This was meant to be a drabble, but it ended up being 730 words.
Prompt: Strangers on a plane that are sharing earbuds for some reason.
Warnings: None. Just more sleep-deprived!reader like the one in Over a Cup of Coffee. I guess that's becoming a pattern, huh? Maybe yours truly needs some sleep.
And, more uni!lock. That's becoming a pattern too. Sleep-deprived uni!reader and uni!lock. 😕
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Sleep. Just sleep!
You wanted to scream. Your eyes felt so heavy, your head felt so heavy - it was infuriating! You shut your eyes tightly once again, willing yourself to fall asleep right at that moment. For a moment, it was perfect. Quiet. Still.Turbulence. You were snapped back to reality and you groaned in annoyance, feeling the bile travel up your throat.
You sat back up with a long, disappointed sigh and looked around the ever-so-dull aeroplane compartment. A man trying to put his baby to sleep, despite the high-pitched screeches and wails, flight attendants assisting a young lady, trying to convince her that they cannot give her a window seat at this hour, the glaring light from the laptop someone in front of you was watching a movie on.
The person next to you seemed relaxed, despite it all. You raised your eyebrows at the curly-haired man on the seat beside you. Probably another university student, just like you. He had his earphones plugged in, and if you focused enough, you could hear the faint melodies he was listening to.
The small air conditioner above your seat pushed freezing cold air towards you and you rubbed your arms, wrapping the light blanket you had around your shoulders and trying to curl up into a more comfortable position. Your hands and feet were freezing. More turbulence. You were going to throw up.
You sat up again. more annoyed than before. How envious you were of the passengers who were fast asleep through this.
You felt jet-lagged, sleepy, so fatigued, and nauseous. Tears stung your eyes. Why can't I just sleep?
The person beside you was awake now, after your constant jostling. He didn't seem bothered, however. He looked at you with the same soft, tired eyes that everyone on the plane who was awake at this hour had.
He was British. Probably visited your home country on vacation and was travelling back before his university started?
"You aren't."
"I'm sorry? Did I wake you?" you were confused. What did he just say?
"I said, you aren't. British, I mean. You're travelling to London for your studies, aren't you?" His voice was husky and deep from just waking up.
You nodded.
"You're right about me, I'll tell you that. Going back home after a short trip. My classes start next week."
"I- I didn't say anything."
A small frown, smile and shake of the head. All at once. He looked amused.
"You were talking out loud. I guess you didn't realise."
You shook your head sadly, too tired to be embarrassed by anything.
"Here." He pulled out one of his earphones and handed it to you. You looked at it in confusion for a minute before placing it in your ear.
Soft music. A glaring light from the stranger's phone as he raised the volume, and then it grew more recognizable.
"Moonlight sonata?" You asked, your voice barely audible.
The stranger nodded, his curly hair softly bouncing.
You wrapped the blanket around yourself once more, staring out the window. The faint white of the clouds, like soft strokes on the dark blue of the sky. You smiled, relaxing into the gentle notes that played in your ear. One moment you were aware of the stranger lulling his head back into the seat, eyes closed, drifting off to sleep again as he tapped the notes on his knee. The next, you felt your head fall back, a dream of some sorts engulfing you.
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You woke up to Tchaikovsky's Pas de Deux. More turbulence. You rested your head onto the firm support under you. A small movement as whatever it was moved suddenly, and relaxed again. Someone was trying to wake you. The music stopped.
Your eyes shot open in confusion and you quickly looked around. Your head was on the stranger's shoulder. He was shaking your arm gently, trying to wake you. The passengers around you were already pulling their bags out of the overhead luggage. You glanced at the drool on his shoulder and grimaced, reaching out for a tissue, you sleep completely gone.
"I'm so sorry, I'll just-"
He smiled, rising up to pull out a black backpack, before throwing it over his shoulder. In his other hand was his phone, the earphone cord wrapped around it.
"I guess I'll be seeing you around. Knowing that we're both going to the same university, anyway," he shrugged, and with a casual smile, walked down the aisle and out, leaving you utterly confused.
