Wild Heart - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

14. Take My Breath Away

"Would you like to come in?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, fiddling with his aviator glasses in his hands. Both understood the implications of her words. 

She smiled. "Very sure."

He smiled too.  "Okay."

"This door's always open to you." He had walked her to the door and both made to move inside.  "Oh - WAIT!" she whirled around, stopping him from entering. Now he appeared startled.  "Before we go in, I just have to clean some stuff up-"

"I was just here-"

"I know, but as soon as you left it all went to hell again! Give me thirty seconds!" With that she slipped inside, shutting the door in his face, and turned to face the mess that was her apartment once again, yet again. "Shit!"

She did a quick scan: okay, couch, clear that. Bedroom - definitely clear that.

As she scrambled around, once again like a chicken with its head cut off, her phone buzzed with a message.

Pete: It's been more than thirty seconds ;)

Finley: :P :P :P

She could picture him laughing. 

Moments later, as she was  in her room  tossing dirty clothes from the floor and into the hamper, her phone rang. PETE.

"What?" she demanded, half in real exasperation and half in exaggeration.  "I'm busy in here you know."

"You've seen how messy my place is."

"Not that it's a competition, but mine could give yours a run for it's money!"

"Your neighbours are giving me weird looks..."

"They are not! Now stop distracting me!" She ended the call and tossed her phone on the bed which she began to make and smooth out the blankets, cursing herself for not just getting in the routine of better organization. Growing up, she'd been pretty good with all that, but ever since moving out on her own she had played by her own messy rules. 

Okay, couch clear: check. Bedroom clear: check. Protection: check. Robe with the lace she had treated herself to for last Valentine's Day: check.

Okay, maybe nothing would happen, but that was definitely what she had been implying when inviting him into her home... 

She was pretty madly in love with him, and he seemed to share her sentiments. She didn't care if it seemed like they were moving quickly, she wanted to act on her feelings.

She recalled Ice's words from earlier: "I saw that kiss in my driveway - you kids have fun."

"Will do, Sir," she muttered with a smile and chuckle. 

Satisfied after her mad scramble, she opened the door, leaning against the frame. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain. Come on in."

"You're always worth the wait." He was still standing on the front step.  

"Aw-" She lay her hand on her chest over her heart.  "Now get in here-" He laughed as she grabbed his arm and dragged him inside. "Have I given you a tour of my apartment?"

"I've seen the kitchen, the living room, and the bathroom."

"That's most of it, but not all-" She offered her hand.  "Follow me, Peter-" Okay, that had been pretty smooth, she had to give herself credit for that. She knew she'd have a use for that later. 

She'd had one boyfriend in early high school, but they'd broke it off when he moved away. Her next was in senior year and they'd tried long distance when she went away to college but it quickly crashed and burned. And then she'd dated in the beginning at college but quickly found that getting a degree, holding down a job, and just all round living was a lot on its own, let alone throwing any romantic stuff in there. So it had been a few years at least, but this, with Pete, despite being still early on in their relationship, was the best so far without a doubt. 

Afterwards, they lay together in her bed, talking and laughing. 

"Do you have to be at the school bright and early tomorrow?"

He shook his head.  "Not tomorrow. We all have a day off."

"I thought you were on a serious time crunch."

"We are, but we all need some time to decompress and keep our sanity - or what's left of it. So the admirals are giving us the day."

"Could that be Ice's doing? Keeping an eye on all of you?"

"Perhaps - he is my Guardian Angel after all. So if you want, I'm all yours tomorrow."

"You sure you want to spend your one free day with me?"

"There's nothing I'd rather do." 

"Good answer." They kissed.

Then things turned serious.

"I was so nervous to tell you how I felt," he admitted with a sweet, shy smile. "I didn't want you to think I was being creepy or anything..."

"Trust me, I've encountered creepy, and you are not creepy." She ran her fingers through his hair, messing it up like she liked when it was blowing in the wind on the bike or boat. He was the sweetest. 

"I told Ice and he reminded me that after this job retirement is up and coming and he said was I going to be alone and sad? He reminded me that maybe I do deserve to be happy." He blushed and looked down at this admission. 

She tucked her finger below his chin and drew his head upwards to look at her. "Of course you deserve to be happy - I'm so sorry that anyone ever made you believe otherwise."

"I'm not sure it was anyone else so much as myself and the guilt I've felt since Goose's death."

"That wasn't your fault, but you were there, so I can understand where the guilt comes from. I'm sorry about that too."

"Yeah, worst day of my life..." He nuzzled her neck with his nose.  "Sorry, I didn't mean to make things sad."

"No, I like that you're open about this stuff. Don't ever apologize for it."

"Okay, I won't."

"Promise?"

He chuckled, his breath tickling her neck. "I promise." 

A knock at the front door sounded then, making them both jump.

"Fin?" called a voice from the outside.  "Fin, you home?"

It was Bradley. 

(I absolutely love when Penny leaves the door open for him in the movie, opening her home to him, it's beautiful! :)

 Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))