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"This sucks."
King Halo nearly drops her phone after the sudden admission from the figure next to her. She stands up from her chair fast enough to send it clattering backwards.
"Excuse me?!" The bewildered King's face rapidly starts souring into anger until a pair of half-lidded sapphires lazily look up at the haughty uma.
"Hold on, hold on." Seiun Sky grunts as they lean back in their seat for more comfortable lounging. "Mmh. All better.~" mumbles King's girlfriend now that the morning sunlight is not directly on their face. King pushes an annoyed huff past her lips at the exchange, sitting back down without a word. She turns her attention back to meticulously triple checking today's agenda on her device: confirming their reservations, checking for road closures that may impede their arrival times, verifying the points of interest are still open for viewing after she checked a few hours earlier, and other such fretting over her first-rate vacation itineraey. Her obsessive review blocks out everything else from the gentle sea breeze floating through her fluffy hair to the gorgeous ocean view sprawled out in front of the balcony of her hotel room that she and Sky are "relaxing" on.
King taps and swipes away until she finally reaches the last item on her checklist and smiles. Everything is in order.
…
Wait, did I make sure the tickets for the seaplane show were for the rescheduled time? Icy panic grips her veins. She dives back into her e-mail inbox to fish out the confirmation message. Before she can land her thumb on it, however, a hand grabs King Halo's wrist to stop her.
"Hey."
It's a single word, but the weight behind it sounds more like a command than a simple request for attention. King's anxiously swishing tail locks up. She can't look over. Swallowing is dry, ashen.
"Sky. Please, I need to check something." King's voice is flat and hollow. Her face is whiter than the curtains loosely dancing around the sliding door to their room. She tries to move her thumb down, but Seiun Sky blocks the attempt and gently squeezes King's hand.
"No, you don't." retorts her companion. King shakes her head negatively. The motion is stiff.
"Yes, I do, because I had to change the time to the later showing, so what if they—"
"It's fine. I'm sure of it."
A tiny gasp pulls from her lips. King Halo finally turns to the uma at her side. The look in their eyes burns her. Sky gazes intensely at their partner, yet not out of anger or disappointment. All King can decipher is… concern? Worry? Pity? Something about it makes King angry.
"I went through a lot of trouble to make sure that our trip sees all of the first-rate destinations in the narrow time we have here." King huffs, jerking away from Sky's loose link around her wrist. Neither averts their gazes now that they lock horns.
"True, but you already checked it earlier. Twice, actually - at least that I've been awake for." Seiun Sky's cool voice does disarm some of King Halo's overflowing distress as she recalls her first and second check-throughs. The tickets are an item on all five of her checklists, so she must have confirmed the time was right on them before. When King tries to pluck the memory from her brain, however, all that greets her are vague shapes & tingling static. I would really feel better just seeing the times in the correct spot. That's what would make me feel better, I'm sure of it. One quick check.
Seiun Sky gently touches below King's chin, tilting her head to face them before she can wander back to her phone.
"My King."
The words pull heat to her cheeks, finally breaking through the ice strangling the breath from King's lungs.
"I appreciate everything you did to plan this trip out. I really do." Their smile feels like the whisper of the breeze ruffling through King Halo's hair. It's so mundane, something she sees every day, but perhaps that is what she needs right now. Something normal, steady, expected. Seiun Sky moves to stand up. King Halo joins them. An arm wraps loosely over the comfortable robe shrouding the King of Emeralds. Sei shifts their position to turn half away from the balcony's view, setting their gentle features to the backdrop of rolling waves & endless sky for King to behold.
"We got to do some real fun things together already, and I don't doubt you've got more cooking on the back burner." Sky chuckles. "But I'd like to do them 'together'; you're running yourself ragged when we're supposed to be on vacation, remember?" King's ears flop forward in defeat. Every word rings true. She has enjoyed the time they've spent so far when visiting each attraction on their itinerary, but the stress of keeping them on course to see absolutely everything eats away at King during every waking moment. She barely got to sleep last night after worrying about delays. It makes her feel so powerless, so helpless to make this a beautiful trip worth remembering.
"B-but I—" King starts her apology, but the Trickster shushes her with two fingers over her lips.
"The only 'but' I want from you is the one in your swimsuit." Sky grins, angling their other arm to cop a possessive feel from that first-rate caboose. King's cheeks burn. She wants to swat that perverted grip away and scold the bold front runner, but her body refuses to obey the command. It's just like them to pull a stunt like this to catch King off guard. "C'mon," Sky continues, "let's just have a lazy day at the beach~" The offer hangs between them as Seiun Sky casually massages their girlfriend's ass below the wildly swishing tail of King Halo.
"F-fine. You make a good point, even if your language and methods can use some work." King tries to skirt her gaze from losing herself in the deep blue eyes of Seiun Sky, but the Trickster's hand over her chin expertly keeps the lovers focusing on each other. King Halo releases a shaking breath she didn't know she was holding. They stand together like this for a time, content to enjoy the quiet peace of the balcony disturbed only by wind, breathing, and the faint calls of gulls. "Today can be a proper rest day." In any other time, King might feel defeated at giving up like this, but the words oddly make her feel so much lighter right now.
"Good. That's what I like to hear." Sky gives their partner a pat on the back before she relinquishes her hold on King. It isn't until their touch is a ghost on her skin that King realizes she longs to feel it continue. Before her lover can depart for the room behind them, King Halo lunges forward to wrap them in a hug on her own terms. Sei's ears go straight with surprise for all of a moment until she lets out a low chuckle.
"Needed some more, King?"
King Halo nods. Her arms wrap tighter around Seiun Sky, anchoring them together. Sky doesn't seem to mind. There's a nagging feeling in King's head that they will be late to something if they don't leave soon… but for once since they arrived, King hits the snooze on her internal clock.
A gentle tug from King. Sky hums knowingly.
The couple descends on the reclining chair facing the sea that Sky already set to the perfect relaxing configuration. King Halo guides them both down, laying against the springy, comfortable material while Sky lies atop King. Seiun Sky curls up a little when King Halo scoots up the back of the chair, positioning Sei's head just below King's face. They both cuddle together to the soft noise of King petting the fluffy mop of hair inviting her touch.
"It's really beautiful." King's lazy voice drifts like the cloud she snuggles. Sky's ears flick.
"Mmhm."
It's a response perfect for Seiun Sky, one that King Halo has heard thousands of times before. It's something normal, steady, expected. King smiles.
It's something she loves.