"I won't let you die"
"I don't think that's how it works"
Natalie Parker and Zachary Mitchell were best friends. Upon first meeting them, you would think they hated each other with how much they argued. And they did hate each other at first but now...
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No matter how salubrious the furnishings inside the airplane were, to Natalie it would never be more than a flying steel coffin. She clenched her fists as she leaned deeper into her seat, smiling stiffly at the stewardess walking by.
As soon as the engine rumbled to life, Natalie had felt the tell-tale signs of her panic forming. Heart racing, brain on fire, synapses firing like an internal aurora borealis turning her brain to a mental soup of conflicting thoughts.
"Obviously, Gray would fall asleep in the first five minutes of taking off," Zach scoffed after looking over Natalie's head to see his brother fast asleep. "At least I won't have to listen to him talk about some dork-asaurs Rex for the next eight hours."
Natalie hummed in agreement, only half paying attention to Zach as she tapped a rhythm with her fingers to distract herself. When Zach's words register in her head her fingers froze and her narrowed eyes widened. Her hair whipped around, striking Zach's shoulder as she turned to him.
"Hey, Nat, watch i--"
"Did you just say 'eight hours'? Eight hours?" Natalie asked him incredulously. "Like four hundred and eighty minutes?"
Zach's eyebrows furrowed, looking down at his best friend like she was the insane person he always said she was. "What are you... The fuck if I know how many minutes are in eight hours."
Though technically Zach had not answered her question, Natalie knew he was telling the truth about the eight-hour flight. She couldn't believe she didn't look into this before the trip. How idiotic of her. She had been too excited about spending winter break with Zach and seeing the dinosaurs that she completely forgot about her fears.
"No, no, no, no," she began muttering to herself as she squeezed her eyes closed, wishing that she could sleep, pass out, fall into a coma. Anything.
Zach didn't notice the building anxiety in his friend as he leaned back to sit comfortably in the seat, his legs spread open so his knees didn't press against the seat in front of him. His head was resting on the cushioned headrest, his eyes closed peacefully. He did, however, hear her constant incoherent muttering under her breath. "Nat, for the love of God, shut... up," he grumbled, keeping his eyes closed.
"Eights hours, Zach!" she whispered harshly to him. She didn't want others around them to hear her panic. "Eight hours of being trapped in this fucking tin can. Eight hours of being thirty-five thousand feet in the air."
"What do you think is going to happen, Nat? A bird isn't going to fly into the engine." Zach huffed to her.
Natalie shook her head in agitation. "That's a possibility, but do you know the main cause of plane crashes are due to pilot error? And what are pilots known for being? Drunken whores, Zach! Drunken whores. As soon as they land their fucking planes, they head straight to the bar, fill themselves up with as much alcohol as humanly possible and grab the closest thing with tits. Or a penis, it's 2015. I mean, pilots get their stomach pumped as often as you take a shit."
The thoughts were accelerating inside her head. Natalie wanted them to slow down so she could breathe but they wouldn't. Her breath came in gasps and her eyes began to blur as if she was going to black out. Her hammering heart made her chest ache, her fingers digging into the stiff material of the armrest.
"Jesus, Nat." Zach groaned in exhaustion, his face scrunching in disgust. "What is your problem? You have a fear of flying or something."
Natalie glared at Zach in annoyance. "A phobia, Zach. Aviophobia. So, yeah, I kind of do have a problem."
"We are literally going to be spending a week with dinosaurs and you're freaking out about being on a plane."
"Of course I'm 'freaking out' about being on a plane. Jurassic World has giant concrete walls and cages and tracking devices and protocols - on top of that they basically have a military base to protect people if a dinosaur goes haywire." Natalie quickly dismissed Zach's argument. "If this plane goes down, what does it have? Cheap life jackets and flimsy breathing masks. And what do they say? Brace for impact? Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, Zach, if we're hurtling to the ground at five hundred miles per hour, the brace position is going to do fuck all."
Natalie was almost panting for breath during her spouting, running a shaky hand through her dark curls. "Just take it easy, okay?" Zach tried to reassure her but his pursed lips and furrowed brows counteracted his semi-soothing word. "Did you bring any travel tablets or sleeping pills with you?"
"No, I think I left them on my bed," Natalie shook her head pitifully.
"Really? You remember all these things about plane crashes and you couldn't remember to bring you medicine?" Zach asked in disbelief
"Shut up, Zach," Natalie snapped. "Knowing you, you probably forgot to pack your fucking toothbrush or something,"
"No, I..." Zach paused, looking down at his feet before he muttered, "Shit," with a sigh. "Well, then what do you want me to do, Natalie? I'm not a mind reader. Do want me to ask for food for you? A drink? Barf bag?"
"I'm not going to sick," Natalie shook her head as Zach called over one of the stewardesses for some snacks and a bottle of water. The plane jolted slightly causing Natalie to let out a shriek in fear, her hand shooting out to grab Zach's.
"What are--"
"Please, don't let go." Natalie nearly begged Zach as her eye squeezed shut, hiding the building tears. "Please, Zach,"
The feeling of Zach pulling his hand away from Natalie's tight grip sent her heart skyrocketing. As she opened her trembling lips to snap at him, she felt his arm slip around her body, pulling her into his body and engulfing her in his warmth.
"Just keep your eyes closed, alright? You're... I'm here, okay? You're fine, you're going to be fine." he mumbled in her ear and she pressed herself closer to his chest. She could feel him fidgeting underneath her before she felt his hand come up to her head. Gently, she felt Zach pushing one of his headphones into her ear that wasn't pressed into his side, filling her mind with her music. "Just don't think about it."
