A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry It's taken so long for me to update :'( School has started, and the homework is already started to pile up. I'm also involved with a lot of school groups this year, so that's taking up more of my time.

Honestly, I probably would have waited another week to update, but some of y'alls reviews have been SO SWEET! I love you guys

Here's the continuation of the road trip AU! I've had so much fun with this story, I can't even explain it XD

I do not own the Lunar Chronicles

The whole restaurant fiasco took four straight hours to sort out.

The one police officer that arrived was immediately followed by three others, none of whom seemed too amused by the sea of customers and staff that swarmed them on arrival. About a quarter of the customers (most likely the regular attendees) and all of the staff complained about the disturbance the seven of them had made, while another fifty percent of the customers argued on their behalf. One man in particular who was seated in the bar during the scuffle drunkenly boasted Wolf's wrestling abilities, breaking one of the few intact tables in the process. The last 25% didn't take sides and instead demanded refunds.

Needless to say it was a busy night for the officers.

At first Levana wouldn't shut up, flailing her arms dramatically, fake-sobbing over how Kai "mercilessly broke her heart," and even resorting to flirting with one of the policemen. She suddenly grew quiet when one of the officers reviewed the tape of the incident, muttering something along the lines of "sexual harassment."

Cinder's violent actions towards Levana were definitely not ignored, however. After some embarrassed stuttering from her and calm delegating from Kai, it was decided that charges would be dropped on both sides as long as Cinder and the rest of them never set foot at Levana's ever again and paid part of the cost for the broken furniture and wine bottles (it was agreed that they were responsible for about half the damage). Levana didn't want the skirmish to go public, so the idea of a lawsuit was completely shut down.

"I don't see why we have to pay anything," Thorne muttered, childishly crossing his arms in front of his chest. Everyone but Kai and Wolf, who were still talking with the policemen, was waiting in the Rampion. "I never even got to finish my food, and the spaghetti was cold anyway."

Cinder sent him a halfhearted glare. "Don't you dare complain. We're lucky that this incident isn't all over the news and we're not losing our jobs."

"That'd be cool, though."

"Thorne!"

He rose his hands up in defense. "Not the losing our jobs part! It would just be cool to be on the news. Like, I've always wondered what it would be like being a wanted criminal, venturing from country to country to escape the law…" he got a goofy grin on his face, lost in his thoughts.

"That's stupid," Scarlet deadpanned.

"You'd get caught," Iko agreed. "Like, super easily."

Thorne scoffed, dismissing them with a wave of a hand. "I don't know what you guys are talking about. I'd be an amazing criminal, right Cress?"

Cress gnawed on her lower lip, avoiding his gaze. Thorne frowned. "Cress?" he prodded.

"…well, you're not quite sneaky."

Thorne raised his eyebrows while Scarlet leaned in, amused. "What do you mean?"

Cress winced. "You know how every year we hide each other's Christmas gifts in our own apartments?"

Thorne blinked. "Uh, yeah?"

"Um… I find mine every year."

There was a solid ten seconds of silence. Then Scarlet snorted. That was enough to set Iko off, which set Cinder off, which set Scarlet off, and Thorne was just a shocked face amidst three girls' screeching laughter.

"What?! But you're always so surprised when you open them! You loved the telescope I got you last year!"

"I just pretend I'm an actress playing a scene in a movie and fake it," Cress admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"But why would youwant to know what your gift is?"

"I don't! You just put them in obvious places, like your medicine cabinet and the closet, and I accidentally see them!" She paused, eyes widening as she remembered something. "In fact, two years ago you tried to hide my laptop case in the refrigerator. And I'm the one who cooks your meals half the time!"

This statement threw the three girls, who were just now recovering from their last laugh attack, into another fit of hysterics.

Thorne's head was now in his hands, grasping at his hair. "Why didn't you tell me?" he moaned.

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings?" Cress shrugged, obviously holding in her laughter. "Plus I was able to subtly hint at gifts I wanted if you bought me a crappy one."

"Like what?" Scarlet grabbed Cress's arm, diverting her attention. "What crappy gifts did he get?"

Cress, a ghost of a smile gracing her features, tapped her chin in thought. "Well… once he almost gave me a blow-up foot bath. I subtly convinced him to buy me this really cute necklace instead."

"A FOOT BATH!" Cinder's grin was wiped from her face, replaced with a menacing glare. "That's what you gave me for my birthday last year!"

Thorne shrunk back in his seat. "Um… oops?"

The cops considered investigating the pained screams emitting from the van, but Kai stopped them. "Thorne probably just said something stupid," He reassured. "No biggie. It happens all the time."

~o0o~

By the time they finally arrived at the hotel, they practically collapsed from exhaustion, throwing their suitcases aside and sprawling on the beds and furniture.

"Guess that was strike one." Cinder weakly chuckled at her lame attempt at a joke, kicking off her heels and grabbing a nearby pillow to cover her face. Kai plopped down next to her, allowing Cinder to rest her head in his lap while he smoothed her hair.

"It all ended up working out. Don't worry about it."

"Kai, I think you forgot that Cinder has a PHD in worrying," Thorne commented, barely dodging the pillow she flung at him.

Scarlet peeled herself off of the armchair, resting on the side of the bed. "Hey, even if this trip didn't start out great, we still have a bunch of other things to look forward to."

"And it still beats our last few vacations by a landslide," Wolf agreed, allowing a half-smile on his face. "At least this time we got some action out of it."

"Minus the hospital visits," Iko chirped from the other bed, her braided up-do reduced to a knotted blue mess. This roused a chuckle from Cinder.

"Alright, I did enjoy tackling Levana to the ground," Cinder admitted.

"And Cress freaking kicked that douchebag of a waiter in the balls! Are we just going to ignore that?" Thorne dramatically gestured to his girlfriend, who was covering her face with her hands to stifle her giggles.

"I caught it all on video!" Iko added, enthusiastically waving her camera in the air. This elicited a series of whoops from the group, and the uncomfortable mood hanging over them disappeared.

"By the way, I'm starving," Wolf admitted, loosening his tie. Thorne vigorously nodded in agreement.

"We could order a pizza?" Kai suggested, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"No offense, dude, but I'm sick of Italian food," Thorne groaned.

"Well, technically delivery pizza that we eat today originated-"

"Kai, do you really want to be that guy? Just order some freaking food already!"

And thirty minutes later they were surrounded by takeout containers, dresses and suits replaced with oversized T-shirts and pajama pants. There was little to no conversation, just a chorus of chewing mixed in with a few yawns. By this point it was past midnight, and they still had to get up early for the next leg of the trip.

"Alright, it's time to address the elephant in the room," Thorne admitted, tossing his takeout container in the trash and standing up. "There are two beds and seven of us. How's this going to work?"

The group silently exchanged looks. "Ze'ev and I are married," Scarlet said suppressing a smirk. "That means we should have a bed to ourselves, 'cause we have seniority."

"Yeah, but I'm the oldest in the group," Thorne reminded them. "So don't I technically have seniority?"

"Funny thing is he acts like he's twelve," Iko muttered to Cress, who giggled in response.

Cinder stood up, collecting the rest of the empty containers and addressing the entire group with an authoritative tone. "Since this trip is my responsibility, I'll make the decision. I think we should have the girls sleep in one bed and the boys in another."

"C'mon, Cinder, this isn't middle school," Thorne whined.

Iko stood up as well, placing an arm on Cinder's shoulder. "As the only single person in this group, I absolutely agree with this decision. I don't want to see you guys spooning and smooching in bed." She paused, pondering a thought for a moment. "Then again, that hot waiter did say that he was calling my tomorrow, so maybe I won't mind as much then…"

"Yeah, this is the best option," Kai agreed. "Sure, an extra hotel room with more beds would be nice, but we're already paying thousands of dollars for damages at Levana's. We don't want to push it."

With a mixture of agreement and grumbles, they all crawled into their respective beds, muttering goodnights and shutting off the lights. The room was silent, save for the slight rustle of sheets as people adjusted themselves into comfortable positions."

"…Uh, guys?"

"Shuddup, Thorne."

"But-"

"No. Sh."

"…"

"I have to pee."

~o0o~

It was about two in the morning when Kai was jolted awake, startled by one of Wolf's more guttural snores. Moaning softly, he smoothed down his hair, which was now sticking up in thick black clumps. He sat up in bed, carefully crawling over Thorne, whose legs were previously on top of him.

At first he was just going to grab some complimentary ear plugs and burrow back under the covers, but a noise in the bathroom caught his attention. He couldn't make out much with his tired eyes and with the darkness of the room, but the girls' bed appeared to have one less lump than before.

Stumbling over to the bathroom, he attempted to say "Cinder?" but it came out more like "Crndarr?"

The shuffling coming from in the bathroom paused, and the door cracked open. A small figure slipped out, though the identity of the person wasn't clear due to the darkness. "Ka-" she started, but she was cut off by another one of Wolf's loud snorts. Kai squinted, and he was able to make out a pony tail on her head. That was enough.

In three short strides he was at her side, enveloping her into his arms. She snuggled into him comfortably.

"We haven't had a minute alone together on this trip," Kai murmured, his voice a deep rumble in his throat. Cinder hummed her agreement, still pressed against him. He didn't know if it was the fact that he couldn't see her or if she was just tired of taking on responsibility, but she seemed so much smaller in that moment. Together they walked back into one of the arm chairs, still in each other's arms.

"What if they wake up?" Cinder whispered timidly, freezing against Kai. He chuckled at her sudden shyness, attributing it to her exhaustion.

"Nah, if they haven't already woken up from Wolf's snores, they never will." Cinder giggled at that, and Kai took that opportunity to swoop down and capture her lips with us. The kiss felt different than their other ones, more sweet than passionate, though Kai wasn't complaining. At one point Cinder's hands began combing through his hair before they wrapped around his neck. He tightened his grip on her waist, moving from her mouth to her jaw and peppering kisses down her neck

"Stars, I love you," he muttered against her skin, smiling when she recaptured his lips with hers, pulling him in for one more extensive kiss. It was a while before their lips parted, and at this point there was no concern for the others in the room.

"I love you too, Captain," she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. Kai paused, laughing softly in disbelief.

"Cinder, I don't think this is the time for role play."

She stiffened against him, slowly removing her head from his shoulder. "What?"

"So were you thinking captain and flight attendant or something else? I mean, it's not really my cup of tea, but if you're up for it-"

"No, why did you call me Cinder?"

There was a pause as they both stared at each other, their vision finally adjusting to the darkness.

"We should probably move to the hallway," Kai said quietly. She nodded.

The minute the door closed, Cress started hyperventilating.

"Oh my stars, Kai, I'm so so so sorry! I was positive you were Carswell! What's he going to do when he finds out? Spades, he's going to go crazy and murder you like Guadalupe in the net drama Wives and Lies!"

"Cress, just breathe," Kai reasoned, though his voice took on a slight waver. He reached out his hands to comfort her, but immediately retracted them when he recalled the events that just occurred. "If it makes you feel any better, I was convinced you were Cinder by your ponytail."

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Er… I actually don't know…"

Cress sighed, pulling out her hair and nervously running her fingers through it. "So what should we do, then?"

Kai clasped his hands, shaking his head. "Honestly, I think we should just forget it."

"Forget it? Like, pretend it didn't happen?"

"Yeah. Cinder is already stressed enough about this whole trip, and this would just make things worse."

Cress chewed on her lower lip, averting her eyes to the floor. "You're right," she admitted, though her tone didn't sound too convinced. "Could we tell them eventually though? I just can't keep this from him forever."

"Of course! I don't want to promote dishonesty or anything, it's just…" Kai sighed, rubbing his hand on his face. "Look, I didn't want to tell anyone, but it's killing me and I have to say it."

Cress cocked her head to the side. "What's going on, Kai?"

"This trip is… it's important. I've been waiting for an ideal time for this to happen, and I think that time is now." He exhaled, a grin creeping across his face. "I'm going to ask Cinder to marry me."

"Oh my stars, Kai, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you two!" The awkwardness of the situation melted away, and Cress drew him in for a brief hug. "Iko was starting to worry; she bet Wolf $50 that you guys would be engaged before the summer was over."

"Thanks, Cress." His smile stayed, but his eyes were serious. "And I just feel like something like this would make that moment less special. It was an accident, of course, and Cinder and Thorne will get that, but it's still kind of awkward."

"Of course." Cress nodded firmly in agreement. "We should probably get back in there, by the way. Everyone's waking up in about three hours to head out, and we're probably going to be exhausted if we don't get some sleep."

"Right." Kai silently opened the door, gesturing for Cress to enter.

~o0o~

Cinder's phone alarm went off at the scheduled time of 5 in the morning. She yawned, falling out of bed when she attempted to get up.

"Ow," she moaned.

"You okay?" Scarlet drowsily questioned, rolling over to peer over the side of the bed. Cinder had already fallen asleep again, however, so she had to poke her in the side. "Cinder?"

"M-hmm?"

"I don't think you should drive today."

"'Kay."

Iko waltzed into the room from the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. "Dang, Cinder, that's some intense bedhead!"

Scarlet peered over at her again, laughing. "Yeah, it really is. Hey Cress," she said, nudging her sleeping form with her foot, "look at this!"

"Hmm?" Cress raised her head slowly, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes. "Oh, morning guys."

"Morning," Cinder replied from the floor. "Iko, how are you already up?"

"Unlike Beyoncé, I can't just wake up like this. These lashes take time." She smiled cheekily, fluttering her eyelids.

"Wus going on?" Wolf's head was suddenly peeking out under the covers, eyes half-lidded.

"Just brush your teeth and put on a shirt, babe. Oh, and Cinder, where are we going today?" Scarlet added.

"Water park. It'll be fun." She finally crawled up onto her feet, making her way to the bathroom. "Wolf, can you get Kai and Thorne up? We need to leave in twenty minutes."

"Got it." He sent a knowing glance towards Scarlet, who tossed him two extra pillows. Wielding a pillow in each fist, he simultaneously whacked both guys on the head, effectively waking them up.

"MOM IT'S SATURDAY!" Thorne screamed, flailing his limbs dramatically before freezing, aware of everyone's stares on him.

"It's Tuesday, Captain," Cress corrected, suppressing a grin.

"…Oh."

Within minutes they were all up and moving around the room, scrambling to grab their possessions that were strewn about and cramming in the bathroom to take showers and brush their teeth. Cress volunteered to go ahead and begin bringing suitcases down to the Rampion since she was already prepared, and Thorne decided to go with her.

"I feel like we haven't had a single moment together this whole time," Thorne muttered when they began loading the car. Cress shuddered at his words, which seemed far too close to Kai's.

"Yeah." They continued to place their luggage in the trunk in silence. Thorne paused suddenly, casting a sideways glance at her. She cleared her throat, pretending not to notice.

"Hey, Cress." She mustered up the courage to meet his gaze. His intense blue eyes seemed to look directly into her soul, and at that moment she was almost positive that he knew she kissed Kai. He took a step closer, and her breathe hitched in her throat.

"Yes, Captain?" His hand landed on her shoulder, slowly moving upward until it caressed her cheek.

"I never got to ask you," he whispered, "Did he strike you?"

At first Cress was confused, but his touch, although gentle, sent a stinging pain running through her jaw, reminding her of yesterday's events. "Oh, that waiter?"

Thorne frowned at the mere thought of him. "Yeah. You have a bruise."

"Is it bad?"

Thorne snorted. "You're worried about how it looks? Aces, Cress, you're too cute."

As a sudden impulse Cress balanced herself on her toes and gave him a swift peck on the lips, reddening slightly when she lowered herself. Thorne was grinning like an idiot, making her blush even deeper.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

She kept her gaze on the pavement. "I dunno."

She suddenly felt herself being lifted off of the ground and over Thorne's shoulder, squealing as he set her on the back seat. He crawled in himself, shutting the door. "Looks like we're finally getting some alone time," he smirked.

~o0o~

Scarlet found herself aimlessly rolling a pencil on the hotel room floor. Cress and Thorne were out putting suitcases away (though she suspected that more than that was going on), Wolf was taking a shower, Cinder was double checking the location of the water park, Kai had fallen asleep again, and Iko was pacing nervously around the room.

Wait… Iko was nervous?

Scarlet, relieved that she could finally do something, walked over to her. "Hey, Iko, are you alright?"

"YeahI'mgreatwhywouldn'tIbe?" She followed her one-word sentence with a high-pitched laugh that belonged in a children's cartoon.

"Oh, I'll leave you alone then-"

"Alright, you convinced me!" Iko latched onto Scarlet's arm and dragged her into the hallway, slamming the door.

"Iko, what-"

Iko silenced her by placing a firm finger on her lips. "Scarlet, I will tell you what's on my mind, but you can't tell anyone what happened."

Scarlet nodded, and her lips were released. "Okay, I promise. What's going on?"

She took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling, fluttering her eyes shut. "I saw Cress and Kai make out last night."

"WHAT?!"

Iko was now rapidly fanning her face. "I KNOW!"

"OH MY STARS! WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM?" Scarlet pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, wait, this has to be a mistake. Cinder and Kai and Cress and Thorne love each other."

"Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are," Iko agreed, wrapping her arms around her torso.

"What happened? Tell me everything."

Iko recalled last night's events, how she woke up from one of Wolf's snores and witnessed the two of them embracing in the chair by the bed before whispering to each other and going out into the hallway.

"I was so shocked that I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up the rest of the night getting ready and silently freaking out," she finished. "So WHAT SHOULD WE DO!?"

"Spades, Iko!" Scarlet covered her ears, wincing from her sudden outburst. Iko sighed dejectedly.

"Sorry, Scar. I'm kind of freaking out. Cinder is my best friend, and this news would crush her, especially on this big trip."

"What we need to do first is figure out what is exactly is going on and how long it's been going on," Scarlet decided. "We can't go to Cinder and Thorne without definite information."

Iko nodded, squirming slightly. "Should we tell Wolf?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He sucks at keeping secrets," Scarlet admitted. "It's not something he'd be super interested in, anyway. But we can get him involved if it turns out Kai needs his ass kicked."

"Good idea. So for now are we keeping quiet?"

"Yeah. Iko, we have some detective work to do.

~o0o~