"Oh my God, you're in love with Maverick," Juno said, eyes shining. Not even a hello before that sentence rolled out of her mouth like smoke out a chimney on a chilly winter's day.

Everleigh looked around the restaurant. "I've been here twenty seconds."

"And you're smiling," Juno said. "Last time I saw a smile that wide from you, you were accepted into grad school."

"I... I might have two reasons to smile."

"Is it the dog?" Juno asked. "Because, Christ almighty, you're domesticated in this relationship. It's amazing. I better get to meet him."

Everleigh opened her phone and slid it across the table and toward Juno. As Juno leaned forward, Everleigh slid her coat off. September had come a little too quick and nothing nipped like autumn. As she draped the coat over the back of her chair, Juno squealed.

"Leigh, this is amazing, I'm so proud of you."

Maverick had still been sleeping when Everleigh got the email. He'd been doing that a lot; sleeping until noon or one. She supressed her excitement and used it to practically fly to lunch with Juno. Unfortunately, that gave her a little too much time to think about things. All he'd managed to wake up for was her leaving, and he hadn't even changed out of his pyjamas to drive her to the restaurant; it was only down the street.

Everleigh Meadowlark,

We are pleased to inform you that pending completion of the Autumn 2022 semester with passing grades, you are approved for graduation come January 2023.

"What if I want a PhD?"

Juno looked up at her. "Do you?"

"I don't know." Everleigh sat down. "Is it really that exciting if I do?"

"Leigh, it's a master's degree. And you've worked really hard for it. Give yourself a break. This is exciting."

"But what if it's not the end?" Everleigh asked. "What if it's just another step—"

"That's okay," Juno said. "You've been to a uni grad before, wasn't it still exciting?"

"I guess so," Everleigh said. "Until I realized I didn't want to be a fuckin' flight attendant my whole life. What if I wasted my time all over again?"

Everleigh spent so long wrestling with the idea of ever going back to school in the first place that the idea of it being the wrong thing made her want to vomit. Maybe that's why she hadn't told Maverick she'd gotten her graduation approval. The last thing she ever wanted was to see him disappointed. Her family was one thing. Her Maverick? Whole other football stadium.

"It's okay to change your mind."

"Not again."

"As many times as you need."

"June."

"Leigh."

"I don't want to feel like I failed. Again. It's expensive to do everything all over again."

"Good thing you've got a boyfriend who makes—"

"I wouldn't ask him to pay for school, don't even say it."

"Consider it a student loan," Juno said. "From someone who you sleep with."

"That's called prostitution—"

"I'm not saying you should, I'm saying it's an option."

"—Or, God, sugar daddy...ing."

"Are you saying Kingston Maverick's your sugar dadd—"

"I'm not saying that and it wasn't on the table in the first place. Crikey, June."

Juno waved her hand at Everleigh. "There are options."

"Not those options."

"Well, I'm not the one who didn't get out of her car because I was too busy making out with my boyfriend who I'm in love with."

"How did you—"

Juno fought a grin. Bit her lip to keep it from breaking through. Because if no one in the world knew everything about Everleigh, it meant that Juno Song had passed to the next life.

"You didn't know until I just admitted it, didn't you?"

"Your lips are a little swollen."

Everleigh reached her hand up, running her fingertips lightly across her bottom lip. As if that would tell her anything that Juno hadn't already.

Juno smiled. "Adoring someone looks good on you."

"I will not survive this lunch if you continue to talk about him."

"Talk about him like I don't know he's probably sitting in your flat taking a nap? If he even left the carpark in the first place?"

"Do you have a hidden camera?"

Juno clapped her hands and laughed. "I love this game."

"I hate you."

"You two are adorable."

"I'm going to let him hit me with my own car."

"Did you ever think you would come to this?"

"To what?"

"Being in love with... anyone."

"No."

"Then why is it so hard to believe that change is a bad thing? Because I know this PhD talk is you trying to delay quitting with our airline," Juno said. "And you shouldn't postpone it anymore."

"You—" Everleigh gaped. Leaned back in her chair for a moment. Frowned. Narrowed her eyes and wrinkled her nose. "What kind of Jedi mind trick—"

"Am I right?"

"These aren't the droids you're looking for—"

"Am I right?"

"You want to go home and rethink your life—"

"Leigh."

"You will contact Skywalker now—"

"Everleigh." It was a wonder Juno kept Everleigh around. That she actively pursued seeing her whenever she was in London. The exasperation on her face was damning.

"Bullshit was that?"

"Was I right?"

Everleigh crossed her arms and scowled. "Well. Obviously. Fuck."

Juno smiled. "I missed you too, Leigh."

"You're always right," Everleigh said. "You know that."

"I do," Juno said, smiling wider. Everleigh missed seeing her smile all the time. Missed the life she had before Kingston Maverick, but loved the life she had with him. Then again, maybe things wouldn't have turned out any different either way: Everleigh had been studying before she met Maverick. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

"How's wedding prep going?"

"You're going to be wearing purple at my wedding." Juno looked ready for Everleigh to change the subject; playing the perfect return to her sneak attack. They knew each other a little too well.

"What shade of purple?"

"Does it matter?"

Everleigh raised an eyebrow. "Absolutely."

"Periwinkle."

"Isn't that blue?"

Juno snorted. "Try telling them that."

"Can I wear trousers?"

"Nope."

"What—"

"You haven't even introduced me to Maverick since you've been dating."

"So?"

"That further solidifies I want to see his head explode when he sees you wearing a dress," Juno said. "It's my something borrowed."

"How?"

"Because you get to experience him falling in love with you again firsthand," Juno said, "but I get to enjoy it secondhand because you're going to fall in love with him again because of the way he's looking at you. It's a triple win."

"You're a wanker."

"You love me."

*

Juno finished their lunch by telling Everleigh that she loved her and supported her in any decision she made. The hug turned into many hugs, which turned into tears, then turned into laughing at those tears. Everleigh had to promise she wouldn't break Maverick's heart because Juno wanted to pick his brain about all the implications of Long Distance—his final track on Revive—where he'd said don't know much about us, but I know we can make it / Your voice sounds so far, don't know if I can take it / Want to run away with you, can't quite shake it / Give you my everything, please don't break it and how he'd practically moved to London not four months after debuting the song. ("Not very long distance of you, Mav." "Oh, so you're good friends now?" "We're going to have the best time making fun of you, Leigh.")

"Babes?" Everleigh carefully closed the flat door behind her. It wasn't that long of a walk from the flat to the restaurant, Maverick had simply wanted to pretend he actually got out of bed that day. She looked down as Dewey circled her ankles, tail wagging and his bisexual bandana crooked on his neck. A quick scratch of his ears left him happy and made sure she didn't spill the takeaway she'd brought back to the flat for him. "Not you babes, my other babes."

"Stev." Maverick's voice was gentle on the phone. He gave Everleigh a small wave, making a motion he'd only be another minute.

Everleigh shook him off, signing take long as you need after dropping his takeaway in a spot he could easily get it when his phone call was done. Do you want me to leave?

Maverick shook his head. "I know that you've got this awful, mean, demon thing as a brain—" Maverick laughed. Stevie probably told him to he was a spoon. "But you gotta let yourself enjoy things. Even if everything else is shit. Do you know the statistic of bands nominated for Grammys?" Maverick snorted. "Well, no, I don't know the exact number—Shut up, you fucking... parsnip, I'm trying to make you feel better—There's not that many in the grand scheme of things, Stevie. That's my point. Let yourself be happy. This is exciting." Maverick smiled; but it was a little too sad. Everleigh decidedly took a plate from the cupboard and put his takeaway on it. He looked like he needed to eat something. "Yeah, okay. I love you too. Call me back if you need me. Don't be a knork about it."

Everleigh walked Maverick's plate over to him as he tossed his phone to the floor, gently sat in the seat beside him. Dewey walked beside her until he darted to his bed. "Did you call Stevie a parsnip?"

"Thanks," Maverick said as he took the plate from Everleigh. He ate a couple fries. "Parsnip seemed tame. She was... she was having a Stevie moment. And that's okay."

"She okay?"

"She's okay." Maverick nodded. He pointed to his plate. "Did you eat? Do you want some of this?"

"I ate. Thank you," Everleigh said. Only waiting a moment before, "Did you say Grammys?"

Maverick smiled. "All you got from that was parsnip and Grammys, huh?"

"MARS does deserve album of the year."

"They were nominated for it," Maverick said. "Seven more along with it."

"Holy shit, that's amazing." Everleigh made a mental note to text Stevie later. No use worrying her that she'd even heard part of their conversation. Anxious brain didn't need that.

"They better go all the way," Maverick said between fries. "Fuckin' deserve it."

Everleigh's eyes narrowed. "And Revive?"

"Everleigh, I never thought Revive was going to be nominated. It's fine," Maverick said.

"I'm sensing a but."

Maverick was terrible at keeping a straight face. He kept his eyes on his meal. "The L was. Best Duo/Group Performance."

Oh, Everleigh was going to kill him one day. Or he was going to kill her; full cardiac arrest. They were going to be the death of each other, it was inevitable. Like the big bang at the creation of the universe, total system failure.

She opted to flick him in the kneecap instead. "Lead with that—"

"Hey—" Maverick protested as Everleigh removed his plate from his lap. Shut the hell up when Everleigh replaced the plate with herself.

"You fuckin' spoon—"

"I love yo—"

Everleigh kissed him in a way that would've landed them on the front page of every gossip magazine to ever grace the earth. The way that humbly noticed Maverick wasn't quite as excited as she was a little too late.

She pulled away. "Are you ok—"

"I really need to tell you something."

Everleigh went to shift back to the seat beside him. Maverick's hands met at the small of her back; pinning her in place. A thumb stroked right where her tattoo was; tracing the dotted line. Her hands felt like no place was right to touch him; that his stomach was too much and his cheeks needed space and his shoulders weighed him down too much. Eventually, she settled on letting them fall in her lap. Free to move where they were needed.

"Before my birthday, um—" Maverick pressed his lips together. Any semblance of his fought smile was gone. "I went to my audiologist."

Everleigh didn't mean to gulp. The fact his thumb pressed a little harder to reassure her made her want to cry. Maverick shouldn't have been comforting her if this was going where she thought it was.

"I—well—I told you about Superhero right?" Maverick's voice trembled. He stared through her, not at her. Like if he focused too hard on anything, the next thing he wanted to say would dissolve from his tongue.

"Vaguely." Everleigh's voice felt strangled. No words would make whatever he was going to say any better.

Dewey's paws clacked across the floor of the flat. He jumped onto the couch with them, not a care in the world. Climbed onto Everleigh's lap and nuzzle himself between her and Maverick's torsos. While Maverick unknit his fingers from behind Everleigh to pet him, his other hand pressed into the small of her back.

"Hey, Dewmaster," Maverick muttered, barely with barely any emotion. A hand rubbing the top of Dewey's head. Dewey climbed up Maverick's stomach, paws resting on his chest to get a little closer to him. "Mom and dad are trying to talk about something, can you settle down, please?"

Everleigh gently took him off Maverick and placed him on the couch beside them.

"Um," Maverick started again. He rubbed his finger under his nose and sniffled. "So... Superhero—well. Okay. No. Can we backtrack?"

Everleigh nodded.

"I've always known this was coming." Maverick really wouldn't look at her. He'd look anywhere but her. He wouldn't even look at her when she brushed the tears off that slipped onto his cheek—she wasn't even sure he'd noticed they'd fallen. "And I recognize that this was wishful thinking. But when I was five and they told me it would be gone by ten, and when I was 11, they told me 30. So I don't know why a day before I turned 28, I thought maybe they'd say sixty, but I wanted them to." Maverick scoffed out the saddest laugh Everleigh had ever heard; like nails on a chalkboard that haunted every nightmare she had. "I wanted to prove them wrong so fucking bad, Everleigh."

Maverick leaned into her hand that time she wiped tears away. Thumb soft against his cheek, a little more stubbly than it normally was, but still Maverick under there.

He finally looked at her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you soon—"

"Don't even. It's fine."

"I couldn't bring myself to make it feel real. You make things feel real."

"I'm right here."

"Superhero's probably going to be my last album." Maverick's voice wavered. He stuck his tongue into the bottom of his lip like the words were venomous and he needed antiserum. "If I can even get it out on time, before..."

Before.

Before his hearing went.

Before he gave up on the dream.

Before he gave up on himself.

Before he gave up on the world before it had even the potential to hurt him.

"You don't have to stop—"

"I don't think I could stand not being able to actually listen to the music," Maverick said. "I'd drive myself insane with those vibrations."

Maverick's hand left the small of her back as he pressed both palms to his eyes. Gripped those bleached curls like they were his final lifeline.

"I mean—" Maverick's voice broke. "It's been slowly fading for a while. And I know that these stupid fucking—"

Maverick looked ready to tear his hearing aids out and throw them across the room. Everleigh took his hands in hers. Less destructive when they held something they didn't want to break.

Tears pooled in Maverick's eyes. "I don't know what to do if I can't hear my mom or—or my sister talk to me. I don't—I mean, if I can't hear Stevie call me—call me a fucking bozo or—You know, what if I hadn't heard my phone ring? What if—" Maverick was spiraling faster than Everleigh could keep up. "What if I don't know when the last time is I'm going to get to hear you laugh?

"There's more to life than hearing," Maverick said. "I've been told that a thousand fucking times by a thousand fucking doctors and I get it. But—damn it, Everleigh. I feel like nothing's going to be the same."

"It's not," Everleigh said. "That's not a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing," Maverick said. "I don't even know what I would do if I didn't get to make music."

"You know, I looked it up," Everleigh said. "That stupid song from Gnomeo and Juliet. And Bernie Taupin writes all his lyrics."

"Most of them. Not all of them."

"Kingston, you're brilliant." Everleigh kissed him briefly. "But shut up for a minute, love, okay?"

"Okay."

"So, Bernie Taupin," Everleigh said. "Doesn't perform. Stays behind the scenes. Likes it there."

"Mhmm."

"Wrote over 40 top 100 songs in, like, a decade."

"Little over that."

"Kingston."

"Sorry."

"There's nothing stopping you from being a Bernie Taupin if you can't stand the idea of being in the booth," Everleigh said. "You need to make music, it's what you were made for."

Maverick shook his head. "I'll never be Bernie Taupin."

"You just have to be Kingston Maverick."

"That was corny, Meadowlark."

Everleigh wrinkled her nose at him. "Innit?"

Maverick laughed a little. "Your little Brit is popping out again. Think you've spent too much time at home."

"Sorry, bruv," Everleigh said. "Proper chuffed to bits. This whole thing's thrown a spanner in the works. Blimey, you must be cream crackered."

Maverick pinched the bridge of his nose as he laughed a little harder. "I only understood those words separately."

"Good."

Maverick held his arms out, a sure sign he wanted a hug. Everleigh obliged, burying her head in his chest, arms wrapped around his waist. (Maverick needed to stop slouching, he was going to ruin his posture.) (Everleigh was one to talk with how much she hunched over her laptop for homework.)

"Thank you." Maverick pressed a small kiss to her head.

A moment in Maverick's arms never felt wasted.

"For what it's worth," Everleigh said, after a comfortable moment of silence while Maverick's breathing calmed down. She gently sat up, making a small motion near her ears; miming taking his hearing aids off. "May I?"

Maverick frowned a little, but nodded. "All yours."

Everleigh had never touched Maverick like she was afraid to break him, but that time she did. Fingers gently working to take both hearing aids out. She gently placed them down on the coffee table, beside Maverick's forgotten lunch.

Everleigh pressed her two middle fingers to her palm, index and pinky reaching toward the ceiling, thumb out.

I love you.

A pinky extended to the ceiling—I. Her index finger and thumb out—L. Her three middle fingers down, pinky and thumb up—Y.

I love you.

Her two fists balled, arms making an X across her chest.

I love you.