He'd see Iceman out at the club, always with some different woman. But he looked bored, somehow. Pete could tell that he wanted something more; someone he would have to chase and win over. Someone...dangerous.
And that was exactly, in Iceman's own words, how he had described Maverick. Something to be ignored? Not entirely. A bit of foreshadowing? Maybe.
The start of something unexpectedly beautiful? Maybe, as well.
The sentiment that Maverick shared with Goose about them having a good time at Top Gun was eerily correct; seeing as his R.I.O. didn't catch the sly smile that Tom shot Pete as he walked away, ever the suave one. Maverick would never, ever admit that that smile made him absolutely melt, and it was all he could do to maintain his composure and not show how much it affected him.
As a blatant contrast to the daring Iceman, Charlie's 'shy girl' act frustrated Maverick. She was all shiny, shiny veneer while there was something more than simple friendliness smoldering there in that Kazansky's eyes. It was the way he would pronounce Pete's callsign, every syllable flowing like turpentine; like Iceman's trademark slinking walk. With all that blatant sensuality emanating from him, Tom Kazansky made Charlie look like an innocent schoolgirl with a crush.
Truth be told, Ice enjoyed pushing Maverick's buttons. Pete's jaw would clench and he would get that restless fire in his eyes and push right back. But as soon as they'd be ready to hit each other out of tension, Tom ended it with a halfway explicit snap of flashing white teeth and draw an 'almost-laugh' from Pete. But there was always that fire in both of them; the fire that kept them competing and trying to stay one step ahead of the other.
However, that fire had been snuffed out in Maverick after Goose's death. It immensely annoyed Tom to see Pete sitting hunched over on the bench in defeat when he'd normally be goofing around with Goose or chatting with one of the others. He knew that the other pilot was going through a very tough loss, but Iceman felt somewhat lost without the fiery little guy snapping at his heels. He just wanted to get the fighting spirit back in Maverick. He debated punching him, but that would have been too rough. Kissing him? No matter how much Tom had wanted to, that would have...given away too much.
So he settled for stammering out an awkward apology in the locker room while Pete just stood there, facing away from the taller pilot. Ice felt that his words were useless, but Maverick had to hold onto the locker door with all his might to keep himself from whipping around and burying his face in Ice's chest and just bawling. No matter how much he would have liked to, that was just....not Maverick-like to do. .
Maverick was deathly loyal, hotheaded, standoffish, stubborn, a damn fine flyer, but also Iceman's weakness.
Iceman was smooth, handsome, cool, collected, witty, suave, and Maverick's reluctantly secret interest.
So it was a matter of who would give in first. But one thing's for sure:
It's going to be a hell of a show.
A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I own nothing, as always.
Cake and wishes times two
For those who fave and review.
(...Holy shit, I'm Doctor Seuss.)