The show was everything Everleigh could've dreamt of. Whenever she managed to peel her eyes from the stage for even a moment, Maverick was looking at her. Smiling along with her. She wasn't sure she'd stopped smiling the entire time they'd been there. From the moment she saw the sign outside, she was done for. In the best way possible, her face hurt. And, yeah, she ended up singing along to almost every song. Of course she did. She knew every word.

Everleigh damn near died on the spot when Stevie spotted Maverick in the crowd and gave him a small wave. She wasn't sure how the fuck he'd kept his composure and waved back when Stevie was waving at him. The Stevie. The Stevie Everleigh would drop her life for just to pass her in the streets. Maverick had laughed at her for that one. Everleigh didn't care.

(Maybe she had grabbed Maverick's hand when the opening notes to Eternal Sunshine of a Thoughtless Mind had started. She might've squeezed it until it turned purple—she probably wouldn't have been able to tell in the light. Staying quiet for her favourite song was easy; letting the instruments and Stevie's voice take over her ears and settle in her soul.)

(Maybe.)

The encore was spectacular and the confetti that erupted after the final finale song felt like a representation of how Everleigh's heart felt. Abstract Blue was one of Everleigh's other favourites—who was she kidding, they were all her favourites—and hearing it as the finale was incredible. The entire concert was everything Everleigh dreamed it could've been and more.

"Can I?" Maverick asked, motioning to the top of her head once the crowd had started seeing itself out.

Everleigh nodded, though she wasn't quite sure what he was talking about.

Maverick gently pulled a piece of gold confetti from her hair and dropped it onto the floor with the rest of it. Everleigh brushed a couple pieces of purple off his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"And you," Everleigh said.

"I feel like I don't have to ask," Maverick said, "but did you enjoy it?"

"Oh my God, more than you could ever imagine."

"I can imagine a lot." Maverick was still giving her that confused smile. Enough to knock Everleigh down a peg on her adrenaline from the concert.

"I think when you talk about falling in love with a crowd singing your lyrics..." Everleigh started. "That's kind of how I felt being here. Thank you."

Everleigh tried to ignore the bubbly awkward heat in her chest. A couple hours of MARS hadn't completely erased the embarrassment she buried that she had blurted out, quite loudly, that she loved Kingston Maverick. Crikey, she was a wanker. Bloody fuckin' wanker with shit for brains who had a big, stupid mouth that opened before her brain—which she fought with herself on whether she actually possessed—could pass a thought through about how bloody fuckin' stupid it was to say I think I love you in the middle of a fuckin' concert hall. (Spare only one instance where that was okay.) (See: The Partridge Family.)

"I'm glad you enjoyed."

"We should get going. You probably have plans for the night." Everleigh brushed a hand through her bangs. "New Year's and all."

"You're not coming to meet the band backstage?"

"I'm not what?"

Maverick smiled. Almost like his normal one. But still a bit stiff. He gently reached up and pulled Everleigh's ear plugs from her ears, letting them drape over her shoulders. "You're yelling."

"Sorry."

"It's cool," Maverick said. "I asked if you're joining us backstage. But it was, you know, kind of rhetorical? Stevie's expecting us."

"Us?" Everleigh asked. "Like for sure us and not you? I can leave if I'm intruding—"

"Given she told me that men don't get into her shows for free, I think she'd rather have you back there than me." Maverick laughed. "So, yes, us."

"Holy shit."

"You're coming with me, right?"

Everleigh pulled up the zipper on Maverick's hoodie. "You better not be joking that she'd like this shirt."

"If it's that big a deal, we can change shirts right now." Maverick held his arms out.

Everleigh's eyes darted to his shirt for a moment. It was a vintage band shirt for The Smiths that paired well enough with the beanie and glasses he was wearing that Maverick looked like he was a Hot Topic employee. Which amused her enough to shake her head. She could deal with simply wearing his hoodie instead.

"I'll be okay." Everleigh nodded a little too eagerly. "We should go."

Maverick smiled and tilted his head in the opposite direction of the ever-thinning crowd. Hands tucked into his pockets as he led her through, Everleigh held onto his elbow as they weaved their way toward the stage. Everleigh tried not to question the fact he'd grabbed a barely drunk cup of beer from the floor without breaking stride, but she couldn't stop her mouth.

"You're going to get mono if you drink that." Everleigh wrinkled her nose.

"It's for later."

"Still going to get mono. Or meningitis. That one's deadlier."

"I'm not gonna drink it, Nurse Meadowlark."

Everleigh shot him a concerned look, but he assured her it wasn't for him. Multiple times. Probably too many for how short the distance was to the security.

Maverick dealt with the security, one of the men led them to the back himself. It took a moment before Jun, Everleigh recognized, walked past them with a Capri Sun in his hands.

"Hey, man," the security guard said. "These your friends? They said they know you."

"Bro, no—oh wait—" Jun's eyes landed on Maverick. "Mav? Sorry, yeah, I know them. Let 'em through."

Jun shook Maverick's hand and looked at Everleigh. "Hi, I'm Jun."

"Everleigh."

"Good to meet you. Follow me." Jun led them a little ways away from where security had dropped them before hollering. "Stevie! Get your ass outside, Mav is here!"

It wasn't long before Stevie ran out. Everleigh's stomach almost fell out of her ass. She wasn't a crazed fan. But she was a fan. And Stevie was right there. Starstruck in the presence of the night's sky.

"Everleigh, hi!" Stevie ran over and hugged Everleigh. Everleigh didn't know she could've been a hugger until Stevie was the one hugging her. That she was okay with. Mostly. When she pulled away, a smile lit up her face. "First of all, you're way too beautiful to be hanging out with this schmuck. But can I just ask first—was Mav late for his flight here? Jun and I made a bet."

Jun frowned at Stevie before looking to Everleigh expectantly. "Before you answer that, please be aware that I already regret betting in his favour."

"Thanks, man," Maverick said.

"You should regret it. Badly." Everleigh rested her hand on Maverick's shoulder, leaning a little into him. "I waited an hour and a half for dinner that I didn't even get to order."

"I tried my best."

"Whatever time you think you want to get to the airport by," Stevie started, "get there an hour before. I can't believe you made her wait at a restaurant for you and then didn't even buy her dinner." Stevie held her hand out toward Jun. She waited a moment before shaking her hand in his face. "Cough it up."

Jun pulled a bill from his wallet and slapped a twenty into Stevie's hand. "I just bought everyone dinner last night."

"And your point?"

"You are the one that bet our chronically late friend was going to be on time," Everleigh said, standing a little straighter and tucking her hands in the hoodie pockets.

Stevie winked at Everleigh, who cracked a smile in her direction.

Maverick started, "I'm not—"

"I don't know what you're trying to deny when we all have proof," Stevie said. "If you're late to recording, I'll never forgive you."

"Recording?" Everleigh asked.

"I'll probably get there at the same time as Seira," Maverick said, crossing his arms. Ignoring Everleigh's question. Like a little bit of a plonker, Everleigh bit her tongue to keep from saying it out loud.

Stevie considered this. "Touché. But I'll still be mad."

"Recording?" Everleigh repeated. A little too insistent, a little too much. But she couldn't help it. They said the R-word and she wasn't stopping until she got an answer. It's not like she'd put it on a fan site, the answer was just for her.

"Am I breaking my NDA if I say it?" Maverick asked Stevie.

"Well, yes," Jun said, "That's what an NDA is."

"But I can tell her," Stevie said.

"I told you you'd eat your words one day, Everleigh Meadowlark."

"Meadowlark," Stevie said.

"It's like a fantasy character, right?" Maverick said.

"So what are you in this equation, the troll holding her captive?" Stevie asked.

Everleigh raised her hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide the snort laugh that crept through. Not a good attempt, but an attempt all the same.

"Are trolls late all the time?" Jun asked.

"He gets it," Everleigh said.

Maverick stayed quiet on that one. Everleigh hadn't seen him at a loss for words before.

Stevie smiled at him and Everleigh. "To answer your question, Mav is supposed to record a song with us for our next album. Assuming he can find his way into a studio before we finish the damn thing."

Everleigh gaped at Maverick. "That's what you didn't tell me? You're a twat, Kingston."

Maverick laughed at her.

"This is real, right?" Everleigh asked. "Not just an excuse for me to have one of your songs on my phone?"

Stevie choked on her own spit at that one.

"Come on," Maverick said through soft laughter.

"Not even one?" Jun asked. "Damn."

"Do we blame her though?" Stevie asked.

"She has all of yours. And the deluxe edition," Maverick said, a smile on his face despite the teasing. "Screamed bloody fucking murder when Eternal Sunshine started. If I didn't need hearing aids before, I did after."

Stevie pouted, her hands going up to her chest. "A woman after my own heart."

"It's my favourite," Everleigh blurted. She had a tendency for that tonight, huh? "And Abstract Blue. And Nuclear Fusion. And—Well. Them All. You guys are amazing. Thank you for letting us come here."

"Thank you for coming!" Stevie said. "I'm glad you liked it. And I'm happy you're real. I was lowkey kind of worried you weren't."

Everleigh laughed. "Oh my God, I thought he was joking about that."

"To be honest, Rami was the only one who believed him," Jun said. "But he'll give almost anyone the benefit of the doubt, so—"

"You guys are so m—" Maverick spotted someone and frowned. "Ew."

Stevie, Jun, and Everleigh looked where Maverick was. A taller man with his back turned stood near a snack table, nearby was a couple other band members that Everleigh recognized—Lauren and Rami.

The man Everleigh didn't quite recognize—she hadn't seen his face—wrapped an arm around Lauren. She didn't know about that relationship, but also didn't put much memory into the band members personal lives. Songs and lyrics and sometimes tour dates were what she kept in her head, though she did follow them all on Instagram.

Stevie feigned a gag, drawing attention away from the man. "You should hear the stuff I say about him behind his back. You've got it easy."

"I know," Maverick said. "You say them to me, too."

"Just making sure the Maver hate club has a good membership."

"If I ever become part of the fan club, I've been brainwashed."

"Over my dead body would that ever happen."

"Wait, Maver?" Everleigh asked. God, she'd heard that name before. Unfortunately. In one of the worst horror movies she'd ever seen. And she'd seen The Giant Spider Invasion. "Werewolf in the Catacombs Maver?"

"Unfortunately," Stevie said.

"I didn't know anyone hired him after that—" If someone that talentless could get hired again, Everleigh should've joined the film industry.

"They shouldn't have," Maverick said.

"I guess you're the lucky one who doesn't have to see his stupid face all over every billboard imaginable," Stevie said.

Maver let out a loud laugh that nearly caused Everleigh to leap out of her skin. Horror movies rarely jumpscared her, but Maver Vincent did.

"End me now," Stevie said.

Maverick looked at the beer in his hand for a moment. Everleigh raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged.

"Yeah, okay. I can't hear this anymore. Give me a minute."

Maverick started walking a large loop, but kept his eyes on Maver. He was far enough that Maver didn't notice him, but Stevie, Jun, and Everleigh watched him like a trio of hawks. Maverick began walking toward Maver, beer in hand, slowly, like a calculation.

"What the fuck is he—" Everleigh started.

"Oh, he's not—" Stevie began.

"This should be good." Jun dug his hand into his pocket and pulled his phone out, Everleigh figured it was to record what Maverick was up to—which couldn't have been anything other than pure chaos.

"This feels like an incoming car crash. I probably shouldn't watch but like—"

"Don't look away," Jun said. "You'll regret it."

"You're recording it anyway."

"But it'll never be the same," Everleigh said.

Maverick pulled his phone from his pocket as he walked toward Maver. With a purpose, he stared at the ground, pretending to type something that was taking up his fake attention. When he was close enough to Maver, Maverick looked up. An actor could be right up his alley with the way he pretended to trip—Everleigh thought it looked real and she'd watched him plan his route. On his way to the floor, Maverick threw the contents of the cup onto Maver, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Jeez," Maverick said, loud enough for Everleigh and the group to hear. "I knew I bought the wrong sized shoes. You okay, there?"

Everleigh covered her mouth and turned in the other direction to try and compose herself. Laughter erupted behind her hand, no matter how hard she tried. She turned around and accepted that it wasn't something she could stop. Beside her, Stevie had tears building up in her eyes as she laughed. Jun took an interest in the new video on his phone, laughing a little louder than the other two.

"Oh. My. God," Stevie said through her laughter.

The three of them silently agreed to get a little closer and watch everything unfold, but far enough away they weren't too noticeable by anyone involved in the situation.

"Are your fucking kidding me?" Maver yelled. "Who—is that Maverick?"

"Such a klutz," Maverick said. "So sorry about that. That looks expensive, are you good?"

Maver glared at him. "It is."

Lauren rushed over to Maverick to help him up from the ground. "Shit, Mav, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm goo—did you mean me or him—" Maverick stumbled. Probably not expecting the help when he was perfectly fine.

"Bro," Lauren said, "you're the one on the ground."

"It's just a shirt," Rami said. "Maver's fine."

"Thank you for your concern," Maver said. He turned to Maverick. "I didn't know you were here."

Maver pulled his wet shirt away from his chest—seemingly wanting everyone to know he was soaked as if they hadn't all witnessed it—and wiped the beer from his face with a cocktail napkin from the table. It was moot, but he tried. Lauren still looked concerned and helped Maverick dust himself off—if Everleigh wasn't looking for it, she never would've noticed him fighting for his life to keep the grin off his face. Rami did the same, but his poked out a little more than Maverick's.

"Came to bother Stevie. I had no idea you were here." Maverick's tone was dripping with sarcasm but Maver seemed too big of an ego to notice. "Big movie star, shouldn't you be filming?"

"Stevie would probably say I'm here to do the same thing."

"Oh, I'm sure they all said that." Maverick slapped Maver on the shoulder a little too hard. Everleigh watched Maver's eyes bug slightly before he pulled himself together quickly. "Well. You know. Gotta get back to what I came here for. You can bill me for the dry cleaning if you want. Clumsy ass that I am. Sorry again."

Maver swatted a hand in Maverick's direction, missing him but coming close to hitting him in the face. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Happy New Year, Maverick."

"Happy New Year, Maver. Hope it's a good one."

Maverick walked to where Stevie, Jun, and Everleigh were, dropping the now empty plastic cup into the garbage at the end of the table. A shit-eating grin dressed his face once he recognized that Maver couldn't see his expression anymore.

He held his arms out to his sides. "Thank you for letting me in for free, Stevie. That was your Christmas present, hope you liked it."

"I love you so much," Stevie said, wiping tears from her eyes. "This is why we're friends."

Maverick paused for a moment, which made Everleigh look at him. He still mostly had a smile on his face, which was what she'd been expecting. But there was something she couldn't quite read behind his eyes. "Yeah, that's—uh huh. You're welcome."

Stevie's face dropped a little too at Maverick's reaction. Everleigh was about to say something when Jun cut in.

"I'm forwarding this to the Academy for consideration."

Thank God for that. Everleigh could work with that. "He'll win an Oscar before a Grammy."

Maverick laughed. A little more strangled than his usual, calm one. When he spoke, it was like he couldn't quite figure out what he wanted to say and doubted every word that left his lips. "Yeah, you know. Some of my best work. Something like that... anyway."

Everleigh nudged him with her elbow. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yes—I mean. Got some... beer on my sleeve." Maverick held up his arm, which looked dry to Everleigh. "It's... Weird, and all."

Stevie muttered something under her breath that Everleigh didn't quite catch, but it was enough to make her look up. Stevie grabbed the arm of another man—darker hair, not Rami or Maver—and pulled him into their group. "Mav, Everleigh. May I introduce you to boy wonder here, Bash."

Maverick smiled a little wider. "Ah, boy wonder. Nice to finally meet you, I've heard a lot."

Bash and Maverick high fived and pulled each other into a hug.

"Surprised you're here," Bash said. "Stevie's mentioned you've got a thing with timing—"

"Him too?" Maverick gaped at Stevie.

"Everyone." Stevie laughed.

"If it makes you feel any better," Bash said, "I showed up on time and she forgot to come and get me."

"You know what—" Stevie started. "I said sorry. I was busy getting ready."

"I've heard that's an invalid excuse and I need to arrive to things an hour earlier than I think I need to," Maverick said.

"The difference is, you arrive late looking like you've just woken up," Everleigh said. "She looks like a billion quid."

Stevie laughed. "I love women."

Jun was still looking at his phone when he spoke up. "Why isn't this video sending? Fucking shitty service in here."

"Is Seira somewhere with service?" Maverick asked. Slightly more eager than Everleigh had seen him. "I was told to see her before I left, anyway."

"Oh, yeah. I think she's in her room," Stevie said. She looked at Bash. "Do you mind keeping Everleigh company? We gotta figure out some album stuff with him for a sec."

"Yeah, sure," Bash said.

Stevie, Jun, and Maverick trailed down a hallway that led them out of Everleigh's sight.

She looked back to Bash. "It's nice to meet you. You look familiar. Fly often?"

"Too much, honestly." Bash laughed. "Usually all over Europe and Asia. And the occasional trip back to Melbourne."

"God, must be that," Everleigh said. She waved her hand as she talked, miming where she was in the world, which constantly changed. "I'm kind of... all over the place. Always. I take it Stevie invited you here as well? Good friends?" Everleigh stopped herself from continuing to blurt out random shit to this man she'd just met. "You don't... You don't have to answer that. I'm being nosey. High on... the concert. You don't even have to really babysit me. It's cool."

"Something like that," Bash said, in reply to her comment on Stevie. "But you'd have to pry that admission from her cold, dead hands. And it's fine. I've been chilling by myself back here and you've gotta be better company than Maver."

"I'd hope his personality isn't as shite as his acting, but given that Kingston's gone and thrown some random person's pint on him, I'm guessing he's worse off camera."

"Kingston," Bash mused for a moment. Everleigh supposed she was the odd one out by not calling him Mav. "Yeah, I'm not as... passionate about my distaste for Maver as Stevie is but you couldn't pay me enough to see his movies."

"You'd get to listen to Stevie sing if you went and saw Work, Wife. That was... almost worth it. I left after their song." Everleigh laughed.

"Some things are worth sitting through a Maver Vincent film."

Everleigh smiled. Bash seemed like he genuinely enjoyed talking about Stevie and thoroughly enjoyed being in her presence. It was cute. They were cute.

"So I'd have to pry a confession from her," Everleigh said, "but you're quite open about it. That's... interesting."

"I'm sure we have a lot in common," Bash said. "How'd you meet Kingston?"

"He... well, I promise I'm not the first coming of werewolf-boy over there, but Kingston was late to a flight I was working and then afterwards ran into me. Switched phones. Whole fuckin' mess." Everleigh raised an eyebrow. "How'd you meet Stevie? Considering you've said you're mostly in different continents, I'm assuming you've made the trip here specially for her?"

"That... sounds like the start of a movie," Bash said. "But I live next door to them when I'm stateside during the off-season. Los Angeles has a lot more smog than Melbourne but way less spiders so I guess it's a win. Was gonna go back for New Year's when Stevie mentioned Maverick was coming so I figured I'd sneak an invite while she was feeling generous."

"As you should. She's phenomenal. I hope you've told her that. Probably worth it since she's told Kingston that men don't get in for free." Everleigh stopped herself when she thought about it. "Though she's probably making an exception for you."

"She is." Bash grinned with his entire face—crinkles by his eyes, a set of pearly teeth showing. "Good friends get in for free. Or a ticket from the headliner's friend. Is this your first time seeing them?"

"It is. Not through lack of trying," Everleigh said. "Feel like I could see them a hundred times more. Been a good friend for long or a fan for longer?"

"Don't tell her, but I actually saw one of their first shows when they toured Nuclear Fusion. Almost thought I was dreaming when I bought my house in LA and realized they were my next-door neighbours."

"Sounds like a gift. First shows and now you're hearing songs first? Living the dream, Bash."

"They're some of the most down-to-earth people I know out here which, you know, is a breath of fresh air. Don't be surprised if Stevie tries to add you on Instagram and send Maver memes."

"It would be an honour." Everleigh considered being followed on Instagram by Stevie, letting out a small laugh. "Should I go on private now before her millions of fans try to figure out why I'm on there?"

"I don't know how MARS fans are but F1 fans are kind of... brutal, so... maybe," Bash said. "I don't even look at my comments anymore."

"Comments are meant to be turned off," Everleigh said. "I wouldn't let them take up too much room in your head, mate."

"Very true, squire. I should just turn the damn thing off." Bash shook his head and laughed. "Wait, does this mean you and Maverick aren't following each other on there?"

"I don't listen to his music. Never crossed my mind..." Everleigh shook her head and looked at Bash. She laughed. "That sounds quite bitchy, doesn't it?"

"I've known Stevie for over a year now and she's only just the other month came to one of my races. And it was because Windsor paid her to so, I think you're fine," Bash said. "Unless you had, like, both the album and the deluxe edition of Nuclear Fusion and not one of his songs or something."

"Did he tell you to say that?" Everleigh laughed.

"Oh no. That's real, huh?"

"I mean... I told him I'd download two of his songs when I got my phone back. I'm counting it. Mostly. For something."

"Two? So generous."

"My phone memory is important to me. Needs room for whenever MARS drops another album." Everleigh threw a hand in the air. "Which I've fuckin' heard may be soon and I wasn't told. Even worse that he's not told me he's on it. Like a shit."

"First he doesn't tell you they're dropping an album soon, and then doesn't say he's getting featured on it?" Bash asked. "It's a good thing he brought you here today. There would've been some grovelling needed otherwise."

"I think so," Everleigh said. "Incredibly rude of him. NDA to the side, I deserved to know. I'm not a snitch."

"If you can't trust your friends with a broken NDA, are you even really friends?"

"See? You get it. Thank you. Can you tell him that?"

"I'll try and put in a good word with Stevie. She loves breaking NDA's. Maybe she can convince him."

Everleigh laughed. "Perfect. Thank you for using your magic on her."

"Maybe you can use your magic on Maverick to get us into one of his shows." Bash smiled at Everleigh.

"I'll do my best if you do yours."

"Deal."

*

"Are you doing anything with the rest of your night?" Maverick's breath escaped into the air as he looked around outside the arena.

"I should probably sleep." Everleigh tucked her hands into the pockets

"You're not celebrating the New Year?"

"Maybe I'll lucid dream something fun."

"Lucid dream?"

"I'm joking."

Maverick shrugged. "You could smoke some of my—"

"Is that even legal here?"

"You're kidding, right?" Maverick asked. "It's Vegas."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean it's Vegas."

"You're repeating yourself—"

"Yes, it's legal. I'll even smoke it first if you still think I'm trying to kill you."

"I forgot about that."

"That's because you weren't the one accused of being a serial killer."

"Sorry."

Maverick shrugged.

"That's it?" Everleigh bumped her shoulder into his. "A shrug?"

Maverick tilted his head in her direction. Shook it after a moment of looking at her. Stared back in front of him.

"Words help, Kingston."

"Words are hard."

"Says the poet."

"You keep calling me a poet."

"Are you not one?"

"I never thought of it that way."

"You never thought of poetry as... poetry?"

"I usually write the music first."

"I'd argue music is poetry too." Everleigh looked at him for a moment. "Poetry doesn't have to be words, it can be notes."

"That was pretty poetic yourself, there, Meadowlark."

"That's all yours." Everleigh held her hands up in surrender. "I nearly failed the last year of English I took."

"How do you almost fail English?"

"I'm a shite essay writer."

"Never would've guessed."

"We're talking an awful lot about me and not about you being mopey all of a sudden."

"I'm not mopey." Maverick let out a small laugh.

"Could've fooled me."

"You're really going to sleep? It's New Year's Eve. In Vegas."

"I catch a plan to Winnipeg tomorrow. It's hardly time for booze, I'll vomit on the plane." Everleigh's head was staring to spin while sober, she could hardly imagine it drunk. And imagining the hangover was enough to make her want to vomit her empty stomach.

"Pass me my joint tin please?"

"Is that what's in my pocket?"

"That's what's in my pocket, yes."

Everleigh pulled it from the pocket and handed it to him. Maverick looked around for a moment before ducking into an alley near where they were. Absolutely not serial killer in the slightest. It was stupid for Everleigh to follow him, but stupider to stand by herself in the middle of the Las Vegas strip.

Maverick pulled a pre-rolled joint from the tin and placed it between his lips. "And the lighter, please?"

Everleigh handed him the lighter without question. Maverick cupped his hand in front of his mouth, despite there being next to no wind, just snow on the ground, and flicked the lighter on. Once he'd lit the joint, he tucked the lighter into his jeans pocket. (Everleigh didn't understand how he wasn't freezing his ass off wearing only a t-shirt.) Taking a long breath in, the end of the joint flickering with amber ashes, Everleigh watched the smoke leave his lips and disappear into the air.

Maverick stayed quiet as he took a couple more pulls from the joint, blowing the smoke from the corner of his mouth and keeping it away from Everleigh as best he could.

"If you vomit at work, what happens?" Maverick asked after a long pause, waving his hand with the joint around while he spoke. "Speaking of hangovers and whatnot. Not like you can go home like a nine to five."

"You sleep in one of our cots. Stay away from the sight of passengers." Everleigh ran a hand through her bangs. "Hope you feel better when you land. Or push the limit on how much Gravol you can take at a time."

"I see, I see." Maverick offered the joint to Everleigh, who narrowed her eyes at him. "I promise it'll be a couple hours and then you'll be done. And I'll trip sit you if something happens."

"You'll be high as well."

"I can smoke a lot more than you before it affects me the same way," Maverick said. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Everleigh sighed softly, looked around before landing back on Maverick, and took the joint in her hand. After inhaling, coughing out a breath and handing it back to Maverick, she said, "You're still avoiding something."

"I don't know if I have to spell it out to someone as intelligent as you that I'd like to spend New Year's with you." Maverick breathed out another puff of smoke.

"Really?"

"If you're kicking me out of your life—"

Everleigh snatched the joint from him and took another pull. She coughed into her fist loudly. She didn't know why New York City was considered the city that never slept when Vegas didn't give her a second glance for hacking up a lung in an alley at whatever hour it was. (She wanted to tell Maverick to shut the fuck up every time he smirked at her coughing.) "I said I'd lend you my Witchers."

"If this is one of the last times I get to see you, I'm going to reap it."

"I'm not kissing you."

Maverick laughed and gently took the joint from her so he could take a long puff from it. "I didn't say anything about kissing me."

He didn't. He really didn't. Dear God, he definitely did not.

"Just..." Everleigh started. "I'm making sure you know that's off the table right now."

"I didn't know it was on the table before that."

Everleigh's eyes widened. Had it been on her table?

God, she needed to think before she spoke.

"It..." Everleigh trailed off. "What were you thinking of doing if you're sticking me with you all night?"

"I don't know." Maverick looked around. "It's Vegas. Have you been to Vegas?"

"Yes, I've been to Las Vegas."

"Great. Where's your favourite spot?"

"Somewhere quiet."

"In Vegas?"

"Don't think I forgot you still owe me a story about who Rhylan is, Kingston. Quiet'll be perfect for you to pull through."

Maverick clicked his tongue. "Memory like a hawk, Everleigh Meadowlark."

"Call it curios—" Everleigh placed a hand against her head as her legs started to wobble. She reached out blindly until she found Maverick's shoulder.

"Everleigh?" She thought she felt Maverick's hand on her forearm, but everything felt a little wonky and she couldn't quite focus on anything else. "Are you okay?"

"I don't—"

"Everleigh. Look at me." His hands were on her shoulders now. She definitely felt them a little tighter than they had been on her arm. Like they were willing her to slip back into normalcy. Almost.

Everleigh's eyes rolled back into her head as she passed out. Her last thought was a silent prayer that Maverick wouldn't let her head hit the pavement. 

*

[a.n.] we're ignoring this cliffhanger to thank Steph for giving me the best godchildren in the business. Hope y'all enjoyed. <3