Over a year later - fifteen months to be exact - Douglas find himself home again, finally. He's just returned from a string of twelve flights around the globe and is exhausted. He pulls a whiskey glass from the cupboard, filling it with his favorite brand of orange juice before he sits down heavily on his couch. It's only three in the afternoon in Fitton but to Douglas, it feels like three in the morning.
His eyelids are drooping and the glass nearly falling out of his hand when the doorbell rings. He groggily stands, setting the glass aside as he moves to answer it. When he does, he finds Martin there, smiling brightly and holding up a small piece of plastic.
Douglas is surprised speechless, even more so when he realizes just what that piece of plastic is. It's a pilot license.Martin's pilot license.
"I did it," he says. "Seven tries but I finally got it."
Douglas just stares, unable to comprehend what's happening.
Martin lowers his hand and looks at him quizzically. "Carolyn did tell you, didn't she?"
Douglas mutely shakes his head, still looking Martin over. He's gotten more fit; he's still as skinny as a stick, but he's filled out quite nicely. His ginger hair is combed and his face and arms are completely clear, free of blemishes except for the scars of years past. Most of all, Martin's grinning - something Douglas hardly ever got to see outside of when he blatantly provoked it. His confidence, too, has obviously had a real boost with this feat, so much so that Douglas nearly forgets about the prominent block letters on his collar: F.S., tattooed to mark his official status.
Martin sighs from where he is and scratches his head. "I wonder why she didn't tell you." He meets Douglas's eyes, shyly now. "I'm sorry, this is weird, isn't it? I thought you would've known."
"Well then explain," Douglas says, still not moving.
Martin nods determinedly. "Carolyn set me free awhile ago. When she did she agreed to pay for my CPL exams as long as I could take Herc's job, since he's been recruited by another airline. Um...Air Caledonia I think. Anyway, it took me seven tries, mostly because the proctors didn't like the idea of a former slave flying aeroplanes and now...I'm...here." He slows down, watching Douglas as he speaks.
"I thought Carolyn would have kept you posted but now I can see she didn't. I'm really sorry, I guess this is strange; me just showing up at your door all of the sudden without warning but, I mean, I wanted to talk to you. And I'd heard you were doing really well with your sobriety and I wanted to congratulate you but I didn't know if you even wanted to see me. I should probably just g-oomph."
Martin is cut off by Douglas springing forward and pulling him into a tight hug. He's stiff at first, a fact that scares Douglas. But after a moment, Martin's arms come up and hold Douglas as tightly as Douglas is holding him. They sit in that embrace for long moments, Martin pointedly ignoring a slight wetness on his shoulder. When they release, Douglas's eyes are conspicuously dry, but his small slightly-watery smile speaks for itself.
He backs up, letting Martin in. They head to the kitchen were Douglas starts up a pot of coffee for them both, only barely realizing the strangeness of the current circumstance.
They sit at the table in their usual spots, smiling at each other.
"I'm really happy for you Martin. That takes so much perseverance."
Martin smile grows just a bit more. "Thank you."
Douglas leans back and sips his coffee. "Carolyn didn't even tell me Herc was leaving in the first place. Of course I should've known that she had some ulterior motive to freeing you."
Martin shakes his head. "Actually no. Her exact words were that she wants me to feel like I can think for myself, that I shouldn't have to be afraid of or serve people anymore." He chuckles. "She even used the words 'no son of mine' which took both of us by surprise. In the end, I'm pretty sure she just made the offer because she knew I'd have a hard time making the money to take the tests on my own."
Douglas smiles. "I'm glad to hear it. I really am. If you're taking Herc's place, that means you'll be captain." Douglas snorts. "You may end up being the first captain that I ever refer to as sir," he jokes.
They sit there in silence, each staring at their coffee.
"I'm glad too, you know," Martin says, still staring at his mug. "You took my advice."
"How could I not."
Martin shrugs. "I wasn't sure. Um. I didn't know if you'd care what I had to say, on that subject at least. I mean, you were so quick to send me away, I thought maybe..."
Douglas reaches forward and sets his hand in Martin's hair, just like he used to over a year ago.
"Trust me, Martin, when I tell you that whatever you have to say takes precedence over everything else in my mind; your words are what have kept me going. And you should know that having you leave with Carolyn was easily one of, if not the, hardest decisions I've ever had to make."
Martin's eyes lift and find Douglas's, searching them for signs of a bluff. He doesn't find one, and opts for barely nuzzling his head into Douglas's hand, prompting him to keep running his fingers through his hair.
Douglas smiles. "I never told you before, Martin, I don't even know if you want to hear it now but," he takes a deep breath, feeling ridiculously nervous, as if he's some teenager. "I've truly become quite smitten with you."
Martin gently grabs Douglas's wrist and removes his hand from his hair. He stands up, never breaking eye contact with Douglas. He walks over, takes Douglas's face in his hands, and gently kisses his forehead - exactly the same way that Douglas had to him so many months before.
"I'd had a hunch," he breathes, not moving back.
They stare at each other for long seconds before Douglas lifts his own hands, mimicking Martin's hold. And for the first time, they share a proper kiss.
They both agree that it's an action that's long overdue.
And that's a wrap! As always I'd love to see reviews/comments/suggestions either here or on my tumblr.
I hope you've enjoyed my story. Thanks for reading~