Herc had flown with a number of airlines, big and small. He certainly appreciated the prestige and respect that came with being a pilot with a large airline. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of people looking at him with absolute awe. However, being a pilot wasn't always as prestigious as people seemed to think it was. Long flights could be incredibly boring, especially with the more professional airlines, where there was always somebody watching to make sure you did things the safe and boring way.
On the other hand, Herc really liked smaller airlines as well. The crew were more intimate with each other, and not just in a sexual manner. That happened at all airlines. It was also much more fun at smaller airlines. The more unprofessional companies were the ones who were more likely to stretch the rules as far as they could go, or look for loopholes. They made flights interesting.
Of all the airlines he'd worked for, Herc's favorite was probably OJS airline. It was the smallest and oddest airline he'd ever worked for, and every single trip was interesting in its own special way. Herc had Douglas to play flight games with, and it was nice to be able to go against someone who could actually match him.
Working for Carolyn certainly complicated things. Sometimes work and home life crossed over. It was not very fun when Herc and Carolyn had a bad fight, and then he had to show up the next morning for work and submit to her as the boss. It was even less fun when he pushed her buttons too much during the flight itself, bending the rules a bit more than he perhaps should have, and they had a tiff about it when they finally got home.
Other than those small hiccups, Herc very much liked this arrangement. He thought it made their marriage stronger than what he had with his previous wives. He was sure that whoever had said that distance makes the heart grow fonder hadn't been a pilot. They had all seemed fine with his long hours and frequent trips abroad, but Herc was sure that it hadn't really helped their relationship.
At least he wouldn't have that problem with Carolyn, as she regularly came on the flights with them. And she certainly didn't put him up on a pedestal that some of his other wives had, so she wouldn't be disillusioned later.
Herc hadn't been with Carolyn or OJS for very long, but he still felt that he had a decent idea of when there was something wrong. Carolyn was rather moody and impatient, it was just who she was, but there had been a few times when she was snappier than usual. Herc tried to support her, as he felt a good husband should, but he quickly learned that wasn't what she wanted. If Carolyn had a problem then she wanted to take care of it herself, and felt insulted if he offered to help.
It took some time, but Herc eventually just gave Carolyn some space when she needed it, while making it clear that he was right there if and when she needed to talk. She rarely ever took him up on his offer, but at least they knew where each other stood.
So Herc hadn't thought much of it when Carolyn barely acknowledged him one morning. He only realized that something may be wrong when he noticed Arthur being more jumpy than usual. The younger man almost seemed to be nervous, tripping over his feet as he tried, and failed, to make some breakfast.
Arthur seemed to want to say something to his mother, but he would quickly shut his mouth and stare intently at the eggs that seemed to be both burned and undercooked. Herc found himself caught in the awkward silence, wondering if something had happened. The only thing he could think of was that Carolyn and Arthur had had a fight, but he doubted that had happened. He was sure he would have noticed a fight between them.
The silence was only broken when the phone rang, which was odd in and of itself. Not many people called them, especially not on Carolyn's work phone. Then the oddest thing of all happened. Arthur jumped to his feet and rushed to answer the phone, and Carolyn, for some reason, allowed it. Arthur grabbed the phone, gave Carolyn a panicked look, and left the room.
Herc looked at Carolyn with a small frown. "What's going on with you two today?"
Carolyn pursed her lips and glared at Herc. "That is none of your business."
"If it's affecting the two of you, then it is my business." Herc said. Carolyn was his wife, and Arthur was his step-son. That made them his family.
"No, it's not," Carolyn insisted. She pushed herself away from the table and stormed out of the kitchen, which was odd in and of itself. He didn't think he'd ever seen her walk away from a discussion like this.
Herc knew that going after Carolyn would just be asking for a fight. However, he could go check on Arthur, just to make sure he was alright. The younger man was capable of quite a lot, much more than most people gave him credit for, but Herc thought that even people who could manage on their own could do with some assistance.
Arthur was sitting on the couch, silent. Herc didn't think he'd ever seen Arthur so quiet while he was on the phone. The younger man loved to talk, and he seemed to think that talking on the phone made it even more fun.
Arthur didn't look up at Herc. He was just sitting there. His eyes were distant, like he was looking at something that wasn't truly there. Herc approached Arthur and put a hand on his shoulder. Arthur jumped, startled, and looked at him in alarm.
"H-Herc," Arthur stammered. There was a shout from whoever was on the other line. Arthur flinched and turned his attention back to the phone. "N-no, I'm not talking to someone else, I just-" Arthur stopped abruptly when he heard another shout. "I know, I just...sorry, dad. Sorry. Sorry…"
Herc felt both worried and furious. That man. He should have known. He didn't know anybody else who could affect Carolyn and Arthur like this. Herc had thought they were done with him, but apparently not. Well, no more. Not if Herc had anything to say about it.
Herc took the phone from Arthur, feeling a pang of guilt when the younger man flinched away from him. This was worse than Herc had thought. He hung up the phone, not caring how rude it was. Gordan Shappey was one of the last people that Herc cared about not insulting.
"Arthur, are you alright?" Herc asked. He sat down on the couch next to Arthur, only for him to jump up to his feet.
"I'm fine." Arthur said, his voice thick and tense, and clearly not fine. The younger man fiddled with the sleeves of his shirt for a moment before he suddenly stopped and shoved them into his pockets.
"You know, I really don't think you are." Herc said as quietly and gently as he could. He didn't want to startle Arthur any more than he already had. "What did your father say to you?" Herc wasn't too familiar with how Arthur acted around his father, but he seemed more distressed than should really be okay. Herc liked to think that if this was normal for Arthur when he interacted with Gordan, then he would have noticed it sooner.
Arthur paled a bit and looked like he was about to start crying. He opened his mouth to answer, but then Carolyn called down from upstairs.
"Alright, you two, enough dawdling," Carolyn snapped. "We've got a flight this afternoon, and I don't want to keep our passengers waiting."
Considering it was not even mid-morning, and the passengers weren't expected to show up at the airfield for several hours, Herc was sure they had some time to spare to dawdle. However, he knew that Carolyn was just using work as an excuse to get out of the house and turn her attention away from whatever she'd been thinking about all morning.
Herc would have gone to get his things together, so as to not annoy Carolyn more than necessary, or he would have gone to speak with her, but he froze when he saw the terror in Arthur's eyes. He looked towards the staircase in alarm, almost fear, and Herc was more concerned than ever. If he didn't know any better he would think that Arthur was afraid of Carolyn, but that couldn't be true.
"Arthur," Herc stood up and stepped closer to him, but he didn't reach out to him again. Arthur seemed to need a bit more personal space than usual. Arthur continued looking towards the stairs for a long moment before he turned back towards Herc. The tears were just starting to fall.
"Can I drive with you to the airfield?" Arthur asked quietly, almost inaudibly.
Herc was stunned. He and Carolyn didn't always drive separately to the airfield, but sometimes, particularly on days when they didn't feel like waiting for each other, or when Carolyn wanted them to behave more professionally at work, they took different cars. Arthur always went with Carolyn, even on days when she went to the airfield a few hours early to get some paperwork done.
"Why would you want to-" Herc began, but he cut himself off when Arthur looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.
"Please?" Arthur practically begged, and Herc couldn't bring himself to say no.
"Of course," Herc said. Maybe he could speak with Arthur during the drive. Arthur looked incredibly relieved. "Why don't you go wait in the car? I'll get our things and join you in a few minutes."
Arthur nodded and immediately did as he was told, which was a bit odd for him. Herc had expected Arthur to insist on taking their things out to the car, or asking his mother if he could go with Herc. Arthur running outside, stopping just long enough to slowly and quietly close the door behind him, was just about the least Arthur-like thing he'd done all morning.
Herc sighed and adjusted his clothes before going to find Carolyn. He considered telling her that Gordan had said something to upset Arthur, but he decided against it. Carolyn would either be in such a bad mood that she just got annoyed and dismissed Arthur's distress, or she would get worried and go speak to Arthur, regardless of whether he felt ready to talk to her or not.
No,Herc thought it was for the best if he spoke to Arthur himself and then talked to Carolyn after the younger man had calmed down a bit and Herc had a better idea of what was going on so he could properly explain it to Carolyn.
Of course, Herc and Arthur's bags were already packed. Because they travelled so often they rarely ever fully unpacked their overnight bags. All they needed to do was put new clothes in, and Arthur did that the second they got home from a flight, just because he was so excited for the next one.
As Herc went upstairs he passed by Carolyn, who was holding that ridiculous dog of hers. She looked distracted, but decidedly less irritated than before.
"Herc, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to talk?" Carolyn frowned at him.
"Don't worry, I'm just grabbing our bags and then we're heading out." Herc said. "I hope you don't mind, but Arthur's going to be riding with me today."
Carolyn gave him an alarmed look. "What? Why?"
"Because he asked to." Herc said.
Carolyn narrowed her eyes at him. "What did Gordan say to him?"
Herc frowned slightly. "You knew that Gordan was on the phone?"
"Of course I did." Carolyn snapped. Perhaps that was why she and Arthur had been so on edge that morning, because they'd known that Gordan would call. "Now tell me, what did Gordan say?"
"To be honest, I don't rightly know." Herc said. "I'll tell you as soon as I do." He put a reassuring hand on Carolyn's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be just fine."
"Yes, yes, alright," Carolyn said. She sounded annoyed, but Herc could hear the subtle sign of fondness in her voice. "Is Arthur already in the car?"
"Yes, he is." Herc said.
"Well then, what are you just standing here for?" Carolyn shoved his hand off her shoulder. "Don't keep him waiting."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." Herc said. "I'll see you at work." Herc went into Carolyn's room, which she still refused to say was theirs. According to her it was her room and he just so happened to sleep in there for convenience's sake. It was a bit ridiculous, but Herc was learning how to choose his battles, and if it meant not sleeping on the couch every night he was more than happy to let Carolyn call their room whatever she wanted to.
He grabbed his overnight bag, double checked that everything he needed was in there, and then grabbed Arthur's bag, which was also kept in Carolyn's room, so that if Arthur forgot to grab it then his mother could pick it up for him. Herc took the bags and made his way downstairs and out to the car.
Arthur was sitting in the back seat, in the corner furthest from the driver's seat. Herc didn't like it, but he didn't say a word about it. If Arthur felt safest by keeping a bit of a distance, then Herc would humor him.
Herc put their bags in the trunk before getting in the car himself. "Alright, Arthur, are you ready to go?" The younger man nodded. Herc waited a moment, just in case Arthur wanted to say something, but he remained silent. Herc reluctantly started the car and began the drive to the airfield.
This was probably the first time that Herc had a silent drive with Arthur. The only comfort he had was that he heard Arthur quietly mutter "Yellow Car" to himself. It was a terrible day indeed when Arthur wasn't playing Yellow Car.
Herc wanted to ask what was wrong, but he didn't. Arthur would say something when he felt ready for it. He always did so, even when he was upset. When Herc pulled up to the airfield he was both annoyed and relieved to see Douglas' car there. The other man had known Arthur for a lot longer than Herc had. Arthur respected him, especially now that he was the captain. If Arthur wouldn't talk to anyone else, perhaps he'd speak to Douglas.
Herc was just a little disappointed and slightly jealous. He wanted to be the one that Arthur turned to. Of course if Douglas was the only one that Arthur wanted to talk to then Herc would be grateful for it. He would rather it be him, of course, but Arthur speaking to Douglas was better than him not talking to anybody.
Arthur jumped out of the car as soon as it was stopped. He dashed off towards the plane. Herc took the bags out of the car and carried them inside. As it wasn't a very large airfield it didn't take him too long to find Douglas. The man was sitting around with papers in front of him, probably pretending to be busy.
"Ah, Douglas, just the man I was looking for." Herc said as he set the bags down. "You wouldn't happen to know if there's something significant about today that would put Carolyn and Arthur on edge, would you?"
"If you ask me, Carolyn is always a bit on edge." Douglas said almost boredly. He raised an eyebrow at Herc. "But Arthur?"
"They've both been acting odd all morning," Herc said. "Arthur has barely said a thing since his father called."
"I had wondered if Gordan would be calling today." Douglas sighed and sat up a bit. "I had hoped he wouldn't, as he doesn't exactly have any reason to call any more, but I suppose when one sets up an anniversary tradition it's difficult to stray from that path."
"Anniversary?" Herc asked.
"The anniversary of their divorce," Douglas clarified. "Every year Gordan would call to try to buy GERTI off of Carolyn. Well, now that we have the gold off the plane, he doesn't really have any reason to try to buy her, but I suppose he called anyway."
"He said something that upset Arthur," Herc said. He hated how uncertain he sounded. He was new to this having a child thing, even if that child was actually a grown man. There were very few things that Herc would turn to Douglas for advice for, but this was one of them. Not only did he have more experience dealing with Arthur, but he also had two children of his own. Even if he didn't get to see them very often, it was still a step above Herc's experience with this sort of thing.
"I'm sure Arthur's fine," Douglas waved off his concern. "If something's wrong he'll let us know sooner rather than later. That's just the way that Arthur is."
"Yes, I suppose so," Herc took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. He was getting worked up about Arthur getting worked up, and it wasn't doing anybody any good. Instead Herc took a page out of Douglas' book and started doing odd simple jobs just to keep himself busy.
It wasn't long before Carolyn showed up. She inquired about Arthur once, but after being told that he had retreated into the airplane and hadn't been seen since, she dropped it and started getting to work.
After what felt like far too long it was time to get the aeroplane ready for their flight. Herc and Douglas made their way to GERTI and found Arthur waiting for them in the flight deck. He gave them a small wave, but still didn't say anything. Herc gave Douglas a meaningful look, which he returned with a glance of his own.
"Arthur, have you been in here the whole time?" Douglas asked.
"Well, I was just...you see, I thought I'd...yes." Arthur stumbled over his words. "S-shall I go make some coffee?"
"You really don't need to." Herc said. He would much rather talk to Arthur and have some coffee later.
"Right...well, why don't I go make some anyway?" Arthur said. He started to leave the flight deck.
"Carolyn's about to bring the passengers on," Douglas reminded him. He had meant for it to just be something to be aware of, so Arthur didn't do something completely ridiculous upon first entering the cabin. However, Arthur froze in his tracks. He still seemed to be cautious about being near his mother.
"I-I think I might stay here after all, if that's alright," Arthur said.
"Of course," Herc said. "We were just getting ready to do the preflight checks. You can watch, if you want."
"Arthur has seen us do this so many times that he could probably do it himself in his sleep." Douglas said. "Even taking into account that he's Arthur."
"I, uh, I think I'll just stand back here." Arthur said uneasily.
Douglas gave Herc an odd look. "You know, I think I see your point." Herc didn't know whether he felt better or worse that he wasn't the only one who thought this was something worth worrying about.
The air in the flight deck was oddly tense and strictly professional as Douglas and Herc quietly did their job and Arthur kept silent. It almost felt to Herc like he was back with the larger, serious airlines. Even after they took off barely a word was said between them, because Herc was too busy worrying about Arthur to participate in a game, and Douglas could read the room and knew that now wasn't the best time.
Arthur was so quiet that Herc at times forgot he was even there. He almost thought that Arthur had left the flight deck until he made an alarmed sound when Carolyn entered.
"Oh, there you are, Arthur," Carolyn said. Arthur said something about coffee before he scrambled out. Carolyn stared at the spot where he had stood. "What was that all about?"
"I'm still trying to figure it out." Herc said. He didn't want to tell Carolyn that Arthur felt nervous around her, not when that might not even be the case. Arthur was an odd person. For all Herc knew Arthur was just generally more nervous, and it was just a coincidence that it got worse around his mother.
Carolyn frowned. "Perhaps I should speak to him."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Herc said. Carolyn crossed her arms and gave him an unimpressed look.
"And why, pray tell, not?" Carolyn asked.
"I think what Herc is trying to say is that Arthur might want to talk with one of us." Douglas said almost dryly. "He's probably upset about something his father said, so we were thinking that he would appreciate some positive interaction with, well, an older, male role model."
Herc didn't know why Douglas didn't just say father figure. They all knew that was what he meant.
Carolyn eyed them suspiciously. "I'll allow it, only because I need to serve the passengers. Once we land though I will be speaking to Arthur, whether you've had your oh so masculine bonding moment or not."
Carolyn left the cabin, and Douglas immediately turned towards him. "So, what's the true reason why it's a bad idea for Carolyn to talk to Arthur?"
"Because he seemed almost scared of her this morning." Herc said in a subdued voice. "He practically begged to drive with me instead of with his mother."
Douglas frowned. "Do you think perhaps he might have just been cautious? Even Arthur can sometimes recognize when he should avoid annoying Carolyn."
"He was crying, Douglas." Herc said.
"Ah," Now Douglas looked concerned. They both knew that Arthur rarely ever cried. "Well then, perhaps we should talk to Arthur after all."
"That's what I've been wanting to do." Hercules said. "I was sure he would say something during the drive."
"Well, now we'll have to get him to say something during the flight." Douglas cleared his throat and turned on the intercom. "Arthur, would you join us on the flight deck?"
"Subtle," Herc said.
"Trust me, when it comes to dealing with Arthur, subtlety is not your friend." Douglas said. A few moments later Arthur entered the flight deck. He wasn't carrying any coffee, but Herc hadn't expected him to actually make any. He knew the younger man had just said something about it as an excuse to get away from Carolyn.
"Do you need something, chaps?" Arthur said.
"Not particularly." Douglas said. "We just wanted your company."
If Herc was in Arthur's position he would immediately be suspicious. He would be sure that this was a trick of some kind. Arthur didn't seem to catch.
"Y-you did?" Arthur sounded devastatingly hopeful. "You...you want me around? Really?"
"Of course." Herc frowned. Why wouldn't we?"
"N-no reason." Arthur shifted uncomfortably. "Um, can I ask you something?"
Herc expected Douglas to say something along the lines of 'you just did', but he held back and just nodded.
"Of course," Herc said. He hoped this was what he had been waiting for.
Arthur fiddled with his sleeves and he was quiet for a few long moments. He didn't seem eager to speak up, though there was clearly something on his mind. Herc just had to be patient, and sooner or later Arthur would open up.
Finally Arthur took a deep breath. "What does abortion mean?"
Herc felt a pit in his stomach. That wasn't what he had expected to hear, and he hated to think about just where this question had come from. From the furious expression on Douglas' face, Herc knew that he wasn't the only one who suspected why Arthur was curious about abortions in the first place.
Herc sighed and shifted in his chair so he could look right at Arthur. "Well, broadly speaking it's a fancy way to end a pregnancy before the birth."
"R-right." Arthur swallowed thickly.
"Do you know what that means?" Herc asked slowly. He had found that when it came to dealing with Arthur, it was always best to make sure that he understood what was happening.
"They kill the baby." Arthur said almost numbly.
"That's a crude and not entirely accurate way of putting it." Douglas said. "But for the sake of this discussion, essentially, yes, that's what it means."
"O-oh." Arthur's voice shook.
"What did your father say?" Herc did his best to keep his tone even. He had a terrible suspicion of what Gordan had said, but he wanted to hear Arthur confirm it.
Arthur fidgeted a bit. "He...he said that he wished he hadn't talked Mum out of getting an abortion."
Oh...oh no. No wonder Arthur was acting so oddly. Not only had he basically been told that his father wished he had never been born, but that at one point his mother hadn't wanted him to be born either. It was a cruel thing to learn, but especially to learn it from one's father.
"I-it's not true, is it?" Arthur asked almost desperately. "Mum didn't...she wouldn't want to get that, would she?"
Herc and Douglas exchanged concerned looks. They were both thinking the same thing. As much as they knew Carolyn loved Arthur, it wasn't that hard to believe that she would have wanted an abortion when she was younger. How were they supposed to explain this to Arthur though?
Arthur seemed to take their silence as enough of an answer. His face fell and he looked like he was about to start crying again. Herc was about to stand up to speak with him, but Douglas was faster.
Douglas made his way to Arthur, leaving Herc to fly the plane. Douglas pulled Arthur into the pilot's seat and, to Herc's surprise, knelt in front of him.
"Arthur, something that you must understand is that when your mother was pregnant with you she was younger than you are now." Douglas said. "Can you pretend for a moment that you found out today that you were going to have a kid? How would you feel?"
"E-excited," Arthur said quietly. "I love kids."
"But would you be able to take care of one?" Douglas asked. "If you couldn't ask your mother for help, would you feel comfortable raising a child, being solely responsible for their safety, and probably having to quit your job so you would have the time to give the child the attention they need?"
"I-I don't know." Arthur said. He sounded far too vulnerable for Herc's liking.
"A lot of people don't." Douglas said. He put his hand on Arthur's knee. "It can be a frightening, overwhelming situation, and some people feel that they're not suited to be parents."
"Let's be honest with ourselves." Herc scowled slightly. "Some people truly aren't suited to be parents." Any parent who essentially told their child that they weren't wanted perhaps didn't deserve that child in the first place. Herc understood that there were plenty of parents who may have complicated feelings about their children, and there was the possibility that Carolyn was one of them, but it was one thing to feel a certain way and another to let your child know about it.
"On that, we can agree." Douglas said. He took off his hat and donned it on Arthur's head. "I'll tell you what, I have to get back to flying the aeroplane, but after we land we will go to the hotel's bar and have ourselves some pineapple juice. We will discuss this in further detail then."
Herc looked at Douglas. "You don't have to do that."
"Well, of the two of us, I think that I'm better suited for this." Douglas said. "Unlike you, I've actually had experience with this kind of thing." Douglas raised an eyebrow at him. "Besides, somebody has to speak to Carolyn, and that's certainly not going to be me."
Herc grimaced. He always loved talking to Carolyn, but this was one conversation that he wasn't exactly looking forward to.
A/N: I feel like Herc and Douglas are both out of character, but I can't help it. I'm a sucker for fatherly Herc and Douglas, so I needed them to be softer than they normally are.