You lay curled up on your cot, your eyes puffy and red from the countless hours of crying you have been doing over the past three days. Every time you think you have cried yourself out, that you couldn’t possibly have the energy or tears left to shed, you are hit by another wave of sobs. You know you should pull it together, to be as strong as all those around you, but you can’t. Working in the control room and monitoring things through a computer screen had always let you remain somewhat distanced from the loss and tragedies that could occur during missions. But this is different. You had never been this personally connected to one of the fighters before.
A light knock on your door stirs you from your grief. You mumble a soft, “Come in.” and see Phoenix slowly open the door.
“Hey, I thought you might want some company.” You nod as a single tear rolls down your cheek and she comes over to pull you into a hug. “It’s okay. There’s still a chance he could be okay.”
You sob into her chest, “It’s been three days. You guys ejected from your plane in the middle of a desert with no food, no water, no real kind of protective gear and no one has found any signs of Bob since. Even if he survived the crash, he almost definitely wouldn’t have made it this long on his own.” She just holds tighter to you, both of you knowing you are right and anything she says would just be wishful thinking.
Finally, you compose yourself somewhat and say, “I’m sorry. I know I should be stronger than this. I mean, we had only been going out for a few months. Plus, you guys have known him so much longer and you’re holding it together. I mean, he was your WSO and yet here you are comforting me! How pathetic can I be!”
Ahhh darling, if I could read your Bob fics for all eternity I think I’d be pretty happy
Poor baby Somehow I can picture in my head what he’d look like after that and I liked that that was what he went through (like I don’t like that he had to suffer but for like storytelling purposes I liked the choices here)
Thank you Sam!!! I do have a few more Bob fics in the works!!! (not sure about an eternity’s worth, but I’ll see what I can do! )
Also, I might have been watching For All Mankind right before writing this and the training session they have in Season 1 in the desert may have influenced the direction I took this.
You lay curled up on your cot, your eyes puffy and red from the countless hours of crying you have been doing over the past three days. Every time you think you have cried yourself out, that you couldn’t possibly have the energy or tears left to shed, you are hit by another wave of sobs. You know you should pull it together, to be as strong as all those around you, but you can’t. Working in the control room and monitoring things through a computer screen had always let you remain somewhat distanced from the loss and tragedies that could occur during missions. But this is different. You had never been this personally connected to one of the fighters before.
A light knock on your door stirs you from your grief. You mumble a soft, “Come in.” and see Phoenix slowly open the door.
“Hey, I thought you might want some company.” You nod as a single tear rolls down your cheek and she comes over to pull you into a hug. “It’s okay. There’s still a chance he could be okay.”
You sob into her chest, “It’s been three days. You guys ejected from your plane in the middle of a desert with no food, no water, no real kind of protective gear and no one has found any signs of Bob since. Even if he survived the crash, he almost definitely wouldn’t have made it this long on his own.” She just holds tighter to you, both of you knowing you are right and anything she says would just be wishful thinking.
Finally, you compose yourself somewhat and say, “I’m sorry. I know I should be stronger than this. I mean, we had only been going out for a few months. Plus, you guys have known him so much longer and you’re holding it together. I mean, he was your WSO and yet here you are comforting me! How pathetic can I be!”
I’m sorry!!! But he’s alright! Bob is definitely one of those special characters I could never seriouslyhurt too bad. But a few cuts and bruises just makes for good storytelling Thank you for reading!
You lay curled up on your cot, your eyes puffy and red from the countless hours of crying you have been doing over the past three days. Every time you think you have cried yourself out, that you couldn’t possibly have the energy or tears left to shed, you are hit by another wave of sobs. You know you should pull it together, to be as strong as all those around you, but you can’t. Working in the control room and monitoring things through a computer screen had always let you remain somewhat distanced from the loss and tragedies that could occur during missions. But this is different. You had never been this personally connected to one of the fighters before.
A light knock on your door stirs you from your grief. You mumble a soft, “Come in.” and see Phoenix slowly open the door.
“Hey, I thought you might want some company.” You nod as a single tear rolls down your cheek and she comes over to pull you into a hug. “It’s okay. There’s still a chance he could be okay.”
You sob into her chest, “It’s been three days. You guys ejected from your plane in the middle of a desert with no food, no water, no real kind of protective gear and no one has found any signs of Bob since. Even if he survived the crash, he almost definitely wouldn’t have made it this long on his own.” She just holds tighter to you, both of you knowing you are right and anything she says would just be wishful thinking.
Finally, you compose yourself somewhat and say, “I’m sorry. I know I should be stronger than this. I mean, we had only been going out for a few months. Plus, you guys have known him so much longer and you’re holding it together. I mean, he was your WSO and yet here you are comforting me! How pathetic can I be!”
Thank you @mayhem24-7forever for this Bob request! It turned out a little more angsty and fluffy, and probably a little less whumpy than expected, but I hope you like it!
You lay curled up on your cot, your eyes puffy and red from the countless hours of crying you have been doing over the past three days. Every time you think you have cried yourself out, that you couldn’t possibly have the energy or tears left to shed, you are hit by another wave of sobs. You know you should pull it together, to be as strong as all those around you, but you can’t. Working in the control room and monitoring things through a computer screen had always let you remain somewhat distanced from the loss and tragedies that could occur during missions. But this is different. You had never been this personally connected to one of the fighters before.
A light knock on your door stirs you from your grief. You mumble a soft, “Come in.” and see Phoenix slowly open the door.
“Hey, I thought you might want some company.” You nod as a single tear rolls down your cheek and she comes over to pull you into a hug. “It’s okay. There’s still a chance he could be okay.”
You sob into her chest, “It’s been three days. You guys ejected from your plane in the middle of a desert with no food, no water, no real kind of protective gear and no one has found any signs of Bob since. Even if he survived the crash, he almost definitely wouldn’t have made it this long on his own.” She just holds tighter to you, both of you knowing you are right and anything she says would just be wishful thinking.
Finally, you compose yourself somewhat and say, “I’m sorry. I know I should be stronger than this. I mean, we had only been going out for a few months. Plus, you guys have known him so much longer and you’re holding it together. I mean, he was your WSO and yet here you are comforting me! How pathetic can I be!”
Phoenix thinks for a moment, choosing her words wisely. “I haven’t been as strong as I am trying to seem. You’re right, Bob was my WSO and I was flying when we were forced to bail out. That’s not an easy thing to come to terms with but I’m trying.” She ran her hand soothingly across your back. “However, I think we both know that there was more to your and Bob’s relationship than you’re admitting.”
“Yeah…. Yeah, there was. But I never admitted it to him either…… Do-do you think he knew that I loved him before he….?” You squeeze your eyes shut, unable to actually say the word out loud, but Phoenix understands.
“I think he did. And I think he felt the same way about you. You were all he ever talked about. I had to even tell him to shut up a few times when he would go on and on and on about you.”
You let out a strangled laugh. “My roommate told me the same thing. That she didn’t ever want to hear the name ‘Bob’ ever again.” You stare down at your hands as they fidget with the sheets. “I guess she got her wish.”
Phoenix opens her mouth to say something, but before she has the chance, Rooster suddenly bursts into your room without even knocking. You and Phoenix both look at him in surprise, not understanding his intrusion or the wide grin spread across his face. That is until he breathlessly says, “They found him…. And he’s okay… Bob’s okay!”
Phoenix decides to stay behind to give you time alone with Bob, so Rooster leads you quickly down the hall. He fills you in with what he knows: a final rescue team had gone out looking for him and someone had managed to spot his parachute in a deep gorge they had missed before. They found Bob, dehydrated, severely sunburned, and banged up, but overall, he was going to make a full recovery.
As you approach the door to his room, Rooster gives your shoulder a tight squeeze then walks off so you can go in by yourself. Taking a deep breath, you open the door. Bob is laying on a bed, propped up with a few pillows. An IV is connected to his arm to replenish his fluids. All of his visible skin is painfully bright red and peeling from countless hours in the scorching sun. But even though his lips are chapped and cracked, he gives you a soft smile as you hesitantly approach. “Hi.”
His voice is so dry and scratchy it is almost impossible to make out what he said, but you smile back as tears once again spring to your eyes. “Hi. I thought….. I thought I had lost you.”
“Thought so too once or twice. But I had a reason to keep going.” Weakly, he reaches into his flight suit and pulls out a worn strip of paper. Handing it over to you, you instantly recognize it. For your third date, Bob had taken you to a carnival and the two of you had spent way too much money goofing off in the photo booth. While you had taken most of the photos home, you had noticed Bob slip one strip of them into his pocket. That is what you now hold in your hands.
The tears you have been holding back begin streaming down your face. You take his hand gently and whisper, “I love you, Bob. I’ve wanted to tell you for a while, but I-I was afraid it was too soon. And then when I thought you were gone, and I’d never get the chance to tell you-” Your voice begins quivering too much to continue.
But then Bob reaches out and takes your hand in his as he rasps, “I love you too. I didn’t want to come on too strong but I’ve wanted to say it ever since that night.” He gestures to the pictures still in your hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner.”
Without thinking, you press your lips against his. The cracked, dry feeling immediately reminds you of his condition and you try to pull away, but he places his hand on the back of your neck, holding you in place. So, you carefully lean in, deepening the kiss as you run your fingers through his hair, ignoring the sand and sweat matted there.
You are interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing behind you. The heat rising in your face, you turn around to see a doctor with an amused look on her face standing there. She raises an eyebrow and says, “Sorry to interrupt, but Lieutenant Floyd needs his rest. So, if you don’t mind-”
“Can she please stay?” Bob asks.
The doctor sighs. “Are you actually going to try to get some sleep if she’s here?”
“Yes, ma’am. In fact, I’ll sleep better with her by my side.” Bob smiles softly at you and you bite your lip to suppress your own grin.
“Fine. But if I come back to check on you and I see anything I don’t approve of, she’ll have to leave.”
“Absolutely. Thank you, ma’am.”
The doctor shakes her head with a small smile and leaves. You turn back to Bob. “Are you sure? I can come back later. She’s right. You do need to rest and recover.”
“I can do both with you here….. If you want to stay.”
You squeeze his hand. “Of course, I do.”
Carefully, Bob slides over, making room next to him. You climb onto the bed, curling up against his side with your head resting on his shoulder. You take his glasses off his face and place them on the table next to you before he wraps his arm around you and pulls you in closer. And wrapped in each other’s arms, you both soon drift off to sleep comforted by the thought you are with the person you love once again.
Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Robert “Bob” Floyd, f!reader
Word Count: 1211
TW: Fluff, Kissing, Bar, Drinking, Unwanted Flirting
Note: Thank you to @srry-itshockeyszn for the great request! And thank you to @loverhymeswith for beta reading for me!NOplot-related spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick
You knew the second you entered The Hard Deck that this had been a mistake. Being this close to the airbase, it wasn’t surprising that for every three people in the room, two of them were in uniform. And you had had enough experience with these kinds of places to know nothing good came of hanging around one by yourself. However, you were here for a reason, so after quickly smoothing out your sundress, you hurried over to the bar.
Taking a seat on one of the stools, you ordered a beer from the kind bartender who gave you a sweet smile as she handed it to you. But just as you raised the bottle to your lips, someone leaned heavily against the bar top next to you. Glancing out of the corner of your eye, you saw a handsome blond man with an arrogant smile staring back at you and you internally groaned. While you had expected this, it would have been nice if you had been able to at least take a single sip of your drink first.
The man slid a little closer as he asked, “So, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing all alone in a place like this?”
One minute everything is peaceful and calm, and then the next minute chaos erupts. Suddenly, the entire group of Top Gun trainees in the corner of the bar all jump to their feet. From behind the bar, you don’t have a clear view of what is going on, but you can hear shouting and see limbs flailing about as everyone scrambles to stop whatever is happening. You quickly rush over to the scene of the fight but there is so much commotion, you can’t see what is going on in the middle.
Remembering what Penny told you to do when these rare instances occurred, you ran back to the bar and grabbed the military-style whistle from the hook under the register. Hurrying back to the fray once more, you get as close as you can and then blow the whistle as loudly as possible.
A shrill, high-pitched screech fills the bar and all the trainees instantly stop their fighting to cover their ears. You hold the note for as long as you can and then an eerie silence falls across the bar. Taking a deep breath, you shout, “I don’t care who started it, I don’t care who was involved. You know the rules. You have fifteen minutes to collect your things and pay your tabs, then I want all of you out!”
The trainees all grumble under their breath and shoot you dirty glances, but you know they all feared what Penny might do to their bar tabs if word got back to her that they disrespected you. So, you motion to Jimmy, who had just come out of the back, to go behind the bar and ring everyone out for the night. Once he nods, you turn back to the few men still picking themselves up off the ground.
