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A month later
"This is it, Danvers, the first obstacle in the way of your success." Looking over at her student, Lillian smiles small. Carol was staring up at the rope swings with a sharp look; she was angry, angry she'd let six pieces of rope get the best of her last time. "Are you ready?" Sighing and shaking out her arms, Carol hops back and forth on the spot.
"You know it." Jogging up to the beginning post, she readies herself.
"Remember," Lillian calls over to her, "don't rush it. Take your time to steady yourself, catch your breath and focus. Ready?" After an affirmative nod, she smiles. "Good luck."
With a small hop to start her off, Carol runs at the first rope swing, leaping and latching herself onto it a few metres off the ground. Waiting for the rope to stop swinging, she shimmies her way to the top. Hugging close to the rope, she stares down the next swing, nostrils flaring.
Leaning backwards, she propels herself forward, the first swing falling limp in her wake as her arm tangled up in the rope. As her second hand failed to grip the rope and her legs flailed desperately, she grits her teeth through the burn on her arms and pulls herself onto the swing.
After pulling herself free she leapt over to the next one, this time she landed comfortably and with little struggle. With a small breathy laugh, she glanced down at Lillian who wore a massive grin.
The last few swings were a doddle. As she lowered herself to the ground, Carol waited as Lillian hurried over to her- the blue uniform now familiar and comforting.
She grabbed Carol's injured arm and inspected it closely.
"You're injured." Carol shook her head with a soft smile.
"It's just a friction burn." Lillian looked up at her with the same sharp look she'd given her when they first met.
"You're injured."
▪︎~○••○~▪︎
6 months later
Pancho's, as usual, was thriving. This time, however, no one was in their uniform. The rowdiest groups happened to be those who had graduated from the academy and were now official pilots for the US Air Force. As glasses were tapped together and beer was drunk, Carol and Maria entered the bar dressed smartly. Carol wore a smart blouse and a pair of trousers while Maria wore a similar outfit with different colours.
They took their usual seats at the end of the bar, immediately receiving two shots from the bartender. He congratulated them with a grin as they gratefully downed the alcohol.
"We made it." Maria grinned, watching Carol drop her glass on the counter with a grin.
"Hell yeah, we did!" Waving over the bartender she shared a high five with her best friend. As they shared a laugh and a few more rounds, the night dragged on and the women became more and more intoxicated. They'd found themselves in a booth with pitchers of beers. "Who said women can't fly?" Carol yelled, leaning towards Maria, the brunette having drunk much more than the blonde.
"Our commander!" Maria slurred back. Carol crossed her arms and leaned backwards, staring between her second pitcher of beer and Maria's fifth.
"Well, he's a pig." Maria raised an eyebrow. "All of them." The brunette smirked and pointed to a table near the karaoke machine.
"What about her?" Maria gave Carol a pointed look before standing and holding her hands out. "Come on!"
"What- Maria!" Carol had been torn from the booth and dragged in the direction of the karaoke machine. She caught Lillian's eye. And smiled. Her trainer-turned-friend looked beautiful.
Wearing a loose silk shirt and a pair of denim shorts, Lillian was hardly recognisable. Her silky blonde hair hung loosely around her shoulders and Carol couldn't help but stare. However, she didn't know she'd been staring until the microphone was shoved into her hands.
Blinking blankly at it, she turned to Maria who held out another shot. 'Good luck', she called it before throwing the burning liquid down her throat. Carol simply passed hers onto the nearest person before turning to look at the jukebox. She rolled her eyes at the song waiting, 'I just called to say I love you' by Stevie Wonder stared back at her through the machine as Maria shook out her arms and reached back to hit play. As the woman swayed and bounced, Carol raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" Maria said nothing but the first line of the song, encouraging Carol to join in. Reluctantly yet with a smile on her face, the blonde did.
▪︎~○••○~▪︎
After a second song, Carol was out of breath. Maria had scurried off to buy herself another drink, leaving the blonde alone. Placing down the microphone, she sighed and ran a hand through her thick hair. Her gaze was dragged in the direction of Lillian, finding the woman watching her intently.
With a mischievous smile, Lillian beckoned Carol over. Doing as she was asked, Carol headed in the blonde's direction, watching as she stood and began walking towards the bathroom.
Closing the door behind her, Carol turned to Lillian who smiled at her.
"Hey," she began.
"Hi," Carol smiled, "is everything alright?" Her heart was beating fast. Faster than she'd like to admit, however, she had no idea that Lillian's was beating faster.
"Everything's perfect," Lillian spoke softly and quietly as she approached the woman stood in front of her. "You're perfect." She whispered under her breath, raising her hand to tuck some of Carol's hair behind her ear. Unsure what to say, Carol watched and waited as Lillian leaned in. "I hope this is okay." She said before pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. Stepping away, Lillian but her lip and waited for Carol's response.
Releasing the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, Carol shook her head with a smile.
"Why wouldn't it be okay?" The disappearing smile clambered back onto Lillian's face, she wrapped her arms around Carol's neck and brought their lips back together again, stealing the moment she'd longed for a month ago.
And so they kissed. They kissed until they were breathless and even when they were, Carol giggled and found herself getting lost in the blue of Lillian's eyes.
"Wanna get out of here?" As the music thumped in the background, the only sound the two really heard was each other's laughter as they ran from the bar and made their way back to Lillian's home.
