#and it feels wrong still using a placeholder tag for them but ah well¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[queen-scribbles]

🍒 you know I love to enable you, plz gush about m&m 😛

Claire, I love you, thank you for enabling me <3

I think the bedrock of their friendship is the fact they both have a) a borderline nonexistent tolerance for bullshit, and b) a very high appreciation for the quiet. What really makes it flourish, and what the two them would probably point to as the reason they're friends, is that Mason doesn't coddle and Mallory doesn't ask to be.

Right from the start, no matter how nicely(or bluntly) they phrase it, the rest of the team is trying to protect her. Keeping her in the dark about Murphy, trying to keep her out of fighting, they're coddling her (is how she sees it). Doesn't matter that, y'know, supernaturals ARE way more powerful than humans and that they're doing it for good reason. Mallory's been underestimated her entire life for a variety of reasons and there's only so often you can hear variations of "not doubting your skills BUT sit this one out" before all you hear is the second part. Nothing hits her buttons faster than people(or vampires) thinking she can't handle something. So Mason being all "okay, fine, you wanna be part of this world? I'm not gonna lie to make you feel better, I'm not gonna hold back in combat training, I'm not gonna pretend you can do anything you can't, but you have our backs and I'll have yours" was bigtime friendship points from Mallory. She can do that, ofc she'll have their backs. And Mallory being so stubbornly determined to keep up, to throw herself at everything, to (more than) pull her weight as part of the team got her bigtime Mason friend points.

They also both enjoy a good fight, so having him help with sparring/combat training is a good--but very dangerous--call. xD She will run herself ragged trying to beat him, even if she knows, technically, for now, she can't. (She may desperately want a no-holds-barred sparring match with Adam when/if she goes vampire, but the same with Mason isn't far behind. would be hilarious if she can beat Adam but can't beat Mason bc Adam gets *cough* distracted😂) Mason doesn't pull his punches, verbally or physically, but also knows when to stop her so she doesn't hurt herself. (See Late Night Worry) I'm really sad that since she's romancing Adam I didn't get to see her and Mason teamed up for the Trapper fight in book 2 ngl. (Might be one of my favorite things about the Natemance AU for her; she got to kick ass with her bff. Not the actual romance or anything. She gets more Mason time in the AU bc of how Mishka splits up Bravo. 🤣🤣)

SPEAKING OF ROMANCE. Mason basically telling Adam "If you break her heart by being an idiot/ass I'm gonna take her side, you know that, right?" and Adam's response being "As you should" was PERFECTION. They've platonically bonded so hard he'd side with her over Adam, his friend/commanding officer for something like a century after less than a year. Truly peak brotp. I am fully prepared for Mallory to want to rip whoever's responsible for Mason's, uh. Mirror Backstory Stuff to absolute ribbons, even if she didn't see the mirror vision. Just SHRED them. Nothing left. (she might even be more vicious about it than Kasey? Just bc she's always 110% ready to throw hands--esp for people she cares about--and combat is a v low stat for Kasey xD)

And then you flip it in the Natemance AU and Mallory's the one dragging her feet and doing stupid shit like not admit she loves him even after she figures it out(Bobby was charming too. Doesn't matter that Nate's way sweeter and keep his promises, there's part off her that's terrified of getting hurt again), Mason calls her out on that. It may involve threatening to beat some sense into her and he's only half-joking. Hearing him be so no-nonsense about how dumb she's acting is part of her push to actually confess at the end of book 3 (Nate saving her from Anwir also killed any lingering doubts pretty dead).

My absolute favorite things about them, though, is they are 100% Grade A platonic love. Way back when I first thought about the Wayhaven RO Swap(best. decision. ever), I thought about just putting each of them with their respective bff(Kasey/Adam LMAO. The sarcasm would kill people. I might still try that ngl). Mallory/Mason is what killed that idea. They DO NOT work romantically. There's no romantic or sexual tension between them, which is impressive with Mason involved. xD Like, he'll definitely enjoy the view if she's in a crop top + leggings for training, and she is not immune to Arms™ if he's shirtless, but it's more... admiration/appreciation than attraction. They're just platonic soulmates and I love them so much.