When Monarch had broken down while he was their F/D-14, it had caught Robin completely off-guard. Thankfully she'd been able to get him to bed without too much trouble, and without too much interference from anyone else on the base. Now he was asleep, and she was sitting by his side, unwilling to leave him alone even as he rested.

Seeing him collapse like he had was terrifying to her, because for as long as she had known him, Monarch had the most stalwart person that she'd ever known. That resolve that she'd known him for had obviously faltered after the Prospero and Presidia disasters, but he'd never just… fallen apart.

It was equally terrifying to not know exactly what was afflicting him. One of the medics had suggested that it might be Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but it would take a trained psychologist to truly say for certain what he was suffering from.

She wasn't quite sure what it was that had caused him to break down, but her current guess was that it had something to do with Crimson One. Her logic was that perhaps when Monarch had seen their plane in the state that it was in, he might have been reminded of his battle with the rogue Federation pilot. Monarch had already told her about his attempts to get under his skin, and so it seemed logical that Crimson One, even beyond the grave, was the one causing trouble.

Robin spared a thought for herself, What is the difference between us? We fought Crimson together, how did he hurt Monarch so much?

While she certainly wasn't a doctor she wondered that it may be a difference in roles. The presence Monarch had exuded on battlefields was enough to suppress entire squadrons and nullify any ground based targets. It was total control, and she assisted him, supplementing his impressive skill set. Perhaps that is why Crimson had been able to strike at Monarch so well. He'd been able to rip control from Monarch twice, hurt those he cared about and kill millions.

Robin was no stranger to nightmares about it, however, knowing that Monarch was there for her had been enough to comfort her. With Monarch fighting bravely against his demons, she was willing to bear both of their troubles. She only wished she had an answer to help him, to know what hurt him so much that he would collapse.

Whatever the catalyst had been, she immensely regretted proposing that they fix the Tomcat in the first place. Perhaps if they had stayed in their room and rested, like they were supposed to be doing, then he wouldn't have had such a severe breakdown. But even though the guilt ate away at her, she tried to keep herself as composed as she could. Monarch needed her to be strong, and that was something that she was more than capable of. She knew that once he pulled through, he'd be there for her.

Monarch had been sleeping for hours, and so it wasn't much of a surprise when he started to stir. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and dry, and given the way that he'd been crying, she wasn't surprised. "Robin?"

"I'm here." She was quick to reassure him. Even though she knew that he wasn't doing well, she still felt compelled to make sure that he had at least partially recovered. "How do you feel?"

Monarch coughed roughly as he sat upright and rubbed his face. "Terrible. How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours." She answered him, before reaching over to grab her canteen. "Here, you sound like you need this."

He accepted her offer and, after a long drink, handed her water back to her. "Thanks."

He didn't make any effort to say anything else, and seeing the anxious look in his eyes, she took one of his hands in her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Take as long as you need, I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."

Monarch let out a long, deep breath, and nodded steadily at her words. For a few minutes, he sat there beside her, no doubt collecting his thoughts and thinking about what had happened. While his silence was troubling, she took solace in the knowledge that he almost certainly wasn't angry with her. Whatever mental affliction he was dealing with, it clearly made it difficult for him to speak, and so she did her best to be as patient as possible.

After a little while, he cleared his throat and turned to her, an expression of shame on his face. "I want to say I'm sorry, but you told me not to be."

I'm honestly a little surprised that he remembers that. She thought, remembering just how bad of a state that he'd been in when she'd told him that. "You have nothing to be sorry for, if anything it's my fault. I shouldn't have suggested that we fix the Tomcat, at least until we know what you're dealing with."

"It's alright." He told her, giving her some degree of relief, before he cast his gaze downward. "I want to fix it, it's just… I started thinking about Peter, and Eve…"

Robin wanted to smack her forehead and groan in frustration at herself, of course that was bothering him! In truth, she'd momentarily forgotten about their missing wingmen amid her concern for Monarch, which did absolutely nothing to alleviate the guilt weighing on her shoulders.

She spared a moment to wonder exactly where they were, hopefully safe, perhaps lying low while the war with the Federation raged on. They wouldn't be able to do much without their planes anyway, and with the bounties that were all of their heads, it seemed like a smart course of action. There was also the unspoken possibility that they hadn't survived, but she wasn't about to give up hope quite yet.

"Hey." She said, getting his attention again. While she was normally content to let him think, it could be dangerous to get too lost in negative thoughts. "It's okay to be worried about them, I am too."

He didn't say anything, but he did look back up at her, making it clear that he was listening to what she was saying. It was something that made her feel just a little bit better, for as poorly as Monarch was feeling, he still put in the effort to listen to what she was telling him.

"If there was anything that you or I could be doing for Peter and Eve, we'd be doing it right now." She reassured him. "Right now, the best thing you can do for them is to look after yourself. You're hurt, and you can't afford to be stressing out over something that's out of our hands."

There was an empty look in Monarch's eyes as he slowly nodded. Sensing his need for comfort, she held out her arms, and obligingly, he leaned into her embrace. He felt warm, but still shivered as though he was freezing. After a few moments however, he began to calm down, and his breathing became much calmer.

After maybe a moment or so, he spoke, clearly making an effort to talk clearly, but faltering as the words left his mouth. "I love you Robin."

Such simple words, but the impact they had was monumental. She felt her heart race and a brilliant feeling of warmth through her whole body at his basic, but incredibly heartfelt declaration. It was something that she'd known for a while, but to hear it out loud made her feel like the happiest woman in the world, even the maelstrom outside seemed quieter.

There was no hesitation in her voice as she replied. "I love you too."