That Lovin' Feeling
The next shot was the entrance of a bar.
"Animal night," Reuben read the sign by the door.
The angle cut to inside the bar, Mav and Goose walking in together, wearing their white uniforms.
Jake whistled loudly, "Lookin' sharp, sir!"
"Thanks," Pete rolled his eyes.
"This is what I call a target rich environment," Mav spoke with a sharp grin on his face.
Bernie rolled his eyes.
Goose patted Mav's back, guiding him through the bar, "You live your life between your legs, Mav," Goose got in front of Mav, manuevering through the crowd of people in the bar.
"Goose, even you could get laid in a place like this," Mav remarked, following his friend.
Bradley gasped loudly and looked to Pete in horror.
"It was just a joke," Pete held his hands up in surrender.
"Tellin' ya, I'd be happy to find a girl who'd talk dirty to me,"
Bradley gasped loudly again but this time with more fauxness.
Goose adressed Mav who was grinning at the people they passed.
The angle cut to Iceman who was intently watching the duo as a woman clung to his arm.
"Gay," Jake coughed inconspicuously.
"Mav," Goose gestured him to come closer as the angle cut back to them, showing them at the bar, "You wanna know who the best is? That's him, Iceman," The angle cut back to Ice who was drinking some more from his glass, "It's the way he flies, Ice cold, no mistakes," The angle cut to Mav as Goose's voice continued as a voice over, Mav was staring intently at Ice, the lights shining down on him in a way that had his eyes sparkling, "He just wears you down, you get bored, frustrated, do somethin' stupid," The angle cut back to Goose who took a gulp from his beer bottle, "He's got you."
Everyone thought about Iceman with more awe after hearing that.
"Hey-ey, Slider~" Goose grinned as a figure moved in front of him, the man straightening as the other man stood before him, "Thought you wanted to be a pilot, man," Goose pulled the other man closer by his wings pinned to his shirt, "What happened?"
Bradley gawked at the moment playing on the screen. His dad was apparently not only maybe fruity but??? Also smooth???
"Is he gay?!" Bradley gawked at Pete.
"Bi," His brows furrowed, "Your mom never told you? Yeah, he and Slider dated when they were in flight school."
"Oh my god," Bradley looked on with wide eyes as the moment in time continued.
"Goose, you're such a dickhead," Slider scoffed, "Whose butt did you kiss to get in here?"
"Well, the list is long but distinguished," Goose continued with a cheeky grin.
"Yeah, well, so's my Johnson," Slider threw his head back, taking a shot.
"So you're flyin' with Iceman, huh?" Goose hummed as Slider set his glass down behind Goose.
"That's Mr. Iceman to you," Slider shot out.
"Hey, Mother Goose, how's it goin'?" Ice shook Goose's hand in greeting.
"Tom, this is Pete Mitchell," Goose gestured to Mav and once he got his attention he gestured to Ice, "Tom Kazansky."
"Congratulations on Top Gun," Ice said a lot more cordially.
Pete barked out a laugh at that.
"Thank you," His onscreen counterpart smiled almost...challengingly.
"Sorry to hear about Cougar. He and I were like brother's in flight school, he was a good man."
"Still is a good man," Mav said tightly.
"Yeah, that's what I meant," Ice popped some unshelled peanuts in his mouth.
"Thought so," Mav looked unimpressed.
"Say, do you need any help?" Ice put a hand on his hip, leaning closer to Mav.
"With what?" The other man brought his drink away from his lips, meeting Ice's gaze.
"Figured it out yet?" Ice grinned.
"What's that?" Mav averted his gaze slightly.
"The tension!" Bob gushed.
Ice chuckled quietly, "Who's the best pilot?" He grinned.
"No," A small grin was tugging at Mav's lips, "I think I can figure that one out on my own."
Ice's grin sharpened, "I heard that about you," His expression fell into something more serious and intense, "You like to work alone."
Mav's lips pulled into a small grin as he looked away.
The younger aviators all let their hands go lip in a fruity manner.
"Mav, you must've soared under a lucky star," Slider piped up, "First the MiG, then you guys slide into Cougar's spot."
"We didn't slide into Cougar's spot," Goose stepped closer to Slider, "It was ours, okay?"
"Yeah well, some pilots wait their whole career just to see a MiG up close. Guess you guys are lucky and famous," Slider threw his head back, taking another shot.
"No, you mean notorious," Ice chuckled, "I'll see ya later."
"You can count on it,"
"I love gay people," Natasha hissed under her breath.
Mav remarked with a fake grin that fell as the duo made their way away from them.
Goose slid closer to Mav, leaning toward's his friend.
"They were abused children," He tried to comfort him.
"We're gonna have a good time," Mav grinned at his friend.
"The sexual tension," Bob hissed dramatically.
"Isn't all dissimilar to Hangman and Rooster's," Natasha snickered, the duo in question stubbornly not looking at each other.
They clinked their beers together.
"Always," Goose cheered.
They turned back to the bar, looking out at the sea of people.
"Okay," Goose hummed, "I guess it's my turn, isn't it? Alright," He leaned against the bar, turning to Mav, "The bet is 20 dollars."
"Bet?" Mickey repeated with a raised brow, Pete merely shrugging.
"20 dollars," Mav repeated.
"You have to have carnal knowledge," He quickly specificed, "Of a lady this time."
Mav chuckled, grinning smugly.
"Ayo?!" Everyone turned to Pete sharply.
"What?" He frowned.
"Are you gay?!" Jake gushed.
"Bi," Pete specified, "Did none of you know this? It's not like I hide it anymore."
"I knew," Solomon piped up.
"Is that only 'cause you walked in on me and..." Pete trailed off.
"Yeah," Solomon admitted.
"Huh," Pete looked thoughtful, "Well, surprise?" He smiled awkwardly at everyone else.
Everyone continued to gawk at him.
"On the premises," Goose continued.
"On the premises," Mav repeated but it seemed like he was staring intently at someone or something.
The angle cut to a rather pretty blond woman sitting at the opposite bar.
Pete cringed and looked away.
"Well now, who is that?" Callie looked intrigued by Pete's reaction.
"You'll find out," He winced.
"Come on, Mav," Goose whined, "A bet's a bet."
The angle cut back to Mav who while his body was facing Goose, his eyes remained trained on the woman.
"I dunno it just, uh, it just doesn't seem fair. For you, I mean, but, uh..." He grabbed Goose's shoulder giving him a little shake, his friend's eyes now on the woman Mav was staring at, "...She's lost that loving feeling."
"What?" Jake snorted, amused.
"She's lost..." Goose trailed off, "No, she hasn't," He protested.
"Yes, she has," Mav's eyes shone.
"She has not lost that-"
"Goose, she's lost it."
"I have no idea what's happening but I love it," Javy snickered.
Mav turned away from his friend beginning to walk off.
"Mav, come on," Goose whined after him, "I hate it when she does that," He huffed, rising and following his friend with a, "Shit."
Mav picked up a microphone as he moved toward the woman.
"Oh, fuck no," Bernie buried his face in his hands, already knowing Mav would be embarassing himself, honestly as usual.
The angle cut to the back of the woman, Mav approaching her. Seated beside her was Chipper and Sundown, Sundown helping his friend drink some more bear.
"Sundown, what're you doin' buddy?" Pete noticed his friends in the corner of the screen.
"Excuse me, miss," His onscreen counterpart called out to the woman, tapping her shoulder.
She turned around, looking at him curiously.
"Hey, hey, hey," Goose who'd put his shades on intervened, stepping between Mav and the woman.
The angle changed to, behind the bar, looking straight on at the friends, also giving the audience a better view of Sundown completely wrapped around Chipper in a hug, duo giggling silently as they held each other.
"Is everyone gay in your top gun year?" Jake rose a brow.
"It's not really a great example 'cause it's not an accurate depiction of a love triangle but y'know how in Casablanca the girl likes the two guys?" Pete said.
"Yeah," Everyone said.
"Okay well like, instead of having a love triangle we kinda had a love circle? If that makes sense?"
"A love circle?" Natasha gawked.
"Give us details!" Bob gushed, thankful the screen was paused, that seemed to happen whenever someone said something, it'd stop for a few moments until everyone was paying attention again, must just be how high tech it was.
"Well," Pete hummed thoughtfully, "Again, Goose and Slider dated in flight school so they had lingering feelings and tension. Um, Slider also was super into Ice, Ice and I a-were," He corrected himself trying not to dwell on that pain, "Into each other, I was also into Wolf and Sundown who were also into me but eventually went onto have relationships with their respective flying partners and yeah," He shrugged with a smile.
"Wait so-so what about official relationships? Like they decided they were in a commited relationship?" Reuben wondered.
"Goose and Slider were once in a commited relationship. Wolfman and Hollywood are still in a commited relationship. Sundown and Chipper are also still in a commited relationship and Ice and I..." He trailed off.
"You were together," Bradley said softly, "I remember, throughout like...my whole childhood I remember you two were together."
"Yeah we um," Pete winced, "Had a falling out and decided to just be friends."
"Why?" Bradley asked sadly.
"Over you, actually," Pete said with a wry smile.
"Me?" Bradley looked stricken with guilt.
"No," Pete hastily said, "No, it, um, you didn't do anything. Ice just...needed me to tell the truth and I couldn't and then when I get mad I get even more emotionally unintelligent and we just...we worked through a lot and went through a lot together but...you can't really be with someone after they decide they're unworthy of love."
"Truth?" Bradley murmured before he was moving past that, "You should've convinced him he was worthy of your love."
Pete sent him a sad smile.
"Doofus," Natasha huffed, "Isn't it obvious Mav's the one who thinks he's unworthy of love?"
"You...you can't really fell that way, can you?" Bradley swallowed heavily.
Pete merely sighed sadly.
"I think...we should continue," Solomon said, "We don't want to overwhelm Mav."
"O-okay," Bradley blinked, heartbroken for the man who raised him.
"Don't worry about it," Goose said, "I'll take care of him."
Goose fully got between the duo, back to the woman.
Sundown put Chipper's bottle to his lips and bent it back, helping the man drink some more, both men with giddy smiles on their faces.
That got a halfhearted laugh out of everyone.
Suddenly Mav was tapping Goose's shoulder and he ducked down immediately. Mav rose up from behind Goose, pointing at the woman while singing.
"You never close your eyes anymore," He sang rather poorly.
Goose rose, standing by his side. Aviators all around them turned to the display.
"When I kiss your lips," Mav sang, the woman purst her lips, looking torn between being flattered and laughing at Mav's display.
Everyone laughed genuinely now, broken heart's for Pete momentarily forgotten.
"There's no tenderness like before," Goose sang much better, snapping along, "In your fingertips."
They were nearly completely surrounded now. Wolfman was behind Mav, grinning at the display, Chipper was silently wheezing, all his weight on Sundown who lowered his shades to look on more clearly. There were more people, other bar patrons, grinning at the show.
"You're trying hard not to show it," Mav sang.
"Baby," All the aviators sang the woman looking startled as much as amused, "But, baby! Believe me I know it, you've lost that loving feeling!"
The audience laughed heartily, noting they'd never seen Pete so free before.
"Whoa, that loving feeling," Eyes were closed as all the men really got into the song they were poorly singing, "You've lost that loving feeling! Now it's gone, gone, gone. Whoa, whoa, whoa," They sang, clapping on beat, "Ba-doom, ba-doom, ba-doom, boom, boom, ba-doom."
"Sit down," The woman grinned at Mav.
"Thank you!" Mav rose a hand in triumph as the aviators continued to sing.
"Baby, baby," Sundown sang, grinning widely as he and everyone disappeared into the crowd of other patrons, leaving Mav and the woman alone, "I get down on my knees for you."
"I love that song," The woman grinned, "I've never seen that approach.
Pete clicked his tongue and finger-gunned the tv, facepalms immediately shooting throughout the room.
"How long have you two been doing this act?
"Oh, I dunno," Pete hummed thoughtuflly, "Since..."
"Puberty?" She supplied.
"Right, puberty," He grinned.
"I'm Charlotte Blackwood," She introduced herself.
"Why do I know that name?" Logan frowned.
"I'm Maverick."
"Maverick?" She repeated, "Did your mother not like you or something?"
"Yes," Pete supplied with a snort.
"Dude," Jake looked to him with sympathy, the older man shrugging.
"No, it's my callsign," His onscreen counterpart explained.
"You're a pilot," She gasped dramatically.
"That's right, a naval aviator."
"Oh," She nodded in understanding although there was something in her tone.
"Is she...leading you on?" Callie wondered.
"Yes," Pete grinned casually, "Eventually we get together for real but right now yeah she's just teasing."
"Actually we've only done this twice," He answered her first question.
"Oh, how'd you do?"
"Crashed and burned on the first one," Mav admitted, "It wasn't pretty."
"And second?"
"I dunno," Mav grinned boyishly, "I'll tell you tomorrow but it's looking good so far."
Jake sputtered and laughed,
"Well, uh, Maverick," She stressed, "My friend's just arrived, so it's been great talking to you. Perry," She called out to the figure off screen, "Here you go," She handed him something, "I'll be with you in just a second, okay? Listen," She turned back to Mav as the man walked off, "Can I ask you a-a personal question?"
"That depends."
"Are you a-a good pilot?"
"I can hold my own."
"What?" Bernie gasped dramatically and sardonically, "Mav? Not boasting? Unheard of."
"Great," She grinned, "Then I won't have to worry about you making your living as a singer."
Mav watched her go with a grin, before turning to the bartender.
"I'm gonna need a beer to put these flames out," The bartender handed him one and he leaned against the bar top, "Great, Mav, real slick."
"Y'know talking to yourself is a sign of mental illness?" Beau piped up.
Pete made mocking sounds and everyone shook their heads fondly at the childish man.
The camera showed Charlotte slipping out of the booth she'd been sitting in before cutting back to Mav who looked thoughtful before moving to follow her. Mav followed her into none other than the bathroom.
"Mav!" Natasha smacked him in the back of his head, "That's creep behavior!"
"I know!" He winced as she hit him again, completely laying across Jake and Bradley as she did so, "And if I could go back in time I'd beat myself up, also y'know," He made a slitting throat gesture, "Anyways, I'd do a lot of stuff differently."
"Mav, you can't just say concerning things like that and expect us to just move on," Bernie sighed heavily.
"I didn't say anything," Pete protested, video thankfully resuming.
"It was a long cruise, was it, sailor?" Charlotte rose a brow at Mav.
"It was too long," He sighed dramatically,
"What do you wanna do?" She turned to him, "Just drop right down on the tile and go for it?"
Mav glanced down at the tile, "No, I actually had..." He turned to the counter he was leaning on, trying to shake it, when it didn't move he turned back to her, "Had this counter in mind."
Again the room was littered with the noise of echoing facepalms.
"Great, that would be very, very comfortable, yeah."
"It could be," Mav grinned, "Actually, I came in here to save you from making a big mistake with that older guy," He tutted.
"Really?" She gasped dramatically, "So I could go on to a bigger one with a young guy like yourself?"
"Ew!" Bradley shrieked, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut, "I don't wanna watch this."
"We don't have sex here," Pete rolled his eyes, "Wait," He whirled around to Agent Anderson, "Will this show me having sex with people?!"
"No," Agent Anderson promised, "That would be illegal."
"Oh, okay," Pete sighed in relief.
"Maybe," His onscreen counterpart grinned cockily, "No?"
"I've gotta be at work very early in the morning," She tutted, moving to leave the bathroom.
The angle cut to Goose idly inspecting his beer bottle, completely leaning against the bartop.
"Your friend was magnificent," Charlie hummed as she walked past the man.
Goose leaned forward, eyes blown wide. His gaze darted to Mav and he grinned in disbelief.
"Nah," He denied.
Everyone looked on in amusement and fondness at the two friends, once again terrified for what was to come.