ALPHA STRIKE |rooster x oc|

chapter 22- stupid mav

The silence in the ship's conference room was deafening. Clarke could only focus on her own breathing. Her stomach was in knots, the worst it had been since they loaded the carrier. It had all come down to this moment. A moment she was dreading. Her mind sifted through her memories and she could only think of one other time that she had felt this way; the day she got her acceptance letter to the Naval Academy. She thought back to how nervous she and Bradley had both been the week the letters were sent out. The stress migraines she gave herself, the constant nausea, even a weird rash on her stomach. She knew just how pivotal this moment was. Everybody's life was about to change. 

"You all know how difficult of a process this has been, especially for Capt. Mitchell." Adm. Bates spoke as he stood at the front of the room. "We want to remind you, once again, that you are all excellent pilots. Maverick's decision is simply a reflection of the skills he feels are necessary for this specific mission." Everyone sucked in a breath, knowing what was coming. "Maverick, pick your Foxtrot teams." Bates spoke quieter this time. Maverick stepped forward and looked at Clarke for a moment. Doing her best to keep her professional composure she shot him a wink. The corners of his eyes creased, which Clarke took as a mutual understanding of their feelings toward this mission. That small wrinkle on his face told her everything she needed to know. 

"Again, this was not an easy decision. You all have so much skill and talent, but this mission is too specific for just anyone to fly." He took a deep breath. "Payback and Fanboy. Phoenix and Bob." The air in the room quickly changed as people took in the information. 

"And your wingman?" Maverick looked to Clarke again, whose eyes were threating to spill over. She knew exactly whose name he was going to say.

"Rooster." With that single word the air was sucked from Clarke's lungs. "Hangman will be our on-deck backup."

"This is what we've been training for. You all know what we have to do." Bates said and instantly everyone began moving. Except Clarke. It was like everything around her was moving in slow motion. Her outward expression remained blank, but on the inside she was screaming. Screaming at them all to not go. At her father for choosing her best friends. At Rooster, telling him not to go, to let Hangman go instead. She wished she could lock herself in the sleeping quarters or even throw herself off the back of the boat. A hand brushing against her arm broke her from the trance of her thoughts. Her eyes looked down at the hand and followed it up to find that it belonged to Phoenix. They instantly wrapped their arms around each other, crying. Clarke didn't know how long they had been there, but at some point during her hideous sobs she was moved into Rooster's arms. He soothed her and she worked up the courage to open her eyes. She was thankful when she saw they were in a small empty room instead of the conference room like she was expecting. She didn't know how they ended up there but she was thankful for the privacy. 

"You okay?" Rooster whispered. 

"Thirsty." she croaked out, earning a small chuckle from Rooster. 

"You and your water, also focused so much on hydration." He tried to spin the situation into more of a joking one, but his heart broke when she looked up at him with her red eyes and tear stained face. It took everything in him not to cry himself in that moment. "I know," was all he said as he pulled her into another tight hug and pressed his lips into her forehead. 

"I just..." Clarke started.

"Me too. I know. Stupid Mav," Rooster finished her thought for her. This time she laughed. 

"Stupid Mav," she repeated while laughing.