Below The Hard Deck | A Top Gun Fanfiction

CHAPTER IV

I decide to get to the base extra early so I have time to think about what I, and possibly Maverick, should actually do today to prepare the pilots for the mission. In a perfect world, I would've figured it out last night, but I doubt it will matter much. Until I find out each pilot's strengths and weaknesses, I'm pretty much going to be winging it anyway. Even though I have their files, I haven't gotten around to reading them and you can't teach someone if you don't know what they need to learn.

Coffee in hand, I find my way to my temporary office. I grin at the sight of my nameplate on the door. Rear Admiral Claddagh "Lucky" Moran. After throwing open the door, I toss my bag a chair nearby before nearly jumping out of my skin at the sight of a figure behind my desk. "Fucking hell, Pete. You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to talk to you before the first meeting today." He holds up a paper bag. "I also brought donuts."

Though I am very much relieved that he's actually sticking around, I narrow my eyes at the man in front of me. Is this some sort of revenge for standing by as he got thrown out of the bar last night? "Donuts?"

With a hum, he pulls out the chocolate glazed treat topped off with rainbow sprinkles. "You still like Krispy Kreme, right?"

"Yeah." To say I'm shocked by his actions would be an understatement. I didn't expect him to be here until right before the meeting, if at all. Not only did he get here before I did, he also brought me my favorite donut from my favorite donut chain. It's a sharp contrast to his unsure demeanor towards teaching yesterday, but I'm not about to complain, especially if he brought food. I will, however, question it. "Did you do something that I should be concerned about? Piss off another admiral or crash another multimillion dollar plane?"

He looks slightly offended. "No. At least, not yet. Just thought, you know, first day back at Top Gun, it'd be a nice little celebration."

When I finally take the frosted treat from his hand, a huge smile grows across his face. That. Damn. Smile. It was always my weakness when we were together and looks like it's coming back to haunt me. "Don't give me that look," I mumble, taking a bite of my food.

"I'm not giving you any look. I promise." The smirk that remains tells a different story.

"So," I let out a groan as I take a seat, "do you have any ideas of what to start the recruits with?"

"We need to see what they can do. What are their strengths, weaknesses, weird quirks. No better way to do that than a good old-fashioned dogfight."

"Are you sure you're not using this as an excuse to show off? We have their files, Mav. We can read all about their flying skills."

"Reading about their past performances won't help considering this mission is like nothing they have ever done before." I quirk my brow at him, causing the man to shrug. "And, maybe it would be a nice excuse to show off a bit."

Honestly, bringing them down a peg is probably a good idea. If Hangman's behavior at the bar is anything to judge off of, they may be just a bit overconfident in themselves. That can happen when you get told you're best of the best all the time. Case in point, the man in front of me.

"Alright," I agree. "Basic dogfighting it is. Are we going to do two-on-two?"

"I was thinking two-on-one. A pair consisting of a duo and a single against one of us. While one is fighting, the other can observe from the sky to get a better overall idea of their skills."

"You know, for someone who claims they aren't a teacher, you sure do sound like one," I jest, finishing off my donut. My demeanor falls as I remember the elephant in the room. "What about Rooster? You can't keep hiding from him."