It didn't take long for Brendon to rejoin Maverick and Everleigh after Stevie scurried off.

"She had to run," Brendon said. "Think we're about to get spoiled with some new music soon."

Everleigh took a step away from Maverick purely so she could glare at him. "If you knew and didn't tell me again, I'll never forgive you."

"I—No. Definitely not." If Kingston Maverick ever won an Academy Award, let it be said it would be for music and not for acting. Sweet Jesus.

"You're a shit," Everleigh said. "I'm taking Bash and leaving you here."

"Escape... Maverick," Brendon said.

It took milliseconds for Brendon to realize that Everleigh was not one to bluff. She took Brendon's arm in her hand, dragging him from the infinity mirror room and leaving Maverick to his own accord. Like she hadn't been—as Juno would've put it—all googly eyed over him moments before. Said moment had passed and now she was solely a MARS fan first, human being second.

When they were out of the mirror room, Everleigh promptly let go of Brendon's arm. It was then that she realized the fault in her carefully thought out and not at all impulsive plan: she hadn't the fucking faintest where said new music would potentially be. And judging by the searching glances Brendon was sending around the warehouse, he didn't either.

"I definitely don't know anything about this," Maverick said, catching up to them with a half-saunter that read he knew everything even if his voice hadn't already given his bullshit away, "but you could potentially stand over there if you wanted."

Brendon and Everleigh's glances followed in the direction Maverick half nodded his head. There was more art than anything but there was something to say about more security making their way around there than anywhere else.

"Lucky guess, huh?" Brendon said.

"I'm great with... hunches," Maverick said.

"Any other hunches you can let us know about?" Brendon asked.

Maverick turned his hearing aid off with a quick flick of his finger. "Sorry, I can't hear you! I'm having trouble with this battery—"

Everleigh shook her head and looked at Brendon. "Gonna suck that he can't hear me fucking dump him—"

"I only turned one off, Meadowlark."

"You know I'm kidding." If he didn't, he had plenty of photos on his phone of her grinning at him like a nauseatingly lovesick idiot. "But you should still tell us about any hunches."

Maverick poked his other hearing aid; a silent threat that he would tune them both out if he had to. "Weird, this one's starting to go too."

"I will happily agree to Stevie marrying Everleigh," Brendon said. Stepping up to the plate with Maverick's screwball on the mound.

"Will you be my bridesman of honour?" Everleigh asked.

"Do I get to keep certain names on the 'do not enter' list?" Brendon asked.

"Do you really think he's going to arrive on time?"

"Will probably miss his flight to the venue."

"You know what's great about this venue?" Maverick asked, having evidently turned his hearing aid back on. He pointed to the same place he'd nodded before. "That art. Amazing. Go look at it."

"I'm so glad your battery's doing better," Everleigh said.

"Yeah, weird, right?" Maverick asked.

"Bet Stevie's shown him one of those deluxe edition songs," Brendon said.

The expression on Maverick's face read, clear as daylight, that he had heard them all. He turned his head and looked around before anyone who was normal and not, like, staring at him profusely all night, could notice the flicker of change. "Hmm? Did I hear my name?"

"Do you need us to grab you a step stool so you can see the stage?"

Maverick laughed. "Good strategy to get information, Ellis."

Brendon looked at Everleigh with slightly wide eyes. A clear plea for help.

"I'll..." Everleigh trailed off. "I'll follow you on Instagram if you tell us."

"That is awful wagering," Maverick said. "Jesus Christ."

"Pretty sure Leigh follows me," Brendon said.

"I'm pretty sure she follows almost everyone here except me—" Maverick said. If it hadn't been her hand, Everleigh wouldn't have even noticed his subtle movement into grabbing it and stuffing it in his pocket again. A flick of a gaze toward her said that her hand was still as cold as it had been before. God, she needed to talk to him about personal things and that was fucking disgusting. At least it was a sure sign he wasn't actually mad at her.

"Because they tell me things and break NDAs to be nice."

"Is that music starting up—" Maverick began.

The three of them walked over to where Maverick could admire the "art." What a hunch, Kingston Maverick. Should be paid as a psychic.

The art lifted to reveal MARS, in all their glory. Stevie spotted them immediately; beacons of light in the sea of uncertainty. Everleigh could feel the first song in her chest, it was easy to fly to the cosmos with them.

"Thousand Miles," Maverick whispered in her ear. Everleigh fought a small smile as she looked at him. A returned grin in her direction. He told her the titles for each song, a close whisper. False Deities, Overnight Rush, High Voltage.

Escape Velocity was different from Nuclear Fusion. Not in a bad way, quite the opposite. The set soared to new heights, taking each member in the audience to space. Honestly, Everleigh was ready to join the music academy just to give it album of the year that moment. The next song in the set made Maverick's eyes widen.

"Holy shit," he breathed.

"It's called holy shit?" Maverick tried not to laugh, he pressed a hand to his mouth. Everleigh wasn't even embarrassed until she'd realized what she said. She buried her head in Maverick's shoulder. "Shut up."

"Last Night in New York," Maverick said, mouth close to her ear. "I haven't even heard this one. It's about..."

They exchanged glances before they looked over at Brendon; not stealthily. Didn't matter when he was on another planet entirely. Even if the room had been dark, not a light in sight, Brendon's eyes would've still found a way to shine purely because they had found their way to Stevie. They always found their way to Stevie. A north star; visible to him from any hemisphere.

Brendon could've been on Neptune and would still hear that song from MARS. Even though Brendon would be in Italy the day after, all he needed to do was find his way to an open field, away from the pollution of city lights, stare up into the sky, and he would see Stevie in the shining stars. Everleigh had read in an astronomy class once that the brightest star in the galaxy was Sirius, which meant glowing in Greek. The way Brendon looked at Stevie meant that any NASA scientist was going to have to rewrite that hypothesis: Stevie was the brightest star in Brendon's universe.

He looked like he could've flown away at any moment and been thankful that he even existed in the same plane of existence as her. With his shooting star.

"Oh, he's a goner," Maverick whispered.

There were teen books that said when someone falls in love, they do it slowly, and then all at once. And for the most part? Everleigh had found that to be true. But Brendon. Brendon looked like he'd fallen in love all at once and then continued falling. A bottomless pit that he would gladly spend eternity in because it meant all he had or needed was his love for Stevie.

The final song, as Maverick informed Everleigh with another soft whisper, was the title track. Escape Velocity. Fitting, considering Brendon was somewhere in space. Lost to a memory of New York; possibly Monaco.

The applause after the set is deafening. It lasted a few minutes and most of it was, probably but maybe not really, Brendon and Everleigh. (For that moment: Brendon could have number one fan. Everleigh would give him it.) (Only for the moment.) The band basked in the applause, well deserved and ready to last eons. This applause would survive the next Big Bang. It would outlast the universe. MARS took a bow, hands interlocked.

"Thank you, everyone, for being here!" Stevie called. "In case you're somehow lost, we are MARS and this is our newest baby, Escape Velocity!"

The crowd cheers. Maverick put his index finger and thumb between his lips and whistled loudly.

            "And before we get all sappy, the tri-bi's—" Stevie pointed at Jun, Lauren, and herself. "—as well as the rest of MARS want to wish everyone a very happy pride!"

Rami held up his mic. "It's been a long time coming but we're incredibly proud of all the work that went into this album. Most of you know us and how particular we are with our work, and Escape Velocity is no exception. We will never put out music we aren't a hundred percent sure represents us, all that we stand for, and what we want to see more of in the world. While Nuclear Fusion will always be our pride and joy, this album represents what we truly think we're made of, and we hope everyone enjoys taking this journey alongside us. We would be nothing without the endless support we've been so lucky to receive over the years."

More applause. It might not have even stopped in the first place.

"First, we'd like to thank our team, Marty and Jenny, for keeping us in line," Jun said. "We are forever in your debt and the impeccable job you two do. MARS is nothing without you."

The applause truly lived forever—like a Queen song.

"And we, of course, cannot forget our friend Maverick for his contributions," Lauren said.

Everleigh stepped away from him as a spotlight found him in the crowd. Maverick squeezed her hand; I understand but also please be here with me. His smile was electric.

"Laughing with you comes easily, but being inspired by your magic is the easiest of all, and we're thankful to not only share your gift on this album, but to also call you our friend," Lauren finished.

If Everleigh hadn't been so close, she wouldn't have seen the tremble in his chin. Everleigh brushed her own tears from under her eyes while his attention was on the stage and he couldn't call her out on it.

Maverick pulled himself together enough that he managed to yell a reply. "Anything for a new album from you!"

"Also, please give him a round of applause," Lauren added, purely because she had the floor, "because I heard he showed up on time today and that's the greatest miracle of all."

Maverick laughed. Everleigh squeezed his hand that time. He stole a small glance her way; she made a fist and ran her thumb up her sternum, proud. A finger pointed toward him, you. Maverick tapped the back of her hand with his middle finger—Everleigh fought the urge to laugh through her tears.

"She's being serious," Stevie said. "He's late to his own shows. If this isn't proof he loves us, I don't know what is."

Maverick got a solid amount of applause. He squeezed Everleigh's hand until she was sure her fingers were purple and then some.

Seira stepped forward, attention on her. (Maverick's grip loosened from it's noose on Everleigh's hand.) "And I would like to take the moment to thank these incredible people beside me. Navigating the crazy world we live in is a struggle on the best of days, and having my best friends alongside me for the ride is the only reason I've made it here today. We all come from different walks of life, vastly different cultures, and an appreciation for a home most of us are grateful to experience and learn from, even though we do not have the ancestral rights to claim it, but we find a way to rise above it all together. I've never looked at another group of people before and thought wow, this is who I want to spend the rest of my life with. But here I am, lucky to be a part of this group of the most beautiful souls I've ever known."

Stevie wiped a tear from her cheek as she looked to the crowd. "If you really want to know who MARS is, listen to these songs and find us. 'Cause we're here in every word, every melody, and every breath before the plunge. And we hope you love your time with us. Mahalo a hui hou."

As the band jumped from the stage, Maverick nudged Everleigh with his elbow. His voice was low, but humour edged on it. "Are you crying?"

Everleigh looked at him, narrowing her eyes as she wiped her eyes. "Shut the fuck up, you know I'm hormonal."

Maverick pulled their hands from his jacket pocket, letting go of her hand so he could wrap an arm around her waist.

"Cry with me, you spoon."

"I'll be there any second," Maverick said. "I promise."

The tears shining in his eyes told her all she needed to know. She wiped them away and pulled herself together when she realized Stevie was dodging press and walking toward them.

"So..." Stevie started when she was close enough. "What did you think?"

If human beings were meant to ride a wave of life together, Stevie was a mo'o. Brendon had stumbled on the still fresh water she dwelled in and would be consumed by her; blessing him with stunning beauty he would never be free from.

The floor was Bash's first. "You're magic, Stevie. That was amazing."

Stevie looked ready to pass out, and not from the heat of the stage lights. "Thanks, Brendon."

"I—" Brendon cleared his throat. "Yeah. Really good. The album is going to be unbeatable."

Maverick poked Everleigh in the back; a sure sign he was pushing her to speak up. Save Brendon from combusting.

"Album of the year for sure," Everleigh said.

"You guys killed it. Seriously," Maverick said.

"Think I'm going to faint but thank you, thank you," Stevie said.

"We'll catch you," Brendon said. Finally finding his sea legs on the water.

"My hero." Stevie laughed, looking at Everleigh. "Don't know if you checked yet but the album is in the goodie bags. You can cop a listen before it drops at midnight."

A glance that lasted possibly a millisecond was exchanged between Everleigh and Brendon. Christ all fuckin' mighty. If there was any confirmation that her moment of allowing Brendon to be MARS' biggest fan had passed, it was then. A dead sprint through a building crowded with reporters was one way to look like a crazy person. But Everleigh was going to listen to the album first. Brendon would have his entire life to listen to Stevie's songs early. This one was hers. (Let it be said she was aware she was being irrational.) (She just didn't give two shits.)

Brendon was faster than her, sure, but what did that mean in a sea of people that they had to actively dodge? Everleigh searched the party, trying to spy the bags before Brendon did. She'd lost sight of him ages before.

Before.

Oh.

A CD? Everleigh needed something to play it with.

Maverick had the keys to their rental car. Everleigh craned her neck to try and find Stevie and Maverick, who could've honestly come to their senses and left Brendon and Everleigh at the party and it would've been entirely justified.

When she made eye contact with him, she could read Maverick's lips well enough that the oh, God was clear as day.

Making her way to the two sitting at the bar—she should've stuck to getting drunk like Maverick assured her she was allowed to be, since he'd drive—Everleigh held her hand out when she was close enough to him. Brendon was hot on her heels.

"Keys, please."

"Did we find the CD or is this getting too ahead of yourself?"

"I am not above searching you myself."

Maverick looked at her like she was feral. Valid. "Please don't. They're in my pocket."

"Stev," Brendon said, "do you have a CD player here?"

"Sorry to say that I do not."

Everleigh tried not to smirk too hard as she diagnosed which pocket Maverick meant—there were two in his jacket, four in his jeans. She really didn't want to search the latter, but she'd do it if she had to.

"Why would you give us an album without something to play it in?"

"Most people wait until they get home to listen."

"Most people are not your number one fans," Everleigh said. Deciding that Maverick would not risk the chance of sitting on his keys, Everleigh dug her hands into his jacket pockets. In no time, the keys were in her hands. "Ha!"

"Maverick," Brendon said, a full name on his terms and the words stumbling over one another as they flew from his mouth, "Where did you park I need you to tell me right now."

"Um... that's..." Maverick turned his hearing aids off and waved his arms around. Everleigh wished he'd been signing her directions to where the hell the CDs were, but alas.

"This is sabotage—" Brendon started.

"Why don't you just both go toge—"

Everleigh took off again. She knew where the car was. That was an advantage. Of sorts. As she made her way to the parking lot, she avoided looking behind her. There was no need to check and see if the professional athlete, as he'd so nicely qualified, was anywhere near her.

Out in the crisp night air, Everleigh made her way in the general direction of the rental car. If nothing else, she could've locked herself in there.

The stand-off started very unlike the Wild West; instead of a saloon to pace in front of, they had a shitty Buick super deluxe. Where Brendon got her attention and, promptly, held up two Escape Velocity CDs. (So that was why they had to dress in those colours. Gorgeous.) Everleigh held Maverick's keys up.

Stevie and Maverick joined their two idiots not long after. "I thought this would've been resolved already."

"I didn't," Maverick said. At least he knew Everleigh that well.

"I was trying to be optimistic," Stevie said. "If you can show up on time, we can hope for other miracles."

"Hand over the keys, Leigh," Brendon said.

"Absolutely not."

"I can and will find someone else willing to let me borrow their car if I have to."

"Why don't you two go sit in that piece of shit car together?" Maverick suggested.

"But then neither of us can say we won." At least that was one thing that Brendon and Everleigh agreed on: someone had to be the loser.

"What if I called up Maver right now and gave him a copy so he can listen to it before the both of you," Stevie threatened.

Maverick continued, "Doesn't Bash have a little sister who likes MARS too—"

It was a silent yeah, okay shared between Brendon and Everleigh before they dove into the Buick. Brendon had the CD in practically the moment Everleigh started the car; not fully, just enough for the stereo to work.

It took a moment for the CD to scan, for the car to decide it wanted to actually work, and for the first song on the disk to play. Brendon had tossed the second CD onto Everleigh's lap so they could both look at the tracklists without interrupting each other; it was something to say that he worked in teams.

Look, just because they'd listened to Overnight Rush live already didn't mean they were going to skip a song. That wasn't how a listening party worked.

At some point, either Maverick or Stevie tapped the windshield to try and get Brendon or Everleigh's attention. Probably because there were 19 tracks on the disc and they were listening to a single that was already released. She assumed that Maverick and Stevie had taken seats on the hood of the car. Everleigh gave whoever it was her favourite response: a lovingly extended middle finger.

It was to be noted that Stevie was not someone who exaggerated: song by song, another new branch of MARS' universe was uncovered. Sitting in silence while too many emotions hit her at once was normally how she listened to new albums. Never one to admit it out loud: her album party when she'd found out about Revive was something for the history books with the amount of tissues she'd used. She would've been embarrassed wiping her eyes if she hadn't stolen a glance and seen Brendon doing the same thing; she handed him a tissue. A silent olive branch as Brendon accepted it. They were both winners; getting to share MARS together.

*

It was something to say that although she'd been behaving like a buffoon with fellow buffoon Brendon Ellis, there was no one else in the universe who would listen to The L and experience it the same way she did except him. Sure, he was Stevie's and Everleigh was Maverick's and the two latter dorks had switched who their verses were about in the way only two bisexual chaos demons could. But it still went without saying: Bash and Everleigh were joined as friends through the chaos. Grand Prixs and missed connections, those lyrics would probably be on merchandise—official and fan alike—but they would never be as special to anyone except Brendon and Everleigh. A shared laugh assured that that moment was theirs to appreciate their dorks who brought them there.

The rest of the album was, of course, life ruining. The seventh track alone—Run the Red—had Everleigh in shambles. By the time they ran the disc through, Everleigh was dehydrated from all the crying, Brendon likely was too.

They got out of the car silently, ready to drown in the River Styx because they were clearly in the afterlife.

Stevie jumped as they closed the car doors. "Are you finally done?"

"You say finally as if you didn't just fucking take both our hearts and stomp on them," Everleigh said.

"Don't I do that just by being my usual charming self?" Stevie asked.

"No kidding," Brendon muttered, Everleigh barely heard him.

"So I guess this is your stamp of approval?"

"Obviously," Everleigh said. "It's album of the year. We already knew that."

"Relax," Maverick chided as he yawned into his fist. (Had they been asleep?)

"What did Everleigh say when she heard Revive?" Stevie teased. "Hope that review was as glowing as this is."

Maverick narrowed his eyes. Probably fighting the fact that Everleigh had never admitted to him that she had even listened to it in the first place. Sue her, she'd been mad at him. "We've established that she likes your songs better and that's fine."

Stevie poked him in the arm. "Is it, though? Is it really?"

"I'd actually just like to ask Brendon to hit me with his race car but that's fine."

"Might mess up my front wing but it can be arranged," Brendon said.

"I'll leave you money to fix it in my will," Maverick said. "Consider it paying you for your work."

"Much appreciated."

"Are we emotionally stable enough to head back inside now?" Stevie asked.

"N—" Everleigh started.

Maverick covered her mouth with his hand; shutting her up in a way only he was allowed to. "Yes."

"Okay, great, 'cause I think I have a bruise from falling asleep on that car." Stevie looked from Everleigh to Brendon; neither offering her an apology.

Everleigh took it as an opportunity to get Maverick's hand off her when Stevie's attention was on Brendon. Sue her—the easiest thing to do might've been to use her hands and take it off, but licking it earned her a fed up glance as he pulled his hand away. One that read he would get her back—London was his oyster for revenge.

"At least you guys had heated seats in there," he said, wiping his hand on his jeans. Maverick flipped Everleigh off quickly as he tucked his hand into his jacket pocket. If she hadn't been looking for it, she wouldn't have noticed.

"I didn't notice it over all of our sobbing," Brendon said.

"You didn't even notice Stevie banging on the window—"

Everleigh held a finger up—not her favourite one, just the index. "Um, I specifically responded, actually."

"Lovingly," Stevie said. "Of course."

"Naturally."

The four of them made their way back into the party, which ultimately led to Brendon pointing over the crowd.

"Think that's Jenny over there frantically looking for you—"

Stevie grabbed his arm and pulled it down. "Slouch. Don't let her see you. She'll find me immediately."

"I'll actually feel bad about dumping a beer on her," Maverick said, "but I'll do it if you want me to."

"Tempting but she's got seven inches on me... without heels on," Stevie said. "I'm kind of scared of her." Her phone vibrated in her hand. "Oh no. She's texting me. Angrily texting me."

"Should we hide—" Brendon asked.

Stevie looked around for a moment before landing on a photobooth. "Yeah, yeah, go in there."

The four of them moved quickly; acting like the Scooby gang and Jenny was the masked vigilante. They needed a hall where they would magically appear in different doors while Jenny chased them.

"If you give me your phone and she calls, I'll answer and tell her I'm looking for you, too," Maverick said. Underestimating how terrible of a liar he'd been all night. "She might stop texting you."

"You think Jenny wouldn't be able to see right through you?" Stevie asked. And she hadn't even seen the rotten tomato performance that was him trying to convince Brendon and Eveleigh that he didn't know anything about the performance.

"I've been told I should be an Oscar winner."

"Might have to reconsider after your performance right before they started playing," Brendon said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Maverick said. Everleigh's little king of bullshit. "I didn't know there was a performance. I just like art."

"Believable," Brendon said.

The moment Stevie's phone started ringing, she threw it at Maverick with a definitive, "Shit."

It was something to say that Maverick went to Juilliard and not, say, the University of Florida. That Brendon was the professional athlete in Stevie's life and Maverick was the kid who spent too much time in the choir room. He nearly dropped her phone, but managed to catch it after a couple boggles. "Um... hello? Jenny, hi!... I'm looking for Stevie, too. She left her phone with me before she went on stage... Mhmm. Yeah." Maverick nodded. Like Jenny could see him. "Yes. I am. Absolutely full of it. You're totally right.... I'm turning the tracking off. I love you, Jenny, bye!" Maverick quickly ended the call and punched a couple buttons on Stevie's phone. He handed it back to her. "See? Nailed it."

"No one forward that to the Academy, Jesus Christ." Everleigh winced. "They'll ban you for life."

"At least he appreciates art," Brendon said.

"I'm definitely getting yelled at later," Stevie said.

"I'm glad we debuted at number one 'cause she's never inviting me back anywhere near you," Maverick said.

"Can we at least get some cute pics before she disembowels me?" Stevie asked. "Leave something for my friends to remember me by."

"Do you think they'll let our gravesites be near each other?"

"I think they won't risk our ghosts wreaking havoc on them," Stevie said. "We're getting buried on different continents."

"I'll take Europe," Maverick said, grinning. "Do you want Australia?"

Stevie laughed and nudged Brendon. "Brenson, can you keep my headstone clean?"

Brendon looked like he'd pull a Juliet at the thought of Stevie being dead. "Sometimes I think you two need a babysitter."

"May I remind you of the last hour and a half?" Stevie asked.

"At the very least," Maverick said, "you can leave bottles of apple juice there for her, right?"

"I would leave an entire shipping container for her but that's not the point—"

"At least we're being realistic," Maverick said. "Jenny's terrifying. You two were fighting over juice."

"It was more than just juice," Brendon said.

"Right," Maverick said. "The thing that Jun definitely didn't start."

"The thing I'm going to win," Brendon said. "Hypothetically."

"So how about that photobooth?" Maverick asked. Not even bothering to argue anymore.

After the previous group left, Stevie pushed Brendon into the photobooth and promptly sat on his lap. They decided nonverbally that was how it was going to be and they moved in sync; like it had happened a thousand times before. Like clockwork.

Everleigh looked at Maverick, who was already staring at her. He flicked his eyes toward the booth and Everleigh shrugged. The sudden panic that heated up in her chest was not needed, but couldn't be swallowed down. She was taller than Maverick, but maybe he weighed more. (God, Everleigh, stop thinking about weight.) A raised eyebrow asked Everleigh a silent question, she hadn't the faintest what the answer was.

"Never seen a photobooth before?" Stevie asked.

Everleigh tried to make light of the panic in her chest. "We only have phone booths—"

"Stop," Maverick said, pushing Everleigh forward a little.

"Was that you asking to sit on my lap—"

"Just go."

"If you wanted to sit on Brendon's lap, Maverick, you could've just asked," Stevie said.

Brendon laughed. "Might have to check with Roman if he's okay with it first."

"Roman didn't write you a love song—" Everleigh really hoped she didn't look as panicked as she felt. Picking a side of the bed while Maverick had stayed at her flat was easier than this. No one was on top of the other.

"Named a child after me," Brendon said.

"He what?" Maverick asked.

Everleigh decided that going into the booth and using Maverick as a human shield from the camera was a thousand times easier than explaining that Roman was a dumbass. Maverick followed behind, sitting down gently on her. Everleigh was already ducking behind his back.

"I actually don't have y glasses so someone else is going to have to work this thing for me." Stevie smacked Maverick in the bicep. "That means you, bozo."

"I think you should wear my glasses and do it yourself, actually."

"Think you should shut up."

Maverick leaned forward, pressing the button. He sighed overdramatically as he settled back. "Exhausting."

Many people when it came to being in a photobooth, smiled brightly. Maybe stuck their tongues out, made kissing faces. Something cute. That's what photobooths were for, being cute. That's probably was Stevie and Brendon were doing on their side of the booth.

Everleigh, on the other hand, decided that there would be not one photo of her taken with how panicked she felt. This led to hiding behind Maverick as the first shutter clicked. Solid. Couple more to go.

The wrench in the gears was that Maverick, whether she liked it or not, noticed every single thing she did. He moved quickly, had to with the timer counting him down. Maverick put Everleigh in the world's nicest headlock that had ever been done. Getting it's point across without hurting her. Each photo that was taken was a progression of Maverick having to drag her further into the photo; the last shutter click was probably the only one that wasn't Everleigh struggling. Instead, she rolled her eyes as Maverick planted a kiss on her cheek, his arm still around her neck.

A stolen glance at Stevie's side of the booth narrated that she and Brendon had easily fallen into their usual routine of being lost in space with each other. Nothing could bring them back to earth when they were in each other's arms. They looked at each other like nothing could be wrong in the world when the other was there; that lights had guided them home.

Stevie pulled the strip of photos, letting out a loud snort. "Can't take you two anywhere."

Before Everleigh could even manage a protest, to which the point would likely be moot considering that Maverick still had her in a headlock, the curtain on the booth swung open. Maverick jumped—Everleigh fought the urge to tell him he owed her a shoe as payment. The jumpscare tax.

"I knew it," Jenny said, standing in the doorway. "Security said it looked like there was a wrestling match going on in the photobooth and I said yeah, ten bucks Maverick is involved."

Everleigh buried a snort into the side of his torso.

"Jenny, I'm always on my best behaviour for you." Bold words from someone with his girlfriend still in a headlock, but Kingston Maverick was nothing if not bold.

"Remember what I said earlier?" Jenny asked him.

"You mean when you said I'm full of it?"

"Yeah," Jenny said. "Pack it up, bud. I need Stevie to pretend like she knows how to promote her new album."

Stevie freed Everleigh's head from Maverick's arm and practically threw him to the sharks. Any and all bets that Maverick would be alive when they exited were likely losing. Stevie threw the curtain closed.

"Give me a sec," Stevie said. "I need to take these pics."

Stevie did not waste a second before lying down across Brendon and Everleigh's laps. Accepting that she was stuck in there, Everleigh did her best to smile through it. The photo strip that came out was a thousand times less chaotic, but Everleigh knew going into her relationship with Maverick that he brought chaos wherever he went in, never to be admitted out loud, possibly the best way possible. Cheers to the fire signs.

Stevie got up and the three of them walked out.

"Okay," she said. "I'm all yours."

It was something to say that Brendon and Everleigh clearly had one track minds when it came to Stevie. Each of them took one of Stevie's sides. A glowing protective circle before actually seeing Jenny and deflating almost immediately.

"Strong effort, guys."

"But you saw there was effort," Everleigh said.

"Barely," Stevie said.

"Those heels look... painful," Brendon said, nodding to her feet.

"In case I don't survive this, have fun," Stevie said. "Drink lots of Capri Sun. Try not to fight every time your arms accidentally brush up against each other. Alright?"

"I make no promises." Everleigh tried to ignore how hot her face felt.

"Of course you don't," Maverick said. Drenched in sarcasm.

"I will keep an eye on them—" Brendon said. Like he wouldn't be scouting where Stevie was the entire time she was gone.

"Don't fight Everleigh either," Stevie said. "Whatever you're trying to beat her at, I'll find a way to get it to you both."

Maverick nudged Everleigh with his elbow while Stevie and Brendon had a chance to say goodbye. He signed to Everleigh, asking her if she was okay. A finger pointed in her direction before he made a thumbs up and moved his fist in a circle.

Everleigh nodded.

Maverick gave her a look that was entirely too unconvinced.

Everleigh looked away from him. Why, she hadn't the faintest. It wasn't like she wasn't spending the night with him, or driving to the hotel with him. There were too many things she wanted to say and not enough words to do so.

Stevie walked away from them, catching Maverick's eyes one more time. Virginia Woolf clearly wrote that one novel about the two of them.

A silence fell over the three of them who were left. Maverick looked between Brendon and Everleigh, an older sibling voice overtaking him. Everleigh had heard it too many times from Florence.

"If you argue over juice one more time, I'm telling Stevie to never speak to either of you again."

*

The car ride was quiet. Maybe a little awkward. Maverick didn't want to ask Everleigh about what was bothering her and Everleigh didn't want to tell him that she was entirely too self-conscious on any given day.

"Can I say—"

"Are you okay—"

"Sorry," Everleigh said. "Go ahead."

"No, no." Maverick took a hand off the steering wheel to mime the space he was giving her to talk. "All yours."

"I—" Everleigh was not going to tell him in a Buick super deluxe that there was a lot he didn't know about her. That night was not for the talk. The one she'd only had with Juno. Good God. "I never thanked you for Revive. And that was wrong of me."

"You don't have to thank me for something I released when you were mad at me."

"I do," Everleigh said. "I... cried. A lot."

"More than Escape Velocity?"

"Don't tell Stevie."

"Oh, shit," Maverick said, smiling. "Seriously?"

"You're not seriously smiling at how much that EP made me cry."

"I'm smiling because I appreciate that you actually admitted it made you feel something."

Everleigh rolled her eyes. "I'll never do it again."

"Guess it's awful I've got Superhero coming up, then."

"What?"

Maverick winced. "You know, before you, I knew how to keep a secret. Holy shit."

Everleigh snorted. "Frankly, I don't believe you."

"I think you'll like it," Maverick said. "For whatever it's worth."

"Contrary to anything I ever believed before you were ran into me," Everleigh started, "I'm sure I will too."

Maverick smiled.

"Do I get to hear things first?"

"You know Stevie'll kill me if I don't send it to her first, first?"

"Do I get to hear it second?"

"That, I can promise." Maverick looked at her while he drove. "Do you want to go anywhere before the hotel?"

Everleigh shook her head. Things would be a lot easier if she could find it within herself to tell Maverick everything she wanted to. "Do you want to?"

"I'm kind of hungry—"

Everleigh's stomach twisted.

"—but I can grab something there," Maverick said. "You're probably tired."

"A little." It was a good excuse. Everleigh promised herself she would tell him in London. Hope it didn't scare him off.

"You can fall asleep here if you want. I'll wake you up when we're there."

"No, it's okay."

"You're sure?"

Everleigh brushed off a yawn. "How'd your conversation with Stevie go?"

"Good."

"That's it?"

"Nosey," Maverick teased.

"Making sure she's okay."

"She's okay. But I can't tell you anything else."

"Did you sign an NDA?" Everleigh teased, smiling at Maverick.

"Call it a friend-DA."

Everleigh snorted, which made Maverick grin. She wanted him to pull over so she could kiss him. Assure herself he was really there; that the night hadn't been a dream. Like he read her mind, his hand took hers while he drove.

"You're ridiculous," Everleigh said, laughing.

"Aren't you glad I got my visa?" Maverick grinned. "Now you're really stuck with me."

Everleigh smiled. "I am."