@maveriq​ liked for a lyric sentence starter.

“I'm always ready for a war again, go down that road again. It's all the same.”

she’s not exactly stealthy, is she @maveriq​ ? heavy footsteps that are intended to be heard - trailing you down the corridor heading toward admiral bates’ office - intense eyes that watch the rise and fall of your shoulders as you too walk with a sense of purpose.  she’s not going to catch up with you , is she ?  and that’s when you hear it ...

              ❛  captain mitchell ... ❜   louder than normal , not that she’s always softly spoken ( sometimes it’s exactly the opposite depending on exactly who’s pissed her off ... )  avi’s voice rings down the quiet corridor , rubber soles of her brown leather shoes squeaking against the highly shined linoleum as she picks up her pace to try and match his. it’s been a while since she’d seen him - the last time hadn’t exactly been the most forgiving for either of them. crashing and burning after the georgia mission had hardly been the best time for her to ask him exactly why he was determined to run himself into the dirt - but the look on his face had spelled it out as much as she’d needed. he was back and she was still here.  ❛  ... sir.  ❜   maybe , despite everything -  they had more in common than she’d initially thought. even if tenacity was the only thing that held them together. at least it was better calling either of them stubborn. her hands are full of documents that overlap and fill their ancient bindings , fingertips brushing at old files pulled from archives concerning f14 sales in the late eighties - the rustbucket he’d crash-landed on the carrier holed up in a hanger towards the back of the facility being picked apart by engineers.  ❛  ... if you’re heading to see warlock i have everything here.  ❜  there’s no sigh of resignation, her tone regimented and precise - yet the deep furrowing of her brows and almost apologetic swell of her hazel eyes indicates the whole can of worms the mission had opened up , might be substantially worse than any of them had potentially thought. 

@maveriq​ meets Steve in a queer bar

                          DESPITE BEING ILLEGAL IN THE 30s, there were pubs and bars and bathhouses for gay men. Steve had visited them occasionally, but in the end, he'd been largely ignored the same way the gals tried to see past him whenever Bucky dragged him to a double date. It would be different now, Steve thinks as he watches a couple kiss passionately at the other end of the bar: a big, buff guy and a much smaller, almost petite redhead. Twink is what they call it now. Steve turns away because he doesn't want to be a creep.

                          This little hole-in-the-wall pub isn't solely for gays but for all people that identify as LGBTQ+. There is a lesbian couple playing darts with a drag queen, and a woman dressed in the colors of the ace flag collects some tequila shots from the bar to bring them to her friends. Steve thinks he likes this pub best of all the other nightclubs he's tried out so far. He might come back here. Steve finishes his whiskey and wants to slide off the barstool when his eyes flicker over to the door that's just been opened. He freezes. He's never met a familiar face in one of these clubs, but now no less than Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell walks in and looks around, and then their eyes meet, and Steve can't fake overlooking him anymore. Oh fuck, he hopes this won't be awkward. "Um — hey," Steve greets Pete when he comes to the bar.

     ATTEMPTING TO  STITCH  UP THE CUTS OF A HEART  ,  STRUGGLING WITH THE NEEDLE  AND  A  PAIR OF SHAKING HANDS .  YET ,  THE  QUESTION  LINGERS     ⸻    how was it like, failling in love with a force of nature?  at first, finding yourself in this enchanting land of flourishing feelings and adventure. there was never something like it, even when paths had been shifted and everything went   BALLISTIC   . . .   or when grief destructively strikes the one man that would take anything for granted. the conflictuous part of him still existed, and was never likely to vanish no matter how many years weight on his shoulders  . . .   and yet ,  one spare glance at him to read among the lines, to find what none could seem to.

first there was  MAVERICK  , the aviator. and there was also  PETE MITCHELL ,  whom she had fell in love with first. some say it takes time for one to realize important pieces of truth, PENELOPE BENJAMIN  had known the moment of meeting him during the academy years that not only he would be forever a constant in her life, but in order to love pete . . .  you had to love maverick. and, jesus  . . .  how she would ever deny it, loving him fully? just a few years post  GOOSE  being gone, she was back into his embrace, where she seemed to belong. being addressed as  aunt  by a growing up  BRADLEY BRADSHAW  , the weight of it was pleasing  despite  the circumstances   ⸻  never expecting the sense of starting to build a life together being, attempting to rip it from them once again.

      there was nothing but silence in their room. him, holding the folded piece of paper with the information to where he would be relocated next. she, taking the next few minutes to breath in a out, before her voice filled the room. “I am coming with you, @maveriq​.”

BBQ beach day for Hondo feat.  @givemhell  @hauntboxed  @lieutphoenix  @ltcoyote  @ltdice  @ltghost  @lthalo  @ltrooster  @maveriq  @mthrgoose  @wsoed 

❝ Excuse me, sir? Is this your vehicle? ❞

@maveriq​​ || 𝚂𝙲.

@maveriq asked :  ❛   we can talk in the morning. for now, you need to rest.    ❜

                COFFEE CUP STAINS MARKING PAPERWORK ;  perfect scattered brown circles , screens dulled and glaring back as a half light cuts through the blinds. four in the morning always seems to roll around like this when you’re all in the thick of it --- tenacious, wasn’t it ? that had been the word they’d used to describe you in your last evaluation. like a dog with a chew toy , unable - unwilling to let go. and as your fingers reach up to rub at the edges of your eyes -- his voice catching you from out of the blue , something at the back of your mind hisses - telling you that excuses you’d thrown his way would be enough. clearly they weren’t. they never would be. turning around on your chair, palms falling to rake at the starch of your uniform which has softned over time   ❛  ... sir.  ❜   gravel like pull at the back of your throat sounds more telling , thick earphones that hang around your neck feel like they weigh a tonne. however you frame this, the exhaustion is painted across your expression in thick broad strokes.   ❛  the sam sites need to be nailed down. i know the commander said we have them all , but i’m not one hundred --- and i need to be one hundred within seventy two hours.   ❜   lip darts out to moisten dry lips , apologetic frown that throws wrinkles up and over the bridge of your nose as you stare back to HIM. captain pete mitchell. the man. the myth. he’s around the same age your father would have been , you think --- eyes traversing the soft creases that line his features against a steely nature that pushes through and looks to offer you no reprieve.  ❛  with all due respect - i know how much is riding on this. i can’t let it go. not yet. not until we’re sure.  ❜

@maveriq​ gets the starter for our plotted thing

                         TURNS OUT SHIELD IS VERY DIFFERENT TO THE U.S. ARMY: They actually put Steve through a whole lot of training before they even consider letting him go on missions (even though he saved New York City without any proper agent training). He spends two weeks assembling and disassembling every type of weapon that was ever created post World War II, gets put through the wringer by the Black Widow herself to learn more martial arts than 'punching someone in the nose until they stay down', and some lieutenants from West Point try to teach him military tactics until Steve very politely shows them all the faults in their plans, so at least that sort of training is cut short. 

                            The last drill he needs to pass before finally getting his own STRIKE team is flying various aircraft. "We don't want you to crash in the Arctic again and sleep for another 70 years," Maria Hill had pointed out gleefully. Steve didn't think it was a particularly funny joke.

                            "I'm looking for Peter Mitchell?" he asks the guy checking his ID and access badge at the entrance of SHIELD's airfield a few minutes outside Washington D.C. "Maverick? Yeah, just turn right here and head down to hangar 2, Sir." Steve thanks him, takes his stuff, then lets his Harley slowly roll down the street until he finds the hangar with a very prominent 2 painted on the side. Parking the bike, Steve heads inside. "Uh, Mister Mitchell?"

bending  more  frames  than  the  rest  combined,  maint  was  working  overtime  to  keep  the  captain  in  the  air  -  today  kai  had  to  salvage  the  damage  to  the  intake  nozzle.  at  least  he  had  the  decency  to  buy  her  a  coffee.  the  brunette  wipes  her  greased  up  fingers  in  her  coveralls,  too  eager  to  wash  up  before  getting  her  hands  on  the  rich  liquid.  at  this  point  coffee  was  the  only  thing  that  kept  her  awake.

@maveriq​     ⏤     CAPT  PETE  MITCHELL  :     ❝    alright,    here’s  your  coffee.    are  you  ready  to  talk  or  should  i  find  something  to  ramble  about  for  a  few  minutes?    ❞

          ❝  it’s  like  you  break  jets  on  purpose,  ❞          kai  mutters  beneath  her  breath  as  she  accepts  the  coffee,  burning  the  tip  of  her  tongue  on  the  scalding  coffee.          ❝  ——  thanks  for  the  coffee  sir,  ❞          she  offers  him  a  gentle  smile,  before  reverting  to  the  topic  that  had  brought  him  to  her  shop.          ❝  spare  parts  aren’t  in  stock,  and  it  will  take  at  least  24  hours  to  get  here.  i  can’t  sign  off  on  a  quick  fix,  it’s  simply  too  dangerous.  ❞

REFLECT

It was on one tour, his squad had been sent out to take down a high value target. They’d studied the maps and intelligence gathered by the respective units that helped make their jobs successful. It all seemed textbook, easy enough and nothing to worry about. Movement had been minimal around the compound where their target was said to be occupied. They loaded up onto a plane, gear and all to drop in to their targeted location from a safe distance away. Upon their landing, they checked over their gear one more time before moving out. Everything was going according to plan, using the cover of darkness to shield their movements the closer they got to the compound. Emil lead the squad, the only officer on the squad followed by Ali as the highest ranking noncommissioned officer. Andrei was third in command behind those two, not that he minded. Ali was his best friend and everyone got along just fine with each other, almost like their own little family. It was why they worked so well together. It was why everything had felt like a run of the mill assignment. Even getting into the compound had been easier than originally thought. Stealthily sweeping their way through and taking out anyone that got in their way.  Slowly but surely they were making their way deeper into the compound and what had to be towards their intended target. 

They weren’t sloppy, never were, but sometimes un expected circumstances arrive. Reinforcements had arrived, something they hadn’t seen coming and hadn’t been on any information gathered over the last several months. There hadn’t been any expected arrival and now they had to deal with that while getting their target taken out. They reached the target in time to finish their objective but in turn caused the attention of the reinforcements when they noticed the casualties caused by the lone squad. It became a firefight to get out, a struggle that was making it far easier than originally planned. It was on their way out, making their way through the final tunnel where it happened. Ali and Andrei were the last two, covering the exit for the rest of the team when Ali said it was Andrei’s turn to get out and provide the necessary covering fire. Seeing as he didn’t like the odds of the both of them getting out should that happen, Andrei knew the other had a family and volunteered being the last one out. Knowing it wouldn’t be wise to argue, Ali nodded and began making his down the last parts of the hallway. Andrei was providing the covering fire necessary when a man turned the corner to be brave and fired off a spray of bullets. Having not seen him in time and needing to reload, Ali ran back and shoved Andrei behind cover and in the process got hit himself. It wasn’t an easy wound, Ali was bleeding out all because he saved Andrei’s life. 

In his reaction time, however, Andrei had fired back and killed the other before turning back in shock at what had happened. Shaking his head, he told him to hold on before lifting him over his shoulder and carrying him out while firing over his shoulder. He radioed to the squad on his way out to let them know what happened. They rushed for an evacuation but they still had to wait. It was in those precious moments that they couldn’t save Ali. He died there no matter what they tried and the one who felt the most guilty about the situation was Andrei. He was the reason Ali was dead and when their ride finally arrived? He didn’t talk to anyone on the flight back. The moment in the hallway ran through his mind over and over again, for anything he could have done differently. Maybe if he paid more attention, saved his ammo more, Ali would still be alive. He and his fellow squad mates hopped off the helicopter when they got to the compound but he didn’t spend time with them. Instead he stormed off towards the training room after he dropped his gear off. The anger he felt at his guilt built up inside and he had to let it out the only way he knew how. Of course he was given his space before his friends thought it best to say a few words. He made the show of listening but it didn’t sink in and he knew he had to be the one to tell his wife. 

When they got back not too long after the deployment, it was his first stop. Though he looked every bit as guilty as he felt. There wasn’t much information he could give her, just that he was there at the end. He couldn’t look at her long, leaving soon after to avoid the build up of guilt once more. He stayed relatively shut in after that, quiet when he had to go to work but wouldn’t stick around longer than he needed to. It took him a long time, and Ali’s wife reaching before he could even think about healing, stop him from blaming himself. Of course he still does to this day, he just hides it better. Some days he accepts it easier than others, the closer to the anniversary of Ali’s death is always the hardest. He’s never free of the nightmares of the hallway, they come and go to torment him about what he could and should have done. But he knows to lean on others when he needs to, eventually learning that when he was shutting himself down for too long. However, it is a part of him for the rest of his life and it is a burden he has to carry.

send REFLECT for me to explain a traumatic event | Accepting | @maveriq​

@maveriq​ asked; SGT. SNUGGLES

Most of the time, Gemma wouldn’t give two shits if people mocked her, but there were a few things, mainly ones from her childhood, that stung. Upper lip twitched, ‘damn it, Gemma, don’t let him see you get mad.’ She told herself, but it was too late, “listen here, you little shit. Go on, mock me, but know that damn bear is helping some child cope with the hell they are going through. So tell me, fucker, how is it funny?”

sc   ➜  @maveriq​

He should have known that he would end up regretting previous comments made eventually. Not the comment themselves, necessarily. but rather what they lead to. Meaning specifically this moment right here. Sitting alone on the deck outside the Hard Deck ( oh the irony ) with one Captain fucking Obvious ( honestly they should switch his callsign ). Was there a lesson somewhere here to learn about listening or something that he had completely ignored? Most likely. But Maverick was hardly the person to call him out on it. Pot meet kettle. 

As far as seats go the stairs down to the beach was good enough. Jake sat with his feet just one step down to have his elbows resting on the bent knees, beer bottle hanging between his hands in a loose grip. 

There was no amount of alcohol that would make this less uncomfortable.

“So...” His voice trailed off as even attempting to break the persisting silence felt like a task which shouldn’t even be his. Then again it wasn’t really completely silent. The sounds from inside was muffled by the closed doors, giving them just enough privacy. “... this feels a lot like a parent-teacher conference I could have done without.” Yay, look at that. He still was lacking in enough of sense to not be joking.

i am officially a master of science as of today, this year has been an absolute rollercoaster with more lows than highs. but luckily it ended on the highest possible note. 

tumblr has been my safe space, a place for me to rewind during the craziness of thesis writing and i am forever grateful for the experiences i’ve had this year.

to allie ( @acipaer ) thank you for becoming my ride-or-die this year. for giving me one of my greatest experiences on this site. plotting and world building with you mean absolutely everything to me. becoming your friend has been an absolute joy, and i wouldn’t trade you for the world. you truly are one of a kind and i am lucky to call you my friend! love you lots!

to abigail ( @cehcelia ) thank you for always sticking with me, for sending me songs that remind you of our characters. for listening to me whenever life got too heavy to carry by myself, you are one of my longest-standing friends and i am so lucky to have you! to ri ( @brokenmedic ) thank you for all of the moments we’ve had this year. grateful we made it back into each other’s lives again. you’ll always have a special part in my heart, and being your friend is an absolute pleasure.

to my off campus family ( @l1teraes, @shadowbrn, @toapaixonar & @loresode ) thank you for making me fall in love with this silly little hockey world. for listening to my crazy ideas and welcoming my original characters with open arms. this has become such a safe haven for me, and i am eternally grateful for all of you.

to the top gun summer family ( @ltkarma, @maveriq, @lieutrebel & @barracda ) but especially my maint family ( @wahrsagung, @dngerclose / @e1igius & @mooncalender ) thank you all for the most amazing summer! grateful i got to take the highway to the danger zone with all of you. for making me fall in love with a fandom again, it was an absolute joy to meet and write with you all.

to @mythsonly, @hellsurvivr, @lingeringscars, @eydetik & @precariousfates thank you for being such good friends. for encouraging me and reaching out, it is a pleasure being your friend. will always appreciate your friendships!

to everyone else, i am sorry if i have forgotten anyone else - but please know you all make my dash a safe place to be, and that i am eternally grateful to have people like you in my life! love you all!

WHAT IS YOUR PLACE IN THE ROYAL COURT?

THE KNIGHT.

a defender, strong as stone, you make it a mission to defend. never would you turn your back on those in need; valorous, a paragon, a sword raised in battle with a cry on your lips... but, be warned, noble knight, that you do not fall to the sword, yourself. are these ideals worth dying for?

tagged by: @transcendcnce (ty!!) tagging: @bprdmyers, @lcvelj, @ltkarma, @wild-flcwer (any muse!), @maveriq, @sohelish, @healstars, @nursc, @conzierge, @tossedcoin​ and you!

❛    and i shit you not - straight through my line of sight and everything. i don't know what it is about pilots , but it's like you all have some not so secret death wish ...  ❜ eyes roll to the side and back again, avi's smile crooked as she looks from her almost empty glass back to the bar top - her voice isn't cloaked in it's typical professionalism. but then again she wouldn't be perched on a bar stool next to the captain if this was a typical professional situation. from somewhere behind them comes a roar of laughter, a group of fresh top gun attendees gathered around the dart board. the calm before the storm for them, what feels like a brief chance of a breath above the waves for her and mitchell.

❛    so , did you take the job ? they offer you that promotion or are you doing this one and sticking with that captain's salary ?   ❜ it seems carefree but her question is pointed, an eyebrows quirking as she shifts to look at the new recruits before remembering that some of the older ones are staying around a little longer. eyes linger on their faces , the smiles - the way they still move like they have everything to prove and absolutely nothing to lose. any quirk of anxiety she feels pushed down with another sip of her drink, her focus returning to maverick. ❛    because if you're shipping out you should at least let me buy this round. consider it a parting gift.   ❜

starter for @maveriq

IMPORTANT HEADCANONS TO CONSIDER

stolen from @knowseverythingaboutyou because this is actually super interesting

tagging: @symbiiotic + @dereiserne + @defectivexfragmented (Clint) + @peperrood + @bastxrds (Eames) + @eisiramdeus + @maveriq + @gcroinya + @somewherebetweenrage + @lostsouldier + @loyaltyworn + @storyofwhoiam (Amy + Justino) + @potentiia + @the-mjolnir-owner + @knowsvalue

CAN THEY USE CHOPSTICKS:  barely. He usually tries in the beginning and then gets frustrated because he's hungry and not managing to shove enough food into his mouth since half of it is falling off

WHAT DO THEY DO WHEN THEY CAN’T SLEEP:  depends on why he can't sleep. If it's because of too much energy, he gets a nice work-out done. If it's because he's overthinking things, he starts to sketch or paint to clear his mind. He's also prone to scrub every surface of his apartment at 2 A.M.

WHAT WOULD THEY IMPULSE BUY AT THE GROCERY STORE: Any sweets with strawberry flavor, really. And anything that he knows his significant other might like

WHAT ORDER DO THEY WASH THINGS IN THE SHOWER: head to toe -- and he doesn't use any fancy shampoo or body wash, he just uses plain curd soap because he dislikes the artificial smell of modern things

WHAT’S THEIR COFFEE ORDER: black as the night and strong. And yes, he's judging everyone that gets crazy double pump caramel sauce triple whip everything concoctions. Get a dessert if you want a dessert, no coffee

WHAT SORT OF APPS WOULD THEY HAVE ON THEIR SMARTPHONE: a communication app, Instagram, the game Mahjong, MoMA (museum of modern art in New York), Procreate Pocket (a digital art app), and later on the app for the town he's living in (where there are news for the city etc.) and he definitely tried dating apps like grindr for a short time

HOW DO THEY ACT AROUND CHILDREN: depends on the age. Babies and small toddlers are a no-go because he's afraid he will drop them or break them. Kids from 4 to 11 are fine because they usually just want a picture and autograph and a hug, and that's quite easy for him to handle. Teenagers might get a patriotic speech to use condoms and never do drugs if he feels like it (and yes, he knows teens are super embarrassed about that, he does it on purpose because he's an asshole)

WHAT WOULD THEY WATCH ON TV WHEN THEY’RE BORED AND NOTHING THEY REALLY LIKE IS ON: well with Netflix and Co., he can always watch what he wants (he likes Brooklyn99, movies based on true stories, artsy stuff), but if he's somewhere without access to streaming services, he'd probably find a documentary to watch: history like how they built the pyramids or how a simple Roman citizen lived, nature like the life of penguins or how dogs can smell cancer, technological like how a solar park works