Stars - Iceman (Top Gun)

Nine

I had to make some slight changes as the letters were requests to become wingmen, not RIOs. Sorry about that! They wanted to become the other's RIO.

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The next day was clear and barely any clouds were out. Tom thought this was the perfect day to take Sarah on her date. After they flew their combat missions, which were very easy today, Tom pulled Sarah aside in the changing room. Pete looked at them with sharp eyes. Nick just looked guilty.

"Well, I've decided what we will do for a date," Tom smirked.

"Already? I expected it to be a week or so from now!" Sarah sounded shocked.

"It's best to get the hard part out of the way. Anticipation will just make it worse, and I didn't want you badgering me about it every day," Tom laughed.

"Okay, let me get changed and we can go. Can I ask where we are going, though?"

"Nope! It's a secret. I don't want any of them..." he motioned to the other pilots. "...to know."

"Fine," Sarah huffed and walked away.

Pete walked over to Tom. "What were you telling Sarah?"

"Why is it any of your business?"

"She's my friend, I ought to know!"

"That's a weak argument and this conversation is pointless anyways. Don't worry, I'll have her back before midnight, dad," Tom finished and walked away from him, going out into the hallway. Sarah was there, waiting for him.

"Mind if I go to my building first to change into something more... appropriate for a date? I'm sure you wouldn't want to go on a date in plainclothes."

"No, actually, stay in your regular clothes. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Alright then," She blushed a little. He is thinking about me!

It was currently midday. Tom planned to go to a different restaurant than the one last night so no one could see them together. Sarah got in his car and he started to drive away from the base. Of course, he had prior permission from Viper to leave. They arrived at the restaurant, a nice place on the outskirts of town.

"We're here!" He said, getting out of the car. They walked in and sat down in a booth across from each other. Sarah ordered tea and Tom got water.

"Dang, Ice, are you too cool to get something else rather than water?" Sarah teased.

"Nah, but I'm sure that tea isn't as sweet as you look right now," He replied, brushing some hair out of her face.

They got their drinks and ordered food. While waiting, they talked about Top Gun and how it is like so far.

"Well, Jacob is still going strong as my RIO."

"Slider is too, even though he can be a little... intense."

"Can Jacob fly?" Tom suddenly asked.

"Yeah, he actually practices in his free time. He's gotten pretty good at it and can correct my moves from the back of the Tomcat if I get too out of line," Sarah sipped her drink. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm glad that an RIO can actually fly the plane, Slider isn't even able to get it off the ground even if he tried," Tom laughed.

Sarah gave him a grin, and the food arrived. They finished eating and paid. "Well, thank you for the date. I really enjoyed it, but don't let the others hear that I said that," She teased him. The sun was close to setting.

"I have one last surprise for you! But we have to hurry!" Tom said quickly. Sarah got in the car, bewildered, and watched him drive to the same beach that they played volleyball on yesterday. He went up a hill to the highest peak of the cliffs.

"What is this for, Ice?" Sarah asked quickly. Tom sat down on the rocks.

"Sit down here," He patted the ground beside him. She sat down. They were dangerously close to her comfort. Even though she wanted to move away, her eyes were glued to the sunset. Tom wrapped an arm around her and she began to tear up. He held her close as the sun disappeared into the horizon. She wrapped her left arm around him and hugged him. They stayed there for a while, breathing in the cool night air.

Sarah eventually fell asleep on him again. Not that he didn't like it, but this time he couldn't just nudge her awake. He carefully took her arm off of him and carried her bridal style to his car. He put her in the front seat and started the car. He checked her occasionally to make sure she was fine and breathing well. She didn't stir, so he stayed silent the whole drive to her building. The door was unlocked, so he took her to the bed and laid her down slowly so she wouldn't wake up. Then, he drove back to his bunkhouse.

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The next morning, Sarah woke up in her bed. Wha... what happened here? Oh, the date. That sunset was beautiful, but so was he...

She got up and walked over to Tom's building. He was waiting for her there. They held hands as they walked up to the cafeteria, smiling to each other along the way. The date was successful.

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Viper's POV:
He took out the letters once more and studied them carefully. Jester agreed that they should switch RIOs, and Viper did a background check on Jacob to make sure that he could fly correctly. It turns out, he is just as good as a flier as Sarah is, but he chose to be her RIO. He prepared himself to tell them the news.

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Mixed POV:

A commander walked in and scanned the room. He then said in a loud voice, "Riser, Glory, Slider, and Iceman. You are needed in Viper's office." The four of them looked at each other and stood up. Emotions crossed each one of their faces- anger, confusion, sadness? They made their way to Viper's office where he sat waiting for them.

"Slider, Iceman, Glory, and Riser," He said in a slow voice.

"Yes, sir?" They asked at the same time.

"Two requests have been put in to switch things up a bit. The higher ups and I agree that it is a change for the better. Iceman and Riser?"

"Yes, sir?" They replied.

"You two will be on a team from now on. Slider and Glory, you both will also be on a separate team."

All four of them nodded. They couldn't say anything inside the office as Viper could easily kick them all out. "Slider and Glory, you're dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" They left the office. Actually, they were pretty good friends, since Tom and Sarah decided to ditch them. They didn't mind being at each other's backs, they would just have to work harder.

"Riser and Iceman. You two were the ones who put in the letters of request. Maybe you didn't know the other wrote a letter to become the other's RIO, but the change has been done. Congratulations," Viper said in a steady voice.

Tom and Sarah looked at each other, eyes wide. "He/she did think the same thing I was thinking!"

"Sir, permission to ask a question," Sarah said.

"Granted. What's on your mind?"

"Would it be okay if we started in two days - the weekend - to gather training from our old RIOs... sir?"

"Of course, but after two days, you must be flying in your new teams."

She nodded, wanting to get out of the office to discuss this. "Dismissed," Viper said.

As they walked out, they looked at Jester. He slightly nodded to them as congrats.

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Sarah and Ice are now on the same team! Let's hope they don't get into too many shenanigans!