Little Things (Sarah / Alec)
Plane Sexy AU
From Georgie - “I can get home”. It’s the little things that count.
“Not leaving yet, Sarah?”
“No, you go ahead,” the ginger answers with a tired smile and kicks off her heels. “I’m going to sit here for a bit. My feet hurt a little.”
As soon as she’s alone, she snuggles deeply into the first class seat and with a push of a button, the chair reclines almost all the way. She stares at the ceiling of the plane cabin and lets out a tired sigh. It has been a really long flight, flying half way across the world non-stop with a cabin full of demanding passengers.
Sarah loves her job, she really does but there are days like this one that will drive her completely out of her mind. Days like this makes her wonder why didn’t she accept the promotion to become a trainer instead. Better pay, better hours and she never has to deal with entitled little bitches again. However, nothing can compare to travelling around the world with colleagues who have become her best friends and of course, the chance to be on duty with her - stop it, Sarah - their Captain Alec is hard to beat. They’ve been on a lot of the same flights recently and that makes up for the long hours, she thinks.
When Alec finally makes his way out of the cockpit, he’s usually expecting the aircraft mechanics or the cleaners but tonight, he’s surprised to see a sea of brilliant red against the boring beige seats. He crouches down by her seat and carefully brushes her errant hair aside, smiling to himself. She looks so cute and peaceful when she’s asleep he almost didn’t have the heart to wake her.
“Sarah?” he calls gently but there didn’t get any response from her. He tries again, softly tapping her arm and after several tries he finally manages to rouse her from her little nap. She blinks sleepily, still not quite awake yet and she has never looked more beautiful to him. He thinks that this would be what it’d be like to wake her up every morning if he’s ever lucky enough to have her.
“What…” she murmurs groggily, “Captain?” It takes her less than a minute to realise that she has fallen asleep in the cabin when it was only supposed to be a five minute eye-shut, and the most embarrassing part is that the man she has a huge crush on has had to wake her up. “Oh my god,” she breathes, covering her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Sarah thinks she sees a hint of a smile playing on his soft lips and blinks curiously. “May I?” he asks, gesturing to the empty seat beside her and she nods shyly, playing with her hair.
“You’re not angry?” she asks quietly, adjusting her seat back to its upright position.
“Why should I be? You didn’t do anything wrong, Sarah.” She has never really liked her name as a child, it was all too common and boring. But when he says her name, it rolls off his tongue like it’s the most precious thing in the world and she just falls in love with her name again.
“Thank you,” she smiles sweetly. “It won’t happen again though. I should have gone home.”
“Why didn’t you?”
She shrugs. “I was tired and my feet hurts… I just wanted to sit down for a bit, I never thought I was actually this tired.”
“I know that feeling,” Alec murmurs, leaning his head against the plush leather seats. “I can’t remember how many times I fell asleep in the cockpit after everyone has left.” He turns his head and catches her staring at him. Flustered, she looks away with her heart pounding in her chest and he grins. “Are you ready to go?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“Where do you live? I’ll send you home.”
“I can get home. I don’t want to trouble you.”
“It’s no trouble,” he responds, already reaching for her bag. “It’s late and it’s not safe for a lady to be walking the streets alone.”
The journey from the airport to her home seems quicker than it usually does and she pouts when Alec brings his car to a stop in front of her building. “Thank you, Captain,” she murmurs, taking her bag from him. He may not be the ideal prince charming to most people but he’s been such a gentleman to her. He carries her bag to his car, opens the door for her and even makes sure that the temperature in the car is just right for her. Sarah has never been a girl who insists on over-the-top gestures, she much prefers little things like this. It’s more sincere and endearing than a thousand roses.
“Sarah, when we’re not on duty, I’d prefer if you could call me Alec,” he informs her quietly. “It’s less pressurizing. Captain means I have to be perfect all the time because I can’t afford to make even the slightest of mistake,” he explains when Sarah stares at him her big blue eyes, looking all confused.
“But you are perfect,” she blurts out unwittingly, as if she was too mesmerized by him to know any better. She’s horrified at her admission but he doesn’t seem to mind it one bit. Instead, she sees a smile, a proper smile which makes his eyes crinkle up in the most gorgeous way and she almost swoons.
“It’s late,” he reminds her. “You should head in.”
Sarah nods, her bottom lip between her teeth. It’s now or never. “Are you free tomorrow? I’d like to buy you lunch. To thank you for sending me home. Please?”
“All right. It’s a date.” Alec watches as a sea of pink spreads quickly from her neck to her face and he can’t help but grin. He didn’t quite believe his ears when she asked him out because who would have thought a beauty like her would ever be interested in a gruff beast like him. “Good night, Sarah. Sleep well.”
When she finally falls asleep that night, she does so with a blissful smile on her face and the thought of how perfect Sarah Postern Hardy sounds to her.