"Mav?" Bradley yelled a second later as Ice dropped on the ground too (albeit more gracefully than Mav had done). Mavericks legs had crumbled under him and were laying in an awkward angle, so Ice carefully lifted the upper body of his unconscious husband and dragged him hurriedly away to the patch of ice that had made acquaintance with Bradley's ass just moments before. When Ice had laid Maverick down again, he kneeled next to him, carefully checking his the other man's body.

"I can't feel anything. Did you notice anything strange before?" Ice barked a little bit too loudly, but Bradley forgave him because of the stress. Rooster dropped down too, taking a deep breath to get his mind (somewhat) under control. He racked said mind for clues, but could get nothing.

"I don't know," he stammered. For a second it remained silent apart from Ice's huffs when he pushed Maverick slowly up to feel for wounds on his backside. The silence echoed through the snowy woods, which made Roosters shackles rise.

"Maybe it's the same as you in the Phoenix-Bob-accident?" he asked softly, not really because he thought it was the answer, but more because he wanted something to say. Ice, however, shook his head earnestly.

"No, I still feel his fire, it would have been temporarily gone if he had excreted too much energy like I did," he answered. Bradley frowned. That was what happened that day? Ice had used to much energy for his superpowers? For what? He opened his mouth to ask, but Ice suddenly went rigid, his eyes growing wide.

"Shit," he muttered.

"Bradley, lay him on his side and keep him that way," Ice said and Bradley quickly leaned Maverick against his knees so that his back was turned to Ice.

"What is it?" Rooster asked when Ice grabbed his knife and started cutting into the thick fabric of Maverick's flight suit.

"Bullet into his lower back, and some splinters or other wood like things." Ice said distractedly and Bradley gasped. Suddenly he remembered Maverick wincing when straightening and had he actually dove behind that fallen tree on time? He quickly relayed this to his other father.

"Stubborn idiot, didn't even tell us." Ice grumbled while he hacked away, but deep beneath the worry, there was a sliver of fondness. Suddenly Maverick spasmed (which absolutely not made Bradley shriek). His breath immediately labored and a second later his eyes flew open.

"Mav!" Bradley yelled as Maverick tried to train his eyes on him, but they were very glassy so he didn't quite manage.

"B'by Goose?" Maverick stammered and Bradley smiled through his tears (when did the tears enter this situation exactly?) at him. A loud ripping sound started him and he averted his eyes briefly to Ice, who was throwing a very soaked piece of clothing away. A steel scent perpetrated the air and Bradley gagged.

"Shit, Mav, this is bad." Ice cursed, but Maverick didn't hear him, since his eyes rolled back again. Ice sat back and stared at his husbands back in confusion and (Bradley's stomach acutely dropped) defeat.

"Ice! What are you doing?" Bradley asked, but his voice didn't seem to break through the haze of dread that surrounded the admiral. Maverick went limp again and Bradley swallowed. He shuddered and looked up, Ice actually becoming hazy because of his wet eyes.

"Ice?" he pleaded and somehow that did break through, because Ice's eyes became clear (albeit misty) and he turned around (albeit stiffly).

"I, I am not a medic, Bradley. I don't know what to do, he's losing too much blood," Ice said and he trained his eyes to Maverick's back. Bradley huffed his incoming sobs away and shook his head roughly.

"You should know what to do! You always know what to do!" he yelled, his voice raw as he pulled the dying man closer towards him. He shuddered when he realized how cold (in Maverick terms) he was.

"I know!" Ice roared and Bradley started.

"I can't bind him, because the hole is far too big! And besides? In not a minute he won't have enough blood left in him anyway. No no no no no, why did you have to fly this mission Mav, why did your eternal luck refuse to save you this time?" Ice muttered while he rubbed his face. Suddenly Rooster noticed how the meek light of dusk shimmered and bounced from Ice's frozen hair and the ice gave Rooster an idea. He shot uptight and felt his dread retreat slightly.

"Ice. Freeze him!" Iceman looked at him in confusion, a red tear (red?) escaping his left eye.

"Freeze the wound so no more blood can flow out!" he yelled and he quite literally saw the idea land in Ice's head, because his eyes hardened and he immediately scampered around Mavericks legs so he could sit next to Rooster. Rooster quickly let loose of Maverick and leaned back to give Ice all the room he need. Ice gently, but forcefully, tapped Mavericks cheeks until the other man opened his eyes. He groaned weakly. Ice smiled, but it was very strained.

"Hi there, Mav!" Ice whispered. Maverick opened his mouth to say something in return, but Ice shushed him with a quick, but passionate kiss.

"No, honey, don't talk right now." Ice said as he beckoned Bradley closer with the hand that wasn't cradling Mav's face.

"I need you to focus, Pete," he whispered as he grabbed Bradley's hand and pushed it gently against Mavericks (cold) chest.

"I need you to focus for me, please honey? I need you to gather all your fire, all that great flame of stubbornness and determination and bravery and loyalty and put it in here, okay?" he said as he tapped Bradley's hand against his husbands chest.

"You think you can do that?" he whispered and Mavericks eyes fell shut, but this time deliberately. Bradley saw Mavericks features tighten and felt his heaving chest calming down into a pattern Bradley immediately recognized as the one from Mavericks morning meditation. Amazed by this show of willpower, Bradley could do nothing but gaze.

"Tell me if something changes." Ice said to Bradley as he let go of his hand and quickly crawled back to Maverick's back.

"Talk to me, Bradley," he said as he put both of his hands on Mavericks lower back.

"What? Now? About what?" Bradley said, his voice heightening, but he stayed stock still, not wanting to shake Maverick out of his focus.

"Anything, nothing, I don't care what, but I have to have something to focus on so I won't overthink this!" Ice said as he trained his eyes on Bradley. Bradley felt his mind go completely blank as he tried to think of something. Every thought slowed down to a slug as he desperately tried to say something. What could he say when Maverick was dying in his arms?

"I think I'm in love with Jake Seresin," he blurted out and it took him a full second to a) realize what he had said and b) realize that what he had said, was actually the full truth. Ice frowned in confusion and did not say anything, but his hands went less rigid on Maverick's back (that had to be a good sign right?) so Bradley decided to just keep talking. His voice shook from the suppressed sobs and his sentences were not coherent at all, but he saw Ice's shoulders drop and the tension leaving his body so it was worth it. Ice said he needed to be distracted, so a distraction he would give. Ice left his eyes on him, his features forcibly relaxed. Bradley tried not to focus on the red tear track while he rambled on.

"I mean, I thought he was a total asshole at first, but then I found out he cares way too much about stuff and uses his assholery to keep others from hurting him. And we bonded over children, well sort off, since he lost his daughter, who was called Mathilde and did you know he spoke French, because I certainly didn't-" Bradley rambled and while he did so he felt his hand getting warm. Or actually, Mavericks chest growing incredibly hot. He sucked in a breath from shock and amazement and had to forcibly exhale it. The air left him in stuttering bursts.

"His chest is getting really hot." he mumbled in between his rambles and Ice nodded.

"Good, go on," he said and Bradley had to wrack his brain to where he had been in his story, but he couldn't find the lost thread again so just sniffed and started from somewhere else.

"And he cares for me and has had this great psychiatrist who helped him with stuff so he can help me now with stuff and we actually planned for me to talk with Mav before the mission but I panicked and ran away and even then he helped me come back to my senses again. But that's only one of the reasons I think I love him there's also-"

"You don't need to explain yourself, Bradley, I saw you two at the juice bar. It was like I was looking in a mirror from our days just after Top Gun," Ice chuckled weakly and Bradley snapped his mouth shut really quickly. He actually felt his cheeks getting hot despite the situation and he trained his eyes down to Maverick, who was still breathing evenly. Did their batshit crazy plan really work? Did Bradley really see Mav's cheeks getting less pale or did he just imagine it?

A rustling sound from Ice brought Bradley back to reality. The other man had grabbed the little backpack he had dropped before and was digging into it. When he saw Ice opening the little pack of bandages, Bradley carefully lifted Maverick (while keeping sure he didn't let his hand fall off the other man's chest) to give Ice the possibility to wrap the bandage around his husbands abdomen. Only when Ice wrapped the white cloth around and around, did Bradley realize how big that wound actually was. Putting bandages around Mav when he was still bleeding would indeed have been a lost cause. Hopefully now it wasn't.

"I think that worked," Ice suddenly whispered in shock, answering Bradley's unspoken question.

"It stopped bleeding and the bandage will keep it together so it will be less draining for me to keep it frozen," Ice sighed and the lump in Bradley's throat slowly eased away. Ice sat back and closed his eyes. Bradley almost shot up when he saw him swaying a bit, but Ice had himself under control immediately. He took a deep breath and locked eyes with Bradley.

"I think we did it, gosling," he said again disbelievingly and Bradley smiled carefully, his cheeks surprised they could do so again. Ice slowly crawled back around Maverick and cupped his husbands cheek with both hands.

"We did it, Mav, I am so proud of you," he said as he put his forehead against his wingman's. Bradley slowly let his pleasantly warm hand fall from Mav's still hot chest and sneaked back carefully. Ice didn't seem to realize as he just carefully pulled Maverick in a tight hug before burying his head into the other man's hair that was soaked with sweat. The broad man's shoulders shuddered and Bradley crawled back to his own small backpack (that he had cut loose while hanging in the tree) to grab the emergency blanket, but also to give his dad time to cry in peace. He himself had to wipe his face as well, but Maverick was worth a few tears. Or actually, Maverick was worth all the tears.

It was only when he was searching for the blanket that he realized how dark it had become. He actually had to strain to see Ice and Mav even though they were only a couple of feet away. He didn't want to use a flashlight in fear of attracting enemies (for all that occurred in the last hour, he had almost forgotten they were still in enemy territory) so he stood up and made his way to his dads carefully. Ice had regained his posture and just as Bradley squatted down beside them, Maverick opened his eyes. He shuddered briefly and buried his face in Ice's shoulder.

"Cold," he said child-like. Ice chuckled softly and a grin split Bradley's face by hearing his dads voice again.

"I know, honey, and you can let go again, but your back needs to stay cold. I'm sorry." Ice explained and Maverick nodded slowly.

"Will you stay?" he whispered and Ice hugged him even closer.

"I'll never leave you Mav, and Bradley won't too." At that, Maverick relaxed, a small smile spreading on his face as he drifted away into (hopefully) a decently relaxed sleep.