Below The Hard Deck | A Top Gun Fanfiction

CHAPTER III

Some how, some way, I had allowed myself to get talked into going back to the bar for some drinks with the rest of the Top Gun class. When Maverick and Goose first asked me if I was going, it was the first I'd even heard that such an event was going down. I have a couple of guesses as to why I was left out of the loop, but I digress. Originally, I had told them, and I quote, "hell no." But, they wouldn't take anything short of "yes", leaving me once again stuck at the bar alone. Even Specs had managed to find some trouble to wander off too.

"This has got to be the saddest sight I have ever seen," Goose says as he walks up to me, his partner and crime not far behind. Like the rest of the pilots, they were in their white dress uniforms, and they looked damn good in them too. What can I say? Every woman likes a man in uniform, even if she wears the same one.

"Thanks Goose. I'm so glad you two annoyed me into coming here tonight." I take a sip of my beer.

"Why don't you try actually talking to some people?" Mav asks. "I mean, between last night and tonight, I'm starting to think you pay rent for this corner."

I give him a smirk. "Saw your conversation you had with Iceman and his RIO, Slider, earlier. As much fun as it was to watch you four attempt to assert dominance, I don't know how I can compete with that level of testosterone."

It has been a grand total of one day in Top Gun and I have already come to the conclusion that Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, who happened to be the spiky-haired blond who was looking at me this morning, is an egotistical prick who's going to be nothing but a headache to work with for the rest of our time here. He walks around the airfield as if he is a blessing to the Navy and, just in our classes today, I had to stop myself from punching him after he kept making side comments to his RIO after every one of my answers.

Maverick looks over his shoulder towards the man in question. "Yeah, well, guess we'll just have to see how he flys tomorrow."

"He's one of the best," Goose adds, leaning up against the wall next to me. "He flys ice cold, no mistakes. He wears you down, you get bored and frustrated, you do something stupid and he's got you." I give the RIO a questioning look, to which he shrugs, taking a sip of his drink. "I do my research."

I chuckle. "Well, using that as a gauge of how it's going to be to interact with any of the other guys here, it looks like I'm going to be staying right here for the rest of the night."

Maverick smirks at me before turning towards his friend. "You know, Goose, I think she's lost that loving feeling."

I narrow my eyes. "That what?"

"No," Goose immediately replies. "No she hasn't."

"Oh, she has." The pilot quickly makes his way to who knows where, leaving his RIO to let out a groan beside me as he pushes off the wall.

"I hate when you girls do that," he mumbles, trudging after his friend.

I watch the two of them go, shaking my head at whatever antics they're about to take part in. As they leave, I feel another body lean up next to me. "So, you and Mav know each other."

I close my eyes and let out a sigh, trying with every fiber of my being to not hit the man next to me. "What do you want, Ice?"

"Can't I make conversation with my fellow Top Gun classmate?"

"You can try," I turn to face him, "but so far you are on the bottom of the list of people I want to talk to in this bar and I don't know most of the people in here."

He smirks, taking a sip of his drink. "So, you need any help?"

I scoff. "With what?"

"You figure it out yet?"