Plane Pals
Pairing: Mingi x Reader Genre: Fluff Rating: PG-13 Summary: Bumping into your celeb crush at the airport and sitting together on the plane. Word Count: 3.1k Warnings: Language so close
The last week of July going into August was always the worse week of the summer. You shifted uncomfortably on the hot, sticky leather seats of the taxi. It felt hotter inside the car than outside, but you weren't sure if you should complain to a complete stranger about air conditioning. Besides, you were more than sure it was nice and cool inside the airport. Though the car reeked of cigarettes and stale beer, your mind was elsewhere — you'd be attending a concert with your best friend in just a few days.
The thought made you let out a little squeal that sounded like someone releasing a quick spurt of helium from a balloon, which made the cab driver jump. The car swerved, nearly hitting another. “Are you okay miss?” His eyes caught yours in the rearview mirror, and you nodded, embarrassed. The man chuckled softly and returned his gaze to the highway ahead of them. Unable to restrain herself, you took out your phone and tapped out a message:
omg i think i just gave my cab driver a fucking heart attack
You waited a few moments before your phone chimed and vibrated, alerting you that you'd received a reply.
Wut. How?
You giggled to yourself and explained. The car rolled to a stop, and the cab driver turned around, clearing his throat loudly when you didn't automatically look up to acknowledge him.
“That will be...,” he turned back to his meter and called out the amount you owed him. It was more than the fare calculator quoted online, but you could stand to spare the few extra dollars. You all but jumped out of the car, practically shaking with anticipation as you pulled the suitcase strap over your shoulder and went inside of the building.
The smell of food and sanitizers hung in the air, unlike the warm and cozy room you had back home. Though the smell of an airport wasn't new to you, experiencing it all on your own was. You usually had someone with you, but today was your first step out into the world.
You were free to do as you pleased now.
Checking your bag took forever, solely because someone ignored the common airport standards and insisted on bringing most of the things banned by new policies.
“I wonder where they are?”
You turned your head towards the sound of the voice. Two women with magazines chattered excitedly like chipmunks looking for the hidden treasure cove of acorns. It wasn't unheard of for celebrities to pass through Atlanta's airport, but when they did, they were often hard to recognize if one hadn't seen them dressed casually. Briefly wondering if such a thing would ever happen to you, you took your baggage claim info ticket and headed to the metal detectors.
After what felt like hours later, you were finally ready for your flight. You had intended to pick a chair and wait for the plane to board. But damn if the thought of being confined to one spot didn’t bore you already. Knowing you'd go nuts if you didn't find a way to kill time, you scanned the area and noticed a novelty store. Your face lit up with glee as you pictured picking out the best gift for your best friend, something to commemorate this trip. You'd already promised your family some goodies from Dallas, so it made sense to do the same for her.
The shop smelled heavily of incense, something floral yet woody — warm and inviting. Trinkets of every sort lined the light wood shelves, from teacups to dream catchers. Various everyday items one could find elsewhere but decorated with a distinct style that reminded one of Georgia. You took your time looking at each piece with care, wondering what would be the best yet safest gift to give — after all, her children can be very destructive and deadly.
Your eyes settled on a snow globe with a small scale of downtown Atlanta inside. For some reason, a sense of calm mixed with pride filled you, and you knew this was it. This was the perfect gift that your bestie would love. Using your fingertips, you lifted the object with care and precision as if it could break by merely handling it this way. It was cool, smooth to the touch, and even included the state song. You turned towards the cash register — it was near the entrance, right? — and took one step. You met a solid form that caused you to lose your loose grip on the globe.
It shattered loudly on the ceramic tiled floor, the glass shards barely missing your exposed toes. “Fuck!”
“I'm sorry.” The voice wavered between alto and tenor, throwing you way off. You lifted your eyes to the speaker's face and went brain dead for a full sixty seconds. Those eyes. That nose and mouth. Even without the makeup, you knew him well enough. “Are you hurt?”
The concern in his voice made your heart do a somersault then triple the pulse. You felt a brief moment of vertigo and knew you'd end up hitting the ground if you didn't get yourself together. “N-no, no,” you stammered out, unable to meet his concerned gaze as you feebly tried to pick up the cold and wet pieces of the snow globe. “I'm fine. Thank you, for asking.” You had to force yourself to focus, to not stop cleaning up the mess and simply stare at the miracle in front of you. You spotted a forgotten shard off to the side and immediately reached for it,
BANG
You saw a red flash behind your eyelids as pain spread from your temple and out across your skull, making you lose your balance and sway to the side. You realized you were falling a second too late, but strong hands reached out and grabbed your shoulders, pulling you upright again. “Careful. I'm so sorry. I didn't see.” Even with his dark sunglasses, hat, and lack of makeup, you knew who it was almost instantly. The blush across his cute face was enough to make a flower cower in shame.
“No, no! It's okay. I'm okay, I promise. ” You smiled brightly and added in a low voice, “I love your group.” He froze, eyes wide with panic but you merely shook your head. “I'm not gonna freak out.” Though it took him a second, he seemed to accept your words as truth. The shop owner finally caught on and rushed over to help with the mess. You reluctantly went back to shopping, heartbroken that there weren't any more snow globes like the perfect one you had before. 'I can't believe this. But then again, it was Ren from Nu'est; Certy will understand.' A thought struck you hard like lightning, and you realized something no fangirl should ever forget — you didn't get a picture or autograph of him!
You looked around, but he was long gone. “Dammit.”
“Flight number 2901 to Dallas is now boarding. Flight number 2901 to Dallas is now boarding.”
“Shit!” You rushed to the cashier with a different snow globe then walked as fast as you could to your terminal. As expected, the passengers were filed in line in front of the stewardess as she checked their tickets before letting them pass. The line snaked around a pillar, allowing her a clear view of the passengers as they stepped up to the podium. At the front of the line, a familiar hat and sunglasses stood out. You nearly choked on your spit. “Ren?” You covered your mouth as soon as his name left your lips.
As if he'd heard you, his head turned in your direction and your eyes locked. With each second, your eyes widened in shock until he broke the trance and stepped forward in line. He leaned in and spoke softly to the stewardess, glancing over his shoulder for a second at you. At first, you were confused, but that was quickly swallowed by doubt as fear took over. What was he saying? Would he have you taken off the plane? Could he even do that? Was he afraid you'd freak out on him or something? The thought of being put on a different flight made you worry. You'd barely been able to get this flight; if you had to take a different one, you might not make it to Dallas in time for the concert with the holidays coming up.
By the time you stepped up to the podium, you were on the verge of a mental breakdown. Fearing the worse, you held out your ticket with a shaky hand and held your breath. Admittedly, it wasn't every day that one got kicked off of a flight because their bias asked for it. “Ma'am, I'm sorry. There's been an issue with your seat.”
Your skin went cold as the woman's fingers flew over the keyboard in front of her, eyes focused on the screen. “W-what's the matter?”
“There's...a conflict. Someone's already seated with your seat number. So you'll have to be moved elsewhere.”
“Like a different flight?”
Maybe the woman caught the thin thread of fear in your voice, but she looked up and smiled warmly. “Heavens, no. You'll be seated in first class, as an apology for the error.” She patted your hand and went back to her keyboard. “Your new seat is 15. Are you okay with a window seat?”
'First class?' “Y-yeah, sure!” You smiled, relief washing over you in warm waves as fear shrunk back down into its corner.
“Great!” The lady smiled and gestured to the steward standing to her right. “He's going to show you to your seat.”
You blinked a few times, nodding absently as the overly enthusiastic man led the way down the corridor to the plane. Your mind was a buzz of activity - questions, scenarios, excitement - as you diligently followed him through the aisles to the front of the plane. He parted a curtain and motioned for you to go through. “Fifteen is on your left, the window seat.”
You led the way with him following, noticing how few people there were in this section of the plane. Seeing the numbers on silver plates on the back of the seats, she followed the numbers until she spotted an occupied 14 next to an empty 15. “Here it is.”
The person sitting in 14 turned his head upon hearing your voice and smiled. The steward, with quick reflexes, caught your bag for you with a smile. “Here's the lady you requested, sir.”
“Thank you.” Ren nodded as he stood and stepped to the side, gesturing with his hand to the seat beside him. “I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to talk with you more.”
You could only blink. Perhaps he mistook your calmness earlier for something that you could do at any given time, not realizing that it was one of the very few times you'd thought of the consequences of acting the way you honestly felt. “I... I...”
His bright, friendly smile faltered and the sparkle in his eye dulled. “I-I should have asked.” He looked to the steward and sputtered in Korean, his once warm and soothing voice filled with despair and panic.
“Um, ma'am,” the steward had his eyes on Ren as he attempted to translate, “if you prefer, you can have any of the other unoccupied seats here, unless you'd rather return to your original seat.”
“I thought that seat was occupied already?” You tilted your head to the side in wonder before shaking it and holding out your hands to Ren. “No, no. I'm okay! I'm just shocked that you requested that I sit with you.” You half-laughed with a hand pressed over your heart. “I mean — am I dreaming? Because things like this don't happen unless I'm dreaming.”
That beautiful smile returned as color returned to Ren's cheeks. “Oh, okay! I was worried that you were upset with me.”
“How could I be? It's you! I'm actually going to your concert in Dallas.” You nearly lost it when his soft fingertips grazed your elbow as he guided you to the seat next to him, waving off the steward with the other. “You're really serious about this. W-why me? Why would you go through all of this trouble for a stranger?”
He sat down beside you, pulling a blanket over his legs and leaning on the armrest between the two of you. His cologne, light and spicy, reached your nose and you bit your bottom lip to keep from touching him. “You didn't give me away in the airport. Our music may not be a big thing here, or well known, but still, the place was crawling with our fans from the Atlanta concert looking for us. One word from you would have blown our cover and delayed the flight.”
“Oh! That.” You laughed awkwardly, fiddling with the zipper on your jacket. “That was one of the few times in my life where I thought before I acted. I don't usually do that. You know, thinking first and stuff.”
He laughed, a warm chuckle you'd never seen in any of the videos you watched of him. “Well, then thank you for having that rare moment for me.” His hand touched yours casually. “So tell me about yourself. We have hours to waste.”
As the plane loaded up and geared up to take flight, the two of you continued talking. He asked every question he could think of, about your family and friends, likes and dislikes. He was thrilled to know that you loved anime as much as he did and had even watched most of the shows he had; you both suggested new shows to each other with promises to make sure to follow up and let the other know what you thought of them. “A-are you sure it's okay for me to have your phone number? Won't your manager or agent be upset with you talking to someone like me?”
“Someone like you?” He paused as if something odd had struck him. “There's nothing wrong with someone like you because you're the only one like you.”
The words reached your heart, filling you with warmth and love from the top of your head down to your toes. “That's beautiful. T-thank you.” A yawn caught you unexpectedly. You mentally cursed yourself for staying up all night. You planned to take a nap on the plane so you could hang out with your best friend. As much as you wanted to fight it, you felt your eyelids drooping with each passing second.
You were going to crash next to your bias. Well, shit.
“You look sleepy. How about a nap?” Ren offered his blanket, taking it upon himself to cover you ignoring the open-mouthed stares of his band members. He wasn't one to stand on tradition and formalities; he only did what felt right and natural to him. Once you were tucked in, he gently pulled your head to rest on his shoulder and shifted down in his seat to accommodate the size difference between you.
“I don't want to be rude.” You weakly protested. “I should cherish this moment and stay up with you.”
He made a tsking noise and waved his hand. “Don't worry about it. I'll never forget this moment, so I hope you won't either.” You tried to reply, but sleep claimed you quickly.
You woke with a start. “Excuse me?” You looked up at the steward sleepily. “We've arrived.” For a moment you didn't understand what he was saying. You glanced at the empty seat beside you, and your eyes widened.
“Wait. Where is —” you sat up and looked over the seats to see that you were the only one still there “— where is everyone else?”
“They've all gotten off the plane already. I was asked to allow you to sleep as long as possible.”
“Oh.” You looked away, not wanting him to see the tears that formed in your eyes. You had hoped to at least say goodbye. To get a picture or an autograph before you parted ways. Sure, you'd see him on a stage, but you'd never be able to speak to him again outside of a rare text message about anime. You picked up your phone left in his seat face down and stuffed it into your bag, following the steward.
As you waited for your suitcase in luggage claim, your phone chimed and vibrated. Of course, Certy would want to know if you'd made it there safely. You took out your phone and pressed a button on the side, waking it up. What you saw floored you.
Your unlock screen had been replaced with a selfie of Ren. Your jaw dropped open as you stared at it, nearly unable to believe it was real. The phone vibrated again as a reminder, so you reluctantly swiped your thumb across the smooth surface and almost lost your shit. Your wallpaper was a different selfie of Ren, this one signed with his name inside of a heart. A sneaking suspicion crept into your mind, and you went to your phone's camera gallery, slowly sinking to your knees with the biggest grin you'd ever had in a long time.
Nearly eighty pictures of Ren in different poses, with his group, had filled your phone's memory. You scrolled through them all, laughing at some while fighting tears at the fun you'd missed out on. On the second to the last picture, the group held up a sign that asked you to join them as their VIP guest for the concert with your friend. You covered your mouth and merely nodded to yourself, knowing damn well there was no other place in the world you'd rather be.
The final picture was of Ren sitting next to you with your head on his shoulder, sleeping peacefully. His lips were pressed to the top of your head, eyes closed in what looked like bliss with your lips curved in a smile. To anyone else, it would look like two close friends taking a picture. And you loved it.
Your phone buzzed and chimed as an incoming text message notification popped up. You opened it, fully expecting Certy to want to know where you were but was surprised to find that it was a video message.
The camera juggled around shakily before Ren's face came into view, him smiling wide. “I hope you don't mind that we went overboard with the pictures. You'll be able to save them, I hope. Um, did you rest well? Can't wait to see you tomorrow!” He blew an exaggerated kiss and winked before the video stopped.
