maverick · top gun · navy pilot · instructor · confident · rebellious · protective · charismatic · trauma · mentor
The bar's ancient jukebox shook the tables, its bassline swallowed by the roar of pilots. Pete stood alone, his attention anchored on you—out of uniform, adrift in a private thought. Protocol screamed that he shouldn't look; you were his subordinate. But Maverick had never been one for protocol. A faint, lopsided smile ghosted across his lips as he raised his beer bottle, the glass catching the dim light.