Top Gun Maverick

4

"Okay, I guess it's my turn, isn't it?" Goose asks as he notices that Maverick is once again checking out the ladies or more specifically watching Ace. "All right, the bet is $20."

"Twenty dollars," Maverick agrees as he looks back over at Goose.

"You have to have carnal knowledge, of a lady this time, on the premises," Goose sets up the bet while Maverick starts to look around.

"On the premises," Maverick repeats as he glances over at Ace before deciding that he doesn't know enough about her to approach her. Maverick then locks eyes on a blonde, who is sitting down at the bar.

"Come on, Mav. A bet's a bet," Goose encourages as Maverick's eyes do not leave the blonde.

"I don't know, it just... it just doesn't seem fair. For you I mean," Maverick explains as he pats Goose on the shoulder. "But... She's lost that lovin' feeling."

"She's lost?" Goose goes to repeat as he looks over at the blonde before Maverick grabs his shoulder. "No, she hasn't."

"Yes, she has," Maverick states with a nod.

"She has not lost that..." Goose argues as he glances between the blonde and Maverick.

"Goose, she's lost it," Maverick finalizes as he walks away from Goose.

"I hate it when she does that," Goose pouts before he follows after Maverick.

"Excuse me, miss," Maverick says as he taps the blonde on the shoulder.

Spades taps Ace's shoulder as she sees some of the other pilots and RIOs gathering around Maverick and Goose. Ace raises an eyebrow in question before following Spades over to the others.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't worry, I'll take care of this," Goose says as he steps between the blonde and Maverick with his aviators on.

"You never close your eyes anymore. When I kiss your lips," Maverick sings as he points at the blonde. Ace looks at Spades in shock before they both start laughing.

"There's no tenderness like before in your fingertips," Goose sings as a few other pilots start to snap.

"You're trying hard not to show it," Maverick takes back over singing before the other pilots join in, including Ace and Spades. The blonde looks around at pilots with a smile on her face.

"Sit down," The blonde tells Maverick, causing the pilots to cheer while Maverick sits down beside the blonde. "I love that song. I've never seen that approach."

"I didn't catch your name earlier," The man that Ace was talking to says as he holds a hand out to Ace. "I'm Niall Shelton."

"I'm Ace," Ace responds as she shakes his hand, not realizing that she said her call sign instead of her name.

"Ace?" Niall questions with a slight look of confusion. "Did your mother not like you or something?"

"No, sorry. It's my callsign," Ace answers with an apologetic smile. "My name's Skylar Maddox."

"You're a pilot," Niall states with a raised eyebrow, having expected her to be apart of some lower level of the Navy.

"That's right, a naval aviator," Ace responds with a nod of agreement and proud smile.

"Oh," Niall says with a nod, causing Ace to frown since she knew he was about to make a run for it. "I'm sorry to cut this short but I have..."

"Save it," Ace interrupts him as she raises her hand to stop him. "Either you're intimidated or you think women are beneath men, so I'm going to do you a favor and walk away."

Niall stands there in shock as Ace goes to join Goose and Spades at the bar. Little did Ace know, neither of those were the reason he had not planned on going any further with her.

"No offense but men suck," Ace states as she sits on the barstool beside Goose.

"None taken," Goose says as he waves it off before motioning for the bartender to get them a round.

"So, what's a handsome guy like you doing not patrolling the floor?" Spades asks in a lame attempt to flirt, causing Ace to shake her head because she had noticed the ring on Goose's left hand.

"How are you my RIO, when you are that oblivious?" Ace teases as she motions to Goose's left hand as he raises it. "Congratulations by the way."

"Thanks. I'm one lucky man," Goose says as he grabs his wallet before pulling out a picture of his wife and son.

"I'm so jealous," Ace admits as she looks at his perfect little family.

Ace has a lot of fun, going from guy to guy. But, her goal was to have herself a family like Goose. That's if a guy would ever want to settle down with her with her being in the Navy.

"Your friend was magnificent," Charlotte lies as she walks past Goose, Ace, and Spades which causes the women to look at her confused.

Goose looks at her in shock as she continues to leave before looking over at Maverick, who stops beside him. 

"No," Goose says as he realizes that Maverick struck out.

"Well at least one of us got lucky," Ace remarks with a shake of her head before she finishes off her beer, not realizing that Charlotte lied. "I'll see you gents bright and early."

"She's something," Maverick says as he watches the two women leave the bar. "I never thought I'd see a woman at Top Gun, let alone as a pilot with another woman as her RIO at that."

"Believe me, Mav. She deserves to be here just as much as the rest of us," Goose explains as he remembers going through training with Ace, Spades, and Slider. "They don't call her Ace for no reason."

"And I'm guessing Spades has been her RIO since day one," Maverick adds as he realizes the connection of their call signs.

"That's correct," Goose concurs with a nod of his head.

"Looks like we may have some competition for being the best team after all," Maverick says with a smile.

"Which reminds me," Goose says as he holds out his hand to Maverick. "Pay up."

"Let's get out of here while we're ahead," Maverick suggests as he hands Goose a twenty dollar bill before paying off their beer tabs.