Week 1F: Vacation
Sailor Raspberry
373 words
Mamoru's stomach tumbled as he stepped through the small threshold and into the tight spaced, compacted coach class of the airplane. Behind him, Usagi bumped and bustled with her carry-on bags, smiling and greeting other passengers with a marvelous grin. She had been delighted when they finally settled on a trip overseas for vacation. Apparently, she still was.
He successfully located their seats, glad that he had not tripped over his own feet, or Usagi's, for that matter. She bumped into him as he stopped, and with a placid smile, she stood on the tip of her toes and pushed a bag into the overhead compartment.
She claimed the window seat, pulling up the blind and pressing her curious face against it. "This is amazing, Mamoru! Aren't you excited?" He nodded, though she did not see it, because she busied herself by searching for their luggage on the tram.
But he wasn't excited. He was nervous. Nauseous, even, because he had promised himself he wouldn't step foot onto a plane for the rest of his life. He had sworn to it.
And yet there he was, seatbelt buckled tight and hands sweaty as the flight attendant made her rounds.
He was shaking like a leaf.
Usagi was looking at him, eyes wide and face marred with the look of worry. "Mamoru," she whispered, raising one pale hand to touch his jaw. "Are you alright?"
He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I'm fine. Peachy."
She read the lie as easily as a page out of a picture book.
Grasping his heated cheeks in both hands, she brought her forehead to his. "Mamoru," a stern, solid voice. His stomach knotted. "I want you to know that, no matter what, I'm here. Always."
He looked at her long and hard, breath fanning over her face as her eyes drank in his. The pilot's voice beeped over the intercom.
Usagi pulled back slowly, bringing a finger to his nose. "I love you."
A smile arced across his lips, and he bent his head away to kiss the tip of it. "Thank you."
Her own smile sparkled, and as she sat back, she snatched a hand out of his jacket.
He held it fiercely.