A/N: Hi and welcome to my Top Gun Maverick OC story, just wanted to put out there that I'm from the UK so if anything's wrong or different it's because I have little to no knowledge of the US Navy, or the UK navy for that matter but it is just a fictional piece - so hoping you won't mind if things aren't exactly accurate!
Anyways I hope you enjoy and please leave a review if you can!! Thanks!
On March 3, 1969, the US Navy established a school for its best pilots, which accounted for 1% of the total. Its purpose is to teach the art of dogfighting, air combat, and to make men and women the best fighter pilots.
They have succeeded. Today the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School.
TOP GUN
It was a somewhat peaceful night as a dark haired women on a red motorbike pulled into the parking lot of the HotDeck bar. The woman let out a breath as she straightened, eyes narrowing behind her aviator sunglasses as she took in the figures she could see inside the bar windows. She shook her flight jacket, zipping it up to ensure it covered her shoulders before rubbing her hands on her jeans. Letting out another breath, she slid off the bike, her combat boots thudding on the concrete as she forced herself to enter.
The bar was dead compared to what she had come to know during her own time at Top Gun but busy enough that she blended into the background. Smiling at Penny, she took a seat at the bar.
"Hey Hawk, haven't seen you in months." Penny greeted, setting a beer in front of the dark haired girl.
"Hey Pen." The girl absently greeted in return, lifting her glasses to balance on her head as her eyes focused on the familiar pilots she could see playing darts on the other side. Penny shook her head but smiled as she rolled her eyes at the dark haired women, who continued to watch the other patrons of the bar.
The woman took a swig of the beer from the bottle as she kept a distant eye on the familiar faces, keeping to herself to avoid any unwanted attention until her usual backup arrived.
"So.. Sophie?" A voice asked from the women's left, making her twist her stool. Her eyes widened at the equally dark haired man sitting beside her.
"Da… Maverick." Sophie stuttered, eyes wide before they narrowed, "How'd you know he was coming here?"
Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell stared at the somewhat familiar face beside him. The woman's face was scrunched into a confused glare but there was no denying who she was, or certainly who she was related to. Her mother had had the same look when ever he'd say something stupid, and continued to have the same look whenever she'd told him about something stupid his only daughter had done. Sophie was the spitting image of her mother, from the oval brown eyes to the slim build, the only thing she'd seemed to have inherited from him was her dark hair and love of going as quickly as possible.
"What are you doing here?" Sophie repeated, her glare falling as she glanced around, "Dad?" She whispered to him.
"Umm, I, we'll," Pete started, throwing a worried look at Penny who was smirking to herself as she cleaned glasses nearby.
"It doesn't matter." Sophie eventually breathed, her dad taking too long to respond for her liking, "I thought from your last letter you were in California, but I guess you can't keep out of trouble for long." Her father smirked looking down at the bar top.
"I guess not." He compromised, "I thought you were deployed with,"
"He's on his way." Sophie cut in, her eyes flicking to the door with concern before turning back to her dad, "Please don't cause any trouble tonight. You know he doesn't want to see you."
"Have you told him," Pete started when Sophie cut in again.
"I like being friends with him so no, I haven't. He hasn't asked anyway, plus it's not like we do much more than write a letter every 3 months." Sophie shrugged, ignoring the slight look of hurt from her dad. Pete watched her gaze flit to the pilots that had claimed the beer from him not long ago, and opened his mouth to question it when Sophie let out a sigh and shook her head.
"Please just keep quiet dad, there's a reason I go by Collins and I could do with keeping it that way." Sophie admitted with a sad smile, before grabbing her beer and pushing herself off the stool. Pete watched her go, shaking his head and smirking at the bar slightly, Sophie's mom had had a sharp tongue too.
Sophie placed a smirk on her face as she came over to the pool table, leaning against a pillar as she took another swig. The familiar faces of Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Javy "Coyote" Machado, Robert "Bob" Floyd and Natasha "Phoenix" Trace all turned to look at her. She nearly laughed at the mixture of dread and excitement that appeared across their faces, the other two she hadn't met before staring at the group in confusion. Hangman was the first to recover.
"Well if it isn't the bird brigade, didn't think you'd be back for a few months given what happened." Hangman teased. Sophie's grip on the beer bottle tightened but didn't let her smirk fall into a glare.
"We'll Hangman, they asked for the best. Soooo, I assume you're here to clean the head?" Sophie bit back, her smirk growing as Phoenix and Bob looked down to hold their laughs in. Hangman threw a glare over his shoulder as he leaned down to take his shot, before a smirk covered his face.
"Lucky you got your call sign early on huh Hawk? Otherwise you'd be known as Crispy Duck." Sophie unconsciously rolled her left shoulder at the jibe, her smirk falling as glare replaced it. Phoenix narrowed her own eyes at the jibe as Bob and Coyote as well as the other two Top Gun recruits she hadn't seen before continued to look on confused.
"Hawk?" One of the recruits she hadn't met before questioned, eyeing the shorter girl with a vague look of recognition. Her glare dropped as her head turned to look at him.
"Lieutenant Sophie Collins." Sophie introduced, "I'm a Weapons System Officer."
"Payback, this is Fanboy." Payback greeted, holding out his hand for her to shake. Sophie pushed off the pillar, reaching with her free hand to shake Paybacks then Fanboy, "If you're the backseater then where's your pilot."
"He'll be here." Sophie smiled as she shrugged, tucking her free hand in her Jean pocket as she leaned back against the pillar, taking another drink. Payback and Fanboy shared a look, unsure what to make of the woman.
Sophie watched as the group continued to play pool, keeping her mouth closed to avoid causing any trouble. While she had inherited her sharp tongue from her mom, her mother had insisted she'd inherited the ability to get into trouble from her father, and seeing the man's record - it made sense. Her mom had made her promise to try and be more Collins than Mitchell, have more sense than bravery but that had gone out the window the minute Sophie had bought a bike then again when she joined the Navy with the sole goal to fly.
She glanced over her shoulders at the sound of the bar bell and the cheer of the crowd, rolling her eyes with a small smile at the disbelieving look on her dads face. Sophie turned her head back to the pool table, nudging Bob who'd come to rest beside her and pointing out an easy shot. Bob gave her a smile and nod, giving her a nudge in return as Hangman disappeared to the bar to get some of the group drinks.
"You backseaters scheming something?" Coyote asked, watching as the two seemed ti silently converse. Bob jumped at the call, Sophie shrugging her shoulders innocently..
"Wouldn't dream of it." Sophie smirked, earning a deadpan from Coyote.
"Don't think we don't know why you got your call sign, Hawk."
"I just pay attention Coyote." Sophie chuckled, taking another drink as Bob took his shot. Coyote rolled his eyes as Bob sunk the shot, throwing a light glare at Hawk who high-fived Phoenix.
The group continued their game, Sophie occasionally silently gesturing to Bob moves which he'd relay to Phoenix. It wasn't until Hangman had caught Payback laughing, that he'd noticed the hand signals and stood in front of the girl, blocking her view. Sophie rolled her eyes at the action, but sat down on Bobs abandoned stool, averting her gaze to the door to people watch, knowing her fun was over. Hangman seeing the woman stop signalling, took the moment to go get some of the group beers from the bar.
Sophie was only a free from Hangman for a few moments before her eyes caught the sight of a familiar face walking in, a smile blossoming across her face. Phoenix caught the other woman's smile and followed her gaze, smirking to herself as she saw Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw appear through the door.
"Bradshaw! Is that you?" Phoenix called across to the moustached pilot. The man in question glanced over at the shout, making his way directly over when he saw who called.
Sophie watched him walk closer, nearly rolling her eyes at the Hawaiian shirt, wifebeater combo he'd gone for. She'd been with him up until three hours ago, heading to her barracks to change into her civilian clothes, not feeling comfortable out in her military gear – even if it was on base. Rooster had obviously felt the same. Rooster gave her a smile on passing to see Phoenix, grabbing her beer out her hand as he passed.
"Is this how I would find out that you were state side?" Phoenix questioned, earning a shrug from Rooster as he took a drink of Sophie's beer.
"Yeah, I thought I'd surprise you." Rooster shook off pulling off his glasses with his free hand, standing directly behind Phoenix as she lined up her next shot. Sophie lifted her free hand to cover her mouth and hide her smile as the other woman thrust the cue back, hitting Rooster in the stomach.
"I guess I surprised you back." Phoenix retorted, standing up from her shot and turning to smirk down at a hunched over Rooster.
"It's good to see you." Rooster greeted, smiling through the pain as he tried to straighten himself, patting her on the arm.
"Good to see you too." Phoenix returned, Rooster patting her on the arm before coming back over to stand beside Sophie who had yet to get up and was back signalling to Bob. Rooster looked down at his shorter companion, silently noting her slightly tense frame as she gave instructions.
"Shoulder?" Rooster muttered to her under his breath, Sophie glanced to her right, her hands falling to her thighs. It was silent for a moment before she let out a breath and turned her focus to the table.
"It's a bit tight." She eventually supplied, Rooster nodding and gently tapping her on her right shoulder. Sophie hopped off the stool, following the taller pilot round to stand between him and Phoenix, offering the other woman a smile as they silently watched Bob lining up his next shot.
"Bradshaw? As I live and breathe." Hangman greeted, taking the cue from Bobs hand as he came back over to the table. Sophie rolling her eyes as Bob was subtly moved out the way by the bulkier pilot.
"Hangman? You look… good." Rooster offered, subtly nudging Sophie who'd let out a quiet scoff.
"Well, I am good, Rooster." Hangman agreed, taking the shot before looking over at the Pilot and WSO with a smug look, "I'm very good. In fact, I'm too good to be true."
Sophie bit her lip to keep her from saying something as Phoenix and Rooster shared a disbelieving look over her head. Hangman smirked across at Sophie, almost daring her to say something. The woman in question, narrowed her eyes but remained silent as she took her beer back from Rooster, taking a drink.
"Soooo… anybody know what this special detachment is all about?" Payback asked, trying to deflate the tension that was building between the group.
"No, mission's a mission. They don't confront me." Hangman replied, his focus back on the table as he lined up another shot, "What I wanna know is who's gonna be team leader? And which one of y'all has what it takes to follow me." Hangman smirked.
Sophie looked down at her beer bottle, picking at the label as she tried her very hardest not to say anything. She chanced a glance up at Rooster who was watching her, and sent him a one shoulder shrug. Rooster smirked in return, turning his gaze back to the pool table.
"Hangman, the only place you'll lead anyone is an early grave." Rooster responded, casting a smirk to the overly cocky pilot. The other men in the group shared an uneasy look, Fanboy letting out a noise of surprised laughter at the insult. Sophie stood quietly beside Rooster, smirking down at the floor as she continued to pick the label. Hangman eyed the Pilot and Backseater, sliding past Phoenix as he came to stand in front of the pair.
"Well, anyone who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel," Hangman retorted, before smirking down at Sophie, "or in your case, covered in it." He ignored Sophie's narrowed eyes as he looked back at his main target, "but that's just you, ain't it, Rooster? You're snug on that perch, waiting for just the right moment… that never comes."
Sophie and Rooster stood straight, staring down Hangman as they both took the jibes on the chin, already knowing if they said anything further Hangman would think he'd won. The blond haired pilot smiled at the two, almost able to sense their frustration as the song slow ride played in the background.
"I love this song." Hangman finished, another final jibe at Rooster before he disappeared off to pick up his beer. Rooster and Sophie let out breaths of frustration as they watched him, Phoenix coming over closer to them.
"Well, he hasn't changed." The woman offered, nudging Sophie who hummed in agreement.
"Nope. Sure hasn't." Rooster agreed, looking down at his backseater who was still watching Hangman. The dark haired girl, glanced up as she felt the stare, before her gaze drifted to the left a frown forming on her face as she watched more pilots filter in. Sophie narrowed her eyes in thought before turning back to Rooster and holding up her bottle in silent question. Smiling as he nodded, she walked over to the bar, smirking at her Father sat directly across from her.
"I'll take another two on the old man." Sophie teased, loud enough for Maverick to hear. Her dad shot her a sarcastic smile, Penny smiling and shaking her head at the two as she got the beers. Sophie watched as her Dad opened his mouth.
"He's fine dad." She cut in before he could get the question out, before narrowing her eyes at him, "Don't even think about it."
Pete's eyes rolled before he could stop them, his daughter sending him a smug smile as Penny handed her the beers before disappearing back over towards the other pilots. He hadn't realised how predictable he'd gotten when he spoke to her, but then again, her mother had been the same. She'd been one of the only few to try and predict what he would say, and having been raised by the woman, he wasn't shocked Sophie had picked up her tendencies to assume. However, he'd give her that she always seemed to get it right, or certainly when it came to him.
Sophie trailed back over to the side of the room where she could see Rooster eyeing the piano, smirking to herself as she stopped on his left. Rooster silently took the beer, offering a nod of thanks even as his gaze didn't move. Sophie nudged the man, to gain his attention.
"Go on Roost, it's been ages." Sophie encouraged, smiling up at him. Rooster smiled back, nodding his head and diving over to the jukebox to pull the plug. Sophie smiled to herself as the whole bar groaned and shouted with disappointment as the music cut out, moving over to lean against the piano as Rooster took his seat. He played with the keys, his aviator glasses over his eyes as he smirked at Sophie.
"Any requests?" He asked, Sophie smirking back.
"Just the usual please." She replied, setting her beer on the top on the piano as she squeezed onto the piano stool beside him. She absently pressed a few keys in tune with the jazz he was playing as the crowd came over, the two ignoring the bell going off signalling someone about to be thrown out. Rooster looked over his shoulder as a figure was thrown in the sand, Sophie rolling her eyes at his distraction and leaning over to tap out the first few bars of their favourite song.
Rooster twisted straight back around, taking over from Sophie who smiled at him, the two of them smiling as they sang along.
"You shake my nerves
and you rattle my brain!
Too much love
drives a man insane!
You broke my will
But what a Thrill
Goodness Gracious
Great Balls of Fire!"
The crowd was quick to join in singing along as the pilot and backseater led the chorus, Rooster on the keys as Sophie got up to sign with Phoenix, sharing a smile with Rooster. The two continued to amp up the crowd with the classic song, unaware of the sombre old pilot watching his only child singing along with his best friends son.
Sophie and Rooster continued to entertain the crowd for a few more songs, Rooster mainly on piano as Sophie continued to suggest and sing, her ability on the piano being limited to only one or two full songs. It wasn't much longer before the crowd started to drift apart, and disappear either out the door or over to the other side. Sophie sat herself back down beside Rooster as Phoenix finally decided it was time for her to leave, giving Rooster a small break as she took over playing some basic Jazz that Rooster had taught her as he got himself a drink.
"You're getting better." Rooster offered as he reappeared beside her, Sophie managing to finish nearly a full song by herself.
"Plenty of practice the last three months." She shrugged absently, biting her lip as she tried to finish without asking. Rooster smirked as he saw her face, silently nudging her left hand down two keys to put her back on track. Sophie didn't say anything but played on as her best friend took a seat back beside her.
Rooster took over the next song, Hawk silently looking around the bar as she noted only a few patrons being left and let out a sigh, she twisted to look at Rooster a small tired smile in her face.
"I think it's time to call it Roost." She offered with a smile, standing up. Bradley looked around, seeing the near empty bar and nodded his head.
"You're probably right." He agreed, standing up and grabbing their rather small group of empty bottles from the top of the piano and taking them over to the bar. They bid their goodnight to Penny, heading out into the cold night air. Sophie paused on the stairs, staring up to the starry sky as Rooster prepared to jump in his Jeep, pausing when he noticed Sophie wasn't at her bike. He wasn't he'd her for a few moments before removing his foot from the side, walking over to the stairs and looking up at the sky.
"See anything Hawk." He asked, breaking her out of her stare. Elsie shook her head with a small smile.
"Nah just always preferred the skies here." She admitted, hoping down the remaining steps so she was beside him. Rooster pulled her in for a one-armed hug, before separating and heading for his jeep as she slid onto her bike.
"See you tomorrow Roost." She called, as they both switched on their engines. Bradley noodles over to her, offering a wave as before the two of them took off, Sophie swooping off towards the barracks, a smile on her face as excitement grew for their training tomorrow.