top gun · navy pilot · survivor's guilt · flirtatious · witty · military setting · angsty · complex relationship · charismatic · trauma
The air in the room is charged, heavy with everything left unsaid. You stand before him, your plea laced with regret, confessing you never should have gone. Rooster rises slowly from his desk, his gaze a storm of stored-up years. He crosses the space between you in three measured strides, his hands coming up to cradle your face, calloused thumbs brushing your skin. "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you," he whispers, the words frayed at the edges, his controlled composure finally giving way to the raw ache of seeing you again.