakfast a few hours ago, before they’d left the training facility for the airport, and he had a bag of kibble on his belt he’d regularly draw from to reward her for a job well done, but Maverick knew himself fairly well. He spoiled his kids, adopted or not—the Daggers had already had three movie nights at his house in the time that they’d been on leave since the mission—and he’d spoil his dog, too. He didn’t reach for the treat jar, as he knew the instant he opened it, he’d have a drooling German Shepherd on his hands, but he’d said the t-word, so the clock was ticking.
The woman placed his sandwich on the counter a few moments later and he thanked her, taking the paper plate and the napkin she set with it. He snagged a bone from the treat jar, Tess now incredibly interested in his proceedings, though she hid it well enough because she was technically still working. The USO was mostly empty, service members scattered here or there, but none paying him any particular mind besides a quick double-take at the sight of Tess. He led them over to a set of recliners, picking one in the corner and setting his plate down on an end table. Tess sat and he knelt down in front of her, his movements still slightly stiff and achy, lingering effects of the mission even after over a month had passed.
“Alright, girl,” he breathed, reaching down to unclip her gentle leader and vest. “I’ve got a feeling you’re going to be working hard today, so try to take it easy for now.” He slipped the gentle leader off her snout, moving her leash to her collar and taking her vest off, over her head. He set them both down beside the recliner, giving her a scratch for good measure.
He picked up the treat he’d left on the table beside his sandwich, holding it in one hand, using his other hand to touch his thumb to the tips of his fingers and tap them to his mouth. Ice’s cancer might’ve taken away his voice, but Maverick wasn’t about to let that keep him from interacting with his dog. He repeated the sign twice before he gave her the treat, then settled into the recliner to eat his sandwich.
As he’d expected, the treat was gone before he could even sit down, and he felt himself grin, a fondness he’d become familiar with in the past three weeks welling in his chest. He’d had a dog only once before, when Bradley had begged for one while he’d been in middle school. Carol had begun her battle with cancer and Maverick and Ice had managed to make themselves stable enough to be around, so they’d brought him to a shelter after school one day and picked out a rescue dog. The dog had died a few months before Carol had, and Maverick’s heart had just about shattered at the losses that had heaped upon his adopted son so close together. Between his deployments and frequent travel, another pet hadn’t been in the cards for them until Ice’s cancer treatment. A local shelter had brought its animals to the hospital to visit the patients while Ice had been staying there, and the next thing Maverick knew, they were adopting a cat. Having Tess with him now, Maverick could already feel himself getting intensely attached to her. He’d trained with the dog for three weeks and he was already looking for her at any moment she wasn’t at his side, her presence instantly making him happier, nevermind the work she did to soothe his PTSD.
He fished a Nylabone out of his bag, setting it in front of Tess who dropped it between her paws and eagerly got to work chewing. On the way to the airport he’d bought a supposedly indestructible stuffed dog toy which he imagined she’d destroy before they even got off the plane, but he was saving that for later. Tess was quiet while he ate, and her bone was digging into his foot by the time he finished with his sandwich, seemingly content to use his shoe to hold it in place while she gnawed on it.
Something he’d first thought to be part of her training, Maverick had realized about a week and a half into their training together that Tess was the most physically affectionate dog he’d ever met. Parts of it, she’d been trained to do, to lay her head and paws on his lap when he felt anxious, to pester him until he sat on the floor when panic would overwhelm him, laying over his thighs to ground him. She’d been trained to hug close to his side whenever they walked. The leash always slack between them as she pressed to his thigh almost constantly, taught to stay close for her own safety, to keep herself out of the way of the people around him, but the touch was grounding for him, too. Still, her affection went beyond training. She was smart enough to know the difference between work and play, with her vest on she always meant business, but when the vest was off she was almost a menace.
Short enough to stand between his legs, she’d slip between his legs and press into his thighs whenever she wanted attention. She’d lean her weight into him when he was standing, or follow him around with her big eyes watching him. When he was sitting, she’d rest her head on his thighs and watch him, her eyes slipping closed whenever he scratched her ears. Even when she wasn’t asking for something, she was almost always touching him, laying on his feet while he stood and worked—which he knew would be problematic in his workshop, but until then he had yet to ask her to stop. She loved being pet, and would lean her weight into him so hard she’d often slip when he scratched the right spot on her neck. On more than one occasion, he’d found himself sitting on the floor, his legs open with Tess sprawled on her back between them, her head pillowed on his lap and her paws held in the air, demanding a belly rub. He had yet to invite her up onto his bed at the start of the night, but she’d often end up there after waking him up from nightmares. He never had the heart to tell her to get down. He’d nearly cried a week ago when he’d laid on his back and she’d fallen asleep with her chin resting on his shoulder.
He leaned down to rub her ears, fishing his phone from his pocket. He had an hour to kill before Slider was supposed to arrive, the two of them having coordinated to meet up. Flying commercial as his second career, Slider had made his way up to a senior enough position that he could pick a number of the flights he piloted, and together they’d worked out that he’d pilot the flight that brought Maverick back to California. Maverick would drive them back to his and Ice’s house, where Slider would be staying for a few weeks to help out in light of Ice’s recent cancer scare and Maverick’s intensified PTSD. Despite the less than optimal reason for the visit, Maverick was aching to see him. It had been nearly a year since he’d last seen his old friend, and as much as he would have hated the prospect when they’d first met, he and Slider had grown close over the years.
He pulled up his text thread with Ice in his phone, carefully leaning forward to snap a picture of Tess without dislodging her from his feet. He sent it Ice’s way, saving it to his own camera roll as well.
At the USO in Jacksonville. He texted, I’ve still got an hour before Slider’s flight gets in. Do you want me to bring any Girl Scout cookies home? It looks like they have enough in here to feed an army.
I think that’s the point of a USO, Mav. Came Ice’s text, hardly a minute later, and Maverick couldn’t help his snort of laughter. Trust his husband to never miss an opportunity for a witty remark.
I’d like some Thin Mints. And I think Bradley still likes Tagalongs like you do. Slider likes Samoas. He added a moment later.
Okay, I’ll be sure to grab some. Maverick responded, and he leaned back into his chair only to glance down at Tess, still leaning on his feet. The irony made him smile again, seated in a recliner but he couldn’t even recline because he didn’t want to disturb his own service animal.
It looks like Tess already likes you pretty well. That’s a good sign.
Yeah. It seems like she likes me a lot. I’m a little worried she’s going to try to kick you out of our bed.
I’d like to see her try. Then a few seconds later, I thought you said she was sleeping in her crate?
She is. She starts out in her crate, then she wakes me up when I have a nightmare and I don’t kick her off the bed.
That, we might have to fix.
Maverick sent an emoji of a pouting face.
Do you think she’ll do alright on the flight?
I think so. The flight is only six hours, and I bought her a new toy to keep her entertained. I’ll take her out before we board and right when we get off, but she sleeps through the night just fine, so I’m not really worried about her. I’ve been trying to keep her pretty active so she’ll sleep on the flight. I’m thinking I’ll walk her around a bit before Slider gets here.
That’s good. Slider and I Face-Timed last night. He seems pretty excited to meet her. I am, too.
Maybe if you like her enough you’ll let her sleep on the bed. Maverick could practically see the unimpressed look on Ice’s face.
Fat chance.
I think you’ll like her. She definitely has some attitude from time to time, but deep down she’s really sweet.
From what you’ve told me, I bet she’ll have Sli wrapped around her little finger.
He and Ice had been facetiming almost every night Maverick had been away, and he’d been able to tell Ice about some of Tess’s sassier moments, like once when she’d almost literally talked back to one of the trainers for instructing her to execute a command she hadn’t wanted to, grumbling out noises that had almost sounded like words. What had followed had been a standoff between trainer and dog so outlandish it had taken everything in him not to laugh, Tess’s tail switching as she grumbled and the other trainees desperately stifling their laughter into their hands or sleeves. Maverick couldn’t wait to see what fights she’d pick with Ice.
He and Ice had also talked a little about Slider’s own experience with dogs, the man having been a devoted dog lover all his life. With a wife at home and later kids, Slider’s household had been stable enough for pets, and Maverick and Ice had been fortunate enough to meet all of his dogs over the years, all of them well loved, well trained, and spoiled nearly rotten. Part of the reason Maverick had even agreed to apply for a service dog in the first place had been Slider calling him up and giving him the scientific breakdown of exactly why and how service dogs helped veterans. He’d even compared programs with Ice before they’d set their findings before Maverick, bending over backwards to make sure he got the perfect dog. Looking down at Tess, he thought they’d done pretty well.
Oh yeah. Maverick texted back, already grinning at the prospect. She practically had Maverick wrapped around her finger at this point, not that he was going to admit it to Ice. His husband would find out soon enough, though. We’ll have to keep an eye on him. I bet he’ll be trying to feed her from the table.
Sounds like Sli. Ice agreed, and Maverick waited as another text bubble popped up, three dots moving inside it to show Ice was typing. I have to get to a meeting. Say hello to Slider for me. If we don’t talk before your flight, have a good flight. I can’t wait to have you home again. I love you.
Maverick smiled at the phone screen. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to separation from Ice, time apart had practically defined their relationship at this point, but they were both getting older. During the training for the mission, a bad cold that had wracked Ice’s throat had made them think his cancer was coming back, scaring Maverick to the core. Then, he’d gone on a suicide mission, almost convinced he wouldn’t return. He’d returned home with ribs mere steps away from broken, an ache lacerating through his spine, and more nightmares and panicked episodes than he’d ever dealt with before, even after what had happened to Goose. He was stretched thin, and even with Tess at his side to keep him steady, he needed to see Ice. One of the few constants in Maverick’s life, Ice settled him like nothing else could.
Thanks, I hope your meeting isn’t too awful. I’ll be sure to say hi to Slider. I can’t wait to be home. I love you, too.
He spent the next half hour exploring the airport with Tess. The USO was in a different terminal than the gate he and Slider were leaving from, so Maverick took the requested boxes of Girl Scout cookies, a coffee, and a couple snacks and started towards the gate. They stopped at a service dog relief area for Tess on the way, then wandered along until Slider texted him that he was on the way to the gate.
He was doing his best to stay calm. Walking around the airport with Tess gave him something to focus on, and he stuck to the quieter areas as they walked, but he’d be lying if he said he felt completely relaxed. Airports were always a blur of activity. He felt at home on the tarmac, but he’d never liked flying commercial. Up in the terminals with hundreds of people all around him, the noise and commotion and lights rattled his nerves, needless anxiety stirring inside him. He wanted to be home, with Ice. Leaving him alone for three weeks after his cancer scare, and after Maverick had barely begun his own recovery hadn’t been kind on either of them. The weeks of training with Tess had been good, rewarding and relieving, but with the anxiety and pain that hounded him after the mission, it felt like he hadn’t had a moment to rest since before the Darkstar accident. But he would get through it. He’d faced worse in the past.
He spotted Ron from three gates away. Dressed in his Captain’s uniform, he was standing at the gate their plane would leave from, standing near the kiosk in front of the entrance to the jet bridge. As he got closer, he could see there was an easy smile on his face, and he nearly wilted at the sight of it, relief and joy surging through him just at the sight of something so intimately familiar. The staff member he was speaking to, standing behind the kiosk and facing Maverick spotted him first, no doubt picking Tess out of the smattering of people beyond the gate. His friend turned to follow their gaze, and Maverick lifted a hand as Ron’s smile faced him. He excused himself from the kiosk just as Maverick made it to the gate.
“Hey, Mav,” Slider met him in the center of the open space before the gate, folding him into a hug almost immediately. “It’s good to see you.”
“Hey, Sli.” He wrapped an arm around Slider’s back, holding him as close as his aching ribs would allow. “It’s good to see you, too.”
Slider looked him over when they drew apart, a hand on his shoulder. “You look tired, Mav.” He pointed out, his voice soft, and Maverick couldn’t help the quiet laugh that slipped out of him, wiping at his eyes as his throat suddenly tightened.
“God, I am. The past month has been like going through hell.” He breathed. He had to pull his eyes from Slider’s as his face softened, looking around the mostly empty gate. “Can we sit down?”
“Of course.”
Slider’s hand stayed on his shoulder until he had to retrieve his bag from near the kiosk. He led Maverick over to a row of seats at the back of the gate, looking out through the floor to ceiling windows, towards the planes and ground crews outside. He backed off to let Maverick take the seat in the corner, and Maverick sent his friend a grateful look as he sank into the last chair, setting his bag on the floor beside it.
“So,” Slider said once they’d sat down, pushing his own bag under his seat. “This is the new pup?”
Maverick nodded, glancing down at Tess as she sat down beside him, leaning her weight just slightly onto his legs. “Her name is Tess.”
“German Shepherd?” Slider guessed, and when Maverick nodded, he leaned forward slightly. “Sable coat.” He murmured, taking in her brown and black coloring. “She’s beautiful. I’m guessing I’m not allowed to pet her, huh?” He lifted his eyes to Maverick’s.
“Not while she’s working,” he said, and Slider nodded, leaning back. “But I could take off her vest, then you could pet her.”
“Oh, no, Mav.” Slider said immediately. “I don’t want to disturb–”
“It’s okay. You’re going to be around her for a while the next few weeks, so you should say hello.” He bent forward to unclip Tess’s vest and gentle leader, slipping them both off of her and clipping the leash to her collar. “Okay.”
Slider dropped down to kneel before her, sending Maverick a look. “Thanks.” He held up a hand for Tess to sniff but didn’t move towards her, waiting for her to come to him instead. Maverick’s hand settled on her back as she approached, sniffing over Slider’s hand, then his sleeve. “Bet you smell my dogs, huh?”
She sniffed over Slider’s sleeve for a few moments before she licked his hand, and then she was leaning towards him while he scratched behind her ears, sitting down in front of him.
“Ice can’t wait to see you.” Maverick told him, and Slider smiled weakly.
“It’s been too long. How is he? When you called before your mission, I thought–”
“I know.” He interjected before Slider could go on, rather than let his words come out into open air. He thought Ice was dying. Maverick had thought so, too. “I’m glad it wasn’t as bad as we thought it was. He was coughing for a while, and told me his throat was bothering him, but Sarah and Bradley have been looking after him while I’ve been gone. He’s back at work now, so it sounds like he’s feeling better. I think he’s still a little tired, but it seems like he's recovered well.”
Slider nodded, glancing back at Tess with a small smile when he found the spot on her neck that made her lean her weight into him.
“And how are you?”
“I’m,” Maverick let out a breathy sigh, loud enough to catch Tess’s attention, but he reached out to scratch behind her ears before she could pull away from Slider. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s going on with me. I haven’t even been able to really talk to Ice about it.”
Slider’s eyes slid to him, tracing over him with concern.
“You wanna try talking to me?”
Maverick couldn’t hold his eyes, staring into the blend of colors in Tess’s fur. He ran his fingers through her soft coat.
“I think it’s a longer conversation than we have time for.” He managed.
“It’ll be a long drive home.” Slider offered, and Maverick nodded, drawing in a deep breath. He lifted his eyes to Slider’s again after a long moment. Slider knew about his worsening PTSD. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t, but it still felt odd to quantify it, to expose the reasoning behind it, at least as much of the reasoning as he’d been able to make sense of.
“It all comes back to this mission, but it's so much bigger than that. I’ve been having nightmares about things I thought I left behind.” He swallowed hard. “I keep seeing Goose.”
“You said the kid’s back.” Bradley. Slider had been the first to know Bradley had rejoined their household after the mission, but Maverick had yet to share the details. “Something pretty big must’ve happened to get the two of you to make up after everything.”
Maverick lifted his head as a large group moved into the gate’s seating area, bringing noise and commotion with them. He bit his lip.
“What happened there, Mav?”
“I wasn’t even going to let him come on the mission at first.” He glanced down as Tess licked his hand. “I didn’t trust him to fly it, I didn’t think he could do it. We went at each other, it was vicious, nearly got each other killed during training, but on the day of I picked him. The first part went fine but then it was a dogfight and there were SAMs everywhere, he ran out of flares and—”
He broke off, forcing himself to breathe deep. Tess pressed herself against his legs, resting her head on his knees.
“I flew in above him and was able to detonate the SAM that had locked onto him with my own flares. Another one took me down right after. I ejected, but when I woke up on the ground there was a helicopter coming after me. I managed to get away from it by hiding behind a downed tree but it kept coming and—”
He didn’t realize he was trembling until Slider’s hand settled on his arm.
“Sorry.” He breathed, and Slider just shook his head, rising to his feet and drawing Maverick with him. He let out his breath as Slider folded him into his arms, his hands running soothingly over Maverick’s back. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.” He rested his chin lightly atop Maverick’s head, and Maverick looked down as Tess pressed herself to his thigh. “You think your dog’s mad at me because I just took her job?”
“She’ll bounce back.” Maverick promised, though Tess was pressing her snout to his thigh, nudging his leg repeatedly. “She wants me to sit down, though.” He drew back from Slider. “Could you–”
“Yeah.” Slider clasped his hand, helping Maverick to the floor, all aching ribs and stiff joints. He set his back to the row of chairs, his legs stretched out in front of him, and Tess laid her paws and head over his thighs. Slider sat himself in the chair just beside where Maverick was leaning, his hand on his shoulder, heavy and grounding just as Tess was. “I’m guessing Bradley took down the helicopter. Probably defied orders to do it, too?”
“Yeah. He was supposed to go back.”
“We can stop, Mav. You don’t have to get into this here.” Slider’s hand tightened on his shoulder, but Maverick shook his head.
“No.” He felt himself saying. “I want to talk about it.”
There were things he didn’t want to tell Ice, the ugly reality of his missions that Ice had the power to seek out through official channels if he ever wanted to. It was different for both of them to hear a first hand account of their near-deaths, especially if the accidents happened while they were apart. Those kinds of talks weren’t something he wanted to put Ice through, but Slider had always been just removed enough to confide in, close enough to brave saying the words aloud. He leaned his head back to meet Slider’s eyes, swallowing hard when the other man nodded.
“He got shot down right in front of me.” Maverick breathed. “I watched him eject, he was okay, but seeing it was a lot. We were able to meet up, I made it to him when he was packing away his chute, but we still had to get back to the carrier. We ended up stealing this old Tomcat from their airfield. I can’t believe it worked. It was close calls all the way back to the carrier, but we made it. We talked on the flight back home.”
He wanted to give Slider more details. He wanted to tell him about the other daggers, all the kids he’d practically adopted since they’d shown up to train under him that first day. He wanted to tell him about Hangman and how he’d saved his and Bradley’s lives and how there was most definitely history between the two aviators, but his heart rate was slowly starting to calm down and he felt exhaustion crawling into him, clinging to his bones. He scratched his fingers through Tess’s fur, meeting her eyes with his own, his vigilant companion.
Slider squeezed Maverick’s shoulders, pressing his thumbs into the muscles framing his neck and bending close.
“I’m glad you’re alright, Mav.” He told him. “It sounds like you’ve been through the wringer.”
“Yeah.”
He sat on the floor until his breathing and heart rate settled. When he felt steady, he pulled himself back up onto his chair. He slid Tess’s vest and gentle leader back on and she rested her head on his knees. He leaned his shoulder into Slider’s and his friend told him about his wife, and kids, his oldest on her way to her PhD and his youngest on their way to a new posting in the service.
“I got these for you.” He said when the conversation reached a lull, pulling the box of Samoas from his bag. “The USO was pretty well stocked.”
“They always are.” Slider hummed. “Thanks. Can’t believe you remembered my favorite.”
“Ice told me you liked them.”
Slider rolled his eyes, but he took the box from Maverick. “Of course he did. You could’ve lied, Mav.”
“Right, sorry.” Maverick felt himself smile, looking around the gate. He and Slider had been sitting together for nearly a half hour now. “Do you have to go soon, to, y’know, fly our plane or something?”
“I’ve got time, don’t rush me.” He held up his wrist to show his watch. “Some of us actually can be responsible, Mav.”
Maverick held up his hands, but Slider’s tone was friendly and teasing, and Maverick was grinning.
“So, when they call for pre-boarding, I guess you’ll be disabled and active duty military.” Slider said, his eyes on Tess. “At that rate you should just board with me.”
Maverick huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “I don’t think the rest of the staff would take too kindly to that.”
Slider tilted his head at Tess, still resting on his lap. “How did you swing that, anyways? I thought when you got a disability rating you had to retire, but instead they’re giving you a promotion.” Another reason for Slider’s visit. Maverick was supposed to be promoted to Rear Admiral about as soon as his leave ended.
“Ice, Cyclone, and Warlock were able to cut a deal for me. I’m not allowed to fly anymore, but we’re trying to put together a special unit with all the pilots assigned to the last mission. They want me to oversee it. It’ll keep our skilled pilots together so we can send them out on high priority, high risk tasks. I’m allowed to plan the missions and direct their training, I just can’t fly with them. They’re pulling in some old Top Gun staff to work with us. It sounds like it’ll be a good group, if we can get the paperwork through.”
“All the pilots from your last mission?”
“They’re good kids.” Maverick promised, and Slider lifted a brow.
“Sounds like it. You’ll have to tell me about them sometime.”
“You’ll probably meet most of them. I know a few of them have said they’ll be at my promotion, and a few have a habit of crashing on my couch.”
A grin joined Slider’s lifted brow. “Yeah? Must’ve been some mission if they’re crashing on your couch now. What does Ice think of them?”
Maverick smiled, coughing into his fist. “One of them was raised in foster care, aged out of the system before they really got taken in by anyone. Ice wants to throw a birthday party for them in a couple weeks.”
Slider’s face softened from amusement to warmth. “Sounds like the family just got a lot bigger.” He smiled at Maverick, “I hope they won’t mind a new uncle in the mix, too.”
Maverick felt his smile soften. “They’re gonna love you, Sli.”
Slider left him not long after to start his preflight checks, and Maverick spent the time before boarding on his feet. He took Tess to the service animal relief area and they made it back to the gate just in time for the pre-boarding announcement. He didn’t make a habit of pre-boarding. If he was in uniform, or if he had a lot of bags to look after, maybe he’d do it, but now, he imagined trying to board in a throng of people, managing his dog, his bags, and his overactive anxiety and he almost couldn’t stomach it. It was a headache at best and a panic attack at worst, and he wanted to deal with neither, so he took the allowance, breathing into the quiet he knew wouldn’t last.
His seat was at the front of the economy section, with a window so he could look outside and plenty of room in front of him for Tess to lay at his feet. Slider emerged from the cockpit long enough to clap his shoulder as he passed by, then found him again after he’d sat down, the first class passengers filtering in.
“I’ve got the controls for this one,” he told Maverick, leaning on the wall in front of his seat, just beside Tess settled on the floor. “You won’t hear me on the intercom, but know you’re in good hands.”
“Not going to try to get back at me for any of the stunts I put you through in the good old days?”
While he and Ice had been able to make their home base Top Gun for a number of years while they’d taught there, they’d managed to deploy together with Slider and Merlin as their RIOs more than once. When bugs found the aircraft carriers, they tended to circulate, and during one of their deployments, Ice and Merlin had caught the same stomach bug and had been out for a week. Maverick had flown like his usual self with Slider in his backseat, and Slider had declared he’d been terrorized the whole week. The RIO had sworn his revenge, but Maverick couldn’t remember him ever delivering it. For the rest of their careers Slider would throw a fit at the mere mention of flying with Maverick. Ice and Merlin, on the other hand, got along swimmingly in the cockpit.
“No.” Slider grinned at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “But I’m glad you remember, because I’m holding onto that. It’s good to have a favor in the bank. Maybe I’ll use it to make you let me fly your mustang.”
Maverick’s mouth fell open, refusal on his tongue, but he bit it back as Slider’s brows lifted in expectation. “We’ll talk about it.” He said at last, and Slider’s face lit with a haughty grin.
“I’m taking that as a yes.” He declared, pushing off the wall behind him.
“It wasn’t a–”
“Gotta go, Mav!” He said, already stepping into the aisle. “Enjoy the flight!”
The flight really wasn’t half bad. Flying commercial jets was a different ballpark from flying fighters, but the takeoff was steady and the landing was probably the smoothest Maverick had ever experienced flying commercial. Tess destroyed her new toy as expected—he made a point to give it to her after they took off, but he doubted they were even out of the airport airspace by the time there was fluff all over his feet. He cleaned up the scraps after she’d stopped playing with them, and she chewed on her Nylabone and napped for the rest of the flight.
The only snag was a nightmare that caught him up halfway through, after he’d finally managed to doze off. Tess climbed up to pull him out of it, laying her front paws over his thighs and leaning onto him. He’d jerked awake to her weight and the sudden shake of turbulence. Even through his panic, he could see the way the tremors had upset her, and he’d murmured comforting words as if he wasn’t the one trying not to shake and sob at the memories haunting his mind. The woman seated beside him had retrieved his Navy baseball cap when it had fallen to the floor. She thanked him for his service when she handed it back to him, but she hadn’t pressed him to speak. He had a feeling she could see how grateful he was.
He lingered as the rest of the passengers deplaned. He’d have to wait for Slider anyways, and it kept him and Tess out of the way of the other passengers as they filtered out. The last passenger aboard, he met Slider at the front of the plane, the man leaning on the door to the cockpit.
“So, what did you think? Do I get the Pete Mitchell stamp of approval?” Slider asked as he approached, though his face softened as he took him in. He was still shaking off the cloud of his nightmare, the effects of it no doubt showing on his face. He tried to give his friend a reassuring smile, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t appreciate the hand that reached out to grip his shoulder.
“I’m not sure the Pete Mitchell stamp of approval would win you any points here, but yeah.” His smile felt a little more real as Slider’s brightened a tad. “If you can land like that, I’m surprised they even let you become a RIO.”
Slider barked a laugh, sending him a grin. “It was my choice at the end of the day,” he said. Maverick knew the story well enough. Slider had made it over halfway through flight school with Ice, Goose, and Cougar before he realized he wasn’t ready to leave Ice. He’d swapped to the RIO track and hadn’t looked back. “But who can say no to Ice?”
It was Maverick’s turn to laugh, and Slider’s grin brightened at his improving mood. He reached a hand down to pet Tess as she leaned into his thigh.
“I certainly can’t.” He told Slider, but his heart was swelling with fondness and longing at the thought of seeing his husband, only a few hours of driving separating them, now.
“No one can.” Slider agreed, then straightened, clapping his shoulder. “Go take your dog to piss. I’ll finish up here and meet you at the service dog area. Is your car here or is someone picking us up?”
“It’s in long term parking. We’ll have to take the shuttle, but it’s not too far.”
Slider gave him a nod and he headed off the plane, an extra pep in his step as Tess walked a little faster than normal, no doubt eager to stretch her legs.
The service animal relief area was tiny, a little windowless room with a strip of Astroturf and a fake fire hydrant Tess wasn’t at all impressed by, but she did her business without complaint and Maverick dug out her collapsible bowl. She scarfed down her dinner in seconds and Maverick was filling her bowl with water when Slider ducked his head inside. She wagged her tail as soon as she recognized him and Maverick felt himself snort a laugh when Slider beamed.
“Excuse me for liking dogs.” He grouched at Maverick, striding into the room and crouching before her, reaching out to scratch her as her vest was off. “Hello, princess.” He cooed. “Did you like the flight? I heard you did so good, no complaints from anyone. All everyone could talk about was how beautiful you were.”
“Her coat is fantastic.” Maverick agreed. She shed like all hell, but her fur was soft and thick, with a healthy shine and a nice texture that never failed to comfort him as he ran his fingers through it.
“Ice is going to love her.” Slider grinned up at him from where he was still crouched, scratching at Tess’s neck the way she liked. “He loves pretty dogs. And you–” he pressed his forehead to Tess’s, suddenly whispering like he was telling her a secret. “Are gorgeous.”
“If you keep petting her like that, she’s going to like you more than me.” He cut in. He clicked his tongue to catch her attention, setting her bowl full of water on the floor before her. Slider pushed himself upright as she descended on it with fury. “She wasn’t a fan of the turbulence, but other than that she did fine. She did this to the toy I bought her. Indestructible, my ass.” He fished out the Ziploc bag he’d put the scraps of Tess’s toy into, reused after he’d eaten the homemade USO snacks it had once contained. Slider laughed as soon as he saw it.
“Wow. How long did that take her? Five minutes?” He took the bag of fabric and fluff, turning it over in his hands.
“I gave it to her after we took off and we hadn’t even reached ten thousand feet by the time she’d ripped it apart.”
Slider grinned, leaning down to scratch behind Tess’s ears. “Never change, baby.”
The carousel was already spinning by the time they made it to baggage claim, and they collected their things after a few minutes of waiting and headed off. They made it to the long term parking without issue and Maverick led the way to his car. Slider loaded up the bags in the back while Maverick walked Tess to a strip of dirt on the edge of the lot to pee. When they returned to the car, Tess sniffed over nearly the whole thing and Slider cooed at her while Maverick laid out the bed he’d bought for her, rolling his eyes at his friend’s baby talk. Slider’s eyes caught his as he stifled a yawn into his hand.
“I can drive if you’re tired.” He offered, still scratching behind Tess’s ears. Maverick adjusted the dog bed atop the backseats he’d just laid down, his and Slider’s bags behind them.
“You just flew us across the whole country while I took a nap.” He pointed out, lifting a brow at Slider. “I’ll get a little coffee and I’ll be fine.”
“Fair point.” His friend acknowledged, because it wasn’t like Slider looked wide awake himself. “I could probably use a coffee, too.”
Maverick reached a hand out for Tess’s leash and Slider handed it over. She hopped into the car and laid down on the dog bed facing Maverick. Her eyes lifted to his almost immediately, and he felt himself grin as he rooted through his bag, finding a treat from a bag inside and handing it to her.
“And you think I spoil my dogs.” Slider mumbled behind him, but Maverick just rubbed Tess’s ears and took off her leash, her vest and gentle leader already in the car.
“You ready to go?” Maverick asked Slider instead, closing the door on Tess after he’d made sure she was far enough away, her tail and paws safely inside.
“Just waiting on you.” Slider told him, climbing into the passenger seat as Maverick headed for the driver’s seat. “So, if you start freaking out while you’re driving, do you think she’d climb over the seats?” He asked almost as soon as Maverick had sat down.
“Y’know Slider, if I’d known you were going to give me all kinds of shit about getting a service dog, I wouldn’t have flown home with you.” Maverick buckled his seatbelt and started the car without looking at him.
They’d stopped at a bathroom on their way to baggage claim and Slider had absolutely gaped at the sight of Tess standing behind Maverick while he stood at the urinal, sitting between his legs and pressed to his back. He’d teased him and cracked enough jokes about what the training possibly could have looked like that they had to explain to a random onlooker that they were actually friends when he’d tried to come to Maverick’s defense.
“Oh, come on. I’m just teasing.” Slider told him. “And I did not mean to freak out that guy in the bathroom.”
“I can’t believe you just go around harassing disabled veterans like that.” Maverick shot back, his voice full of snark.
“Hey, sit your ass down. I’ve been disabled for almost a decade longer than you, hot shot.” Slider had gotten a similar disability rating to Maverick’s when he’d retired, PTSD, arthritis in his hands and some lingering issues with his shoulder after a particularly bad ejection. “Disabled veteran is on my fucking license plates. Do you have disabled veteran plates?”
“California doesn’t make—”
“No? I didn’t think so.”
Maverick rolled his eyes, but he didn’t have another quip, instead pressing the button to activate the voice controls on his phone as he drove.
“Text Ice.”
Slider waited while he rattled off his message, telling him they were going to stop for coffee, but they were on their way home. He felt Slider’s eyes on him after the text had sent.
“Can I help you?”
“No. I just think it’s funny that you have him as Ice in your phone.”
“What is he in your phone?”
“Tom.”
“Well, when you met him, he was Tom. When I met him, he was Ice.”
“Mav, he’s your husband. ” Slider told him, like he didn’t know. “You’re married. ”
“I’m perfectly aware of what husband means, Slider.” Maverick promised, trying to bite down on his grin. “What’s Merlin in your phone?”
“Merlin, but he’s not my husband, Maverick.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
“Jesus christ.” Slider huffed, but Maverick was fighting back a laugh, grinning as he watched the road ahead of them. “I know you call him Tom, I’ve heard you do it. Multiple times in fact.”
Maverick couldn’t hold back his laugh any longer. “You know a while ago I was going to change it, and then I thought, y’know, one day Slider is going to find this and throw a fit over it. I should keep it.”
Slider went silent for a moment, staring at him. “Maverick, that is the most bullshit thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Why the fuck would you expect me to believe that? Why is he Ice in your phone?”
“He’s Ice in my phone because I put him into my first smartphone as Ice and never changed it. We weren’t married back then, y’know.”
“So what? I know the shit you two were up to before you were married. You’ve been as good as married since ‘86.”
“What am I in your phone?”
“Prick.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“I am, it’s actually ‘little prick.’”
“You’re the worst.”
“What am I in your phone?”
“Giant. Then in parenthesis, Slider.”
“I guess it makes sense you’d need to specify, everyone must be a giant to you.”
Maverick nearly pulled the car over and kicked Slider to the curb. He was still laughing when they made it to a McDonalds for coffee. Still, Maverick could glare all he wanted, but he couldn’t deny it was good to see his old friend, and even better to be on the way home to his family, whole again after so many years. He couldn't wait to see them.
