Say You Won't Let Go

TOPGUN Instructors

Abigail is a very stubborn woman, that has been established for a long time. Even in the hospital, she stuck to taking care of things by herself. So obviously she hasn't told anyone of this weird reoccurring pain in the leg that was amputated last year. Or the nightmares, which come about two to three times a week. When her missing leg wasn't bothering her, the nightmares were. Full nights of sleep were a luxury she often did not possess.

And unfortunately those restless nights often took a toll on important days such as this one, where her and Rooster stand in the front of the class while they impatiently wait for the twelve new students to come flooding in.

"You know, you can get back up into the air again. It's-"

"No." Abigail immediately answers before Rooster could even get the rest of his sentence out. He takes note of how she stiffened her body and the way her eyes displayed all of the emotion that she wouldn't let appear on her face.

"But the navy allows amputee pilots to continue flying, you could be flying over the ocean again in no time." Rooster pushes, standing with his arms behind his back. He studies her curiously. Her jaw clenched. "Forget it, Bradley. It'll never happen." She says sternly, leaving no room for protests. She put her hands in her pockets to hide the shaking that had started after her nerves skyrocketed.

As far as Abigail was concerned, the only thing remotely close to her ever piloting again will be teaching the new generation of aviators that are seconds away from entering this classroom. She will never be inside of a cockpit again.

The first bunch of students walk in and take a seat in the soft blue chairs. But one of them sticks out more than the rest, causing both Abigail and Rooster to nearly choke on air. The latter turns around to face the wall, praying that the woman who just walked in did not recognize him.

Abigail stands there with her mouth wide open, giving Rooster a weary look. "Did you just unknowingly serenade one of our Top Gun students last night?" She whisper shouts to him, joining him in the corner of the room where he is as a pale as a ghost. Rooster nods softly, absolutely horrified.

If Cyclone ever heard about this-

"You look like you're gonna pass out, dude." Abigail raises her eyebrows in amusement, turning her head back around to confirm what they thought they saw. Liliana is sitting a few rows back, talking to one of the other female aviators. Rooster clears his throat and wipes his hands against the legs of his flight suit. "Nope. Everything's good. I am professional, what I did last night was Bradley. Right now I am Lieutenant Bradshaw or Rooster. I'm an instructor. I will-"

"I'm gonna stop you there or else you'll be going on for the entire class." Abigail interrupts him, crossing her arms over her chest. Rooster sticks out his bottom lip and hums in thought. "That doesn't sound like such a bad thing." He shrugs. Abigail chuckles and returns to her spot by the podium, taking in the faces of the new recruits.

It takes Rooster a second, but he eventually builds up the courage to join her side, their arms placed behind their backs. He takes the time to puff his chest out and make his neck as long as possible to make Abigail seem short. He had spent years gaslighting the woman that was actually taller than most of the females in her family. He was yet to be successful in making her believe she was short, but she got a kick out of the weird stances he does to make himself look giant.

Once twelve faces were accounted for, Abigail took a few steps sideways to be at her place on the podium. She clears her throat, successfully catching the attention of everyone. She forces a kind smile on her face. "Good morning. I am Captain Abigail Seresin, callsign "Iceberg", and this is Lieutenant Bradshaw, callsign "Rooster". We are two of your 35 Top Gun instructors. But enough about us," she pauses, scanning each and every face personally. "You guys are the top one percent of all naval aviators. That itself is a very impressive accomplishment. You're the elite, the best of the best." She turns to Rooster, motioning for him to continue.