The morning sun streams through the wide open hangar bay, lighting up rows of desks arranged on the tarmac. The faint hum of jet engines echoes in the distance as Jester stands at the front of the class, exuding his usual no nonsense demeanor.

"Now," Jester begins, his voice cutting through the idle chatter of the class. "You will also be trained and evaluated by a few civilian specialists."

The pilots exchange curious glances, shifting in their seats. Maverick clicks his pen absentmindedly while Goose, seated beside him in the front row, adjusts his aviators and leans back like he owns the place. Behind them, Ace sketches in her notebook, entirely uninterested in the lecture, while Spades props her chin on her hand, occasionally glancing at her partner's doodles.

"The civilians are here because they're our very best source of information on enemy aircraft," Jester continues, pacing slightly. "Two of the most qualified are our TAGREPs, callsigns Charlie and Hammer."

Behind the class, Charlotte and Niall appear, walking into the hangar with quiet authority. Jester spots them first, offering a subtle nod, but the rest of the class remains oblivious.

"They both have Ph.D.s in astrophysics and are civilian contractors," Jester explains, folding his arms. "You don't salute them, but you will listen to them. The Pentagon listens to them about your proficiency, and so will you."

As Charlotte and Niall walk down the narrow aisle between the two rows of desks, whispers break out among the pilots. Most of the murmurs are about Charlotte, her sharp features framed by blonde hair. The sight of her catches Maverick's attention, and his jaw tightens when recognition strikes. Charlotte is the same woman he hit on at the bar last night.

"It's all yours, Charlie," Jester says as he gestures to the front of the room, stepping aside. Charlotte steps forward, her heels clicking against the polished floor.

"Hello," Charlotte begins, her voice crisp and authoritative.

Goose pulls off his aviators, blinking in surprise. Maverick looks down, his pen frozen mid click.

Behind them, Spades nudges Ace sharply, whispering, "That's them. From last night."

Ace barely looks up, but the moment she sees Niall, her body stiffens. Ace slides on her aviators and slouches low in her seat, muttering, "Just cover me."

Charlotte continues, completely unfazed by the restless energy in the room.

"We will be dealing with F-5s and A-4s as our MiG simulators. As most of you know, the F-5 doesn't have the thrust-to-weight ratio of the MiG-28, and it doesn't bleed energy below 300 knots like the MiG-28. However..."

As she speaks, Maverick leans his head on his hand, trying to blend into the background. He reaches for his aviators and slides them on, hoping she won't notice him.

"The MiG-28 does have a problem with its inverted flight tanks. It won't do a negative-G pushover. The latest intelligence..."

"Are you gonna tell her?" Goose whispers, leaning over to Maverick with a smirk.

Maverick shakes his head slightly, muttering back, "Not a chance."

"Excuse me, lieutenant," Charlotte says sharply, her gaze locking onto Maverick. "Is there something wrong?" Maverick sits up straighter, his pen still in hand.

"Yes, ma'am," Maverick replies, his tone calm but challenging. "The data on the MiG is inaccurate."

A ripple of tension runs through the room as pilots glance at each other.

"How's that, lieutenant?" Charlotte asks as she tilts her head, her professional smile tightening. Maverick removes his aviators, holding her gaze.

"We..."

Goose clears his throat loudly.

"We," Goose corrects, leaning forward.

"Sorry, Goose," Maverick says with a small grin before continuing. "We happened to see a MiG-28 do a four-G negative dive."

"Where did you see this?" Niall asks as he crosses his arms.

"That's classified," Maverick responds as his smirk deepens.

"It's what?" Charlotte asks as she narrows her eyes.

"It's classified," Maverick repeats with mock seriousness, leaning back slightly. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

A faint laugh escapes from Iceman in the back row, though he quickly covers it with a cough.

"Lieutenant, we have top secret clearance. The Pentagon ensures we know more than you," Charlotte explains as her patience thins.

"Doesn't seem so in this case, does it?" Maverick responds with a shrug, feigning innocence.

Before Charlotte can retort, Ace finally speaks up, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Clearly, ma'am, you're not reading the right reports."

"Where exactly were you, lieutenant?" Charlotte asks as she ignores Ace, focusing entirely on Maverick. Maverick glances at Goose.

"We," Maverick emphasizes. "Were on his six when he pulled through the clouds. Then I moved in above him."

"If you were directly above him, how could you see him?" Charlotte asks as she raises an eyebrow.

"Because I was inverted," Maverick responds with a grin.

The class erupts into muffled laughter as Goose chimes in, "It was a really great move. He was inverted."

"Bullshit," Iceman mutters from the back, earning a chuckle from Slider.

"No, he was!" Goose insists, turning to face them. "I've got a Polaroid of it. It's a great picture."

"What were you doing there?" Charlotte asks as she exchanges a glance with Niall, clearly unimpressed.

"Communicating," Maverick answers smoothly.

"Communicating," Charlotte repeats, her tone skeptical.

"Keeping up foreign relations," Maverick explains with a smirk. "You know... giving him the bird."

Goose raises his hand as if demonstrating, inadvertently flipping Charlotte off.

"You know, the finger," Goose clarifies.

"Yes, Goose. I know the finger," Charlotte says as she glares.

"Sorry. I hate it when it does that," Goose responds as he scrambles to lower his hand.

The class bursts into laughter, but Charlotte stays focused on Maverick.

"So, you're the one," Charlotte says, her tone clipped.

"Yes, ma'am," Maverick replies, his grin unwavering.

"All right, gentlemen and ladies," Jester interjects, stepping forward. "We have a hop to take. The hard deck for this hop will be 10,000 feet. No engagement below that. Move it!"

The class quickly rises, chairs screeching against the floor as they prepare to head out. Ace and Spades exchange a knowing glance, while Maverick and Goose stroll out with their usual swagger, leaving Charlotte and Niall to shake their heads.

"Lieutenant," Niall's voice cuts through the chaos of the pilots walking into the building. Niall motions for Ace to hang back just as Charlotte strides off, hot on Maverick's trail.

Ace hesitates, glancing at Spades, who is already lingering by her side.

"Teeth check," Spades says, as she reaches out and tilts Ace's chin up. Ace smirks and flashes a smile.

"You're good," Spades assures her, leaning in for a closer look. "You look great, honey."

"Thanks," Ace replies, nudging Spades lightly toward the door everyone else had disappeared through. "Now go. See you in preflight."

Spades winks as she heads off, leaving Ace alone with Niall. The hum of the airfield feels louder as Ace pulls off her aviators, turning to face him. Niall stands there, hands stuffed in his pockets, calm and composed as ever.

"Surprised to see me?" Niall asks, his tone light but careful.

Ace exhales, a nervous smile creeping onto her face. Ace shifts her weight, kicking her boot softly against the tarmac.

"And a little embarrassed," Ace admits, avoiding his eyes for a moment before meeting them again. "Why didn't you tell me you were an instructor?"

"Would it have made any difference?" Niall asks as he raises an eyebrow.

A slow smirk spreads across Ace's face, though it does not quite reach her eyes.

"Considering you've probably read my file by now," Ace responds. "You know it wouldn't have made a difference."

Niall exhales, shaking his head as if both amused and frustrated by her honesty.

"I'm an instructor at this school," Niall reminds her, his voice quieter now. "If something went wrong and either one of us caught feelings, it could severely affect our careers. I'm not the son of an admiral looking for the thrill of possibly getting caught for a fling that won't even matter in a week."

Ace's smirk fades, her brow furrowing as his words sink in. Ace nods once, understanding but not liking it. For the first time in a long while, someone's words hit her harder than she expects.

"Right," Ace mutters.

Without another word, Ace turns and walks away. Niall stands rooted to the spot, watching her go. A sigh escapes him as he kicks at a desk sitting near the hangar doors. The hollow thud echoes faintly, but it does little to shake the frustration settling in his chest. Whatever chance Niall had with Ace feels like it just slipped through his fingers.

The metal stairs leading up to the flight deck creak under Maverick's boots as he jogs up, stopping when he spots Ace further up since she passed him when he was wrapping up his conversation with Charlotte. Ace's hand lifts briefly to her face, wiping away a tear she doesn't want anyone to see.

"Hey," Maverick calls, softening his voice. He slows his steps as he approaches, stopping a few feet away. "You okay?"

Ace freezes for a moment, then quickly wipes her cheek again. Ace forces a small smile and looks back at him over her shoulder.

"Never better," Ace says lightly, though her voice wavers just enough to give her away.

Maverick does not buy it. Maverick steps closer, resting his hand gently on her arm.

"Look," Maverick starts, his tone careful. "I can't promise I'll give the best advice, but if you ever need someone to talk to besides Spades, you can come to me."

Ace blinks, caught off guard by his sincerity. For a moment, her walls crack just a little. Ace lets out a soft laugh and shakes her head.

"Thanks, Mav," Ace says quietly. "You're full of surprises."

Before Maverick can respond, Ace leans in and presses a quick kiss to his cheek. Maverick blinks in surprise, but she is already moving, heading off with her usual confidence.

"See you up there," Ace calls back, her voice a little steadier now.

Maverick watches her go, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Maverick does not say it aloud, but he knows something has gotten under Ace's skin. And while Maverick may not know exactly what it is, he figures she will let him in when she is ready.

For now, Ace pushes Niall's words aside as Maverick's words slightly linger. There is work to do, and up in the sky, everything else fades away.