#tgog

You had known Ice for years. The two of you first met at the academy, becoming instant friends with both him and Slider. He had even been the one to give you your call sign; Snow White because of your jet-black hair. It was also fitting for the way you were similar to Ice in your frostiness. Eventually, the pair of you got together. In a few weeks, it would be your fifth anniversary.

His comment shouldn't have affected you like it did. You knew that it was aimed at Maverick but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Iceman was the person that knew more than anyone how hard you had to work to get where you were. It was safe to say that female pilots were a rarity in the Navy. The men around you were constantly looking down on you, belittling you just because you were a woman. You knew that Ice wasn’t one of those people. Both him and Slider were constantly telling you how much you deserved to be where you were today, no matter how often you told them they didn’t need to. To hear Ice say that made you rethink the things that he had told you over the past six years. Maybe that’s what he actually thought. That you were below him and the other pilots, just because you were a woman.

You headed into the changing rooms before anyone else got there. Grabbing your civilian clothes, you headed into one of the bathroom stalls and began changing out of your uniform. You could hear some of the others make their way into the room, laughing loudly. The second you were finished you folded your uniform carefully and unlocked the stall.

Ice, Slider, Hollywood, Wolfman, Maverick, and Goose were all standing in front of their lockers. They were all discussing plans to go to the bar tonight. Your locker was next to Ice’s. Silently, you placed your uniform in the small locker. Popping a piece of gum in your mouth, you ignored Ice when he tried to talk to you. Honestly, you weren’t in the mood to deal with him right now. Slamming your locker, you left the room, leaving everyone staring after you confused.

The bar was packed. People were mingling loudly, chatting and laughing as they sipped on their drinks. You leaned against the bar, waiting for your drink to come. Many of your classmates surrounded you. Hollywood and Wolfman were sitting beside you, lost in their own little world. A soft hand landed on your shoulder. After six years you didn’t need to think too hard about who it was.

Ice wound his arm around your waist. You turned away slightly when he pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek. His eyebrows furrowed. What was with you today? “You okay?” He questioned, downing the shot that was placed in front of him. You rolled your eyes. God, this man could be oblivious sometimes. When you didn’t respond Ice craned his neck to meet your eyes. “Snow? What’s wrong?” Regardless of the concern dripping from his words, you didn’t want anything to do with him right now.

“I can’t do this right now, Ice,” Sighing, you set your now empty glass on the bar top and moved toward the exit. You could hear Ice groan behind you. Not caring, you continued towards the exit and stepped out of the bar. The fresh air was glorious. You sucked in a deep breath, shutting your eyes for a minute. The door shut behind you. “Please, Tom.” With a sigh, you turned to face him.

His eyes were on you, watching with concern as he moved toward you. “What’s going on?” When all you offered in response was a mumbled ‘nothing’ Ice scoffed. “Bullshit. You’re barely even looking at me.” Your eyes were focused on the gravel in front of his shoes. He watched you carefully as you chose your words.

You sighed and brought your eyes up to meet his. “Why would you say that?” Ice’s brow furrowed in confusion. What the hell were you talking about?  “Why would you joke about being a woman pilot?” His mind instantly flashed to the comment he had made earlier that day. Of course. How could he have been so stupid? The pilot's heart dropped when he saw the way you tried to blink away the tears that gathered on your lashes.

He wished that he could run to you and wipe your tears away; hold you until he knew you were okay. But, he knew that that was probably the last thing you wanted right now. He had to choose his words very carefully. “I wasn’t thinking,” You scoffed. “And I know that that is no excuse for what I said but I promise you, I would never make fun of you, or mock you. Ever,” Ice took a cautious step towards you. “I know how hard you had to work to get where you are and that is nothing to joke about,” He was now standing only a foot away from you. “I am so, so sorry, baby.” When you sniffled quietly Ice thought the worst: he was about to lose you after nearly five years.

Before he could even comprehend what was happening, your arms had wound their way around his waist with your face buried in his chest. He stumbled back slightly from the force of your hug. You were crying softly into his chest. His lips settled on the crown of your head. “I’m so sorry,” The words were mumbled into your hair but you could hear them nonetheless. You shook your head, face still nuzzled in Ice’s chest.

“Thank you,” You whispered, pulling your head back to look at him. Tom had tears of his own gathering on his bottom lash. Biting his lip, he tried to blink them away. He didn’t think you should be thanking him for anything.  “Thank you for believing in me,” There was a small smile resting on your lips, Tom’s eventually mimicking your own. “I love you, Tom.” You rested your head against his shoulder, arms still wrapped tightly around his waist.

His hand began rubbing soothing circles on your back. “I love you too, baby. You’re never gonna be alone as long as I'm here,” He had no idea how much it meant to hear him say that. The pair of you stood in silence, simply enjoying each other presence. Tom had made it clear that he understood his mistake, and he would be damned if he ever made it again. You knew how much he regretted what he said. You were glad to know that no matter what happened, you would always have Ice in your corner. As if he could hear your thoughts, Ice leaned down slightly and pressed a chaste kiss to your temple. “You deserve so much baby. I hope one day I can give that to you.” Your heart melted at his words.

With a giddy smile, you moved to hide your face in Ice’s neck, eyes catching on the wet tear stain you left on his sunny whites. “Oops.” You giggled quietly. Tom’s found where you were looking, causing him to let out a soft chuckle as well. When you moved to apologize Ice cut you off with a soft shake of his head. The shirt could be washed. What Ice really cared about was the fact that you were okay and that you knew just how much he loved you. And he didn’t intend to stop telling you for a very long time.