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"Alright, that should be the last of the repairs needed." Avril Mead looked up, throwing the wrench down onto the table and pulled her goggles up, surveying her handiwork. She turned around to observe the man she was talking to, who was currently struggling to get his harness in place. Avril let out a dejected sigh and shook her head, walking over to help him out.
"You dumbass, move your hands." She growled and pushed the man's hands away, grabbing the front of his flight suit.
"Thanks, Scrap Queen." He grinned at her.
"You better be, Trigger." She told him as she tried to fix the damage.
"You know I am. And thank you. For all the repairs too, I mean. Where would I be without you." Trigger said, his arms outstretched so her work could be made easier.
"Probably a blazing wreck somewhere." Avril retorted, pulling sharply at the front of his suit.
"Ow! And yeah, probably." He muttered as he steadied himself.
"Good thing I decided to come to this carrier too. To think I'd end up on the same place as you once more."
"Small world." He smiled at her.
"With no shortage of idiots."
"Very true."
"I was talking about you."
"Aw, you know you like me, deep down in there, somewhere." Trigger's voice slowly got quieter under her glare.
"At least you know how to keep it interesting. Dangerous, but interesting." Avril said after a few seconds.
"Yeah. By the way, what about the others? Their planes?" Trigger asked her.
"Checked theirs first, yours was the last. Was done with them quicker except Count's too, and we both know why." She gave him another glare, pulling the harness tighter.
He chuckled nervously as her hands stopped moving and tugged on his suit, making sure it was secure.
"And done with you, too. You're all set." She looked up at him.
"Alright, thanks again." He said once more as she kept her hands on him.
"You ready for this?" She asked him, a small hint of worry evident in her voice.
Trigger looked down at her, staying silent for a few seconds before responding. "I won't lie, I'm fucking terrified. But with your help, and the others, I'll be fine."
"So will the others. 'Stick with Trigger and you'll make it', right?" She said in a half amused tone.
"Can't believe he came up with such a cheesy line like that." He said, shaking his head and laughing.
"Suits a dumbass like you." Avril laughed along with him as she punched his chest. However, she didn't let go and instead opened her fist, resting her palm against the front of his suit once more.
Their laughter slowed down and fell into a deafening silence, both unsure of what to say, and how to say it.
"You... you'll make it back right?" She asked him in a small voice.
He sighed and looked down. "Listen, I don't know what could happen out there, and..." He started but stopped when he looked up and his eyes met hers.
Both stared at each other for a minute until Avril tightened her grip on Trigger's harness and gently pulled him down closer to her, an action he offered no resistance to, moving himself closer to her. Once he was somewhat level with her, she slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. The pair closed their eyes as he leaned into her, his arms snaking around her waist and wrapping around the exposed part of her lower back, pulling her closer into him. Everything else to them seemed to fade till it was just two of them, or so they thought.
"Ahem."
The sound of someone familiar clearing his throat caused the pair to suddenly break apart as they become hyper aware of their surroundings for a moment as reality came rushing back as quickly as it had gone; the sound of the waves gently crashing against the carrier, the cool ocean breeze, and the bright morning sunlight from the carrier lift. The sun was up.
Trigger and Avril turned to the source of the noise, noticing Count in his getup and his helmet in his hand.
"How long were you standing there?" Avril growled at him.
"Long enough." He gave a slight grin before it disappeared. "They need us up top, Trigger. It's time."
"Yeah, yeah. Okay." Trigger panted out before turning to Avril. He gave her arm a squeeze as she patted his chest and looked away, and reluctantly let go, turning around to pick up his helmet as the carrier's crew started to enter the hangar, bustling to get his plane onto the lift.
The two pilots stood next to the aircraft, helmets in their hands as they started to rise up. Trigger glanced at the mechanic below, who flashed him a brief smile which he returned. She looked almost radiant with her smile with the sunlight that was pouring in.
He broke out of his stupor once they were on the deck, determination on his face. Until Count nudged his side.
"So... you and Avril..?"
"We got a mission to do, Count. Come on." Trigger said in a dry voice.
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Avril raced up the stairs to the bridge of the carrier as fast as her legs could carry her while causing as minimal discomfort as possible. Once she reached the top, she glanced out the window to see Trigger's plane moving out onto the runway. She looked around the room, noticing a radio on one of the tables. She turned to the officer nearby and gestured to it.
"Hey, can I use this?"