Chapter Text
Anyone who has ever said insomnia isn’t hard to deal with can fuck right off. One would think after a long ass day of flying fighter jets, you’d fall asleep the second your head hit the pillow. Normally, you might be correct.
Unless you’re Bob Kerner.
Feeling tired isn’t the problem. Bob is tired as fuck. He just can’t shut his brain off long enough to get to sleep and stay that way. And it sucks, so don’t let anyone tell you differently.
Maybe it was the knowledge that he was home alone. Hearing every little noise the mostly empty house made. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Where is Slider? Slider, being the badass Admiral that he is, was called away to a week-long conference.
In Washington D.C.
Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue. Slider has had to go away for conferences before, but Bob was never alone then. This would be the first time he was left home alone while his father was away at a conference.
Everything was great.
The first night.
Slider left early Saturday morning and after spending the entire day and well into the evening with his brothers and friends, Bob was exhausted by the time he got home and fell into bed. He fell into a dreamless sleep and stayed that way until late Sunday morning. The entirety of that Sunday, Bob spent lazing around the house, being a couch potato. But when Sunday night came around and he laid down to sleep, he was simply unable.
He tossed and turned. Made himself a cup of chamomile tea. Tossed and turned some more. Counted sheep. Meditated.
Nada. Nothing. Zilch.
Finally, at around 0630, he gave up and got ready for work. Another downside of Slider being gone is having to drive himself to work and having to park where everyone else parks. After splashing some cold water on his face and making himself some caffeinated tea, he set out for work, foregoing breakfast because he was running a tad bit behind without Slider there to rush him out the door earlier than necessary.
Arriving on base and flashing his ID to the guard, he pulled in and parked his Jeep next to his pilot, who was just getting out of her car.
“Morning, Bobby. Decided to park with the peasants today?” Phoenix smirked at him as he climbed out of his Jeep.
“Ha ha ha. Yes, and I will be all week. I cannot wait for Slider to come back.” Bob replied.
“You used to park over here all the time, you’ll be fine,” Phoenix said, with mock sympathy.
“But, Phoenix, I’ve been spoiled with the good parking spot. How can I just go back? Why cruel world?” Bob slumped into his pilot dramatically as they walked inside the building.
“As I stated before, you’ll be fine. I’ll meet you in the ready room.” Phoenix told him as she disappeared into her locker room.
Bob laughed to himself and slipped into his locker room. Stuffing his bag away, Bob sat on the bench for a moment, fiddling with his phone, trying to decide if he should call Slider. It had been two days and even though they had spoken multiple times in the last few days, Bob missed his dad.
But what if he was in a meeting? He didn’t want to bother him if he was busy.
Luckily for Bob, he didn’t have to make a decision because his phone started ringing with Slider’s ringtone. His face lit up with a smile and Bob quickly accepted the call and put the phone to his ear.
“Hey, Dad!”
“Hey, Bobby. You get to work okay?”
“Sure did, although, I cannot wait for you to come back so I can take advantage of your parking spot.”
“Admit it, you only love me for my parking spot.” Slider teased
“Well, I mean it’s definitely a perk, but it’s just one of the many things I get out of having such a cool Dad.”
“Oh, and what else do you get out of having such a cool dad?” Slider asked, amusement laced in his voice.
“Oh, I can’t tell you that. Gotta keep you humble.” Bob said and the smile on his face could be heard in his voice.
Slider let out a laugh and a comfortable silence fell over them.
“I miss you, Dad,” Bob mumbled
“I miss you too, kiddo. Only four more days and I will be home. I should get in late Friday evening.” Slider assured
“And I’ll be at the airport waiting for you,” Bob promised
“I can’t wait. I’m sorry to cut this short, Bobcat, but the first meetings are about to start. Text me when you’re done for the day, okay?”
“Will do, Dad. Don’t have too much fun.” Bob let out an airy laugh.
“The first meeting is being presented by Chester Cain. It’ll be a miracle if I make it through without falling asleep.” Slider deadpanned
“Better you than me!”
“Brat. I’ll talk to you later, kid. I love you.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
Bob ended the call and let his head fall in his hands. This was the longest he’d semi-voluntarily been away from Slider since his adoption. He knew it’d happen eventually but it made Bob nervous when his family wasn’t all in the same area. He doesn’t like the empty feeling that settled into his chest.
The sound of the locker room opening and closing and Coyote’s voice filling the room broke him from his depressing train of thought. Coyote walked further into the room, followed by Fanboy, who listened intently to every word the other man said.
“Morning, Bob! Ready for another day of getting our asses handed to us?” Coyote said, stopping in the middle of his sentence to greet the WSO.
“You know it. It’s a beautiful day for pushups, isn’t it.” Bob cheekily replied.
“Man, at the rate in which we do these pushups, I’m gonna be jacked in no time,” Fanboy said, flexing his biceps, pressing a kiss to each one.
Bob let out a laugh and let his head drop back into his hands.
“You good there, Bobert?” Coyote asked eyebrow raised as he looked at Bob while stuffing his own bag into his locker.
“All good over here. Just not completely awake yet.” Bob lied easily. He’d have to have gone to sleep in the first place.
“Well drink that tea and wake up! We got class and hops and so much more today! LET’S GO!” Coyote exclaimed, getting amped up for the day.
Out of all the Daggers, Coyote is easily the most hype and energetic. Bob let out another laugh at his antics and pulled himself off the bench, sliding his phone into his locker and closing it.
“I will work on it. See you guys in class.” Bob said, heading for the locker room door.
Bob still had about twenty minutes before class so he headed to the ready room to meet his pilot to find her there with his brothers.
“Look who has decided to grace us with his presence!” Jake smirked at him as he walked into the room.
Bob bowed mockingly, flipping off his brother in the process before flopping down on the couch.
“You okay, Bob? You look kind of tired.” Bradley stated.
Of course, it would be Bradley to call him out.
“Still waking up,” Bob mumbled, curling into the corner of the couch.
“Not gonna wake up if you fall asleep on the couch, Baby on Board.” Jake piped up
“Not sleeping. I’m resting my eyes.” Bob said in a ‘duh’ tone.
The three pilots looked at the WSO with narrowed eyes but before they could question him, Coyote and Fanboy entered the ready room, now joined by Payback. Coyote, of course, came in hootin’ and hollerin’, which snapped Bob back awake and the youngest Dagger forced himself to socialize with the Squad.
Once it was getting close to the time for the start of class, the Daggers all walked as a unit to the training hangar. Young lieutenants that were roaming the halls moved out of the way and stared at the Daggers in awe like they were celebrities. They just smiled and nodded in greeting as they walked. Maverick was arriving at the same time and pulled Bob away from the group.
“What’s up, Uncle Mav?” Bob asked
“Just checking on you, kid. I know it’s probably weird not having Slider there. Were you okay over the weekend? You know you can always come and stay with us for the week so you’re not by yourself.” Maverick offered
“I’m good, Uncle Mav. The house is kinda quiet so it’s unusual but all-in-all not bad.” Bob was lying through his teeth. He felt like he had put enough stress on his godfather and brothers over the last couple of months with the whole Michael and Julie fiasco. He was a grown-up. He would be twenty-six in a couple weeks. Bob didn’t want them to worry, he had everything under control.
“Are you sure? Because we have a guest room, all ready for you if you don’t want to be alone.” Maverick gently pushed.
And, God, did Bob want to say yes. But on the other hand, he felt a need to prove he would be okay being alone for the week. It surprised Bob and scared him a little how used to being around people he had become in the last six or so months. He had gone his whole life living on the outskirts, watching but never being included. Now, he craved the feeling of being with people, depended on it almost. It was a feeling Bob was still a bit alien to.
“I appreciate the offer, Uncle Mav, honest, but I will be okay.”
“Okay, Bob. But the offer will always be there. You don’t even have to call. You have a key, just show up. I don’t care what time it is. Understand?”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
Maverick glared at his youngest godson with no heat behind it and lightly shoved him toward the hangar. Bob walked into the hangar, followed by Maverick, and took his seat to Phoenix’s right. She threw him a look that screamed ‘the fuck was that about’ but Bob just waved her off. He instead focused on Maverick’s lesson and Mav always managed to tie in an embarrassing story about one of the Flyboys in each lesson. The others will say they’re fake or exaggerated but, in this family? Who knows.
Something about taking his seat in the back of his and Phoenix’s jet always launched Bob into focus. All the knobs, gears, and switches just came to life in front of him and everything made sense.
They didn’t call him one of the best WSOs the Navy’s ever seen for nothing, ya know.
He kept his composure in high-stress situations, no matter how badly they made his head hurt. That’s why he and Phoenix worked so well together because they always kept calm no matter what the skies wanted to throw at them. Whether that be a surface-to-air missile or a fucking bird.
This morning they received the esteemed pleasure to wipe the floor (sky?) with Payback and Fanboy. Bob calmly, but with a sense of urgency, fed direction to Phoenix whilst Fanboy did the same for his pilot. Neither pilot wanted to give the other any headway but as one could predict, Phoenix and Bob were a force to be reckoned with.
“Now that’s some bullshit.” Payback griped as he moved to land his aircraft.
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” Phoenix couldn’t hide the smirk in her voice if you paid her.
“How are you feeling ‘bout those push-ups now, Payback?” Bob asked.
“Y’all have got to let that go.”
“Nope.” Phoenix and Bob answered together.
Phoenix landed their jet and they climbed out, giving Payback and Fanboy a thumbs up as they passed. The two of them passed Bradley and Jake as they made their way back to the ready room where they gave each other fish-fives as they passed. Bob slumped down into the couch the second they made their way back into the ready room.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You seemed more tired than usual. Are you sleeping okay?” Phoenix asked, eyes narrowed as she studied Bob.
“I’m fine, Phoe. Just feeling off with Dad gone this week.” Bob answered semi-truthfully, hoping it would be enough for his pilot.
“You can always come and stay at my place. And I know, Mav wouldn’t mind if you crashed with them. Nor would Coyote, Payback, or Fanboy. You don’t have to be alone if you don’t want to be alone.” Phoenix said, taking a seat next to him.
“Yes, you do.” That little voice in the back of his head said.
“I know. And I appreciate all of you, but I’ll be okay. It’s only for a few more days.” Bob wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince her or himself.
“Okay, Bob. But remember, you’re always welcome at mine. I gave you a key for a reason.” Phoenix said firmly.
“Yes ma’am. I know.”
“Don’t ma’am me, mister,” Phoenix said as she poked Bob in his side, eliciting a high-pitched laugh from him.
“Is Bob Kerner ticklish?”
“No. No, he is not.”
“Oh, I think he is.”
Bob bolted out of his seat with Phoenix hot on his trail. They rounded the foosball table a few times before Bob made a break for the door. Phoenix followed him out and she chased him back outside to the tarmac. Bob saw Jake and Bradley coming in from their hop and beelined it so he could hide behind them.
“GRAB HIM!” Phoenix yelled at the older two brothers.
And because Phoenix scares them, they did as they were told and secured their little brother between them.
“What’s going on? Are you hurt? Are you okay?” What happened?” Bradley asked, turning to Bob and going full mother goose.
“Oh he’s fine, but I have a theory I need to test so keep him still.”
Phoenix's fingers danced on Bob’s sides, earning more laughter from the spectacled aviator.
“Oh. My. Gosh. Bobby’s ticklish!” Jake laughed
“I am not!” Bob denied
“I don’t know, Bob. This is pretty compelling evidence. I need to conduct my own experiment though.” Bradley smirked as he poked Bob’s side, and more laughter fell from Bob’s lips.
“This is the best thing I’ve learned today.” Jake smiled evilly as the three pilots took turns poking at Bob’s sides to gain smiles and laughter from their little brother.
Maverick walked past and shot them a look but shook his head fondly and offered zero help to his godson. Bradley, Jake, and Phoenix did eventually let him go, but would definitely keep this information stored in the back of their minds for future use.
After lunch, the afternoon went much like the morning with Phoenix and Bob showing Rooster who runs this bitch by getting tone on him and having him complete his push-ups. Once hops were completed and push-ups were done, Maverick dismissed them for the day.
“Bobby, are you coming to the Hard Deck with us tonight?” Jake asked as they gathered their things in the locker room.
“Did you not learn your lesson last time you went out drinking and then had to come to work the next day?” Bob asked
“YOLO.” Jake shrugged.
“I will make sure he doesn’t get overly drunk,” Bradley assured.
“You are no better Mr. Passed out on Penny’s bar floor.” Bob teased
“Oh, he’s got jokes.” Bradley laughed
“Anyway. I think I’m gonna rain check tonight, guys. I kinda just wanna head home, if that’s okay.” Bob felt bad about not going out but he just didn’t have the energy.
“You don’t need our permission, Bobby. Are you SURE you wanna be alone though? We can skip out on the bar and do something at Mav’s.” Jake offered. Bob had been off all day and he didn’t like it, not one bit.
“No, you guys go have fun. I will be fine. I promise. Just gonna call it an early night.” Bob said, a fake smile plastered on his face.
The two older brothers studied the youngest for a long minute and eventually relented. They couldn’t force Bob to tell them what was wrong, they just hoped he would come to them before it got too bad.
“I’m calling you later to check on you,” Jake told him
“I’ll be fine, but okay.” Bob smiled
“Mmhmm.”
Jake pulled Bob into a tight embrace and felt how his little brother just sagged into his hold. Like the tension just melted out of him completely. Sharing a look with Bradley over Bob’s shoulder, the two had a silent conversation. Agreeing that something was going on and they needed to figure out what. After Bradley pulled him in for his own hug and saying goodnight to the rest of the squad, Bob headed out to his Jeep, sending a text to Slider letting him know he was on his way home even though Slider was on the other side of the country.
Bob’s phone rang as soon as he walked inside the house. His bones felt like they weighed a thousand pounds but he found the strength to lock the door and collapse on the couch. Answering the phone he heard his dad’s voice filter through the speaker.
“Hey, kiddo. How was your day?”
“Hey, Dad. It was good. Long, but good.” Bob’s tired voice must have met Slider’s ears.
“You sound exhausted, Bobcat. What the hell did Mav put you guys through today? I swear I’m gone for one day.” Slider started to rant but Bob stopped him.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. I didn’t even have to do push-ups because my pilot is the best.”
“Then why can I hear your exhaustion all the way over here? Are you sleeping okay?” Slider fired off questions father than Bob could answer.
“Everything’s fine, Dad. I’m all good. Like I said, just a long day. Feels weird not having you here.” Bob said, purposely avoiding the sleeping question.
“Would you feel more comfortable staying with Mav? I can give him a call. Or any one of the Flyboys, I know, would take you in a heartbeat.”
“Mav offered but I’m okay. It’s nothing bad, just feels weird is all.”
“Okay, kiddo. I’m gonna let you go, try and get some rest. I’ll call tomorrow, okay?”
“Sounds good, Dad. Will do. Love you.”
“Love you too, kid. Get some sleep.”
Bob ended the call and let his phone fall beside his bed on the couch. He was exhausted and he should probably change and get into a real bed. But his bed was so far away and the couch was weirdly comfortable. He would rest here, for just a moment.
Just a minute.
The shrill ringing of his phone snapped him back into consciousness. Looking at the time, he had slept for about an hour. Now feeling wide awake, he resigned himself to his one hour of sleep and accepted the phone call.
Man, it was going to be a long week.