A trip to the skies

“There was always something new to be seen in the unchanging night sky.”

– Fritz Leiber

. . .



On hindsight, maybe Hiro should have thought to ask why Lunamor wanted to take him to the roof since he just came here to discuss their next move about their fake relationship…

He had simply assumed she chose Luna Enterprises simply because it was her territory and she had absolute authority here. Or maybe she was comfortable to be in this building–and most importantly, they have privacy to speak and debate their next move without any unwanted ears.

So… why-

What the hell!

Hiro immediately dug his feet into the ground and refused to go any further the moment he saw a freaking helicopter on the rooftop, marked with the same crescent moon symbol he sees all over the building and on the employees.

“Are we getting on that thing?!” he shouted.

Her grip tightened in answer.

“NO!” he screeched in horror.

“...yes, we are.”

Shit. Shit. Shit–!

“Sure, when hell freezes over. It's okay, cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool–but no… no, no, no, nope! I am not getting on that thing. I am not riding a god damned helicopter. End of story. This seriously looks like a bad idea, Lunamor, I don't like it-” Hiro tried to pull his hand free, but she pulled him sharply to carry on walking to that… that fucking death trap.

Hell, no.

“It’s literally the fastest way to get to where we’re going,” Lunamor insistently tugged at his hand again, but Hiro adamantly refused to even budge, not a single step. Her brows furrowed as she stared at him, completely unimpressed, “I thought you liked views? You don’t seem to be scared of heights earlier…”

He gulped, “I am not scared!”

‘Then get going already.”

His feet stayed resolutely in place.

Lunamor frowned. “What is it now?”

“I just think it’s perfectly normal for any sane human being to be extremely worried when they are in the presence of someone about to lure them in a helicopter, kill them while they were both so high up in the clouds, then get rid of the evidence by dumping the corpse in the Pacific Ocean to be feasted upon by sharks and everyone will be none the wiser,” Hiro deadpanned, still holding his ground miraculously against her constant tugging.

“You see a helicopter and that’s where your brain goes?” her face instantly turned blank when he said nothing, “…You seriously need to stop watching movies.”

“What? I was wrong?”

“Of course you’re wrong!”

“W-Well… why won’t you tell me where we are going in the first place then?!” Hiro demanded trying to pull his hand free from her with more force this time.

She scowled, “If I did, you wouldn’t come with me.”

“You got that right, now let me go right this–!”

Hiro suddenly successfully released her grip from him. He was about to grin when Lunamor took a step back, frowning at something behind him.

“Go get him,” she muttered.

For a moment, Hiro was confused.

Then he turned around quickly to get the hell out of here–only to bump face-first straight into one of her guards (since fucking when–?!) and then, Hiro found his world flipping upside down. It took him at least two seconds to realize he was being carried towards the helicopter like a useless sack of potatoes.

“W-wait. Wait a moment,” Hiro blinked, before realizing what the hell just happened, “Wait a moment–fuck, no! No, no, no! Hey, put me down! Put me down, right this instant! LUNAMOR!!!!!”

He was promptly dumped inside the helicopter.

“That’s not what I mean and you–oh, what the hell, fucking forget it!” Hiro groused as he hurriedly scooted over to take a seat nowhere near the opening.

He wasn’t lying when he told Lunamor he wasn’t really scared of heights. But falling out of the helicopter… or crashing or drowning or exploding and dying on this death trap in a mess of burnt flesh and charred bones was a completely different thing.

Hey, don’t get him wrong, he enjoyed views alright.

It’s just that… Hiro had read and watched a lot about people dying while they were flying on air. There’s a difference between admiring the view and being on said view.

Lunamor got in as well and passed him a set of what seemed to look like headphones before taking her place in–Hiro can feel his face turning as white as a sheet of paper almost instantly–…because excuse him, why the hell is she sitting on the pilot’s seat?!

He chuckled, nervously.

She glanced at him, questioningly.

“Hey, Lunamor you… y-you are not going to… you know, d-drive this… this t-thing, are you? Please, for the love of God, tell me you are just sitting there for now? We are waiting for a real pilot to show up right?!”

She didn't even blinked. “…I am the pilot.”

He snorted, “Yeah, and I’m the President.”

She shrugs, “Good thing I’m not American.”

Hiro seriously debated jumping right out of the helicopter before she could even think to start the engine but decided against it when he saw her bodyguard pointedly staring at him from outside.

“You know what the hell I mean, Lunamor,” Hiro snapped at her in a trembling voice, clenching his hands into tight fists to keep them from shaking, “You are not a pilot. You are a businesswoman and you… y-you’re still a college student for god’s sake!”

“…I also have a pilot’s license.”

He scoffed, “Since when?!”

“Since I turned twenty.”

…What.

“Wait… you’re twenty?!”

Lunamor ignored his not-so-private panic attack as she slid over to him and silently reached for the straps, pausing as if to see how he will react, and Hiro obediently sat still as possible while she strapped him in, slowly, to show him how it was done.

(Hiro wondered if Lunamor’s was somehow planning to kill him by giving him a heart attack or crashing the helicopter on purpose.)

“This is not a nightmare, right?" And then, a much lower, thinner voice, Hiro added, almost to himself, “…please, tell me it is.”

“Stop being so dramatic,” Lunamor sighed, leaning a bit away from him to look at him in the eye and Hiro can feel his throat drying up, having her face so close to him, especially when she put both of her hands on either side of his face, making him focus on nothing but her. “It’s just a helicopter, not a torture device. And I will not letting anything as stupid as this kills us. Have a little faith in me, Akihiro.”

...and after she was done strapping themselves both in, Lunamor immediately moved away and started the helicopter–Hiro couldn’t be sure if she really knows what she’s doing or she’s just fiddling with whatever she could reach... but sure enough, the engine suddenly roared to life and the blades began to whirr as they circled high up in the air.

Hiro held on to the straps for dear life.

“I…” Hiro declared shakily, his voice completely lost to the noise as the helicopter continued to ascend, “… am never going anywhere with you ever again.”