Chapter Text
"Now boarding flight 214 with nonstop service to Chicago"
The voice over the intercom brought Clarke out of her trance. She looked up from the notebook she had been sketching in, shutting it abruptly and storing it in her carry-on bag. She heard the same voice inform first and business class to begin boarding the plane immediately. She grabbed her bag from the plastic seat next to her and threw it over her shoulder as she got to her feet. She absentmindedly tugged at her blouse and ran her fingers through her hair as she wandered toward the line that was forming. She reached the front of the line and handed a woman her boarding pass. When the woman smiled and told her to have a safe flight, she realized how relieved she was to be going home. It had only been a three week vacation, but she had spent the last couple of years working as a flight attendant, so the concept of being able to sleep in her own bed indefinitely was as foreign as it was comforting.
She hadn't been ready to start college immediately after she had graduated, much to her mother's dismay. Instead, she decided to take a training course to become a flight attendant for Ark Airlines. She saw it as a way to have the overdone 'traveling before college' experience, while actually being able to afford it. It had turned out to be the best decision she could have possibly made. Not only had she been able to travel the world, discovering impossible beauty in the art, culture, people, architecture and landscape of every place she had the time to see, but she had also met the two young women who quickly became her best friends and eventually, her roommates.
As Clarke boarded the plane, she saw one of them beaming at her.
Clarke had met Octavia on her first day of training. The instructor was making a feeble attempt at bringing the class closer together by having them each introduce themselves and state why they had initially applied for the position. When Octavia's turn came around, she stood confidently and simply stated, "My name is Octavia Blake and I chose this job because I've always wanted to bang a pilot." Clarke had high-fived the girl who had by some great fortune chosen the seat next to her. The rest of the class gasped or laughed as the teacher tried his best to calm them. The pair had been practically inseparable ever since.
"The dream team is back together again!" The stunning brunette winked, pulling her friend into a tight hug.
"The dream team" was what they referred to themselves as when Clarke, Octavia and their third roommate, Raven, got to work on the same flights.
"Aside from the notable distinction that you're stuck catering to my every whim" The blonde smiled back as they separated.
Octavia rolled her eyes and ruffled Clarke's long, blonde hair.
Clarke had to decided to put in her notice at Ark Airline's after being accepted into an art school she had applied to as a result of a bet Octavia made with her (Clarke didn't think she would get in, Octavia insisted otherwise). While the airline had given her the opportunity to improve her portfolio immensely through trying to capture the beauty she found in something nearly every place she went, she knew that she was finally ready to move on.
"I'm going to have to ask you to take your seat, ma'am." Octavia joked.
"Good service is impossible to find these days." Clarke grinned, following the instructions and placing her bag under the seat in front of her.
"Hey, don't make me bring the pilot out."
Clarke laughed as Octavia returned to assisting other passengers. She commended herself on choosing first class as she leaned back in her seat. It was a luxury she couldn't have dreamed of affording had she not gotten an incredibly substantial discount thanks to her past employment with the company. Considering it was an international flight, it would be well worth the additional cost.
She had chosen to take the vacation after she left the company so that she would actually have the opportunity to travel freely without the dictation of where she'd go and when she'd have to return. It may seem contradictory that she had planned her trip in accordance with what flights Raven and Octavia would be on, but she was going to miss their flights together and knew it would make her whole trip more enjoyable.
"Not causing any problems, are you, Griffin?" Clarke looked up to see Raven smirking down at her.
Raven, she had met during her first flight. Clarke was greeting the passengers as they boarded and trying not to look anywhere near as nervous as she felt. There was one passenger who had singled her out and demanded that she help him stow his baggage. After doing so as politely as possible, he proceeded to aggressively hit on her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and while she was no stranger to telling obnoxious drunk guys to go to hell, she was unsure if that was the most professional thing to do on her first actual flight. Fortunately, a gorgeous brunette around her age, stepped in with authority to her rescue. She positioned herself between them and was much less indecisive about how to approach the situation. "You have ten seconds to leave her alone." She informed him, evenly. "Let me know if I need to count for you." "Who the fuck are you?" The man slurred. "I'm not even bothering her." The helpful woman had been visibly counting down on her fingers as he was speaking. Clarke was unsure of how to respond or what protocol was in these types of situations. When he refused to stop after she had put down her last finger, she opened the compartment in which Clarke had stowed his baggage, grabbed it and tossed it at him, all in one swift motion. "I'm Raven Reyes, the captain," She stated, gesturing to her identification which Clarke had also overlooked during the confrontation. "and you're getting the fuck off my plane." He was stunned, it took him a moment to register what exactly had taken place before scoffing and obeying, mumbling under his breath as he made his way towards the exit. "The amount of people who decide that airports are an appropriate place to get belligerently drunk is astonishing." The attractive pilot explained, shaking her head. "Thank you so much," Clarke offered her hand. "I'm Clarke. Clarke Griffin." "Raven Reyes, as I stated earlier." She accepted Clarke's hand with a grin. "No worries, Griffin. I have to take care of my crew. Buy me a drink at any place that's not an airport and we'll call it even." Clarke, Raven and Octavia had all gone out for drinks later on that week and had hit it off so well that within a month, they had decided to become roommates.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Raven. Glad to see you haven't gotten any less full of yourself during our time apart."
"Not a chance, I'm amazing." Raven beamed.
Raven was the youngest pilot in the entire company, so her cockiness, while not always appreciated, was well deserved. Even though it could get a little over the top, Clarke had always found it somewhat endearing.
"Just try to get me home in one piece, yeah?"
"I know what I'm doing, Griffin. Enjoy your flight." She smirked, patting Clarke's shoulder before heading towards the cockpit.
Clarke stretched slightly in her seat and took in her surroundings. Out of the twelve available seats in first class, only seven were occupied. Nobody had claimed the seat next to her and Clarke hoped it would stay that way. She assumed there was a good chance it would since the plane had to be close to being done boarding by now.
Clarke grabbed her notebook out of the bag in the seat in front of her and began glancing over sketches she had made and notes she had taken on the trip. More than anything, she was just trying to zone out. Once she returned home, she would have to focus on her future and she intended on putting that off until the last possible minute.
She had been doing a decent job until Octavia abruptly hopped over the aisle seat Clarke was in, landing in the window seat next to her.
"Oh my god. Soda pop. Seat 35D. This is not a drill."
When Clarke and Octavia had worked on the same flights, they had made a game out of pointing out passengers that they thought the other would find attractive. It helped pass the time on long flights and cheered them up on especially difficult days. They would refer to the passenger's seat number and one of their code words. "Soda pop" had been the code word they had decided upon for attractive girls and "in-flight snack" was the term assigned to attractive guys. "Two liter" was a term used to confirm that they found the woman in question exceptionally attractive, the word holding the same connotation for men was "trail mix." While typically an innocent game that they played to help pass the time and just generally get more enjoyment out of their jobs, there had been two instances where "trail mix"es had lead to Octavia joining and then renewing her membership with the 'Mile High Club.' Clarke couldn't help but be impressed.
"Too bad I am no longer employed here and stuck in first class." Clarke responded, laughing at Octavia's enthusiasm.
"Yeah, that sounds really rough." Octavia rolled her eyes. She then paused for a minute, biting her lip in concentration, clearly contemplating the dilemma.
"Don't hurt yourself, O. I'll be fine here." Clarke assured her.
"You really don't understand." Octavia sighed. "She's not even a two liter, she's like a twelve pack."
"That's not even on the chart." Clarke laughed. "I guess I should've flown coach."
Octavia still seemed to be working the problem out in her head. Clarke knew math wasn't Octavia's strong suit and the way her brow was furrowing now, looked incredibly similar to when she was forced to do division.
"No. Well, yes, probably, but you aren't taking this seriously. If I had to design a human person to be your specific type, I would have crafted her."
"That's creepy as fuck."
"Maybe." Octavia replied, too concerned with the task at hand to care. "Fuck it. Just follow me. Nobody will question it if you walk back with an attendant. Just head towards the back restrooms or something. Seat 35D. Don't forget."
Clarke's first instinct was to argue, but knowing Octavia's persistence and taking note of her uncharacteristic seriousness, she decided to pacify her friend.
"Fine. Make it quick. You probably need to remind me how to put my seat belt on and where the emergency exits are located sometime soon." Clarke teased.
Without hesitation Octavia jumped back over Clarke and into the aisle. She grabbed Clarke's wrist, pulling her out of her seat and leading the way. She didn't release her grasp until they had reached the curtains separating first class. Clarke followed obediently and nonchalantly glanced over at the seat Octavia had specified.
Her heart dropped instantly.
The girl's wild brown curls flowed perfectly down her flawless face. She was starring at her phone purposefully, in the most adorably uncomfortable manner. Although the girl was doing an incredible job of hiding it, Clarke instantly recognized her discomfort. Flight anxiety was something Clarke had dealt with more times than she could count. Clarke wanted to help her. She wanted to hold her. She wanted to do absolutely anything to make this girl happy.
She hadn't realized that she had been frozen in the middle of the aisle, openly staring, until the passenger spoke.
"May I have another pillow?"
Her words were precise and deliberate, her voice was enchanting, almost as if she was from another time entirely. Clarke looked directly into the girl's eyes and knew immediately that it had been a mistake. She thought she could actually feel her heart stop. The green eyes she was starring into were a color she couldn't place, some entirely new, undiscovered shade. She would have gotten the girl anything.
"Uhm. Uh-y-yes." Clarke stammered, failing miserably to keep her composure.
Smooth. She thought to herself as she ran to the compartment in the back of the plane where extra items were stored. She quickly grabbed two pillows and a blanket and ran back to return to the girl's seat. She handed them to the intimidatingly pretty girl and tried to form a smile that didn't make her look insane. She didn't entirely succeed.
The girl's face now displayed not only the hint of discomfort Clarke had taken note of before, but also confusion.
"Uh. Thank you." The girl stated, shortly. Hesitantly accepting the items Clarke had all but thrown at her. She gave Clarke one more questioning look, before turning her attention back to her phone.
Fuck. I brought her too much. That was weird. Clarke thought to herself momentarily before she felt herself being dragged away by her wrist.
"She was probably requesting the pillow from the person who is actually employed by this airline and not the crazy passenger who stopped dead in her tracks to stare at her." Octavia whispered, stifling laughter as she lead Clarke back to her seat.
"Oh my god." Clarke gasped. She had been so taken by the girl that she had grabbed the items, instinctively, wanting to do anything in her power to help the captivating stranger. She had not only failed to realize that she was not the person the girl was speaking to, but also that she wasn't working or even employed, currently. "I'm a fucking idiot."
As they entered first class, Octavia's muffled giggles turned into hysterical laughter. She doubled over, holding up her index finger, signaling for Clarke to give her a minute to compose herself.
Clarke obliged, waiting politely, her face bright red. She was too embarrassed to say a word anyways.
"I've never seen you blow anything that badly. I'm marking today on the calendar and throwing a yearly celebration in it's memory." Octavia said, almost fully recovering.
"Fuck off." Clarke mumbled, as she slid back into her aisle seat.
"Aww. Don't let humiliating yourself in front of a super hot girl ruin your flight." Octavia giggled, knowing she wasn't helping. "I was right though, yeah?"
Clarke hung her head, shaking it in defeat. As much as she hated admitting it, she heard herself muttering the words, "More like a twenty-four pack."
Octavia burst out laughing again, losing all of the composure she had been working to regain. She moved quickly towards the front of the plane, leaving Clarke alone to wallow in her misery. It wasn't long before she heard Raven from the cockpit, laughing even louder than Octavia had.