#yes I know that Mav doesn’t have his helmet on in the scene

[adiduck]

Since it's one of my favorite scenes in TGM, maybe the '86 boys finding the most beautiful plane ever built (i.e. the F-14 for those who don't know what I mean) and figuring out who gets to pilot and who has to backseat? Or '86 Ice and Mav after seeing the Admiral in his hospital bed? Or Ice having a chat with Rooster?

Gonna go with the first one, because I'm actually really pleased with the banter LOL

-

“Ice,” Mav says, hunched over as he looks through the binoculars. He’s gone very, very still.

“If it isn’t good news, don’t tell me,” Ice says.

“It’s… well, it’s news,” Mav says, and hands him the binoculars. “Last spot on the right.

Ice takes the binoculars and looks through them.

He stares.

“Well,” he says finally. “She may not fly.”

“That’s true,” Mav agrees.

“And we won’t outrun any of the bogeys in the air.”

“Also true.”

Ice falls silent again, staring. “...Rock-paper-scissors for the pilot seat?”

“You’re on,” Mav says.

-

“I can’t believe you cheated,” Mav hisses, as they slide down the last of the bank.

“I did not,” Ice lies. “How would someone cheat at rock-paper-scissors?”

“You hesitated!”

“You want a redo? I’m sure we could stop someone to referee,” Ice says. They start out into the open, looking around at all the people milling about like so many chickens with their heads cut off. “But if not, I think we should run.”

“Argh!” Mav says eloquently.

They run.

In front of them, an F-14 Tomcat looms large, big and beautiful and just for them.

By some miracle, nobody stops them as they dash across the runway towards her.

-

“Do you often cheat at rock-paper-scissors,” Mav asks, as Ice walks up to the generator, hoping against hope has he activates the machine--

It lights up.

“Fuck, yes,” Ice says.

“Glad you’re willing to admit it,” Mav says, because he’s a jackass. Ice rolls his eyes.

“No time to preflight,” he says, and rounds to march towards the ladder. “Unhook us will you?”

“No, I’m going to just stand here and wait for us to be caught,” Mav mutters.

Ice ignores him, jumping into the cockpit and hauling his helmet back on, taking in the familiar, if aged-looking, dashboard.

“Hi there, baby,” he says, and feels the warm weight of familiarity settle into his bones. He runs his fingers over the dashboard for a moment. “We’re gonna treat you right. You up for a last flight?” He flips the Master on, fingers flying through the start engine sequence. “Come on, sweetheart, you show these pretenders how it’s done--”

There’s a thrum, and the first engine turns over.

Down on the ground, Mav whoops.

Ice doesn’t bother to suppress his grin, cheeks hurting with it. “That’s what I’m fucking talking about,” he says, and lets reflex kick in, coaxing the second engine to life as Mav climbs in behind him.

“Fuck, it’s been a bit since I sat in this seat,” Mav complains through the radio, as Ice secures the canopy.

“Don’t worry, I’m not expecting you to be much help,” Ice assures him, and throttles forward and out of the hangar bay.

“Fuck you, too.”

Ice’s grin widens. “Don’t proposition me in front of our date, Mav, it’s bad form.”

“Oh, I’m sorry baby, you know you’re the only girl for us,” Mav says, instantly, sounding genuinely apologetic.

Ice shakes his head, taxiing them out and taking in the taxiway in front of them, the completely cratered runway. He feels the smile fall off his face slightly. “Hm.”

“...Taxiway it is, I guess,” Mav muses.

“Short runway takeoff,” Ice agrees. “You a praying man, Mav?”

“Nope.”

“Me neither,” Ice says, and starts the takeoff sequence. “Let’s go.”

-

[polar-equinoxx]

I’m covering my ears like a kid

When your words mean nothing I go la la la

[usuallydeepcoffee]

Fun idea that I KNOW you can turn into pure gold: Top Gun AU but with Steve!! Any paring is good!

NO ANON! You're not supposed to encourage me down this, admittedly delicuios, rabbit hole!

I think both Steve and Maverick have a lot in common. They’re both living legends. They share the same, disobey-your-superiors-if-it-means-saving-a-teammate tendency (although, I think Steve lacks the cockiness Mav has -as fun as it would be to imagine Steve asking Fury permission to buzz the tower and make him spill his coffee and go all "MOTHERFU-"). They both have lost their best friend in a sad incident (and wonder what they could’ve done to prevent that). And they love to ride their bikes in just a jacket + tight t-shirt and no fucking helmet on.

 Wait, I wasn’t supposed to ship them.

Also since catfa actually involves Steve disappearing on a plane, I guess you could keep this in your AUs as well; Steve was on a very dangerous mission, sacrificed himself and his plane crashed near the Artic, where they couldn’t find his remains. From there you could have:

Thundershield: an amnesiac Steve is rescued by a nice, Asgardian Norwegian God man who owns the local pub and who nurses him back to health. Once he gets better, he’s called back to Top Gun to lead one last, impossible missio- wait, wrong Tom Cruise franchise. Basically, Thor is Penny Benjamin in this lol.

Steggy: Steve is called back to Top Gun on Fury’s orders and is placed under ADM Peggy “Agent” Carter. Tbh I don’t have many thoughts, just head full of baby-faced!Steve x silver fox!Peggy Carter, because, yes.

Stoward: Omg. Imagine Howard being Steve’s WSO, getting to fly with him and believing he’s the best thing ever (I mean, literally canon). But then on the mission where Steve disappears, he ejects and the thought of leaving Steve behind torments him. ESPECIALLY when Steve turns up  a year later. Anyway, they get to go on one last mission together, so Howard takes a missile meant for Steve, who then swoops in and saves him in return -they make it back to the base, just like in the movie (only gayer because they kiss in front of everyone as Fury’s good eye twitches, but says nothing)

SamSteve/Romanogers/SamSteveNat: Enemies to lovers, Sam and Steve’s aircraft manages to take down two enemy airplanes, except Natasha and Yelena’s. The two end up in an impossible-to-win stand off, somehow manage to shoot each other down simultaneously. Both couples eject and they end up stranded on an island where they are forced to work together to survive. Yelena pretends she doesn’t understand English for a whole week. Anyway, in the end they maybe find out that both their govts wanted to fuck them over, or they wanted to fuck the whole world over so they uncover some big conspiracy. Or say fuck it and end up living on an island only wearing coconut shells for bras (looking at you, Steve). ALSO it’s the perfect setting for a volleyball/football scene.