Golden Hour || Robert 'Bob' Floyd x OC

daydreaming, heart racing

It shouldn't have shocked her, but it did.

He was part of the first TOPGUN class she was in charge of on behalf of Warlock. Bob hadn't needed much or asked a lot of questions, preferring to figure it out himself, but they'd spoken a few times on base.

At the Hard Deck, they'd spoken more. They'd shared shy smiles and locked eyes across the room, and he would make her laugh without trying.

Abby liked Bob. She was sadder than she reasonably should have been when he graduated and left.

So, when he came back for a special mission, her heart surged. She saw his name on the list of recruits and felt giddy joy forming in the pit of her stomach. She looked forward to seeing him, wondering if he'd changed at all in the year since she last saw him.

He hadn't, not really.

His hair was longer, a faint hint of scruff on his jaw as if he'd gone an extra day without shaving, but the glasses were the same, and his smile was still shy.

A week into training for the upcoming mission, Captain Mitchell decided the aviators needed to let off some steam and learn to work as a team. They disappeared from base, and an odd silence fell over the air station.

"Are they up in the air?" Warlock asked as he walked into Abby's cramped office.

She looked up from her computer screen, meeting the older man's dark eyes.

"I think they're playing football," she told him. "I heard Maverick say something about team building and dogfights."

Warlock glanced over his shoulder as if contemplating what to do about it. He turned his attention back to Abby with a faint smile.

"Go down there," he told her. "Keep an eye on them."

"Yes, sir," Abby replied, standing and rounding her desk. She left her office behind her superior, who disappeared into his own office.

Abby shot a text to Penny, asking if she'd seen a group of aviators playing football. Penny's reply was a photo of the mission recruits, including the man who'd occupied Abby's mind for over a year, running after a football on the beach.

If Abby briefly zoomed in on Lt. Floyd, that was nobody's business but her own.

After a short drive, she parked in front of the Hard Deck and got out of the car. She heard them before she saw them. There was laughter, the distinct sound of Rooster singing, and wolf whistles going around. Abby smiled as she entered the bar and found Penny stocking the fridge behind the counter.

"They're still at it?" She asked after greeting the bar owner.

"I think they're done," Penny said, glancing out the large patio doors. "And they've taken over my chairs."

Abby couldn't see them from where she stood, but as she moved closer, they came into view. They were all gathered on the beach, just beyond the deck at the back of Penny's bar. Rooster stood, his arms spread wide as he serenaded the aviators. Hangman covered his ears while Fanboy, Coyote, Payback, and Phoenix laughed. Abby watched Maverick shake his head, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Abby didn't see Bob.

"He's out there," Penny said as she came up next to where Abby stood. She should be embarrassed that she was so obvious in her infatuation with Bob, but Penny had seen right through her whenever Abby tried to deny it.

"You should do something about it."

Abby turned her head to look at her friend. "He'll be gone again in a couple of weeks."