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It happened again. Maverick jolted awake, his chest heaving. He wipes his sweaty palms on the covers and peers over at his partner. Oh good, I didn’t wake him Mav thought to himself. Lately, Maverick has been plagued by nightmares involving Goose’s death.
Though it’s been a few years since his RIO’s demise and Mav thought he had moved on already. On an almost weekly basis, Maverick experiences a reimagined version of the tragic event. Mav had managed to steady his breathing, but he couldn’t stop the tears from pricking at his eyes. At this point, Ice had woken up. He laid there for a few moments, keeping quiet until he knew that Mav had calmed down a bit.
When he knew that it was ok, Ice sat up in their bed. This slightly startled Maverick, seeing something move out of the corner of your eye is always unsettling. “You ok Pete?” Ice whispered. Mav shook his head. It took all of his strength to keep from breaking down.
Seeing this, Ice slowly wrapped his arms Mav until he had encased him in his grasp. “It’s gonna be ok Pete, I’m right here. Nothing can hurt you while I’m around.” Ice said, gently tightening his hold on his partner.
Whenever Ice called Maverick by his true name and not his call sign, he knew it was a big deal. He was almost never referred to as Pete it was always Mav or Maverick. So when he was, it was special. Now, wrapped up in Ice’s big arms, he let his tears flow freely. Maverick stayed entwined in Ice’s embrace for several minutes. Ice methodically rubbed circles in the small of Mav’s back. Mav pulled away from his partner. As he pulled away, Ice gently took Mav’s face into his hands. He brushed his thumbs across Maverick’s cheeks, wiping away his tears in the process. Ice leaned in slightly, just enough as to where their foreheads were touching. Maverick’s breathing slowed down and he finally started to feel better.