Roses || icemav

Wingmen

"You can be my wingman anytime," Iceman says, finally allowing the smile on his face.
"Bullshit," Maverick pauses for a millisecond, and anxiety slams it's cold hand on Ice before he finishes what he was saying. "You can be mine,"
He lets out a breath, relief filling his head and shooing away the feelings of doubt. And he thinks, yes, yes, yes.
Maverick steps half a step closer to him, he doesn't know why, but Ice immediately wraps his arms around him, pulling him into a hug.
And Maverick does the same back, and Ice almost can't believe it, but he has to, he was really there, really hugging him, really agreeing with him. Gotta be the first time he's agreed with me on something, he thinks.
But it's over too soon and Maverick releases him, smiling that smile that threatened to make Ice's legs buckle beneath him. He squeezes his shoulder just before Slider comes in and picks him up, cheering along with the rest of them.

Ice follows Maverick away from the crowd, leaving the cheering on the deck as they enter the hull.
"Why are you following me?" Maverick says, slowing and turning to look at him.
"I... want to talk to you," Ice replies, trying to square his shoulders and desperately trying to cling to his cold and confident persona, even though the pilot standing in front of him was looking at him like that.
Maverick raises his eyebrows. "Talk to me?"
"Mhm," Ice nods. "It was too loud up there," There were too many people for his liking. This conversation needed privacy, and Maverick was hard enough to talk to as it is.
Maverick leans back on the wall, tilting his head a fraction. "Talk to me 'bout what?"

Ice glances down at the floor for the tiniest second, sorting out the words in his head as best and as fast as he could. "Just wanted to ask if you found it all.. okay,"
Maverick inhales sharply through his nose. "Yup,"
And Ice knew he did not find it okay, at all. "Why are you lying?"
His green eyes harden and Ice is all too aware that he may have just crossed a line. "I'm not,"
"...I don't want this to turn tense," Ice says after a moment, still fixing his eyes on Maverick's.
"You should've made that decision yourself, earlier," Maverick's eyes were steady on his, and Ice blinks. What?
"What do you mean?"
"You know perfectly well what I mean," Maverick folds his arms, lifting his chin up.
Ice was lost, completely lost. "I don't,"
He frowns, trying to work out whether Ice didn't know at all, or if he was just saying that to irritate him more. "You mean you can't remember saying that I wouldn't be the proper choice for the task?"

Silence settles on them, and it feels like a cold wind just blew through Ice's chest. That's what he'd said. That's what Maverick was holding against him because he'd heard him.
"You weren't supposed to hear that," is all he can manage.
"Oh yeah? But I did, Kazansky, I did, and you, oh great 'ice-cold no mistakes', can't even think up why," Maverick's voice was vicious and mocking, it carved x's across Ice's chest.
Ice clenches his jaw and flicks his eyes around the corridor. "That was earlier Mav, before everything that happened, happened. I don't feel like that any more," He exhales. "I'm sorry,"
"Don't call me Mav,"
"I'm sorry," he says again. "But do you really think I'd ask if you wanted to be my wingman if I still thought that?"
He's quiet for a moment, staring at the floor, his eyebrows still lowered. "No,"
"Exactly," Ice says softly, moving his head to try and meet his eyes.

Maverick clenches his jaw and turns his head to the side, now refusing to look at him.
"Can we restart this?" Ice asks, hoping he says yes.
He sighs, dropping the tension from his shoulders and raising his head again. "Okay," his voice has gone monotone.
Ice offers his hand. "Hi,"
Then he looks at him, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Hi," he replies, taking Ice's hand.
Ice looks at him in the way he did when they first were introduced. No, they weren't as bright eyed and ego-full as they had been, but Maverick was still cute, Ice couldn't deny it from himself. "Congratulations on Top Gun,"
Maverick smirks. "Oh, okay, I see how you wanna do this,"
"Say your line then,"
"Thank you,"
Ice's smile widens just so his teeth start to show.
Maverick looks down at their hands, which were still intertwined.
Then Ice looks down too, and he blinks as he wiggles his hand out of Maverick's. He didn't really want to be asked why he was still holding on.
Maverick's green eyes lock back on his, and he tilts his head in question ever so slightly.
Iceman pretends not to notice.

"You really wanna be my wingman? I mean, you sure you wanna be stuck with me?"
Ice frowns slightly. "Well, I did think through that- you being dangerous, and- came to the conclusion, that yes, obviously I want to be your wingman,"
Maverick searches Ice's face for a deeper meaning, but Ice had hidden the real meaning so deep, none of it showed on his face. "Why? I thought you didn't like me,"
Ice swallows the words he wants to say. "Course I like you, Mav... erick," he continues his name. "I mean, sure, it took me a while to trust you but, I- we were rivals, not enemies,"
"Mhmm," he looks back down, still unsure.
I've liked you from day one. Ice thinks. "Come on, you're a handful, I'll give that to you, but it seems like we're stuck with each other now, so we may aswell make the most of it,"
Maverick sighs quietly.
"Yes I wanna be your wingman," He says, putting his hand on the side of his shoulder. "Believe me," he could go on, he could keep saying why he wanted to be his wingman, why he offered it, why he feels this way. But he doesn't, he doesn't need to, Maverick's looking at him, and Ice tries to ignore the highlights in the bottom of his eyes.
"Okay, yes," he sniffs, blinking a few times. "I wanna be your wingman too,"
Ice gives him a smile, an encouraging one. He'd just have to wait for the right time, and for his courage to show up, and for him to say what he wished he could.