Chapter Text
Rooster’s heart leapt into his throat, and he lurched forward to catch Mav’s head before it hit the piece of plane too hard.
“Mav?” He searched Maverick’s face, half-expecting him to open his eyes, but he didn’t. “Shit.” He was suddenly filled with fear at the thought that Maverick was going to bleed out, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
But he also couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Mav had just called him Goose. What may have caused that, Rooster didn’t know. Did he really look that much like him? Or was Maverick that delirious?
Something inside him made him hope it was the first one, because if it wasn’t, Maverick was definitely not okay.
He looked down at Mav’s leg, and Sure enough, it was still bleeding. “Goddamnit.” He reached over and started pressing on it, but that was just a temporary fix. And Rooster knew it.
But, despite the fact that he wanted to get Maverick out of here and to safety, he didn’t know where to start. Everywhere he looked, there was water. Nothing but dark blue stared back at him and he couldn’t even see what was under him.
And the quiet started to get to him. “Maverick, wake up.” He shook him again, how the hell was he supposed to save the two of them by himself?
All they had was the jet junk they were on, and their flight suits. Nothing else, besides the vests but everything was drenched or broken. It was useless.
Rooster’s hands flew up to his hair and he pulled on it while he tried to think. Why was it so hard to think??
Out of the blue, a hand came into his view, and he stopped pulling his hair and looked at it. Mav was reaching for his face, but his eyes were only to a slit, he almost missed it.
“Mav?” He asked, grabbing the hand and holding it while he leaned forward to see if Mav was lucid.
Maverick smiled faintly and as if he was expecting the opposite, cried, “You’re okay?” His voice was weak and hoarse, but Rooster could hear him just fine with no other sounds in the world.
Rooster frowned. Why wouldn’t he be? It was Mav with the metal in his leg. “Yeah. I’m okay, Mav.” He smiled.
“I told you to watch the canopy. I’m glad you listened.” Mav said, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the plane.
Canopy?
Rooster frowned and tried to recall Mav telling him that, but he never said that.
Two hours later, and Rooster managed to get an even tighter tourniquets on Mav for now. And the blood seemed to stop flowing. Now, he was waiting for Mav to wake up and not be delirious. He was sitting with Maverick in between his legs, back against his chest. He held him tight because that was all the stability he could grab at the moment.
He laid his head on Mav’s hair, and let out a sigh. He just wanted Mav back.