Chapter Text
“Oh my darlings,” Mav muttered, tears streaming down his face as he tucked the children close. He pulled as many of them into a hug as he could before gently reaching to frame each of their faces. “I—I am so glad to see you. I missed you so much—all of you—I—”
“Mav!”
“Why’d you go?”
“We tried to see you—”
“Don’t leave again!”
“You didn’t say goodbye—”
“I know, I know—” Pete sniffed, wiping at his tears halfheartedly. He took a moment to gently caress each of their cheeks or to ruffle their hair, smiling sadly. “I was wrong to leave you, especially like that. But I suppose—I suppose I was afraid. I started feeling overwhelmed and I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never had a family and you are each so so important to me. I suppose I got scared because I felt like I belonged—”
“You do belong, Mav,” Natasha insisted.
“You’re our Maverick and you—-” Jake trailed off a bit unsuredly.
“And we LOVE you!” Callie chirped loudly, launching herself to hug Mav around the neck.
“I love you too, my darlings—all of you!” he hugged the girl close, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I am so sorry—”
“You should have listed your favorite things, Mav—” Mickey said softly.
“When you were feelin’ scared,” Reuben agreed. “That would have helped—-right?”
“I should have,” Pete nodded.
“Now?” Bob asked softly, grabbing Maverick’s hand in his.
“List them now? Absolutely— my favorite things are watching the sunrise, eating chocolate—oh I know! Bobby, Mickey, Callie, Reuben, Nat, Javy, and Jake—-”
“And Father!”
“And Uncle Sli!”
“What’s this about Father and Uncle Sli?” Ron quipped suddenly, grinning at Maverick’s shocked countenance.
“You’re some of our favorite things!” Callie explained. “And Mav’s! We’re listing our favorite things to help us not feel sad or scared.”
“Not that we need to,” Nat smiled. “Because Mav is back!”
“That he is,” Ron nodded easily. “Welcome back, Mav—if it wasn’t made clear, we really did miss you. Tom said to tell you that he’s glad you’re back and that you can take time to settle in however you need to. He looks forward to seeing you in just a little bit.”
Maverick raised an eyebrow slightly at the implication but the taller man offered no other information.
“Well then, I suppose I should go unpack, shouldn’t I?” Mav shrugged.
“We’ll help!”
“I can help too!”
“I’ll take your bag!”
Before Maverick could do anything, the children had grabbed his bags and hands and were dragging him back towards the house. He turned over his shoulder to look at Ron.
The other man just grinned, calling after them. “Welcome home, Mav!”
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“Just what do you think you’re doing, Tom? Implying that I’m leaving—”
“You are going to be leaving,” Tom shot back, crossing his arms and perching on the edge of his desk as Charlotte started pacing rapidly.
“Leaving?”
“If you’re going to be that dismissive and rude to Maverick, then you have no right to stay here as my guest.”
“As your guest? Why you—well even as your guest, Thomas, I should garner more respect and diligence than your help!” she shrieked, eyes blazing.
“He’s not just the help,” Kazansky retorted. “He’s a valued member of our family; the kids adore him—he’s not someone you get to look down on.”
Charlotte froze. “Oh God, it’s true—- you do love him. I was—I never should have told the little weasel that you might—if only I’d announced the engagement then—”
“Told who what?” his voice was suddenly ice cold as he stood from the desk.
“That bastard! I told him that you were clearly in love with him and to enjoy the attention while it lasted, but I never thought you’d seriously pursue it! He’s a nobody, some urchin from the salt mines! What on God’s green earth could he possibly offer to you, Thomas?!”
“First—he offers me genuine companionship and interesting conversation with no consideration for himself or his own advances. Second—he adores my children and puts them above all else, including himself. I doubt you would be so driven—”
“Tom—”
“Third—you had absolutely zero right to converse with Pete about anything remotely related to me or my feelings, whatever they may be, because they do not involve or concern you.”
“We had an understanding—”
“We did,” Tom’s voice softened minutely. “We were good for one another, you and I—for a while. You helped me to climb out of the fog of grief and I believe I gave you that devotion and attention you obviously desire. But we never had a formal understanding, Charlotte—and I believe that if you look close enough at this situation, at us, then you’ll agree with me. We aren’t right for one another, you and I. You love the grandeur and luxuries you’ve grown accustomed to in life. You enjoy going to fancy parties and operas and tasting fine wines. I am a father, first and foremost. I have children who are my absolute everything, and they always will be. There isn’t a possible version of reality where you wish to come in second place, Char. Not even for them.”
She seemed to deflate for a moment. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you? You’ve decided to come back to this giant house and live as a societal recluse as you manage your brood of acquired children.”
“They are all my children,” he growled.
She threw her hands in the air. “Who are you, Tom?!”
“We weren’t enough for each other, Charlotte,” he shook his head a bit sadly. “And it isn’t fair or right to keep pretending otherwise. You are welcome to stay if you want, as a guest and friend, but I will not tolerate any disrespect to anyone in my family. If not, Hondo is bringing the car around. With a little luck, you’d make the evening train back to Vienna.”
“You were—we were going to be powerful together, you and I—” she lamented with a frown. “My wealth, your fame and status in the Empire—we could have had anything we wanted!”
“That’s not the kind of thing I want,” he shrugged sadly before opening the door and gesturing for her to exit in front of him. “I am sorry, Charlotte—but that isn’t who we’re meant to be.”
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“How long are you going to make the poor kid sit out there with his thoughts, Tommy,” Ron sighed, leaning against the banister next to his friend. “He’s been there for an hour at this point, just staring into the darkness.”
“What makes you think I—”
“What did the letter say?” the taller man interjected firmly.
Tom involuntarily crinkled the paper in his pocket, recalling the words he’d read repeatedly over the last several days.
Tom—
I know it’s forward to call you that but it felt odd to address this to the ‘Captain’. You’re more than that to me—at least it feels like you are.
I’ve never found anywhere in this world that I belonged before. Not until I stumbled into this—this insane opportunity to love your children. Well, to help watch your children but I love them, Tom. I do…
“Tom—Tom—,” Ron said sharply.
Tom flinched.
“You back with me?” the backseater frowned.
“Yes—I—,” he cleared his throat. “I was just thinking.”
“Why don’t you stop thinking about the scamp and go down there and start talking to him, Tommy?”
“I don’t deserve to talk to him—”
“Oh for the love of—,” Ron grabbed his friend by the shoulders. “You deserve the ability to speak to the man, Tom. Maybe not the ability to be loved by him, at least not yet, but if that man, the one who’s talked nonstop to everyone about not belonging anywhere, if that man wants to be loved by you—you don’t deserve to take that from him.”
With a not so subtle shove, Slider directed him towards the staircase, muttering about idiot pilots as he wandered back inside.
Tom took the hint and moved down the stairs into the dark grounds, moving quietly through the trees.
He knew right where Pete was; he’d been watching him for a fair amount of time, after all.
Tom silently crossed the last few yards to the gazebo, watching as Pete dragged his fingers through his hair so that it stood up oddly.
“What am I doing?”
Tom winced at the dejected tone. “I—I hope you’re preparing to stay here, for a very long time.”
Maverick jumped, spinning suddenly with wide eyes. “T-t-tom! I mean Captain, I mean—“
“We’re so glad you came back,” Tom continued. “I am so glad you came back—I hoped you would.”
“You did?” Green eyes widened even more.
“Of course I did. You are—you have become incredibly important to us, to me, Maverick. You are—“
“A lot,” he ducked his head as heat flooded his face. “I know, Nick is always telling me that I—“
“You aren’t,” Tom shook his head, moving to gently grab the shorter man’s chin, tilting it back towards him. “You are incredible, Pete, and I—you have no idea how much it means to me that you’re here. That you came back.”
“Of course I did—the children—I—I had to come back, for them—“
“Only for them?”
“Well—“ Mav frowned. “Shouldn’t I have come back for them? I mean they—they’re the most important part of this—I love them—“
“No you should, I mean—they’re the most important thing, I agree, but I suppose I had hoped that you might—-that you might have returned for some other reason as well—-“
“What—what other reason?” Maverick started to tremble, his voice catching as he stared up at Tom’s blue eyes.
Tom smiled, stroking his thumb across Pete’s cheek gently. “I want you to know something, Pete—you belong here. You belong with the children, you belong with me.”
“With you?”
“With me, darling—I know I don’t deserve this. I know I’ve been horrid leaving you so unsure of your place here, of my affections—but I truly do care for you, Pete. I love you—“
“You love me? Me?” Mav felt a sting as traitorous tears slipped down his cheek.
Tom wiped them away easily, bending to press a lingering kiss to his forehead. “You, Maverick Mitchell—“
“But I’m—“
“Incredible, stubborn, witty, loyal—“
“I don’t—I don’t have—“
“Do you love me, Mav?”
“Yes—“ he said it slowly, almost as though he was realizing it himself. “I love you more than I’ve ever—I’ve never loved anything or anyone as much as I love you and the children.”
“Then that is all we need,” Tom grinned.
“But—“
“Leave everything else to me, my darling, my Maverick,” the blond insisted gently, bending to finally capture Pete’s lips with his own.
Pete leaned up to meet him, feeling indescribably home.
After a moment, Tom tucked Mav close to his chest in an embrace, running his hand through the dark locks as Mav fisted his hands in Tom’s shirt. He tightened his grip gently. “You’re mine now, Pete. And I’m never letting you go.”
“Neither am I,” Mav promised, holding a bit tighter.
