What Happens on the Cruise

93. Brown-Eyed Girl

"I'm sorry, sir, but the explosives residue test came back positive on your prosthetic."

Austin blinked in surprise, noting how suddenly tense the two TSA agents in the room were. "But how could that..."

"Could it be detecting gunpowder?" Tim asked.

"It could be. Have you been handling gunpowder, sir?"

"We went to a shooting range several days ago. I don't see how it would have gotten on my leg though."

"Probably when you took it off," Tim guessed.

"I suppose that could be." Austin looked from his husband to the TSA agents. "How do I fix this? I can't just stay in Alaska."

"We'll have to conduct a more thorough screening."

"Do I need to take my leg off?"

"No, sir. We will never require anyone to remove a prosthetic."

"But..." the other agent started before getting glared at by his partner.

"What? Tell me," Austin demanded.

"It's just... if you do opt to remove the prosthetic, it usually speeds up the process."

"But you absolutely aren't required to."

Austin looked between the two. "How much time are we talking?"

***

"Sir, this is the line for the disab--"

"Don't start with me!" Austin snapped. "I have a right to be in this line and I'm not justifying it to every nosey asshole who comes along."

***

"Hey, are you okay, buddy?" Rob asked, as he took the seat behind them. "It's not like you to snap like you did earlier."

Austin mumbled in the affirmative and slouched back in his seat.

"His security screening was just a little extra awful," Tim explained.

"You were gone for a long time," Kelsey said.

"I'm so done with this. Can we just drive everywhere from now on?" Austin sighed.

"Gonna be kind of hard to drive to England," Rob pointed out.

"Audin! Tin!"

"Hey, punkin," Austin greeted Cerise.

"You didn't board with the front group?" Tim asked Adam.

"We were letting her run some of her energy out," Leigh explained. "Okay, sweetie, we're holding up the line."

Cerise climbed into Austin's lap and hugged him. "Wan' stay Audin."

"After we take off you can come see him," Leigh explained.

"No!" she protested.

"It won't be too long," Austin promised. "Go on with your daddy to your seat now."

She huffed, but climbed down. Adam hurried them down the aisle to their seats.

Austin gave a sigh and slipped his arm around Tim's, leaning in to his husband.

"Feeling better?" Tim asked, dropping a kiss on his forehead.

"Sorry to be in such a foul mood."

"It's okay. It's not fair the hoops you have to jump through just to board a plane."

"Imagine if I were Ahmed instead of Austin. It'd be a joke if it wasn't so oppressive."

***

"Ladies and gentlemen, if everyone would please return to their seats and buckle their seat belts..."