maverick knows his pilots miss him because of the little things they share. the texts he gets and the pictures. always at random, sporadic and unprompted.
things like —
fanboy telling him they nailed a test run for a new mission because of the way mav taught them to fly.
you two would’ve done that all on your own. proud of you.
phoenix telling him she’s up for promotion and hoping he can make it to the ceremony since it’s his fault she’s gotten even better in the air.
you were always going to soar, phoenix. i’ll be there.
coyote telling him, not for the first time, how grateful he is that maverick knows the importance of getting everyone home alive.
nothing wrong with a little hope, right?
just. small things that make mav’s chest ache every time with something proud and fond and soft because he may not be flying for the navy anymore, but these kids are absolutely making sure he still feels like he is.
Commander Tower: You're a loose cannon, Shadow.
Shadow: No. Omega is a loose cannon.
Omega: *destruction noises*
EOS stares at the soft, fluffy white material covering the ground at her feet. She must be making a face without realizing it, because almost immediately she hears John laugh.
“It’s snow, EOS! You know, frozen–”
“I am very well aware of what it is!” EOS snaps, mildly hurt that John didn’t think she knew what something as simple as snow was. “Snow is precipitation that has frozen into crystalline ice flakes and collected upon the Earth.” She’s still staring at it, however. Of course she knows academically what snow is, but she’s spent most of her existence on Thunderbird Five, or on a tropical island that never truly sees winter.
She’s never been this close to it before.
Cautiously, EOS takes a few steps forward, listening to the scrunchy noise the flakes make when ground together when stepped on. It’s strange, almost like hearing someone squeezing styrofoam, although not as squeaky. Her eyes are still fixed on the ground when something cold and slightly damp impacts the back of her head and breaks apart, spreading chunks of wet coldness through her hair. In shock, she turns back and is surprised to see a sheepish expression on John’s face, along with quite a lot of snow clinging to his knitted gloves.
“What–?” she says, that one word filled with so much meaning that it doesn’t truly need more added to it.
John’s face is very pink all of a sudden under the brighter red at his nose, ears and the tops of his cheek from the cold. Still, he’s smiling even with the apologetic bend to his eyebrows. “It was just a snowball– I’m sorry, I forgot– It’s just… the timing was perfect–” EOS still looks confused, not quite understanding the humor he’s taking from it. His eyes soften at how utterly lost she looks, and he walks over and gently brushes the snow from her hair.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. Here, let me show you.” He places his hand on her back, and she stoops down as he does, watching, then imitating how he scoops up a handful of snow. “You pack it together like this,” John says, demonstrating the motion, then dropping his own handful to guide her hands through it. When her first snowball emerges at last, lumpy and slightly misshapen though a good first effort, he stands up and gestures at himself. “You get a free hit. It’s only fair.”
EOS shakes her head vigorously. “I can’t throw something at you! I could throw too hard or I could hit you in an unprotected spot or…”
John raises his hands in surrender. “Fine, throw it at the ground then. But snowballs are meant to be thrown, EOS. It’s a game.”
Her eyes flit to him, then the ground, and then back again and he can practically see her processors working. After a few more glances, and even some off to the side in mild distress, she pulls her arm back and throws the snowball as gently as she can at him. It doesn’t even sting as it hits his coat and breaks apart, strewing bits of snow all over his chest.
“Was that so hard?” he asks, a kind smile on his face and in his voice. EOS shakes her head, a smile crossing her own face as she stoops down again, hands reaching for the snow below her.
When John finally tells her they have to go back inside before they’re missed, a good fifteen minutes later, both are lying on the ground, half-covered with snow and grins on their faces.
Stinger: You two characters are going to TOP GUN.
Mav and Goose:
(somewhere in the Navy...)
Iceman: MAVERICK!!!!!!
CaroleGoose my beloveds! 🥰
"And here we are in heaven. For you are mine... at last!"
Nick and Carole on their wedding day! Based on the headcanon I made in this post where their first dance song is: At Last! By Etta James! (Mav took this photo)
Warlock is afraid of jellyfish.
Nebula: STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!
Peter: Stop what??
Nebula: QUILL!
Peter: STOP WHAT???
Nebula: I SWEAR TO GOD...
Peter: I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!
Nebula: STOP TRYING TO SEDUCE ME!
Peter: I'M NOT TRYING TO SEDUCE YOU!!!
Nebula: ...
Peter: ...
Peter: ...Is it working?
Nebula: NO!
(Meanwhile, Rocket, Mantis, and Drax are just watching the drama unfold, with a bowl of Zarg nuts, like... O.O)
After his death, Slider replaces Iceman as COMPACFLT.
When he enters the office for the first time, there is a neatly written note left on the desk:
Dear Admiral Kerner,
Have fun with Maverick.
- Ice.
Slider: GODDAMNIT, TOM!
It's a Top Gun blog except for when it's not. -------------------------------------------------- Top Gun, TAG, and a couple loose ends
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