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Beau looks up from his desk when Admiral Bates knocks, waits for permission to enter, then opens the door. "Admiral. Something I can do for you?"
"This just came for you."
Cyclone accepts the orange envelope with a sliver of apprehension. "I don't suppose you have any idea what's inside?"
"Not a clue."
The binding clip stares Beau down. He has a bad feeling about this. So, with a small click of his tongue, he opens the package and dips his hand inside to retrieve a bundled section of paper. Sliding it free reveals a folded letter and a small packet with the seal of official documentation accompanied by the name of the late Admiral Tom Kazansky. It's addressed directly to Cyclone.
"Do you need a minute, Cy?"
"No. You can stay," Beau answers, staring at the top of the page with trepidation. This has to be about Maverick.
Warlock tilts his head with that musing smile of his. "You look like you're staring over a cliff."
"I might be." Beau runs a hand over his cropped hair and sighs, opening his eyes and reading over the first line of the letter. For being given a personal message from Iceman himself, he's not near as excited as he'd like to be. He glazes past the opening salutation to his object of dread. "I definitely might be."
With regards to Maverick. I understand most of the admiralty are not of the same mind as I am on the subject of his continued presence within the Navy, but by the time this reaches you, it should have been made abundantly clear as to my reasoning. Admittedly, yes, he is, in no uncertain terms, a pain in the ass. But, as you have likely learned, it is a pain to be borne with fond exasperation.
Unfortunately, it will not be mine to bear for much longer. Therefore, it is not lightly that I make this request, and it is certainly unorthodox, but you're a good man who I hope understands the necessity of good pilots.
Take care of Maverick, and though it might pain you, learn from him. I understand that sometimes, it will be nigh unbearable, that he will do his level best to make your life hell, but I assure you, he will never do so out of malice or pettiness. Maverick is deeply and utterly human, and for that we can all be grateful. His methods may very well save you one day, and I pray you'll enable him to save others by teaching them to be good people as well as good pilots. Rooster will undoubtedly follow in his footsteps.
Oh, and do us all a favor and don't try to promote him. Chances are, he'll piss you off on purpose to get out of it.
Best wishes,
-Ice
Beau throws the paper on the floor and groans, unable to help himself as he leans down and bangs his head on the desk. "Fuck."
"Something wrong, Cyclone?"
"Ha!" the admiral barks, feeling sick to his stomach. "Admiral Kazansky."
Warlock meets his eyes when Beau lifts his head, arching a speculative brow. "It can't be that bad, can it?"
"He entrusted Maverick to me in his fucking will."
"... What?" Bates asks, the word easing out with careful indifference.
He wants to laugh. Cyclone knows Bates wants to laugh, but the rear admiral is far too composed to break so easily. "The man is dead and he's still saving Maverick's ass. Wants me to keep him in Top Gun."
"You say that like you weren't planning to keep him around anyway."
Beau scowls. "Yeah, but at least before, it was optional."
"It technically still could be."
"Like hell it is," Beau grumbles, massaging his temples.
The windows rattle from the distant passing of a pair of jets, the mark of Maverick's continued presence on the base. Those low-level flying routes are going to drive Beau insane, but now that the pressure is off, Maverick has the special detachment flying them for fun and good practice. They've gotten exceptionally good at working together.
Maverick is the biggest pain in the ass Beau has ever known, which is saying something, but... maybe Admiral Kazansky had a point.
The reckless pilot risked everything—his plane, his career, and even his life—to bring his squadron home. They needed someone who cared enough to teach them to come back alive even when all odds were against it, and Maverick was that someone.
He stole a multimillion-dollar aircraft to prove it could be done, but he did it.
"He's going to give me a stroke," Beau laments.
Warlock has the nerve to grin at him. "But he grows on you, doesn't he?"
"Like a fungus."