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Ice knew something was wrong when two of Mav’s adopted pilots came bursting into his office, out of breath and slightly frantic. Luckily he had just been doing paperwork and answering emails at the time so they weren't really interrupting anything, but it had still taken him by surprise.
“Sorry to interrupt sir, but Mav needs you,” Bob, if he remembered correctly, said.
“What happened?” Ice asked, already preparing to handle just about anything.
“Mav collapsed earlier after one of our hops. Before you worry too much, he did regain consciousness relatively quickly and we’ve taken him to medical, but Rooster said that we should come and get you before you got the call,” Phoenix said, slightly more collected then when they had burst in.
It felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs when the news sunk in. Mav wasn’t physically ok and Ice hadn’t noticed when they had been together earlier. WIthout another word, Ice strode out of his office, Bob and Phoenix hot on his heels, his thoughts solely on his husband.
People were jumping out of his ways, seeing his expression and not wanting to get on his bad side. It seemed to take forever to get to medical, when in reality it only took about 10 minutes . The staff, knowing who Ice (and by extension Bob and Phoenix) was there for, pointed him in the direction of Mav. Bradley managed to intercept him just outside of the room, ready with an update, knowing that Ice was out of his mind with worry even if he wasn’t showing it.
“Uncle Ice, he’ll be ok. They think it’s a bad cold that he hadn’t told anyone about with a mild fever. Mav pushed himself too hard like he has a tendency to do and collapsed,” Bradley soothed, “Please don't lecture him just yet because he's already gotten a talking to from the doctors and he knows the lecture from you is coming. Right now dad needs Ice, his husband, not Admiral Kazansky, okay?”
“Thanks for the update Bradley. I need to see my idiot husband with my own eyes and make sure he’s alright,” Ice said, slight worry making his way into his voice.
“I know, Pops, just wanted to give you an update with what I know,” Bradley said before getting out of Ice’s way.
It took Ice a moment to steel himself before stepping to see Mav, not wanting to break quite yet and not knowing how his husband would be. Mav looked paler than usual and was curled in on himself slightly looking more ashamed than anything else, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. In a few short strides, Ice was by his side, pulling him into a hug and letting Mav slump against him. Mav’s hands quickly moved to lightly clutch his shirt, head finding Ice’s shoulder.
“How are you feeling, Mav?” Ice gently prodded, pulling back slightly after a moment.
“Don’t feel good, want to go home. Already got the lecture,” Mav almost whimpered, grip tightening slightly.
“I know sweetheart. We’ll head home as soon as they clear you. Does that sound alright?” Ice aske, running his hand up to the back of Mav’s neck, before continuing, “Want to talk about what’s going on?”
“Don’t want to talk about it here,” Mav mumbled, not putting up much of a fight, testifying to how bad he must be feeling.
Ice just hummed as he gathered his husband into his arms and settled on the bed with Mav leaning on his chest. He could feel the mild heat emanating from Mav by this point as Mav slumped against him. Shortly after Mav was settled against Ice, one of the medics stuck her head in to check on Mav, before coming in once she noticed Ice in there with him.
“SO we have the test back and it pretty much confirmed what we had initially thought. It’s a bad cold exacerbated by pushing himself too far. Capital Mitchell will be out of commission for at least a week or until he recovers completely,” the medic told Ice softly, not wanting to disturb Mav, “We’ll need to keep him here until the Ice is done, then you can take him home, Admiral, as long as you make sure he actually gets some rest.”
“Thank you. I’ll do my best to make sure he actually gets some rest, then I’ll be giving him another lecture about his health,” Ice said just as softly, feeling Mav fully relax against him.
The next hour was spent just holding Mav as the daggers stopped by to check on their unofficial dad and asking if there was anything they could do. After checking that Mav was asleep against him, Ice had formulated a plan with the kids about what they could do. It ended up being fairly simple, Rooster and Hangman would come over that evening to spend some time with Mav and the rest would stop by in the coming week to stay with him as Ice had certain meetings that he couldn’t get out of and didn't want to leave Mav alone.
Once the plan had been made, the kids dispersed with the promise that Ice, Hangman and Rooster would send updates about Mav. Rooster had left reluctantly, mainly leaving because both Hangman and Ice had promised that he would be the first to know (outside of Ice and Mav) if something happened or if they needed anything before that evening. Shortly after Rooster and Hangman had left, Mav snuffled awake, pressing his face more into Ice’s shoulder, whimpering slightly.
“Hey, it’s okay baby. I know you are not feeling good, but we’re going to be headed home soon,” Ice said soothingly, tightening his grip on Mav slightly.
Ice could feel Mav nodding against his shoulder, slightly relieved that Mav was aware of what he was saying, but worries rising slightly at the fact that Mav did not verbally acknowledge what he said. Mav was normally quite talkative in his thoughts when he either agreed or disagreed with something.
“As soon as the IV’s out and the discharge paperwork is done, we’re going to be heading home. Rooster and Hangman are going to be stopping by tonight to check on you and the rest are going to be stopping by this coming week. You scared us all by collapsing,” Ice continued, knowing that Mav needed to hear his voice.
“Didn’t mean to. I was feeling off this morning, thought it was nothing and thought I could make it through the day. I’m sorry for scaring you,” the tired mumble came, quietly enough that Ice almost didn't catch it.
“I know you didn’t mean to, but you did. At the very least, you were on the tarmac with the kids nearby and not in the sky. Now you get all of you worrying over you until you are better and you can count on the fact that I will be making sure that you get rest before you get back into the air when you’re better,” Ice said, letting some of the concern trickle into his voice.
Mav just nodded again, putting up worryingly little fight, going a little more boneless against Ice. Ice smiled softly at the fact that Mav had come a long way from where they had first met. Shortly after Mav had almost fallen asleep on him again, the medic who had been there earlier came back in with what seemed like discharge paperwork, followed by a fuming Cyclone. Before Cyclone could even say a word, Ice shot him a glare that stopped him in his tracks, to the relief of everyone in the room.
“You and Captain Mitchell should be good to go home as soon as the discharge paperwork is done. Just make sure he rests and generally takes care of himself,” the medic said with an air of calm that often comes from the experience of trying not to let emotions get the better of one's actions.
“Thank you again. Let’s go take of that so that we can get out of your hair. Admiral Simpon, whatever lecture or yelling match you have prepared until my husband is better. Is that clear?” Ice said, voice hardening when he addressed Cyclone.
“Yes, sir,” Cyclone stammered before he turned and walked out.
“Thank you for that, Admiral. Admiral Simpson came in here fuming about half an hour again, demanding to see Captain Mitchell. We held him off as long as possible because it wouldn’t have done Captain Mitchell much good,” the medic said, clearly relieved that Ice had taken care of the problem.
“It was not an issue and there’s no need to thank me for that,” Ice commented as he shifted Mav off him to sign what he had to, much to the whimpered protests of his husband.
In short order, Mav was discharged into Ice’s car once the IV had been removed. Knowing that Mav was still half asleep and not fully paying attention, Ice took advantage of the situation to pick up his husband and carry him out to the car like a child, legs around his waist and head resting on his shoulder.
He did get a couple of odd looks on the way to the car, most people looking away quickly once they saw that Ice had noticed, but nobody said anything, maybe in fear of incurring his potential wrath. Ah, the benefits of his reputation and being the COMPACFLT.
Luckily it seemed like Mav hadn’t noticed or at the very least didn’t care enough to put up a protest about the looks. The hard part came when they got to Ice’s car because Mav didn’t want to let go of Ice for very long if at all at the moment. The moment when Ice had first tried to set Mav down in the passenger’s seat, Mav had let out a heart wrenching sob and clung to Ice harder, breaking Ice’s heart.
“I know, I’m sorry sweetheart. I have to let go for a moment to get you buckled in and to get in the car myself. It won’t take long,” Ice tried to sooth only for Mav to sob again, never letting up on his grip.
“But then you’d leave and I don’t want you to leave,” Mav sobbed out, voice cracking slightly.
“I won’t leave you, I will never leave you. Only death can take me from you and I hope that will not be for a long while. I know you don’t want to let go of me, but I would love to get us both home so I can hold you until you feel better,” Ice said, hoping that those words would do the trick.
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but after a moment Mav loosened his grip on Ice, giving him a chance to set Mav down on the seat, talking the entire time, never letting him go for long. Mav was sniffling the whole time, tears still falling, but calmer than before. It took all of Ice’s willpower to not pull Mav back into his arms and staying there until the world did right for his husband, but knew that they would be there forever if he did that.
As soon as Mav was settled and buckled in, Ice practically sprinted to the other side of the car so as not to let go of Mav for long and got himself buckled in. The drive home was almost scarily quiet as for the most part, Mav was slumped against the center console clutching the hand Ice had offered, listening to Ice ramble mostly about nothing to make sure that Mav knew that he wasn’t alone. Mav would make the occasional noise of assent, but generally stayed quiet. When Ice pulled into the driveway, Mav seemed practically asleep again, if the slightly looser grip on his hand was anything to go by.
“Hey, sweetheart. We’re home,” Ice said gently, running his free hand through Maverick’s slightly damp hair, as soon as the car had been shut off.
When Mav moaned slightly in protest, Ice continued, “I know you don’t want to be awake right now, but we should head inside where I can give you the full range of cuddles.”
After hearing Mav’s mumble of agreement and seeing him sit up slightly, Ice carefully took his hand back and went around to Mav’s side of the car to help Mav into the house. Mav had gotten himself unbuckled and the door open, but was leaning against the seat, eyes half lidded by the time Ice got around the car.
Once Ice was in his line of sight, Mav smiled and reached out like a child to be carried, which Ice acquiesced to with no real fight. Mav was quite happy to wrap his arms around Ice’s neck and his legs around his waist making it easier for Ice to carry him in and open the door. Mav was incredibly pliant as Ice set him down on their bed and got them both changed into comfy clothes for the evening.
“Couch or bed, honey?” Ice asked gently, making sure that Mav was paying attention.
“Couch,” Mav said, both questioning and excited at the same time as if making sure that he could choose the couch.
“Sure thing. Let’s go get comfortable on the couch, just let me grab a few things we might need, alright?” Ice said, smirking slightly at the fact that his husband’s face brightened when he mentioned that was what they were going to do.
This time, Mav stumbled to the couch under his own power, with Ice nearby as a precaution. Once he was sitting on the couch, Ice made quick work of grabbing a couple of water bottles, Advil and a couple of blankets before joining Mav. Pretty much as soon as Ice had made himself comfortable half laying on the couch, Mav was on top of him, burying his head into the crook of Ice’s neck, curling into his side.
Ice let out a chuckle at that and asked, “Comfy?”
Mav made a noise that vaguely sounded like a yes as Ice wrapped his arms around his husband and pulled a blanket over them. The rest of the afternoon was spent just holding Mav as Mav drifted in and out of consciousness interspersed by making sure that he was regularly drinking water.
Not wanting to disturb his husband's rest too much, Ice spent most of the time scrolling through his phone, texting updates to the kids and responding to any time sensitive emails. This was how Hangman and Rooster found them when they stopped by that evening, Ice holding Mav on the couch, Mav curled into his chest.
“Hey, Pops. How’s dad doing?” Rooster asked quietly, glancing at his sleeping godfather.
“As well as he can be. He didn’t put up much of a fight, which probably means Mav’s feeling worse than he’s letting on,” Ice said just as quietly, pausing briefly as he felt Mav shift against him slightly.
“ ‘M okay. Tired,” Mav mumbled to the group's mild amusement.
“If you say so, dad. I know you got a lecture from Ice earlier, so I’m going to keep it short. You scared us earlier and you can’t do that again. I can’t lose another dad,” Rooster said, voice wobbling at the end, tears threatening to fall.
Hearing those words, Mav pushed himself up to a sitting position with Ice’s help and motioned Rooster to come around the couch, Rooster doing so with no hesitation. Hangman hung back for a moment to let the pair have their space. When Rooster was within arms reach, Mav pulled him in for an awkward hug, which Rooster couldn’t help but sink into. With silent communication, both Ice and Hangman agreed to head to the kitchen leaving the two men alone for a moment. Shortly after
“You’re not going to lose me anytime soon if I can help it. As I told Ice earlier, I’m sorry that I scared you all earlier. Didn’t entirely plan or mean to,” Mav explained, voice slightly gravelly.
“I know, dad, but that doesn’t stop any of us from worrying when you collapse on us especially when we’re all by the planes,” Rooster responded softly, “But still tell any one of us if you aren’t feeling good.”
“I know, I know. Ice told me that earlier and I’m going to try my best to do that.”
“All long as you try, that’s all Ice and I ask. Now Hangman and I brought over soup for you and I’m pretty sure Pops and Jake are heating it up in the kitchen. Want me to convince Pops to bring some in here for you?” Rooster asked, finally pulling himself away from where Mav was leaning slightly against him.
“Nah, I need to get up anyways. Might as well go to the kitchen,” Mav grumbled slightly, wobbling to his feet, Rooster ready to support him if needed.
Mav made his way slowly and slightly unsteady to the kitchen where Ice was immediately by his side. It took all Mav had in him to not ask Ice to pick him up and carry him around again. It made him feel small and safe in a way that he had never felt before Ice outside of Goose. So instead he leaned up against his husband and let Ice steer to the nearest chair. Hangman had moved over to where Rooster was standing and seemed a little smug when he was staring at the older couple.
“Soup’s ready, Pops. Eat up before you worry any of us more,” Hangman drawled slightly as he wrapped an arm around Rooster.
Mav just let out a chuckle as a bowl was placed in front of him and decided for once in his life to follow orders. Once they saw him start eating, Ice, Rooster and Hangman all relaxed slightly and the rest of the evening was spent chatting as Mav started drifting off slightly again after they moved to the couch.
Seeing that Mav was drifting, Ice pulled him close so that he was resting on Ice’s shoulder. The conversation continued quietly around Mav allowing him to fully fall asleep against Ice. When he did wake up again, he was curled in bed against Ice and the sun was coming up, if the warm light coming through the window was anything to go by. While he still felt awful, Mav wasn’t feeling nearly as bad as he had the day previous, so he let himself cuddle back up to Ice and drift off until he felt Ice try to shift out from under him.
“No. Comfy,” Mav mumbled, trying to pull Ice back.
“I know sweetheart. I’ll be back in a minute, just need to grab something,” Ice chuckled, as Mav continued to pout from his place on the bed.
True to his word, Ice was back in under a minute with a bottle of water and another round of advil.
“Thanks, Ice. When did Rooster and Hangman leave last night?” Mav asked, once he was snuggled back against Ice’s side.
“Probably around 7, definitely after you fell asleep last night,” Ice said.
“Why didn’t you wake me up? I wanted to see them off.”
“Because you needed the rest and Rooster, knowing you, told me to tell you that it’s fine that you didn’t say bye because he knows you’re sick.”
Mav just grumbled again before completely settling, knowing that it would be a long week of everyone fussing over him until he was better.