The team finished the mission successfully, or' with ease' as Payback had said, once they all got back safely. With everything done, I moved back to Virginia, where I did mostly office work. I don't know exactly where everyone else ended up, but I do know Rooster ended up in Hawaii and Hangman was on a ship somewhere in the Pacific. Though I know Phoenix was tempted to take a teaching position, she couldn't turn down the chance to keep flying with Bob. The two went back to Phoenix's previous station –Earl– in New Jersey, where the two flew together. That was about three hours from me, sometimes four if there was too much traffic.
So, Bob would come down to stay with me whenever he had time off. We would see each other maybe twice a month, but in all honesty, it worked for the both of us. We were able to live our own lives and grow, but still have someone to call about the good and the bad things, and someone to be happy with and spend hours on end with whenever we got to stay together.
The two of us had said 'I love you' probably three months after the mission when he was visiting one weekend.
Probably a month or so after that, I invited Bob, to come stay with me at my family's house for a long weekend. He agreed, and my family loved him.
Not long after that, he invited me to Texas to stay with his family for Labor Day Weekend. It was a slightly traumatizing experience only because I was really nervous, but the Floyd's were amazing. His sisters were so sweet and excited to meet me. His mother was a literal angel, and it makes complete sense that he is the way he is. His father was working most of the time, but he was still very welcoming and happy to have Bob home for the weekend. Bob looked elated the entire time we were there. He would help out his mom in the kitchen and follow his sisters around doing whatever they were doing or needed. It was sweet.
To the present, both Bob and I got an invite to Penny and Maverick's wedding. In all honesty, I think I was more of a plus one, but also included in an invite because they knew me and knew I would come with Bob anyway.
"Are we ready to go?" Bob smiled, sticking his head into the bathroom of our shared hotel room as I finished tying up my hair.
"Just about ready." I sighed, taking one last look in a mirror, deeming everything put together enough. "You look very handsome." I smiled, giving him a quick peck before pulling on my shoes and opening the door to leave.
"You look absolutely gorgeous." He whispered in my ear as he stood next to me in the elevator, his arm wrapped around me.
"Thanks, Robbie." I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder until the elevator dinged and opened.
The two of us made our way to the car and drove to the Hard Deck where the wedding was being hosted on the beach outside. Pulling up at the bar, we got out, Bob opening my door for me. We walked inside, hand in hand, watching the groups of pilots and sailors in uniform and Penny's friends and family dressed in their nicest clothes.
"Baby on Board!" Hangman boomed, coming up to us, Payback right behind him. "Looking beautiful, Taylor." He smirked, reaching forward to give me a quick hug, which i returned laughing lightly at his compliment.
"Hey guys." I smiled, giving Payback a hug as well as Hangman went to give Bob a hug.
"Well, look who finally showed up." Rooster smirked, walking over with Phoenix, drinks in hand.
"Lou! I missed you." Phoenix grinned, throwing her arms around me.
"I missed you too Tash." I murmrued into her hair. "You look great."
"So do you." She smiled. "Can't believe Mav actually popped the question."
"You and me both, Phoenix." Rooster chuckled, looking around. "We should probably go sit down. I think everything is about to start."The group made their way to to a row of seats waiting for everyone to start going down the isle.
The wedding was beautiful. Penny looked amazing in her dress. Maverick was adorable the whole time, a huge grin on his face. I danced the night away with Bob and occasionally Hangman when Bob decided he would rather sit down for a bit. It was fun. I liked being back around these people having fun, enjoying life.
"I love you Lou." Bob murmured in my ear as we swayed side to side on the dance floor as lights shown down on everyone. "Thank you for coming here with me."
"Robbie, I would come with you anywhere, I love you too." I beamed, resting my head on his shoulders.
"So our Bob actually slept over at a girl's house?" Hangman cackled, leaning back in his chair as we sat at the bar a few nights later after work.
"I did." Bob shrugged, fiddling with the glass in his hand.
"Well, look at that." Payback smirked, sipping on his beer.
"Has anyone told you guys you're almost alcoholics?" I chuckled, sipping on a soda after I realized I wouldn't do well drinking alcohol every night.
"Only daily." Rooster smirked, holding his drink up in a cheers motion towards me.
"So what's everyone doing with their day off tomorrow? Phoenix chimed, coming up beside me to rest an arm on my shoulder.
"Going on a date." Hangman smirked.
"I have a date with Netflix." Fanboy chuckled, earning himself a high five from I'm Hangman nonetheless.
"I think I'm visiting with my Mom. She said something about a bake sale or something." Payback shrugged.
"I'm having dinner with Maverick, Penny and Amelia." Rooster, explained a hint of a smile ghosting over his lips.
"I'm napping the whole time all the time." Phoenix declared.
"Probably the same." I laughed, earning myself a high five from her. "Bob?"
"I have no idea right now." He shrugged, offering me a smile.
"Well, with that in mind, I'm buying the next round." Payback declared, standing up.
"Just soda please." I yelled after him. He just waved at me, dismissing my words, even though we all knew he would still just get me a soda.
"Help me pick a song?" Bob offered, holding up a coin.
"Sure!" I beamed, jumping up, leading the way towards the hunk of colorful metal in the corner of the bar. Bob fell into step behind me, his hand falling to my lower back, helping me dodge drunken sailors wandering around the bar. Ever since he came to help me, he's gotten more touchy and talkative. "So what exactly are you thinking?"
"How about Take On Me?" He suggested flipping through the little book thing inside the machine to pull up the specific CD, but he didn't push the final button to select it.
"I say we play Total Eclipse of the Heart." I countered, smirking at him. He raised an eyebrow at me suspiciously, reaching to flip to my song.
"You do the honors." He offered, holding up the coin for me to take. I did just that, putting the coin in the slot and hitting play. Music came out of the speaker and I couldn't help but tap my foot along with the song. "Come on, or else Payback will replace us with random girls he wants to pick up."
I laughed, rolling my eyes at the joke, following him back to our table. Just as Bob had said, Payback had actually filled one of our seats with a random girl dressed in plainclothes. Bob moved to stand behind the chair, gesturing for me to take a seat. I looked at him, my inner you have manners why are you being nice to me alert system going off. He rolled his eyes, moving to go to the bar since Payback had given his beer to the girl.
"Why are you standing?" Phoenix giggled, now with another empty beer glass in front of her.
"There's only one, seat. I'm gonna offer it to Bob." I shrugged.
"Yeah, who cares. He has legs, he can stand." She sassed, pulling the chair out more so that I had space to sit. I did just that, slightly begrudgingly. "This is Emily. She's stationed here for the week." Phoenix explained, sort of hinting at the fact that sailors were known to hookup with short stations.
"Awesome." I murmured, unsure of what I was supposed to add to this conversation.
"Taylor, here's your soda." Payback suddenly zoned back into the real world and handed me a glass with sprite in it.
"Thanks!" I smiled, taking a sip.
"Are you also stationed here?" The girl –Emily– smiled, turning her attention to me.
"Sort of. I'm a government agent, so I'm just here to help with a specific mission." I shrugged.
"Cool." She nodded, turning her attention back to Payback.
"Hey, at least she has manners." Phoenix whispered in my ear. I couldn't help the snort laugh that burst through my lips at her words.
Everyone went back to drinking or talking to one another and I turned to people watching. Sailors were nothing if not strange. Bob appeared beside me, another beer in his hand. He offered me a smile, getting pulled into a conversation with Rooster. I watched Maverick schmooze with Penny at the bar and I noticed a younger girl sitting behind the curtain that led to the back room. She must be Penny's daughter Amelia.
"You good?" Bob whispered once Rooster was done talking with him and moved on to something with Phoenix.
"Yep, just people watching. How's the beer?" I smiled, arching my neck so that I could see him where he stood behind me.
"Fine. No different from any of the other ones I've had." He smiled, shrugging. "You want a sip?"
"No, thanks. I'm very picky with my beers, and your raving review didn't really convince me." I joked, sipping on my sprite.
"Fair enough." He chuckled. "So... um.... Do you think you'd be up to go for a flight tomorrow? Unless you have actual plans for your day off, that is."
"Where would we go?" I pondered, a huge smile plastered on my face.
"We could go to the Grand Canyon, try to get to Oregon, really whatever you want." He shrugged, a smile lighting up his face.
"What would we be flying in? Because I went up with Mav in some military contraption, and it was not really my idea of a good time." I laughed, choosing to lean back and rest my head on his shoulder to speak with him rather than crane my neck to be heard.
"We would take a normal small two-seater plane, don't worry." He chuckled, moving some hair that was slipping out of my hair clip.
"Then you have a deal." I laughed, turning around to offer him my hand. He took it and gave me a firm handshake. "I don't really care where we go, so whatever's easiest for you, I guess. And you better know that if you have a heart attack while flying, we're both going down because I am inept when it comes to aviation. I'm still confused about how I got this position as is."
"Deal, I'll pick you up at your hotel at 10?"
"Sounds good to me. However, if that's our plane, I may actually need to go and get some sleep." I chuckled, setting my cup down and moving to stand up.
"I'll walk you to your car?" His statement came out more like a question.
"Sure." I smiled, grabbing my sweatshirt that I'd shed at some point throughout the night. "I'm gonna head home. I'll see you guys back on Thursday." I announced, getting a hug from Phoenix and a wave from everyone else. Bob followed me out of the building and towards the car quietly. "See you tomorrow." I smiled, up at him, opening my car door.
"I'll be there at ten." He nodded, gesturing for me to get in the car. "Drive safe." He smiled, closing the door for me. Bob stepped back and waved as I pulled the car out of the lot.
The next morning, I woke up and managed to pull on some nicer-looking sweatpants and a t-shirt before there was a knock on my door.
"You do realize it's 9:30." I sassed, opening the door to let Bob into my room.
"I brought food." He offered, a smile on his face as he looked at me, his eyes shining.
"You're forgiven. Sit wherever, I need to deal with my hair." I grumbled, moving towards the bathroom.
"Did a bird break in and make a nest in your hair?" Bob joked, sitting at the desk, pulling out the contents of the bag he brought with him.
"Is that sass I'm hearing, Bob Floyd." I laughed, yelling from the bathroom, running a brush through my hair.
"Who knows." He laughed along. "Hurry up, or your sandwich is going to get cold."
"I'm coming, I'm coming, chill out, man." I sassed, plopping down on the desk beside him. "Thanks for the food. Can I pay you back?"
"No, you can't pay for our first date." He deadpanned.
"This is a date?" I smiled, raising an eyebrow at his attempt at confidence. Instantly, his facade broke, and he started tripping over his words.
"Uhh.... yeah.... Uhh, I..... I thought..... If you're okay...... uhh." Bob continued to ramble, his face turning a nice shade of red.
"Breath, breath. I'm messing with you. I'd be honored to go on a date with the infamous Bob Floyd." I smiled, taking a deep breath before leaning over and placing a feather-light kiss on his cheek. If it was possible, his face managed to go at least another shade darker.
"Awesome." He almost whispered, going back to munching on his breakfast sandwich.
"So, have you decided where we're going?" I prompted, leaning back into the wall, sipping on the coffee he brought.
"I was thinking the Grand Canyon. It's pretty great, and I just think it'd be fun." He offered, glancing up at me to see my reaction.
"Sounds great."
--------------------
"Have fun at home, you lazy bum." Phoenix yelled at me as she walked out of the girl's bathroom.
"Whatever, alcoholic." I yelled back, stifling my laugh as I reached for my bag and slung it over my shoulder, walking out of the room. Before I could even get three steps before I felt a weight beside me.
"Can I walk you to your car?" Bob beamed, resting his arm across my shoulders. Since our date to the Grand Canyon, Bob started getting more affectionate. He would lean over and give me a kiss on the cheek before we had training. He'd hold my hand when we were next to each other. If we were at the bar and I was sitting, he would stand and rest his hands on the back of my chair or wrap an arm around my collarbone. I enjoyed it. I can't deny that. But it made me a little nervous, maybe a little uncomfortable in the sense that this wasn't permanent, and it was new.
"Of course." I smiled, taking a breath before leaning up and kissing his cheek, his lips turned up in a smile.
"How was your meeting while we were flying?" Bob smiled, holding the door open for us.
"Just fine. They're finalizing plans for the mission. It sounds like you guys will probably go next Monday." I explained, reaching around in my bag for my car keys. "Do you want to come over and get dinner?" I offered, smiling up at him.
"Sure." He beamed, reaching around me with the arm not around my shoulders to open the driver's-side car door. 'M'lady."
"Why, thank you." I chuckled, getting in. He closed the door for me before walking around to the other side.
"What do you want for dinner?" He piped up, sliding into the passenger seat.
"Can we make pancakes?" I gasped, realizing how good that actually sounded.
"Your hotel room doesn't have a stove." He pointed out. "But if you really want pancakes, we can stop at the grocery store and then go to my place. The navy put me up in a house with Fanboy and Coyote. We have a full kitchen, luckily."
"Okay, that works for me." I shrugged, give me directions, and I'll get us where we need to be.
After a quick stop at the grocery store, we drove to Bob's place. I parked the car, and he swatted me out of the way when I tried to grab the bag. We walked up to the house, and he unlocked the door. I could hear screaming coming from the inside.
"Is that Coyote?" I laughed, peering around Bob when we walked inside, trying to see what the noise was from.
"Probably." He shrugged, heading down the hall to what I assumed was the kitchen. "Okay, lead the way, chef." He laughed, taking the contents of the bag out and putting it on the counter, gesturing for me to go for it.
"I need a pan, a bowl, and a whisk." I declared, reaching behind me to pull my hair up into a bun, so it was out of my face.
"No measuring cups?" He raised an eyebrow at me, rummaging around the kitchen.
"Nah, those are for the weak of heart. I prefer to eyeball it." I explained, opening up the container of pancake mix.
"If you say so." He chuckled, placing everything in front of me. We successfully made a stack of pancakes, Bob occasionally coming to peer over my shoulder at the food, placing both his hands on my waist as he did it. Considering we made more that we expected to, Bob went off into the depths of the house to find Fanboy and Coyote to see if they wanted pancakes. I took it their answer was a yes, because I heard loud footsteps quickly coming my way.
"Taylor!" Fanboy cheered. "You've graced us with pancakes. You're awesome." He beamed, giving me a quick hug before grabbing a plate and serving himself some food.
"Thanks, Taylor." Coyote smiled, grabbing his own food. Bob walked back into the kitchen, coming up behind me as I started to clean dishes.
"We can do that later. Get some food." He rolled his eyes, pushing my lightly towards the plate of pancakes when I didn't move.
"Fine." I grumbled, making a point to give him a side-eye. He just laughed at me and whipped the hand towel in my general direction, like that would make me move faster. I made two plates, offering one to Bob, before sitting down at the table with Coyote and Fanboy.
"So, are you guys playing happy family while we're here?" Fanboy said out of nowhere, Coyote chuckling along with him like they were little boys asking an adult a question they knew they weren't supposed to ask.
"We're sort of dating." Bob declared, reaching for my hand under the table.
"Well, good for y'all, I guess." Coyote winked before stuffing his face with food.
"Be careful, Taylor. Navy men are red flags." Fanboy laughed at his own joke.
"Trust me; I know you are, Fanboy." I winked, earning myself a chunk of pancake flying in my direction.
"Don't be mean to me. Go back to making out with Bobby boy here." He stuck his tong out at me, gathering his plate and things. "I'm leaving. I don't like to be places I'm not wanted." He dramatically walked off.
"I'll leave you two to your dinner and make sure he doesn't spill syrup everywhere. Thanks for the pancakes again." Coyote smiled, getting up to follow after Fanboy.
With both of them gone, Bob surprised me by releasing my hand, grabbing the edge of my seat, and yanking my chair towards him. Resting his arm across the back of my chair, he beamed at me.
"That's better." He laughed to himself.
"Eat your pancakes, stupid." I chuckled, flicking his temple. "So we're sorta dating, huh?"
"I mean... if you want to be." He murmured, suddenly choosing to take an interest in his plate.
"I mean... that sounds nice." I made fun of him, earning an eye roll as he looked back up at me.
"So mean." He laughed, leaning forward to place a light kiss on my lips.
"I'm an angel; what are you talking about." I laughed along, reaching forward to grab a handful of his shirt and pull him in for another kiss.
Less than a week later, I found myself perched on a table in the navy hanger while Maverick and Cyclone debriefed the team on their mission plans. The group was to take off tomorrow and hopefully finish successfully. The whole thing was bitter sweet. They'd worked hard and they all knew what they were doing, but now I knew them all and if something happened, I think I would probably just crumple to the floor. It would hurt, there is no doubt about that.
"So Taylor leaves once we finish this?" Hangman piped up once everyone was done and the big boss had left.
"Yep, I'm back to D.C." I shrugged, spinning myself around on the table so that I could see everyone behind me.
"What are we gonna do without our token fed?" Payback laughed, getting up to come give me back a tupperware I'd left with him the night before since he had a bit of a cold.
"Go back to normal life I guess." I honestly didn't really know what to say. It'd been almost six weeks of pure chaos here getting to know these goons.
"She's going to go back to tricking grown men into believing she's stupid so that they speak about top secret information." Rooster joked. I'd told them all about one time I had to go undercover. It wasn't an intense CIA mission like you'd expect, but I did spend three or four months under an alias in Poland trying to bust a ring. Now Rooster loved to pretend I was a top secret spy who went on missions all the time.
"How do you know I'm not doing that now?" I quipped, earning an eye roll from Maverick.
"Because you're not stupid." Rooster shrugged.
"Your logic is foolproof, wow." Phoenix laughed, standing up. "Are we good to go?" She turned to Maverick.
"Sure, you're free, but don't do anything crazy tonight." He instructed, standing up as well. Everyone took the hint, copying his actions. Everyone headed towards the locker rooms to change. I decided I would just head home in what I was wearing. There was no point changing when I wasn't going out tonight.
"We're going to Bob, Fanboy and Coyote's place tonight to cook and hang out. It's nothing too big." Phoenix explained, coming up behind me, her shirt unbuttoned showing her tank top.
"Sounds good. I'll head home and change, then go that way." I nodded, fixing my bag on my shoulder.
"Just come with me. You left a shirt there last weekend and I have other stuff you can borrow." Bob added, appearing on my otherside. "I drove."
"Okay." I sort of just push out of my mouth, awkwardly looking around at the other pilots around us. Phoenix raised her eyebrow at me suspisciously while Payback and Hangman burst into some dramatic spew of words. Bob, just reached forward, grabbing my hand. He murmured something to Rooster before pulling me away from the group. "Did you swallow a frog or something?"
"Shut up, I'm doing my best." I grumbled, reaching over to give him a good whack with my bag.
"I haven't gotten to tell you today, but you look beautiful." He whispered in my ear as I walked past him through the door. "Did you drive yourself?"
"I did." I nodded, trying not to get too flustered by his words.
"Do you want to leave your car here, and I can take you to my place and home tonight, then pick you up on my way in tomorrow?" He offered, popping open the top two buttons of his uniform.
"No, you need your sleep for tomorrow. We will drive separate." I decided, rifling through my bag for my keys. He just nodded, grabbing his own keys.
"See you there. Drive safe." Bob smiled, starting in the direction of his car.
"Hey, Bob." I murmured, getting his attention. He turned around, looking at me. I took two steps toward him and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. "See you there."
With that, I drove away, a small smile on my face the whole way to Bob's place. He pulled into the driveway, and I decided I should park on the street so that I don't get in Coyote or Fanboy's way. As I put the car in park, I looked up as my door opened on its own. Bob stood outside my car, a huge smile on his face.
"You look cute." I smiled, grabbing my bag and stepping out of the car. His cheeks turned a lite pink as he offered me his hand. Locking my car, I grabbed his hand, and we walked into the house.
"I have your shirt in my room, and you can borrow a pair of sweats if you want." Bob offered, pulling me up the stairs towards his room.
"I'll try them, but if they're too big, I'll just stick with what I got." I laughed, moving to sit on the end of his bed as he shuffled around gathering clothes. "Thanks." I beamed, taking what he offered, standing up to go find the bathroom.
"No, I'll leave. I need to go grab my things from the laundry room downstairs, anyway." He murmured, heading out the door, closing it as I went. I quickly unbuttoned my shirt and moved to pull on the t-shirt I'd left here. Giving the pants Bob had handed me a once over, I guessed they would generally fit me, so I peeled my dress pants off and pulled on the sweats. Right as I moved to stand in front of the mirror to deal with my hair, there was a knock on the door. "If you're not done, I can just change out here."
"I'm done," I yelled, going to open the door. "Thanks for the clothes." I reached forward and hugged him. His arms wrapped around me, sort of grabbing onto the fabric of my t-shirt.
"You look great." He mused into my hair, pulling me closer quickly before letting me go and heading back into his room, holding a pile of clothes under his arm. Before I could even offer to leave or close the door, Bob unbuttoned the rest of his uniform and pulled off his tank top. I couldn't help but stare at the gorgeous man in front of me. His shoulders were broad, even though he didn't always look the part with his general demeanor. The muscles on his back were prominent as he reached up and pulled a shirt over his head.
Before I could think another thought, and before he could turn around, I blurted out. "I'm gonna go put my bag back in my car." I practically sprinted out his bedroom door and towards my car. Rooster and Fanboy were coming back as I exited the house.
"Looking good, Taylor." Rooster chuckled as I passed them.
"Shut up, Bradshaw." I threw over my shoulder, unlocking my car before tossing my bag in the passenger side. Turning on my heel, I strode back to the two as they stood in the driveway. "What are we eating?"
"That's the million-dollar question." Rooster agreed, gesturing for me to lead the way to the house.
"I think Coyote got some steaks this morning before he left for work." Fanboy piped up, opening the front door.
"Sounds great. I can help get them started, and you can get changed. Rooster, gear up; you're my sous chef." I declared, heading towards the kitchen. Rooster followed after me, mumbling something to himself. "Grab the meat from the fridge."
"Aye, aye, captain." He joked, banging around the kitchen.
"Is there an earthquake?" Bob joked, coming into the kitchen, now dressed in his own shirt and sweats. He came up to reach above me before I could reach up and grab some seasonings, placing a kiss on my cheek before walking over to help Rooster.
"Girly, let me tell you!" Phoenix's voice boomed through the house as she entered. "Some Top Gun student tried to hit on me as I walked to my car."
"No!" I burst out laughing. "They look like children."
"I know! And what on earth do they think was happening? Why would I be on base if I wasn't in the navy." She groaned, coming to lean on the counter next to me.
"He probably knew and thought it was hot." I joked, knowing it would just irk her more.
"Don't get me started; men are the scum of this earth," Phoenix grumbled, pushing off the counter to go peer over Rooster's shoulder. "Hello, scum."
"I feel so loved." Rooster joked, shoving her lightly with her shoulder. "What do you want me to do with the food, Taylor?"
"Do you guys have a grill?" I turned to Bob and Coyote, who had apparently entered while we were all bickering.
"Yeah, it's in the back." Bob nodded. "I can help." He offered, reaching to take the meat from Rooster and prop the door open with his foot. We walked into the backyard, which I hadn't realized existed, but there was a smaller grill sitting beside the house. "Are you the head chef?"
"Indeed I am." I beamed up at him. "Now, let's get this moving. I'm hungry." I declared, taking the tarp off the grill and figuring out how to get it heated up.
Not even twenty minutes later, Bob and I were walking back into the house with a plate full of steaks. Someone had made a salad and what looked like a bowl of bread, and everyone was now sitting around the kitchen table or leaning against the wall.
"CIA agent and professional chef, is there anything you can't do, Taylor?" Hangman smirked, sending me a wink as he reached forward to take the plate from my hands and place it on the table.
"I'm full of talents." I shrugged, taking a seat next to Phoenix.
"Oh, Taylor, I didn't tell you... wait, why do I still call you Taylor?" The girl beside me piped up like the thought had taken all other thoughts from her brain.
"I don't know; none of you ever said anything else or asked if you could call me anything else. Plus, we work together, and I guess it's a step up from you all just calling me Agent Taylor." I looked around awkwardly, not enjoying the attention that was all suddenly directed at me.
"What even is your first name?" Payback piped up, looking at me skeptically.
"Lou," Bob responded before I could answer.
"You still seem like a Taylor to me." Payback shrugged, turning his attention back to a conversation with Coyote and Fanboy.
"Thanks?" I sort of confusedly laughed to myself, unsure of if I was getting a compliment or not.
"Well, Lou. I was telling Rooster and Jakipoo here that I was talking with Mav after our meeting, and he said I can get a teaching position here most likely unless I want to keep flying with our favorite WSO." She beamed at me, seemingly proud of using my first name.
"Congrats! I'm so proud of you." I beamed, standing up and giving her a hug from behind. She contorted herself so that she could reach around and return my hug.
"Why would you ever part ways with Baby on Board here." Hangman joked, flicking something at Bob.
"I guess it all sort of hinges on how this mission ends up." Phoenix shrugged honestly, a look of worry taking over her face.
"We're good at this. We've done it before, we can do it again." Hangman shrugged, Rooster and Payback echoing his sentiments. Although they were right and everyone was extremely qualified, after Phoenix' words there was a cloud over the room. Everyone sat and chatted about random things, so much, so it almost sounded like small talk. We ate and smiled and tried to ignore the fact that they were all going to go risk their lives tomorrow morning to try to complete this mission I had brought to the Navy in the first place. Bob stood directly behind my chair the whole dinner, unless he was eating. He has a hand around me in a sort of hug, or he was holding my hand or just touching me in some way like he needed it to anchor himself.
Faster than I think any of us were expecting when we all arrived at the house, everyone was leaving. I stood up, offering to help clean up as everyone else. Bob and I did the dishes as Fanboy and Coyote cleaned up the dining room area.
"I'll wash, you dry." Bob declared, handing me a towel. We stood there in a comfortable silence as we cleaned up all the dishes and put them away. "Do you want to come upstairs?"
"What are you insinuating?" I joked, smirking at him as I tossed my towel onto the counter.
"No.... No... I was.... Uh..." He started to ramble, his cheeks turning red as he started to look at his feet.
"Bob, I'm messing with you." I laughed, reaching for his hand before pulling him in for a kiss.
"Not that I don't..." He sort of mumbled into my hair as I hugged him. "But I was hoping we could just cuddle. I want to spend time with just you before I have to go tomorrow."
"I'd love to, Bob." I beamed, reaching for his hand as I pulled away. We walked slowly upstairs. I said goodnight to Coyote and Fanboy as we passed through the dining room towards the stairs. Inside the room is when I started to feel sort of awkward. Instead of letting my anxiety get the best of me, I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Bob towards me into a hug, my face now buried in his shirt. He slowly ran his hands through my hair, leaning down to place a kiss on the top of my head.
"Have I told you how beautiful you are today?" He murmured into my hair, making me giggle.
"Floyd, shut up and come lay here with me before I have to leave." I scolded, pushing him away enough, so I could kick my shoes off again and pushing myself farther onto the bed until my back was against the wall. A small smile on his face, he did the same, crawling towards me. He took a moment before laying his head in my lap as I sat there. "You look cute." I mused. I couldn't help but smile at him as his blue eyes looked up at me, a happy little grin on his face.
We sat there in silence, looking at each other or just existing in the calm. I started running my hands through his hair as we sat there. He almost instantly relaxed, his eyes closing.
Probably thirty minutes later, I looked up at the clock on his night stand and saw the time. "I think I should go. You need sleep before tomorrow." I sighed, causing him to open his eyes and look up at me.
"Do you think.... Would you possibly want to stay the night? Only if you're comfortable, of course." He questioned quietly, gazing right up at me.
"Bob, as much as I want to, I really think you need to get good sleep tonight, so you're ready for tomorrow." I tried to argue, moving slightly. He got the memo, getting off of me.
"If you do really want to stay –again, not pressuring you– I think I would honestly sleep better if you stayed." Bob stated honestly, a slight pink hue showing on his cheeks.
"Are you lying to me?"
"I would never lie to you." He said, like it was the simplest thing in the entire world.
"Then, I'd love to stay, Bob." I smiled, leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead.
Without another word –a huge smile on his face– Bob pulled me down to him in sort of a hug. After a squeeze, he quickly jumped up and turned off the lights, coming back. He pulled back the covers and let me get in.
"You're not going to let me brush my teeth?" I joked, as he laid down beside me.
"Not now." He chuckled, wrapping his arms around me, pulling my towards his chest.
Bob Floyd x OC
A new team member joins for a big mission at Top Gun
-----------------------------------------------------
The team finish
"So, Agent Taylor, did you enjoy your time last night?" Hangman smirked, appearing beside me as I made my way to the right airplane hangar.
"I did, but not as much as I think you did." I countered, offering him a wink.
"Well, aren't you perceptive?" He chuckled, shoving his hands into his suit's pockets. We walked in silence to the tables before I went to stand next to Maverick, earning myself a tight-lipped smile and a small nod, which I returned.
"Deal still stands. You guys complete the mission in your first three tries, and Agent Taylor and I do pull-ups. So move your asses." Maverick deadpanned, gesturing for me to follow him. "Do you want to go up there with me today and watch? I promise I won't do anything too crazy if you're there."
"We'd get a more close-up view of their training?" I questioned as we walked out of the hangar towards a two-seater plane.
"Yep."
"Then, I'd love to." I smiled, nodding towards the plane, silently telling him I had no idea what we were supposed to do if we were doing this. He opened the hatch and jumped up, offering me a hand to get up myself. I sat behind him, completely clueless as to what everything around me meant.
"Buckle up and sit tight. I'll do everything." Maverick mumbled, throwing a smile over his shoulder at me. The hatch closed, Maverick pushed some buttons and did who knows what else before the plane started moving, and before I knew it, we were taking off. We whizzed through the air. Nothing too dramatic happened; we mostly just hovered around, waiting for the pilots to attempt the first run at the mission plan. They did and failed on the first try. Since we were up in the sky, Maverick radioed to tell them they could save their pulls-ups until they did their first three tries for the morning. Attempt two was also a fail; this time, I could hear Rooster and Hangman yelling at each other, earning themselves twenty-five more pull-ups each. Round three came, and I could tell they wanted this. The group wanted so badly to succeed, probably just to succeed, but also in part due to wanting Maverick and me to do pull-ups. I don't think my flying buddy cared much, but I held my breath as they tried. Much to my dismay, they actually did it. They fucking completed the mission without anyone messing up or dying.
"Well, damn." I muttered to myself, earning a chuckle from Maverick as the team hooped and hollered over the coms.
"Look's like we'll be doing pull-ups with them." Maverick murmured, maneuvering the plane to bring us back down to the ground.
As I slowly got myself out of the plane, trying not to fall flat on my face, the team came running up, yelling and high-fiving, pointing at Maverick, pointing at me.
"Well, Taylor, looks like it's time to show us what the CIA puts you through." Hangman smirked, gesturing towards the pull-up bars with a dramatic sweep of his arm. Rolling my eyes, I led the way to the clump of bars, looking up at one, trying to decide how hard I felt this was going to be. "Can't back out now."
"I said nothing about backing out. I'm just trying to judge if I'm tall enough to jump or if I need something to step on." I sassed, throwing the blonde man a glare over my shoulder.
"Whatever Agent." He chuckled, jumping up to start his 225.
Maverick came up beside me and gave me what I hoped was an encouraging smile, jumping up to start his 100. I sighed, accepting my fate. I jumped, grabbed the bar, and started. The first ten were fine. In fact, they felt kind of like a warm-up. Once I got to forty, I started to feel a burn in my biceps. By sixty, I was hurting, but there was no way in hell I would stop, or even show that it was hurting me to keep up. At eighty, Maverick was done. Phoenix finished her one-hundred. The rest were still going. Ten later, I decided it was far too late to quit, so I gotta keep going, and the faster I did it, the faster I was done. At one-hundred, I dropped, jiggling my arms to try to get feeling back into them. Bob finished right before me. Payback too. Fanboy had earned himself two extra twenty-fives, so he finished after that. Maybe seven minutes later, Hangman and Rooster finished, dropping to the ground.
"Well damn, the CIA agent can keep up." Payback chuckled, clapping me on the back as he went to go find water.
"Eat lunch, but be back and ready for three more tries by 1400." Maverick ordered, gesturing for me to follow him. "Cyclone wants to have a meeting with you during our afternoon practice time."
"And why didn't he tell me this himself?" I rolled my eyes.
"I think because he's scared of you after being surprised that you were a girl." The older pilot chuckled, holding the door open for me. "Either way, get some food and then go traumatize the man a bit for me, would ya?"
"Of course." I laughed, going off to find my lunch.
After my meeting, I grabbed my things and tried to head out.
"You're coming." Phoenix declared as I tried to make my way to my car sneakily.
"What?" I tried to play stupid, knowing she wanted me to join them at Penny's bar.
"You, bar, now." Payback declared, linking his arm with mine, Hangman coming up on my other side to do the same.
"You promised me a dance, Agent Taylor. Were you lying to me?" He beamed down at me, pulling me in the direction of my car.
"No, but I'm tired." I tried this excuse, hoping it would work since it was at least a little true.
"One dance, then you can leave." Hangman declared, pushing me into my car, he and Payback jumping in the back.
"What? Am I Uber now?" I sassed, backing out of my parking space.
"Yes." The two goons chorused in my back seat.
At the bar, they all practically ran at Penny, and she threw beers at them left and right.
"Rooster, this is your time to shine." Hangman declared, jumping up and offering me his hand. "' M'lady."
"Whatever." I grumbled, standing up, and taking his hand. Hangman pulled me in the direction of the piano, following Rooster. Everyone except for Bob followed us.
There, Rooster instantly started playing the song he seemed to be most known for and everyone was off. Hangman moved my hands to his shoulders and dramatically pretended to hold my waist without touching me, which made me laugh. We ended up pretend waltzing around the room as Rooster played piano and everyone sang. By the end of the song, both Hangman and I were huffing and puffing for breath. Rooster went right into another song, Hangman, releasing me from my deal. Except, instead of stopping, I walked over to Bob and tilted my head to look at him.
"What?" He questioned, turning the slightest bit pink. "Is there something on my face?"
"No, but I was thinking...." I smirked. "If I had to dance, I think you have to too."
"No, really, I'm fine." He murmured, backing away from me slightly.
"Now come on, Bob, I'm not gonna bite." I laughed, surprised by my sudden boost of confidence. It was probably the adrenaline pumping through my veins from dancing around everywhere.
"Really, Agent Taylor, I'm a horrible dancer." He tried to argue, taking another step away from me.
"That hurts." I jokingly mocked. "Don't be a debbie downer now."
"I'm just going to trip over my own feet." He murmured, looking down at his shoes.
"Then, I'll trip with you. Come on!" I declared, this time reaching forward to grab his hand. He didn't pull away, just looked at me with a grimace on his face. I pulled him over towards the piano and offered him my other hand. He begrudgingly took it and started swaying from side to side, not moving his feet. I sighed, taking this as a win and swaying with him to the music.
"Yes, Bob! Get it." Phoenix cheered, already a little tipsy, beer in hand, coming up beside us. She started dancing, but it was more like swinging her hair around. Payback and Hangman danced on our other side as Fanboy sang along with Rooster.
"See, no one's tripping here." I laughed, bouncing slightly from foot to foot as he kept swaying.
"You say that now." He chuckled, a small smile on his face.
We all danced for another song before deciding it was time for another drink. I got my vodka lemonade; Phoenix got a vodka Red Bull for god knows what reason, and the rest got another beer. I was sat at a table with Fanboy and Bob, sipping away at our drinks.
"How are the arms feeling post-pull-ups?" Coyote smirked, downing the last bit of his drink.
"So far, just numb. Tomorrow I might not be able to move though. If I call in sick, you know what happened." I laughed, watching Phoenix sway to the beat of the music in her own head.
"Noted." He laughed, jumping up. "Anyone want anything?"
"Nope." Bob and I chorused.
"I can't believe I actually did one hundred pull-ups today..." I groaned, the reality of my situation setting in. "I'm really gonna be in pain tomorrow."
"You did them, though, proved Hangman wrong for betting against you." Bob shrugged, taking a sip of his drink before leaning back in his seat.
"I guess so."
--------------------
"Maverick, I am so sorry, but I think I caught something last night. I feel like I have an ear infection, a sore throat, and honestly, I'm just exhausted." I mumbled through the phone, actually having to call in sick. I survived the soreness of my arms three days ago, but I woke up this morning, a Friday for god's sake, feeling like I got hit by a bus.
"It's really fine, Taylor. In all honesty, I don't know why your supervisors expect you to be here every day we train anyway. It's not like we make huge progress every day. Feel better, and let me know if you need anything. I'm sure Penny would willingly come to mama bear you." The older pilot chuckled.
"Thanks. I'll see you guys on Monday." I murmured.
"See ya." He said, hanging up the call.
I went to the little tea station in my hotel room to make myself a cup of chamomile tea and get back in bed. Snuggled under the covers, tea in hand, laptop with Netflix on beside me, I tried to yawn, angering my throat some more. I finished the tea and my meds started to kick in, making me tired.
I couldn't have slept for that long when I was woken up by a knock on my door. Groaning, I heaved myself from my little bubble of warmth under the covers, to go open the door. To my surprise, Bob was outside, in his plain clothes with a bag in hand.
"Hello?" I croaked out, confusion overtaking my sick being.
"Hi, I got Mav to look up where you were staying. I figured you might want someone to help take care of you. Being sick is never fun." He offered a sheepish smile and slightly pink cheeks decorating his face.
"Aww, Bob, thank you. I'd hug you, but I don't know if I'm contagious." I smiled, moving aside to let him in. Closing the door behind him, I gestured for him to put his things down and take a seat.
"I brought you soup, and some tea." He smiled, pulling all of his things out of the bag, to set them on the dresser. He had to tupperwares of soup, one looked like chicken noodle soup and the other I wasn't sure. Bob also had a ziplock of assorted teas. I could see Peppermint, Chamomile and a Lemon Ginger.
"I have a mug. I've been chugging Chamomile tea all afternoon." I chuckled, squeezing back under my covers, grabbing my now lukewarm mug of tea. Bob walked around to stand next to me, hovering his hand over the mug. His face scrunched up in thought before he delicately took it from my hand and moved back to his little set up and the tea kettle.
"I'm making you more tea because it needs to be warm. What kind do you want?" Bob tossed over his shoulder.
"Can I have peppermint?" I smiled, leaning back into my pillow, relaxing. It was nice to have someone to baby me when I was sick. "Do you wanna watch a movie with me?"
"What exactly are you thinking?" He chuckled, heating up the water and opening up a tea bag.
"Hmmm... Well I was watching Mulan earlier, but I am open to suggestions." I shrugged, tucking myself further under my blankets as my body started to feel really cold.
"I'd watch Mulan." Bob smiled, turning around to face me, mug of tea in hand. "Drink some of this. It will help your throat and warm you up."
"Thank you, Bob." I murmured, pulling the cup close to me, relishing in the warmth it gave off. "You can sit on the bed if you don't mind risking getting sick." I chuckled, noticing him look around awkwardly. He nodded, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. "Can you hit play?" I nodded towards the remote that was now right beside him.
"Sure, Mulan here we come." He chuckled to himself, unpausing the movie and turning the volume up a bit. We sat there for the rest of the movie, no talking. He got up twice to refill my cup of tea and then sat right back down on his space at the edge of the mattress. When the movie ended, he got up again, moving around the bed to take my mug and peak inside of it. Deeming it full and warm enough, he nodded. "Do you want some dinner? I have chicken noodle soup and vegetable soup."
"Can I have some chicken noodle?" I smiled up at him, my body feeling tired. He whipped up the soup, and placed it very delicately in my lap.
"Be careful, it's hot." He explained, moving back to his spot. I ate it as he flipped through the channels on tv. Ultimately he landed on NCIS.
"Is this not painful to watch as a sailor yourself?" I tried to joke, sipping down the last bit of broth.
"It's funny. Do you never watch those FBI shows?" He shrugged, leaning back on the headboard, kicking his shoes off as he went.
"First of all, the FBI and CIA are two very different organizations, and second, no." I laughed, moving my bowl to the bedside table, burrowing my way back into my blankets.
"Are you cold?" Bob worried, leaning over to put his hand on my forehead.
"Yea a bit. My body feels really tired." I shrugged slightly, closing my eyes.
"That's generally what happens when you get sick." He laughed, adjusting my pillow behind my head.
"Shut up." I grumbled pulling the blanket up to my chin.
"Come here, you're shaking." He murmured, sitting up and opening his arms.
"I'll get you sick. I already said I'd give you a hug if I knew I wasn't contagious." I retorted, opening my eyes, just to roll them at him. He rolled them right back, standing up, getting under the covers, reaching out to pull me across the bed so that I was tucked under the blanket right next to him. His warmth felt amazing. It instantly stopped my shaking which helped my body relax. "Thank you."
"Of course. Now sleep. You're going to need your rest to get better." He tutted, surprising me as he kept his left arm wrapped around me.
"And leave you to watch NCIS all by yourself? What kind of a person would that make me?" I joked, twisting my neck so he could see my smirk.
"Shut up and sleep." Bob laughed, reaching up to push my head down to rest on his shoulder.
Bob Floyd x OC
A new team member joins for a big mission at Top Gun
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"So our Bob act
"How many pull-ups did you end up doing?" I chuckled, questioning Phoenix as the group headed back into the hangar.
"Bob and I did two hundred, I think Fanboy and Payback did three, Hangman, and Rooster literally killed each other, so they did four." She laughed along with me, putting her helmet under her arm.
"Damn." I sighed, my arms hurting at the thought.
"I say we raise the stakes tomorrow." Hangman declared. "If we make it through in our first three runs tomorrow, you and Agent Taylor have to do one hundred pull-ups."
"We can't force Taylor to do pull-ups, but I will agree for myself." Maverick agreed, offering Hangman his hand.
"That's no fun. Where's the team bonding?" Hangman smirked, looking right at me.
"You all have to succeed in three tries?" I questioned, trying to weigh the pros and cons of this agreement. Sure I could do pull-ups I was in the CIA, for god's sake, but one hundred was a lot.
"Yep." Payback agreed, leaning on one of the tables.
"Did they get it that soon last time?" I asked Maverick.
"Nope."
"Okay, well, I'll take those odds. Deal." I agreed, offering Hangman my hand. He took it, offering me an even bigger smile before letting go.
"Wonderful, then I say we make our way to the bar." Rooster declared, heading towards lockers on the side of the hall. They all followed, depositing their helmets and other gear. The pilots all made their way to the bathrooms as I stood with Maverick, trying to judge whether that invite included me.
"Yes, it does include you." Maverick chuckled, looking at me from the corner of his eye.
"What, you can read minds now?"
"Just body language." He shrugged. "You'd think, for a CIA agent, you'd be better at this."
"I am. I'm just not great in situations like this. Put me on my own mission and I thrive. No one ever suspects the woman." I sassed, shrugging my blazer off and rolling up my shirt sleeves.
"No, they do not." Phoenix agreed, appearing beside up, now decked out in a tank top and a pair of ripped jeans. "Do you need something to change into?" She added, looking at my dress pants specifically.
"Do you have something?" I murmured, glancing down at my pants before glancing back at her.
"Of course I do. I have an extra pair of jeans in my locker. Just give me one sec." She beamed, dashing away as the others started to approach now in civilian clothes. Phoenix gave me the jeans very similar to her own, just lighter colored, and I changed as fast as I could, tucking my pants away in the bathroom behind the paper towel dispenser, an old trick from school. I speed walked back to where the group was standing, chatting away.
"Great! Let's go." Payback declared, holding up his keys. Instinctively, I reached for my own from my pocket, picking them up.
"Perfect! Bob and I are with you." Phoenix declared, looping arms with me before dragging me away, Bob following us like a lost puppy. She jumped into my passenger seat as Bob got in the back. "Don't let Hangman and Payback get to you. They're just stereotypical loud men, they're harmless and trainable."
"Trainable?" Bob piped up, peering around Phoenix's seat to show her his confused expression.
"Yes, men have to be trained, or they're just pains in the ass. Payback and Hangman have the potential to be trained. Fanboy's engaged, so he's already trained. Rooster is in the process, though he likes to take steps backward sometimes. Coyote is basically trained, though it seems like he decides not to be some days, and you're already trained because you had older sisters." She explained easily, jokingly bopping his nose, causing him to scrunch it up.
"She's right." I agreed more so on the general theory and less on how it applied to all of them.
"Interesting." He murmured, sitting back quietly for the rest of the ride as Phoenix and I talked back and forth. Somehow she convinced me to drop her off before I parked the car. I guess she just started talking, and I would listen like the Pied Piper.
"I'll stay and walk her to the bar." Bob offered, when Phoenix jumped out of my car, looking back at him. She just nodded, closing the door and dashing off to catch up with Hangman and Rooster.
"I think I'm under her spell." I laughed, pulling into the parking lot and searching for a spot.
"Yeah, she kind of has that effect on people." I saw him nod through the rearview mirror. "You get used to it, and it's really nice to have on your side when you get into any kind of problem."
"I could see that." I chuckled, putting my car into park once I was properly in a parking spot. We both jumped out, and I locked the car as we headed toward the bar. "Am I about to go through some weird Navy initiation if I walk through these doors?" I joked, stopping right as Bob held the door open for me.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that theory." He chuckled, a smile taking over his face. "Isn't that what you CIA agents are supposed to say?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that theory." I smiled, sending him a wink as I walked inside.
"Taylor, what's your poison?" Coyote yelled at me the second I was within his eye line.
"She drinks a vodka lemonade." Penny rolled her eyes, putting a filled cup on the counter as I approached.
"Thanks." I smiled, taking the drink willingly.
"I see you've integrated yourself into the group." She smiled, nodding towards the gaggle of pilots scattered around me, drinking or bickering with each other.
"Maybe... the jury's still out." I murmured, glancing at Maverick as he watched Penny and I talk.
"Oh, ignore Mav. He's useless." Penny chuckled, moving to grab a towel it and throw it at the man.
"Noted." I chuckled as he came our way, a smirk on his face. "I'm gonna go socialize. Thanks again for the drink."
"Of course! Go mingle." She beamed, gesturing for me to go move. Before another thought could even come close to gracing my mind, Rooster, and Hangman were suddenly racing to the piano tucked away on one of the walls. Rooster won, and he instantly started playing the song from last night that I did not recognize.
"What is this?" I whispered in Bob's ear as we both stood there watching Fanboy, Coyote, Rooster, and Phoenix sing while Hangman and Playboy grumbled to themselves.
"It's called Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis, I think." Bob shrugged, gesturing to a table near the piano. I led the way and we both took a seat to watch the show.
"I appreciate your group's atmosphere." I chuckled, leaning back in my chair to watch them all dance around obnoxiously. "You get what you need to do done, but you also know how to let loose and enjoy life."
"I think that has to do with the fact that we have a few too many near-death experiences. It sort of opens your eyes to how short life can be." Bob shrugged, tipping back his glass to consume the rest of his beer. "I'm grabbing another, do you want anything?"
"I'm okay." I smiled, holding up my half-full cup as proof. Bob pulled Penny away from her flirting session with Maverick as Hangman came up in front of me.
"I believe it's time for you to join the dance." He smirked, offering me his hand. The rest of the group danced around or near the piano, with huge smiles plastered on their faces.
"I'll have to pass this time." I murmured, leaning farther back in my chair.
"You're sure?" He smiled, putting his head down, but cocking an eyebrow at me.
"I'm sure." I nodded.
"You have to dance with us at least once on this mission." He threatened, pointing a finger at me jokingly.
"When you guys don't die in your first three tries, I'll do the pull-ups and dance with you." I wagered, offering him my own smirk.
"Sounds like a deal to me, Taylor." He beamed, dancing his way back to his buddies.
"Don't make deals with the devil." Bob joked, coming to sit down next to me again.
"What, you're not going to dance with them?" I smiled, tilting my head to look at him suspiciously.
"I'm not much of a dancer. I'm more of a drink, chat and play pool kind of person." He offered, gesturing to us and then the pool tables behind us.
"Well, then, do you want to play?" I smiled, gesturing with my head to the tables.
"If that's something you want to do, sure." He smiled, raising his arm in a 'you lead the way' kind of gesture. I did just that, making my way to an open pool table, grabbing two pool cues as I went. "Thanks." He smiled, taking the one I offered him.
"You break." I offered, leaning across the table from the cue ball. Bob stood up tall, cracked his neck, and aimed. He easily got two balls and stood up, offering me a smile. Taking advantage of his success, I knocked a ball in and then another, missing my third. We went back and forth until we each only had one ball left.
"Here's your time to shine." He joked, narrowing his eyes at me jokingly as I lined up.
"Shut up, your voice is distracting." I tried not to laugh.
"That's kinda the whole point." He smirked. THE Bob Floyd actually smirked at me.
"Shhh." I shushed, going for it and missing. "Well, damn," Bob said nothing, only lining up and sinking the ball. He called the pocket, took his shot, and won like it was the simplest thing he's ever done.
"Good game." He offered, smiling at me as he held his hand out for my cue.
"Good game." I laughed, giving him the pool cue and turning to find the rest of the group. Maverick was still at the bar with Penny, while Hangman was seemingly trying to flirt with some girl with Payback as a wingman. Rooster, Fanboy, and Phoenix were still at a table near the piano. I decided it best to join the piano group.
"Did Bob whoop you at pool?" Phoenix chuckled, obviously a bit drunk.
"Yep. He's a real pool shark." I laughed, pulling up a chair and sitting down.
"I try my best." Bob chuckled, appearing behind Rooster. "When are we planning on leaving? We have training at nine tomorrow."
"Soon. I just want to finish my drink." Fanboy explained, picking up his beer glass and downing it in one sip. "Now we can go."
"Whatever, stupid." Phoenix rolled her eyes. "I'm with you, pretty girl." She slurred, slinging her arm around my shoulder, making me chuckle.
"I'll take the rest of them. Just take Phoenix." Rooster nodded, gesturing for me to head out.
"Thanks! See you guys tomorrow." I waved, securing Phoenix's arm around my shoulder, my car keys in my other hand. I prepared myself to haul her to my car.
"What about Booooob?" She tried to whisper in my ear, even though it wasn't very quiet.
"Bob, you're with us." I declared, too tired to be awkward and anxious right now. I'd had a big first day and wanted to go home and sleep before doing it all over again. Bob blindly followed us out to the car, not saying a single word.
Bob Floyd x OC
A new team member joins for a big mission at Top Gun
-----------------------------------------------------
"So, Agent Tayl
"Are these rules legit?" I chuckled, gesturing to the sign behind the bar with three rules. It read; 1) No hats. 2) No touching the dozens of model airplanes that hang from the ceiling. And 3) No cell phones on the bar.
"In fact, they are." The bartender chuckled, offering me a smile. "Haven't seen you around here, did you recently get relocated? The names Penny."
"I'm Lou, and I'm not a sailor." I murmured awkwardly. "I did, however, get sent here for work."
"Well, welcome. Can I offer you a drink on the house as a welcoming gift?" Penny smiled, reaching for a glass.
"A vodka lemonade would be great." I smiled back, making sure to slide my phone into my pocket, before I looked around at everyone else scattered throughout the bar. It was obvious this place was overrun with people on base here, but it was funny to see a mixture of both in-uniform and out-of-uniform people chatting and drinking around the place.
"Here you go, Lou." Penny declared, placing the glass in front of me.
"Thank you." I sighed, relieved to have something in my hand so at least I felt less awkward sitting here alone.
"The crowd making ya anxious?" She almost whispered, leaning on the counter in front of me.
"Just a bit." I laughed awkwardly. "Bars aren't as much fun when you're alone."
"Agreed. If you want, you could help me serve drinks, as long as you have a general idea of what the hell is going on." Penny tried to lessen my nerves.
"Alas, I have zero idea of what's going on. So I think I might just end up making more work for you." I laughed, tossing back a sip of my drink. "This is really good."
"What can I say? It's hard to mess up a vodka lemonade." She shrugged, whipping down the counter when some sailors approached. They ordered, and I continued to people watch as a large group of in-uniform sailors came in. "Well, look what the cat dragged in." Penny laughed, reaching for as many bear cups as she could.
"Always the charmer." One of the younger-looking guys chuckled, grabbing the first beer before making a beeline to the pool tables. He was quickly followed by two others after they chimed thank you to Penny.
"Maverick, this here is Lou. She's new around here." Penny said, sounding like a mother trying to help her daughter make friends.
"Lou, nice to meet you." The older-looking man smiled, offering me a hand, which I took.
"Maverick, you wouldn't happen to be Captain Mitchell, would you?" I murmured, the call name maverick ringing a bell from my briefing files for this job.
"In fact, I am. The Pete Mitchell." He nodded, taking a sip of his beer.
"I'm Agent Taylor. I'm working with your team at Top Gun." I explained, taking a sip of my own drink once I'd finished speaking. Having a drink always made me feel less like I was supposed to be filling airtime.
"Of course! We don't get many non-navy newbies around here." Maverick smiled. "Those goons I walked in with are the team you'll be advising if you want to go introduce yourself." He offered, turning his attention fully to Penny. Taking that as my cue to leave the two to themselves, I turned, watched the group laughing and playing together at the pool table, and decided against approaching the group. I would meet them tomorrow anyway. Instead, I put some money down, took my drink and made my way outside to the beach to watch the ocean. It was surprisingly quiet and peaceful outside considering how rowdy the bar was.
"Rooster if you start singing tonight, I swear I'll stab you with this cue!" One guy did yell from what I could understand. Nonetheless, someone inside started playing the piano and singing along.
--------------------
Straightening out my blouse and blazer one more time, I took a deep breath before entering an airplane hangar of North Island Air Station. There were a few rows of desks and a board taking over the space, the noise of planes filling the air from outside.
"For this mission, we have one of the head CIA agents who deal with this division of issue joining us to help explain the more specific details of the situation." Cyclone –I guess my coworker in this instance– announced his back to me and I approached from behind the board. "Don't traumatize them, please. Not everyone is ex-military, and thus not everyone knows how to handle the energy." His declaration was followed by a chorus of yessirs and head nods.
"Don't count her out before she even starts." Maverick chuckled, leaning against a desk, sending me a wink as he saw me over Cyclone's shoulder.
"She?" The man questioned, confusion lacing his voice.
"Yes, she. I met her last night." Maverick nodded.
"I thought it was a man..." Cyclone trailed off, awkwardly scratching his neck.
"I get that a lot." I laughed, making myself known. "Agent Taylor, nice to meet you all." I smiled, nodding towards the group of flight men.
"Of course, so sorry for the confusion, Agent Taylor." Cyclone tried to keep going, turning to me. "This is Captain Mitchell, though it seems the two of you have already met. He can introduce you to the rest of the team. I need to go deal with something." He quickly spewed out before nodding at me and practically running away.
"Impressive." Maverick chuckled, watching Cyclone's figure retreat. "I wish I could do that, get the man out of my hair more often."
"What can I say. Perks of being a CIA agent, you scare people, I guess." I laughed, shrugging, taking another deep breath before turning my full attention to the people scattered at desks. "What's everyone's call sign? I had a list, but I need to put names to faces."
"The name's Hangman, miss." The cocky blonde one from last night beamed, leaning back in his chair ever so slightly. I offered him a nod, moving my attention to the guy next to him. "Payback." "Fanboy." "Rooster." "Phoenix." "Coyote." "Bob." It took a fair amount of self-restraint not to chuckle at the last guy's callsign after everyone else's relatively 'cool' names.
"Wonderful!" I chimed, turning to Maverick. "I was informed that there would be more recruits."
"Initially, yes, but since this group did a mission a few months ago and now have experience together, we decided to keep the group small this time." The older man explained, pushing himself off the desk to come to stand next to me. I nodded, accepting the information more easily than I probably should have, considering this was not information shared with my supervisors. "Would you like to explain this situation?"
"Sure." I nodded, turning to the group, squaring my shoulders. "The CIA has been tracking a white supremacist group in northern Italy for some time now, and we have reason to believe they are collecting a stash of nuclear weapons. Luckily, they are kept on an island off the coast, just far enough from the coast of Italy and France that blowing them up is considered safe."
"That sounds simple enough, so why are we needed?" Hangman pipped up, earning an eye roll from Rooster behind him.
"You see, the issue is the island has a volcano that has recently become slightly less dormant. Some of my superiors want me to say it's active, but in all honesty, it is just active enough that it cannot be considered dormant anymore and just enough that if this mission is performed incorrectly, it will become legitimately active." I explained, crossing my arms over my chest. All recruits nodded along with understanding.
"Perfect. Well, this will work similarly to our uranium mission training. This time you will be flying MiG-25 Foxbat. The goal is to get in and out fast with accuracy. We will be sending two teams, just like last time, except I will not be joining, so Hangman, step it up and dial down the attitude. The practice planes are programmed with training info, and we will be flying demo runs asap." Maverick added, turning to me. "Is there anything I forgot?"
"If this goes wrong, you do not only have to worry about the volcano, but if the group gets their hands on you, it will not be pretty. They're known not to have boundaries or morals." I nodded, signaling that was all I had to say.
"Alright, let's get moving." Maverick declared, taking a step towards the door.
"What? No wager this time?" Rooster piped up, a smirk painting his face.
"Did you not learn your lesson last time?" The captain rolled his eyes. "Agent Taylor, in your opinion, what's a reasonable punishment for if they die in the simulation?"
"What was it last time?" I chuckled.
"Two hundred push-ups." Phoenix explained, leaning back in her chair, an annoyed expression taking over her face at the thought.
"How about one hundred pull-ups? That seem reasonable?" I suggested, honestly, with no idea if that made sense.
"Perfect. Agent Taylor, come with me; we will watch from the tower. The rest of you, get your asses into the planes." Maverick commanded, gesturing for me to follow him.
Bob Floyd x OC
A new team member joins for a big mission at Top Gun
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"How many pull-
