Silly Headcanons: Super Pal Trio vs. Best Friend Squad, Airplane Travel
I don’t know where I’m gonna use this if ever in a fic so here you go.
Under a cut because it is hilariously long.
SPT is always running late to their flight. They choose early morning or late night flights to reduce the amount of people they have to deal with, and it’s the only reason they still make it to their plane before it leaves. Just, without fail, they will always run up right as they do the “last call for boarding parties A-D for flight 12345”.
This is in part because one of them always gets stopped for a “random” check at security. Usually it’s Entrapta because she forgot she has something metallic on her person, but Scorpia often gets stopped because when she’s tired and in go mode her resting bitch face is impressive and intimidating. Combine that with her size and stinger and someone wants to stop her for a quick double check. Catra also gets checked but less frequently, usually because she is “acting suspicious” (aka slinking around and looking around a lot because god fuck she hates the whole flying process from start to finish) or because half asleep she said something snarky that can be taken horribly.
Side note: Yes, I think Scorpia’s actual resting face is bitch face. But she knows that being a scorpioni means she has to be smiling to look non-threatening. She’s a genuinely nice person so she likes to smile too, but it is also performative so other people aren’t scared of her.
Even when they are running late, Entrapta somehow manages to buy them snacks and drinks for the flight after security. (Okay look, she grabs and drops more money than her purchases are worth, with her hair doing the heavy lifting and running, shush.)
SPT prefers to sit in a 3 seat row to get the max comfs for them all. They are very clingy once on the plane so it’s really the best for everyone. If they have to do a 2-1 set up Catra will be in the single seat and Entrapta gets squished against the window while Scorpia gets aisle. If they end up in a 2-5-2 seat row situation Entrapta will be squished against the window while Catra gets aisle on the two seats. Scorpia gets the aisle on the 5 across from them because she deals the best with strangers and can become friends with whoever she’s seated with (the number of friends she legitimately keeps in contact with after meeting on a plane is 100% of them).
Let’s focus on the 3 seat row ideal.
Scorpia will take one aisle seat because she needs the extra room to not feel like her legs are going to snap in two. She always has the arm rest(s) up if she can because she doesn’t quite fit in the seat and it can be painful otherwise. Scorpia has to slump in her seat to not hit her head, so the aisle lets her do that without crunching into a tiny miserable ball. She likes to read or knit while they are flying but always has Entrapta operate her light and personal air. They are just so tiny and delicate and fiddly that she could break them. Scorpia happily eats ALL of the SPT’s free snacks (with few exceptions that Entrapta can stand in which case Scorpia will eat Catra’s free snacks because she is extra finicky while flying). One (1) time the trio got an upgrade to business class and Scorpia straight up cried because it was so much nicer of an experience. The flight attendants (with permission granted) got a lot of great hugs on that flight.
Catra takes the other aisle seat because she feels claustrophobic otherwise. She needs to trick her brain into thinking there’s an escape route in case she needs to run. Yes, she is aware that she will be in a metal tube thousands of feet in the sky so “escape” and “run” are limited. Her brain Does Not Care about that, she just needs to not feel blocked in. She will lift the inner arm seat so Entrapta can sit in all sorts of weird configurations. Their deal is that Entrapta will use her hair as a buffer between them because while stressed out about the whole being in a metal tube thousands of feet in the air where she cannot escape and they could all die thing Catra doesn’t wanna be touched. She will eat only when semi-forced to on long flights (anything 3+ hours) but it needs to be particular food stuffs or else she will end up using a barf bag or in the plane toilet. God she hates the plan toilets.
Side note: hilariously Catra does worse on take off than landing, because when she was really little she learned about the way planes can sometimes crash while trying to take off because of wind tomfuckery the night before she got on her first plane. Landing she doesn’t really mind, plus it means she is getting off the plane thank the stars!
Entrapta needs the middle seat; she wants to feel a little crunched or crushed in. Planes feel weirdly exposed to her on an aisle seat so hiding between two people she trusts is *chef’s kiss*. Entrapta will always kick off her shoes to put her feet on the cushion with her and often sits sideways in her seat to talk with Scorpia or tunelessly hum while patting Catra with her hair. Her favorite part of flying is reading the sky mall magazine and tearing the rich person bullshit technology apart viciously and with no remorse. She spends most of the flight consuming the snacks she bought while curling into the tightest ball possible. If she needs to get out to use the restroom she can use her hair to easily haul herself over Catra.
Side note: Look, she may be a whizz at getting things connected SAFELY online and UNTRACEABLY when possible, but Entrapta is also the kind of person who will shoot her printer if it beeps at her funny. There is nothing connected online in her personal spaces except for her phone.
SPT is usually one of the last groups off the plane because 1: they do not want to touch another person while trying to leave thank you and 2: Catra is a little frozen in her seat afterwards so while Scorpia is stretching and popping to get her body in roughly the right shape again, Entrapta is convincing Catra to get up.
Once off the plane, they get their luggage and will then go eat. If the terminal has vending machine food (like real food not snacks) it’s what they prefer to get. Otherwise they’ll hit the cheapest food in the terminal before leaving. At this point Catra will be forced to eat whether she wants to or not. Hangry Catra is no one’s friend.
~
The BFS is always painfully early for their flights. This is due mostly to Adora needing them to be early because being early is being on time, so you have to be early to being early, but it’s also for a flight and you never know how long security will take so you need to be early to being early to be early (which is on time). It’s also due to Glimmer taking forever because she always remembers something she forgot to pack at the last second, so they plan in time for that too.
2 hours early crowd, can I get a woot woot?
They prefer early morning flights (okay Adora prefers them) because they are usually on schedule compared to later flights. But Glimmer is Not a Morning Person so when they can go as early as Adora wants someone basically ends up on “Carry Glimmer Duty”. She doesn’t mean to fall asleep but she does.
Side note: the number of video’s Adora and Bow have of Glimmer snoring away only to wake up because they are giggle and grumble, “Shut the fuck up.” before snoring away again within seconds is Far Too Many. It is tradition to take at least one video of this for early flights and post online. Glimmer is aware of this and approves because she would live stream it if their positions were reversed.
Because of how early they get there, the BFS always gets a light meal and a drink before boarding. Usually they get a pastry and coffee/tea, but if it’s midday they are happy to stop for a small salad or sandwich somewhere. Bow forces them all to drink at least one full glass of pure water at this time and then they all troop off the bathroom to avoid using the one on the plane.
If there is enough time after that they might go find an amenity. If they have access to a VIP area they’ll go there for their light meal and relax, or they’ll use massage chairs, peruse the shops, get a haircut, etc. (Bow likes having a fresh looking cut at all times, he goes to his barber once every 1-2 weeks to keep it looking good, but he will break and use an airport shop if needed. Adora tried one time and was so itchy from the hair afterwards that she vowed to never do it again. Glimmer thinks they are crazy she is not letting anyone but her stylist at her salon touch her hair.)
They usually fly business class or extended economy because of how tall Adora is and frankly how spoiled Glimmer is so they are pretty early in the boarding process. They don’t really care what the configuration is, because all three want the window seat. BFS has a rotating schedule for who gets it, so they can make any combo work since leg room isn’t an issue.
Adora is actually super relaxed once they are boarded because she no longer has any control over the situation. She always passes out instantly once in the air and is grateful to her friends for waking her up for her favorite part of flying, the free snacks and airline coffee. She loves airline coffee, and hotel coffee (the kind you make in your room). It isn’t usually great coffee but it tastes like traveling and vacations and she loves it. Once consumed she passes back out.
Side note: Adora used to fly a lot as a kid to visit family back in Russia so she is very used to long flight and finds airplane sounds soothing. In fact, she has a noise maker app specifically to mimic the sounds of air travel and likes to sleep in pretty cold conditions too. Her dad always complained about the cold on the plane, and her mom (although also a little chilled because she grew up in Texas) will claim she is perfectly comfortable. Maybe it’s the Russian genes, Randor. Maybe we are strong and awesome and you are sad and not? Adora still takes a bit too much pride in being part of the Shorts All Year ‘Round Gang.
Bow is the most nervous of them when flying, but he’s still pretty average for it. He’s not a fan of landings and turbulence can make him go silent as he begins to nervously eat away his anxiety. His ears are sensitive to pressure changes so he chews a lot of gum on take off and landing, and has the special flight ear plugs to help out. He likes looking through sky mall to get ideas for better inventions or ideas to look into (he is more sleek apple tech kinda dude, they have a lot of smart technology around the house) and talking with Glimmer. Which is necessary because Adora’s sleepy sounds are just so cute and soothing that he will fall asleep otherwise. Bow always orders a glass of water while flying because of dehydration concerns and shares his snacks with Adora. He gets chilled easily and usually wraps himself up in his travel blanket and neck pillow for comfort.
Glimmer is B.O.R.E.D. by flying after traveling so much with her mom and dad. She prefers to spend the trip watching a movie or show in flight with headphones, but Bow usually wants to talk so she does that instead. She has a specific air travel outfit she wears for maximum comfiness, but doesn’t need anything specific. She will always get a mini when flying to put in her coffee or soda, yes Bow she knows it’s not good because of dehydration and pressurization or whatever but by god she wants it and she will have it no matter the time of day or night! Glimmer’s favorite part about flying is snuggling her friends, which only wins over kicking Adora awake for snacks by a hair. She doesn’t really like all the noises and sounds, she finds it difficult to concentrate on what Bow is saying over it, but Bow often brings something for her to fidget with which can help a little bit.
When they get off the plane if they are hungry they’ll stop for food, otherwise Adora will dart into a store to buy a snack because she is always hungry. Once off the plane the BFS just wants OUT of the terminal. They’ll collect their bags and get the hell outta dodge.
