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Avril had to admit, this wasn’t how she thought her life would turn out.
When she was little, before she knew how garbage the world could be, she wanted to be a pilot. Just like everyone in her family before her. She wanted to be like the heroes on TV and in the old war stories. Then her dad died and her grandpa forbade her from joining the military in any form, so she found another love in being a mechanic.
It was the only thing that kept her sane while she was in the penal unit. Probably the only thing that kept her alive, too. For a while there, she thought that was it. Either she would get snuffed out in the war or spend the rest of her life rotting in prison with a bum leg that only served as a reminder that she would never get to be a pilot.
Hanging out in a private jet to Erusea so she could act as an advisor to the new queen was not something she had on her bingo card, but here she was.
She didn’t need a private jet, or the armored security detail she was supposed to meet up with, but Cossette insisted. While the civil war ended a while ago, Erusean politics were still a powder keg a few nasty words from going off. An Osean in a position of potential power wasn’t going to help. Especially with the rumors surrounding their relationship.
Cossette was definitely taking a risk by doing this. For a young, sheltered princess, she sure seemed to take them a lot. At least this time she wasn’t running face first into enemy power or base jumping in the middle of a dogfight. Avril respected the hell out of it, none of them would still be around if not for that bravery, but she could do without the constant heart attacks.
Despite the risks, Avril had to admit she was excited to finally be there. After the war ended, she wound up sticking around, helping out wherever she could and providing emotional support and advice when asked. Eventually, Cossette offered for her to stay permanently. Of course she accepted.
There wasn’t anything for her back in Osea, except for paperwork, and unfortunately, there was a ton of it. What was supposed to be a quick trip back to get her affairs in order turned into a three month slog through bureaucratic crap. Video calls that lasted way too long into the night, even with the different time zone excuse, kept her going, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the real thing. And as cheesy as it was, absence really did make the heart grow fonder.
After tens of hours doing nothing but traveling in a straight line, she finally felt the plane turn. She closed the windows hours ago in a failed attempt to catch some sleep, and opening it was nearly blinding. It took a couple minutes for her eyes to adjust enough to see the city off in the distance. They were landing at a private airstrip on the outskirts of town to avoid any press they didn’t want.
The landing was shockingly smooth, much smoother than all the military transport she was used to. Smoother service, too. As soon as she got the go ahead to stand up and get her luggage, an attendant got to it first. Even if it was nice to not have to carry stuff on her leg, it was still incredibly weird watching someone else haul everything she owned down to the group of very obvious security guards. Avril caught a glimpse of a much shorter, blonde figure, dressed in her trademark white, flitting between them.
She smiled to herself. Of course. Cossette told her that they wouldn’t see each other until she arrived at the castle, but she should’ve expected something like this. There was probably an official security reason for it, but she wouldn’t be shocked if it was all for the sake of a surprise. Well, it definitely wasn’t unwelcome.
Avril was only on solid ground for a moment before Cossette darted past them, clearly faster than they were expecting. One made a move to grab her, but she was already gone. Avril snorted. She couldn't even blame him for missing her. She started to amble over, even though she knew she wouldn’t get very far.
Cossette slowed down just before reaching her, giving her just enough time to really see her. The rest of the world faded into the background. The look on her face was brighter than when she opened the window by an order of magnitude, yet she wanted to drink in every detail. Grainy video calls really didn’t do her justice.
They flung their arms around each other, hanging on to each other like something would rip them apart at any moment. Cossette was clearly minding her leg, but in that moment she didn’t care if they went tumbling into the dirt. They were there, together and safe, and that made it all worth it. All of the paperwork and travel, all of the fighting and risk taking. Totally worth it.
“You have no idea how much I missed you.” Cossette’s voice was warm in her chest.
She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. All she did was lean over and kiss her.