Chapter Text
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"What is a mixtape?!" Don let out a thoroughly undignified gasp, his mouth agape.
"You'll catch flies like that," Judy smirked.
These evening commutes had become commonplace after Judy made the offhand comment, ONE TIME, during the weekly family dinner that she had 'almost been too tired to drive' after a shift at the hospital. Don hadn't missed a beat, making it abundantly clear that there was no way Dr. Robinson would fall asleep at the wheel on his watch. She'd found him outside the hospital, casually leaning up against his chariot looking far too suave, waiting to drive her home every day that she had worked since... which was 3 weeks ago.
Not that Judy minded. Beyond her distaste for driving in the colony (since apparently some things never change and people STILL didn't know how to drive), she enjoyed Don's company. More than she really wanted to admit to herself. He just had a way of looking at life that made her laugh at the most inopportune times.
"There are no flies on Alpha Centauri, DOC. And don't change the subject! You're messing with me," he glanced back at her, "right?"
Don West had heard some crazy things in his life, seen even crazier and arguably had done more than a few crazy things himself. But this?
“It’s a time honored tradition! It’s a declaration of friendship, love, romance!”
“Well that would be the first hiccup there, West.”
“What?! You have friends. Or, I mean, surely back on Earth you hung out with at least one cool person, right??”
“I had plenty of ‘cool’ friends Don, thank you very much.”
“Right, okay Doc, whatever you say.”
She gave him a quick eyebrow raise, challenging him to keep going.
“Okay, fine, but a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Admirer?”
“Don, remember that time I told you I didn’t go to prom? I didn’t have time for any of that…” Judy shifted in her seat. For all the experience she had fighting robots and saving lives, she was severely lacking in the world of romance, that was more Penny’s department.
“¡Ay dios mío! I find that very hard to believe, Doc,” he scoffed.
Judy gave him a questioning smile.
“I mean, look at you!” He blurted out without any forethought. Judy didn’t miss the way his eyes quickly looked her up and down before he cleared his throat and she looked away, fighting her own smile.
Don at least had the sense to look abashed by this turn in their usual banter, however brief. His need to fill any silence quickly had his usual swagger taking over.
“Mira, you’re in luck Doc, so buckle up. Don West is here for your edification on the power of music.”
“Mmmhmm, okay. So are you going to explain this concept to me or just threaten it?”
He gave her that lopsided grin that always managed to make her insides go all fluttery.
“This is not a ‘concept’ you just explain, it’s an experience.”
“Really?”
“Oh yes, prepare yourself Princess, tomorrow we begin the Don West School of Music,” he finished with a wink.
Damn him and that pet name. She grinned, dimples and all.
“Okay Don, whatever you say.”
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Following her next shift, Judy exited the hospital to find Don leaning against his chariot. The smile on his face grew as she closed the distance between them, and she didn't miss that familiar glint in his eye.
“I know that look West, that look means trouble,” she teased.
“Now now Princess, I promised you a lesson in mixtapes and that lesson starts TO-DAY,” Don accentuated with a double tap on the side of his chariot, bowing ever so slightly while guiding her inside.
“Oh this should be interesting.”
Once Don climbed into his seat and closed the doors, he let out a deep exhale.
“You okay over…”
“Shh shhh shhhh,” he cut her off quickly with a finger to his lips, eyes closed as Judy stifled a laugh.
A moment passed before Don opened his eyes again, tapping a directive into his comm with a lopsided smile.
“Now, obviously we don’t use ‘tapes’ anymore but the spirit remains.” He cleared his throat, “We start our musical voyage almost 5 years ago… when a sexy space mechanic found himself on yet another trip across universes. Where he met an unsuspecting family of geniuses, each in their own right, who had no clue just how much their lives were about to improve with the addition of one, Don West.”
Judy rolled her eyes playfully, “Never mind all of the terrifying things that happened in between, huh?”
He glanced at her quickly as the first notes of a song came through the speakers. It was vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.
As the first lyrics hit, Judy laughed while Don bobbed his head to the beat:
“Started from the bottom, now we're here
Started from the bottom, now my whole team fuckin' here
Started from the bottom, now we're here
Started from the bottom, now the whole team here,
Started from the bottom, now we're here
Started from the bottom, now my whole team here,
Started from the bottom, now we're here
Started from the bottom, now the whole team fuckin' here”
Don put the chariot into drive, Drake blasting as he sang along. Much to his surprise, around the third verse Judy chimed in hitting the lyrics with unexpected accuracy.
“Okay, okay I see you! ¡Sueltaté!” Don cheered.
They finished the song in tandem, out of breath and grinning like fools.
“Did not peg you as a rap fan Doc.”
“Oh West, there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” she teased, punctuating with her own wink.
Don gave her a blinding smile, which she effortlessly returned in kind.
“Okay so what’s next on this mix?”
“Mixtape Princess, mixtape,” he overenounciated.
“What’s the difference?”
“What’s the…” Don growled in faux frustration, “ the difference, my uncultured friend, is that a mix is like a playlist. It can run in any order and doesn’t mean anything. But a mixtape? Now that tells a story.”
“And must be listened to in order,” Judy surmised.
“In order,” Don said over her, “exactly! When they used to make them on tapes, you had no choice but to go through each track. You skip any and you’ll miss the whole message!”
“And the message from Drake?”
“It’s a beautiful tale about true friendship and loyalty. That no matter where you started, the best friends are the ones who stick together through it all.”
“HmMmmm…” Judy pondered out loud. “Wait, are you crying?”
“No!” Don wiped his eyes with his arm, “It’s just beautiful. Mira, it’s just the first chapter in this adventure, okay?”
“Okay, I’m here for it. Chapter one, friends, loyalty, thick and thin, copy that,” she gave him a tiny salute.
“Yeah yeah, hang in there Princess, before you know it, you’ll be blown away by the power of the mixtape narrative, alright?”
“Whatever you say, West.”
Don keyed in the next song, and as soon as the bass hit, Judy was guffawing at the choice.
“‘Another One Bites the Dust’ Don?? Really?!” She laughed and swatted at him.
“Hey, stay with me okay? Think back, from that first planet we crashed on, every plan, every effort to get to The Resolute? Bit the dust before we could make it back.”
Judy nodded thoughtfully, “Still dark as hell.” She smiled ruefully.
They listened to the next few tracks with little interruption, Judy interpreting each song’s correlation to their experiences in space.
Livin On a Prayer.
Sabotage.
“Smith?”
“Smith.”
Don’t Stop Believin'.
As Journey faded out Don pulled the chariot to a graceful stop in front of Judy’s place.
“Here endeth today’s lesson, Doc,” he grinned, head leaned back against the headrest with his eyes locked on hers.
“I’ve got to say, I didn’t expect it to be as on point as it was. Dark at times,” she laughed, “but on point. Like the soundtrack of our lives.” Judy smiled, matching his position, a mirror image from which she couldn’t look away.
“Ay mi querida, now you’re getting it!” He smiled, his eyes saying so much more than his words.
Judy was entranced until her breath hitched unexpectedly, “Right. Long day.” She unbuckled herself, finally breaking away from his gaze, “I’m going to take a long bath and pass out.”
“Sounds like the dream Doc.”
She turned, letting out a breathy laugh, feeling the heat in her cheeks rise as his comment played forbidden images in her mind.
“I mean, your dream. Not the dream, like my dream. Not that I’ve dreamt about… I mean… It sounds relaxing. Like a good plan. Good plan, Dr. Robinson.” He rolled his eyes at himself while silently cringing, while Judy climbed down from the chariot.
“Smooth save, West.” Judy smiled, gathering the last of her belongings, “same time tomorrow?”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” he winked. “Ah! Damn that’s a good one!” He started tapping at his comm.
“Goodnight Don!” Judy threw over her shoulder as she walked away.
“Night Princess,” he said under his breath, watching her make it safely inside before putting the chariot in drive.
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Spanish Phrase Translations
"¡Ay dios mío!" ---> "Oh my God!"
"Sueltaté" ---> "Let go," or "release," like when dancing or having fun.
"Mira" ---> "Look" or "Pay Attention"
"Ay mi querida" ---> "Oh my dear" or "Ah my dear," term of endearment