"Ladies and gentlemen, we will arrive at the JFK airport in approximately 20 minutes. The local time at our destination is 11:54 am. The temperature on the ground is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Thank you for flying with Emirates Airline. We hope you had a pleasant flight and would be happy to welcome you again for your next journey. Have a nice day."
Jane listened to the flight attendant telling them to fasten their seat belts because they were starting on the descent already and watched some people scurrying back to their seats, putting their cabin baggage back up and sitting back down themselves. She was currently occupying a window seat and hadn't moved for the entire duration of their flight.
They had spent almost 25 hours inside a plane by now, with only one stop in Dubai on their way back from Nepal. She was exhausted and a quick look to Kurt, who had been napping on-off during their flight, told her that he was happy to get out of the confined space as well. The flight hadn't been so bad, only minimal turbulences and through it all Kurt's hand had gripped hers tightly, making sure she was okay.
She had been looking forward to going home, having missed her friends and work and basically anything she had known and now here they were, flying towards New York City.
Turning her attention to the window she watched the clouds passing by and slowly but surely the city came into view. She took it all in. The coast, the skyline, and all the lights you could see even during the day. As they got closer she could make out some of the most prevailing landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building and she felt an ache in her chest she had never experienced before, not even in the worst phases of home-sickness.
She blinked back the tears and tried swallowing the lump in her throat before she turned to Kurt who had been watching her intently.
"It looks as if nothing has changed" she whispered, seeking reassurance in his eyes – for what, she didn't know.
He grabbed her hand with both of his and raised it to his lips, planting a chaste kiss on the back of it. "That's because nothing has" he gave back softly "Just now, all is right in the world." And he sent her a smile. The smile she had missed more than anything since the last time she'd seen it, the one that told her that everything would be okay, that they were together and nothing else mattered.
A tear ran down her cheek but she wiped it away quickly with her other hand "Thank you" she returned the smile tenderly "Thank you for never giving up."
"I promised, didn't I?" he grinned, caressing her hand and playing around with the golden band that he had put on her finger again when he had got her back.
She nodded and turned her gaze back out the window, leaning her back towards him as far as the arm rest would allow, watching the ground slowly come closer and the cars on the highways slowly become bigger.
It was a smooth landing and when the overall clapping for the pilot and his team started, they joined in, beaming at each other happily. Even the wait at the baggage claim wasn't too long and before they knew it they stepped outside the airport and within a second the hustling streets of the city had welcomed them back.
They hailed a cab to go home and during the car ride Jane would stare out of the window in utter fascination and awe and Kurt could only watch her, watching the world around them fly by. He would've loved to know what was going on in her head just then and when they had reached their apartment and paid the taxi driver, he did.
Taking her bag over her shoulder, she looked down at her feet first, biting her lip, before looking back up at him "I'm trying to see if it's still the same or if it has changed since I-" she didn't finish the sentence but he knew what she meant.
"We could make a tour around the city" he suggested even though he could feel the exhaustion of the last few months pulling on his eye lids and he could barely set one foot straight in front of the other because he was beat. When he saw her beam up at him, though, pure delight in her eyes, he knew he would do anything for that woman in front of him. And if that meant doing the whole touristy thing for a day just so she would feel better? Well, so be it.
"Let's just drop off our luggage and refresh before we head out again" Kurt said already fumbling for his keys and opening the door for her "After you."
Before long they were outside again, in different clothes and with their teeth brushed and their hands intertwined.
"So, where do you wanna go first?"
"Mmh" again she bit her lip and he couldn't help himself but find her endearing "Maybe we could start with the park?" He nodded and together they walked down the street, thinking back to all the late night walks they had spent here, holding hands and simply enjoying their time together. It was a Wednesday around 2pm and so not a lot people were on the street.
They saw some kids with their parents, some elderly people either alone or in pairs or even in groups and some kids returning from school, chatting animatedly.
"Still feels the same?" he wanted to know when they were standing at the entrance and she seemed lost in her thoughts, her head resting against his shoulder. He could feel her nod and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, about to say something else when she pointed at the fence.
"That one is new."
Kurt frowned, following the direction of her finger, not seeing what she was getting at.
"The sign" Jane explained then, burying her head a little deeper into him "The one that tells you to keep your dogs on a leash. It's the same sentence but a different design."
Oh. He shrugged "I've never realized that. Maybe the old one has been stolen?"
"Maybe" she said slowly "They only changed one sign, not all of them."
Jane couldn't even say why it bothered her so much that this particular sign looked different now than it had 6 months ago but it made the uneasiness return with full force and suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe. It was stupid but this sign showed her just how fast a small thing could be replaced by something else and if they could change that other things could've changed too. Maybe she wouldn't even realize at first but they would still be different. Maybe some signs wouldn't only look differently but also have changed their meanings. Or there could be new signs altogether of whom she would never have heard before.
Kurt hand, moving up and down her arm slowly, brought her back to reality and she tried to calm down the inner storm that was making her head spin. "It's just a sign" she heard him whisper into her ear, apparently sensing what her discomfort was about "And we don't even own a dog, it doesn't affect us."
"Maybe you have decided that you want a dog in the time I've been away" she mumbled in reply, still not fully convinced and she felt him chuckle against her.
"You are the only reason for me to ever get a dog. Believe it or not but I'm not much of an animal person" he grinned, pressing a kiss to her temple "So don't worry about that."
"We could get a dog" she laughed quietly, feeling the knot in her stomach ease a bit.
Shaking his head, Kurt let his hand travel down her arm before grabbing her hand once more "Let's finish this tour and get in a good night's sleep first before we decide something like that, alright?"
"Fine" she grumbled with mock pout "What about the Statue of Liberty? We don't have to go up there… just walk past it."
And so they did just that. They spent all day walking through the city, visiting old places and finding new favorite spots. They went to the Statue of Liberty, watching all the people standing in line, waiting for their turn to go up there, glad that they didn't have to do that and Times Square where they spent an hour walking around, taking in the new ads and getting a snack from one of the long-established French Fries stands.
It felt just like any day when they walked down 5th Avenue for the fun of it, strolling down any street that looked interesting enough, not letting themselves be rushed by the people hustling past them. They felt just like any couple, visiting their favorite restaurant after a while and talking about everything that moved them.
When they got home it was well after 9pm and they were both exhausted to the point of dropping down on the couch and not moving for the next hour, and so they did just that.
Jane had changed into more comfortable clothes – shorts and one of Kurt's shirts while he had simply plopped down on the furniture, his eyes closed and moved only when she came back from their bedroom to let her snuggle into his side.
His eyes still closed he pulled her closer to him, burying his nose in her neck, breathing in her scent "Are you convinced that nothing has changed, now?" he wanted to know "Do you believe me now that you're finally back home, where you belong?"
Her head was resting on his chest and she had almost fallen asleep to the steady sound of his heartbeat when he had started speaking. She thought about that for a while, reviewing all moments they had collected today and comparing it to everything she had known before. Finally she propped up her chin on her hand and looked up at him, until he opened his eyes.
"I'm really glad to be back" she began "I've missed all of this… this city, the people… but most of all" she smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest "I've missed you."
He returned her smile and she could feel her heart skip a beat at the happiness she saw reflected in his eyes. How could she ever leave this man who meant the world to her?
"But I've realized that New York isn't home for me" she continued and she could almost feel him catch his breath so she continued "It's not the city that feels like home, it's your arm around my waist pulling me closer" she smiled when his arm came around her waist to do just that "Or your hand in mine." She entwined their fingers looking down at their hands lovingly.
"Home for me is you laughing at me or with me and when you kiss my forehead. Home is hearing your voice and feeling your heartbeat close to mine. Home is wherever you are" she concluded and gazed up at him, trying to put all the love she felt into this one look and when she realized it wasn't possible, she promised herself that she would do anything in her power to show him how much she loved him every day of their lives.
"Home is wherever you are" she said finally, thinking back to the monk's words and realizing how true they were.
Do not return to the mountain. Return home.
A/N: So, this is the last One- Shot for now from me. I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every single one of you for your comments who literally kept my muse flowing for so long - it's fun to write for this fandom and I promise that I will continue writing as long as I'm on break from university. Which is why I have a question for you;
Would you rather see me add a few more chapters to "I'm Gonna Be Pirate King" or "Hate Me" because I've been thinking about both a lot... Let me know & as always: I hope you enjoyed this small piece. Love, Josi x