The next morning you woke up earlier than usual and prepared a small carry-on for the plane, only packing toiletries, spare clothes and underwear as you couldn't think of much else to bring. Your phone suddenly buzzed alerting you to a voice note from Lionel. You smiled at his new found way of communicating and sat to listen.
"Christ it's too early, I'm not fully awake so excuse the morning voice. I quite frankly couldn't be bothered to type this out and wouldn't put you through a phone call. So this seemed the better option. I'm grabbing a coffee and a bagel, do you fancy anything or is it too early for food? Let me know, see you soon."
You grinned, quickly responding with your own.
"You sound fine, Sir, your voice is as sultry as ever. I'll have whatever you're having, thank you. I'll be there shortly." You chirped, sounding much more invigorated than Lionel after his message perked you up.
You arrived at the airport at 5:30am, ready to wait around in seemingly endless queues for the next two hours and hopefully board your flight at 7:30am.
"Hey." You smiled, coming up behind him and poking his waist as he nodded sleepily in response and handed you your breakfast.
"Hello." He soothed, pulling you in to kiss your cheek and sighing at the contact he had clearly longed for all morning.
"Thanks for this." You hummed, eagerly biting into your bagel.
"You're way too energetic... do you know what time it is?" He grumbled, furrowing his brows and smiling slightly as he watched you struggle to stand still.
"Shhh, I'm excited, don't ruin the vibe." You scolded. He scoffed, rolling his eyes in defeat and guiding you through crowds of people towards the check-in desk.
After you both checked in and sorted out your luggage, you breezed through security surprisingly quickly and made your way to the gate.
"It looks like we board in twenty minutes." Lionel grumbled, still coming to terms with being awake so early.
"Has the coffee not kicked in yet, boss?" You mocked, smirking at him as he sat beside you. He shot you a look, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head.
"Are you going to make me regret making you my plus one?" He growled.
"As if you had any other options... You did this to yourself I'm afraid." You scoffed, smiling sweetly. He rolled his eyes and settled into his seat, crossing his arms and deciding to have a quick nap.
The gates finally opened and you nudged Lionel, teasing him for being so tired and grumpy. He scoffed, insisting he was just resting his eyes.
"H-how long is the flight?" You asked cautiously, suddenly feeling your heart sink as you boarded the plane and sat down in the window seat.
"About an hour and fifteen, possibly longer if we take off late... why?" He questioned, leaning back into his seat and raising an eyebrow at you as your leg began to shake.
"N-no reason, just wondered." You muttered, avoiding eye contact and closing the blind.
"You're not a nervous flyer then...?" He teased, playfully unclipping your belt and smirking as you scowled and fastened it again.
"I'm only messing with you... is it a genuine fear?" He asked, softening his tone as he noticed how agitated you were getting.
"Yes." You mumbled, embarrassed. Lionel sighed and reached out to rest his hand on your leg in an attempt to soothe you.
"Deep breaths, it'll be over before you know it." He cooed, tracing circles into your knee and playing with the hem of your skirt. "This is cute..." He muttered, pursing his lips as he studied your outfit. You blushed, feeling instantly more relaxed as he attempted to distract you from the flight.
You broke from your calm state as the plane began to taxi round, getting ready to take off.
"What can I do to help?" Lionel hummed, continuing to smooth his palm up and down your thigh as you did your best to focus on his soft touch.
"Th-that seems to help..." You admitted, reclining in your chair as he raised a brow at your words.
