~ ❀ ✿ ~

𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇 ― ☀ ☁ ― 𝖑𝖆𝖇𝖞𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖍

\\ 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 //

IT WAS FINALLY TIME TO BE ON THE TARMAC AND ACTUALLY BEGIN FILMING.

A few days had passed since the dinner, and every long shift ended with most of them at her house, not that she minded the great company, reminding her of how it used to be before with the Red Knights living there.

Monica, Glen, Jay, Greg, Danny, and Lewis had practically moved into the Holiday House, driving over with Taylor and Laz's cars and ending up bunching up on the couch that surprisingly took up everyone and their pups.

She'd treat them to a bit on the piano, improvising on a single melody was her trick that would randomly pop in her head, that was her process. Then, she'd hum, or rake her brain for words that'd come up, nonsensically, and that would slowly build up into a voice recording for Swift and Antonoff on the group-chat.

Nowadays, she'd started listening to Jerry Lee Lewis in the car to work and from work. She wonders why.

See, today was going to be fun.

Maybe not for the rookies, but for Taylor. Today, she'd finally get to go nuts in the air and actually fly how she did.

Just do.

Miles had pulled out his speakers first thing on set, getting everyone hyped up enough or at least awoken from their sleep. Soon, they'd lost track of time, dancing and bobbing their heads to the music before they were called upon.

"Ready for the clouds, love?" Bennie appears by her side, after a long, long, time of not flying beside one another, there was finally a chance. Taylor nods, picking up her pace as she walks towards the table where most of them sat, engrossed in a conversation about how they were excited-nervous or just nervous-nervous to be filming in actual F/A-18's.

It seems Kosinski needed them up in the air.

"Race you to the jets?" Bennie doesn't even get a chance to agree to the race before Taylor is running off, catching her helmet that Glen throws her and throwing up a thumb without even looking over her shoulder.

The Red Knights whoop and begin running off after the two of them too, grabbing their gears and whistling in happiness.

Just like it used to be.

When they're in the air, it's different. With everyone.

"Good morning, aviators, this is your Captain speaking..."

"Today, we've got a nice bright sun to follow in our jets, as we take a cruise around the sky with loaded cameras for the first time.." Taylor makes most of the nervous bunch chuckle, smiling proudly to herself when she hears them let out somewhat calm laughs on the radio.

She knew how it felt, she really did. Her first time filming in the jet felt weird, having heard and noted all the lectures mentally before she even had to step into the jet. It was better to be safe, and if safe meant figuring out the workings of an F/A-18 in forty-eight hours, so be it.

"Listen, guys, I know we're all a bit tense, but you don't have to be nervous. At all, okay? Jokes aside, the Red Knights are gonna take good care of you in the air, and if you any complaints, Pops will know what to do. There's nothing to be afraid of, kids. So for now, let's turn and burn!" Without any warning, Valkyrie is twisting her jet to the side, not at all terrified of what the G-force could be doing to her body, because she's been here before.

"Oh, yeah!" Lennie and Cas are in pursuit right behind her, pulling an invert side by side before they catch up to her, making her speed up in joy. Monica and Glen simultaneously yelp before letting out their own screams and laughs of excitement.

Currently, they'd planned on filming the scene where Archer would tail Hangman and Phoenix, with Bob in the backseat.

It took them a couple tries, to set the cameras appropriately and then figure out if they looked good enough to shoot. Then, came the hard part, the dialogues.

Being this high up in the air, in aircrafts that are as fast as F/A-18's, speaking lines with complete clarity and mic control was a talent. Taylor thinks back to when she'd brought her phone this high up, and how most of the video, she could only hear the humming of the engine and whooshes in the air, coated by a light voiceover.

But the equipment they were using to film was custom to bare the G-force, and minimize the air resistance against their sounds to give them maximum vocal clarity.

Getting the shot took longer than expected, which was estimated a maximum three hours in the air. Their tolerance to being in the aircraft was much larger, thanks to the training procedures, so it made things the slightest bit easier.

As soon as they were done, after what felt like being in the air for five hours, which it was, they landed, and ended up in the break room with the footage on their trail.

Immediately, Taylor crashed against the couch, followed by Monica against her side, resting her head on the older woman's shoulder. Glen took a seat on the opposite side, leaning back with his arms folded after wiping the sweat off against his flight-suit's sleeve, resting his head over Taylor's head, all three of them closing their eyes and simply breathing, hearts beating fast in their ears.

"You guys alright?" Taylor just hums, without any other physical response.

"You sure?" She practically hears her father's grin. Taylor throws up a lazy thumb to confirm, just as Glen replies, "Uh, not really."

Monica just grumbles, "Excuse me, we're tryna rest here!"

Taylor lets out a mix of a snort and giggle, face scrunching up as she places a quick peck on Monica's head, patting her shoulder twice, pulling her closer.

Things couldn't be better.

Except for the part where she had a silly, silly, crush on a coworker.

But that's all it'd be.

Right?

She thinks it over with her eyes closed, yet the only image she's reminded of, was the way his stupidly perfect sandy brown curls adorned his head, like a distorted halo of some sorts. And the eyes.

The eyes.

She'd heard so many people misunderstand the depth of the color of his eyes. People would say 'brown', and she'd have to hold in the urge to tell them, they're a beautiful, beautiful, mix of hazel and flecks of green.

Haunting.

But utterly stunning.

It doesn't help with the chuckles he lets out, when Danny makes a weird sound after taking a sip of extremely dark black coffee.

Melodious.

Something she didn't want to forget.

Oh, God.

This was definitely going to go in a song later.

\\ 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 //

𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲 has posted

to their story !

𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲 via 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴

2 hours ago . . .

AND SO, THE EVENING MARKED THEIR ARRIVAL AT TAYLOR'S. 

Naturally, this was becoming a habit for them, ending up back at the Holiday House and doing some sort of stupidly fun stuff.

The menu tonight was Penne Alla Vodka, on the insistence of Danny, who, quote, mentioned, he'd 'fuck some penne'. She tried not to pay mind to his words, with the exception of pressing her lips in a thin line and furrowing her brows in amusement.

There were two batches, one with Vodka, and the other with none and just some extra cheese.

Taylor had most definitely thrown out multiple signs and verbal warnings that the Vodka she used was strong, but Miles just laughed waved her off with a flying kiss flown in her direction.

Bad idea.

At first, it was slow, tantalizing and creeping over him, but then it just hit him.

It began with, "This is..." Miles looks down at his almost empty plate, hands at either side of his waist, shaking his head, he continues, "The best meal I've, heh, had, like ever..." He drags the 'r', letting out, what Taylor could only assume, a mix of a chortle and giggle.

She chuckles, immediately facing her own plate and grabbing her glass of white wine as she tries to hide the flush at his compliment. Woah.

Then hazel green meets emerald, and once again, like the first time it ever happened, a current flies through her, making her shudder, but she wishes to pat herself on the back for how she was able to control the physicality of this oceanic emotion.

"Thank you, Miles." She gives him a gentle smile, and he tips his water in her direction with a nod.

That was just a fraction of what happened.

Slowly, all of them began to leave, thanking her for the meal and receiving a nudge to their side and a say of, "my pleasure".

Glen had long before excused himself to the guest room, and that left just Miles to argue about how he was okay to drive home.

Taylor had refused to let him go alone, not just because of her care for him, but out of genuine concern, because with the way he had downed two more servings after the first left her in awe of how he was still able to stand straight on his two feet.

Just as he grabbed his keys from the table by the front door, he'd stumbled, probably over his shoes, and she'd immediately brought her hands out to help him steady himself, getting ahold of his wrists.

She looks at him with furrowed brows when he's standing properly once again, gazing into his eyes for a second. The black that would contrast the beautiful green had dilated, and she decides she'd gonna have to drive him home.

"Dude, you're in no shape to drive tonight, let me-" Taylor offers, but he shakes his head, curls falling over his forehead when he does so, attempting to assure her, "No, no, it's okay, I'll-"

"Miles." Her voice is a bit deeper, head tilted as she awaits her agreement to just letting her drive.

"Tay..." He returns the look she gives him, brows raised and a funny stern expression splattered across his face, hands at his waist.

"Come on, you goof." She takes the chance to loop her arm through his, grabbing his forearm as she practically jumps into her sandals, before he steps into his own.

Without any further disagreement, Miles lets her pull him to his car, reluctantly getting into the passenger seat of her car, folding his arms to his chest like a child.

Adorable, she thinks, getting into the driver's seat after closing the door once he's in. The radio turns on when she turn the keys, and it's that Jerry Lee Lewis track he'd sang.

Flustered, she lowers the volume, wincing to herself. Way to be a creep.

She looks to the side once she's out of the driveway, pulling onto the main road, only to get a glimpse of his eyes slowly fluttering to a close.

Taylor makes a mental note to avoid rushing the way down the road, slowly go over speed bumps.

A few minutes pass, and that Jerry Lee song comes to an end. Deciding that was enough of the universe trying to mock her, she turns the radio off, pushing her entire focus on the road ahead.

Why was she feeling this?

She should not be feeling this.

Having these sort of feelings for a co-worker was stupid enough, let alone someone who's been committed to someone else for almost half a decade.

Even if there was a small chance that they wouldn't work out, there was no way where he'd choose her, because he has it all. And she really is so, so pretty. Whenever he'd get a call from her on set, Keleigh would take five minutes to speak to her alone about whatever. She was perfect, everything someone could possibly want, everything someone could possibly want to be, all of it.

Maybe this is self-degradation. Maybe she should stop thinking this way. Maybe she should stop thinking about it all and just throw herself into work. She tried. But then he'd do something so, him, and it was everything she'd felt all over again, tumbling down like the walls of a dam which had exploded.

It was crazy, really, how much she found herself thinking about it. Writing about it. By the piano where he'd sat, mesmerizing the crowd that night.

Now is not the time.

And it was all pointless anyway. Because nine more months would pass, and they'd be doing press. Hell, shooting was scheduled to be over by the next three months. Then it'd be press, press, press, and soon, their journey would end.

But would she truly like that?

The GPS, thank God, it was on the lowest volume, makes a change in color within her peripheral, shaking her out of her consuming thoughts, they were here.

Turns out, Keleigh's parents had a beach house, and the couple had moved in not long ago to be close while they filmed.

Taylor had texted her about how she was driving him home, and she'd replied with a thumbs up and kiss-y face emoji.

Really, what a sweetheart.

Once she was sure she'd parked properly, she got out and knocked on the door, before returning to the passenger side where he'd actually fallen asleep.

She smiles to herself at the way he looks, opening the door to his side. He stirs just a bit, but then she shakes his shoulder gently, his eyes flutter twice, thrice, before he's wiping his hand down his face, looking at her through barely open eyes, "We here?"

Taylor just nods, waving her hand for him to get out of the car. He obliges, stumbling out. Shaking her head, she just grabs his forearm, placing it around her own shoulders, before she brings them to walk towards the front door where a smiling Keleigh awaited him.

When they're by the porch, Keleigh helps him up the few steps. Miles turns around when the couple is almost in the house, waving a hand at her with a smile she was sure was the cause of her suddenly warm cheeks.

Uh oh.