When they arrived at Heathrow airport that same day (Saturday by the time they checked in, went through security and their flight departed), the excitement Leah had been feeling had faded.

She had stopped in the drop off zone whilst Steven collected her suitcase out of the taxi, let herself be blinded by the other vehicle lights that lined up in the bays and passed over the speed bumps, and was swallowed by the clear, night sky into a thousand worries and nerves.

But Steven appeared, wearing his washed and dried clothes, luggage occupying his shoulders and hands, and made his own excited face fall to ask what was wrong.

To put it simply, Leah confessed she was scared of flying and had never been on a plane for more than four hours. Probably not the most encouraging piece of information to hear at an airport in which they had a flight booked for roughly double that time, but Steven took a pause, reshuffled a few things and just as simply, went to hold her hand.

She was confused why there was no verbal assurance, no sudden weary sentences that asked if she was regretting it, because that was what she thought she needed to hear. Something as basic as the offer to hold his hand was not on the solutions, but Leah accepted that physical connection, and eagerly so.

Steven did speak eventually, saying: 'you're going to have to pull your suitcase unless you want to pull me' and that was all it took for her to crack a smile.

Leah did- that one silly comment whilst holding his hand- had given her the strength to enter the main airport of her home country and really confirm that she was going to Boston.

During the wait, Steven made her comfortable. He bought and ate some food with her, distracted her by telling her about his family and all the things he had planned, and then ended up rambling about Liv and what she could do and say. It was probably the best part about listening to him, if his voice alone wasn't the most therapeutic diversion that could let her focus on him rather than the announcements through the speakers.

But the important point was, he was calm, so Leah was calm.

They boarded at about three in the morning, and unlike a time in the past, it was Steven to make sure she was breathing steadily, hold her hand if she wanted it, and encourage her to try and sleep. If she did drift off by some miracle, she was soon to wake up in a jolt and a panic, but Steven was always there, awake, and depriving himself of his own rest to assure her she was fine.

It was grossly unfair and Leah had told him to go to sleep, but he was adamant about staying awake and dismissed her every single time, and by the ninth time of tumultuous, exhaustive whining, and ironically nearing the end of the eight hours, she did fall asleep.

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Boston Logan International in Leah's eyes was just an airport in a new, unfamiliar country where she was a foreign person, but for Steven, it was the gateways to his home.

Half six on a Saturday morning and he was full of beans as he collected their luggage from the carousel. He was smiling, despite the fact he looked shattered and would definitely need to crash at some point, but there was nothing that could stop him talking and sharing more plans that continued to light up his eyes.

Leah didn't mind, in fact, she actually appreciated his energy because it kept her going too.

"WELCOME TO AMERICA!" Steven yelled, taking the first opportunity when they were outside to stretch his vocals, which, as it happened, was the main airport entrance.

He temporarily let go of her suitcase, spun around in front of her like an idiot, and then battled her into a hug that almost knocked her off balance.

"First stop: the Tallarico residence by my hired chauffeur, Mr Joe Fucking Perry!" he enthused, not quite as hollering as before, but far from a normal volume, and the prospect of being rocked in his arms was a little mortifying.

"Steven," Leah grimaced, noticing a lot of unappreciated turned heads in their direction. She pushed at his chest. "That was embarrassingly loud."

"And? Who gives a fuck?"

"Me," she said seriously, trying to tone down his eagerness. "I give a fuck."

In response, Steven just made a disapproving sound with a squished mouth and let her go. Collected their luggage once more, and apologetically gestured to follow him.

"Who's 'Tallarico'?" Leah asked, once they had crossed a road. "And you really dragged Joe up here?"

Steven stopped and cocked his head.

"I haven't told you, have I?"

She gave him the space to continue, and they fell back in step with each other, wheels of her suitcase vibrating on every bump and drag. Distraction in place, she was still relying on him to direct her, because she had no idea where she was going.

"Tallarico is my birth surname. I shortened it by changing it to Tyler so people would remember me," he explained, giving her a glance, but his focus was mainly on the many parked cars that were rolling into view.

"I don't think people will have a hard time remembering you when you're shouting at the top of your lungs."

Steven was too distracted with the surroundings to respond, and after a few more paces, he stopped again and grinned evilly.

Leah followed the direction he was looking in and could just about see a person through a windscreen with their head bowed down, which meant she also saw Steven suddenly leave her side, abandon their belongings again and break into a hunched run.

She was about to shout to find out what the hell he was doing, but he quickly jammed a finger to his lips, stopping the words in her mouth so they left as deflated air instead.

Leah watched him settle in front of the beastly looking Ford pickup's grill, scuttle in a crouch to the driver's side and then actually heard the slam of his palms against the glass as he jumped up to his feet.

Steven burst out laughing which was so loud it probably echoed for a mile radius in every direction, because Joe had jumped out of his skin after being woken up by a madman on the other side of his window.

It was, admittedly, very funny to watch, and even more so when Joe was quite clearly swearing and continued to do so when he yanked open his door to deal with a skittering Steven.

As a witness to it all, a calm fold of her arms and a perch on her own suitcase, Leah found it was very sweet listening to Joe's voice calm down and the scowl disappear when Steven hugged him, and she was smiling herself when he was directed to her presence.

With a wave, the troublesome duo approached.

"Sorry for the delay," Steven said, hinting at giggliness, but it didn't stop him from pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Please," Leah chuckled as he pulled away, unable to contain her smile. "It was thoroughly entertaining."

Steven did too- a beautiful smile- and as he leaned past to grab a bag from the ground, he kissed her cheek on the way up. It left her in a dreamy wonderland watching him walk back to the car.

She almost forgot there was another man in her presence, though by his gently swaying body and eyes that were well and truly closed, he wasn't exactly about to have a go at the brief public display of affection.

"Hey Joe," Leah greeted softly, watching the hands that had clasped on top of his head fall, and his hoodie drop back down to cover up the band of skin on his tummy.

"Hey, uh, how was the flight?"

It was quite obvious Joe was tired. He was rudely awoken when she spoke his name, and he attempted a drowsy smile to try and hide the sleep in his voice.

"Long," she sighed, standing up. "Very long."

He nodded through a yawn, and went to grab the suitcase.

"It's fine, I got it," Leah said, and Joe, after a little more convincing in their staring contest, held up his hands in defeat.

As they walked, she wondered just how long he'd been awake for. She knew Steven had messaged before they left saying they needed picking up from the airport, but she did not expect such an easy reply, and then for it to actually go through.

"How on earth did he convince you to drive?" she asked, voicing her thoughts aloud.

They stopped at the truck where Joe did take her suitcase, and hoisted it up to a crouching Steven waiting on top of the trailer.

"He's payin' me handsomely," Joe grinned, scratching his wild mane.

His hair was a lot curlier than last time she saw him, maybe even thicker and slightly longer, and he had returned to a clean shave to show off his outrageously strong jawline.

A loud clunk stole their attention.

"Yeah, gonna give him a-" Steven made a tongue in cheek gesture, with a lazy movement of his fist.

"What!?" Joe's eyes went comically wide. He swivelled furiously to a crouching Steven above him. "No he's not! What the fuck, man?"

Leah was highly amused at the proposal.

"Well," she declared, as Steven jumped down and patted Joe's shoulders. "Don't let me get in the way."

"Wha-you're not supposed to agree, Leah!"

She shrugged innocently, feeling her phone buzz in her pocket. It was the perfect excuse to leave the grumbling and the laughing behind as the two of them sorted out securing the hatches, and she opened the door to the backseats of Joe's truck.

Her phone buzzed again, and once she was seated, she slipped it out of her pocket where she was greeted by two message popups from Tina.

Don't worry about your parents- I said it was work. Make sure you enjoy yourself and have lots of sex!!

Details will be expected ;)

Shaking her head at the audacity this woman thought she had, Leah still ended up fighting a smile. She was also very glad that Steven wasn't looking over her shoulder, although he did join her from the other side a few seconds later and caused her screen to click off before she could type a reply.

"You ready, baby?" Steven asked, all diamonds with how the lines appeared around his chin, all sexy with his style, and so very tempting that he chose to sit in the middle seat and touch her thigh.

"Think you should be asking Joe that question." Leah nodded towards the front when the driver's seat became occupied.

"Don't worry," was the sharp assurance, as he adjusted the rear view mirror. "I'm extremely awake now."

Leah sat forward in surprise, staring at the dark mop of hair.

"Hang on, has Steven given you a bj already?"

The lack of response was priceless, and made even better when Joe simply turned on the engine as if that was his acknowledgement.

With the subtle rumble, Leah sat back again to see Steven silently laughing beside her, clipping his seatbelt in.

She felt powerful with the tease, enjoying the reactions out of both of them, but she let it subside when Steven's arm appeared over her shoulders. The touch was welcomed and encouraging, and she allowed her own hand to rest on the inside of his closest knee.

With Joe driving them in silence, Leah was relaxing more and more into the feeling of Steven beside her, enjoying the kisses he placed into her hair as he rested his chin there for a bit. And as they hit the first major road, she was very much thinking about the explicit message request from her best friend that had her biting back a smile, because she knew full well that it was something she was planning to do.

She was also pretty sure Steven would be down too...and maybe even on her.

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