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f1letters · 1 year

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lavender haze | mv1

"I been under scrutiny, you handle it beautifully"

summary: after winning his second championship in another controversial way, max needed her by his side more than ever as the media tried to tear him apart

warning: a little bit of angst for Max, but overall fluff for the couple, swearing, suggestive language, mentions of the championship-deciding races of Abu Dhabi GP 2021 and Japan GP 2022 from Max's point of view, mentions of scrutiny from the media, Jos Verstappen lol

pairing: max verstappen x reader

word count: 2.8k

note: everything in bold are song references and in italic are thoughts, which includes memories from the past. also, I would like to point out that I didn't write this as a personal opinion/critique of Ted or anyone involved in the whole Sky Sports scandal (which is why I didn't use his name or his exact words in the story and why I only used the controversy as a reference/inspiration very loosely), but rather wrote about what I imagine were the thoughts/feelings of people on Max's side (himself, the Red Bull team, Jos, etc), regarding this matter.

dutch words used: schatje = baby; liefje = honey

and we are back! once again, thank you all for being so understanding about me skipping last weekend 💜 I hope you enjoy this little story, as always!

masterlist

Meet me at midnight

Ever since he was just a little boy, all Max dreamed of was being a Formula 1 champion.

To have his name written in the history books. To have his legacy immortalized in the records for eternity.

From then, Max spent all of his hours, days, weeks, months and years preparing for it. He gave all of his blood, sweat and tears for it.

For that exact moment: when he stood right there in Japan, tall and proud, with his trophy in hand, after being announced World Champion for the 2nd time.

Lying in bed that night, staring at the ceiling next to his girlfriend, the driver could still feel the euphoria coursing through his veins.

He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be in that position.

He had everything he could ever want: his biggest dream came true twice, he had a successful career that so many envied, and most of all, he had the best person in the world by his side.

At the end of the day, it didn't matter all the money, the victories, the parties, the luxury if he couldn't have her there in his arms.

Y/N was everything to him, and he knew that the championship victory was as much hers as his.

Max let his hand run through the shiny strands of his partner's hair, the warm skin of their bodies pressed together, while Y/N drew random figures with her soft fingers across the man's toned chest.

The couple remained in each other's arms, not saying too much, both still over the moon and completely in awe from the unforgettable day they just had.

"I'm so proud of you, my love." Y/N broke the silence installed in the hotel room, whispering her words. "You can't imagine how happy I am for you."

Staring at the ceiling with you

Oh, you don't ever say too much

And you don't really read into

My melancholia

Max half smirked with his eyes half closed as sleep began to creep in.

With his eyes locked on the girl before him, the boy tucked the hair that covered her face behind her ear and stayed like that for a few minutes. Just living in the moment, letting her words sink in, appreciating what life had given him.

"Thanks, schatje. For everything." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm completely crazy about you, you know that?"

Y/N laughed shyly, moving her body even closer to her boyfriend's, laying down on his chest. "Stop, Max! You know I get all embarrassed when you start saying stuff like that."

"You stop! I'm just telling the truth!" Their laughter filled the room in pure harmony. Max stopped, returning to his moment of gratitude. "I just love you. So much, Y/N. This is all thanks to you."

"This is all thanks to your talent, baby." The young woman rested her cheek against the driver's bare shoulder. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Y/N knew that Max would immediately understand what she was trying to say.

The girl couldn't help but fear that the Dutchman would let all the scrutiny behind yet another championship win bring him down.

Max had a whole facade around him. Max appeared to be confident, poised, collected, unfazed by all adversity, and sometimes even self-centred and arrogant because of his posture on the track.

But deep down, Max was nothing but a fragile little boy, still trying to seek his father's approval.

Max was obsessed with perfection. Everything he had to do had to be absolutely spot on: every corner had to be perfectly executed, his car had to be at its best at all times, any position other than the first one was simply not good enough.

Knowing him better than anyone, Y/N knew how to handle him beautifully and knew that in the back of Max's mind, the fact that this was yet another victory tainted by controversy was tormenting him, even if he tried to hide it.

I've been under scrutiny

You handle it beautifully

All this shit is new to me

Both of them could only imagine all the headlines, the comments, the criticism. All because of a loophole that was never under the driver's control.

"Don't worry about me." Max answered the unspoken question the girl posed. "I don't give a damn what people say."

The harsh words that came out of his mouth seemed to be an attempt to convince himself more than her. They both knew that.

It had been almost a year since the boy had been named champion for the first time and yet to that day he still suffered attacks due to something that (once again) was not in his power to change.

Y/N didn't push, knowing the argument was going nowhere, and instead chose to joke with her boyfriend to lighten the mood. "Well, I don't know if you know this... but you look so much hotter as a two-time world champion."

Happiness filled Max's chest as he chuckled, turning their position so that his body was on top of hers. His lips roamed over her neck, leaving soft kisses and nibbles along the way, until he strayed away to deposit an intense and passionate kiss on her mouth.

His head lifted slightly, creating enough distance between them for him to speak, though their lips were still touching. "What if I showed again how it feels like to fuck a two-time world champion, hmm?"

I feel a lavender haze creeping up on me

So real, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say

No deal, the 1950s shit they want for me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

Two weeks passed until the next race, the couple trapped in their lavender haze.

The Texas sun cut through the clouds in the sky and reflected warmly on the girl's skin as she entered the circuit, side by side with Carola.

Both friends over the last few years since they met in the Red Bull garage through their partners, the young women understood each other perfectly: both were reserved, with no great desire for attention on them, just there to support their lovers.

As always, a peaceful and relaxed conversation was taking place between the two, as they strolled around the paddock with smiles on their faces.

Carola told Y/N all about the latest incident at the Perez house, with the small sibling clashes between Checo Jr. and Carlota, and the other girl just laughed. She knew how happy those children made her friend and she couldn't wish anything else for Carola.

Suddenly the mood around them seemed to change.

The environment that before was serene, relaxed, and enthusiastic now gave off a heavy, tense, nervous energy.

Y/N started looking into the faces of the people they passed for answers, aware that they were looking at her. What the fuck is going on, she thought to herself.

Carola sensed the discomfort on her friend, placing a concerned hand on the girl's shoulder. "Y/N, are you okay?"

"Well, I'd like to know the answer to that question too," Y/N confessed without too much thought. "I don't know, honestly. I have a feeling something is wrong."

"Maybe it's nothing," The Mexican tried to calm her down, running her hand up and down along her friend's forearm, although she was aware of the gazes in their direction too. "We're almost at the garage and we'll clear everything up."

Walking through the navy blue walls, the tension only intensified in the air.

The faces of the team members showed worry and nervousness, and the PR team rushing back and forth relentlessly was a sign that something had gone wrong during the drivers' media duties following their practice session.

Knowing Max like the back of her hand... Y/N knew it was him.

All they keep asking me

Is if I'm gonna be your bride

The only kind of girl they see

Is a one-night or a wife

"Hey, where's Max?" Y/N asked her father-in-law, Jos, who wore an angry look on his face. Although their relationship was distant, she knew that if anyone was aware of everything that was going on in her boyfriend's career, it was his father.

"Would also like to know." The man replied dryly, running a hand impatiently through his hair. "He just walked out of here like a fucking coward, and left the others here to sort out his shit."

Y/N swallowed hard, knowing it wasn't worth wasting time trying to defend Max as all the words she would say would go in one ear and out the other. "What happened?"

"That shitty reporter, that's what happened." The older Verstappen replied, raising his tone. "That bastard had the nerve to say on live TV that Max didn't deserve any of his titles, and he panicked like a pussy. I didn't raise him like that - I raised him to be a man, not a little boy."

Without a second thought, Y/N turned her back on the man and grabbed her phone, trying to call her partner, only for her call to go to voicemail.

Unconsciously, the girl opened her Instagram and immediately came across the reporter's now-viral video.

"He doesn't seem to be capable of winning a championship without some sort of scandal. First, Hamilton was obviously ripped off in Abu Dhabi; now, they award full points in a race that wasn't even half finished because of some apparent 'loophole'?! Favouritism at its best."

All of a sudden, the air seemed to have difficulty getting into the girl's lungs, the temperature seemed to have risen dramatically, and Y/N started to feel dizzy as the media started to bring up Max's history.

Max, where are you, she asked herself, begging for a sign of his presence.

I find it dizzying

They're bringing up my history

But you aren't even listening

Y/N looked everywhere: in the garage, in his driver's room, in all the different rooms in the motorhome, in the back of the building, in the cafeteria, everywhere.

She was starting to run out of options, but she knew he had to be around somewhere since his exit from the circuit would not be discreet at all, quite the contrary.

If I were Max where would I hide from the world, she reflected, desperate to be reunited with her boyfriend. Of course! In the place where everyone least expected to find him.

With a hurried step and depositing complete confidence in this last and risky idea, Y/N set off on her way until she came face to face with the red walls, embellished with the Prancing Horse symbol.

Deviating towards the back of the Ferrari building, Y/N felt her heart return to its normal rhythm when she set her eyes on the image of his lover.

There he was, sitting on the grass, with his vision pointed to the sky, so small and so fragile that no one else would be able to see him hiding there.

The girl slowly approached the driver, almost afraid to startle him, until he eventually noticed her presence when she was only a few inches away from him. His shoulders visibly relaxed at the sight of his girlfriend, and a small, forced smile appeared on his face.

"Of course you found me," Max whispered, placing his hand on the girl's thigh, who was now sitting on the grass next to him. "I guess you already know what happened."

Y/N laid her head on his shoulder, hugging his strong arm. "Yeah, I saw it... I'm sorry Max, you don't deserve this."

I feel a lavender haze creeping up on me

So real, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say

No deal, the 1950s shit they want for me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

That lavender haze

"I don't really care," Max spoke, shaking his head. "Let them say what they want. It doesn't matter to me."

"Baby…" The young woman knew that he was doing what he always did: bottling it up inside, hiding his feelings, just like he was taught to do his whole life.

"Liefje, don't worry. I'm fine, I promise."

"Max, stop doing this." Y/N touched his face, forcing him to look at her with his noticeably teary eyes.

"Y/N-"

"Max, please." The girl begged. "You don't have to pretend to be strong with me. You can be honest; you can scream, cry, freak out, you name it, and I'll always be here to listen."

The Dutchman took a deep breath in acceptance, leaning his head back against the red wall. "I'm just tired, you know? I try and try to do my best at all times and it's never enough. Not for the media, not for my dad, or-"

"For me, it's more than enough." The girlfriend interrupted. "And it should be enough for you too. You shouldn't care what others say… Especially your father." She teased, forcing a laugh out of Max's mouth.

The boy contemplated her words for a few seconds, placing a kiss on her temple. "I love you, you're the best."

"I know," She replied, bumping his shoulder playfully. "But I'm serious, Max. No one should have enough power over you that they can make you feel inferior, or less than you are. You are Max fucking Verstappen, two-time Formula 1 world champion. And so much more to come, I don't doubt it for a second."

Talk your talk and go viral

I just need this love spiral

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk

Talk your talk and go viral

I just need this love spiral

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk

The girl jumped to her feet, waking the driver from his own thoughts, and reached out to him with both her hands to help him get up on his feet too. "Come on, champ! Enough sulking here and let's face the world with our heads held high, shall we?"

Much calmer after getting it off his chest, Max looked at her with eyes shining with pride and, accepting her help, he got up. Instantly, his arms found their place around her waist, as did his lips on hers.

The couple shared a calm kiss, enjoying their moment of peace in the midst of such a chaotic situation.

"Thanks, schatje." Max said, returning his mouth to hers seconds later. "I can never thank you enough for everything you've done and do for me every day."

"I would do anything for you, baby." Y/N smiled wide, the dimples in her cheeks becoming noticeable. "Anything."

I feel a lavender haze creeping up on me

So real, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say

No deal, the 1950s shit they want for me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

On their way to the Red Bull garage, the two reappeared in the paddock, hand in hand, eyes only on each other.

With them, dozens of photographers and journalists emerged from the shadows, hunting the Dutchman for his comments and trying to get controversial headlines for their next articles.

But from Max, they only managed to take away the magical smile he had stamped on his face while talking to his girlfriend.

It was almost as if nothing had happened to him, such was the confident and determined posture the driver now assumed.

There was nothing like a good dose of love to make someone feel on top of the world, and Max was living proof of that in front of all those prying eyes.

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk

That lavender haze

I just wanna stay

The world could crumble around them and they would still manage to stay on their feet.

They were a team. They had the perfect balance between them, the strength to face any obstacle together. Like two separate souls born to be reunited, in this life and all lives to come. Born to be on their lavender haze forever.

"Just you and me, liefje." Max whispered so only she could hear over the screams and camera flashes.

Y/N pulled him by the arm closer to her body in search of the comfort he conveyed to her every time, and smiled discreetly at him.

"You and me against the world, my love."

I just wanna stay

In that lavender haze

taglist: @dan3avocado @starxqt @roseinnej @spiidergirlsworld @ccloaned @hotpigeon22 @dr3lover @lovelytsunoda @primadonnasdream @luxebeautystyle @wallfloweriism @ilivefortheleague @gwynethhberdara @satellitelh @adavenus @audreyscodes @wifeoflucyboynton @th6ccnsp6cyy @classifiedsblog @flyingmushroomss @motylekrozi @claramllera @gabrielamaex @handsupforamiracle @pierre-gasssllyy @lorenaloveslewis

@idkiwantchocolatee @simpforsunwoo @kissatelier @xweirdxsceletton @micksmidnights @miniminescapist @inchidentwithmax @hopelesslyromantics-world @alwaysclassyeagle @indieclarke @capela-miranda @okokoksblog-blog @pulpfixion @sins-only33 @sainzclerc @allisonxf1 @honethatty12

@amsofftrack @flannel-cures @junkiespromise @loudoperahumanoidpanda @honeyric3 @holy-macncheese-balls @ricciardosheart @pierreverstapkin @ravenqueen27 @majkaftorek @home-of-disaster @buendiabebeta @itgirlofnowhere @roses-of-eden @thewintersunset @rubychocolatechips

(taglist continues in the comments)

thank you to everyone that asked to be tagged! please let me know if you want to be added to the next stories! 💌

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helsensm · 5 months

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I cannot hold it in anymore I am absolutely OBSESSED with your art and the way you draw Lao.

I also would like to inquire….. just perhaps… what are your top head-canons for him, and/or your opinions on popular ships for him/which ones you like?

No pressure!! I hope you are having a wonderful day 🧡

me, trying to act normal every time an awesome artist I look up to says something nice about my art

Thank you so much! first of all, please take this Lao with you, he's yours now~

now let me preheat my bad english.....

Most of my Lao headcanons (if they are not related to a particular art I made) were yoinked from another ppl, because DAMN FELLAS your brains are sexy. 😏 So you might have heard some of them already, but here's my top general hcs for him.

NOTE: we are talking about the current timeline mk1 Kung Lao

- Lao is very expressive with his hands and he's THE TOUCH person. Just look at how many times he took Raiden by the shoulder in the first chapter alone?? He'll be pushing, and patting, and shoving, and punching you all over while telling about his breakfast or something.

- Lao is struggling with inferiority complex. Since childhood he was under a tremendous amount of pressure, he has to do things right, to be better, or else he would be mocked or punished. Now he believes that he should be the best, or he would not be taken seriously. He's constantly seeking validation in his peers, causing him to act cocky and over-confident.

- Anger issues, usually when someone questions his skill.

- People call him lazy because he tries to act like everything comes naturally to him. In reality he trains hard and takes things seriously. Like, he's fighting with a RAZOR RIMMED HAT fgs, it's not something you can master in a day! Also he always got energy running through his veins, lucky bastard... *cries in iron deficiency*

- He makes his hats by himself. With his hands. He designs and creates. ALL of them. I will die on that hill.

- He's a slow to trust, but ride or die as a friend.

- He's a trouble maker FOR SURE, but not a bully. He's respectful and polite to most of the people (if they don't provoke him), also drinks his respect-women juice.

- Master of sass and sarcasm. And yes, I think he swears, but in the right circumstances or the right company.

- He's got rizz NOW, but in his teens he had zero game because he could not keep his mouth shut and would scare off the person with the most ridiculous piece of idiocy.

- I read it in one fic and really loved the idea that Liu Kang "told the blossoms" about Kung Lao, and they really liked him 🌸 so now they are following him around and bringing him news and gossips, that's why there's always those goddamn petals aroung him aasghGHHHj 🌸🌸

- He's rolling his eyes at Johnny, but they quickly become besties.

- He actually has a cold relationship with Liu Kang. Don't get me wrong, he trusts him, respects the hell out of him and will run into a wall for a man. But I think Liu will distance himself because of all the memories of HIS Lao and how badly they sting. oTL

- That smile and a bow Lao did after loosing to Raiden? He meant that. Loosing hurted BAD, but the pain was pushed aside by the sence of pride and happiness for his best friend.

oh shit, this is getting out of hand, I'm starting to think about the other timelines and dynamics, we'll be here all week hhhhgh

About the popular ships... Well, I'm a big fan of railao (yeah NO SHIT who would have thought), but I am a multishipper, so I'm just happy to see my fav characters feeling good in someone's hands. 😊

I really like the liulao and laoliutana for several different reasons. 👀 The johnshilao (or is it laojohnshi..? erm) was the one that didn't impress me at first (love the Lao just third-wheeling with a tired expression <:'D), but recently I'm starting to warm up to all the different dynamics these three can have. And that is, in no small part, thanks to you and your kenlao agenda 👀💖 damn you created such a nice cozy universe for them I'm 🥺💕💗💖

Bi-Han/Lao is a bit random, but I love how catto did them, they are such a cute pair of assholes! >:3

ummm, yeah, so I'm going to stop there ahahhH. Thank you again for asking and for all the nice little feels your art provides, I admire you tremendously~

#my asks #my art #kung lao #mortal kombat #mortal kombat 1 #mk1 #helsensm art

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slayfics · 9 months

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Muichiro’s Mansion

Muichiro x Reader series

The final chapter.

Chapter 15

Butterflies turned over in your stomach as the Hashira's lips met yours for the first time. Time slowed and everything melted away as you lost yourself in his touch.

A banging at the Mansion door rudely awakened you from your euphoria.

"Ignore it," Muichiro said, moving your hair behind your shoulder and gently placing a kiss on your neck. You closed your eyes again happy to oblige by ignoring the knocks at the door until-

"You guys!!! I can't believe we're alive!!" You heard the familiar voice of Mitsuri outside.

"It's Miss Kanroji," you stated, feeling conflicted now about ignoring your friend. Muichiro didn't seem to have any qualms with continuing to ignore the door as he placed more kisses upon your neck.

"Are you guys home??!" Mitsuri yelled from outside.

"Hmm... I suppose it is disrupting the flow isn't it?" Muichiro said, deciding to pull away from you and answer the door. Muichiro opened the door letting the fellow Hashira in.

Mitsuri crashed inside, wailing and pulling you both into a hug, "I'm so happy you guys are back together and we are alive!! Thank goodness, how lucky we are!" She said giving one final squeeze before letting you both go.

"Yes, I'm so happy you both made it back safely," You said smiling at Mitsuri. This is when she got a good look at your face and noticed its flushness. She quickly glanced from you to Muichiro noticing the same flushness on his own face.

"Oh hum... did I interrupt something," she asked.

"No," you said, at the same time Muichiro spoke, "Yes".

You blushed harder at his honest answer. Despite regaining his memories, Muichiro had not lost his bluntness. Mitsuri looked between the both of you not sure who to believe.

"I feel grateful as well for the events at Swordsmith Village, and I am pleased to see you are recovered and in good health Miss Kanroji. However, if you don't mind, I would like to have some alone time with my Tsuguko." He responded.

"OF COURSE!" She screamed Hastily a blush rising on her own face. "I'll see you both later then! Okay bye, so happy for you two!" She said frantically seeing herself out.

Muichiro slid the door closed behind her and then turned around to face you.

"Now, where were we?" He asked with a suggestive smile painting his face.

Your cheeks flustered once more as you thought back to Muichiro's question. Would you be ok being his Tsuguko now that things would be different? Yes Muichiro, I'm more than ok with things being different.

Thank you to everyone that has followed and supported this story. I hope it has brought you many smiles! I’m very sad to end it but I hope the ending was fulfilling for everyone. Our reader will definitely be having a better time as Muichiro’s Tsuguko now. I hope you won’t be too sad to say goodbye to this series, I will still be posting more Muichiro content~

Tags

@illyrian-moonswarrior @plvuii @ihatecorns @muichirouswife @yandere-kou

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livelovecaliforniadreams · 3 months

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I Am All In Rewatch - Episode 2x4

Well, you know, I'm in a bad mood, right? I'm in a bad mood. I lost my woman and I'm taking it out on poor Sean Gunn. Who's actually giving me a lot of business, but wait a minute, these are free refills. Right. I don't think he's paying for them....[And then you had your pivotal moment, at least in my mind where we got to see a different side of you and you sparked up and you were like sweet and not grumpy. And just really happy, Like, oh my gosh. And you gave him as many free cups of coffee as he wanted. Yeah. It was really nice thing. You just like totally changed. I loved it. Then I wanted you with her. Like, I was like, I'm all in for her. And that's what I'm all about.]...Right. She'll keep. Cause I said, I'll come in the morning and move it or I'll move it now I'll get it out of the yard. And I, yeah, I didn't move it. And I, I hit myself in the head like, oh, I'm sorry. You had to come back and see that. And the reminder of what could have been with Max and the whole thing. So he was being very self-deprecating I guess at that point...Yeah, it was, you know, it's good writing. What can you say? We just, we just try not to screw up the lines and not run into the furniture. Right?....Right. She comes in. Yeah. She finally comes in and there's that scene. Yeah. It's very nice. Yeah, it was, it was a nice, it was a nice tender scene between those two where, you know, the feelings are very raw and he's very relieved and he's feeling like he's feeling lucky. You know? I don't think he feels lucky a lot. Like he dodged, I think it's one of those moments where he, you know, he was, he, he didn't want to admit to himself how devastated he was, but once she's back on the market, he's like so happy. So relieved. Cause he's got maybe another shot..I don't even remember filming these scenes. I do not remember filming this stuff. It's like you work, you know, you work so often and you're working your short-term memory. Right. And cause you have to right, you got to clear out the junk to be able to retain the new stuff the next day that you don't, I don't remember any of this shooting, any of this stuff and I'm watching it like, is that really me? I, so it's, it's an odd experience. I mean it's, it's of kind of great because it's so far removed from what had happened. That I'm not sort of, you know, I'm not so hypercritical of it as I normally would be, but, but thank you for your kind words it's they were, I, you know, there were all nice scenes to shoot with Lauren. They were all tender and nice and you know, fraught with tension, fraught with love and know it was, it's very nice. Very nice experience. -Scott

#i am all in #2x4 #gilmore girls #luke x lorelai #lorelai x luke #luke danes #lorelai gilmore #scott patterson #lauren graham #love #javajunkie

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nativeofsumeru · 11 months

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Reliving the Past (Sampo x Reader x Gepard) (PART ONE)

A/N: Most likely will be in parts!

(not proofread)

"It still feels like you haven't been gone a day." Serval said, smiling at you as you both carried packages into Neverwinter Workshop. You'd just recently resumed your status as an employee. Might take a bit longer to get your spot back on Serval's band though, but regardless, you were just happy to have your best friend back.

"I'm glad to be back too. Time in the Underworld was pretty rough." You reply, placing the package you carried on top of another inside the shop.

"Yea, it was a pretty tough day when you left...Gepard took it the hardest..." There was a momentary awkward pause in the air. Many memories came flooding back to you.

~~~

(Flashback)

"Awwww! Go on, Lil Geppie! Ask them out!" Serval pushed with a wide grin on her face. She was so excited, her little brother and her best friend together, was this a dream come true?

"Serval, no! What if they say no?!" Gepard defended, face red, in a more hushed as if someone were going to hear.

"Look at how flustered you are right now, it's adorable!"

"Serval!"

"Don't worry Geppie, I know they won't say no. And you'll never know they're answer if you never ask."

"Mm." Gepard began to twiddle his thumbs. He'd really had the biggest crush on (Y/N) since they were all kids. He still couldn't get the brave and strong (Y/N)(L/N) of the Underworld out of his head. Every time he heard Serval, Cocolia, and (Y/N) were going to hang out, he'd try anything just to tag along and spend time with them.

"U-uh (Y/N)...hi." Confused they tilted their head to the side. Aeons help him. The cuteness overload was almost going to make him explode.

"Gepard? What are you doing here?" At this point they were concerned. Gepard was red as a strawberry and was noticeably sweating. "Is this everything?"

"Uh um well, I-" Gepard began to stammer. He couldn't do this! He was too nervous. Then he remembered his sister's words regarding his possible rejection.

'Don't worry Geppie, I know they won't say no.' His sister's words resonated with him a bit. How could he have been so stupid? She was trying to tell him this whole time!

Frustrated, he let out a long sigh at the realization, putting his head in his head, the flowers he was hiding behind his back finally revealing themselves at his side.

"Gepard?" (Y/N) nervously asked, now starting to feel as if it was oddly hot in there.

"May I come in please?" He finally asked, with some slightly newfound confidence. (Y/N) nodded rapidly, gladly opening the door all the way to let him in.

"You two really do make the cutest couple." (Y/N) couldn't help but chuckle a bit, head resting in their hand as they watched their lover grab some more snacks from their table at Cocolia's inauguration.

"Yea..." They couldn't deny it. Gepard really was the best.

"Oh (Y/N), are those googly eyes I see you making at that Landau boy?" Cocolia teased on her way over to the table.

"Yea, does he have an S/O? I'd like to ask him out sometime." (Y/N) played along.

"(Y/N). That's your boyfriend." Cocolia's friends laughed at how she took their joking play along seriously.

"I know. How lucky am I?" Just then, he waved at them from across the venue. They couldn't help the small spark inside their heart at that moment.

"(Y/N) you can't be serious."

"Yes I AM Gepard. You don't understand."

"You're right, I don't. So please, explain it to me. Moving to the Overworld with me full time has never been an issue before, why is it all of a sudden now?" Their lover pleaded.

"The removal of Silverman Guards is the issue here Gepard. Can't you see? There is dangerous threats of possible Fragmentum corrosion and monsters. The people will be defenseless!" At this, he stayed silent. He couldn't argue with that fact and the very likely possibilities. He scratched his neck not knowing how to respond without sounding selfish.

"I'm sorry, but this move will have to wait. I can't move here permanently in good consciousness knowing my family is likely to suffer. They live in one of the higher risk areas of the Underworld. It's not exactly like they're the wealthy enough to move. If something happened to them and I was just up here acting as if nothing was wrong, I'd never forgive myself."

There was a pause in the argument. Everything they said held truth behind it. The truth was, that everything was so complicated. He ran every possible solution through his mind and that's when he came to realize, his newly acquired badge as a Silvermane Guard was starting to become more of a nuisance than a blessing. He couldn't move down to the Underworld with them.

His heart became heavy at this realization. There was no use convincing them, he'd be stupid to even try.

"I understand." Was all he could muster out. "It's likely if the Fragmentum worsens...it's likely that many communication lines and back and forth transport will be shut down."

"I don't like where this is going."

"I'm just trying to think about this rationally."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to think of a way I could still come see you (Y/N). I'm not going to leave you here to fend for yourself forever."

That stupid Silvermane badge glistened in the light, almost as if taunting the couple. What was once such a prized possession and reward for the training he went through was suddenly proving to make their lives very difficult.

They had one thing to consider, even if cell communication wasn't interrupted, who's to say he wouldn't be sent to the frontlines of the blizzard and the Fragmentum. It was very likely to worsen. He wouldn't be able to communicate then. Letters don't make it that far and with all protection gone from the Underworld, the inhabitants would need all the consistent protection they could get.

"Be safe, (Y/N)." Serval said sadly.

"I will be. And I won't be gone forever, just until the Fragmentum slows down. Then I'll be back." They replied with a smile. Serval nodded.

"And I promise to stay in touch. Expect phone calls almost every night." You chuckled a bit.

"I will. Try and keep Cocolia in check alright? Aeons know she's a handful for just one of us alone."

"Don't worry. Just cause she's Supreme Guardian now doesn't mean she can escape all our inside jokes." (Y/N) looked behind her at the sheepish looking Gepard standing behind his sister. The brave and intimidating Silvermane Guard was here reduced to nothing but a puppy in the presence of his lover. Serval noticed the tension and began to walk away, letting the couple have their space.

"I'm being sent off to the front lines tomorrow." Gepard shared solemnly. Both were silent for a moment, the air was thick.

"How long?"

"I don't know."

"I see."

"...I love you, (Y/N)." They couldn't bare to look at him in the eyes. Of course he'd finally say 'I love you' right at the moment they were about to give him some bad news.

"Um, Gepard?"

"Hm?"

"Let's take a break." His eyes went wide at this suggestion.

"I-I..."

"It's just that, we don't know what the future will hold right now. Much less when the next time we'll see each other is. It may be a few months or it may be 10 years! How about for now, you and I, we just stick a pin in it, put it on pause." He stayed silent listening to what they were saying. "Let's just pause this for now and pick back up next time we meet. And if we're still single by then, we can continue on. However, I don't want to hold you back or be a distraction from your from your duties."

"I understand. I, too, wouldn't want to be a burden on you either. Just be safe (Y/N)." Deep down he knew this was probably the smartest solution. It's likely they wouldn't be able to see each other again for the next decade. Might as well, leave the door open to continue life and live onward instead of being stuck in the past.

'Yes, this is the best solution.'

Before boarding the trolley, (Y/N) gently grabbed his hand, leaning in and giving him a kiss on the lips.

"Goodbye, Gepard. I love you too." And with that they were gone, headed towards the tram with their belongings.

"Farewell, (Y/N)." You were out of earshot now. "Until next time."

What neither expected, was the near permanent shutdown of transportation between the Over and Underworld.

"Good afternoon ladies. (Y/N) darling, are you ready for dinner tonight?" You were snapped out of your thoughts at the sight of your lover in the doorway.

His goofy smile and silky blue haired self stood there, staring at you like you were the most prized object in the shop.

"Sampo! You came just in time, they just finished helping me bring in all these packages from outside." Serval stated, walking up to the front desk. She wasn't necessarily fond of him after his more than unsavory acts during the situation with the Stellaron in her opinion. Although you had to agree many of his actions were uncalled for, you had to give him the benefit of the doubt. They made sense to him in his own weird way and he almost always meant well. You still remember the conversation she had with you.

It was during your reunion breakfast and you insisted she told you the story of the Stellaron before you bombarded her with your life story since you'd left. That when she said the name "Sampo".

"Then this one guy, called himself Sampo-"

"You know Sampo?" Serval's jaw went slack.

"Do you know Sampo?"

"Yea, he's my boyfriend."

"I'm sorry, what?!" You shrunk in your seat a bit at this explosive response.

"I can respect you've moved on from Gepard, but HIM?! Of all people? Seriously?!"

"Oh, hey. I was just finishing up here." You said, adjusting the placement of one of the boxes before it fell off.

"Are those the things for that one 'super big client’ project you were telling me so much about?” Sampo inquired. You nodded with a small smile.

“Yea, if this project is successful, that means I’ll be one to start spoiling you on our weekly dates.”

“No can do sugar cube. That is your lovely Sampo Koski’s job. Besides, what good would I be in the relationship anymore if I didn’t get to spoil you every now and then, huh?” Serval rolled her eyes. As much as she didn’t like him, he made you happy and that’s all that mattered she guesses. It had been over a decade after all, and you’d changed a lot, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that you’d find yourself attracted to such a man.

“Alright love birds, shoo! I’m closing down for the night.”

“Serval, are you sure? I can help shut down, don’t worry.” Serval was about to accept your help until she looked at the time. That’s when she became nervous.

“Nope! No need! I can do it on my own! Now go, go!” She insisted frantically.

“Uh, ok. See you tomorrow, Serval!” You waved.

“Bye! See you tomorrow!” She waved, desperately waiting for you to leave.

“That friend of yours is acting kind of strange, don’t ya think?” Sampo whispered to you as he held the door front door open for you to walk through. “After you, my dear.” You shrugged, assuming she just had something private to do and you were intruding. Either way, you had a date to get to and who knows what Sampo has planned for you back at his apartment later that night. He has been making some pretty needy, suggestive remarks to you lately. Bless his soul, you were trying to see how long this behavior would last.

“(Y/N)?” You recognized that voice and froze in your tracks, not daring to look up.

“O-oh Dear Silvermane Captain. D-Don’t mind us, we were just leaving and we’ll be right out of your way.” Sampo began, nervously, expecting the guard would smite him or surprise him with another arrest chase. When no such advance was made, he started to study the situation unfolding before him.

That’s when he noticed you staring at the guard with wide eyes, the guard staring back.

That twinkle in your eyes…that’s how you would look at him.

#honkai star rail #sampo honkai #star rail #hsr sampo #sampo koski #honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail sampo #gepard honkai #hsr gepard #gepard landau #honkai star rail gepard #sampo x reader #sampo x you #gepard x reader #gepard x you #sampo x gender neutral reader #Gepard x gender neutral reader #Sampo x reader x gepard #Gepard x reader x sampo

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kirby-the-gorb · 6 days

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reply roundup!

boy howdy I love being medicated

other news:

reminder that stickers and prints left over from kirb2k are finally available on [kofi], only shipping to north america without tracking rn to keep it simple

my wife fiiiinally matched into a residency program in her specialty of choice after 3 years, she'll be moving out of state starting this summer while my partner and I stay here and hold down the fort

also thank you for all the boops at the beginning of the month! and all the support and enthusiasm for finally getting better medical treatment. and even more yeehaws still coming in for [cowboy kirby] too :')

on [rare disease day] @ragefilledmunchkin said: happy rare disease day! my mom has MCAS/POTS/EDS and I’m getting tested for the trio this month

oh man I hope it went well! it's very not a fun thing to have but it's definitely way better to know than to just be afflicted by Mysterious Horrors. (although if you're lucky enough to genuinely not have it that would probably be the ideal lol)

anonymous asked: My fiancee absolutely loves your Kirbys and goes into hysterics every time I show her. Thank you for making very good kirbs!

aww how sweet! I love drawing things to make my wife laugh so I'm glad it's working for someone else too lol

on [lichen] @joekingv1 said: *has been subscribed to baby since the start*

it's true, you've been around for quite a while! (several of you have in fact! it always makes me happy to see urls that have been around since the reply roundups were so short they didn't need readmores lol)

(also thanks as always for all your little replies, you offer up so many cute ideas I don't have the energy to draw >n< )

on [lichen] @ceylonsilvergirl said: ok, so as someone who makes this joke A LOT and her kids don’t get it and her husband doesn’t think it’s as funny as she does (me. I’m the she) this is HILARIOUS!! I have a lichen growing around the door handle of my pickup truck. yes I suppose I don’t wash it enough. But it is an almost 25 year old beat up ford ranger. but I can’t remove it, it’s my lichen subscribe

lichens are precious little friends and I wholeheartedly understand preserving your little truck friend. take every harmless little joy you can get!

on [pacman] @nexus-nebulae said: i wonder if kirby and pacman are related. round. little to no limbs. infinitely consumes. chased by funny lookin but kinda cute little guys constantly. consumes Fruit for power

hmmmmm you may be onto something there...

on [normal] @graycoin said: Ooogh. Sorry you're going through normal. It looks krunkly.

it was so scrungy dude -_- (thank you as always for the supportive replies <3)

on [normal] @paperstarwriters said: sending hugs your way op I really hope you get through this and get the treatment you need

thank you! it seems like I finally am!

on [normal] @the-halo-of-my-memory said: get well soon op, and you too kirbs

thank you <3 dunno that I'll ever be well, but I'm certainly better than I have been.

on [taped] @journey-within said: i will sing for you in the car on my way to work

waaah that's so sweet, thank you ;n;

#reply roundup #asks answered #text #title text #long post #readmore #ragefilledmunchkin #anonymous #joekingv1 #ceylonsilvergirl #nexus-nebulae #graycoin #paperstarwriters #the-halo-of-my-memory #journey-within

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indulgentandidiotic · 1 year

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When You Leave With A Lie

Warnings: lying about feelings, harsh(?) breakup, playing with emotions unknowingly, no comfort

GN! Reader

Synopsis: You promised Riddle that you loved him more than life itself. So then, why did you leave?

This fic is sort of related, almost like a prequel: When Love Becomes A Bit…

You came like the rain. A downpour of love and passion that chilled him to the core in the best way possible. You were unrelenting, and you were constant. That is until the rain stopped, and the sun came out.

“I’ll always love you, Riddle~ To infinity and forever, you’ll always be my one and only–my lovely rose–my precious dove–my soul, and my life.”

Perhaps that was it. You were too passionate. Too hyperbolic. Too heartfelt. And that was exactly why you left. You were a whirlwind of emotion, and you flitted from feeling to unfeeling as a hummingbird flits from flower to flower. A love like yours was too good to be true–too fantastical to be real–and that was why you left. Of course, it wasn’t meant to last. Your feelings for him were a raging fire, and all fires die at some point.

It took Riddle a long time to recover from your breakup. When you left, it was like all the color was sucked out of the world. There was no happiness, no true love. All that was left were dull skies and the endless cycle of living. All your professions of love he kept dear to his heart became blotches of poison suffocating him.

When you broke off the relationship with no sadness of what would be lost, no fondness for what had been experienced, he screamed at you. He demanded that you explain to him why you wanted to snuff out the magic you two had. Riddle’s face had been the deepest shade of red, but not because of anger or frustration. He felt upset, cheated, deceived, and heartbroken… He didn’t understand you, not when you told him, “I don’t love you anymore.”

Those were ugly words. Those were words that were contradictory and infuriating. What did you mean by saying you didn’t love him? Then what about all those other times you professed your undying love for the Riddle Rosehearts? Do you mean to tell him those were all lies? That they meant nothing, despite how fervently and solemnly you said them? You mean to tell him that all this flowery language you’d whisper into his ear, or mumble into a kiss, or pledge to his face, was all hollow and utterly fake?

“As the planets revolve around the sun, so do I around you. You, my love, are the most important thing. A being of perfection, that even despite your flaws, you are better than anyone else in every regard. ‘Tis a blessing that I am able to bear witness to your beauty and your intelligence. Oh, how lucky am I to have such a bright star in my life~”

Lies! All lies! And for what? What did you gain from being in a relationship with him? You were a top student with a pleasant personality and many talents. You were regarded by others just as highly as he was. You had a life plan, life savings, for Seven’s sake! Why him?! Why not pick any other man to toy with? Why him? Why was he the one you had to lure in with sweet smiles and the promise of an eternal, comforting embrace?

“Riddle, it can be hard for me to express the full extent of my affection for you when there are no words to describe it. But when language is not enough, what should I do? I hope that, for now, you will be able to understand how I feel about you with just these three words. I’ll imbue all my emotion, all my passion, all my heart into these words, okay? … Riddle? … I love you.”

When you left, you took with you a piece of his heart. Ever since you left, his brain would make up for your absence by torturing him with memories of you. Every romantic confession of yours would replay in his mind nonstop. Every word of yours was so clear, your expressions so crisp in his mind, and it was killing him.

Your voice which Riddle had ingrained into his memory as hard as possible, became an agonizing sound that seared his mind as though it were burned into him rather than willingly memorized. Remembering your voice and your love brought feelings of despair, rather than happiness and butterflies.

It was awful. On nights when Riddle was especially tired, your voice would slither into his ears, speaking of love and affection, and instead of feeling comforted, Riddle would spend hours crying over the thought that all you spoke were falsehoods. His efforts to remember your touch–your arms around his waist, your lips against his own, your hand holding his–were things he now regretted, as they only brought the thought that he’d never feel you again.

Shortly after you’d left, he’d gathered every gift of yours to him that he could find, and stuffed them into boxes in the back of his closet. Over the years you’d been together, you’d given him lovingly hand-made hedgehog plushes, pressed roses, fantasy novels, tea sets you had decorated yourself, and more. All were evidence of how much effort and love you’d put into the relationship, and they only served to make Riddle break down into tears once again, wondering why you left when you seemed to care about him so much.

There was one night when he’d been enraged at you for leaving, and grabbed his favorite plush gift from you and threw it in the roaring fireplace. He was fuming, cursing under his breath, and hissing on about how stupid and awful you were for deceiving him. But when he caught sight of the plush being deformed in the fire, close to being ashes, he went into a panic. Clarity hit him like a brick, and he hurriedly put out the fire and tried to save the remaining pieces of the plush. Alas, it was too late. He’d destroyed a token of your love. And despite needing to move on, he desired to keep these physical memories. Perhaps a small part of him thought you’d come back, and he didn’t want to make you upset if you did. And perhaps, he didn’t want to let go of you. Despite the pain the memory of you brought, it also brought bitter-sweet feelings with it. It was a love Riddle didn’t want to forget, no matter how much it hurt.

“I used to think that the world was a beautiful place. I thought the endless blue sky and the glorious shining sun were marvels of the universe. I thought that waterfalls and geysers and rain were magnificent in both their power and their beauty. I thought that the flowers of the earth were the most delicate and precious things in existence. I used to marvel at the stars at night, which shone so beautifully and made me feel so in awe despite how far away they were. I used to gaze at the ocean and think it was mystical. I used to think the world was so beautiful. But, Riddle, you showed me–made me understand–just by existing in my line of vision, that the world’s marvels dulled greatly in comparison to you and were also made all the more stunning.”

The day you told Riddle you didn’t love him and left still haunts him. It’s been a few months and he is still not over you. He doubts–after all you two have been through together–that he ever will move on. All these memories of you loving him in such a healing and fulfilling way, of you making him feel secure, of your kisses and your praises, of your compliments and your dramatic love professions, plague his mind. He loves every second of this special agony.

“Oh, Riddle, you are the sun to my moon and the sea to my stream. Despite how far away I may be, or how distant I may sometimes act, I still come back to you. Why? Because I love you~ You’ve made me feel things I’ve never felt before. Every moment spent with you is magical, regardless of what we’re doing. Riddle, I hope to be yours for a millennium to come. I can’t even imagine being with anyone else.”

The peak of his heartbreak is over. The sobbing fits are rare now, and all that is left is a dull ache in his chest and a gaping gash in his soul. Despite how much time has passed from then to now, he still hopes for your return. He remembers your love with fondness and yearns for your touch once more. You’re a fickle thing, Riddle knows. You’re a passionate, moody, person, who lied about your everlasting devotion to him. But regardless of your betrayal, he wants you–needs you. The comfort you provided, the affection you gave, your sweet-as-honey words, he longed for it all back.

“My lovely little dove, I do hope you know, while my words may seem extravagant, they are nothing but the truth. I would never lie to you about my feelings, darling. I love you, with all my heart and soul, and there is nowhere I’d rather be than by your side~”

Why did you leave? Did you become bored of him? Was he not enough? How did your feelings change? Oh, if only you knew he'd do anything to keep you in his life. He'd change, he'd do better. He'd be perfect, worthy of your praise.

"Oh, Riddle~ You're the most amazing person I know. So hard working, so smart, so thoughtful, so excellent in every way~ There's nothing about you that needs to be changed, you're stunning just as you are!"

Another lie. If he was perfect in your eyes, you wouldn't have left.

But...

Riddle cannot help but think that, with a love like yours, he doesn’t mind if it’s fake. He just wants you back.

#indulgent writing 🍓#one of my favs #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #riddle rosehearts angst #twisted wonderland angst #previously found on theheavilyinulgentgoat. but no more

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tomatoluvr69 · 3 months

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yayyyyy @sonic-fizz tagged me to answer these 15 questions this is so old web core slayyyyyyyyyyyyyy love it thx <3

1. are you named after anyone

eh i was named after a grandparent in a slapdash way. like they just chopped off half the name and called it a day...

2. when was the last time you cried?

literally probably like 24-48 hours ago in the car thinking about how doomed i am (this is not true.). or maybe it was reading a sad article...i don't know. I tear up a lot but full on sobbing bawling was in mid-Dec and a more sustained sniffle crying was when i was hungover and miserable about my tortured loneliness and doom for the future on new year's day lol

3. do you have kids?

omg...no...the microplastics in my womb and doom in my genome and also i'm broke and single and american

4. what sports do you play/have played?

i swim but it's like in the way that other ppl take walks around the neighborhood a few times a week. sports were so fucking abysmal for me growing up that i feel i am unlikely to ever return

5. do you use sarcasm?

occasionally...i've grown out of it for the most part though. there are better ways to be funny in a lot of situations...i am silly goofy mostly, or use observational humor and wacky metaphors etc

6. what is the first thing you notice about people?

i'd love to be like 'a warm smile :-)' but if i'm being totally honest i'm scanning their clothing/hairstyle/grooming etc to scan for anyone likely to judge me based on my failure to conform to gender and modern consumerism...which isn't fair to others, i know......but sometimes you just see someone in like salon highlights barrel curls full makeup suburban drip and you're like hmmm eeeeeek scary! I think this is a vestigial defense mechanism from my relentless failure to dress right and be liked growing up. need 2 keep an eye out for the freaks and geeks and allies you know (but i'm so lucky to be in circles where everyone is dressing androgynously, having full on body hair everywhere, no makeup is the norm rather than the exception, funky used clothes and practical work/outdoors gear is the norm, etc. ok i'm getting off track...). i also notice people's height relative to my own bc i'm a bit insecure about towering over some people even though i'm not that tall.... :-( this stuff says way more about me than about anyone else... :-( i will say though that i'm pretty good about ignoring these first readings and giving people a chance once i get to know them. this is just the knee jerk first impression stuff

7. what’s your eye colour?

pale blue/grey. sorry :-/

8. scary movies or happy endings?

i like SAD ENDINGS of LOVERS' DEATHS and UNREQUITED PASSIONS and FAILED DREAMS and SCARRED MEMORIES....

9. any talents?

nothing like above and beyond. but there's a number of things i'm pretty sufficient at without trying too hard which is nice i guess. gardening, cooking from scratch w/o recipes, stringing together a sentence or a laugh...

10. where were you born?

my beautiful steel city...kisses 2 her majesty.......

11. what are your hobbies?

swimming gardening fermenting cooking writing reading going to indie films with friends of discerning tastes attending potlucks oh and LAYING FACE DOWN IN MY BED.....

12. do you have any pets?

i wish :-( renter problems......

13. how tall are you?

5’11" or so i have not been to the doctor in so many years LOL....

14. favourite subject in school?

hated school but hated the humanities the least...i loved my filmmaking class in college the most probably

15. dream job?

MOVIE DIRECTOR...FAMOUS AUTEUR NOVELIST...HOMEMAKER...

I tag @fieryphrazes, @iwrotemrtambourineman, @chriselliottfanblog, and @chekovsphaser from my notes recently...and literally anyone who wants to and is bored you can say i tagged you. in fact i would love to read it i think tag games are so fun and i love to read them ok yay byeeee

#tag games

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cilogram · 9 months

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Sparks Japan Tour 2023 Recap

(silly personal edition; unfortunately the only kind I'm capable of)

Saturday July 22nd, Tokyo

(Duo Music Exchange)

This is the standing venue I've mentioned before as being crazy for having massive pillars in line of sight of the stage. It was a sold out show, so unfortunately some people had to be back there...

I was unbelievably lucky with my ticket numbers and my friend and I got to stand in the front row, keyboard siiiiiide. I don't think I can express how happy I was to be there. The show was phenomenal and being in the front able to jump around and dance and experience the music Up Close was just... something else.

I really enjoyed the film score soundtrack to our waiting time before Sparks came on, too. So atmospheric.

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number one:

Over the loudspeakers before the band came on, the venue announced that photos and videos wouldn't be allowed during the performance, and there was a hilarious, audible reaction from the crowd as ~600 people quietly reacted like, 'whaaat?!'

(I see there were some rule-breakers in the house, though, so there are some clips and pictures on instagram and elsewhere for those who want to see!)

The stage was really shallow with the band set up and Russell could barely fit behind the keyboard to reach that side, but it was so nice that he made the effort to come and sing to those people up close, and somehow without knocking Ron over.

Also we definitely witnessed the escalator dance!

And oh man, Russell did so many dramatic leaps into the air, it was (as they say) rad.

Out of all the songs we heard that night, I think it brought me the most joy to hear Angst, and The Toughest Girl In Town. I love Interior Design and it's the album I usually put on when I'm coming home from the city at night, so hearing a song from it IN that city at night was just the best. But every song was done incredibly. Particularly Beaver O'Lindy which of course I'd never heard live before (I am sadly not a 21x21 veteran)!

And I love when a song ends and Ron does some little pose when he lifts his hands off the keyboard :')

The crowd was absolutely on fire, in SUCH good spirits! Everyone I saw was just smiling through every moment, or singing along looking elated to be there and lost in the music.

And as I'm sure we've all seen by now, encore Ron wore an Air Jordan hoodie with JAPAN written on it. Extremely appreciated.

Oh, and retrospectively I think I have to conclude that the Shopping Mall Of Love 'yeah's from this night included the hottest 'yeah' of the three tour dates. I don't make the rules, I merely observe them.

This show was everything I could have hoped for and more.

(To my friend I went with: if you're reading this, ugh, what a cherished memory it is to have seen them front row together ;_;)

Monday July 24th, Osaka

(Namba Hatch)

I went up very high to take this photo and the venue is sadly not in it, but please look at Osaka anyway just for some ~mood context~.

(And yes, person trying to see if you could peel one of the Sparks posters off the wall of the venue to take home, I saw you and I support you and I'm sorry you didn't manage to succeed!)

By the way, this venue has an impressive plethora of escalators...

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number 2:

You can tell how early I was by the unoccupied seats.

This was my first seated show but 99% of people were on their feet from the moment the band came on and for the entire duration of the show. Absolutely became a standing gig... I was so relieved!

I brought a non-Sparks-fan to this show and it couldn't have been a better introduction. It was just so incredibly well performed and so fun, we had such a great time.

Russell's voice was possibly somehow even better than on Saturday; I don't know, but especially his high notes had so much POWER and he looked super happy with the performances after each song :D

And omdhfhdgdg there was just so much energy from the crowd.

Being a much bigger venue than Saturday, the applause and cheering was incredible :') The audience participation in general was just brilliant!

I really like a lot of the live arrangements of the songs, too, they're so much more powerful than usual. I know with some other bands, live shows are a muddier, albeit wilder but much less listenable rendition of the album tracks, but Sparks really elevate their songs when done live.

Russell also used a few words of the local Osaka dialect when talking to the crowd which was very cute and got big cheers.

The previous venue was too small for the lighting setup I've seen in other 2023 tour photos, so this night was when we finally got to see that in action. As is Sparks' way, it was really well thought-out, so I'm very glad I got to see this more visually dramatic version of the set. I especially loved the rainbow lighting and French flag lighting moments.

This was also our first time hearing A Love Story in Japan. So fun live!

Encore Ron came out wearing a pair of novelty Osaka dialect sunglasses (which he had to lift up to see the keyboard settings 'cause they were obviously too dark, and the crowd giggled at that and so did Ron, it was... fucking cuuute.

Of course there was also a brief glimpse of no-glasses Ron when he swapped them for his normal pair later. Those of you who know me will observe my restraint in the mentioning of this)

When they were saying their final goodbyes to us, someone at the front handed Russell an art piece they'd made (it looked like a standee of him and Ron) and he did a little pose like 'I will cherish this' and then put it on the keyboard, and Ron picked it up and did a little pose with it like 'ooooh'

So cute. So lovely.

Such a stellar show! I wish I could thank everyone else in the crowd for making it so special. I'd never seen so many hands in the air.

Tuesday July 25th, Tokyo

(Line Cube)

(The second brand-related renaming of Shibuya Public Hall has given it the above amusing name. It used to be called CC Lemon Hall and I don't know which is funnier)

It's really nice inside, very modern and spacious and the seats were SO comfortable,

but this time EVERYONE immediately stood up. I didn't detect an ass in a seat for the whole show. It was beautiful. Wonderful. Unbelievably good!

(Unrelated, but in front of me was a maybe-11-year-old boy in subtle russell cosplay; wearing an exact replica of his 'having fun around Japan' outfit from the documentary (complete with the right length of trousers and legit marimekko bag in red))

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number 3:

Just before the 2nd or 3rd song there were some technical difficulties, during which Russell tried stalling but then obviously didn't want to stall alone for the whole time and forcibly handed Ron the mic

and Ron said,

"... the voltage in Amurica is 120, and in Japan it's 100... so sometimes things like this happen. We apologize. ^w^"

(yes he did make the face of this emoji)

(and yes I did... phonetically spell out the way Ron says America because it's just... so endearing)

The rest of the show went smoothly though! It was so, so

so good.

I could get into some of the moments in the songs that really move me, but I am easily embarrassed.

Okay, I will try (look, I am being so brave)

-When I'm With You: there's a beautifully-held note or two or three in this song that I'm sure all Sparks fans die at when hearing it live. That, and the 'I almost feel normal' line, really get to me.

-It Doesn't Have To Be That Way: I think we all know how rare it is for Sparks to make a song specifically in order to express a message, and I'm really glad they doubled down on that and did this one live. It hurts but it's also so simply triumphant. I love how Russell almost laughs on certain lines because it really is both absurd and exactly what artists have to deal with.

-Number One Song In Heaven. This is just one of the first Sparks songs I ever heard and it blew me into another dimension. It's ominous, it's ethereal, it's weird and perfect, and it's incredible to hear live every single time.

At the end of the show, Russell said how sad it was for them to be ending the tour

but how happy they were to have the last one be here ;__; 'we genuinely really love your country'

Awww Russell ;_;

I left the show so much better off than when I came in, by which I just mean there's something about seeing a band that means so much to you, where it just turns up the metaphorical dial on the enrichment of your life. Thank you Sparks and thank you other Sparks enjoyers!

Well, that was my rambling show report complete with absolutely none of the information anyone usually wants to hear about a gig.

I'd like to thank @adreamofroses for finding me and saying hi, and I'm sorry we didn't get to talk much!

I'll leave you all with a photo of the official merch I got, including some by the art team Tectecs whose adorable art was irresistible. They've got a gallery show going on with all their Sparks work at the moment, too.

and one last photo because I saw my bag looking like this when I stopped to do something, and laughed:

#I'm sure there are things I've forgotten but such is life #what a beautiful end to a beautiful tour #Sparks band

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onceuponaoneshotfanfic · 9 months

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Oh my goodness! I feel so honored! Thank you for all the love and kindness!

To celebrate, send me a character and a quote from the list below, and I'll write a little blurb to go with it! Obviously I love writing for Roy Kent, but check out my Masterlist if you want to see anyone else I enjoy writing for (or you can suggest someone! No guarantees but hey, maybe I'll find someone new to write for!).

**EVENT CLOSED**

(Quote sources are linked)

“Okay, maybe I have a crush on you! So what?”

“You haven’t changed at all.”

“I can’t believe you remembered.”

“You used to have feelings for me. Admit it.”

“I don’t want them. I want you.”

"You're so cool, it makes me hate you so much."

"I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you."

"Maybe I don't quite know what to say, but I'm here in your doorway."

"No, you idiot. I love you."

"I can't not love you. It's just not in me... crap, did I say that out loud?"

"I'm so scared that you'll never want to hold my hand again... and your hand is the only hand I want to hold."

"What makes you think I want to kiss you?"

“ just come over. “

“ i wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t important. “

“ truth is that i’m so damn in love with you that i don’t know what to do with myself. “

“ may i have this dance? “

“ so… is this like, a thing now? “

“ do you think we should move in together? you spend all your time here anyway. “

❛ i can’t get enough of you. ❜

❛ i’m not jealous. ❜

❛ i won’t bite. unless you’re into that sort of thing. ❜

❛ what are you looking at? ❜

❛ are you wearing my shirt? ❜

❛ don’t mind me. just enjoying the view. ❜

"Are you joking?" "If I were you would be laughing."

“I could kiss you right now!” "You're very welcome to it."

“Why are you blinking like that with your eyes? Is everything ok?” “That was supposed to be a wink!”

“I like your costume, you look very cute.” “Are you making fun of me?”

“Aww, you’re blushing. I like that look on you.”

“Annoying you is what I’m best at.”

“You’re very lucky I love you.”

“Are you trying to flirt with me?” “Yes. Is it working?”

"You think I would be here if I didn't love you?"

"You have no idea just how much you mean to me."

"Goddamnit, I love you! Alright? Happy now? You figured out the big secret."

"You did this to me! You made me fall fucking head over heels for you."

"You're my bestfriend! We shouldn't- I shouldn't be feeling like this. Fuck."

i'm in my bed, you're in your bed. one of us is in the wrong place.

i fall for your smile every single time.

i don't want comfortable. i want passion.

“you know my mum likes you more than me, her own child” “can’t really blame her”

“my sister thinks that we’re dating”

I never had anyone to call my own.

What am I supposed to say when someone asks me if I still miss you?

"you’ve given me so many memories, i'd hate it if you become one"

"Does that mean we can finally kiss now?"

“you’re going on a date?” “well yeah..it’s not like we’re exclusive or anything right?” “yeah..yes ofc not” “yeah”

“we were never just friends, we aren’t just friends, and we will never be just friends”

“i always had a thing for you”

“could you..do that again?”

“how drunk were we?”

“you have NO IDEA how long i’ve wanted to do that” “you have no idea how long i’ve wanted you to do that”

"if we loved again, i swear i'd love you right."

"i wonder why we bother with love if it never lasts."

"cause i see sparks fly whenever you smile."

everything will be alright if you keep me next to you

i've been loving you for quite some time

i don't want to dance if i'm not dancing with you

they don’t know how much i miss you

“I’ve got a bit of a past.” “I don’t care.”

“See him? He’s mine. You know what that means? Back the hell up.”

“please don’t be in love with someone else. please don’t have somebody waiting on you”

“I can’t even listen to my favourite song without thinking about you!”

“He’s so perfect… and he doesn’t even know it.”

‘ we were something, don’t you think so ? ’

‘ if my wishes came true, it would have been you. ’

‘ i don’t quite know what to say, but i’m here in your doorway. ’

‘ i don’t know anything, but i know i miss you. "

#are you kidding me??#thank you so much #🥳🥳🥳#celebration #prompt list #still spending too much time on canva #900 followers celebration

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dailyhelldorm · 4 months

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2023 Aira's Birthday Talk

Aira: Uwa, the lovely present is just so my taste! Producer-san, thank you so much! Aira~bu … ♪

Location: StarPro office, daytime

Mini talk: A word on birthday (1/3)

Aira: Ah... The moment feels just like a dream... ♪

Mayoi: Etto, Aira-san? Can you see me...?

Uhm, he doesn't reply... He is completely falling into daydreaming land.

> Are you okay?

Aira: Wah, Producer-san! And Mayoi-san is here too...!?

Mayoi: Ah, finally you noticed me. I was worried when you kept staring at empty space for a while...

> (Pops open the cracker)

Aira: Uhya!? What- what has happened...! Eh, what do you say 'Happy Birthday'?

Mayoi: About that, Aira-san keeps being absentminded like that, are you okay? I am, a little bit worried...

Mini talk: A word on birthday (2/3)

Aira: I am sorry for being distracted like that. It is just that the birthday party until now feels like a dream...

Mayoi: Aira-san, from a while ago has been like this. He is as adorable as always... ♪

Aira: It is because it was so enjoyable. This will be my last-longing life memory. So I want to immerse myself for a little more... ♪

> Then, about something...

Aira: Eh, what what? Producer-san has something to do with me?

You want to have a talk with me at night time? I am fine with that. My night schedule is empty ♪

> Uhm~...

Aira: Producer-san, is there anything wrong? You have something with me...?

You want to take your time tonight to have a talk with me. Then, let's meet up again here later, okay ♪

Mini talk: A word on birthday (3/3)

Mayoi: If you are thinking about a break, why don't we go to "Cafe Cinnamon" now?

Today is Aira-san's birthday. If it is alright with you, please let me treat you... ♪

Aira: Uwai ♪ I am happy because of Mayoi-san's treat. Let me take you on your offer~ ♪

> See you later.

Aira: Yes ♪ See you later, Producer-san. When it is time, I will head here.

Mayoi-san, let's go to "Cafe Cinnamon". Today, I am surprisingly in the mood to drink the sweet milk tea on the menu ♪

> That sounds nice.

Aira: Yep ♪ Mayoi-san sometimes does spoil me like this.

Mayoi: Fufufu. It is because normally Aira-san always tries his best. Moreover, being a little more spoiled is also good ... ♪

Location: StarPro office, nighttime

On the Birthday’s night (1/6)

Wawa, at this rate I will be late for the promised time. Producer-san, I am sorry I am late…!

Eh, you say I come just the right time?

Lucky~ If I’m late, I will be so sorry.

Are you tired?

No, I am okay. After the party, I already took my time and rested.

Having a party and then making some memories makes me all hype up, in return, I’m all full of energy right now ♪

On the Birthday’s night (2/6)

Today was a birthday filled to the brim with happiness ♪

A lot of people came and said happy birthday to me. Himemiya-senpai, Narukami-senpai, I received a lot of wishes from a lot of seniors!

They also gave me the best fan service ever…! Ah, speaking of that makes me drool all over…

P-please calm down…

Oh gosh, no good no good…

Anyway! It was a fun time. Thank you for throwing the party for me, Producer-san ♪

On the Birthday’s night (3/6)

Since we’re already here, why don’t we talk about the presents I got today?

What so, because Tenshouin-senpai and Sakuma-senpai gave me a birthday present!

They gave me that just because of the roommates' obligation, but I got so shocked I jumped up in surprise…!

Your happiness is overflowing.

Yeah! I was so happy that I kept repeating my thanks to the seniors ♪

But it will be just a waste, and I haven’t even opened the present yet… I am thinking about how many times should I worship this before opening it up ♪

On the Birthday’s night (4/6)

What is that? The box that Producer-san just took out…

Is that my present!? I am so happy, thank you!

Now we are doing this, can I open this right here right now?

Please do ♪

Uwa Uwa! What a cute brooch! Lovely~ ☆

Are you really giving me this pretty thing!? I am so happy I will get more and more hyped up ♪

On the Birthday’s night (5/6)

How do I look? With this brooch on now, am I getting more lovely~?

This brooch, is so sparklingly beautiful ♪ Perhaps, you made this with the image color of “ALKALOID” too?

I thought so! With this, it has the right motif in it and I am so happy ♪

You are really sharp to notice it.

Ehehee ♪ Maybe from my normal experience of buying idol goods.

Goods with the image color going in it are so nice. Even if it is some kind of good that can be used casually, its specialness will never go down ♪

On the Birthday’s night (6/6)

Wait, please wait a minute. It seems that my Hold-hand got a message…

It is from Hiro-kun. Etou… “Before you go to sleep, everyone from ‘ALKALOID’ wants to say their last wishes for today to you”.

Ahaha, even when they already wished me a lot today, it seems they still plan to wish me more happy birthday.

You look happy

Yeah. I unconsciously keep grinning. Maybe because I am a bit easygoing ♪

Getting wishes from friends and colleagues just makes me this happy ♪ I will keep holding on to this happiness and spend my time until the day ends.

Phone call

Aira: Hello~ Thank you for celebrating my birthday today! This is the first time I had this many people come and give me their wishes… Fufu, I had a fun time. Thanks to it, I will certainly see a good dream tonight ♪

Office

These screenshots belong to neneansta.

Eichi: I want you to talk more comfortably with me ♪

Aira: Y-yes! I will try my best!

#aira shiratori #translation #dorm translation #enstars translation

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larissa-the-scribe · 1 month

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Terrarium Lights, pt. 3.5

Previously on Terrarium Lights: Looks like someone else is involved now. Or already was.

Jonathon was standing very near Gail's chair. She could practically feel the warmth and static coming off of him.

"Oh? That’s right, you mentioned the friend. Said he’d come back?"

Mrs. Seward nodded. "We don't know how, or what all happened, but… one morning his body was just… back at the lighthouse, same place we’d last seen the both of them."

"Where in the lighthouse?" Gail asked, reaching for the first question that came to mind.

"At the top, in the lantern room. Showed up in the middle of the night, too. Morvin thought something had malfunctioned, so he went around to check and, bam—" Mrs. Seward smacked the table—"Jonathon was there, like he'd never left, though Heaven alone knows how he got to the top of the lighthouse. He did look a little dirty and worse for wear, but he didn't even look older than when he'd left."

Gail heard a sharp intake of breath from behind her, mirroring her own."She knows who I am?" Jonathon's voice quivered. "She's Samuel's mother? She would know Samuel, too, then."

Gail almost nodded agreement but stopped herself last second.

"How very odd," she replied. "But… very lucky. I'm glad he came back to you."

Mrs. Seward hesitated. "I did, actually, have a favor to ask of you," she said, carefully separating another cubed bite and lifting it to her mouth. "I know we don't quite know each other. We’ve chatted before, but, really, I'm practically a stranger, and I've told you a lot of private things that I don't know if you wanted to know, but… well, we go to the same church and I know you're highly regarded there. I had actually thought about asking you before, but it felt forward of me to interrupt you on your way out of church. Could… could you pray for him? For Jonathon? He… he hasn't quite fully come back yet."

Jonathon stepped forward, into Gail's peripheral view. He was buttoning and unbuttoning the bottom of his vest, watching Mrs. Seward intently.

"No worries there." Gail reached across the table and patted Mrs. Seward's hand. "If I can help you at all, I would be happy to. And I do like praying. Do you know what exactly is the issue?"

Mrs. Seward’s shoulders relaxed a little, and she shook her head. "The doctor knows some things, but hasn’t quite figured out the whole picture yet. Apparently, Jonathon suffered a bad injury to his head, and the doctor suspects he will lose most of his memory. There also seems to be something wrong with his eyes. We're not sure what, but the doctor also suspects that he may no longer be able to see properly."

"Oh…." Jonathon sounded like he'd been struck in his stomach.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Gail said, frowning sympathetically.

"The doctor is doing all he can, but… honestly, he doesn't have any idea why Jonathon hasn't woken up yet."

"I… I… I don't know why either." Jonathon lifted a hand towards her, but stopped, looking at his hand for a long moment before letting it fall back to his side.

"Maybe something happened in however he came back," Gail suggested, grasping for ideas. She couldn't very well say that he was right there, listening to their conversation, and she had no idea if Mrs. Seward knew about the portal thing. She didn’t know about the portal thing, so she also wasn’t the best person to bring it up. But beyond whether or not she'd be believed, Gail didn't know Jonathon's thoughts on the matter yet, and it wouldn't be right to just decide to tell people things, things about him, without his input.

"Maybe. There’s enough about the whole situation that we don’t understand, so I won’t rule it out.” Mrs. Seward set her fork down by her plate, pressing it against the table as if she could channel her confusion and worry through it into the open. “But… we don’t know what to do about it, and that’s what’s more important. And, well… there’s not much we can do, except pray and trust. I… I still don't feel like I know many people at our church, which feels wrong to say, but I know you at least understand what it's like to lose a child. So… I wanted to ask if you could help us pray that our child comes back to us." Mrs. Seward's voice faltered. "He's not actually our child, you know, but… he was so close with our Samuel, and I know he doesn't have any family left, so… it feels like he is our son, too, in a way."

"I didn't know…" Jonathon said, voice thick. "That's… that's probably why I recognized the lighthouse. Not just because this is where the portal was built, but because of my friends and family."

"I understand," Gail said, voice soft, weighted with the emotions that came with her understanding. "I would be happy to pray about this with you."

Mrs. Seward smiled gratefully, unshed tears in her eyes; she turned back to her plate, looking at it with the expression of someone with too many thoughts in their head. Before Gail started her prayer out loud, she seized the opportunity to give Jonathon's leg a quick, reassuring pat from under the table.

#concerned parent has entered the chat she did not know existed #mary seward #gail goffrey #the ghost #terrarium lights #the santa juliana files #inklings challenge #inklings challenge 2023 #inklingschallenge #team: lewis #genre: portal fantasy #theme: burial #theme: visiting the sick #story: finished #salt and light #scribe writes #scribe does inklings

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heygerald · 2 years

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HEART MECHANICS - PART 1/9

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x oc

Matty Neven had dealt with her fair share of pilots throughout her life. Most of them, she has fond memories of. Her dad teaching her how to ride a bike. Her godfather sneaking her into a bar so that she could see what it’s like when she was way too young to be there. Her mother hosting a cookout reunion every couple of months for whoever was in town to catch up at.

But some of them weren’t so happy.

Soldiers insinuating that she only got her job because of her family ties. Men with starry smiles hitting on her at the bar despite the fact that she wasn’t interested. One night stands that didn’t have enough manners to wait until sunrise before kicking her out.

It was just the mechanics of it all.

And so, she made a very simple rule: love the jet, but never the pilot.

It’s a fairly easy rule to follow, right up until the moment she meets a pilot with a warm smile that seems to understand the heavy weight of family ties.

Read the story here: ... / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9

Matty Neven was a lot of things.

She was the daughter of an old school pilot, famous for his time at the local Top Gun academy and arguably even more famous for his late night cocktails that he could whip up using anything found in the fridge. She was the goddaughter of the Admiral Kazansky; Iceman as the other pilots knew him by. She was the oldest of her family, the only one that had enlisted in the military in her father’s too big footsteps while her younger sisters had gone the more delicate path of motherhood. She was the first in the entire Neven family to get expelled from school—a total accident, she would swear until the day she died, though Linda Ashlington did deserve to have her eyebrows burnt off during a wayward chemistry experiment—and the only member of the Neven family to puke at her high school graduation ceremony due to the excessive hangover she had been sporting. She was the blondest of all her siblings, the tallest too, and definitely the one with the worst sailor mouth when it came to cussing out bad drivers or drunken sailors.

And right now, she was also, really, really, really fucking late.

“Jesus, Matty,” Claire's raspy voice echoed in her ear; amusement in part, but mostly annoyance. “Where the hell are you? I thought you said you were coming.”

“I am coming!” she huffed right back, phone indelicately cradled between her shoulder and her chin as she turned into the too full parking lot of The Hard Deck. Not her favorite bar by any means, but certainly one that had the most character and the least likelihood of accidental food poisoning. “I’m literally pulling into the parking lot right now.”

“How are you so late? Actually, how are you always late to everything we do?” Claire asked. Pondered, really. And as the music thrummed in the background and people were shouting over one another, Matty could practically picture the brunette arching a sharp eyebrow high onto the crown of her head while watching the boys goad some drunks into a game of darts. “I mean, seriously, we left work at the same time. And we’re in the Navy. Haven’t you learned time management by now?”

“It’s not my fault.”

“Sure, Matts, sure.”

“It’s not!” she cried. Both annoyed that her friend wouldn’t believe her and anxious that she wasn’t going to be able to find a good parking spot in the overflowing lot. She was lucky enough that someone was pulling out, though, and as she waited patiently she nervously fixed her hair in her rearview mirror. “I swear. I did everything right this time—maybe I’m cursed. Too many broken mirrors over the years or something like that. Something with salt, I think. It would explain a lot, actually.”

“You’re so dramatic.”

“Dramatic but fantastically self aware,” she corrected, swiping some smeared eyeliner off her cheek as the Pontiac slowly muddled out of its spot. “Seriously though, I promise that It’s not my fault.”

“This time.”

“Oh, piss of,” she rolled her eyes. “I really think the world just hates me.”

Claire snorted. And, well, yeah, Matty would have too.

It wasn’t the best excuse she could have given for her tardiness, but it was true.

Her lateness wasn’t her own fault because despite the fact that she hadn’t wanted to spend her evening getting clambered over by the latest handful of Top Gun recruits, she had been looking forward to getting shitty at the bar with her friends after a long week at work. Plus, Eggs was one of her closest friends, and she wouldn’t have missed his birthday party for anything.

But, of course, life didn’t ever want to make things easy for her, and when she finally got home from work she didn’t have any hot water. And then her curling iron had gone bust, leaving her in a huff trying to figure out how to braid her unruly mop of hair into something half-up, half-down that Claire may have considered beachy with a splash of boho. Only to then have traffic backed up miles between her place and the bar.

So, no. It wasn’t her fault that she was late. Just fate.

She pulled into the empty parking spot with a sigh and said, “just tell Eggs to chill out, alright? I’m coming in now. Literally, parking as we speak.”

“You think Eggs would chill out if I told him?” Claire quipped. “The guy is so wound up all the time it’s amazing he even wanted to go drinking on a Friday night. He’s several beers in and is still grumbling about how he has to get up in the morning to mow his lawn before it gets too hot.”

Matty put her Jeep into park and removed her keys with a thoughtful glance at the small birthday present she had brought. “Maybe I should have gotten him a gift card for lawn maintenance instead,” she said, wondering how much he would like the leather wallet she got to replace the one he lost a few weeks ago.

“What he actually needs is some weed and a good night’s sleep.”

Matty laughed in amusement while hip-checking her door shut. The hinges squealed a little and she sighed because even though she was a damn good mechanic, some parts of her life tended to get lost in the fold.

Parts being her Jeep that she hadn’t even washed in well over six months.

Whatever. She could worry about that some other time.

Turning away, she started across the parking lot with the present in one hand, phone in the other. “Yeah, yeah, well I don’t think the Cap would be too happy with him failing his drug tests, but I am coming inside right now. That should cheer him up.”

Claire laughed. “Anyone ever tell you that you think pretty highly of yourself?”

“No. Why, have you heard something?”

“You’re an idiot,” Claire said. But as Matty opened up the front doors and was greeted with a wall of warm air and the smell of fresh beer, she hung up on her friend without bothering with a retort.

Just sighed with a glance around.

The bar was—unsurprisingly—even more packed inside than the parking lot was outside. Afterall, The Hard Deck sat in that sweet fourteen mile radius right on the edge of downtown that made getting to it easy for soldiers to get to after work and finding an uber ride home cheap enough to warrant. Uniforms lined every inch of floorboards from the pool tables to the bathrooms. A few old time veterans were perched at their unofficial seats at the bar, Penny on one side, smiling and smirking and making jokes as candidly as she could while also busting ass to serve everyone the drinks they wanted. People seemed jolly and drunk; probably a sign that some asshat had done something stupid and ended up buying everyone a round.

She was sad to have missed that. It was always fun to watch someone get thrown out on their ass. Matty made a note to ask Penny about it later.

Still despite the happy atmosphere, as someone bumped shoulders with her, Matty had to remind herself not to throw hands at every sailor that sent a beaming smile in her direction.

She was here for a good time with her friends, and though Eggs always liked to place money bets on how many egos she could bruise without even trying, Penny had warned her more than once that she couldn’t smack every boy that looked her way. Plus, she couldn’t really blame the wandering eyes. Here she was strutting around in a tight pair of jeans and a cute tank top that highlighted just enough skin to warrant some attention.

What was their fault, however, was their profession of choice. Matty was perhaps one of the only people at Miramar that disliked pilots with that sordid passion you could only get from being around them your entire life.

Sure. She had a respect for what they did, what they sacrificed, and who they were, but she also knew them well enough to keep any boy in a uniform at arm’s length.

Which was a little hard when the bar was packed shoulder to shoulder with them. Even moreso when a particularly brave one approached her.

“Hey,” he smiled, leaning close enough for her to smell the whisky on his breath. “It’s... Matty, right?”

She eyed him over, not liking his smile or his hazy eyes, but nodded all the same before sweeping her gaze back over the room in search of her friends. “Yeah, that’s me. Do I know you?”

“Ah, probably not,” he shrugged. She would have described the gesture as bashful if his eyes didn’t linger a little too long on her chest. “I’m one of the new airmen for Bravo company; just started a couple weeks ago so I haven’t gotten the chance to introduce myself to everyone just yet. I’ve heard plenty about you though.”

“Charming,” she said. despite the fact that nothing about the man was, in fact, charming. Decidedly less so, actually. “But if you’ll excuse me, I’m looking for my friends.”

She stepped right. He stepped left. Matty ground her jaw when he just batted his eyelashes at her while stepping closer.

“Let me help you.”

“No thanks.”

“Oh, it’s not a problem,” he told her, acting as if she was being bashful in refusing his help rather than flat out telling him she didn’t want nor need it. In fact, he wasn’t even taller than her, so she wasn’t quite so sure what he thought he could accomplish that she couldn’t. “I don’t mind helping out a pretty girl. You might actually help build up my ego a little bit.”

“Wonderful, but I’m not the Make-A-Wish foundation, so maybe work on your ego with something else. Like a mirror. That should fix it real quick.”

“You’re funny.”

“I wasn’t trying to be.”

He grinned as if they were sharing some sort of secret before throwing an arm over her shoulder, twisting her this way and that while looking for people she was sure that he didn’t even know. “What’s a pretty doll like you doing all alone here, anyways? I mean, are you sure that your friends are even here?”

“I’m sure.”

“Because if they aren’t,” he barreled on, “you can always hang out with me and my friends. We’re pretty fun.”

“I very much doubt that,” she deadpanned.

He laughed once more and just patted her on the shoulder while twisting around. Matty tried her best to put some space between them, but as a group of new recruits swaggered into the bar, she found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Ah, I can’t find them,” he told her. She was certain that he didn’t look; even more certain that he didn’t know what to look for, but when his gaze stopped on the bar, she figured he found something else worth his time. “You want a drink while you wait?”

Matty rolled her eyes. “Not from you.”

He laughed—again—as if she had said something funny.

“Ah, c’mon. I’ll buy you whatever you want. A beer? Mixed drink? How about some Sex on the Beach?” he asked. She pursed her lips tight at that, no longer even pretending to be cordial with some gnat from the base that she wouldn’t have talked to on a normal day, and he quickly dissolved into a cheeky laugh. “The drink of course. C’mon, Matty, we only just met you know.”

“How about no. Not interested. Ever.”

“But—“

“If you want to keep that arm, kid, you’d better move it before she does for you,” a Southern voice drawled behind them; warm but somehow still ice-cold, threatening but with an easy going staccato.

They turned together. You know, because he still had his arm thrown over her shoulder and was still moving her around like a ragdoll, but Matty felt the guy go stiff on her shoulder when he took sight of the man looming in front of them.

This time, it was Matty who smiled.

How she loved Frank and the sound of him threatening someone for her.

The airman blinked between the pair. He sized Frank up for a moment, but even drunk, it didn’t take him long to realize that he would not be winning that fight. Even when Frank wasn’t trying to take up space, he practically loomed over everyone else. At a clean six foot three, with heavy shoulders, large arms, and a nose crooked from one too many brawls, he cut an imposing figure among the sea of happy, go-lucky soldiers.

The airman cleared his throat. She batted her eyelashes up at him impishly.

“What?” she chirped, amused. “You’ve never met my friend before? I’m sure you would have heard of him if you’ve heard of me. Frankie is always starting trouble on base.”

“Uh, no, I haven’t...” he shook his head while carefully and quickly retracting his arm from her shoulder before it could be done for him. When he stepped back, Matty even noticed that his face had blanched a bit. “I wasn’t trying to—”

“Offer me sex on the beach?” she asked, feigning ignorance, before blinking over at Frank. “The drink, of course.”

That spurred the airman back another foot as he shook his head back and forth, no longer even looking at Matty as he couldn’t seem to remove his gaze from Frank’s unamused look. “No. No, I wasn’t—uh. Sorry. Have a good night.”

Then he promptly disappeared into the fray.

Frank snorted at the kid’s retreat. It wasn’t the first time he had scared someone off for Matty—surely wouldn’t be the last time either—but he always seemed to find some amusement in it. Probably because he knew that Matty had a temper worse than he did, and that out of everyone here, she was the one more than likely to throw a punch at a handsy sailor more than he would.

Yet, no one ever seemed scared of her.

She wondered if that had anything to do with her pink lip-gloss and sparkly eyeshadow.

“That didn’t take long,” he noted, sipping his beer with a smirk. “You were only here, what, two minutes?”

“Yeah, well, being beautiful is hard,” Matty sighed melodramatically before glancing over at Frank. “Although, couldn’t you have showed up a little bit earlier? I think he spilled some beer on me.”

Frank rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome, dickhead.”

“It’s a new shirt, Frank,” she told him.

He didn’t care. Just eyed the garment with a look of disinterest before touting, “don’t start getting all pissy with me, Neven. It’s Diego's birthday. He gets to pick the bar and we get to pay for his drinks. Rules are rules.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled, waving a hand in the air to show that even though she had heard what he was saying, she really didn’t care all that much. “All I’m saying is we could have just as easily gotten drunk at his house. Much less men to deal with there.”

“What—you got a bed time or something? You used to be fun, y’know,” Frank drawled before slinging his own arm over her shoulder. It kept any wandering eyes spurned in the opposite direction and allowed the hulking muscle of a man to pull her in the direction of their table, where the others were no doubt sitting already half-sloshed. “What happened to the girl who finished off an entire jar of moonshine that someone in the parking lot gave her?”

“Uh, she finished off an entire jar of moonshine that someone in the parking lot gave her. I don’t remember anything after the first sip, but I’m pretty sure that at one point in the night I fell off of a table.”

Frank tossed his head back with a laugh. “You got right back up, though.”

“Yeah,” she rolled her eyes. “And then I managed to fall right into some pilot’s bed. Try waking up to that with the world’s worst hangover. I haven’t touched moonshine since.”

“Seriously? A pilot?” he whistled, making fun of both the imagery and of her.

It wasn’t a secret that Matty had grown up in a military family; everyone in the motorpool knew that story, knew which bases she had been moved to in her childhood, knew the embarrassing stories of her father scaring the shit out of her boyfriends when she was in high school. But it was a secret which particular family Matty came from. Though she was proud to be a Neven, over the years she had quickly grown tired of people obsessing over the callsigns Hollywood and Iceman. She had dealt with enough shit as is just being a woman mechanic—having people insinuate that she was only successful because of family ties had been the cherry on top of the metaphorical shit sundae.

And the best way to keep people out of her family business?

Well, that was easy. She simply avoided the people who would know the family business; people like the naked pilot she had gone to bed with a couple months ago. People exactly like the group of suave, egotistical aviators that were cluttered at the pool tables all arguing about who was the best.

“I know, I know, I broke the golden rule.”

“That’s pretty much you’re only rule,” he said.

Matty sighed. Then she glared up at him. “Yeah, well, if I remember correctly I was left alone after finishing off the moonshine.”

“Can you remember?” he teased. “It was a fuck ton of moonshine.”

She punched him in the side. Not exactly a valiant effort given that Frank was more muscle than soft spots, but he groaned all the same, and Matty smiled up at him in victory as he dragged her around the bar. A pair of pilots stood talking to Penny, but when Matty caught the bartender’s eyes, she gave her a warm wave.

It caught the pilot’s attention. The blonde one, a man with a striking smile and an ego that she could smell from there winked at her. Matty promptly gave him the finger in return, and when he dropped open his mouth at it, Penny had to smother a laugh into her hands.

Frank shot him a smug look before directing Matty towards the back patio.

“Oh. Eggs is pissed that you’re late, by the way,” he told her.

“Ugh. It’s not my fault! I tried to be here on time.” He gave her a look. The same look that meant he didn’t believe a word out of her mouth, and Matty nearly whacked a bespectacled WSO in the face when she threw her arms up in frustration. She winced, but they were already moving on past, so she figured he would live without an apology. “I did. Why does no one believe me?”

“Because you’re always late to stuff like this.”

“I am not,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “You’re the worst. You’re supposed to have my back, Frankie.”

Frank snorted. “Show up on time then.”

“I thought we were best friends. I would always defend you if something like this happened, you know.”

“Hm,” he harrumphed, though there was amusement in his eyes when he glanced down at her. Matty batted her eyelashes up at him in return, and as they stepped outside, he shook his head with a disbelieving laugh. “You’re a manipulative fucker, you know that?”

“I prefer the term iconic.”

He didn’t seem convinced. It didn’t matter because in the next moment they were arriving at their picnic table, cutting through the thread of conversation as everyone swiveled in their seats to take note of the group’s latest arrival.

“Well, well, well, look who finally showed up, eh?” Eggs chided.

“Yeah, seriously. It took you long enough,” Claire tacked on, though she grinned all the same when Matty lovingly rolled her eyes. “I didn’t realize it took fifteen minutes to walk from the parking lot.”

“I was accosted,” Matty told her.

“By... beer?” Nick asked, gesturing to the stain on the top of her shirt with a quirked brow. Matty frowned at it, then at Frank.

“I told you he spilled some on me!”

“It’s a shirt,” he said simply, both not interested in arguing and not even the slightest bit upset about the mishap. Matty might have hit him if Eggs wasn’t sitting right there, still managing to look a little upset about her tardiness.

“Eggs, I swear I tried to be here on time,” she said, figuring that her attention was better spent on apologizing to the birthday boy than convincing Frank her outfit was, in fact, fashionable. “I really, really did.”

Diego eyed her for a moment, a failed attempt at being upset, before breaking out into a cheeky grin.

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t know why I expected anything else. You’re late to everything, Matts.”

“I am not!”

“I’m just glad you showed up. Nick had a bet that you were gonna fake a heart attack and skip the party entirely—again.”

Matty swung her gaze to Nick. The kid looked a little sheepish under her glare, but he didn’t defend himself. Just offered a look halfway between a grimace and a smile.

Whatever. She could kick his ass later.

“Well, I didn’t,” she announced to the table. Then, as if remembering that she was here for a reason other than defending her life choices, Matty turned her attention back to Eggs. Handing him her present, she chirped, “happy birthday!” while planting a sloppy kiss onto his cheek.

He grunted and waved her off, though everyone knew that he enjoyed the attention as much as the next guy. “Ah, yeah, yeah, enough with the loving, alright? It’s just embarrassing at this point, Matty. You know I’m married.”

Frank snorted as Matty seated herself between him and Claire, smiling happily when Nick slid over a lukewarm beer.

“Everybody is married,” she grumbled, though the table knew well enough that Matty didn’t have any interest in that particular milestone anytime soon. “Speaking of your wife, where is she?”

“Why? Still trying to convince her to make you godmother when the new baby comes around?”

“No,” Matty said. Then, when Eggs curled a disbelieving brow at her, she threw up her hands with a huff. “Although, I still don’t know why you won’t consider me. I’m great with kids!”

“You made Julia cry last time you babysat.”

“She wanted to watch a cute movie.”

“Yeah, a cute movie. Not fucking Bambi! She’s five, for fuck’s sake.”

“I already apologized about that, but whatever. I was just wondering if Maria is coming because I love hanging out with her. Besides, I could have used some more female company; I get tired staring at your ugly faces every day.”

“Hey!” Frank ruffled her hair while Diego kicked her in the shins, but the entire table erupted into laughter at the comment.

Claire simply smirked at the boys. “She’s not wrong. You fellas are fucking hideous.”

“Are you really a fair judge of the male gender?” Eggs smarted, prompting Claire to roll her eyes with a crass flaunt of her middle finger. “I'm just saying, if you’re not interested in us, then we’re not interested in your opinion.”

“Fuck off; there’s a reason you’re not interested in men either,” she retorted.

“Well, yeah, that’s because I prefer pussy—ow!” he grunted when Matty gave him a swift kick to the shins. Glaring, he sat back in his seat with a sharp huff. “This is my birthday! Will you stop being such a dick, Matty! Christ. First you show up late, now you treat me like shit.”

Claire busted out laughing as Matty just gave the table a faultless flash of her eyelashes. Sipping on her beer, she decided to change the subject before Eggs could get distracted enough from his beer to start pouting. Glancing around, she asked, “well, why am I getting yelled at when we’re still a few boys short? I thought Boomer and George would have been here by now.”

“They are here.”

“Then where—?”

“They’ve been hustling some pilots for the last hour,” Eggs rolled his eyes, though there was an amused gleam in his eyes that he failed to hide from the table. “Boomer promised to win me some money for my birthday, but I think he has a gambling problem. He’s attracted to money like a goblin.”

“A dragon,” Claire piped up from around her beer.

Eggs blinked at her, pausing. “What?”

Claire rolled her eyes, pointing at Eggs around the rim of her beer. “You mean a dragon. Not a goblin.”

“Why would a dragon want money?”

“What? You’re kidding right? Dragons are, like, notoriously obsessed with money and gold and jewels and all that bullshit. That’s why people are always trying to kill them.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Eggs shook his head.

“It’s the truth! Don’t you know your lore?”

“My lore?” he repeated incredulously. Frank and Matty shared a knowing look—Diego liked to argue about every little thing when he was drinking, and Claire loved to prove everybody wrong—which meant that this argument wasn't likely to go anywhere good. “No, I don’t know my lore, Claire, unlike you I actually got laid in high school.”

“Oof, low blow,” Matty laughed. “Claire wasn’t even out when she was in high school.”

“I was still fucking more women than Eggs," Claire tsked.

Diego rolled his eyes; disbelieving. “Oh, yeah? Like who?"

“Like your mom.”

“Oh, fuck you!” he chortled, allowing the pair to fall into their natural stream of mindless arguments. Claire seemed all too eager to knock him a peg down; even on his birthday, the mechanic lived for destroying the opposite gender’s ego.

Matty smiled as Frank leaned in, leaving the pair to their argument.

“Do you think she’ll let him win an argument for once?” he asked.

“Doubtful.”

“Not even on his birthday?”

Matty considered his point while sipping on her beer before shaking her head. She remembered a similar incident two years prior when Claire had spent two and a half hours arguing with Boomer about the superiority of the Woman’s US soccer team in comparison to Men’s. He hadn’t conceded defeat until everyone at the party physically forced the pair apart, and even then Claire had claimed victory for the coming months.

“Doubt it. Not that it matters, though, she is right.”

“About?”

“Dragons and their love of gold. I have no idea where he got the idea that goblins are obsessed with money, but he’s way off base. Not that I’m wading into that argument any time soon,” she eyed the pair for a moment before returning her attention to her beer. Frank laughed prompting Matty to turn to him with a scornful glare. “What?”

“You were a total nerd in high school, weren’t you?” he poked.

“Seriously? You think that Dad ever would have let me indulge in my nerdish fantasies without making a big deal out of it? He practically had a heart attack when I mentioned I wanted to join the debate club.”

“Yeah, well,” Frank shrugged, “that’s because people on debate club have no friends.”

“Hey!”

He laughed, only pausing to feign pain when Matty slugged him in the shoulder with a mock glare, before settling back into his seat beside her. A cheer went up around the bar as the group of pilots finished their game of pool—no surprise, it seemed like the blonde had won the game—and she rolled her eyes in bemusement about it.

Pilots always had to be loud. Then again, her table was pretty loud too.

Frank caught her glancing. When she turned back, he had a dark brow arched on his forehead. “Thinking about finding another pilot to spend the night with?” he teased.

“Not a chance.”

“Your poor dad,” he mocked. “Does he know that you refuse to even be friends with pilots?”

“It’s not that I won’t be friends with them,” Matty corrected Frank, though there was still disbelief shimmering in his eyes that promised this argument would take more energy than she likely felt like sharing. “Oh, shut up. You know how pilots are, anyways. All good bodies but bad temperaments.”

“Did I know that about pilots?” Frank muttered aloud.

“And, yes, he does know that I don’t date pilots. Him and Ice spent years introducing me to their fair share before I finally broke down and told them that I wasn’t interested. That was a fun conversation.”

“You ever think you might be a little hard on them?”

Matty rounded on Frank with wide eyes; this time, it was her that couldn’t believe him, and when he realized what he had just said, Frank seemed in disbelief at himself as well. “Ha, since when are you an advocate for the aviators? Last I remember, you thought that Cyclone was a total prick.”

“Well, he is,” Frank shrugged.

Matty moved past that. “Anyways, it’s nothing personal about pilots, and Dad gets that. I mean, hell, I love all of his friends.”

Frank knocked his hand on the table at that. “Speaking of your dad’s friends,” he started, and, well, fuck, Matty knew exactly where this conversation was going. “I heard that Mav is back in town and—”

Matty threw her head back with a groan. “Ugh. Don’t even start.”

“What?!”

“I am not hanging out with you two again,” she declared, an idle thought to the last time she had a cookout with both of them present. She had nearly shit herself when Frank set off that homemade firework. “My neighbors are still pissed at me for that, you know.”

“It was the fourth,” he shrugged. “I was trying to be patriotic.”

She snorted; no one believed that particular lie. “Well, feel free to hang out with him on your own time, but you are still banned from Ice’s house.”

Frank rolled his eyes, grunting under his breath as he did so. “That wasn’t even my fault. It was Mav’s idea, you know. But, anyways,” he barreled on, though she knew that the conversation would be brought back up sooner rather than later. He was a rockhead like that. “Did you see him yet?”

She had.

Maverick had made it a point to stop by the garage bright and early that morning before he was to show up at the school for debrief with Cyclone. It hadn’t been too much of a surprise considering his unwavering friendship with Iceman that he got the job in the first place, but his chirpy attitude had been enough of a surprise when she thought she was alone that Matty promptly slammed the bench drawer shut on her thumb.

When she swore with more colorful language than Maverick had ever heard, he keeled over at the waist laughing. And when he had tossed her an ice pack from the back of her fridge, she had laughed too because, well shit, times really didn’t change all that much considering it had only been a handful of years since him and Ice had slapped a packet of frozen peas onto her knuckles following her first fist fight at school.

Matty glanced at the digit, playing with the thick tape wrapped around it.

Frank pointed to it curiously. “Maverick did that?”

“Unintentionally. He always was a menace.”

“Pot, meet kettle.”

Matty knocked her shoulder into his, though the pair just laughed about the idiocy of it all, as the pilots started hooting and hollering once more. This time, they were crowded around the dart board.

“So, what’s the plan this time?”

“What do you mean?”

Frank shrugged while finishing the last of his beer. Matty tried to catch up, but as the bar just got more crowded, she figured she would need to switch to hard liquor sooner rather than later if she wanted to keep from causing trouble with the wayward aviators. “Ah, come on, Mats. We both know how secretive you are about the whole family thing. Now we have Maverick teaching the latest batch of recruits? You must have some sort of plan on how to keep people from knowing you two are best pals.”

"Not best," she announced. Then cleared her throat with a shrug. "And, it's not like I'll be sitting in his class anytime soon. I can keep a distance."

“Maybe, but you don’t think his jet will be coming through the motor pool more often than the others? Rumor has it that Mav likes to play it loose and fast—that doesn’t exactly leave much room for a mechanical fuck up in his jet.”

Frank had a point.

Matty knew because she had been considering it for the better part of the day. Maverick did like to fly recklessly, and he didn’t like people he didn’t know touching things that were his. Meaning she would most likely be stuck as his personal mechanic until she could convince him that the others in the motor pool were just as capable.

And knowing Maverick? That could take years just out of sheer insolence.

Sighing, she rubbed the sore spot between her brows. “I… think tequila doesn’t sound too bad right now. You want a shot?”

Frank grinned like an idiot. “When have I ever said no to a shot with you?”

Matty rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm, but let a smile stick to her features as she turned to the rest of the table. Eggs and Claire were still knee deep in their argument. Nick had long since disappeared.

“Hey," she waved a hand between them, "you losers want some shots?”

“Do we want some shots? What sort of question is that?” Eggs guffawed.

“Tequila good?”

“Fuck no!” he shook his head at her, not even budging at the look that she shot him in return. In fact, his face split into that sort of shit-eating grin that she knew meant nothing good would be coming. “C’mon, Matty. It’s my birthday! Doesn’t the birthday boy get to pick the shots you’ll be buying him?”

She planted her hands on her hips, waving at him impatiently. “Yada, yada, yada. You talk more than a politician on Sunday. What d'ya want, Eggs?”

“You already know what I want.”

The whole table groaned together, before everyone in unison said, “not Jaeger.”

“That’s right! I fucking want some Jaeger! What do you fuckers have against it, anyways? If we’re gonna do shots, then we’re gonna do them the right way!”

“Ugh. No need to go on a tirade,” Matty patted him on the shoulder, albeit unenthusiastically. She really hated him sometimes; birthday or not. “Jaeger it is.”

“Grab the boys on your way back too, would ya?” Eggs jutted his chin towards the dart board in the back of the room where two familiar heads were lining up their shots against a crowd of uniforms. “The last thing we need is to start a color war before we can even get properly drunk, eh?”

She waved off his request while making her way to the bar.

Uniforms shifted left and right around her, a few familiar faces popping out against the sea of khaki and Tommy Bahama shirts. Matty tried not to let her eye wander too much; the last thing she needed was to embolden some sailor into trying to get her number, but the bar was unusually packed making it difficult to avoid every blue-eyed sailor that looked her way. Still, she managed to get to the bar in record time.

Penny grinned at her arrival.

“Well, well, well,” Penny chirped, slinging her dish towel over her shoulder. There was a pair of pilots that she had been talking to who both glanced up at Matty’s arrival. She recognized the man with glasses that she had almost taken out earlier, but she didn’t have any clue who the dark haired woman beside him was. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to show up.”

“You and everybody else.”

“Late again?”

Matty threw her arms up. This time, she was much more careful about not whacking anyone across the face. Still, the guy with glasses kept a good distance for safety. “I swear it wasn’t my fault.”

Penny snorted. “I’ve heard that before.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Matty leant forward onto the bar with a depreciating sigh. The two pilots seemed amused at her theatrics, and feeling particularly nice, she smiled at them before turning back to Penny. “I need some shots.”

“Let me guess… Jaeger?”

She grinned. “Eggs is predictable like that.”

“How many?”

“Seven.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna drag Boomer off the dart board for me when things turn South?” Penny asked with a cocked hip, gesturing to the group at the back of the bar. Matty winced; Boomer was the life of the party, but he also loved to start shit with pilots whenever he got the chance. “I don’t think Hangman’s ego will be able to endure a game of darts with him. Plus, you know, I like my bar very much un-broken.”

The woman pilot snorted into her drink.

Matty eyed her a bit oddly, before turning back to Penny with a reassuring smile. “I’ll drag him out by the feet if I have to.”

“Promise?”

“Scout’s honor,” Matty said, throwing three fingers up into the air despite the fact that she had never, in her life, been a scout. Penny either didn’t know that tidbit about her or didn’t care. Matty figured it was all the same, and grinned just a little bit brighter while wiggling her hand in the air. “Your bar will remain very un-broken, Pen, I promise.”

“Hm. You know, sometimes I think you’re more trouble than he is,” Penny told her. “Hell, than any of these boys are.”

“But I’m, like, way prettier to look at.”

Penny rolled her eyes, though doesn’t disagree. Partly because she knows that Matty would argue till her lungs gave out if she had the opportunity, partly (probably) because she knows Matty was right.

Seriously. Matty was a total smoke show. How could she not see that?

“Nothing gets broken,” Penny declared, reaffirming her biggest worry, while slowly gathering up as many shot glasses as she can handle. At this, the female pilot’s eyebrows disappear into her hairline, and Matty feels something like pride worm its way up the back of her throat. “I mean it, too, Matts.”

“Does that mean you’ll add a shot of Jose Cuervo for me?”

Penny paused. Matty gave her an impish grin with a wink, before the brunette was mumbling something to herself with the shake of her head. Still, as she disappeared down the bar, Matty watched her pull a bottle of cheap tequila from the bottom shelf.

“Tequila, huh?” the female pilot chirped.

Matty turned to look at her. The woman offered a warm smile along with an amused curl of the brows, and though Matty didn’t actively make friends with aviators, she was in too good of a mood to actively ignore one either. So, she just shrugged. “The best way to get drunk besides shine.”

“Moonshine?” Glasses asked from around her shoulder, almost worried.

“Sure. Never had it?”

“No, I–I have,” he said, clearing his throat with an awkward smile. Matty darted her gaze between him and the woman, wondering if they were friends or just unfortunate workplace associates, but the woman gave nothing away as she grinned into her beer. Apparently, the idea of Glasses drinking moonshine is just as amusing to her as it is to Matty. “Just didn’t think you could find it out here. In the South, sure, but...”

“Hm. Well, you’ve obviously never been to some of the seedier bars scattered around Miramar. You can find it. Not sure if some of it should be drank, but it’s there.”

The woman laughed. “Talking from experience?”

Matty grinned. “Something like that.”

Glasses mumbled something under his breath that caught the woman’s attention, and as they fell back into steady conversation, Matty relaxed against the bar. She waved at a few regulars, smiled even when she spotted a friend of hers from basic, and snorted when some bickering started up at the dart board just like Penny had forewarned.

Yeah. Boomer was definitely trouble, alright.

And Matty was more than happy to keep herself company as she waited for her drinks when someone new slid into the open space between her and the pilots. At first, she bristled at having someone standing so close to her, but then she realized that bar was standing room only and...

Well.

He was standing.

But then she cautioned a glance over at him to find that he was already glancing at her with a curious brow and Matty almost—almost—thanked god that he had decided to stand next to her of all people because damn if he wasn’t a fine ass drink of water. Tall, thick arms, broad chest, tan skin, bright eyes, sun-streaked hair that was accented by a soft mustache that somehow looked good on him (not like the pornstaches that half of the fucking Navy was sporting nowadays). He almost looked statuesque beside her as he absorbed the warm rays of overhead lighting, smiled under her attention with something both inviting and cool, adorable and sexy.

Attractive really in every sense of the word.

Entirely fuckable too, even without moonshine.

And Matty was even considering making some sort of flirty comment towards him that would have, at the very least, earned her ten minutes of attention from a handsome stranger at the bar as she waited for Penny to return with her drinks, but then the female pilot said something to him, actually had the audacity to call him something fucking stupid like Rooster, and—

Fuck.

He was a pilot.

Matty just couldn’t win, could she?

“You weren’t saving this spot for someone, were you?” he asked after turning back away from the female pilot. The cadence of his voice was warm and inviting despite Matty internally wishing that his voice was squeaky and unattractive.

She cleared her throat and glanced at the dark bar top. “Nope.”

“Oh, good,” he nodded, still smiling. “Did you already order, then? I think the bartender—”

“Penny is working on it,” Matty told him. He blinked, pausing slightly, before nodding once again. She supposed that he was trying to be nice, but Matty had to remind herself that nice guys were the ones she had the hardest time saying no to in the past. “It’s fine.”

“You know Penny?”

“Sure,” she shrugged, effortlessly cool, yet somehow still miserably failing at being outrightly dismissive. “Everybody around here does.”

He turned at that so that he was facing her more than he was facing his friends, settling an arm on the bar in a nonchalant way that sent ripples up his toned arms and—where was Penny with those drinks?

“Oh, well, yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck for a moment, before adding, “I guess I didn’t realize you were from around here.”

“Taking a census, are you?”

Her deadpan response provoked a laugh from his lips; not quite the reaction she had been going for, but for once, she didn’t really mind. He had a nice laugh that matched his even nicer smile.

And—pilot, pilot, pilot.

Matty tried to keep that in mind when he leant the fraction of an inch closer so that he didn’t have to shout so much. “Not doing a census, no, just like talking to pretty girls.”

He smiled again. This was a little flirtier, a tad bit cheekier, and damn if he couldn’t be on a calendar for Miramar pilots.

“I’m Bradley,” he told her.

I’m Matty, she almost said, the reply so smooth on her tongue that it practically felt unnatural not to give it. But she shouldn’t—couldn’t—if she wanted to stick to her rules. So, instead, she smiled right back and chirped, “yeah? Good for you.”

“Alright,” he nodded, taking her dismissal in stride. “If I buy you a drink, do I get a name?”

“I already ordered my drinks, remember?”

“Ah,” he snapped his fingers, offering up an expression of mock remembrance. “I almost forgot. You’re not waiting on someone, and you already ordered your drinks from Penny. Right. You just got it all worked out already, don’t you?”

“Pretty much.”

He tsked, shoulders sinking with a sigh, as he tapped his hand on the bar counter. “Well, then, that only leaves with me one option.”

“Oh?”

“I guess I need to just go ahead and ask for your phone number,” he shrugs, as if it really is the only thing he can do. “I mean, normally I would say some stupid pick up line and then introduce myself, get a laugh or two from you, tell you that I think your name is just as beautiful as you are—of course, that's a given—and then I would ask for your number while buying you a drink. You’re really kind of ruining my routine here.”

“A shame,” she snorts, rolling her eyes, and trying her darndest not to smile.

It’s hard though. Especially when he is so unabashed in his flirting, so unbothered by her tone, and so fucking cute.

“There’s always next time,” he whistled. “Unless you want me to start over?”

Matty leant on the bar. On the one hand, she wanted to tell him to get lost. On the other hand, he was cute and had a good sense of humor, and seemed to be in a good enough mood that she might actually feel bad if she shattered it callously just because of her silly rules not to engage with pilots.

Still, when Penny brushed by with a curious look, Matty had to remind herself that one option was better than the other. “You can try,” she said, the implication that it wouldn’t be a successful attempt clear in her tone.

Yet, for some reason, he stuck around.

“Ah, c’mon, you don’t even know what I was gonna say,” he told her, leaning on the bar with just enough of a flex of the arms that she couldn’t help but look even if she didn’t want to. Bradley’s smile widened. The little shit obviously knew what he was doing. “Ready?”

“Alright then,” she waved a hand at him impatiently. “Let’s get this over with.”

He made a show of standing up straighter, combing his hair, adjusting his shirt so that it hung just right, before leaning back onto the bar as if he had just shown up. “Hey, this is really weird, but I think there’s something wrong with me phone. Your number isn’t on it.”

Matty couldn’t help herself and laughed loud enough that the nearby pilots could hear. The blonde from earlier—having recently vacated the dart board—glared at them from across the bar top.

“That was horrible,” she told him matter-of-factly.

“In a good way, though.”

“No, in a horrible way,” she tsked, slowly calming down from her laughter, and now truly struggling to keep a smile off of her face. Rules, rules, rules, she reminded herself while clearing her throat. “Maybe you should go find someone else to waste that line on.”

“I kind of like wasting it on you though.”

Matty curled a sharp brow at that, but somehow managed to keep from smiling again. What a reckless mess that would be. “I hate to tell you this, but you’re hitting on the wrong girl.”

“That’s perfect then,” he shrugs, before smoothly saying, “because I didn’t tell you this yet, but I’m Mr. Right. I think we’d be a perfect pair.”

His friends snicker to themselves over his shoulder at the obvious line, and as Bradley turns to shoot them a dark look that effectively shuts up their eavesdropping, Matty squares her shoulders. And when he turns back to face her, she actively tries to appear as disinterested as possible.

“Look, you’re seriously wasting your time,” she tells him, only now managing to be a little bit more serious and a little less flirty. “If you had been around here much before tonight, you would know that I am not the girl to hit on. There’s plenty others though that would be totally into... this.”

Bradley arches a brow high on his forehead, nearly touching the perfectly coifed curls that were resting against his tan skin at that. His smile was still bright and gentle, but there was a shine of curiosity in his eyes now. “You a big deal around here or something?”

“Or something,” she simpers.

If her attitude was off putting, he didn’t comment on it.

Instead, he takes a long neck of his drink before gesturing to her with his free hand. “Well? Are you gonna give me an introduction? Since I’m new around here, I think it’s only fair that I know the local big deal so I don’t get myself into trouble without knowing it.”

Damn him. Matty sighs at his continued persistence; even worse was the way she found herself wanting to stick around in conversation with him. Still, she knew. Better to shoot him down now before his plane got any wind under the wings—a fiery crash on the runway was less likely to hurt them both than a nosedive from the sky.

“Alright, fine. I’m not interested.”

“Not interested, huh?” he hums while picking at the label on his beer bottle. “That’s an interesting name. Are your parents multicultural or something?”

It surprises her how quickly his response comes; so laid back, unoffended, without that familiar lightning strike of ego that boys like him often had provoked when she said something so upfront and defensive. But what surprises her more was the laugh that once again bubbles at the back of her throat.

Definitely not good.

A cute pilot with a sense of humor? Oh no, Matty knew better than to go down that road—not fucking likely if she had anything to say about it.

“Look, Buddy—” she starts.

“Bradley.”

“Bradley,” she corrects with a huff, “I don’t date flyboys.”

“Flyboys? Isn’t that term a few decades old?” Matty shoots him a baleful look at his humorous response, to which he just shrugs with that same easy going smile of his. If she had to guess—and she was usually right about these sort of things considering the majority of men all shared the same two brain cells—he was amusing himself by riling her up because his caveman brain associated a pissed off female with a horny one. “We don’t even know each other. Why are you so certain that I’m a pilot?”

To this, she cocks a brow and a hip. “Seriously?”

“I mean, I’m more than happy to play twenty questions with you, but that sort of borders first date territory, doesn’t it?” he says.

“No thanks,” she deadpans. “Besides, I’ve been around long enough to see you pilots come through training every couple of months. I knew you were one the second I laid eyes on you, buddy.”

“It’s Bradley,” he corrects once more, amused at himself and at getting the chance to poke a little fun at her. “And how do you know I’m not a backseater?”

“Because you have that look.”

“Look?”

Matty doesn’t explain, and just as he’s about to ask, Penny settles a tray of shots into the open bar space between them. She gives Matty a look—one that says what the hell are you doing still talking to him?—which only further prompts the blonde to focus on why she was here, and not why she wasn’t.

Winking at Penny, Matty turns to Bradley, and promptly tells him, “WSOs don’t have that stupid swagger that you’re walking around with.”

Bradley leans back an inch, frowning down at himself as if he's trying to pinpoint the swagger she’s indicating, and Matty takes pleasure in poking the pair of sunglasses hanging off of his shit.

“Oh, and the aviators? They are decades old and a dead fucking give away,” she tells him before promptly throwing back the shot of amber tequila. It burns all the way down, relaxing the coiled muscles in her shoulders, and as she slams the empty glass back down onto the counter, Matty finds something cheeky worming its way along her tongue. “You meet your new instructor yet?"

His frown becomes perturbed as he coils a brow at her; no longer flirty, but curious, and slightly concerned. ��No?”

Matty hums. “Well, you and your friends might want to check your egos on the tarmac then; there’s really not enough room for both of them when you’re up in the sky with that smartass.”

She heaves the tray onto her shoulder before turning away from the bar.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks, only to be ignored as she surveys the bar. Boomer and George were already making their way outside, and she figures it was now or never if she wanted to rein them in from their gambling. Matty winks at Glasses on her way past as Bradley shouts, “wait! Seriously. Can I at least have your phone number?”

“Like I said,” she coils a foxy look in his direction, taking pleasure in the way he stands a little straighter beside his friends. “I don’t date pilots.”

Matty never knew if he took offense to that.

Probably, considering that every pilot everywhere had the ego of a goddamned Olympian, but the crowd swallows her up before she gets the chance to see his reaction. Fine by her; she hadn’t come to the bar to get hit on by this month’s latest crew of aviators. Instead, she had come to get drunk with her friends.

Friends that hoot upon seeing her arrive with the shots.

“Fuckin’ took you long enough,” Boomer crows, grinning wildly when she lays the shots down on the table. Everyone grabs their respective glass as he juts his chin towards the bar. “Another newbie trying to fuck?”

“They get more and more resilient every year," she jokes with an airy sigh. Claire snorts, amused, and makes a crude joke about why women were always better than men as George tosses an arm over Matty's shoulder with an endearing smirk.

“Yeah, well, fuck them,” he tells her. “I’ll keep you company, Matts.”

“My hero,” she bats her eyes at him. The rest of the table laughs; all the boys having taken turns keeping Matty from fighting off pilots, all deeply amused each time it happens, so they know that despite her not needing the help, she enjoyed it all the same. Next, she turns her attention the only man she wants to spend attention on tonight. “Happy Birthday Eggs!’

Eggs laughs in response as the others share their sentiments, pink flushing his dark skin until his cheeks were the characteristic rosy color of someone that was a step too close to being drunk. He takes only a moment to think before raising his shot glass in return, proclaiming, “to fixing shit that shouldn’t be broken.”

“And to breaking shit that should never be fixed!” the rest of the table responds in their self-proclaimed motto.

Together, they clink their glasses, cheer, and then throw back the Jaeger with varying degrees of disgust. In unison, seven glasses were slammed onto the table, and suddenly Matty finds herself forgetting all about egos, pilots, and cute boys like Bradley.

Afterall, he was a pilot. And rules were rules.

She didn’t break them for anyone.

***taglist (thanks for asking!) @callsignbarb @coyotesamachado @shanimallina87

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x oc #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #top gun maverick imagine #bradley bradshaw series #rooster series #heart mechanics #more to come

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