30 October 2020

Prompt: Flight

Character/Pairing: Dingo King (OC), Luka Couffaine

Rating: T / PG-13 / Teen

Notes: I got this idea of Luka being scared of flying/getting airsick, and Idk if it's fully feasible but I kinda love it?

Luka's hands clutch the armrests in a white-knuckled grip. Dingo tries not to snicker, but it's hard: he's never seen him so freaked out before. Luka's one of the chillest people he knows, and to see him so bent out of shape over something as second-nature to Dingo as flying is…something.

Up until their boarding call, he would have sworn that Luka Couffaine wasn't scared of anything. He's seen Luka run straight into the line of fire during akuma battles. He's seen Luka do plenty of stupid shit without his Miraculous, too. Things that normal people would be scared of but Luka always approached with a devil-may-care smile. To Dingo, who's been flying since he was a kid (he was five the first time they'd left Australia, and his life has been a series of long-ass plane rides back ever since), the thought that someone like Luka could get so rattled by a plane is just crazy.

"Mate," he says, sounding half exasperated and half amused. Luka won't even look at him. He just presses his head harder against the headrest and groans. "Relax. It's just a plane."

"I hate flying," Luka mutters through clenched teeth. "I have never flown before, but I know I'm going to hate it. I hate this so much."

"…what?" Dingo asks, propping his shades up to get a better look at him. Luka's lips are pressed together so tightly they've turned white. "You've been to Scotland almost every summer since I've known you."

"We sail," Luka says, as if that's explanation enough. Dingo is baffled.

"No way," he laughs, because what else can he do? It's absurd. He knows Luka lives on a boat, but he's never seen the Liberty actually sail (…well, aside from that one time it was supercharged by evil butterflies). "Every time?"

"Every time," Luka confirms. There's an announcement from the front of the plane: they'll be taking off in five minutes. "Ma…Ma flew once, but it was an emergency and we didn't go with her. Boat Kid, remember?"

"Yeah, but…planes are so much faster," Dingo says with a helpless little wave of his hand. "Shit. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

He wouldn't have been so insistent about Luka joining him if he'd known. Well. That's not entirely true, but he would've been better prepared.

"I wanted to come," Luka says, and it says a lot about his mental state that he doesn't elbow Dingo when he snickers. "This is important to you, so it's important to me. And I have to get over this anyway, right? Before…oh, God…"

He screws his eyes shut tighter and grits his teeth. He looks like he's going to be sick.

"Breathe through your nose," Dingo says. He's not sure how that will help, but he'd heard somewhere that it should. "Count to ten and think of Marinette."

…he did punch him that time, but at least he's smiling now. That's an improvement, even if he still looks ill.

"I can't wait to see you tell Jagged Stone you're scared of flying," Dingo snickers after Luka's taken a few deep, steadying breaths. Luka's hand hasn't returned to the armrest yet, so he slaps him again. "You've been on tour before, though!"

"European tour. We took the bus everywhere," Luka says. He bumps his head back against the seat. "London we took the train. Penny says flying with a crocodile is a logistical nightmare."

"I want to feel bad for you, but this is kinda hilarious," Dingo say, leaning back in his seat. "Do you need a bag? You gonna ralph?"

"Asshole," Luka groans.

"Still thinking of Mari?" Dingo wheedles.

"If I was thinking about Mari I'd be safe in bed right now," Luka bites. "Don't make me kill you."

"It'll be easier after takeoff," Dingo tries to reassure him. "Takeoff's the worst of it."

"Oh, God," Luka groans, his entire body recoiling in a wince, "we're gonna be in the air."

"…that's the point of flying, yep," Dingo says.

"I belong in the water," Luka says. "Pirates don't fly. We float."

"We all float down here," Dingo teases, and Luka punches him again.

"Ass. Hole," he bites, but then the seatbelt light is on and they're being told they're good to go. Luka's only marginally better once they're in the air, but it's almost a full day of flying to Sydney and their only stop is many hours away yet. Luka sleeps through most of the first part. Dingo has to drug him with a sleeping medication found at the airport pharmacy for the second.

Luka's more than a little green when they finally touch down in Dingo's motherland, having woken up about an hour before landing and spending the remainder of the flight running scales in his mind. It's almost worth all the hassle when Dingo's least favorite aunt greets them at the airport and, instead of introducing himself like the polite young adult he is, Luka immediately hurls on her shoes.