Top Gun: Maverick | Miles Teller & Tom Cruise

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"Aye! Look at you!" I said happily as Monica and Glen walked out on the runway in their flight suit.

"I feel like Phoenix again!" Monica said happily and I chuckled.

"Good morning." Tom said with a smile as he as well had his flight suit on.

"How crazy isn't this?" I asked and they all chuckled. It was really crazy. I looked down at my flight suit where the name tag said "ROOSTER". I looked at my helmet which said the same. I kind of missed wearing this. It brought me back to some good times. Probably the best time of my life. The director came out as well with the entire photograph crew. We immediately got put in makeup chairs for some touch ups.

"Hi, everyone. Good to see you all." The director said with a wide smile after we all were ready to get this day started.

"Brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it?" He asked and we all nodded with smiles on our faces as we looked around on the jets. It definitely brought us back to the training program and to the actual shootings.

"Well, anyways." He said.

"There are a few things I need to declare before we get this day started." He said and we all nodded.

"Top Gun has been kind enough to let us use their facility for these three days, letting us move around and be wherever we want. But under one condition, we are not going to be flying any jets, I think you all understand why." He said and we nodded.

"So for the in-air photos they have been kind enough to lend us two of their fighter pilots. You all will take photos inside of the jets but not up in the air." He explained and we nodded once again. I don't think any of us were in any shape to be flying these jets. I know Glen got his pilot license recently but neither of us have been exposed to any G forces lately so getting up in the air in an F-18 would probably be a bad idea.

"And the pilots should be here by now." He said and looked around. And suddenly the doors to the facility opened and two figures walked out.

"Here they are!" He said happily. It took me a second to figure out who it was. We talked to most of the pilots during the production so we would definitely recognise who was walking towards us.

And then I saw it. Her. I saw her. And my heart stopped and I couldn't breathe. Her aviators were down on her nose, helmet under her arm, flight suit on. It sent me into shock. I looked over at Tom who was equally stunned by the sight of his daughter. He told me like 6 months ago that she apparently had been shipped back to Baghdad a month prior. He hadn't talked to her and he had no idea when she was coming back. And I haven't heard anything since. I don't think he knew she was back.

"Maverick! Hurricane, so good to see you both." The director said happily and they both nodded.

"What? Wait? What?" Tom asked shockingly.

"When.... when... when?" He asked and Lina looked stone cold. Emotionless. I've seen her in work mode and military mode before but not like this. It was like she didn't know who we were and she couldn't care less. I was just stunned she was standing in front of me. All I wanted was to pull her in for a hug. Kiss her. Take her home. Tell her that I still was so embarrassingly in love with her. That I missed her. That I was wrong. That she was the only one. That these months have been the worst in my life. That life without her was horrifying. But I couldn't. I just stood there. Like the dumbest fuck ever.