“All passengers with ‘Group 2’ on their ticket may begin boarding now.”

 

Your boyfriend and you gathered up your bags and made your way to the gate. Onew squeezed your hand reassuringly as you went through the line together, your fear of flying slowly encroaching on you.

 

When you had finally gotten on board and put your suitcases in the overhead compartment, Onew slid into the window seat and guided you into your own on the aisle of the plane, his hand firmly intertwined with yours. His thumb ran gentle circles on the back of your hand and a soft smile helped to ease the panic you could feel bubbling below the surface.

 

It wasn’t so much the plane itself that scared you, nor the claustrophobia that tended to encroach upon most passengers, but the idea of being so high up in the air and the silly notion your brain forced you to entertain yourself with that the plane could stop at any moment made your levels of anxiety soar through the roof. You tried to avoid flying as much as possible, but going overseas meant that it usually couldn’t be avoided. Thankfully, Onew was here with you for this particular flight.

 

Your seatbelt was buckled the moment you got settled in and your grip on your boyfriend was viciously tight. The flight attendants began demonstrating the appropriate safety measures while the airplane began to taxi forward. As the plane jolted, you let out a squeak, causing Onew to give you a surprised look.

 

“Sorry,” you said, looking around you warily. Your grip began to loosen on his hand, but he tightened his in response and looked you in the eyes.

 

“Hey, listen to me. I’m right here, okay? Don’t worry about hurting me or anything, just focus on me, alright?” He brought your hand, intertwined with his, over onto his lap and placed his other hand on top of the pile, providing another squeeze to encourage you.

 

Onew instructed you to take deep breaths, guiding you into a calm state. The peace persisted until the plane started its ascent into the heavens. Another squeal escaped your mouth and you dove into the arms of your boyfriend, who wrapped his arms around you without hesitation. Your head was pressed firmly into his chest, the zipper from his hoodie digging into your cheek, but you had far greater concerns at the moment.

 

After a whimper escaped, Onew shifted in his seat as much as he could to hold you a little tighter. “Hey, did I tell you about what Key told Minho the other day?” he asked, looking for any subject that might distract you. Feeling you shake your head, he launched into a story, trying his hardest to keep your mind off of the little bumps in the air as the plane made its way up. You were extremely grateful to him; his voice was angelic and musical anyways, but you loved how it sounded when he was talking to you about something he loved, whether it was his work, his friends, or you.

 

As the airplane encountered each little bump of turbulence, you would latch on a little bit tighter. At some point you realized that a large portion of the top half of his shirt was crumpled up into your fist, and you released it. Onew chuckled at the wrinkles left by your fingers. You smoothed out the shirt and placed your hand flat against his chest, his strong heartbeat underneath your fingers lulling you to sleep….

 

Somewhere along the flight, Onew lifted the arm rest between your seats and removed his hoodie, placing it over you. Your head rested on his shoulder and one of your hands lay on his lap, still attached to your boyfriend for comfort. You had no idea when you had fallen asleep; bits and pieces of the flight attendant asking if you wanted a drink and the person in the seat in front of you getting up to go to the restroom floated through the state of unconsciousness you were in, but the rest of the flight was thankfully a blur.

 

With Onew’s strong scent surrounding you totally you felt completely protected and didn’t let out so much as a whimper when there was a bump in the flight. Once or twice you awoke enough to glance up at your boyfriend, his dark eyes lovingly staring down at you before you laid your head back down to doze off once more. Everything about him-his warmth, his tenderness, his voice-made you feel comfortable, protected, and loved.

 

Sometime later, Onew softly placed his hand on your cheek and it with his thumb. “_____. Morning, sunshine. It’s time to get up.” Hearing your groan, he laughed before kissing the top of your head. “I know, alarm clocks . But if you stay asleep you might be stuck on the airplane, and I’m pretty sure you’d rather be somewhere else.”

 

“Alright, if you insist,” you said. “But watch out for the morning breath,” you said through an enormous yawn.

 

“That doesn’t bother me,” Onew said, leaning over and pressing his lips to yours. Your eyes closed for a minute, enjoying the kiss as a last moment of tranquility before the descent of the plane. When Onew pulled back, he quickly kissed your forehead before wrapping his arms around you to help calm your anxiety.

 

The descent was nowhere near as difficult as the liftoff, although the change in altitude was significantly harsher on your ears. You rubbed your left ear with your hand, partially to help soothe the pain but also as an expression of the anxiety bubbling up inside of you. Keeping your hands busy always helped you to take your mind off of your panic, and while this wasn’t the best option, it was certainly better than nothing.

 

Noticing your discomfort, Onew reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a sleek black cardboard container. “Want some gum?”

 

You nodded and took the piece, wrapped in green tinfoil. “Is this for the air pressure or the morning breath?” you teased as the scent of spearmint permeated the air around the two of you.

 

“Mmm, both,” Onew said assuredly. You gave him an incredulous look, which caused him to break into a huge grin and poke you in your stomach. A squeak escaped your mouth and you swatted at your boyfriend’s shoulder, hitting him harder than expected. Onew then proceeded to act as if he was mortally wounded, quietly groaning and mumbling things like “Tell my parents I love them” and “It was a good life”. You laughed so hard but you were forced to keep the volume to a minimum because of the surroundings, so your sides and your head began to hurt.

 

By the time the two of you had settled down, the plane was about to land. You closed your eyes and clutched Onew’s left arm with both hands. He had kindly closed the window so you wouldn’t accidentally look up and see the touchdown in action, but nevertheless you kept your face pressed against his shoulder. His warming presence made you feel safe, surrounded, and cared for, even without his arms around you.         

 

The landing wasn’t the bumpiest you had ever experienced but it was still uncomfortable; you kept your face buried in Onew’s shoulder until the plane had come to a complete stop. He said nothing as you pried yourself away, but instead took your hand and intertwined your fingers with his, making sure that you knew he was still there.

 

Since you were on the ground now, you felt your pulse began to slow down, and you realized that you were actually quite warm. You removed the hoodie from your lap and handed it back to the owner, who carefully folded it up. “Awww, it smells like you now,” he said, cuddling the soft blue jacket close to his face.

 

“Good,” you said, your heart melting a little over how caring and adorable you boyfriend was being today. You leaned over and gave him a quick peck at the tip of his nose, causing a slight blush to touch his cheeks. You settled back down against him and waited for the ordeal to be over.

 

Thankfully, in the next twenty minutes the plane had docked and everyone was on their way off. Through a chorus of “Excuse me”s and “Sorry”s, Onew and you had managed to make your way off of the plane and out into the airport. You didn’t realize how badly your hands were shaking until Onew turned around and took both of your hands in his.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking deep into your eyes for any remaining traces of panic. His thumbs gingerly rubbed the tops of your hands, and you felt calmness beginning to seep into you once again.

 

“I’m better now,” you assured your boyfriend. “Thank you for taking such good care of me. And I’m sorry for any damage I caused in the process.”

 

Onew chuckled. “No, it’s all right. As long as you’re all in one piece, then so am I.” He let go of one of your hands but held onto the other, pulling you along towards the exit. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get back home so we can get some proper rest.”

 

“Okay,” you said. “But remember you said morning breath doesn’t bother you, so don’t be shocked tomorrow.”

 

“No, it doesn’t bother me at all,” he said, leaning over to kiss the top of your head. “As long as it’s you.”