Another change in the frequency.
Maverick leans into the speaker and shuts up for a few seconds. His fingers wait around the volume, only to dart away with a big sigh when the synthesizers kick in.
“This isn’t it.” He mutters under his breath.
He pushes up his aviators to his head. Another change in the frequency, this time the digits adding up. A white noise, followed by some news anchors talking about the state of the nation’s economy. The fiscal climate isn’t looking good, as the current study suggests, or so they say. Maverick frowns, and turns the station back to the old one.
It’s still playing the same song.
“Why’s everything so fucking low today?” He groans. “For crying out loud, man, it’s summer.”
Slider returns a vague nod without looking away from the road. Maverick sighs from his nose and runs his hand through his hair, over and over.
A song about melancholy. A song about getting crashed under the double-decker and being happy.
The sky is blue outside of the windows. It runs above them, spreading itself freely, like it doesn’t care.
“Didn’t you have other things to do?” Slider begins.
Maverick looks towards him. Their eyes meet, almost, before Slider darts his gaze away from him.
Sunlight runs across Slider’s profile, clinging onto his nose before leaving, pouring out in dots on his loosely pursed lips.
“Back home,” Slider opens his mouth with clearer momentum. “I mean…”
His thumb touches his bottom lip, as if to wipe off the excess.
Maverick turns down the radio volume, then places his hand on the dashboard.
“Is this your way of telling me to cut this out?” He twiddles his fingers on the warming surface. “ ‘Cause it’s never gonna work.”
“Right, hotshot, you do you.” Slider returns a chuckle.
Maverick scoffs and throws his hands on the seat.
His idle gaze caresses the line of Slider’s profile, down to his neck, pooling around his chest.
He feels his temple burn, and so does his cheek.
“I don’t mind this. None of these, y’know?”
Maverick sits up a little in his seat.
“Not even a little?” He asks.
The radio gets tuned out before the song plagues the air any longer.
