#chapter seventeen

mob boss! lando norris x reader

part seventeen: dream a little dream of me

word count: 1.6k

warnings: tooth-rotting fluff

sixteen | seventeen | eighteen

The second date should’ve felt more awkward. It didn’t.

Alex had picked a science museum of all places—not exactly romantic on paper, but the look on his face when he pointed out the replica Mars rover was too earnest to judge. He had this habit where his whole face would light up like a lightbulb the moment before he got excited about something, and Y/N had already learned to clock it like a warning siren.

“So, technically,” he was saying, hands jammed in his jacket pockets as they strolled past a massive display on deep-sea robotics, “the algorithms used for this submersible’s sensor mapping were adapted from AI software developed for self-driving cars.”

“Technically,” she echoed, teasing, “you should probably just work here.”

He looked sideways at her with a crooked grin. “I applied when I was sixteen. They didn’t take me.”

(AO3 counterpart here.)

“Are you alright?”

It took a few heartbeats for the question to enter Firestar’s ear and reach his mind. He blinked, shook his head, and looked to his right, where Dustpelt was watching him with concern.

“Yeah,” Firestar lied.

Dustpelt gave him a very dry, very unimpressed look.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

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· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ ▎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐈𝐑 ▎ »»————-　𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦: 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘵𝘩🕊️ 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚂𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙴𝙽 — 𝚂𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚠𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚂𝚔𝚒𝚎𝚜

𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵; 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳...

— ᴬᵍᵃᵗʰᵃ ᶜʰʳⁱˢᵗⁱᵉ

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RACING TOWARD THEIR FORTS, CONFIDENCE COURSING THROUGH THEIR VEINS LIKE ADRENALINE, Major l/n's crew was poised on the edge of triumph, assured of victory by the overwhelming odds stacked in their favor. Little did they know, fate had a far darker twist in store for them, lurking in the shadows of imminent danger, ready to shatter their illusions of invincibility with a brutal, unforgiving awakening. "We have a problem, Major." Sighed the bombardier, walking up to the self-proclaimed Dynamic Duo, as they exited the jeep, laughing all the way to the fortress, discussing about how they'd annihilate Hitler's delusional ass. 

"What?" Bucky asked as they all marched their way to the B-17. "Bubbles... He's sick as a dog." The brunette answered, his voice tinged with concern, as he led the two inside. As they entered the plane, the sight that greeted them was not what they expected. There, huddled in a corner, was Bubbles, shivering and pale, clearly down with a terrible cold. "I can fly." The man chattered, not wanting to let his team down. "Oh, the hell you can." The raven rolled his eyes in annoyance before turning to the captain. "Who do we have?" He asked briskly as he awaited her decision. With a finger resting on her chin, y/n appeared deep in thought as she considered all options.

"Sheesh, Bubbles- You look like shit." Scoffed Crosby as he got out of his jeep, arriving about 15 minutes later. "Save the compliments." Bubbles retorted dryly, his voice strained from illness. "Here-" He added, reaching out to hand his friend the map, his determination unwavering despite his obvious discomfort. "We're leading the wing today." Informed the man. "What? I can't- I can't lead a wing, Bubbles..." Panicked the brunette, freezing dead in his tracks upon hear those words leave his mate's mouth. "You can lead a wing. It's just like any other mission." Assured the man. 

"We assemble the squadron at 2,000 feet over splasher six at H plus 0112." He instructed. "You following me?" "Great Yarmouth; yeah, yeah-yeah..." Rambled Crosby, his mind already halfway out the door. "Don't be nervous," Bubbles comforted. "Croz, take this — it's my lucky snow globe." He said, handing it over as a token of fortune and solidarity. "I want it back." He sighed once the brunette took it, a wave of gratitude washing over his face as he did that. "Now, what are you waiting for? Go get 'em." 

"Booster pumps, pressure?" Bucky read the checklist aloud as y/n, the pilot, double checked everything to burn some time before the replacement Navigator would finally make it. "Pump's on, pressure's good." She replied, her tone reflecting the monotony of the routine. "Fuel quantity?" Repeated the raven, his boredom evident in his voice as he echoed her sentiments. "Good? Thought so... Looks like we're ready to start, Major." He concluded, punctuating his words with a bored raspberries, mirroring her feelings of tedium. "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant." The girl let out a sigh of relief once the man had finally entered the fortress.

"Came as quick as I could, Majors." Croz panted, his breaths coming in short bursts as he entered the aircraft, shaking with anxiety. "Alright, well... Store your gear and get ready for takeoff." y/n instructed, her tone brisk and no-nonsense. "We're not gonna be the reason this goes off late." Bucky remarked, rolling his eyes in frustration at the delay. "Yes sir." The Navigator replied, as the girl started the first engine. "Morning!" Smiled the brunette, going through a checklist. "Mornin'-" Greeted Croz, removing his glove using his teeth as he set up his table. "Douglas." He introduced himself. "Harry Crosby." The navigator shook his hand out of courtesy.

"Oh, like Bing?" Asked the man. "Yeah..." Mumbled Harry, finding the charm his friend had given him. "You sing?" Doug questioned. "They kicked me outta the choir." Sighed the man honestly, as the fort made it's way to the runway, waiting for the green flare to signal their departure. "That's us." The raven informed, fastening his seatbelt and exchanging a resolute nod with y/n. Together, they were ready for whatever lay ahead on their journey. "Alright then, good luck, boys." Said the girl, her voice tinged with resilience as she sped up, focusing intently on the controls. Bucky kept his eye on the speed meter, his jaw set in concentration as they raced towards their destination, the weight of their mission heavy upon their shoulders.

"Seventy, eighty, night, hundred..." And with a surge of power, they lifted off the ground, soaring into the vast expanse of the sky, their mission awaiting them amidst the clouds and beyond. "Gear up." The y/h/c commanded, her voice authoritative as her buddy swiftly complied, ensuring their safety as they climbed higher. "You okay?" Douglas checked up on the nervous Navigator, his concern evident in his tone as they pressed forward into the unknown. "Oh, uh... Y-yeah, it's just my first time um, in the lead." Answered the man, his face betraying a hint of nervousness despite his attempt to mask it. "It's my first time in the lead."

"Yeah well, I've seen Bubbles do it a million times. Can't be that hard." The bombardier shot him a reassuring wink, his attempt to alleviate the Navigator's nerves clear in his gesture.

***

Hours had crawled by, the dullness of the uneventful flight only serving to fuel the boredom of the drama-hungry Majors. With nothing but endless skies stretching before them, they kept a watchful eye, scanning the horizon for any sign of those elusive Nazi fighters, their zest for action growing with each passing moment. "I swear, if I have to stare at these clouds for one more minute, I might just jump out and wrestle a Kraut myself." Bucky grumbled, his frustration evident as he squinted into the distance. "Yeah, well, I've been practicing my mid-air takedowns, so watch out." y/n quipped back, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she leaned forward in her seat.

As the tension mounted and the expectancy reached its peak, they remained vigilant, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, even if it meant resorting to unconventional tactics to break the monotony of the infinite sky. "Bombardier to command pilot: I'm going to pull the fuse pins." Douglas informed, the anticipation palpable as they neared their target in Trondheim, just 30 minutes away. "Roger." The raven confirmed, his gaze sweeping across the horizon to gauge the visibility, his mind already calculating the precise moment to release their payload. Though the mission went by pretty smoothly, the crew was in for one unexpected surprise — Airsickness.

"Navigator to command pilot: 95th at 3 o'clock." Croz groaned after puking his brains out. "Roger, Navigator. I have visual." Replied Egan, acknowledging the report. "Uh, command pilot to tail: How we looking back there?" He then asked Pipsqueak. "Well, Major... Depends who you're asking about. Buck's element is in a V, but the rest of them look like an S if you ask me. They're all over the place." Scoffed the man as he assessed the formation. "Pilot to top turret: Send out a flare and see if they'll get in formation." Sighed the girl, aware that Biddick was probably still hungover. "Roger, wilco." 

"Pilot to navigator: New heading?" The Major then questioned, knowing that there was a turn she had to make somewhere around here to reach their target. The brunette, however, had different plans, as he threw up everything he had ever eaten in his entire life, rendering him unable to respond. "Crosby?" She called after a minute of silence. "Crosby... Wake up lieutenant!" She snapped impatiently, not wanting to screw up her first day as lead because of some incompetent, replacement navigator who wouldn't even be on her fort after this mission. Exchanging an annoyed expression with the Raven, the man decided to inquire more sternly.

"Crosby, heading!" Bucky barked, his voice firm, cutting through the haze of Crosby's illness. "Turn right to heading 017." Replied the brunette wearily, his voice strained as he struggled to overcome his sickness and focus on his duties. "Roger, 017 degrees." The girl rolled her eyes, making the turn. "Ah, great- Now you're sick!" The bombardier grumbled, checking up on his queasy crewmate. "No, only at first; it goes away." Croz promised between bouts of vomiting. "Please don't tell anyone." He then requested, his voice tinged with embarrassment. "Just put your mask back on and read the damn maps, come on!" said Douglas, his tone strict yet encouraging as he patted Croz's shoulders, urging him to push through the discomfort and focus on their mission.

"Pilot to navigator: How we doing back there, Crosby?" The girl checked in on her comrade after a while. "Uh, yeah- good, ma'am. Just um- just doing some calculations, Major." He rambled, slightly flustered as he rushed to the window to get some clarity on their current location. "There you are..." He let out a sigh of relief, his voice barely above a whisper as he mumbled to himself before rushing back to the maps to do the real math. "Right turn now to 075 degrees; 9 minutes to the IP — you can see the Kraut smoke screen." Crosby then informed, his tone more composed as he relayed the crucial information. 

"We got it, Croz." Bucky replied as he looked outside keenly. "Right turn to 075 degrees." He repeated loudly, ensuring that the command was clear and understood by all. "Inbound to target. Another right turn to 140." y/n announced as they neared the Nazi territory. "Flak — 12 o'clock level." The raven declared as the gunmen got into position. "Hang in there, boys. We're almost there." Murmured the girl, dodging the shots with ease during their first half in. "Bombardier to pilot: I got it- ready for autopilot." Said Doug. "Uh... Holding straight and level at 155 indicated airspeed. Autopilot on. Pilot to bombardier: The ship's all yours."

"Roger, my aircraft. Bomb bay doors coming open." He declared, his voice steady and authoritative as the fortress further progressed toward its target. "Shit- That was close." Bucky cursed as they narrowly dodged a bullet. "Ball to crew: Flak — 11 o'clock, low." Informed Babyface. "Waist to crew: Flak, 2 o'clock-- 3 o'clock level!" Cried a gunman. "Fuck- is everyone okay?!" y/n asked, her voice tinged with panic as they just got hit. "Command pilot to bombardier: how's it looking?" Bucky questioned, his concern evident in his tone as he sought information on their current situation. "Jesus Christ!"

"Bomb bay doors closing; bombsite secure... Bombardier to pilots: It's your plane." The brunette confirmed, as the rest of the crew thanked the lord in silence, feeling a lot more secure now that the fort was back with Major l/n. "Roger that." The girl mumbled, back to dodging the flak, glad that all the engines were still intact despite the blows their ship had taken. "Navigator to l/n: Another left turn to 106 to the rally point." Instructed Crosby. "Roger, wilco..." Taking the left a few minutes later, the crew knew that their mission was far from over. They might've successfully got the sub pens, but it was now time for the hardest part — going home.

As they navigated the Norwegian skies, their minds raced with thoughts of the dangers that resided, knowing that enemy fighters and flak awaited them on their return trip. Yet, despite the challenges, they remained resolute, hell-bent on making it back to the base safely, their task accomplished and their comrades by their side. "Redmeat Lead to Pacer Lead: Redmeat 3 is two engines down and they might lose another; they can't keep up this pace." The husky voice of Buck suddenly surprised the two Majors. The news sent a chill down their spines, a stark reminder of the perilous nature of their commission and the fragility of their aircraft.

With the realization sinking in, they knew they had to act fast to ensure the safety of their friend and his men, the only real measure of success on the battlefield according to the y/h/c Major. "Roger." Bucky sighed, his tone heavy with distress. "Zootsuit Lead to Zootsuit: We got a straggler. We're gonna throttle down and stick with him. Await instructions." Explained y/n, her voice calm and collected despite the urgency of the situation. "Let's slow her down to 130." The raven then suggested, his mind already racing with plans to assist their struggling ally. "I got you."

"Crosby, I need you to adjust for our new airspeed and figure out how to get us home, copy?" Bucky then requested. "Roger, command; just give me a minute" The brunette replied, his tone stable and adamant as he sat straight, fully alert and ready to tackle the obstacles they'd undoubtedly face. As he began plotting their next turn, something disgusting rolled down his forehead, and on top of the map. 'Holy Mackerel, Croz- You've been hit!' Bursting into tears, the man began crying for help. "I'm hit- I'M HIT!" Heart racing with fear, the bombardier rushed over to the trembling man. "Jeez Croz- What?!" He asked. "Oh, no no no... I'm okay- I'm okay. False alarm." Giggled the brunette after realizing what it really was, relief flooding over him as he wiped away the harmless debris.

"Crosby, I need that fucking plan!" Yelled the raven Major. "On it- Coming up, sir." Responded Croz, working on it. "Navigator to command pilot: we--" The man started, only to be cut off by his mic breaking up. "I didn't get a word of that. I think your wire's... Anyway, we can't hear you, pal." y/n sighed, gritting her teeth in intense irritation as she struggled to make sense of the garbled transmission. "Can you check if your mic pack is on and working?" Requested the raven, balling up his fists, as agitated as his friend. "Major- Major... Majors!" Crosby rushed up to the cockpit. "I said we go 244 and head for the Shetlands. When we're clear of Norway, we got to 4,500 feet, take cover in the clouds. When we hit Scotland, we go straight south." He repeated.

"That way, if Biddick has to put her down, at least he's on land." He explained as the pilots began calculating the details mentally to see if it was a sensible idea. "Alright, that's the plan." Turns out it was. "Woah, hey hey hey- 244?" Bucky called after the man as he quickly left. "Roger, 244." He confirmed. "Okay fellas, we're heading to 244..." Mumbled y/n. "JU-88 — 10 o'clock level!" Left waist quickly warned as a loud jet zoomed past their fort, heading straight for the runts. "They're heading to the low!" Knowing they didn't have much time to waste, the girl was confident in the blonde CO of the 350th to take care of Curt and himself.

"Redmeat Lead to Pacer Lead: JU-88s are gone, and Biddick's still with us." Just as she had hoped, Cleven was quick to confirm. "Roger, Redmeat. That's good to hear." She smiled to herself, relieved that threat had passed, and their comrades was safe. "Now, let's make that turn to 244, boys..." she said, her voice relaxing a little now that the immediate danger had subsided. "Pacer Lead to Redmeat 3: Hang on in there, we'll stick with you as long as we can. Over." Bucky assured their slacking friend. "Pilot to crew: dropping below 10,000." Announced the girl as they all removed their masks. "Pilot to navigator: Are we over Scotland yet?"

"Croz!" Cried the frustrated raven for the 18th time today. "Yes... Ye-yes yeah. Yes, we're approaching the coast now, ma'am." He confirmed. "Zootsuit Lead to Zootsuit: We're over Scotland. Let's drop to devil's four, and uh, see if we can get Redmeat 3 on the ground. Out." Bucky reported. "Nice work, Croz." The brunette gave their nervous Navigator a comforting pat on the back, sinking into his seat once their part of the job was finally over. "Redmeat 3 to Pacer Lead: We're losing number three. We're heading down now for an emergency landing... over." Curt informed as they advanced towards Fraserburgh.

"Roger, Redmeat 3... Godspeed."

(2.7k words)

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Sooo I created a taglist! Do let me know if you wish to be added to it or removed from it <3

(Excerpt from Chapter 17):

“No don’t sit there Dunbar,” Coach whined almost immediately, “it just doesn't work with eight tables in the room! This one is right in the middle of my teaching space,” he gestured frantically at the table where Liam was sitting. The nurse arched an unimpressed eyebrow.

“You teach from the back of the classroom right next to the fire safety hose?” A few snickers arose from the classroom at her point. Coach just doubled down though and stepped further under the head of the hose. 

“Yes. I actually have a very bad fear of spontaneous combustion and it makes me feel safer to conduct my teaching from here.” An amused smile spread across her face and she walked around the desks, shooing Mick to the table with Liam. 

“Well you are in luck Mr. Finstock, as a formally trained nurse, I’ll stay here for the class to ensure that should you catch fire, there is someone here to administer care.” Liam couldn’t stop the amused smirk from spreading across his face as she settled down against the back wall, preparing to go to war with Coach’s power of will. 

The gentle, steady beeping of the heart rate monitor makes Roy blink. The room smells of disinfectant and some cheap room spray in an attempt to mask it. The hand held tightly in his is cold, just as it was yesterday. The skin of said hand is paler than normal, and the sad, pitiful rays of sunlight leaking through the room make the body seem ghastly and not at all healthy.

Roy takes a deep breath in. Nobody else is in the room to notice how wobbly it is.

“Please,” Roy whispers as he brings the hand up against his forehead and presses his other hand around it. He grips it tightly, squeezing in the hopes of the man in the bed squeezing him back. He’s tried countless times over the past thirty hours, but the hand has never returned the gesture.

“Please,” Shaking his head, Roy lets out another shaky exhale. “Bring him back to me.”

Y/n's POV

It was about nine in the evening, I was sat in Sunghoon's bedroom reading a book quietly, tucked under the covers. He then walks in, grabbing his leather jacket.

"Babe, you okay?" I question, watching him walk around the room.

"I need to go out, I'm taking Jay with me." He said.

"Okay, anything I can help with?" I offer. He sighs and sits on the end on the bed.

"I'm going to meet Lia. She was the one who sent that letter." He confesses.

"The one from this morning?" I recall.

"Yeah that one." He mumbles.

"Why didn't you tell me there and then? Was it cause Bea was there?" I ask.

"No, I thought you would worry too much so I lied. Don't worry the guys, especially Jungwon, have spoke to me about it. I'm sorry my love." He answers.

"Am I happy you lied, no, but I understand why. What did the guys say?" I question.

"Jungwon got angry and left after his mini speech, but they basically said that I shouldn't lie or hide anything from you and that I should tell Bea more stuff in case something were to ever happen." He tells me.

"I agree with them. You shouldn't keep me in the dark, its why I left in the first place. And with Bea, I know you just keep her safe, its your job as an older brother, but maybe your doing it a bit too much. She needs to know the dangers of her brother being a mafia boss, who are good or who are bad, what happens if you or any of the guys come home hurt, she'd panic a lot." I tell him.

"I know, I'll do better my love." He said softly. 

I slip out the covers and sit next to him, I turn his head to me and kiss his lip sweetly. He places his hands on my cheeks, holding my head in place. We kiss sweetly for a minute before pulling away.

"I love you Sunghoon. I'm not leaving again." I tell him. He smiles and kisses my cheek.

"I love you too my Queen~" He said sweetly.

"No go out and deal with this fake bitch. I'm expecting you and Jay home in once piece!" I exclaim, making him laugh.

"I promise." He said.