A Ghost Playing Hangman

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A/N: So, I recently watched Top Gun Maverick and man did that put me on a new writing kick. Planning on making this a series if you all like it! First one of these for Top Gun, any feedback is much welcomed!

You had been called back to Top Gun, for what you had no idea. But the names on that list were the best of the best. Even though you were one of the newest graduates to come out of the academy, you very quickly made a name for yourself. Records had been broken and people found out the hard way that you were nearly impossible to shoot down. The call sign "Ghost" caught on and you hadn't looked back since. You had more talent than any pilot should have, but the cockiness others had was something you never seemed to master. Leaving a lot of room for your insecurities and second guessing, no one was harder on yourself than you. Or so you thought.

After getting in late last night, you chose not to head to the Hard Deck with all the other aviators missing the chance to mingle before the hard work started. It wasn't lost on you that there was only one other female in the group, making you stand out more than you wanted. A few looks were thrown your way, more curious than anything. But it was the tall blonde with the obnoxious smirk that caught your eye. "You didn't get the pleasure of meeting me last night, sweetheart."

Guys like this were what gave Top Gun pilots their reputation. Nothing could touch them, and no one could beat them. But this guy seemed to be the king of all douchebags. You managed to give him a pleasant smile and the reply, "Sounds like you missed out on showing off." And turned back to the front.

A few snickers could be heard and the female sitting in front of you turned to give you a handshake. "Phoenix."

You returned the gesture, "Ghost." Her eyebrows shot up at the name but didn't get to say anything as an older man walked through the hanger. He looked familiar, but you couldn't place him until the name "Maverick" was called out. Now this man was a walking legend and one you needed to get on the good side of. The speech started and you couldn't help but tune him out. It was always the same thing with these guys. We are the best, something crazy is going to happen, and if we don't stop it then the world will have a giant problem. Top Gun always had a flare for the dramatics. Your attention was pulled back when it was said that we would be dog fighting in pairs against the man himself. And that loser has to do 200 pushups, something you had zero intentions of doing.

A few of the pairs had gone up and were quickly back on the ground getting in a nice arm workout in. The issue with us is that we all have this drive to be the best and in situations like these, teamwork often gets thrown out the window. Something you learned when you went up with Hangman as your wingman.

"Hey Casper." You glanced over to the jet next to you, waiting for him to continue. "Is it true that they call you ghost because you disappear when things get a little tough?"

A scoff escaped your mouth, "Better than sending my teammates off in body bags, Bagman." You heard his laugh come through the headset and shook your head. Nothing seemed to phase this guy.

Maverick's jet flew in out of nowhere and it was only seconds after that you watched your wingman fly in the opposite direction. "Leaving your wing-man, there's a strategy I haven't seen in a while." You had to agree with Maverick and figured it was every man for themselves out here.

After somehow managing to evade his missile lock, Maverick changed strategies and went after Hangman. You took this opportunity to try and get your instructor in missile lock but decided to move a little slower than normal to give Hangman a reality check. It didn't take long for his voice to yell out for you. "Shit, Ghost, I can't see him, how close am I? Ghost?"

You tried to keep the smugness out of your voice, but it was a near impossible task. "Sorry Hangman. You bailed and didn't tell me where you were going. Looks like you're on your own." A few more choice words were said towards you, but a few minutes later he was in missile lock.