Top Gun: Maverick | Miles Teller & Tom Cruise

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"Made time for them but not for his own daughter." I said.

"You really wanna know me, Rooster?" I asked and he let out a chuckle as I used his fake callsign

"Yeah, I do." He said.

"It's not a fairytale with magic, rainbows and fairy dust." I said and he chuckled.

"I can take it." He said and we stood face to face, he looked down at me with a small smile.

We sat down on my balcony with a cup of coffee and we talked. I told him about my childhood, how it was growing up with the one and only, Tom Cruise, how it was when my mom got sick, the navy, top gun, Iraq, my favourite colour, food. The list became long. And he told me about his childhood, how he got into acting, his movies. His list became long in the end as well.

"You ever feel scared up in the air?" He asked.

"Never." I said.

"Honestly?" He asked and I nodded.

"If I get scared up there, I'm dead." I said.

"How often do you go on missions? Or is it like you go on tours like Iraq?" He asked.

"It differs, my squadron is based at Top Gun, whenever we aren't out we are here ready and prepared to jump in on a mission or wherever we are needed. But like to Mission Valley, I got called in when I was doing a tour in Iraq." I explained.

"And then you are on the next plane out of there." He said and I nodded.

"Do you ever feel like your tours in Iraq affects you in your personal life?" He asked taking a sip from his coffee.

"Not really, I honestly think it's different when you are an aviator. We don't see faces like field soldiers do." I said.

"When you are in the military, Miles, you can't feel and care." I said and looked him in the eyes.

"The enemy doesn't." I said.

"If I start to feel for the enemy then it's just to get out of there, I won't be able to do my job. It's either them or me." I said.

"And I don't plan to go home in a body bag." I said.

"When you are out on missions or if you are doing a tour, you have to think of yourself as dead." I said and he looked at me with concern.

"As soon as you do that, you will be able to do your job. Think yourself as alive, you will be careful. The military doesn't accept careful." I said and he nodded.

"Is that why you always are so serious and closed off when we are up in the air?" He asked.

"Yeah." I let out.

"It's a work injury." I said with a small chuckle.

"You are always at a risk when you go up there, anything can happen. And if I start to think and feel, I won't come back down in one piece." I said.

"I can't care as much as you can when you are working." I said and he nodded.

"Yeah, I get it. I won't be able to compare it but I get it." He said and I smiled softly.

"The purpose of this movie is to show how it is being a fighter pilot, that's why I am so tough on you guys. You need to feel how it is, how hard it is." I said and he nodded.

"Thank you for being honest with me." He said and I smiled lightly.

"You proved yourself worthy." I said and he smiled, he took my hand and stroked it lightly with his thumb. It sent butterflies in my stomach.