A/N: I blame Ambrel for getting me addicted to drabbles again. So, I'm back to writing 100 word ficlets. (Darn you woman! Look what you did now!) Inspiration goes to Bob Seger's song 'We've Got Tonight'. It's been thirty years since it first hit the charts - and it remains one of my favourites. For those who may not remember, Lynn is the girl we meet in the episode Talon Academy.
Contrived romance and cliches aside, enjoy!
"We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow? Let's make it last, let's find a way.
Turn off the light, come take my hand now. We've got tonight. Why don't we stay?"
(Bob Seger)
Why Don't You Stay?
i.
He doesn't know it, but he's standing in the same spot his father did when the former leader of the Storm Hawks confessed his feelings towards his mother. One generation ago.
With sweaty, uncomfortable hands, Aerrow desperately tries to hold onto his bravery, but his confidence slips as Piper gazes at him with curiosity.
Carefully, she takes a step towards him, closing the distance between their bodies and presses a finger to his lips. Standing on tiptoe, her eyes flit back and forth across his face as she searches for some trace of deceit in his words.
There are none.
ii.
Aerrow remembers falling in love. He knows exactly when it happened, at what time and what day.
He had just gone for a morning hike, his breathing heavy and laboured as he toiled up the last section of the mountain, almost at the top where he could see the entire terra from the lookout point.
His footsteps slowed down to a jog as the redhead moved to the side of the dirt path and momentarily rested his hands on his knees to catch a breather.
And to his surprise, Piper's blue hair whipped past him. Grinning, she said,
"I win."
iii.
He doesn't remember his parents very well, being only four years old at the time when they died in action, but he was told that they loved each other very much, that they loved him very much.
Aerrow puts the box of crystals down on the floor and stretches his back; his thoughts normally don't drift to them very often, but his world has been revolving around them as of late. Amongst other things.
Piper's hand touches his shoulder and her face is near. "Hey, are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
But he worries that they'll share the same fate.
iv.
"You know, I wish Radarr was at our wedding." Snuggling on the couch, Piper wraps one arm around Aerrow's shoulders while she reads her book quietly.
Aerrow chuckles and loosely drapes an arm across her lap. "You think Radarr would be happy to be the ring bearer? Wearing a tux?"
"I think he'd be upset that we couldn't take him with us on our honeymoon."
"Hm, imagine Radarr following us for three weeks."
"I'd rather not."
Aerrow's chest rumbles with a low, throaty laughter. Snuggling a little more, his nose picks up a familiar scent. "Piper, are you wearing perfume?"
v.
For their first anniversary, Aerrow borrows an old record player from Finn to play their favourite tunes. Taking Piper by the hands, he tells her to keep the blindfold on as he leads them into the living room with all the lights off.
"Okay, you can take it off now."
Piper lifts the cloth over her eyes and gasps. The entire room is glowing with brightly lit candles. Unable to resist a smile, she comments on her husband's romantic abilities. The music starts.
"Smooth, move Mr. Sky Knight. Who taught you all this?"
Aerrow smirked. "A little birdie told me."
vi.
She looks gorgeous in that red dress. Fashion isn't one of his strengths, so he considers himself lucky when Starling helped him pick out a suitable colour to match his wife's dark complexion. He twirls her around with one hand, the A-line skirt swirls playfully around her knees and she giggles like the teenager she once was, swaying dizzily when she takes one too many spins and loses her footing.
Piper is usually a graceful dancer, but on occasion she slips up a little and gets carried away with the moment.
And as always, Aerrow is there to catch her.
vii.
Two weeks before their wedding and she still hasn't moved into their bedroom. Tapping his wristwatch worriedly, he makes the three minute trip from the Condor's master bedroom to hers and opens the door. He frowns at the general chaos hidden inside, and kneels down beside Piper, gently lifting the thick wad of letters hanging absentmindedly from her hands.
"Hey, I thought you said you had everything packed up." She shakes her head and raises her tearful eyes up to his.
"I can't. I'm scared."
Disdain suddenly melts away, and he cradles her head between his hands.
"Really? Me too."
viii.
He is surprised when she doesn't take the offer from sky council. Working with other crystal specialists will be good for her. It has potential to keep her safe. Knocking first, he opens the bathroom door and sees her blow drying her hair in front of the mirror. For a moment, the image of her ivory nightdress against her dark skin distracts him, but Aerrow shakes his head to clear his thoughts and utters a single word.
"Why?"
Piper shuts off the appliance, her hair still damp from her morning shower, and replies with a word of her own.
"Because."
ix.
Aerrow remembers the first time they made love. It was the second night after the wedding, when they took off with the Condor, headed towards on their honeymoon on Terra Tropica.
After dinner, they headed off to the master bedroom and burst into laughter when they realized it had been vandalized by the gaudy tastes of both Finn and Lynn in what they thought were 'romantic settings.' Red streamers, pink confetti, and satin sheets greeted them. Fighting for their breath, they decided to retire in Piper's old bedroom.
Aerrow wasn't nervous, not anymore. Piper was ready, and so was he.
x.
They spend the night in her bed.
She takes her time exploring his body; her slender fingers unbutton his shirt and push the fabric aside while she blesses his broad chest with small kisses of her own. He sighs in content when she props herself up on her elbows, one hand resting on his stomach, and eyes him curiously.
"What?" She asks. Now isn't the time to be smirking, is it?
He laughs. No, it's nothing like that. Tangerine eyes widen in surprise when he rises from the pillows and kisses her deeply - she blushes.
"I love you, Piper."
xi.
He is wrong; life doesn't have to end this way.
Cursing the entire way, Piper scurries towards her heliscooter, struggling with Aerrow's unconscious body as she ducks and weaves among the rocks and waits for the missiles above their heads to clear.
Stupid, fearless idiot. Thinking he could abandon her just because she happens to share his last name. Married or not, she is still a Storm Hawk and she will not – absolutely not – give into his whims just because he feared for her safety.
They made a promise to each other.
Cyclonia be damned if Aerrow died right now.
xii.
She drives the heliscooter into the hangar and bellows for Stork to help her. Lynn comes rushing out and both women carry Aerrow into the medical bay. Finn is already there, a sling over one shoulder and hops off the bed when their leader is deposited on the table.
The blonde takes one good look at Piper's bloodshot eyes and soiled clothes, asks her if any of the blood is hers. She starts to laugh hysterically, her nerves finally getting the better of her, and jokes it is harder to get chocolate out.
BOOM.
Outside, the war still rages on.
xiii.
Piper can't see him, but she knows Finn is covering her back. A Cyclonian vessel attempts to shoot her out of the sky, its canons aiming for anything that does not display the colours of Master Cyclonis proudly, and Piper kills her engine to drop out of the sky and out of the ship's firing range.
What they need to do is catch up to Junko, who is waiting for them at the Talon home base. They need to enter the heart of the Cyclonian Empire, and destroy the doomsday machine inside.
Piper smirks despite the danger. They will win.
xiv.
When Aerrow regains consciousness he screams with rage when Stork informs him that Piper left with Finn to rejoin the ranks of those still fighting the war. The merb resorts to physical restraints to keep him under control, and finally threatens to inject a sedative into his veins if he doesn't calm down.
"Those ribs won't heal themselves."
"I can live with a couple of broken ribs."
"Then three broken toes, a fractured shin, and several gashes to the chest that almost punctured your lungs don't hurt at all."
"I need to be out there, Stork."
"You need to live."
xv.
There is strength in waiting. Finally accepting Stork's advice, Aerrow leans forward on the couch, and grimaces when the simple act adds to the pressure on his lungs. He commands his pilot to head towards the left side of that mountain, choosing to venture into a lesser crowded battlefield.
"Uh, you do know that is where the sky sharks are hiding, right? Why there are no ships over there?"
Aerrow grunts. If he can't fight alongside his teammates, he'll watch over them from a distance.
"I know, Stork. Forget the sky sharks, Finn and Piper must be on their way."
xvi.
She's not here. Using his crutches to push the crowds aside, Aerrow suppresses the rising panic that creeps into his chest when he can't see her face among the survivors.
This is exactly what happened to his parents. This is exactly what he hoped to avoid. Friends or strangers - faces covered in soot and tears crowd around him and melt together into a massive, swirling sea of pink and black.
Someone places their hands on his shoulders, and Aerrow shouts in surprise. It's Lynn. Guiding him through the throng, she leads him to the person he is looking for.
xvii.
He tries to hide it, but he's scared. He holds her hand as two EMT's lift her onto a gurney and slowly carry her to an emergency carrier, ready to transport her to the nearest medical centre. Frustrated he can't accompany her with his crutches, Aerrow settles for Junko's suggestion to follow the airship with the Condor.
"Hey, Piper." He whispers urgently, hobbling to keep up. "You were wonderful out there."
She laughs. Aerrow is relieved to hear the mirth in her voice, and more surprised to see the twinkle in her eye. "See? You said that we would win."