AN: In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not sure if any planes with this exact configuration fly the route from Paris to Tokyo. I found one the first time I looked, but not the second.
To Lyger 0: Kagami has been standing up to her mother a little more lately (especially the Epilogue of "The Heart of the Storm"), but this is definitely the most backbone she's shown toward her yet!
To Butterfly: Kagami has been one of my favorites off and on through this series (you can probably tell that I go in cycles with "favorites"). Given that "The Heart of the Storm" ended with such a nice "happy ending," it was a challenge to figure out where to go with their relationship without resorting to the normal "sequel crutch" of breaking the characters apart just to put them together again.
Sitting in his spacious first class seat, several hours into their flight, Luka hardly noticed everything happening around him. People walked up and down the aisle. Flight attendants moved through the cabin, handing out drinks and meals – Kagami had requested an extra bag of dried fruit for the two Kwamis to share. At the moment, Kagami was busily typing away on her own tablet, working up a proposal for one of her client meetings. The two Kwamis perched on the armrest between them, their snack bag pinned between them, watching as they worked.
Not for the first time was Luka grateful for the new professional-grade headphones Nino had suggested. Despite the roaring engine noise of the plane, he could hear the music on his tablet as clear as if he were playing it himself in his room – almost like being in a professional recording studio for quality. Huh. Something sounded slightly off… He frowned, paused the playback, and moved the recording back, replaying the last two measures. Unfortunately, thanks to that clarity, he could also hear every discordant harmony. It took another two replays before he could isolate the problem chord stack. He shifted one note up a half-step and listened to it again. Perfect.
He was about to replay to the entire song from the beginning when he felt a slight pressure on his shoulder. Kagami leaned over the armrest, her chin propped on his shoulder, watching him work, a fond look in her eyes. Absently Luka planted a kiss in her hair before pushing the armrest out of the way and resting his cheek against the crown of her head. The two Kwamis dropped through the armrest as he moved it and flitted across to settle on the tray table. Setting his tablet next to them, Luka pulled the headphones off his ears to rest around his neck and placed his hand on Kagami's thigh, giving her a gentle squeeze.
"Is this a new song you're working on?" she asked curiously.
"Want to listen to it?" When she nodded and sat up, he handed her the headphones and pressed play. He watched her eyes dart across the screen as she read the lyrics, her head bobbing in time while the music software played.
"It's beautiful," she finally told him when the song had ended, not looking away from the screen. "It almost sounds anime." She scrolled back to the top and read through the lyrics again. Staring at her eyes, Luka could see the exact moment that it sunk in. She set the tablet down and stared at him wide-eyed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Did… did you write it about me?"
He smiled tenderly. "I guess you're my muse," he answered, his voice barely audible over the engine noise. He wrapped his arm around her back, sliding it down to rest his hand on her waist. "Though if I'm being honest, I think you've been my muse longer than I realized." She leaned her head on Luka's shoulder, though not before he saw how much redder her cheeks had gotten. A different strain entered her heart song, shifting the song he knew so well. "Too much?" he asked worriedly.
She tilted her head to give him a surprised look. "No!" she assured him earnestly. "Definitely not. Just… I already knew how much you cared about me, but I guess this drove it home so much more."
Luka felt heat rise in his own cheeks but leaned down to find her lips with his own. She sighed and rolled to her side and over the dividing ridge separating their seats, swinging her legs across his lap. He slid his hand down to the small of her back to hold her in place, cupping her face with his other hand, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She broke the kiss first and rested her cheek against his collarbone, humming in contentment, her hand on his chest. He placed his lips against her forehead and took in the scent of her shampoo. Closing his eyes he listened to the song he had grown to love so much, soft and tender with just a hint of the vulnerability that she hid so well from everyone else but could never hide from him. "I love you," he whispered softly.
She sighed and squeezed his chest tightly. "And I love you, too. So much. I'm so glad you're coming with me on this trip."
He smiled. "You follow my lead so often," he joked, "it seemed right for me to follow you for once!" She giggled softly, though Luka could feel the slight tension in her shoulders, matching the anxious strain in her song. He placed a finger under her chin and tipped it up to meet her eyes. "What's wrong?"
She gave him a confused look, but it only lasted for a moment. "How do you know me better than I know myself?" she wondered, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm glad Mother agreed to this. It means so much – not just that you came but that she agreed to it!"
"Are you afraid she still thinks I'm not good enough for you?" he asked with some amusement.
Kagami scoffed. "I don't think she would accept anything less than perfect for any man who would court me," she answered. Her frown shifted. "Too bad for her that you are perfect," she murmured, resting her head against his chest.
Watching them from the seatback pouch, Longg hummed. "I would not call either of you 'perfect'," he observed slowly.
"Indeed," agreed Sass. "Perfection sssuggestsss that there is no room for improvement. And while you ssstrive to attain that goal, to achieve it would beget ssstagnation."
Kagami frowned at the Kwamis. "Perfect for me, then."
Luka grinned, rubbing her arm. "And yet you're still anxious."
She fixed him with a deadpan glare. "I hate it when you do that." He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "Yes, I'm still anxious," she admitted, looking away. "What if this trip doesn't go well?"
"Afraid I'll make a bad impression on your Uncle?" he asked sympathetically.
"Kind of," she admitted, pursing her lips. "It's just…" She trailed off, her eyes drifting away from his face to stare down at his shirt, clenching the fabric in one hand.
He sighed heavily. "This is the first time you've ever done something on your own – the biggest stage for the company and the first big test for us. What if we mess it up?"
She nodded and closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his neck. "Mother's family is so traditional, so set in their ways. Mother is so proud of her samurai heritage – that's part of the reason why she and Ojisan place so much emphasis on learning to fence. Please don't misunderstand," she added quickly. "I absolutely love both Ojisan and Mother, but the littlest thing could cause shame. And if Ojisan decides he doesn't like you, he'll tell Mother, and how might she react?"
He held her close, willing her to feel his love and comfort. "I promise I'll do my best. I want to make the best impression I can on your family," he assured her. "This is important to you, and you are important to me. I would never do something to jeopardize this."
"You're important to me, too," she insisted, mouth set firmly, eyes hard. "And even if Mother decided to withdraw her blessing, there's no way I would go along with that. She doesn't control my life anymore: I do."
He watched her closely: the tension in her lips, the lines around her eyes. For years under her mother's thumb, she had been alone, without anyone to speak for her or ask what she wanted. Now, in the last year, she had finally begun to assert herself independent of her mother's expectations and demands. And while Tomoe had been willing to compromise recently, Kagami still worried that this freedom could be illusory, that her mother's attitude could change. "If that were to happen, though, it would make life that much harder for you," Luka finished sympathetically. She tensed, looking away. "But you are not alone in this, babe. You know I'll be right here with you through this – whatever happens."
She nodded, squeezing him tighter. "I know. I trust you." She fell quiet, the tension still present in her shoulders.
"You're still anxious," he observed, kneading her shoulder blades with his fingers.
She groaned, rolling her head and leaning forward to let him massage her neck. Finally she sighed. "It's this trip," she admitted, letting out a breath. "Working for Mother feels different now. It isn't just hanging out with my friends and tasting pastries anymore. Some of these are companies that Mother has been working with since before I was born. Some of the people I'm going to meet on this trip watched me grow up – they have grandchildren older than me! And if I make a mistake…"
Luka paused with his hand on the base of her neck. "How long have you been doing this, babe?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair.
"Too long and not long enough."
He chuckled. "You've got this," he told her. "You know what you're doing – you practically eat, sleep, and breathe this stuff!"
"Sorry."
"Don't be."
"I imagine it's boring to listen to it…"
"Actually, I find it more adorable than anything!"
"I sssuppossse this is an example of how well you complement each other," Sass mused, glancing at Longg.
"That is the best foundation for a relationship," Longg agreed. "The only way that you can remain together is to be willing to work together and compromise."
"Are you thinking long-term?" asked Luka, arching an eyebrow.
"Are you not?" Sass retorted, giving him a knowing look.
Kagami giggled, her song lighter than it had been. "You know," she began, "on that subject… The last time Adrien and Marinette flew somewhere together, they returned engaged."
Luka's lips turned up in a smile, looking down into her eyes. "Are you hoping this will end the same?"
She leaned back and gave him a mischievous smirk. "Well? Is that what you're hoping for?" He chuckled, thinking about the engagement ring he'd considered buying with one of his royalty checks last month – a simple band with a small diamond that was less likely to give her trouble while fencing. At the time, however, he had decided against the purchase, though the thought remained in the back of his mind. Kagami gave him a quick kiss and admitted, "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. Don't get me wrong; there's nowhere else I would want to be and no one else I would want to be with than right here with you. But still. We've only been dating six months."
He nodded and gave her another tender kiss. "I agree we're not quite there yet," he told her. "All the same, I absolutely do want to spend the rest of my life with you. So when the time is right…"
She smiled. "When the time is right, you know me so well, I think you already know what my answer will be." She stifled a yawn, and Luka checked his watch. "What time is it?" she asked, her eyes drifting closed.
"What time zone is it?" he replied with a shrug. "It's definitely bedtime somewhere, whatever time it might be here – and wherever 'here' even is. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take a nap." He hit the seat control to recline his seat back into a bed and shifted onto his side to give Kagami a little more space on the seat. Kagami stretched out next to him, her arm snaking around to his back. He ran his hand down her side and held her against him, and pulled a blanket over them both as she snuggled in under his chin.