AN: Everyone is a human in this alternate universe.
Cleo was normally kind of fond of the way her flip flops sounded against tile flooring, but now it only served as a reminder of her inability to think ahead.
She had just reached baggage claim and was now trying to keep her teeth chattering to a minimum. She hadn't thought to change into something warmer before hopping on a plane to the northern USA in the middle of winter, and now she was stuck in a tank top and shorts.
She couldn't blame herself, but was still uneasy. Being unhappy with her own actions wasn't something that usually happened, so she wasn't sure how to feel. It was unpleasant, to say the least.
Admittedly, buying plane tickets to Minnesota on impulse because she had a screaming match with her father over her relationship with her boyfriend was impulsive, but she couldn't say it was without reason. After she had stormed up to her room earlier that morning, her eyes landed on a small duffel bag she had recently used for a short sleepover at Ghoulia's and that she hadn't gotten around to putting away yet, and before she knew it, she was in her car on the way to the Miami airport.
The only thing on Cleo's mind at the time was that she had to see Deuce. She wasn't thinking about consequences then, only the thought of never being able to see him again. And now that she had been given plenty of time to think on the plane, the reality of the situation was hanging over her head.
She did her best to ignore it. Too late now; might as well make the most of the time she had here.
When she checked her phone after the plane landed, she recalled how she had texted Deuce about her flight before she took off, so she wouldn't have to worry about trying to get in touch with him now. He would be here looking for her. There's no way he wouldn't be.
She began to scan the crowd for him. He would be extremely easy to pick out; he wasn't exactly the kind of person you could miss. Well, neither was she, but for a different reason.
And, sure enough, she could see him a couple carousels away. Just the small glimpse she got of his heinous, cute, green mohawk in the distance instantly took a large weight off of her heart. He was wearing sleeves, covering his tattoos, which was an odd sight for Cleo; he always visited Florida instead of the other way around, and sleeves weren't needed as much there. Crossing her arms, she walked towards the luggage carousel he was pacing around.
She cupped her hands over her mouth and called his name out, and he instantly turned towards the direction of her voice, grinning when he saw her and calling her name back.
Once they reached each other, Deuce was almost knocked backward by the force of Cleo's hug. "Hey, babe!"
When her arms circled his neck, it served as a catalyst for reminding her of what she could lose, but Cleo pushed it down for the time being. She would deal with the aftermath later. "You don't know how good it is to see you."
Pulling apart briefly, they quickly kissed, and Deuce looked down at her clothes. "Oh my god, are you wearing shorts?"
Cleo tried to quit being so obvious with her shivering. She sneered and said "I don't want to talk about it."
"Here, take my jacket, at least." He began pulling his thick hoodie off and laughed. "What on Earth were you thinking?"
"I guess I wasn't, to be frank. I bought the ticket on a whim. How long have you been waiting?"
He made a noncommittal noise. "An hour or two."
As she finished pulling the hoodie over her head, her jaw dropped before she could even fix her hair. "That long?"
He brushed a stray hair out of her face, his hand lingering on her cheek, lightly stroking it with his thumb. "I wanted to make sure you weren't stranded here waiting for me. It's not a big deal."
She smiled for what felt like the first time in weeks. After looking into his eyes for a moment, she stepped forward and pulled him into another hug, tighter this time, burying her face into his neck.
Deuce returned the embrace, leaning his head against hers. "I'm glad to see you, anyway. You know I always am."
After they had stayed like that for a moment, Deuce trying his best to warm her up, he asked "So, you think you're ready to finally see my house after all this time?"
Cleo completely ignored him. "I love you so much, Deuce."
He didn't respond, momentarily caught off guard; neither of them had come out and said that phrase yet. Despite how it made his chest feel like it was glowing, it was a bit odd for her to just turn sentimental so quickly. That usually took a little bit.
Not that her saying it upset him, because he felt the same way, but the way she was acting told him that her trip up here wasn't made simply for fun. She would have packed at least semi-appropriately otherwise. Something had to be wrong.
It was probably best to just let her tell him what was going on. If he tried asking her, she'd just deny it.
Instead, Deuce brought his hand up to run his fingers through the back of her hair. "I love you too, Cleo." She made a quiet, happy noise in response.
They stood there in each other's arms for a minute more, paying no mind to the people passing them. Deuce waited for Cleo to pull away first, and once she did, he picked up her solitary bag. "You ready to get your stuff and head out? I can give you a piggyback ride to my car if you want."
She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "If you insist."
He knelt down and she climbed on his back, one of her flip flops nearly falling off in the process. She glared at a nearby man who was staring at her out-of-place clothes. "Look, these sandals cost more than you make in a month."
Deuce grinned even though Cleo couldn't see his face. She had a way with words.