I've had this idea for MONTHS now and I've finally started writing it! Modern AU's are a bit of a challenge for me but I'm trying REALLY hard to make it as realistic as possible. Anyways, I hope you all like it!
Happy Reading!
Chapter 1
Early flights were nothing new to Anakin. From the moment he got his first job with an airline, he had been forced to adjust to some of the less luxurious aspects of being a pilot. Where movies often make flying look like a glamorous and profitable career, the reality was that he rarely ever had time to enjoy any of it. Sure, he'd been to Japan, Venezuela, Brazil, Russia… but he never once set foot outside of the airport. There were some places he had gotten a little extra time to explore, but seldom was that ever longer than a day. And knowing this, most people would choose a career that offered a little more flexibility. But not Anakin. He loved his job! He loved being able to fly everyday. He loved how little kids would wave at him in the airports. He loved watching as he steered the plane up through the clouds. He even liked storms (from a distance). And his love for flying made all the challenges and all the terrible airplane food worth it.
Anakin wheeled his luggage towards his gate, standing in line with all of the other passengers as they prepared to board. Today was one of those rare days when he was just a passenger. The moment his last flight had landed just a few hours ago, his long shift finally ended and he was now on the last leg of his journey to Arizona. The copper state was not his favorite place to visit. He'd grown up there and while the heat was tolerable, the sand and wildlife were not. And while he left the state the first chance he got, his mother didn't. That one detail made the state worth the few days of vacation he was spending on it. He hasn't seen his mother in years, the last time being at her wedding close to five years ago. He didn't know the man very well but his mother was happy and so long as she was out of that death trap of a home he grew up in, he was just fine with him.
The line moved slowly as one by one passengers scanned their tickets before walking down the gangway towards the plane. Traveling in coach was always an experience especially when he tried to squeeze his long legs to fit within the confines of a middle seat. But fortunately this time he booked an aisle seat. Anakin made his way towards his seat in the eighth row. Through the crowd of people he could see the middle seat of his row. A young boy sat in the seat, his eyes scanning his surroundings nervously, unsure of where to focus. Anakin smiled. Must not fly that much, he noted. As he drew closer, he tried to play it cool and casual, ignoring how the boy's eyes widened at seeing the wings pinned to the breast of his jacket and the four gold stripes on his cuffs as he pushed down the handle his roller and stored it in the overhead compartment with his cap before sitting down. He could feel the young boy's eyes on him and knew it was only a matter of time before he asked the question every young kid asks him.
"Are you really a pilot?"
Anakin smirked, like clockwork, he thought, turning to face to boy and giving him a friendly smile before answering. "I sure am," He said, loving how the boy's smile broadened.
"That's so cool!" He said, "My dad got me a model plane for my birthday last year."
"Really?" Anakin asked, "Do you like flying?"
The boy shrugged, "I haven't really flown much," He admitted, "The last time I flew I was a toddler and that was when we moved where we live now."
The window seat of the row was occupied by an older gentleman already fast asleep. It didn't look like the man was traveling with the boy.
Anakin's brow rose in mild surprise. Unaccompanied minors was not uncommon, but he personally couldn't imagine putting a kid who hasn't flown on a plane alone. Perhaps his parents were in a different row. That happened often and if the parents wanted to sit by their son, he had no problem switching seats. Anakin glanced around the cabin trying to see if anyone was watching the boy but he couldn't see anyone.
"Are you okay here?"
Anakin jumped at the woman's voice right by his ear. "Yeah, I—" His head shot around and he immediately forgot what he was going to say. Standing in the aisle was the most beautiful flight attendant he'd ever seen. Her hand rested on the back of his seat and she leaned forward just enough for him to get a small peek at the subtle curve of the top of her breasts.
"Yes, mom."
Anakin nearly choked when the boy answered the flight attendant. Mom!? He couldn't believe this woman was this kid's mother! It was impossible! She looked way too young. And yet, it seemed to be exactly the case.
The flight attendant smiled lovingly at her son, before turning her attention to him. "He isn't bothering you, is he?" She asked, "I'm sorry, Luke can sometimes overwhelm people with too many questions or—"
"—No, no," Anakin said, holding his hand up and smiling politely at her, "It's fine, really."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! It's no problem, really."
The flight attendant relaxed a little, but she still looked a bit tense. "Alright," She conceded, "But if you need anything please, just ask for Padme." She sent her son one last warning glance before she started to make her way towards the front of the plane. As she walked, he couldn't help but slightly crane his head to watch her. The gentle sway of her hips, the way the tight skirt of her uniform hugged her form… he shook his head. He shouldn't be gawking at her like that. She's a mother It was disrespectful. And her son was sitting right next to him. It just figured a woman like that would already be taken. He'd barely exchanged one word with her and she already had him stuttering like a fool. Were she single, he'd be asking for her number after they landed and hoping they'd somehow meet up when there was a layover or something. shame.
It didn't take much longer for the rest of the plane to board. And after a twenty-minute wait on the runway, they finally got up into the air. Luke's hands clutched tightly at the armrests as the plane climbed higher and higher. Every few minutes he looked back at him and he gave the young boy a reassuring smile to try and make the assent easier on him. It seemed to work, and as soon as they reached their cruising altitude, Luke picked up a conversation with him as if nothing had happened. "I haven't been doing models for too long. I'm not really that good with painting them but I'm getting better," He said after telling him about the book on model building he has at home.
"Yeah?"
Luke nodded, "I'm almost done with the one my dad got me last year. It wasn't the one I wanted. It was one of those F-111's or something, but I'm trying to paint one of those shark-faces on the nose art but it doesn't look as good on the newer planes. That's why I like the older ones more.
Anakin could relate. While the newer planes were pretty cool, the older ones had a bit more class in his opinion. "Well, maybe you'll get it next year," He said, unsure of what he really should say.
"Doubt it. He's never gotten it right," He scoffed. "But I don't really expect much. I normally only see him twice a year— three if he's in town."
Luke tried to play it off like he didn't really care about his father. But Anakin knew better. Every boy wants a father. Someone to teach them how to play sports, how to stand up for themselves, to teach show them what a man should be. Anakin never had that. And he could only imagine what it was like to know who your father is, but rarely ever see him. "Sounds like your dad travels a lot. Does he also work in aviation?"
Luke shook his head, "He works at some fancy art collection, I think. Mom says he think's he's the next van Gogh but he's more of a 'van No'." He couldn't help but laugh. Far from the best pun in the world, it was so bad it was funny. They continued to talk for a little bit longer but Luke was getting tired and his legs were getting stiff. And so when the boy finally dozed off, Anakin took the opportunity to get up and stretch. A few rows ahead of him, Padme had just finished bringing a passenger another drink. For the briefest of moments, their eyes met before she quickly turned and walked back to the front where another flight attendant was preparing a coffee.
He made his way up the aisle towards her, his hands tucked casually in the pockets of his slacks. When he was within talking distance, he cleared his throat and didn't miss how the other flight attendant smiled at Padme before ducking out of the way to attend to a call. "Hi," He said.
"Hi," Padme smiled politely at him as she started to put away the unused plastic cups into their cabinets. "How's Luke? You two were talking for awhile, I hope he wasn't a bother."
He shook his head, "He's no bother, really. I didn't mind talking to him."
Padme visibly sighed in relief, "I'm glad," She said, "He hasn't met too many pilots."
"Odd, given your profession and everything."
She gave a half shrug, "I try to keep work and home separate," She said. "Luke has his head in the clouds already, I don't need it climbing any higher."
Anakin nodded, not really understanding her, but knowing better than to question her when it really isn't his place. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that he's sleeping. Take off was a bit scary for him, as you can imagine, but he did great."
She stopped what she was doing and turned back around to face him. She seemed surprised for some reason, almost as if she expected him to complain about the boy. But why would he? Luke seemed like a great kid! Maybe a bit hyper and a talker, but what kid isn't? "You didn't have to do that, but thank you."
He gave a nod leaned back against the wall. "I take it you're taking him on a vacation or something, right?"
Padme closed the cabinet and mirrored him, leaning back against the wall of cabinets. "Yes. It's the first time I've been able to take him somewhere in a while."
"Staying in Arizona then? Or connecting?"
"Staying," She said, lifting a heeled foot and rotating the ankle. "There's an airshow showcasing an old World War II plane he wanted to see. It's like the first time one of them is flying again in over fifty years."
"The de Havillad Mosquito?"
Her brow furrowed, "Yeah, how did you—"
"I grew up near the base the Wheels Up Airshow is every year. I… still get the monthly newsletter," He admitted.
"I take it your son likes flying too then," She said.
Anakin felt the heat rise to his face as his shoulders slouched, "Uh… I-I don't actually have any kids." Her eyes widened and she looked at him from head to toe. It almost felt like she was checking him out, but that wasn't likely. More likely she was trying to figure out why a grown man still got the newsletter for an airshow that focused on bringing the excitement of the world of aviation to kids all over the country. It's not like he actually reads the newsletter anymore! He'd been getting them since he was a kid and he had been meaning to unsubscribe, but he would always just… forget. And him knowing exactly what plane being showcased at this show was pure coincidence. He just happened to read the subject line of the email and accidentally opened it and read that the de Havillad Mosquito was flying for the first time in fifty-two years and that globally, there were maybe only a handful of the planes left in semi-functional form. Yes, just a pure coincidence.
"Oh, so any nieces or nephews maybe?"
He shook his head, "Only child. Well, used to be, I suppose. Step-brother, a few years younger, but… no kids."
Padme raised an elegant eyebrow, "So then… why?" She didn't wait for him to answer before laughing and shaking her head, "You're one of those flyboys who practically lives on jet fuel, aren't you?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "You make that sound like a bad thing," He laughed.
"No, not a bad thing, it's just that Luke is the same way." A small smile graced her lips as she thought about her son. "I can't keep up with half the things he says. He talks like he was at the factory putting the plane together himself," She chuckles and turns back to face him, "It's not bad, it just… it's not easy for a lot of people to connect with it."
Anakin nodded, understanding her words completely. He knew what it was like to stand out. It isn't easy and it only gets worse as years go on. But, if he has learned anything, it's that things tend to even out across the board. Luke is still young and there are plenty of things that will capture his interest in the years to come. He supposed it was only natural for Padme to worry though, all mothers worry, more so when it looks like she is on her own more often than not.
Her jaw dropped open as though she wanted to say something else, but words failed her as the plane jolted, hard. on instinct, Anakin braced himself against the wall and she did the same. The seatbelt sign blinked on as they hit another bump. He didn't need her to tell him he had to return to his seat. As he walked down the aisle, several of the passengers who had been asleep were now awake as they rode through a rough patch of turbulence. When he reached his row, Luke's eyes were wide and his fingers gripped the arm rests so tight his knuckles were white. Anakin smiled at him and took his seat, acting like this was no big deal, and most times it wasn't but he knew that it would be foolish to take any change in pressure lightly. He felt his ears pop as they lowered to a lower altitude and as the shaking subsided, so too did Luke's grip on the armrests.
The seatbelt sign went off after a few minutes and Luke slowly drifted back to sleep. With roughly an hour left in the flight, Anakin decided a short nap would do him good especially since he had to drive out to his step-father's ranch once they land. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his seat and quickly fell asleep not far behind Luke.
The plane touched down late in the afternoon slightly ahead of schedule and getting off the plane was just as slow as getting on — if not slower as passengers readjusted to normal pressure. Luke remained in his seat as the rest of the passengers got off. He didn't look too happy about waiting, which was understandable. "Well Luke," Anakin said, holding his hand out to the boy, "It was great flying with you, can I expect you on one of my flights in the future?" He asked, leaning closer to whisper so only he could hear, "I might even be able to get you into the cockpit."
Luke's eyes widened, "R-really?" He nodded his head vigorously, "Yeah!"
Anakin laughed as the two of them shook hands before parting. He wished he would see Padme as they disembarked but she had taken the jump seat in the back. He wanted to see her again though. He knew it was wrong to want a married woman, but there was something about her that even if he couldn't have her, he still wanted to be near her.
