Chapter Text
The change in the atmospheric pressure amplifies the weight Gabriel Milton feels pressing in on him as he steps onto the aircraft. He checks his boarding pass with a flick of his wrist-yup still seat 24C, same as it was the first time he printed it from the kiosk. The same as it was the next five times he checked it. He begins the awkward ramble of maneuvering the narrow aisle while preventing his worn leather messenger bag from knocking against every shoulder or head he passes.
Gabriel’s progress is short lived as he approaches a man stowing his carry-on into the overhead bin. His eyes close briefly, and he cycles through two slow breaths, and is starting on the third when he feels a body press against him in passing. His feet are moving forward again before his eyes open. Seat 24C feels like it may be miles away. 12C. Halfway there and then he can sit and zone out for four hours. Four hours to build up the facade of a man not on the brink of falling to pieces. Mere hours to prepare for days of his family asking questions, of avoidance tactics in order to not relive betrayal, and the inevitable ‘I told you so’s’ that would follow.
16C. Or maybe he’ll choose to remain in denial for just a little while longer and sleep. 20C.
Who is he kidding? Over the span of thirty years and countless flights, Gabriel has never been able to sleep on a plane.
22C Just a few more steps and he’ll be able to collapse onto the uncomfortable seat, and leave his last few months of hell in a cloud of engine exhaust. And there it is, 24C, just waiting for him- a sound nothing short of anguish escapes Gabriel’s throat as a set of head and shoulders pops into view, obscuring the once empty seat back of number 24C.
His feet halt as his brain catches up. He looks at the label above the seat then at his boarding pass. Still 24C.
“Sorry man, but you’re in my seat.” Gabriel is bone weary tired and wonders if he even spoke aloud given the fact he doesn’t even glance up.
Or maybe the wires running parallel to his neck have something to do with his lack of acknowledgement.
Gabriel moves closer and waves a hand through the air. Nothing. Gabriel’s shoulders slump in defeat. He’s beginning to think the universe really does hate him. Why must everything be such an ordeal?
Some things really aren’t too much to ask for. A career that doesn’t leave him feeling like he’s sacrificed every ounce of his soul? Maybe. A relationship that is loving, supportive, and trustworthy? Might be. Not having to interact with people in order to claim his assigned seat on a giant metal bird he paid good money for? Definitely not too much to ask, thank you very much.
The irritation is just starting to flare when the man’s neck pivots and Gabriel finds himself looking into the face of the interloper. A face framed by shaggy brown hair, a sharply cut jaw (with a divot he definitely does not notice in his irritation), centered by a sloping nose. His eyebrows press into his wide forehead, and his lips curve into a soft smile as his gaze settles over Gabriel. Understanding seems to dawn when those same lips morph into the shape of a silent “Oh”.
The man pulls out his ear buds, tosses them to the middle seat then states the obvious which, to Gabriel’s surprise, makes him smile. “I’m in your seat.” Gabriel takes a step backward, grateful this song and dance is over.
He feels his eyes widen as he follows the man’s movements. He watches transfixed as he pushes to a crouching position to keep from hitting his head on the underside of the luggage compartments, narrowly misses an air control knob to the temple before dropping down into the window seat. His legs have virtually nowhere to go but into his own lap.
“Uh, on second thought, you can keep the aisle. You clearly need the room. I think even Gumby would be uncomfortable like that for four hours.”
The smile he flashes Gabriel seems genuine as he waves a hand in the air. “Naw, I’m used to it. I’ll be okay. Please, sit in your seat.”
“I really have to insist,” Gabriel tells him firmly, his irritation long forgotten, “if anything I want to see how you’re able to get out of that position. I could use the entertainment.”
His seatmate studies Gabriel’s face for a beat seeming to read him before letting out a soft chuckle. He repeats the bent shuffle in reverse, only this time his temple grazes the control knob making Gabriel wince on his behalf. He steps into the aisle and moves aside as Gabriel slides in and, at long last, sits.
The man whose chin barely aligned with the top of Gabriel’s head returns to 24C, picks up his earbuds, and wraps them around his wide hand. Gabriel finds himself pausing midway through stowing his bag at his feet in order to watch the wire- or rather the hand. Feeling silly he literally shakes his head and tucks his bag at his feet. As he settles into his new seat he senses he's now the one being watched and glances to his left.
“Thanks, I was on the flight here and took advantage of the empty seat. I’m Sam.” And there is that hand again, hovering in the space between them.
Gabriel hopes his cheeks aren’t as red as they feel as he tucks in and shakes Sam’s hand. Its warm and comforting and Gabriel feels a tug of- something- when the cold air hits his empty palm with the end of their contact. “That’s quite the paw you have there Sam. I'm Gabriel and really, it’s no problem. Beats the middle, amma I right?”
Sam cranes his neck around before hooking a thumb at the middle seat. “Looks like it may remain empty, seems the trickle of new passengers has slowed.”
Gabriel stares at the vacant seat and knows for a fact the ticket for 24B will remain unclaimed. “Looks like it,” Gabriel agrees as his head tips back and his eyes slip closed. Maybe if he thinks of something quick- perhaps the way Sam’s eyes have flecks of brown that seem to float in a sea of blue green- maybe he won’t recall the memory of his bed with rumpled sheets barely covering two bodies-neither of which belong to him.
“Are you going to or from home, Gabriel?”
Gabriel suppresses a sigh and silently counts to ten. That definitely doesn't help him avoid his truth. Why must every traveler ask that on a plane? The memory of smeared lipstick on sneering lips is replaced by the thought of a smile aimed at him and he softens.
Gabriel lifts his head and twists his body to the left, leaning on the armrest. “Technically to home, I guess.” Gabriel is taken aback by the way Sam is studying his face, waiting for Gabriel to explain himself. And there’s that smile again. The one that says, I want to know more. Gabriel isn’t used to people being genuinely interested in what he has to say. In his line of work the attention is never on him, and he finds himself unsure how to proceed
In order to stall just a moment longer Gabriel runs his fingers over his unshaven chin. “Uh, what I mean is I currently live here in Tennessee but I grew up in Kansas.”
“Hey, what d’ya know, I did too!”
A chuckle escapes Gabriel when Sam smacks the back of his fingers against Gabriel’s bicep. “Small world. Do you still live there, Sam?” Gabriel inquires, finding he really does want to know this information. And so much more. How did that happen? He studies Sam as he speaks. He appears young but Gabriel suspects they may be close in age. He knows he looks older that thirty-work has aged him.
“I do. I grew up in Lawrence, but I live in Topeka now.”
“I’m from Wichita.”
Sam echoes Gabriel’s chuckle and hums in understanding. The two men grew up a mere two hours apart. “Small world indeed.”
“Traveling for business or pleasure?” Gabriel groans loudly. “That was so cliche of me that I'm embarrassed.” He covers his face and shakes his head.
Sam’s laughter makes him look up sharply, his hand falling from his face. A pool of warmth settles in his stomach, and the unfamiliar sensation leaves him feeling almost unsettled. Almost.
“I was actually in Chicago for a work convention. I’m a teacher,” he adds seemingly as an
afterthought. His attention wavers as he watches the flight attendants walk the aisle, checking seat back positions and closing overhead bins. “Um,” he runs his palms over his jean clad thighs and finishes hesitantly. “Nashville was just a layover stop for me.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that.” Gabriel notices Sam’s knee is bouncing and he’s sitting a little taller in his seat.
“What?” Sam looks to Gabriel. “Oh. I’m sorry, yeah I guess I did.”
“It’s okay, Sam.” He should probably mind his own business but ignoring someone seemingly in distress isn’t in Gabriel’s nature. “Does flying make you nervous, Sam?”
“Nah.” Almost as if on cue, Sam jumps at the sound of an overhead bin slamming shut. He laughs nervously and averts his eyes from Gabriel’s gaze. “Okay, maybe a little. Just on takeoff and landing. I’m usually okay once we get up there. It uh, doesn’t bother you?”
Gabriel takes a second to make a mental check of his posture. He relaxes into his seat and drapes his left arm on his rest, allowing his hand to dangle open and loose while the other settles just as open on his knee. “Nah. Plenty of other things in life bother me but not flying. I figure it’s all out of my control. I have enough in my life to make my nerves rattle. I’ll save my energy for that.”
Sam swallows thickly as the flight attendant passes by at a brisk pace towards the front of the aircraft.
“How was your conference?” Gabriel asks in hopes of distracting.
“Conference?”
Gabriel waits patiently and can’t help but smile at Sam when his eyes clear and he’s once again present in their conversation.
“Oh! The conference.” His embarrassment seems short lived before continuing. “Yeah, it was good. Well, as good as any function with a bunch of educators can be. What do you do for a living, Gabriel? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Gabriel finds he very much likes hearing Sam say his name. What the hell is even happening here?
“I work in an assisted care and rehabilitation center.” He braces himself for the reaction he gets every time he informs people. “I’m a nurse.”
But the look of amusement never appears on Sam’s face. Is that awe he hears in Sam’s exclamation of “Oh wow”?
He finds he’s speechless as he listens to Sam speak.
“That’s incredible. A few years back my older brother was really sick.” He taps his chest. “He developed an infection in his heart.”
Gabriel leans towards Sam as possible causes pop into his head without effort. “Is he o-”
“Oh yeah, he’s great,” Sam rushes to address Gabriel’s concern. “It was scary for awhile there. I thought I’d lose him, it's just the two of us.” And now it’s Sam leaning towards Gabriel, but he takes it one step further when his hand clamps over Gabriel’s arm. His eyes are intense as he leans in even closer, so close Gabriel can see the faintest of freckles on Sam’s nose. (He has a fleeting thought of ‘How long is that torso?’) “It was the nurses that helped me the most. I was a wreck and they were a godsend. I have the utmost respect for you, Gabriel. It can’t be an easy career, and from what I’ve experienced first hand, I know it takes an exceptionally special person to do it.”
No question of, “what- couldn’t hack medical school?” No jokes on his height being more suited for emptying bedpans and wiping asses. No comments on the fact he’d probably look good in pink scrubs (jokes on them, he does in fact look good in pink scrubs and favors them during the month of October). Gabriel has heard them all- most of them from his own family- but not from Sam. This man he’s known all of twenty minutes. A man Gabriel knows very little about and yet Sam understands the core of what, in Gabriel’s opinion, makes him who he is.
He stares dumbly at Sam’s hand, stunned into silence. This has never happened to him before, and he isn’t sure how to react.
Turns out that decision is taken from him. Sam’s hand leaves his arm as a loud whirring sound kicks in around them, and a soft click overhead precedes the flight attendant’s muted voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, could I please have your attention at the front of the aircraft as we begin our taxi into position. In the event of an emergency…”
The two remain quiet as the flight attendants run through the safety procedures, and Gabriel watches as Sam becomes increasingly agitated. He fights against his own rising anxiousness to help this human beside him. If they were friends he’d move to the middle seat, but that might seem a little weird under the circumstances. They haven’t even exchanged last names, and yet… Gabriel wants to make that move. He barely refrains.
Instead he gently taps Sam on the shoulder the moment the instructions are over. "What did he say about the seat cushions? They can be used as a parachute?"
The joke is lame, but it has its desired effect. Sam laughs and his hands become unclenched while his shoulders lower, despite the fact the plane is now starting to move forward.
"Right, a parachute to glide us gently down to the concrete below," Sam jokes weakly with a slight waver to his voice.
"Sarcasm, now you’re speaking my language, Sam.”
Sam shakes his head with a smile even as his knee begins to bounce again.
"Tell you what Sam, the first adult beverage is on me the moment that cart comes b-"
Gabriel's words are cut short with a loud bang followed by the sound of screeching metal. One second he's admiring the way Sam's hair curls at the nape of his neck, and the next he's seeing starbursts behind his eyelids as his body is slammed into the wall of the cabin.
Gabriel finds himself unable to move as the plane seems to careen to the right, shouts and cries of other passengers progressively getting louder. As quickly as it began, the moment is over. The plane ceases all movement, and Gabriel pries open his eyes. His vision is still a bit unfocused, but it’s improving. His head is throbbing and his arm doesn’t feel the greatest, but he’ll deal with that later. He gropes blindly at the pressure on his thigh and feels skin. Sam!
Sam is slumped over the middle seat, eyes closed, breath coming out in shallow pants. Gabriel unbuckles himself and pushes forward in his seat, covering Sam’s hand as he scoots forward.
“Sam!” He lays his hand at the back of Sam’s neck and gives him a slight squeeze. “Hey, Sam, open your eyes for me buddy. You’re okay. We’re okay.” Sam’s eyes open, but his breathing remains sharp. Afraid he may begin to hyperventilate, Gabriel grasps Sam’s shoulder and gently guides him against his seat as he stands and moves to the middle, being sure to keep contact with his new friend.
He keeps a hold of Sam’s hand as he reaches down into his messenger bag- which is surprisingly still where he left it- and pulls out a bottle of water. “I’ll tell you Sam, I really wasn’t looking forward to going home, and I’ve done a lot of crazy shit over the years to avoid doing just that, but a plane accident really takes the cake. I can’t wait to see what our second date will be.”
He places the bottle of water between his knees and unscrews the cap with his free hand. “Do me a solid and drink some of this water for me, Sam.” He ignores the chaos around him- people crying, the captain on the speaker saying something about a wheel malfunction, and the flight attendants doing their best to clear the aisle -and releases his hold in order to place the water in Sam’s loose grip. He guides his wrist, only letting go when Sam takes over. Gabriel really doesn’t like how pale he is.
While he waits he takes a cursory look around. People seem panicked but there doesn’t appear to be any serious injuries. “That’s great Sam, now can you open your eyes and take some slow breaths with me?” He places Sam’s right palm over his chest, inhales deeply before letting it out steadily between his pursed lips.
“What the hell just happened?” Sam pants as his fingertips press against Gabriel’s sternum.
“Shh, don’t talk yet, just breathe.” He pulls in another exaggerated breath and is pleased when it only takes two cycles for Sam to mimic him. “Excellent,” Gabriel praises in a calm, even keeled tone. “From what I’m hearing there was a problem with the wheels. They’re bringing over one of those tunnel things-”
“Jet bridge.”
Gabriel smirks over Sam’s interruption. “They’re bringing over a jet bridge and then they’ll let us out of here.”
“Rock climbing.”
“What?” Gabriel wonders if a piece of luggage somehow hit Sam on the head.
“Rock climbing,” Sam repeats, this time in a clearer voice. His eyes open and his hand slides down Gabriel’s chest, coming to rest on his hip. “On our second date.”
A laugh bubbles up Gabriel’s throat when he recalls what he had said to Sam moments ago. “We’ll see about that. If you hadn’t noticed I’m not exactly the athletic type.”
Sam lets out a hum before his lids slip closed and his head falls to his seat back. “You’re a type alright.”
“And what type is that?” Gabriel inquires, ignoring the butterflies swooping through his stomach.
“I’m starting to think the perfect kind.”
“Oh Sam, you couldn’t be more wrong. I’m not the type you want to get mixed up in. I have more baggage than the cargo hold below us.” Gabriel takes the water bottle from Sam and downs the remaining liquid in hopes of pushing past the bitter lump in his throat.
Sam lifts his head and looks Gabriel in the eye, “I think-”
“Ladies and gentleman, the jet bridge is now-”
“Told ya,” Sam mutters, causing Gabriel to snort.
“Please remain calm and follow the flight attendants instructions,” the captain continues. “They will escort you out in a timely manner. A medical staff is waiting for any needing assistance.”
“And please avoid talking to the press or a lawyer,” Gabriel adds as he gathers his bag and tosses the plastic bottle inside. “Think you’re good to stand, Sam? We can catch the tail end if you need more time.”
“Hell no, let’s get out of here,” Sam exclaims as he pushes to his feet. Gabriel notes he's a bit wobbly but all and all he seems okay. He grabs a bag from the bin above and gestures for Gabriel to step out before they all slowly file from the plane.
@@@@
The shaken passengers are met with airport staff and, as promised, medical personnel. Both Sam and Gabriel turn down their offered help, pausing long enough to learn their luggage will be waiting at carousel number four and staff at the ticket counters will be waiting to help with new flight arrangements.
“Do they really think we’ll be getting on another plane after living through that?” Sam asks with a shake of his head as they head down the escalator to wait for their luggage.
He doesn’t know if he’s still in shock or if he really isn’t affected by what just happened but Gabriel realizes he hadn’t thought any different. “Actually, yeah, that’s what I was planning to do.”
Sam pauses mid stride to look at Gabriel as if he’d grown a third head. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No?” Gabriel answers hesitantly as he continues past a flabbergasted Sam.
@@@@
Almost an hour later, Gabriel is waiting in line, his suitcase leaning against his calf and his eye trained on Sam. Something is tugging at his gut as he watches Sam pace near a bay of windows that overlook the tarmac. He’s on the phone, gesturing wildly with his wide hand and long fingers. When they aren’t swinging through the air they’re running through his hair.
In the time it took to wait for the belt to start moving, Sam had managed to calm down and seemed almost as if they had just deplaned after a normal flight. Only now as he, Gabriel can only guess, speaks to his brother he appears to be reliving it all again. The last straw for Gabriel is when Sam slouches against the wall, making himself appear childlike and vulnerable. With a final glance at the ticket counter, Gabriel grasps his suitcase handle and walks to another line.
@@@@
“Are you hijacking a plane?” Sam asks wearily as he nods his head to the key Gabriel is dangling in front of his face.
“Shhh!” Gabriel cries as he pockets the key. “Has today not been adventurous enough for you? Want to be taken into custody by an air marshall as well? You can’t be using language like that in this day and age. I’m starting to think I’m not the only one with a bump on the noggin.” He runs his hand absentmindedly over the lump forming at the side of his head.
Gabriel looks down at Sam from where he sits on the floor against the wall. His eyes have dark smudges under them and his shoulders are sagging. And just like that the pain in his head is forgotten. He holds out his hand, palm up, and waits.
“What?” Sam asks, clearly done with the day.
“I know you don’t know me, but I’ve decided to rent a car and drive home. I thought maybe since we’re headed the same way-”
For the first time since Sam first saw Gabriel, sitting in seat 24C, Sam’s face splits into a grin, making those butterflies take flight once again. “Yeah?”
Gabriel can’t help but return the grin when Sam accepts his hand, and the assist up off the floor. “Yeah, why not? What’s the worst that could happen?”