"I'm gonna be alright, Mom!" Tia protested as her mother locked her in a back-breaking hug. "It's not even gonna be a month!"
Owen grinned and shook his dad's hand as the father congratulated him on what a man he had become in the past years.
Via was talking to her father on the phone, smiling tearfully. "I know, I know, but I'll be back when you're on leave, so we'll see each other then... Mmhmm, I'll still have a month before I leave for university..."
Seth grimaced as his mother locked him in a hug and kissed him on the cheek.
"Kind of weird, isn't it?" Keely asked Phil as she shifted her backpack on her shoulder.
"Knowing that in like, two months we're going to be off to college?" Phil asked, glancing over at the tall blonde.
"No, seeing Seth's parents. I mean, I knew they obviously existed, but... I just didn't know what to expect, I guess."
Phil looked over at Keely questioningly. "Right. Uh oh, looks like our parents are done talking..."
"Come on, after this, we won't even see them for weeks; just grin and bear it."
Phil smiled as his mother half-ran towards him and gave him a hug. He narrowed his eyes at Pim, who had her arms folded over her chest and a smirk planted on her face.
"Why so happy?" he asked as his mother let go of him.
"Why do you think?" Pim retorted. "I'll be glad to get rid of you and Little Miss Airhead over there. And it's for a whole month, Phil! Feel free to make this an early birthday present. It's more than I could've asked for."
"You realize of course that you're going to get all of Mom and Dad's attention now, right?"
Pim's smug expression fell off her face. She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, then walked away just as Lloyd walked up to see his son off.
"Just remember, Phil," he said, holding up one finger, "don't—"
"Dad, we've been here for four years. I think I know how to keep our secret under wraps."
"Oh. Well, with that in mind... just stay safe, okay?"
"Dad—"
"I know, I know. I never thought this day would come, if we're being honest."
"The day when I took a trip abroad after graduating from a school over 100 years in the past?"
"Well, there is that... Guess you've just grown up before our eyes, you know?"
"Dad, you're, uh..."
"Right," Lloyd said, wrapping up his goodbye before he got any more emotional. "Well, have a safe flight, son."
"Thanks, Dad," Phil said, nodding his head. The two men shook hands, and Lloyd clapped his son on the shoulder. Phil smiled and then turned and walked over to Owen, who was waving goodbye to his parents. He glanced over and saw Keely in the middle of a tearful goodbye her with her younger sister.
"Mmmm..." Owen voiced his approval as he saw the sisters hug. Phil slowly looked over at him, then sighed and shook his head.
"Wow, Owen. Wow."
"So wait, her older sister's adopted, right? Because—"
"You know what, I'm just gonna stop you there, cause whatever you're thinking right now, it's just not going to happen."
Owen laughed. "I'm shocked that you would jump to that conclusion."
"Um, can you blame me?"
"Believe it or not, I care about more than—" Via loudly cleared her throat from behind the two boys. Owen glanced over his shoulder and trailed off. Via rolled her eyes.
"Hey, guys!" Tia said, having finally pried herself away from her mother. "We ready to go?"
"You know it, babe," Owen answered, putting his arm around her shoulder.
"I'm ready," Seth announced, walking up to the group and slapping his boarding pass against his hand.
"Tick tock, Keely!" Tia shouted with a laugh. Keely said one last goodbye to her family before going over to join the group.
"Okay, okay, jeez, I'm here," she said, rolling her eyes. "Let's just go, okay?"
"Gladly," Tia obliged as she smiled and waved to her family. She let out a contented sigh as their families, one by one, began walking away, down the escalator, and out of sight. "Yyyyyyyyes! Ahh, my only regret is that we couldn't do this sooner..."
"Tell us how you really feel," Keely said with a smirk. Phil reached down and grabbed her hand. Keely glanced down at their interlocked fingers before leaning over and giving Phil a kiss on the cheek.
"Get ready for a lot of that," Via said to Seth in an undertone. He looked over at her and smirked. His expression then faltered as he looked over her shoulder.
"And... that," he said. Via glanced over her shoulder and saw Owen and Tia locked in a kiss.
"Oh, bollocks," she said, rolling her eyes. Seth laughed. "Would you two knock it off?" The two pulled away. Owen smirked; Tia blushed. "Can not believe I have to sit next to these two for six hours."
"I'm sorry," Seth said with a smirk as Phil was waved through the security checkpoint.
"Tell me again why we agreed to come on this trip?"
"I think we agreed to it before they got together." He tilted his head towards Owen and Tia.
She glanced over her shoulder at them. He was tickling her sides; she was squealing and trying to fight off his hands. She pressed her lips together and waited to get called through the checkpoint. "It's going to be a long holiday." Seth nodded in agreement.