It's a quiet night towards the end of summer. The beginning of Pete Mitchell's and Persephone Elowen's senior year was just around the corner. Both teens had mixed feelings about their senior year. Pete was more ready to get out of school, whereas Percy worried about what would happen after senior year.

Pete looked out his bedroom window, noticing a figure sitting on the treehouse, and a soft smile tugged on his lips. There was a big tree between his house and Percy's house, so they had decided on making a treehouse, putting a walkway from Percy's window to Pete's window so their houses would be more connected and they could easily visit each other.

Since his window was already open, he didn't have to open it before climbing through. He walked on the bridge over to the tree house. Now that he was on the porch of the tree house, he saw his best friend sitting on the porch swing her dad had made.

"Hey, Sephy." Pete greeted, walking over to her.

Percy heard him walking on the bridge and stepping onto the treehouse, but she didn't look away from the night sky until he spoke. She looks at him with a smile. "Hey, Petey." She scooted over, patting the empty place next to her. That was a silent way of telling him to sit next to her.

Pete chuckles lightly and sits beside her, leaning against the back of the porch swing. The two teens look up at the night sky as a comfortable silence falls between them. "So, what's wrong?" Pete is the one to speak up, glancing at the brunette beside him.

Percy sighs, shoulders dropping in defeat. She didn't even bother lying because she knew Pete would find out eventually. "I'm worried about everything after high school."

Although he felt he knew, he still raised his eyebrow and asked, "Like?"

That question caused Percy to ramble. "Are we still going to be friends? What if you get into Top Gun and I don't? What if I get into Top Gun and you don't? What if we drift apart and we both get into Top Gun, and things get really awkward 'cause we aren't friends anymore? What if-"

"Okay, okay," Pete chuckles, and he stops her rambling. "Enough with all the 'what ifs'." He turns to face her completely, looking at her with a reassuring smile upon seeing her worried expression. "I can't promise anything 'cause I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know this, we shouldn't worry about all that right now. We should focus on us right now. We should try to have a great senior year and continue to make memories we'll remember forever."

Percy's lips curve upwards, and a small giggle escapes her lips. "Like when I caught you dancing and singing in the kitchen when you were supposed to be cleaning, and you were using the broom as a microphone?"

Pete, now slightly embarrassed, chuckles and nods. "Yeah, I guess like that." He turns to face forward and throws his arm around her shoulders. "We got nothing to worry about, Percy. I'm positive we're always gonna stick together."

"And I believe you." Percy smiles, leaning her head on Pete's shoulder. She chuckles. "You know I'm still gonna worry about that. That's just what I do. I worry about things."

Pete laughs lightly, and he smiles slightly. "I know."

He remembered when he once got into a fight at school and got a black eye. In his defense, he got into a fight with another student who said some not-so-nice things about Percy, and when he wouldn't stop, that was when Pete punched him and the fight between them started. Pete won the fight, only getting a black eye and a couple of bruises, while the other boy was a bit worse than him. Percy had freaked out after hearing about the fight, and being her worried self, she bombarded Pete with questions such as why he got into a fight, who he got into a fight with, and how stupid he was to get into a fight, etc. 

When Pete admitted the reason he got into a fight, Percy thought it was very sweet of him to defend her, but she also wished he didn't have to get into a fight. She then took him to the nurse and stayed with him while he got checked up. She even said some jokes or said a funny memory of them to help him forget the pain he was in as he held the ice pack to his black eye.

"But right here and right now, I feel safe and sound." Percy commented. Pete hummed in agreement and smiled while he leaned his head on hers.

****

Six years later, Percy and Pete are still the best of friends, and just like they both wanted, they got into Top Gun. Now Percy was at a nearby bar with her girl best friend and RIO, Reyna Parsons. This bar was popular, always buzzing with people and the pilots often went there.

"Did I really have to come here with you?" Percy whined. If it wasn't obvious already, Percy hated going to bars. Always drunk people, someone flirting with someone or making out with someone. She doesn't really like to go out to places like this. It's just not her scene. Why go to the bar when you can read a good book at home all comfy in your pjs?

Percy and Reyna sat at the bar, wearing their white uniforms slightly similar to the boys' white uniforms, but they were still different. The main difference was that the women had to wear skirts while the men wore pants. Of course, if Percy and Reyna had a choice, they would prefer pants, but they didn't have a say in their uniforms. They were glad that their normal uniform included pants because they figured it would be weird to fly with a skirt on. Percy had her brunette hair up in a cute but messy bun, and Reyna braided her brunette hair into a French braid.

"Yes," Reyna rolls her eyes, chuckling lightly. "'Cause otherwise you would already be in your apartment getting ready for bed." She smiles. "Don't worry, you'll thank me for this."

"Or I'll regret everything and blame you for it." Percy mumbled.

"Yeah, that's more like it." Reyna nods, her gaze heading to the door when she notices someone. "Ooh, hey, there's you-know-who."

"Pete's here?" Percy raises her eyebrows, glancing in the direction Reyna was looking at. Her cheeks heat up after catching the look Reyna sent her. She looks at Reyna, rolling her eyes. "What?"

Reyna smirks. "The fact you knew who I was talking about just proves you have a crush on him."

"Just 'cause I want my other best friend to be here doesn't mean I have a crush on him." Percy argued, ignoring her cheeks continuing to heat up.

"Sure." Reyna dragged out the word, not believing a single word Percy said. Percy sighed, shaking her head. She knew that Reyna was right, but was she going to admit it? Not at all. At least not yet.

"Hello, ladies." Nick Bradshaw, otherwise known as Goose, greeted once he and Pete walked over to the two women.

"Hey, guys." Reyna smiled at the two men.

"Percy," Pete smiles at Percy. "I'm surprised to see you here. But I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah, well, then I guess I'm glad to be here since you're glad I'm here." Percy smiled.

"You're welcome." Reyna said to Pete, flipping her braid that was resting on her shoulder so it was resting on her back now, but she did it dramatically, and that dramatic flair earned a chuckle from Percy and Nick.

Pete raises an eyebrow at her, confused at what she meant by that. "What?"

"If it wasn't for me, Perce wouldn't be here," Reyna replies with a small smile. She throws her arm around Percy's shoulders with a teasing smirk on her lips. "I literally had to drag her out of her apartment to get here." Percy rolls her eyes at hearing that. It was true that Reyna had to drag her out of her apartment, but she didn't actually drag her. Reyna was being a bit dramatic with explaining. "I promised her I would give her one of my books she likes." Reyna added.

Nick laughs. "Yep, I'm not surprised."

Nick and Pete look at Percy with amusement. "In my defense, I don't have that book, and it's just another great one to add to my collection." Percy grins. "Plus she does owe me after forcing me to go here. Speaking of which," She turns to Reyna with a pleading and leans over to lean her head on Reyna's shoulders. "Can we go now? I'm bored."

"We've been here exactly five minutes, and you already wants to leave." Reyna chuckles. She pats the side of Percy's head. "Try to stay a lil longer. Preferably more than five minutes."

"Fine." Percy groaned, and she sat up straighter.

"Mav wants to know who the best of the best is." Nick changed the subject, putting his hand on Pete's shoulder.

Percy nods in realization, glancing at Pete. "Is that what you were doing in class earlier today? I was confused at why you were looking at everyone."

"Yeah." Pete admitted.

"I hate to say it, I really do hate to say it," Reyna mutters with a look of disgust on her face and she earns a giggle from Percy. "But Iceman is the best of the best."

"She's right." Nick agrees. He points at man with sunglasses on and who was drinking. That man is Tom Kazansky, otherwise known as Iceman. "His callsign is Iceman 'cause that's the way he flies, ice-cold, no mistakes. Just wears you down. You get bored, frustrated, do something stupid, and he's got you."

"One time Sunny messed up, and Iceman wouldn't stop teasing her about it for a whole week." Percy chuckled, smiling sweetly at Reyna when Reyna glared at her, most likely upset with Percy for telling someone about her mistake.

Slider, Rick Rossovich, Iceman's RIO, walks over to the group and talks with Nick for a bit before Iceman himself joins the group. "Blaze, surprised but delighted to see you here." Tom smiled at Percy.

Yep, Percy's callsign is Blaze. And yes, while it is a cool callsign the reason she got it is not so cool. She had been cooking in the kitchen when she had accidentally caught something on fire and that's how she got her callsign. But, in her opinion, the reason how Reyna got her callsign is much better than her reason. Reyna received the callsign Sunny because of her golden retriever personality. She was loyal, energetic, protective, and easily distracted; the list went on with how similar she acted to a golden retriever.

"Good to see you too, Iceman." Percy smiled slightly at Tom.

"Sunny." Tom nodded at Reyna with an obvious fake smile on his lips.

"Iceman." Reyna replied, tilting her head to the side with a fake smile on her lips as well.

Percy leans over to Pete, who had been standing beside her this whole time, and whispers, "If it wasn't clear, they don't like each other."

Pete nods, smiling with amusement. "Yeah, I got it, Perce." Percy chuckled and nodded, moving away to lean her elbow on the counter behind her.

"Hey, Mother Goose. How's it going?" Tom said to Nick, and the two men shook hands.

"Good, Tom." Nick responded.

"This is Pete Mitchell." Nick introduces Pete and Tom to each other. "Tom Kazansky."

Tom shakes Pete's hand. "Congratulations on Top Gun."

Pete smiles. "Thank you."

"Sorry to hear about Cougar. He and I were like brothers in flight school." Tom admits. "He was a good man." 

Percy frowned at the mention of Cougar, casting her gaze to the floor. Cougar used to be in Top Gun until Cougar quit. Cougar was great at what he did, but after one mistake that almost got him killed, he decided to quit. He wanted to be with his family and Percy understood and respected his decision. But she still missed him on the team.

Pete corrects him. "Still is a good man."

"Yeah, that's what I meant." Tom commented. Reyna rolled her eyes, already annoyed by him, and he hadn't said much to her yet.

"Thought so." Pete nodded, taking a sip of the beer he had gotten from the bar.

"Say, you need any help?" Tom asked Pete.

"With what?" Pete replied.

"You figured it out yet?" Tom questioned.

"What's that?" Pete tilted his head to the side.

Tom smirks. "Who's the best pilot."

"No, I think I can figure that one out on my own." Pete answered.

"I heard that about you." Tom nods. "You like to work alone."

Pete wanted to say that wasn't true since he worked with Goose and he also worked with Percy before on many things such as school stuff, and they even worked on their treehouse, but he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Mav, you must've soloed under a lucky star, huh?" Rick asks. "I mean, first the MiG, and then you guys slide into Cougar's spot."

"They earned his spot fair and square. It was theirs." Percy chimed in and brought her gaze from the floor to look at Slider, defending Nick and Pete. Nick and Pete shot her a thankful glance for standing up for them.

"Yeah, well, some pilots wait for their career just to see a MiG up close." Rick said. "Guess you guys are lucky and famous?"

"No, you mean notorious." Tom chuckles. He smiles at the group of four pilots. "I'll see you later."

"You can count on it." Pete responded.

After Tom and Rick left, Nick remarks, "They were abused children."

"Who were dropped on their head many times." Reyna added. Percy smiled a bit since she was amused by Nick's and Reyna's remark, and Reyna shared a laugh with Nick, who leaned on the counter beside her.

"We're gonna have a good time." Pete smiled, clinking his beer bottle with Nick's.

"Always." Nick agreed.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are, I'll be here being bored." Percy sighed, leaning her elbow on the counter, and rested her head on her hand.

"Well, you could be bored and drunk, but you don't drink so that's really your fault." Reyna smiled sweetly at her after Percy sent her a small glare.

"Someone has to be the designated driver to drive you idiots back to your homes." Percy remarked.

"Alright, I guess it's my turn." Nick said, turning to Pete.

"You guys are still doing that stupid bet?" Reyna asked.

"Yep." Nick smiles. "Alright, the bet is twenty dollars." Percy and Reyna exchanged a glance, chuckling as they rolled their eyes.

"Twenty dollars. Right." Pete nodded.

"You have to have carnal knowledge, of a lady this time, on the premises." Nick explained.

"On the premises." Pete repeated, his eyes locked on someone already. Percy followed his gaze, noticing a blonde-haired woman sitting down at a nearby table. She couldn't help feel a bit sad to know he would have feelings for someone else.

"Come on, Mav. A bet's a bet." Nick tried to convince Pete to go along with the bet, not seeing that Pete was looking at a woman.

"I don't know, it just, uh...It just doesn't seem fair. For you, I mean." Pete stammers, putting a hand on Nick's shoulders. Nick finally looks in the direction Pete was looking at with awe. "...She's lost that loving feeling."

"She lost..." Nick looks back at Pete, who nods. "No, she hasn't." Nick shook his head.

"Yes, she has." Pete argued.

Meanwhile, Percy and Reyna watched Nick and Pete interact with amusement. Even though Percy was a bit upset Pete was most likely going to act out the blonde-haired woman this interaction was funny.

"She has not lost that..." Nick's voice trailed off, still not believing Pete.

"Goose, she's lost it." Pete nodded, beginning to walk over to the blonde-haired woman.

"Mav, come on." Nick calls out to him, trying to get him to stop. He looks at the two women next to him with annoyance. "I hate it when she does that."

As Nick and Pete walked away, Percy and Reyna turns to face each other and conversed with each other. Percy tilts her head to the side at feeling a tap on her shoulder and she turns around, not expecting Pete to be standing there with a microphone in hand. He smiles at her. "Excuse me, miss."

Percy raises her eyebrows, her lips beginning to curve upwards. She shoots Reyna a confused glance as if she knew what Pete was doing. Reyna looked just as confused as her though and she shrugged her shoulders in response. Percy looked back at Pete with a small smile on her lips. Before she could say anything, Nick stepped in, pushing Pete back.

"Hey, hey, hey." Nick looks at Percy reassuringly. "Don't' worry, I'll take care of this." He and Pete face each other, and after Pete pats his shoulder, Nick dramatically turns back around to face Percy. At the same time, Pete points at Percy as he sings into the microphone he held. "You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips."

Percy couldn't hide the smile on her face, and she shared an amused look with Reyna, who was trying not to laugh. While Pete continues to sing, he and Nick sway back and forth. "There's no tenderness like before in your fingertips." Nick sang, snapping his fingers along with Pete.

Percy could feel her face heat up upon noticing some people around them were now watching. She had no idea these boys planned on singing to her. She thought they would sing to that blonde-haired woman across the room, but it seemed like they had other plans.

"You're trying hard not to show it." Pete continued.

"Baby." Percy glances around at all the pilots with wide eyes when they sing along. She looked back at Reyna with a look that read 'help me', who just shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. Now all the pilots in the bar were singing along with Pete and Nick. "But, baby, believe me I know it." 

Reyna joins the rest of the pilots in singing just to embarrass Percy more, and honestly, she wanted to join in on the fun. Percy shoots her a playful glare when Reyna leans over to her, resting her head on Percy's shoulder. "You've lost that loving feeling." Percy shoved Reyna's head off her shoulder, earning a laugh from the brunette. Reyna grinned at her, playfully nudging her. Percy chuckled a bit and rolled her eyes.

"Woah," Pete outstretches a hand to her with a smirk on his lips. Percy's face was a bright red, and her cheeks hurt so much from smiling. She hesitantly took his hand, standing up as she did so. She knew she might as well go along with what he had planned otherwise, she might've looked like a fool. "That loving feeling."

Some of the pilots who had crowded around the two women pilots moved back a bit to give Percy and Pete space to dance. Nick moves over to stand by Reyna, his arm was thrown over her shoulders, and her arm was wrapped over his shoulders, both smiling as they sing along with the others. "You've lost that loving feeling." Pete twirls Percy out and then back in, smiling widely upon hearing her giggle. They got into the position to dance together (well, more like sway together), meaning one of his hands on her waist, his hand holding the microphone also held her hand, and her other hand was rested on his shoulder. "Now it's gone, gone, gone."

"Woah, woah, woah. Ba-doom, ba-doom, ba-doom. Boom. Boom. Ba-doom." Pete then dipped Percy, causing her to giggle and smile shyly. He smiled brightly at her as they both stood.

"Not bad, Petey." Percy complimented.

This time Pete smiles shyly. "Thanks, Sephy."

By this point, the pilots had moved away and continued on having fun with singing the song. One of the pilots had even taken the microphone from Pete which he didn't mind since he didn't need it anymore. Reyna had also joined the other pilots with singing, allowing Pete a seat beside Percy.

"So," Percy sits back down as Pete sat beside her. They both turn to face each other, and Percy tilts her head to the side, glancing at him curiously. "Why'd you sing to me and not to that blonde-haired woman you were looking at earlier?"

"Well, I knew you weren't having a fun time and I wanted to change that." Pete replies. He smiles at her, tilting his head to the side. "Did it work?"

"Maybe." Percy confessed, her lips forming into a small smile, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I think it worked." Pete grins. Percy's smile grew and she nods in agreement. "You think you'll stay a little bit longer?" He asks, causing her to sigh and look at the ground. "I know this isn't really your scene," He said, tilting his head to the side and looking down to try to get her to look at him again. He smiles softly at her when she looks at him. "But it just wouldn't be the same without you here."

Percy's heart fluttered when he said that, thinking he was sweet to say that. She had a feeling it wouldn't matter if she was there or not, but it meant a lot to her to know Pete wanted her to stay. Pete exhales sharply with a grimaced expression as if he was going to regret what he was going to say, but he manages to force a smile. "How about if you stay for a little bit longer I'll do a photoshoot."

Percy's face lit up when he said that and she smiled excitedly. Even though she is a student at Top Gun, she also has a passion for photography and is even a part time photographer for a magazine about the navy. She was given the job to take some pictures of naval aviators, some of Top Gun, some of planes in the air, etcetera. Thanks to getting permission to take pictures at Top Gun she has been able to get some great pictures that other photographers weren't able to get. 

She has been trying to get Pete to do a photoshoot for so long now, but he just wouldn't cave in. Percy knows Pete doesn't like to do photoshoots or have his picture taken. She remembered the time they went to the prom together their senior year as friends, and her mom took so many pictures. It was clear that Pete was annoyed by the many pictures taken and that he just wanted it to be over with. So, the fact that Pete offered to do a photoshoot made her beyond happy. 

"Deal." Percy immediately said, earning a surprised laugh from Pete.

"Seriously?" Pete asked her.

"Do you know how long I've been trying to get you to do a photoshoot?" Percy questions incredulously, and he chuckles. She smiles. "If getting you to do a photoshoot means staying at a bar longer then I'll do it."

"Great." Pete grins. "So," He stands up, outstretching his hand to her. "You up for some more dancing?"

Percy sighs heavily, acting as if she didn't want to, but then she smiles. She stands, holding onto his hand. "Sure."

A/N ah i literally love percy & pete so much & it's only the first chapter !! & i am loving reyna's & nick's friendship!!! also if it wasn't obvious there's gonna be some enemies to lovers with reyna & tom :)