Birds of a Feather (Apocalypse AU)

Chapter 3 - Falling, in Style (Ace)

TW: cursing

The plane shook as it passed through a blur of pink and orange tinted clouds. Sunset was Ace's favorite time of day, and flying through the golden colors of sunset was no exception. They leaned around the person resting in the seat next to them, occasionally attempting to 'stretch' their neck as they tried to peek out of the window.

I was supposed to be on the goddamn window seat.

Huffing with a big pout on their face, Ace poked Kole in the arm. "Wake up, I wanna see the clouds and you're blocking it, you tall motherfucker," Ace hissed as they poked Kole's arm again. This time, aggressively.

Kole grumbled and opened an eye, glaring at Ace. "Move your head idiot," she whispered before turning back, pressing her back against the rear end of the seat so Ace had a better view.

Ace stuck her tongue out at Kole as they wiggled closer to the window. The contrast between the soft edges of the clouds and the bright glow of the setting sun were truly magnificent. Ace clucked their tongue appreciatively, their hands itching to color in the scene in their mind.

After taking a mental picture, Ace settled back into their seat, sighing contentedly. They always loved the rich glow of the sun, how it lit up the world during the day and the moon at night. Ace frowned as they felt their stomach rumble unhappily. It seemed to be pestering them for spaghetti: spaghetti, you want spaghetti; doesn't spaghetti sound delicious? Don't you want to eat some spaghetti?

Ace pushed away their stomach as a flight attendant walked down the aisle with dinner trays, handing them out to the ravenous students in each aisle. Ace grabbed two, thanking the attendant copiously.

Ace looked down at her food as they handed one to Kole, who immediately sat up and put down her tray table. A splatter of gravy covered a pathetically small scoop of brown rice; a clearly-burnt piece of chicken sat crowded next to a helping of canned corn. Ace's disgust was forgotten as their stomach let out an angry grumble, and they began shoveling the drab mess into their mouth.

Kole glanced disdainfully at Ace, who had managed to spray particles of food on both of their seats. "Are you ever going to eat properly?" Kole asked, pushing around the corn in her tray with her spoon.

"SORHU I CAJUT JEAR YOU," Ace mumbled loudly through partially-chewed rice and gravy, the gray mess balling up in their mouth. A fleck of brown landed on Kole's cheek. Ace laughed silently as Kole slowly took her napkin and slowly wiped it off of her face, still staring directly at Ace. Ace yelped as Kole's balled napkin hit them square in the nose, falling into their lap.

They both turned back to their food, chatting about the homework they had and how excited they were to visit Vancouver. Their first school trip, Kole's first time on a plane, and their first time visiting Canada. The entire cabin was abuzz with energy, excited at their chance to visit North America.

Eventually the buzz died down as the sun fell below the horizon, and the cabin grew darker. People began to rest, grabbing spare jackets and using them as pillows and blankets. Despite the happiness of being on a plane and the anxiety that they had for the next day, Ace slowly fell asleep, drifting through the clouds.

Kole sat, arms rigid, staring straight forward as the cabin became darker. Gripping the armrests, she tried to relax her shoulders and took a deep sigh. Just her luck that her first plane flight would be so fucking long. Kole looked over at Ace, who was breathing softly in the seat besides them. As she moved their jacket back over their arms, Kole thought back to the news circling the terminal as they took off. Sudden lockdowns in Europe and Asia, and a surprising military presence at the airport (as Ace pointed out quickly; Kole had never been on a plane before). She shook her head. She'd been looking forward to this trip for a full 9 months, and she was not going to let a few odd observations spoil her one chance to visit the country she had been researching for the last few years.

Kole rubbed her wrist, wincing as she recognized the imprints her fingers made on the arm rest. She should try to get some rest, but there was something uneasy in her stomach that was keeping her up. Pushing it away as the sound of the engines and the slight shaking of the cabin, she stared out the window. Dark clouds, a smooth sea, a silent moon.

The sun had started to warm the cabin when Ace woke up, starting slightly. They hadn't meant to fall asleep, if only to annoy Kole all night long... Ace looked over at Kole, who now had bags under her eyes and was staring blankly at the seat in front of her. Ace yawned and asked, "What's wrong? Couldn't sleep?" Kole stared back at them with dull eyes, and pointed to the back of her seat as a child behind her kicked her chair with surprising force. Ace was initially guilty, as they could have switched seats with Kole, but they could only laugh watching Kole sway back and forth to the screams and happy cries of the child sitting behind her. "I fucking hate children," Kole deadpanned as Ace cackled silently from their seat.

They chatted as the pilot announced their descent, proudly stating that they were 30 minutes early, although it was hard to hear through the static of the microphone. The weather was pleasant and sunny, perfect for individuals from a mostly tropical country. They began packing up their clothing and electronics as their ears popped with the pressure.

They sat in their seat for another 20 minutes, waiting for the final descent to the airport. Kole looked out of the window, marveling at the city beneath them and the structures that reached up into the sky. Ace pushed her out of the way as they both pushed their noses against the glass, their eyes taking in the skyline and landscape.

Another hour later, they were starting to get uneasy. Ace had rightfully stated that descents normally didn't take this long, and the other passengers were beginning to get anxious. They were now almost an hour late for their flight, and they were beginning to twitch in their seats (especially since the child behind Kole didn't seem to be calming down).

Almost 2 hours after the initial announcement of descent, the pilot addressed the passengers on the intercom: Hello ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the delay but we are having trouble contacting airport control. Please standby while we attempt a landing on an empty strip. Thank you for your patience.

Kole looked, eyebrows raised at Ace as she started shaking. Ace shrugged, offering little consolation for their friend. They had never been in a situation like this before. The confused looks around the cabin only confirmed their suspicions as a nervous atmosphere developed. The child behind Kole stopped kicking her chair, instead opting to bother their parents sitting next to them.

After a nervous wait, the pilot managed to land the plane with little turbulence, and the passengers heaved a sigh of relief as they began to look for their things and turn on their phones, despite the seatbelt sign still shining its orange light.

Ace looked around at the window as Kole reached for her phone: no people were milling about the tarmac, and there was no movement of buses or luggage trains. The blue sky contrasted starkly with the gray buildings, and the plane moved slowly through the steel environment. Ace shivered. This wasn't normal.

The calm before the storm.