⌠ LIZA SOBERANO, 23, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, MARISOL “MARI” GUINTO! according to their records, they’re a THIRD year, specializing in AWARENESS TRAINING, BREATH CONTROL, HAND TO HAND COMBAT+THREAT ELIMINATION; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (a collection of succulents all with their own names and personal histories, handwritten letters sealed with wax, and a different poetry book each week). when it’s the (taurus)’s birthday on 05/04/1997, they always request their HALO-HALO from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. 

// @gallagherintro​

“ IT’S NOT PERSONAL, ”   she rolls her eyes lightly, but not without a semi-dramatic huff.   “ you can like her all you want. i just don’t see the appeal in wearing shirts with other people’s faces on them, when i don’t even know them. ”   she’s also just not a fan of the music, although she’d never admit that she thought folklore and evermore were amazing albums. still, taylor swift seems to make a living off of getting others like mari to cry to her music, which jo doesn’t appreciate. it’s not exactly FUN to be reminded that her girlfriend will probably be gone frequently, potentially for long periods of time, but jo doesn’t want to focus on that tonight. one moment at a time :   right now they have the last event of the year, and tomorrow there’s graduation, and then moving into their apartments and starting their new careers. she’d like to think she has at least six months before having to worry about mari being thrown into life-threatening situations on the other side of the world. besides, she won’t do laundry while mari’s away anyway, otherwise the sweater will stop smelling like her.   “ i’m sure i can make it work, ”   she brushes her lips against mari’s jawline, only to have to bring her thumb to the skin afterwards, rubbing off the slightest tint of lipstick she left behind. the term dream girl is one jo had taken awhile to get used to, because it seemed a little ridiculous for her to be someone’s dream ANYTHING. but it’s now been a phrase that comes so easily out of mari’s mouth that jo can’t even blink at it, instead the familiar smile on her lips that it coaxes out of her grows with each passing second. she’s not sure she believes in soulmates, or dream girls, or anything in between, but she’s confident enough in her relationship with mari to let the words hang out there with grace — accepting them, really, which anyone who knows jo knows it takes awhile for her to get used to anything new. she doesn’t even have a remark for that, just a slight shake of her head as she holds mari close.

“ that’s rude, ”   she teases with a short laugh to match her girlfriend’s, but jo won’t argue with that. they have one more night to be a couple under gallagher’s roof – why not make everyone else around them sick while doing it ?   it feels like a lifetime ago jo was throwing things at disgusting pda-ridden couples on gallagher’s campus.   “ you know what i mean, ”   jo laughs again, because mari IS laughing with her, even if that tone was pretty sarcastic. it’s funny looking back on it now, she thinks, seeing how much has really happened in the past year. before last summer, jo had never been out of the country, never acted on romantic feelings, never told her father that she liked girls. a lot had happened to get them where they are right now, and while it hadn’t been easy at the time, she would never take it for granted.   “ i was so afraid you weren’t going to have your phone on you, ”   she admits, smiling at the memory that had once stirred anxiety in your chest.   “ i almost debated coming down to the ballroom to get you myself, but i didn’t want to face you and your date. what was his name again ? ”   it hardly matters anyway.   “ you did not make me cry, ”   jo makes a face, because that’s not how she remembers it.   “ i was just drunk. and besides, it was barely any tears. ”   she’ll take that belief to her grave, because josephine tran doesn’t cry over just anything, or anyone.   “ i wanted to kiss you so badly too, ”   jo groans, looking up at her girlfriend.   “ i was afraid i was going to cave and do it, but i really didn’t want to be drunk during our first kiss. but it sucked, because i knew we’d have to wait at least a month, and by then either you’d be over me or would’ve had too high of expectations for what would actually happen. ”   which, in jo’s opinion, their first kiss ended up being nothing short of perfect, so it was for the best.   “ two people asked you ?   who else asked you ? ”   she raises her brows a little.   “ i didn’t realize you were so POPULAR. ”   except jo teases her all the time about being popular ;   she’s just making a thing of it right now.   “ i guess i should be glad i got the girl in the end. ”   and she is.

“it feels personal,” she mutters, arms crossing over her chest. “and i personally believe you would look very cute in a shirt with her face on it. then, i would get my two favorite women all wrapped in one and you’d probably get like… thirteen kisses.” thirteen exactly for obvious reasons. “besides, you already listen to her all the time because you're bad at telling me no. i don't see the harm in giving in when she will be playing from a speaker when we need background noise in our apartments. you even sing sometimes!” more so, jo barely mumbles to the songs mari especially likes because she's probably played them enough for her girlfriend to memorize the words, but it should still count! “and there was that time you were tapping your finger along while we were studying and the re-recordings of fearless had just come out.” it was all mari would listen to for almost two straight weeks because the rush of nostalgia brought more serotonin than she knew what to do with. “that just sounds like you're going to have me coming home to a bunch of laundry to help with, and i do not approve.” not that she would mind. she anticipates that they'll fall into a habit of helping each other with their separate chores once they have their own places. they already do that as much as they can while in dorms. it has felt like they've been a team this whole time, so it’s only natural that it'll extend after school ends. her eyelids flutter shut at the touch of jo’s lips, her cheeks a light blush because even still, her heart soars at the littlest touch. she doesn't attempt to question it anymore. it's simply jo’s power; her magic, mari likes to think of it. if she does have a soulmate, so much of her wants to believe jo is it. it's such an easy concept to get lost in, and it's even easier to want your current partner to be it when you've been chasing that fantasy all of your life. (mari has.) there's a spark there, though, that tells her it's different with jo. it's not an over-romanticization of their relationship that fills her heart to the point of feeling whole. it's the way they seem to be made for one another. every single trait they need the other has, as if filling in all their cracks with putty and smoothing the edges with the brush of their thumb. they're balanced in a way she has never felt before. she dares to label it as fate.

“ jo brought tissues? ” that knits his brows together because jo didn’t seem like a crier or the type to carry tissues in case people start crying. “ yeah, but i also learned a lot from you this year, so hopefully i won’t need anyone forcing me to study next year. ” this is wishful thinking but he is in a better position than he was last year thanks to mari. “ you and jo probably won’t be able to keep up with us. especially luce. you can’t beat irish blood, ” he teases with a boyish grin. except luce doesn’t like guiness so maybe the irish blood is not strong with this one. “ oooh, do you think we’ll be able to cut it down to fifteen months? or maybe weeks? ” he hopes she agrees to fifteen weeks since he doesn’t really like to think further than that, even though he doesn’t know how many months that is. they probably look like maniacs, running and laughing like that out of the room, and he doesn’t even care about beating her really. “ sorry, i can’t hear you over the sound of me usain bolt-ing! ”

“You’re so right. I think we’ve actually earned a whole year off of school just to party but maybe that’s just me.” As if Miray who is one of the biggest nerds ever could actually stand that. “Are you having fun celebrating, though? Please tell me Jo and you have already exchanged at least ten sappy words.” 

He chuckled softly. “Okay, I saw you and Kass but don’t tell her. I don’t think she’ll like that too much.” That one of her juniors saw her crying, much less a double agent. “Yeah, I’ll come. Just give me a call in the future and I’ll be there.” Carmichael was glad that she was the only person in their room who treated him normally. It was nice, he needed some sort of normalcy. “It’s been your home for four years, of course you’ll miss it. And I’m sure, we’ll all miss you here.”

"your secret is safe with me." she crosses her heart with a smile, securing it with a little locking motion. "i'll probably use that to trick you just to hang out with me, but you'll live and learn." it's hard to not hold anything against him or not to treat him differently than she did before because honesty is so important to her, but she really does believe that their friendship was genuine. "how have you been doing with... everything?" she means his actual identity being revealed, but subtlety is key.

“Nothing wrong with being emotional. I have always been someone who embraces my emotional side. Cry all you want because now is the perfect time to show sadness, joy and everything that’s in between” Amado said and nodded. “Yeah you are right about that. Only time will tell, you know?”

"oh, i'm sure i'll cry after this, too." she is a crier, a known fact about her by most likely strangers as well as her closest friends. "i hope it's something romantic like an impromptu wedding or proposal, rather than... we'll, what we've been given."

       KASS BRIGHTENS AT THE PROMISE.   “ deal. maybe in july ?   our june is gonna be pretty busy, and i’m sure yours will too. ”   even july will probably be pretty hectic, with kass starting her new job, but she doesn’t want to wait too long. part of her fears that if she falls out of touch with gallagher friends early, they’ll lose each other for good. it’s irrational, but sue her.   “ i love a good rom-com. ”   claire’s going to hate it, she knows it already.   “ oh yeah, i’ll start looking at venues tomorrow, ”   kass jokes, but this will definitely resonate in her head for days to come.   “ i heard some aquariums host events. imagine having a reunion in an aquarium ? ” 

"july," mari beams because she knows that kass isn't one to just make empty promises. she'll want to stay in touch just as much as mari will, which doesn't go unappreciated. "it's a date. it's not like we won't be talking in between that if something does change." yes, she's manifesting that they will talk all the time, but she's not even sure she needs to. (still, better safe than sorry.) "i do, too. jo would never admit that she loves rom-coms, but if i told you some of the stuff she's referenced....." if jo knew the modern obstacles of an airport chase before they started dating. her knowledge has to have only grown. "we'd have to get one of those giant aquariums with the sharks and everything swimming over you if we wanted to bring our whole class there." go big or go home. plus, she'd love to see someone try to insult a live stingray in the ceiling. "and obviously there'd be a theme for old times sake."

“i’m more of a gentleman than half the dudes who go here, what can i say.” yara absolutely doesn’t doubt mari’s challenge, she’s pretty sure mari’s ability to cry is like, a superpower, and it’s pretty hard to resist. “well my only rebuttal is fighting and i’d never fight you, so guess you win.” she seriously considers that, because she’s not really sure anymore. “i don’t know mari, having that shit about my dad just… put out there like that? that really ruined a lot of this place for me.” she clears her throat, taking another sip of champagne. “but some of the people… yeah, of course i’ll miss seeing them everyday.” it’s so sappy and there are very few people she’d tolerate this from, but luckily mari is one of them. “i’ll miss you too, mari. you know that. but we’ll still see each other. all of my coworkers are gonna be way older than me, i can’t go throwing away the friends i have.”

"it must be exhausting carrying that weight." she doesn't consider a lot of the guys she knows to be awful, but she will give yara the trophy of chivalry over most- or maybe it'd be a crown. she's not sure, but regardless yara is up against all boys. that gives her an advantage to start off with. "and i humbly accept my undefeated victory and continue my winning streak." no one does ever end up wanting to fight her, but she's competitive enough to look the other way. "i know. i should've been more considerate in hyping this place up." she truly does feel for yara, and she doesn't want her to think she's minimizing how awful that must have been. "you know me with change," she tells her sheepishly because yara absolutely would. "i bet everyone you miss will miss you, too. obviously, i will miss you most of all, but they're gonna be stiff competition." and she's only being slightly dramatic. "besides, i can just force you to come over to my apartment. we can get all of our favorite snacks and spread them all over my bed like we used to in so we can divide and conquer. not everything will be different."

@valeriasfm

        JO NARROWS HER EYES PLAYFULLY.   “ you wouldn’t dare. you’ll have to pry it off my cold, dead body. ”   ever since mari gave her her perfect sweater, jo hasn’t been able to wear anything else. nothing provides the same warmth that that pink sweater does  ( not to mention that burst of pink is the only real color she regularly has in her wardrobe ) .   “ besides, i rather wear an old t-shirt in the back of your closet than your taylor swift shirt. i’m sure i can find something else, ”   she smiles slightly, light and teasing. they’ve already talked about how it’s going to go once mari starts traveling for missions for days on end ;   it’s why there are going to be more plants in jo’s apartment than one would expect from someone whose never grown anything before, because it’ll be easier for her to take care of them at her own place. but she’ll have a spare key to mari’s apartment anyway, in case things need to be checked on, and if she wants to sit in her girlfriend’s closet to try to mimic the feeling of being completely wrapped up in mari with her hundreds of miles away. jo glances away to laugh a little at the other girl’s words, cheeks turning the color of mari’s perfect sweatshirt.   “ i don’t know, ”   she admits,   “ but let me know if that feeling ever stops. ”   because part of her still fears the day when this honeymoon feeling will wear off on them, and it won’t be so easy to be exactly what mari needs. she’s seen her own parents relationship deteriorate right before her eyes, over the span of many years, and while she can’t imagine her parents ever being as happy as her and mari are, jo knows believing that is a little naive.   “ we haven’t mastered the mind-reading technology yet, but maybe i can whip something up at the CIA, ”   she jokes, unable to help it. the countless i love you’s are so cheesy that jo can only roll her eyes, but the lightness in her laugh makes it clear she’s eating it up. she means it when she says she’ll never get tired of hearing it.   “ alright, i love you too. you’re gonna make the people around us sick. ”   except the kiss that comes after certainly doesn’t help their favor, because it’s soft and romantic and lights fireworks inside jo’s chest, and she’s convinced there’s no way everyone around them can’t feel it too.   “ isn’t it funny, ”   she whispers against her lips, pulling away a little to peer into mari’s dark eyes,   “ thinking about where we were, this time last year ? ”   mari with her ex-boyfriend date, jo showing up drunk to mari’s dorm, having to admit to her that she’s gay and has feelings for her. it feels like a lifetime ago.

“i’ll drink a few extra in your honor,” yara says, lifting her glass a bit sarcastically, because she definitely won’t. she’d also like to not have a miserable college graduation experience. “as an also almost fully employed field agent, i’d love to see you try,” she retorts with a scoff, not quick enough to dodge mari’s elbow, probably wouldn’t bother trying anyway. “unfortunately, thanks to regina george and his minions (cole and the double agents) i’m not really feeling the warm vibes from gallagher anymore. time to… what’s a cheesy grad phrase… spread my wings and go see the world?” that’s like three in one, but whatever.

“as chivalrous as ever, i see.” she takes another sip, wondering if just one more would be the worst idea in the universe. (it wouldn't, but she does sort of pride herself on having an ounce of self-control sometimes.) “if you think i can't take you down through my tears, you've got another thing coming,” mari challenges, more than willing to prove a point at any given moment despite her emotional status. “you're saying you won't miss all being together? not even just a little?” mari isn't going to miss the drama or the secrets being aired out that seem to cause a collapse of everyone’s sanity, but yara seeing the world means she’ll be far. “i'm gonna miss you being right here,” she admits sincerely. it's not like it's a secret, but she wants yara to hear it.

“ noo, not never. just not tonight. because then you’ll make me cry! ” if mari never cries then she might burst like a balloon and that would be sad. “ you know what they say, teamwork makes the dream work. ” he vaguely remembers talking to mari in berlin about how excited she was about entering her final year. does it ever drive you crazy, just how fast the night changes. “ hell yeah. you and jo, me and luce. fifteen years – it’s a double date! just hope i would’ve forgotten about all of that in fifteen years time. ” he still lets out a laugh since laughter is the best medicine. “ hm, i don’t know about a race, you know, you’re in heels and- threetwoonego! ” he starts running.

      “ WE COULD’VE SET UP CLAIRE AND JO, ”   she laughs, glancing to find her girlfriend and seeing that she’s already talking to the other girl.   “ oh look, they did it without us. we should double date some time. ”   too bad kass doesn’t know that jo finds her annoying.   “ only to something equally cry worthy. like a new nicholas sparks movie. ”   mari’s words make her smile, considering it.   “ we don’t, but there should be one. like an alumni club with a leader or something, to keep track of everyone. i think gallagher keeps track of all its alumni, so we could always get them to help with the addresses. but spread the word – this day, fifteen years later, we’ll have a reunion. “

"now that's a power couple if i've ever heard one." especially without the two of them to balance the other girls out. "say the name and place and we'll be there." she doesn't know how much jo would love the idea, but she'd be willing if it makes mari happy. (which it absolutely would.) if there's any objections, mari is more than willing to just have a date night with kass. "or the cheesiest looking rom-coms." those always get her at the end, despite spending most of the film laughing. "we should get on that." they'd be really good at it, she thinks. "if we start planning now, we could probably book someone else this big to play it."

        “ THAT’S EASY, ”   she smiles,   “ i’ll wear your perfect sweater. ”   it might no longer smell like mari, but it still provides comfort and warmth that’s only second to mari herself. jo hasn’t let herself get swept up too much in the idea of mari being away on missions for days or weeks on end, because realistically she knows mari will still have to go through some company training before they let her on highly dangerous missions. it’s not going to be easy for her, but like she had just told her girlfriend, she’ll take it one moment at a time. for now she has mari’s arms to wrap around her on the dance floor, and jo rests her head against her shoulder for a few seconds, peering up at her with nothing short of adoration.   “ do what ? ”   she hums, eyelashes fluttering. the rest of her life is actually a scary thought, because that’s a lot more years than people tend to consider, but it sounds romantic when it comes out of mari’s lips. maybe her girlfriend is rubbing on her a little too much. this time last year, the idea of sharing a life with someone would’ve made her run for the hills. jo’s still a little cynical, knowing there’s a lot that can happen between now and the rest of their lives, but she’ll take every moment like this as they come.   “ maybe once or twice, ”   she smiles, but jo doesn’t think she’ll ever get tired of hearing it.   “ but i’ll take it. ”   her hand moves up to brush against mari’s cheek, pulling her in for another kiss. she takes her time with this one, because right now they have all the time in the world.

        “ I’M WILLING TO TAKE THAT RISK, ”   she smiles slightly, thumb brushing against the corner of mari’s eye, fixing her makeup. jo’s also not in a rush for this night end, enjoying herself as far as last nights as a college student goes. gallagher’s felt like her home for a long time, especially with mari in her arms and her best friends living down the hall from her. mari’s right when she says things will be different, but jo’s always been an advocate that change is good, which is the attitude they both need right now.   “ i mean, you don’t need to fit everything there, ”   she tells her.   “ you can keep your taylor swift shirt at your place, for instance. ”   such a hater. fingers trail up mari’s spine delicately as they pull each other closer, trying to soothe her.   “ just take it one moment at a time, ”   jo says, her voice lowering until it feels like they’re the only two people in the room.   “ we’ll have a good night tonight, and deal with graduation tomorrow, and then… the rest of our lives after that. ”   when jo hears the rest of our lives she can only see the excitement of the unknown, and the comfort of having mari by her side through it all. she gets the hesitation her girlfriend feels, the worry that the rest of their lives won’t be as exciting as jo’s predicting. but those fears will have to come back another night, because right now she wants them BOTH to enjoy this moment. 

@gallagherstart​

Miray had perhaps started her drinking too early but who could blame her considering the atmosphere surrounding the school still. “We did it!” Turns to the person nearest to her that looks mildly familiar. “We survived this whole year and we deserve, like, three nights of partying!” 

      “ RIGHT ?   I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT, ”   she laughs weakly, glad to see she’s not alone in the feels tonight. kass takes out a tissue from her wristlet and offers it to her friend.   “ i mean, the alcohol definitely doesn’t help, but it’s basically the prom of gallagher. how do we not drink a little ?   it’s what we deserve. ”   eyes brighten at mari’s idea.   “ okay, YES. i’d love that. i’d totally try to plan that, actually. ”   though it might be a little depressing, seeing how many spies are still alive in fifteen years.

mari is preparing to pull out her own tissue that jo had sweetly stocked and offer it before she sees kass’s hand extended. “we should’ve ditched our dates and just come together,” she jokes, holding the kleenex to show that she has it covered. “we’d never run out.” she doesn’t disagree that they deserve a little drinking after their last few years- if not a lot. “do we have a post-grad party planning committee yet? because i think we would plan the best reunions.” they could even do ones farther out after the first, like a twenty-five or thirty year gathering. mari would choose to believe the ones that don’t attend simply couldn’t make it, rather than the probable reality. “it does seem like something we’d have to tell everyone about now while they’re all in one place, though.” not that she believes for one second that they couldn’t find someone that doesn’t want to be found.