Chapter IX: A "Hassle(berry)" with Airport Security
Welcome back everyone to "Summer Love, Summer Fears!" For three chapters, we focused on Bastion Misawa and his girlfriend Violet. We, your delightfully demented authoress duo, were rather surprised to see how long we actually spent on those two and we thank you for your reviews, letting us know just how much a certain Ra Yellow genius is loved. Well, now we're focusing on another couple. Here are the early sweet trials of Hassleberry and Rosa. Some of you will notice that our favorite dinosaur loving duelist gets a different first name here. This is inspired by the episode where he says his "codename" is Tyranno, which leads us to believe that he might've hated the name his mom and dad gave him at birth. It's still a T-name and we rather like it. We hope you don't mind us taking liberties here.
Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee and 15animefreak15 only own their stories and OCs. They also own their experiences with airport security.
Authors' note: In this timeline, the summer between the second and third season of GX occurs in 2018, ten years from now.
While one group of kids faced a serious situation and another young couple faced their feelings, another couple and a set of parents sped toward Domino International Airport. "Señor Hassleberry, I need tú to do me un favor," stated Rosa. She seemed nervous, maybe about going through the airport security.
"What's the matter, darlin'?" Hassleberry asked. "I don't think you're on the no-fly list..."
Rosa took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I need tú to watch mí passport. I do not have any pockets y cannot risk losing it," she explained. She showed him the small booklet she'd been holding, having taken it from her luggage before they got inside the taxi.
"All right, darlin'..."
"Er, Señor Hassleberry, I am nerviosa. Some of mís amigos have told me about how hard security es here. Uno of them was even harassed because he could not find his passport," blurted out Rosa, blushing. Sure, it wasn't as bad as if she had been Middle-Eastern, but it was still difficult.
"It's all right," he answered. "We'll get through it...I get hassled sometimes, too...Mama has, too...It's been like this for years...at least we haven't gone to Code Orange..."
"Code...Anaranjado?"she asked.
"It's the second highest terror alert level...Came in during the Bush Administration...we haven't been there for quite some time...it'll be all right..."
"All right. I trust tú, Señor Hassleberry." Then, the taxi stopped, since they were at the airport.
"I can get the bags, kids," Dean Hassleberry said. "You take care of your girl, son. Lil, you can go on ahead..."
Hassleberry's mom, a pale woman with a delicate chin and brown eyes, smiled. "Of course, honey."
Rosa let out another deep breath and stepped out of the taxi, glancing wearily about. She'd been through an American airport before, but it was far easier getting out than in. Rosa hoped that nothing would go wrong. The kids got up to the ticket counter of their airline.
"Hello, there..." the woman at the counter said. "May I ask where you're traveling today?"
"Houston, Texas, ma'am..." Hassleberry answered. He handed her his school ID and then it was Rosa's turn.
Rosa also handed the woman her school ID, which stated where she was from. "You'll need to show me your passport, too," stated the woman.
"Right. Señor Hassleberry?"
"Of course, darlin'," he said, reaching into his front pocket. "Um...where'd I put it?"
Rosa blinked, staring at Hassleberry. "Uh...Señor Hassleberry? I need mí passport..."
The woman looked up. "Is something wrong? If you don't have your passport then I'm afraid that I can't give you your boarding pass."
"I know I have it somewhere..." Hassleberry groaned. Finally, he reached into his back pocket. "FOUND IT!" he yelled triumphantly. "Here you go, Rosa darlin'!"
Rosa let out a much-needed sigh of relief, giving the passport to the woman. "Oh, good. Everything seems to be in order. Here are your IDs, passport, and plane tickets." The woman handed over the items, and placed their luggage on a conveyor belt.
"Now we head through security, darlin'," Hassleberry said. "It'll be okay..." He sighed. Security had been tough since he was a baby, but he didn't think much of it. But he did remember his mom and dad telling of the days when regular people could go close to the gates and watch planes take off. Rosa nodded, and decided to hang onto her passport for good luck. All too soon they came to security, and got in line for the metal detector.
The kids removed their shoes and placed all their metal things into receptacles. Hassleberry had Rosa walk through first and she passed through easily. Hassleberry, however... BEEEEEEP! Rosa gasped, still only inches through the metal detector when Hassleberry was forced to step back.
"Señor Hassleberry, what..?" BEEEEEEEP! She'd moved forward towards Hassleberry, her upper half going back through the metal detector and setting it off.
The security officer nodded to her. "Ma'am, I'll need you to wait for your husband. We have to check him carefully."
Rosa blushed, and in any other situation would have let her temper lash out. Luckily, she was too scared to let it take control, and simply went to where the security guard had specified to wait. 'Oh no, oh no. What could have set it off?' she wondered worriedly.
"Um...we're not married yet," Hassleberry explained to the security man. "I haven't met her daddy yet..." He removed his jacket and walked through the scanner again. And again...BEEEEEEP!
Rosa flinched a little at the sound, wondering what on Earth could be setting it off. "Sir, I'll have to scan you manually," stated the security guard. He pulled out a miniature scanner and began running it over Hassleberry.
Hassleberry finally had to strip down to his shorts and the scanner went over his left leg. "Oh, I've had surgery there! I have metal parts in there!" he explained.
Rosa was blushing fiercely, trying not to stare. "Oh, I see. All right sir, you can go through. It's your turn, ma'am," replied the guard. Rosa removed her blazer, the top of her mariachi dress now visible.
She shakily walked through the metal detector... BEEEEEP! 'Oh, no...'
"It's all right, ma'am. Are you, by chance, wearing an underwire bra?"
Rosa's blush returned, and she had to think for a moment. "No." The security guard picked up the mini-scanner, as Rosa took the proper stance. Just as it was passing a spot above her bra, it went off.
"Are you sure?" he asked. "Do you have anything else metal on?"
"Uh...oh! I remember now!! Mí Rosettas..." Rosa replied. She reached under her dress and pulled out a small leather pouch, which had been placed in a special pocket under the dress.
"Rosettas?" Hassleberry asked, getting his clothes back on.
The security man seemed to know, but said, "Ma'am, you should tell your boyfriend..."
Rosa blushed, then opened the pouch and pulled out two small stones. They were round, smooth, and bright red, about the size of one's eyeball. "Rosettas. Mí town has un tradition. Un father makes dos rojo clay balls filled with iron y gives them to his daughter. When the daughter gets married, she gives them to her husband's parents. Un token of luck from her own parents," she explained.
"Oh..." Hassleberry blushed at the significance of this.
"Are we okay, then, sir?" he asked the security man, who nodded.
The two collected their things and waited for Hassleberry's parents. "That was fun. I haven't been strip-searched before..." he said.
Rosa giggled at his words, still holding the Rosettas in her hand. "Señor Hassleberry, I...really hope that I can give these to your parents someday..." whispered Rosa. She blushed, staring at the ground in embarrassment.
He took her soft hand in his harder, more calloused one. "I hope so too, darlin'...Rosa..." He blushed, too. He could easily see them together and was glad she'd said something. "Have...you always carried those around?"
Rosa smiled and nodded, slipping them back into the pouch. "Sí. The daughter gets them on her cumpleaños de trece, when she can start receiving suitors. I have never let them out of mí sight," she explained, placing the pouch back into the hidden pocket.
"Your thirteenth birthday?" he asked. "Wow...I'm glad that security guy knew about your tradition..."
"I am surprised that he did. Not many outside of mí town know, not even many other Spaniards." Rosa glanced over her shoulder at the man, and noticed Hassleberry's parents coming their way.
Hassleberry waved to his parents and they caught up with him. "Son, I've never seen you strip-searched before..."
"It was my leg, Dad...And Rosa almost got searched, but we both passed the inspection with flyin' colors!"
Rosa remembered seeing Hassleberry in his boxers and blushed, leaning over to whisper as they headed for the gate. "Tú looked cute en those dino-print boxers, Senor Hassleberry."
Hassleberry blushed. "You...think I did?" Rosa nodded, giggling a little as she smiled. They reached the gate and got onto the plane, where Rosa and Hassleberry sat on one side of the aisle while Lily and Dean sat on the other.
"We've got five hours on this plane, darlin'," Hassleberry said. "We'll be in Crawford before you know it, Rosa, and I can take you on walks..."
"Dios mio, cinco hours? Ay, ay, ay..." Rosa groaned. Sure, she'd spent even longer on her last two plane rides, but the prospect of sitting for five hours was still bleak.
"It'll be all right, and we can sleep for a bit..." he said softly.
Rosa smiled, deciding that it might go faster than the last two times since she had Hassleberry with her. Suddenly, the plane took off, making all of the passengers sink into the backs of their seats. 'Oooh, I forgot how nauseous I get during take-off,' Rosa winced; she'd lost her breakfast on the last two plane rides.
Hassleberry quickly grabbed a barf bag, noticing her pallor. "It's all right, darlin', if you do...I'm right here and you're not the first to get sick on a plane..." He put his arm around her to relax her. "Just breathe..."
Rosa leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. She thought she might be alright, but the plane hit some turbulence and she knew she was going to lose it. Rosa grabbed the barf bag and turned away from Hassleberry, not wanting him to see her in such a weakened state as she literally lost her lunch.
"Rosa...you don't have to be tough all the time," he said softly, as if reading her thoughts. "I've seen Marines get sick on plane flights...darlin', it doesn't make you weak..."
Rosa was finally able to stop heaving, and looked back at her boyfriend sadly. "But...when tú grow-up en un familia of chicos y tú papa es un luchadore de tauro, es hard not to act tough. Showing weakness es shameful..."she replied. Rosa had just wanted to fit in with her brothers, and that meant dropping the dolls and picking fights.
"Well, in my book, you're tough...and don't you tell me your brothers haven't had their share of barfin'...I know I have..." he admitted. "And Dad told me once that no tough soldier avoids gettin' sick..."
Rosa sighed, knowing he was right. At least the plane had leveled off so she didn't feel nauseous anymore. "Gracias, Señor Hassleberry." She leaned over to hug him, giving a content sigh and feeling comfort emanating from him.
"It's okay...and once we level off, you can have somethin' to drink, all right?" he said as she hugged him and he hugged back. "You just relax, darlin', and we'll have plenty of time just to have some R and R..."
Rosa nodded, and a few minutes later they were allowed to unbuckle their seatbelts. They were sitting near the front, and were one of the first to meet the flight attendant with drinks. "And what would you two like?" she asked kindly.
"Just agua, por favor," replied Rosa. However, she received a blank, confused stare from the flight attendant.
"She means she'd like some water, ma'am," Hassleberry said. "And I'll have a Mr. Pibb, please."
"Oh, right. Sorry about that. Here are your drinks, enjoy." The flight attendant continued on her way, as Rosa sighed.
"Ay, ay, ay. Curse this accent..."
"It's not that. She just didn't know Spanish...And I love your accent..." Hassleberry said, sipping his drink. "Feelin' better, Spanish Rose?" he asked.
Rosa blushed, taking a gulp of her water to force it down. "Sí. I like your accent as well. But I still need to give tú un nickname," she answered, pouting. It was no fun getting called a nickname if she couldn't call him one back.
He blushed. "Darlin', when we're in Texas, you can figure one out. I like whatever you decide to call me..." He wasn't sure how to go about telling her his true birth name... 'But I'm goin' to...or Mama will...' he thought ominously.
"All right. Oh, pardon, I need to use el restroom." Rosa stood and walked up the few feet before going into the bathroom.
Afterwards, Lily stood and walked over to sit in Rosa's vacated seat. "So then, she seems nice, Tyson. You think she's the one?"
"Mama...everybody calls me Tyranno...my first name's classified!" he whispered, embarrassed. For some odd reason, he didn't like the name he'd been given at birth.
Lily laughed a little. "Oh, Tyson, sweetie, I'm your mother and I'm allowed to call you the name I gave you. Now, answer my question," she replied. Lily may have been the gentle one in the family, but both men knew not to disobey a direct order from her.
"Well, yeah...I think she might be...I haven't told her everything...and..." He lifted his eyes to his mother's, nervously... "I'm afraid to tell her..."
"What's this? My big, strong soldier finally admits that he is afraid of something?? Well, love is a complicated thing. You know, your father once told me that proclaiming his love for me was 'scarier than when I went head-to-head with a rattlesnake'. Don't worry, your heart will tell you when the time is right," Lily explained, reaching over to pull her only child into a gentle hug.
"Daddy said that? He said nobody goes into battle without bein' afraid, but...he didn't say anything about love..." Hassleberry may have been a tough strong young man, but he would never be too much of a tough guy to find comfort in his mother's hugs. "Mama...I can't lose her...I love Rosa too much. She knows how I feel, but...I'd rather go out in battle without hillbilly armor on my Jeep than lose her," he admitted.
"Someone once said, 'Love is a battlefield'. Your father took that to heart, and I'd say it fits your situation as well. I'm sure you'll know how to tell her when the time's right." Suddenly, the plane jerked, and the pilot called out over the loudspeaker that they were hitting some turbulence again. Lily stayed a moment longer, then went over to her own seat and buckled in.
Meanwhile, Rosa was trying to make her way back to the seat without falling onto her face from the turbulence. 'Ay, ay-eep! I really do not like plane rides...' she thought.
"Rosa? You all right?" Hassleberry asked as he caught her by her waist and got her into her seat. "Sorry for grabbin' you, but I didn't want you gettin' hurt." He grabbed another barf bag from the pocket in front of him and handed it to her. "Just in case..."
Rosa was actually quite thankful that Hassleberry had grabbed her when he did, because not a moment afterward the overhead compartment popped open. Heavy carry-on luggage crashed to the ground where Rosa had been staggering a second before, causing her to gasp. "Señor Hassleberry...tú saved me..." Rosa whispered. She wrapped her arms around him, though it was awkward since he was leaning over to grab the extra barf bag.
"Whoa!" he yelped. Then he got his arms around her. "Rosa...I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you...and I want to protect you...I love you..."
Rosa blushed a little at the sudden proclamation, but then smiled. "I love tú, too. Gracias for protecting me. I knew tú would," she replied, moving to kiss his cheek. However, the plane shook from the turbulence, and caused them to meet lips instead.
Hassleberry sensed this and kissed her gently. 'Oh, man...' If his parents saw, so what? He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rosa if he could. Finally, the kiss ended and the turbulence did as well. He kept his arm around her, wanting Rosa to feel safe and loved.
Rosa sighed happily, resting her head on Hassleberry's shoulder. She glanced at her watch, and smiled when she realized it had only been half an hour. Rosa didn't mind, maybe plane rides weren't all that bad after all. She was able to spend time with her boyfriend, and that's all that mattered. 'Some day, I will give las Rosettas to Señor y Señora Hassleberry. I just know it,' she thought, closing her eyes. Rosa was sound asleep before all of the luggage had been cleared from the aisle.
"Rosa?" Hassleberry asked, glancing over at her. He saw was asleep against him, and tapped the flight attendant call button.
"Yes, sir?" a young Asian man asked.
"Could you get a blanket for my girlfriend?" Hassleberry asked. The flight attendant did and within a minute or two, Rosa was warm under the blanket. "Thanks, sir," the young man whispered to the attendant. "Sweet dreams, darlin'," he whispered, kissing her forehead. And the plane soared toward Houston International Airport.
And that, loyal readers, concludes the chapter. We hope you enjoyed our glimpse into the start of Tyson and Rosa's summer together. Next time, we see the Truesdales and Annie Hanson. What's up with Annie's fainting? Has she been hiding something? If so, will she tell Sy? You'll just have to see in "Annie's Secret!" Until then, read and review!
