Member
Nightwing95
ExplloRhett Beckett and Nadia Reyes
Location: Flight BAW229; Los Angeles to London.
Interacting With: Each other.
He wasn’t sure why he was looking out the window - the night sky was just as black as the way he liked his coffee. He had made this trip dozens of times and yet, he never seemed to get used to the time zone jumps that made the days much shorter and the nights much longer. Sighing, Rhett decided that his distractions from confronting the obvious had been well used up. He drew down the window covering and shifted in his seat, his dark eyes looking over the most beautiful creature he had ever set eyes on. And she just happened to be very upset with him.
”Would you like a drink, or... something?”
“..something…” She loved him; but God, he was so infuriating at times. Her attention resting anywhere but on her fiance sitting beside her, legs crossing as she twisted within her own seat, Nadia crossed her arms tighter over her chest; anger still very much clear upon her normally gentle features. Sure… he apologized- multiple times at that. But it didn’t matter. He had left her. Two hours… alone, and with not so much as a phone call- a text message to let her know that he was okay… that nothing bad had happened to him…
After all these years; it was just inexcusable…
Dark eyes narrowing, her attention drifting through the first-class cabin; she slid down in her seat, her body slouching as fell silent, the air hostesses moving about the aisles handing out drinks and snacks to passengers catching the corner of her eye, causing her to openly look towards them.
Rhett inwardly winced. Her bite was much worse than her bark. Much, much worse. And it was his fault. He was supposed to pick her up from the parlor after his shift at the hospital with a promise to take her out to dinner before having to make their flight to Los Angeles to connect them to the flight they were on currently. How was he supposed to know that a twelve-year old kid would be sledding down a hill straight onto the highway? The truck driver never saw the kid coming, and it took Rhett hours to piece him back together like a warm, fleshy puzzle.
He simply lost track of time by saving a life. He could admit that. He could apologize for that. But really now, it had nearly been a full day. She couldn’t be angry with him forever.
Sighing softly (more to himself), Rhett twisted in his seat, motioning towards the stewardess to grab her attention - ordering them a couple of beers. Gods knew he would need it to survive the rest of the flight.
”I promised I’d make it up to you. We’ll land in London, connect to our next flight to Greece, and first thing I’m going to do is take you to that restaurant we love so much. Capiche. You loved it there, remember?” Rhett paused, wondering for half a moment if his compromise was falling on deaf ears. ”And. And I’ll leave mamá at home this time. Just the two of us.”
Unable to help the scoff that passed her lips, she shook her head. Like that was going to happen. She’d believe it when she saw it, and no sooner. Turning her head, looking at him full in the eye for the first time since he had finally picked her up, Nadia shot him a glare well worthy of death himself, making it more than clear that his later words were not helping his case any as she practically spat her response at him, “..I can’t believe you brought her last time anyway- it was meant to be a celebration..! You know, for just us..!”
”Nadi… you know how Mamá is… After Patéras died, she’s… well she hasn’t been the same. I couldn’t just leave her at home alone. She does that enough when I’m not there…”
“We were there for over a month..! One night. That’s all I asked for- one night for just the two of us… was that really going to kill her..?” Turning her head away, breaking the contact between their eyes, Nadia shut her own. She needed to get a handle on herself; there was nothing good that ever came from allowing her emotions to get the better of her like she always seemed to allow when things grew heated, “..it was only my third time in Greece; and it was the longest we’ve ever stayed too… I love Madre- just as much as I love my own, but did you honestly think I just wanted to sit by her side every moment of our trip..?”
Rhett remained silent. They had this argument a handful of times before, though there was never any clear “winner” on the subject. It just made him feel bad, and left her angry. But this particular conversation wasn’t even what she was really angry at right now anyway, not really.
Her eyes opening, her attention drawn towards the stewardess as the beer that had been ordered was placed in front of her, Nadia immediately took to the bottle, lifting it to her lips so that could take a swig of the liquid held within it. Allowing a moment for the alcohol to settle in her stomach before she brought her focus back to the conversation at hand.
“..two hours, Rhett… two hours you left me alone, and in the cold. No call, no text- how do you think I felt..? I didn’t know if you were okay, or… or if-...”
”I know. I know, but baby… I saved that kid’s life…” It’s not like he could have just... stepped away from it…
“I know you did..!” Turning back to him, lowering her beer only to then place it on the tray in front of her, Nadia gazed up at him, her dark eyes holding his own as she shook her head lightly, causing her long and dark raven locks to brush to and fro over her back, “..I know you did, Rhett- and I couldn’t be happier..! I always have, and always will be proud of all the things that you do- all the lives that you sav-...”
There was a slight shift in the aircraft, making both Rhett and Nadia turn their gaze away from one another for a moment to look forward. Though the first class cabin wasn’t small by any means, they could see that the other patrons sitting within their seats seemed to be just as alarmed and alert as they were. The plane was silent, the patrons waiting for something else to happen, but it seemed to never come. Rhett let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, and continued the conversation.
”This time it will be different, alright? This time-”
The plane shuddered once more, creaking and groaning on the outside of the aircraft before turbulence once more caused them to shift almost violently.
In an instant her hand was on his… her fingers curling as she sought to take hold of it, all anger she felt towards him- towards their argument melting away in light of the present situation they had found themselves in, “..w-wha-... R-Rhett, what’s happening..?”
”I… I’m not sure. I’ll… I’ll go find out.”
If there was anything more terrifying than an irate woman's desperate touch for comfort, Rhett never wanted to experience it. He could simply tell from her voice just how concerned she was, which wasn’t exactly helping his already hammering heart. He had made this flight loads of times… but this was the first time the turbulence had been this bad.
Standing up from his chair, Rhett began stepping across Nadia before the plane shifted again, seeming to drop a few feet before leveling out again. Rhett pressed himself as close to Nadia’s chair as he could, his body forced to squat down and hold onto the armrest for dear life. The lights flickered, and the oxygen masks came falling down. His gaze spotted them, and he felt his entire body freeze. The only thing capable of moving within that very moment were his dark eyes, looking up at his fiance as the color visibly drained from his face.
“..R-Rhett… p-please…”
Soft… pleading… her head lifting, her dark and terrified gaze meeting his own, Nadia shot her hand to once again take hold of his own, her heart pounding with fear. This was-... Her chest heaving with each breath, she shuddered; the realization of what was happening only now beginning to dawn over her features. He knew what she was asking of him… No; what she was begging for him to do…
If this was the end… then she wanted him there… by her side… at least then maybe the belts restraining them in their seats would give them a fighting chance…
Her body twisting, her hand reaching out, she tilted her head, gently caressing his cheek as tears she hadn’t known were forming began to fall, rolling down over her face before falling to dampen the front of her top. All the damn fights… all the arguments- they meant nothing. They never did.
“..I-I love you…”
Sweat began to accumulate at his brow. He was just as terrified as she was showing to be, but he couldn’t let her see that. He had to be strong. For both of them.
Forcing his hands to let go of the armrest, Rhett raised them up to hold each side of her face, encouraging her to look down into his eyes. He could see the tears spilling from hers, and his entire soul began to ache. It took everything within him to not just stand up and pull her into his arms, simply holding her for their last moments like she wanted. No, he had to give her hope. He had to give himself hope.
”It’s going to be okay, Nadia. Everything is going to be fine, okay?” he told her with much more confidence than he even knew he had in that moment. He used his thumbs to brush away her tears. ”Everything is going to be just-”
The compartments overhead began to rattle and in some cases, bang. Rhett stared them down, as if daring them to burst open. They did.
Standing from his position quickly, Rhett held himself over Nadia, putting his hands on either armrest with his back hunched and head bowed, just over the top of hers, keeping her shielded. The plane was tilting making his position more and more difficult, but Rhett remained strong. He saw nothing but the back of her seat, though the sound of people’s luggage being thrown this way and that - crashing into miscellaneous things and assaulting his back let him know that he had made the right decision. Though not being hit by anything lethal, he was sure that there would be a half-dozen bruises when this was all said and done. At least he was protecting her. The plane was going down for sure, but they could make it. They always made it through the tough times… together.
”See?” Rhett said to her through grit teeth, feeling his footing starting to slip. ”Nothing to i-”
That was when it happened.
The sheer force of the deafening blast coming from somewhere behind them; she felt her body press firmly against his own. Shutting her eyes, her hands shooting up to cling desperately to the front of his top, Nadia’s face scrunched up in pain, the tight restraint of the buckle over her waist the only thing keeping her planted in her seat as they were thrown about. He’d said that everything was okay… that they were going to be fine…
..she knew he was just being brave for her…
The ringing in her ears… it was unbearable. Opening her eyes slowly, her soft lips parting from one another, she turned her head, her fuzzy gaze moving to watch as those around her opened and closed their mouths in silence. It was there… the fear written so clearly over their features, as though they were screaming- yelling for help. But she couldn’t hear them… why couldn’t she hear..?
Panic flicking over her face, her head shaking back and forth in denial, Nadia’s breath hitched in her throat, her chest moving quicker with each moment as she strained her ears; doing her best to hear something… anything that was going on around them.
Rhett was looking down at her, trying to get her to meet his eyes once again - trying to keep her focus on anything but the chaos of what was going on around them. He was losing her to a panic attack; he could see it from miles away. She never really did well with stress…
Shrapnel, amongst everything else, was flying, but Rhett refused to leave his protective stance over her. He tried speaking to her again, but his words were lost to the dull ringing in her ears.
He froze. Blood suddenly splattered over her entire front - the majority being directly over her heart. Rhett sucked in a soft, gurgling breath, any color left in his face completely drained as realization dawned upon him. His dark eyes looked down to his abdomen where his shirt was stained with blood far worse than Nadia’s. A sharp, flat piece of the plane could be seen sticking out from within his breast, having entered his body from his back, skewering him all the way through. Shakily, he lifted his head back up to look at his fiance, eyes wide and fearful before his body slumped down into the isle of the plane soaking the cream-colored carpet with his blood.
The ringing in her ear dulling, replaced instead by the shrill sound of her scream filling the cabin; Nadia’s blood splattered body shook. This couldn’t be happening… this just… this just couldn’t be happening…
Hands already on the belt, fumbling to release the buckle keeping her strapped into her seat, she shot a quick glance down at his body lain in the aisle. Her heart screaming for her to do something, the tears she had been shedding blurring her vision, she broke free; her body lifting instantly from the seat only long enough for her to drop to her knees at his side, her hands shaking… hovering over the injury for but a moment before she forced them down, pressing over what little of the wound she could get to without touching or agitating the shrapnel.
Pressure..! That was it, wasn’t it..? He had always said something about applying pressure to an open wound..! At least… at least, that’s what she thought it was…
Gods, she hoped she was right about this…
“..n-no… no, no, no, no, no- don’t you dare leave me, Rhett..!” Turning her head, staring at him through fear-filled eyes, Nadia spoke softly; pleading. She couldn’t lose him; she couldn’t… not now; not like this, “..what-... what do I do..? P-Please, Rhett… tell me… tell me what to do..!”
”...l-live...”
