Cowboy Casanova

16

 We all walked towards our planes, backpacks and helmets in hand. Most of us went to do maintenance on our jets, but I stayed behind when I heard my name being called. I turned around, seeing my dad. "Are you ready for this?" He asked me, not in a worried tone, but more so in a competitive way. I smiled, shaking my head at him.

"You've got years of experience on me, dad." He shrugged. "But I placed first in Top Gun." I sang as I started to walk backwards.

"The question is, are you ready for this?" I passed Bradley and I gave him a shrug. 

"You ready to give him hell?" We fist bumped before Bradley got called back by my dad too. I saw the irritated look on his face and he sighed. "Be nice." I whispered before I walked away, someone grabbing me by the waist. I groaned, knowing it was Hangman. "My dad is right there. What the fuck do you want?" He looked back at my dad and then to me.

"You're his daughter. Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you mention that you were a captain's daughter?" I shook my head, shrugging.

"Why should it matter?" He shut his mouth. "My dad doesn't tell me who he sleeps with and I don't tell him who I sleep with either. It's none of his business." Hangman didn't say anything but he looked down at me. "Stop feeling dirty about fucking the teacher's daughter and just focus on beating me, because it's going to take all you've got." He smirked at me.

"Wanna make it interesting?" I smirked up at him, leaning in close when I knew no one was watching.

"I already have. If you win, you take me back to your place and if I win, I'll take you back to mine." I kissed the exposed part of his neck, looking up at him. "Deal?" He licked his lips.

"You're dad will kill me." I shrugged.

"Only if he catches us." I start to walk away. "It's up to you." I wink at him, heading over to my plane.

The first two up were Payback and Fanboy (his backseater) and Rooster. The rest of us were stored away in an old Top Gun classroom. The radio played loudly so that we could hear what was going on up there. Hangman and Coyote sat on the couch, while I stood near the window, watching what little I could see from the ground. Phoenix and Bob were sitting right next to the radio, not wanting to miss a single thing. "Good morning, aviators. This is your Captain speaking." My father's confident voice rang through the radio. I smiled, more excited than anything. "Welcome to basic fighter maneuvers. As briefed, today's exercise is dogfighting. Guns only, no missiles. We do not go below the hard deck of 5000 feet. Working as a team you have to shoot me down, or else," he continued.

"Or else what sir?" I heard Payback say. I looked over to the radio, with a smirk resting on my lips.

"Or else I shoot back," Dad said back coolly.

"This guy needs an ego check." Jake shook his head as he stared at the model plane in his hands. I laughed, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, ok. Look who's talking." His eyes flashed over to mine as a smirk formed on his lips. But I ignored him, looking back out the window.

"Let's put some skin in the game?" Payback offered. I shook my head.

"Don't do it." I whispered.

"What do you have in mind?" I hear my dad ask. He doesn't care. He'll likely never have to do anything.

"Whoever gets shot down first has to do 200 push-ups." Payback said over the coms, causing me to shake my head. This won't end well for them.

"Guys..." Bradley warned but it was too late.

"That's a lot of push-ups."

"They don't call it an exercise for nothing, sir." Fanboy chimed in. I just shook my head. This would go by quickly. She listened as the guys were separated in the air. Their calls of shock at their captain's ingenuity with a plane were entertaining. Rooster was shot down, which meant he had to do the push ups. The group of us watched from the classroom as he did his pushups.

"That should be us down there." Payback shook his head.

"But it's not. And now you know a little something about Rooster." Nat told them with a smile. I knew she still cared for him. It was written all over her face. Fritz, Harvard, and Yale were next. They took a selfie with Rooster doing his pushups and I hoped that my dad would shoot them down quickly. They sure were confident in one another though. And true to my hoping, it wasn't much longer before they replaced Rooster on the tarmac doing their 200 pushups.

Next was Hangman, Phoenix, and Bob. This one would be more interesting for sure. Hangman had a confirmed kill. Other than me, he was the only one. My dad had three confirmed kills. "That's why we call him Hangman. He'll always leave you out to dry. Just ask Banshee." I slapped my head as eyes turned towards me. Thanks for bringing that one up. Phoenix and Bob were the first ones dead. Hangman was next when my dad flew towards the sun, blinding him. I loved that move. I was next and to be completely honest, I was excited but I wanted to beat him more than anything. I had something to prove. I had been talking a lot of talk and I knew my dad was eager to battle this one out.

I was in the air with Hangman. Neither of us had said a word yet. "Alright, old man. Are you ready to see who's the best?"

"Did you really just call me old? I shrugged, forgetting he couldn't see me.

"Maybe."

"Don't forget kid. I taught you all your best moves." I looked over at Hangman to make sure he was ready.

"Not all of them." Dad liked to come out of nowhere, it seemed like a habit of his. "Any eyes on Maverick?" I asked Hangman. I kept looking around to spot him, when I spotted a glimpse of a wing below my jet. "He's below us, break right." I shouted out, Hangman breaking right. I wanted to have some fun with this however, so I flipped my jet upside down, looking at my dad through the canopy. I waved. "Remember this one?" I asked, giggling before I broke left, flying away from him.

"You think you're cute." I shrugged, hearing my dad through the coms.

"Plenty of people think I'm cute." My dad had chased after Hangman, wanting him out, thinking he would be the easier target. He was right. Soon Hangman was out and it was just us left.

"Show me what you've got." Dad was trialing me and when he thought he had me, I suddenly flew up, braking to flip behind him. "No bad, kid." A smile appeared on my face, but it only lasted a few seconds before I realized how low we were. I felt my breathing quicken and I tried to concentrate on my dad's jet. I needed to beat him; I could worry about this later. I followed after him, watching as he flew back up above the hard deck, going towards the sun. His classic move. But I stayed lower, not following him into the bright light. That would get me killed faster. But because I didn't follow him, I had lost him.

"Damn it." I muttered as I flew around, looking for any sign of him. I looked up at the right moment, seeing the shadow of his place fly above me. "Got it." I jerked my plane up, chasing after him again. I make a fierce split-S maneuver and roll right, trying to pull underneath Mav. But he turns left and down to get back on the offensive, getting behind me enough to get a tone. "Fuck." I mutter under my breath, ripping off my mask.

"Good work. Head back and talk to Hondo about your pushups." By the time my dad had landed, Hangman and I were already doing our pushups. I huffed, watching my dad look over at us. He gave me a smile. Dad dismissed us when the day was done but I stayed behind for a second, wanting to talk to him.

"How did I do? Be honest with me. Be my instructor and not my dad. Just for a second." He nodded.

"You were the best. I wasn't going easy on you either. But I think you had me below the hard deck and you got distracted. What were you thinking?" I didn't think he had noticed. It was such a short moment of anxiety that I didn't think anyone had noticed. But he's right. I could've taken the shot there and I would've won.

"The last time I was that low, I crashed. It was a fleeting moment of anxiety and I made sure that it didn't get to me, sir." He nodded, giving me a smile.

"Can I talk to you as your dad now?" I chuckled, nodding.

"You're a triple threat kid. You've got my speed and skills, Ice's quick thinking, and Goose's humor." I scoffed, laughing a little as I looked down. "You should be proud of yourself. Because I know I am." He pulled me in for a hug but I pushed him away.

"Sorry, dad, but you smell worse than the men's locker room."