You walk in, hair still windswept from the flight line. Fanboy glances up from where he’s sitting on a tool chest, tossing a bottle of water between his hands. His whole face shifts when he sees you.

“Hey. You made it.”

You raise an eyebrow, like: Were you doubting me? He smiles, a little sheepish.

“Nah, I just—I mean, yeah, I knew you would. Just didn’t know it’d hit me like this. You, walking in like that. Still in your flight suit, hair a mess… You look like everything I ever wanted to chase.”

You laugh, shake your head like he’s ridiculous, and sit beside him, close enough your knees bump. He goes still for half a second.

“I saved you the last protein bar. The good one. Not the sad, chalky one Payback likes. …You always take the last bite like it’s not gonna kill me a little inside. Still brought it anyway.”

You give him a look, like: why do you keep doing that? He shrugs, eyes soft.

“Because I like watching you happy. Because I’d give you the last of anything, even if it meant I’d go without. Because it’s you.”

Silence. You’re watching him now. Really watching. Like maybe you feel it too. He clears his throat, tries to play it off.

“You remember that night on the beach? You buried my boots, and we made up callsigns for each other that weren’t even legal in the Navy. You fell asleep with your head on my shoulder, mumbling something about crashing into the moon if it meant being next to me. I think about that a lot. Too much. Like maybe I’ve been flying in circles ever since.”

Your hand brushes his. Not by accident. He freezes, then looks at you.

“…Say something. Anything. Or don’t. Just— Just stay here. Let me pretend you already know.”