It's Always Sunny Above the Clouds

An Alternate Universe fanfiction

Blaine is a pilot for a major commercial airline. Kurt is a flight attendant for the same airline. Romance, angst, misunderstandings, and blackmail transpire. Warning: eventual character death.

Rated NC-17.

So I got this idea about a week ago when I was flying to NJ for my graduation. It was raining hardcore in NJ but I noticed that everything was all sunny and prefect above the clouds. I thought that would make an adorable fic. On the plane ride home, I started to jot down my ideas and the next day I began the first chapter. This is the complete first chapter. I hope you all enjoy it (and I hope I finish it...remember my Destiny fic? ha!) Then last night the Glee finale aired and on Tumblr this cute artwork showed up and Kurt is like, "I could be a stewardess" and I was all, "OMG IT'S LIKE THEY KNOW!" Haha. So yeah, please review!

-I have absolutely nothing to do with Glee.

"New hires." Kennedy noted, nodding his head towards a nervous group of flight attendants arriving at the gate behind the pair. The three female and one male steward rolled their black bags behind them, stopping a few feet away from the pilot and co-pilot. "Couple hotties." He said with a sly grin on his face. "I'd especially like to tap that blonde one." He licked his hand and ran it through his own blonde hair, trying to get a few strands to stick down, then pinched the front tip so that it spiked ever so slightly. It was a ritual, something he did when he wanted to get a girl's attention. He was a very attractive man in his mid thirties and he knew it. That was the problem.

"Kennedy, you are exactly the type of guy who gives pilots a bad name. In fact, I'm quite certain you're the reason Cynthia left the company," the younger of the two responded mockingly, his dark hair parted and coiffed on top of his head with a slick gel, keeping his curls under control. Both men were wearing dark black pants and crisp white shirts. Their shoulders padded with black and gold markings, signifying their rank as pilots.

Kennedy clapped a hand on the younger pilot's shoulder. "Ah Blaine, if there's one thing I've learned being a pilot, it's that you can go at any time so why not live each day like it's your last? You have got to learn to live." He caught sight of one of the girls eyeing Blaine up and down. "Don't look now, but that red head is eye-fucking the shit out of you," he whispered. "Lucky bastard. Shame it will go to waste but luckily the Ken doll is here to pick up the pieces."

Blaine looked at Kennedy incredulously. "You realize that Ken dolls don't have penises right? You just compared yourself to a plastic doll with no penis..."

"Eh, semantics. The point is, you're not going to go after her for God only knows why, therefore I am more than capable of picking up where you...never started." The older pilot winked at Blaine and then made his way to greet the women flight attendants. "Ladies..." his voice trailed off as he flung his arms over the red head and the third girl, a brunette (convenience, he thought. A blonde, a brunette, and a red head. Oh the sexual fantasies he could conjure in just that moment.)

Blaine however had his attention on the sole male attendant. He was crouching on the ground, facing away from Blaine and balancing on the balls of his feet as he searched for something in his bag. His pants were tight in all the right places, the pilot noticed, though he made sure he didn't show it on his face. The attendant zipped the bag closed, stood slowly, then turned so he was facing Blaine, clutching his hand around the handle of his suitcase. It was in that moment that Blaine got to take in this man's features. His skin was white as porcelain and his light brown hair was swept neatly above his head. His lips were a delicate pink and he pouted ever so slightly. His eyes, from what Blaine could tell, were a steel blue color and they seemed to pierce straight into Blaine's soul. He froze for a moment, uncertain of how to approach his new coworker. This man was, from what Blaine could gather in the thirty seconds in which he had studied him, quite frankly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

The attendant approached him with caution. He was shy and slightly intimidated by the authority that this man had over him. He quickly glanced up and down his body, appreciating how form fitting the white dress shirt was that the pilot was wearing. He could see that this man had an impeccable body. But how could he be thinking like this already? He didn't even know his name yet. "So you're the Pilot, then?" he managed to say as casually as he could.

"Copilot." Blaine corrected. He noticed the blush creeping up on the attendant's face, matching it with his own.

"Sorry, I should have realized. They teach you in training to recognize the amount of stripes on the uniforms. I guess for this very reason." He let out a nervous laugh.

"It's quite alright." Blaine assured with a congenial smile, then extended his hand. "I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson."

"Kurt Hummel."

The two shook hands and there was a moment where it felt like there was electricity running through them. There was something about this man that Blaine was certain about. As if meeting him was part of his fate. Blaine's breath hitched for a moment as they let go of their hands. Blaine's fingers were strong, rough, and calloused while Kurt's were delicate, dainty even, and literally the softest things he had ever touched. He also couldn't help noticing how much taller Kurt was than himself.

Blaine was looking at Kurt kindly which caused the attendant to avert his gaze for a moment. He could feel his face get hot as his cheeks turned a violent shade of pink. How did he make that happen? All the guy did was shake his hand. Kurt tried hard to compose himself. For all he knew, Blaine wasn't even gay. This could have made for incredibly awkward flights if he started his first day off harboring a crush for one of the copilots of a huge airline.

Blaine cleared his throat. "So, is this your first flight as an attendant, then?"

"Yes." Kurt responded with a shaky sigh.

Blaine smiled even wider, recognizing the sheer terror in Kurt's voice. "You sound nervous. Don't be. Captain Kennedy is a great pilot, though a bit egotistical," he said softly through his teeth, "but as long as he does his job, the most you'll have to worry about is how to help the guy in 12D get his seat back television to play."

"Funny, they didn't go over that in training," the attendant responded with an air of flirtation in his voice.

"You'll just have to stay on your toes." Blaine said with a wink.

The plane arrived at the gate and within a few minutes, hundreds of passengers were filing off and into the terminal. The pilots and attendants from that flight were soon exiting the plane themselves, doing nothing more than nodding towards Blaine and Kennedy as they stepped off. They only had a few hours before their next flight and would spend none of it talking with their coworkers. This time was meant for sleep.

Kennedy kept an arm around the brunette as he ushered the women through the gate, disappearing down the stark white jetway. Blaine looked to Kurt quickly, gesturing with his hand to let the attendant enter first. Kurt smiled his thanks and made his way towards the plane with Blaine taking up the rear, which, incidentally, he could not keep his eyes off of. Blaine had never in his life seen another man walk quite like the way Kurt did. He was more or less strutting down the jetway, his hips swaying to a gentle rhythm that he imagined only Kurt could hear. The navy pants he wore fit him perfectly and wow did they make his ass look amazing! When they entered the plane, Kurt made his way to the very back, forgoing Blaine the opportunity to say anything else to the attendant before he had to resign himself to the cockpit of the plane.

Today's flight was a transcontinental flight from Sacramento, California to New York City. The plane carried 200 passengers and Kurt's job was to attend to half of the back of the plane. After preparing the plane in a matter of only a few minutes, they were ready for the passengers. Blaine and Kennedy left the cockpit door open while the passengers flooded in. Kennedy was a seasoned pilot, having flown in the air force since he was twenty one. Now that he was thirty five, he had fourteen years under his belt. Blaine had much less experience. Twenty five years old, having never flown for combat but rather for the love of flying but it certainly didn't make him any less of a pilot. In fact, he may have even been better at it than Kennedy but Kennedy had more seniority, thus making him the captain of the plane. Still, Blaine dreamed of the day he'd be in command of his own Boeing 747. Truth be told, he was probably the baby of the company but he graduated top of his class. He'd never let anything...or anyone rather, distract him from his work unlike Kennedy who became distrait whenever a pair of breasts walked within twenty feet of him.

Today was different. Today he had met Kurt and goddammit he could not concentrate on anything. He watched as if in slow motion as Kurt greeted each passenger and helped them to their seats. When an elderly woman had trouble getting her bag into the overhead compartment, Kurt had no qualms with putting it up there for her with a helpful grin. Blaine noticed how his back arched as he stretched his arms up to stow the bag. He was graceful, yet strong, and fuck he could not let himself get distracted like this, especially not in front of Kennedy. Because the other thing that Blaine didn't do was talk about his sexuality. In fact, he wasn't sure anyone even knew. Of course his parents had had their suspicions when he was growing up after he would come home bullied and bruised but he never actually came out to them. When he finished high school, he left the state, away from anyone who had ever known him and started a new life. He was constantly paranoid, worried that people would find out and if they did they would treat him as if he had leprosy. But here was Kurt. Beautiful, perfect, strong-willed, most definitely out and proud Kurt.

The passengers were all seated and Blaine got up to close the cockpit door, taking one final glance at Kurt who happened to catch his gaze at the same moment. They shared a smile before the door latched closed. Outside the cockpit, Odette, the blonde attendant had secured the door to the fuselage, signifying that the plane was prepared to leave the terminal. The plane taxied to the runway, the whole time the girls and Kurt were going over the emergency landing procedures while Odette spieled. When the safety spiel was complete, Blaine's voice came through the speakers and echoed through the cabin telling the attendants to take their seats for take-off. They each scurried to their jump seats and waited until the plane leveled off again a few minutes later.

The plane landed safely at JFK Airport just over five hours later. It was a little after one a.m. and many of the passengers were bleary eyed from the red eye flight. As soon as everyone was off the plane, the attendants started their post flight duties, checking for trash and returning everything to its relatively clean state. It would be the next crew's job to stock the seats of magazines and airsick bags. The cockpit door was now open and Kennedy and Blaine were also working on their post flight checklist. The engine was off as it was the last flight of the evening, and the paperwork was completely filed. The pilots grabbed their briefcases and met with the attendants after briefly congratulating each other on a great flight. Kennedy caught the attention of the red head, Simone and escorted her off the plane. Blaine rolled his eyes as he all but collided with Kurt as he stepped out of the cockpit.

"Oh! Sorry!" he said sheepishly. "After you." again, he gestured with his free hand, letting the attendant deplane first. "So how was your first flight?" the pilot asked as they made their way up the jetway. He was walking next to Kurt, following behind the others at a bit of a distance.

Kurt pondered for the right words all the while Blaine couldn't help but stare at how his neck craned out of his stark white shirt collar. "Terrifying" he said finally.

Blaine stopped walking and when Kurt realized he was no longer in step with him, he stopped as well to look back at the pilot. "Terrifying? Why?"

"Well, also exhilarating, frustrating, mundane..."

"That's a lot of emotions" Blaine laughed.

"Yes, well, I harbor a lot of feelings" he smiled back.

They exited the jetway and Kennedy and the three other attendants were standing around waiting for the other two to get off. It looked as if Kennedy was hatching a plan of some sort, the way he lips curled into a smirk and his eyes seemed to smolder at the group. "So," he began, "we're in NYC. What say we go out and celebrate your first flight, huh?"

The girls giggled and fawned over Kennedy's suggestion but Kurt and Blaine seemed less enthused. "You know, I think I'm going to pass, Ken." Blaine said as he watched the girls run to the nearest restroom to fix themselves up.

"Come on man. These girls are hot! I'll even give you the red head."

It was uncomfortable moments like these that Blaine sometimes wished he could just tell people that he was gay. Especially since he caught Kurt's reaction out of the corner of his eye, which looked a bit like defeat. Wait. Did that mean Kurt was interested in him?

"Sorry Ken. Not tonight."

"Well what about you Tinker-Bell, you coming?"

Kurt's breath hitched and he had a look of shock on his face. His mouth parted slightly and his eyes scrunched into disbelief. That soon changed as he watched Blaine nearly tackle Kennedy, who had a good foot and a half over Blaine. That's when he realized that Blaine took Kennedy's statement a lot harder than he did.

He practically lunged at Kennedy. Anger colored his face as he pinned his coworker to a nearby column. "Don't you dare call him that. He has a name Kennedy. And I expect you to use it."

Horror was painted on Kennedy's face. He had never in his life seen Blaine lash out like that. He looked into Blaine's eyes. They were cold but filled with rage. His face was stony and he was breathing heavily through clenched teeth. "O-ok man! Sorry! I-I-I didn't mean it!" he stuttered, putting his hands up in surrender.

Kurt couldn't help but notice how strong Blaine looked in that moment. Kennedy was ten years his senior and towered over him in size and bulk and yet Blaine had been able to throw him against the wall like he was a paper doll.

"Apologize to Kurt." Blaine said through gritted teeth.

"Kurt." Kennedy registered the name in his head. He bowed his head for a moment then closed his eyes. Blaine softened his grip and let Kennedy free. The pilot opened his eyes again and looked Kurt squarely in the face. "Kurt I'm sorry. Would you care to join the girls and myself for a celebratory drink? It's on me."

Kurt only thought for a moment, but he was still in shock over the scene he had just witnessed. "Thank you, but I think I'm going to pass."

Kennedy nodded and didn't say another word. Instead he gathered his things and headed towards the exit leaving Blaine and Kurt to themselves.

The air was thick. They stood silent for what seemed like hours. They were the only ones in the terminal save for a sole custodian who was mopping the floor at the other end of the room. The lights had been dimmed and the clean white walls and floor glistened in the moonlight. Finally Kurt spoke up. "Thank you." He hadn't taken his eyes off of Blaine since Kennedy had left.

Blaine was busy looking at his feet. He looked up and responded a bit nervously, "Yeah. Sure. No problem." He let his head fall again. It was silent for a bit longer when Blaine spoke up again. "I don't think Kennedy actually has anything against...you." He stopped himself. While he was absolutely positive that Kurt was gay, he really didn't want to make any assumptions. Not after that whole scene, anyway. "I think he's just a stereotypical chauvinistic male."

"So why don't you tell him then?" Kurt's gaze was soft and kind. His eyes glistened through the darkness.

Blaine's head shot up. "What?"

Immediately Kurt realized his mistake and tried to backtrack. "I'm so sorry!" he said excitedly. "I just thought maybe you were-"

"I am." Blaine said cutting him off, finality in his voice. He was staring straight into Kurt's blue eyes.

Kurt blinked, then repeated slowly, "you are..."

"I'm gay." Blaine said with a smile. Relief pouring over him as the weight of twenty five years living a lie lifted off of his shoulders. "And you're the first person I've ever told."

Kurt took a few steps forward and grabbed Blaine's hand. He didn't flinch at his touch. It was the first welcoming sign to his new life. "Come on." Kurt said with an affectionate smile. "I think you're the one who needs a celebratory drink now."