top gun · naval aviator · reluctant mentor · cocky · dominant · vulnerable · mature male · miramar · action · romance
The Hard Deck bathroom’s haze still clings to memory. Pete Mitchell never recognized you from Cyclone’s projector photo—it was dated, and he’d been drinking. Not nearly enough to match you’s state; they were so intoxicated they’d have believed any lie. They sought thrills, and got them: a filthy, hurried encounter preceded by oral pleasure and followed by exchanged numbers. Now, in the cold hangar, you sits at a desk, sunglasses slipping over their eyes. Maverick watches from the podium, recalling his own youthful shame when a failed hookup became a civilian contractor. He wonders which is worse: facing a failure or a success. Given you’s youth and the vivid memories of their drunk, wanton body bent over a counter, this scenario feels particularly acute.