Natural Selection (Elijah Kamski x Reader)

Introduced Species

Traveling to Colbridge...

Nothing you said made your family any more accepting towards the prospect of leaving the country on a whim.  None of them had taken it well – especially not your closest relatives. It'd all been the same misunderstandings played on repeat, just in different voices.

They didn't realize the gravity of the situation. Couldn't fathom that you could be a part of something this huge.  They underestimated you, or at least, that's how it felt.

You were fortunate, however, that you and Anthony had been convinced the country was collapsing at a certain point in time.  Your passport was finally getting some use.  It just wasn't in hopes of running off to Canada like you'd planned.

It was stamped for 90 days, granting yourself permission to travel to a place you'd never been to.  You didn't have time to apply for a work permit, a student visa, anything.  You were at the mercy of the man who'd invited you...and a metal death trap 8 miles in the air.

"Are you alright?"

You turned your head from the plane's window, "I'm alright as I can be."

"Still nervous about flying?"

"No," You smiled, "Not after you broke it down with statistics and engineer-"

The plane shook, and you latched onto his arm with both hands, "What was that-"

"Relax, it's okay..." He chuckled, pressing his hand on the back of your head to give you a kiss on top of it and pet your hair, "It's just turbulence. There is less than a 1% chance this plane will crash, remember?"

"Okay, but did you build this?"

"I did not."

"Then you don't really know!"

He sighed lifting your chin, "You are okay. I promise."

You gave him a crooked smile before your head landed in his chest. He held you in one arm, and leaned back in his seat.

It was your first time in first class. The two chairs felt more like recliners than the stiff economy cushions in the back.

You could stretch out. You were comfortable. He made you feel safe.

And all those things combined spelled the perfect recipe for sleep.

...

You'd learned you had a thing for windows.  From the plane, to watching the tarmac through a glass wall while waiting in line at Customs, to staring out of a taxi cab as Elijah made small talk with the driver.

Your suitcase hit the back of the cab as it took to a steep decline, the wheels of the car sending sprays from puddles while rain continued to pour.

"The city is usually more...alive, than this." Elijah leaned in, whispering in your ear, "It's quite beautiful when it's lit up."

A sea of umbrellas hid the faces of the briskly-walking citizens – dressed in long coats with high collars and asymmetric zippers.  Lights came and went, washed away by sheets of water from the downpour.  One thing was confirmed, even through this wet veil, however...it was no longer a secret how this place had been deemed the "Technological Capital of the World."

"It's still beautiful...just in a different way."  You tore yourself from the modern landscape, painted with digital billboards and scrolling LEDs on high-rises, "It's a little busier than what I'm used to, I'll admit."

"Where we live is much quieter."

"That's the honest-to-god truth if I've ever heard it," The cab driver – Carter was his name, interjected, "Better get cozy, because we've got a long ride ahead of us."