the cold air makes the young man shiver as he pulls his hat on closer to his head, dragging his suitcase along as he scurried past the large doors of the airport. his mother had warned him that airports were always cold, and he was grateful that she reminded him countless times to wear a hat and sweatshirt.
the boy walked toward the security check nervously, taking out an earphone so that his music wouldn't distract him from his surroundings. yoongi preferred places like quiet libraries or his writing studio— being alone in such large, busy places was not exactly an ideal situation for him— but the bird's gotta leave the nest sometime, right?
when he reached the front of the line, a lady held her hand out for his passport, which he quickly handed over.
"min yoongi?"
"yes," yoongi curses himself in his mind for sounding so scared, but the lady didn't seem to notice as she continued studying his passport.
"go on," she said, passing it back to him and ushering him along.
yoongi takes the passport with his sleeve covering his hand, careful not to touch it. he bows slightly before hurrying forward, lifting his suitcase into a bin onto the conveyor belt and placing his backpack in another. he pulled out his laptop and phone, placing them separately, and suppressing the urge to shake at how many germs were definitely all over his things as he removed his shoes and bracelet.
"step forward, sir," a man waved him forward from behind a metal detector, and yoongi stepped through slowly, heart racing.
there was a loud beep that made yoongi flinch, looking down at himself worriedly. he wasn't wearing a belt, he had taken out his earrings this morning, he wasn't wearing a watch— what could it possibly be?
"you're clear, sir," the guard states, pointing to his left. "please step aside for a random pat-down."
yoongi's heart dropped when he heard this, stepping toward another security guard. this one was much taller than him, making yoongi shrink into himself.
"spread your arms," he demanded, immediately patting his arms through his sweatshirt with gloved hands roughly. yoongi tried his best to keep a neutral expression as he felt blood rush to his face, his features twitching with every touch.
yoongi hated being touched.
the man didn't even worn him as he patted the sides of his chest and down to his stomach, before grabbing at his legs.
at this, yoongi jumped, shaking his head as he stepped backwards.
"sir, this will be easier if you just cooperate," the man sighs, standing up.
"no, i—" yoongi raises his hands back, stumbling. "my medical bracelet is in the bin, i— i can't, i'm sorry i just—"
"oh," the man stepped back, hands up. "you could've warned me of any medical condition, sir, and you don't have to take of medical bracelets for security checks. you can go," he pointed toward the conveyor belt, yoongi thanking him with a fast, deep bow before hurrying off.
he put on his shoes and put everything inside his backpack first, before carefully taking down his suitcase. backpack in one hand and suitcase in the other, yoongi walked over to the side, and took out disinfecting wipes. he carefully wiped everything— each and every container, zip-lock and snack bar, and the whole bag itself— and wiped the clear packages that he had packed his clothes in. he tossed the drying tissue in a
garbage bin and used the sanitizer clipped to his bag to clean his hands and face, before fishing out his medical bracelet from an outer pocket of his backpack.
'MIN YOONGI
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
ON MANY MEDICATIONS
ICE ***-***-****'
he put it on, fidgeting with it until he was happy and stood up, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulder now that he was content it was completely clean. he walked out of the secured area, securing his in-ears as he walked toward his gate.
yoongi reached his gate half an hour before his flight, and he was glad to find a chair to sit in— which he didn't do before wiping down the seat, of course.
"alright, she stole the cheesecake," he sings along to the music in his head, allowing himself to close his eyes for the next few minutes.
"flight BA0118 is now boarding," yoongi heard over the intercom, his eyes snapping open as he looked up at the desk. "could guests from business class, families with small children, and guests that require wheelchairs please make their way to line one, thank you."
yoongi didn't fit into any of those categories, so he stayed seated. he knew that very soon, he'd have to sit next to a complete stranger— somebody that could be the most disgusting, sweaty person on the planet— and he needed to take the time to mentally prepare himself.
nearly fifteen minutes later, the lady spoke on the intercom again. "flight BA0118 is now boarding. would all guests please make their way into lines two and three, please. thank you."
yoongi stepped into the line, trying to keep distance between him and the people around him in the line.
he hands his passport and boarding pass to the lady, who scans it with a smile. "enjoy your flight!"
yoongi smiles back nervously and takes his things back, again with his sleeve covering his hand.
he walked onto the aerobridge, taking a deep breath. this was his first trip away from south korea, and his stomach churned with both anxiety and excitement. as he walked toward the plane.
once he made it onto the plane, yoongi walked to the end of the plane, as his seat was near the back. he hoisted his suitcase into the overhead compartment, going to disinfect and then sit in his assigned window seat. surprisingly, none of the two other passengers had arrived yet.
yoongi got settled in his seat, sticking chewing gum in his mouth and readjusting his mask before fixing his headphones.
a full half hour later, nobody had sat next to him and the door to the plane had been locked shut.
"good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," the flight attendant spoke in korean. "we welcome you onto flight BA0118, from daegu, south korea to los angeles, california, usa. we hope you enjoy your flight!" she smiled, before translating into english.
yoongi smiles to himself as he allowed himself to sit more comfortably knowing it was just him. maybe this flight wouldn't be so bad after all.
los angeles, here i come!
