To and in St. Louis, Friday FT
Man, was it ever fun to be one of the attendants on a flight where members of your family were among the passengers. Especially when it was your dad who was totally having super major flight anxiety and ranting to your brother a little too loudly and battling with his seatbelt.
Kate had to stride down to isle to where Marshall and Max were sitting. "Sir, calm down," she told her dad, in her best polite flight attendant voice, silently thankful she didn't need to watch over them on their connecting flight to New York for the film festival. Max looked a sweaty mess. "You're making the other passengers shit themselves."
"Okay, then you tell that fucking pilot to quit hot-doggin' it!" he snapped at her, gesturing wildly above his head, at the compartments there. "Honey, I need my pills. Please." Huh? Kate gave her brother a confused look for an explanation. "He stole a handful of Mom's wacky tablets," Marshall drawled. Sigh. Of course he had. Kate went to retrieve them from his bag. "Just don't OD on them on my flight, that would not look good."
Neither Gregson guy seemed to appreciate the joke.
-----
They made it to St. Louis in one piece, thankfully, and once they were there, Kate led her brother and father to the VIP Kloudklimbers' Klub lounge for a breather. One of the little perks of working at SkyKans. Max still looked a little bad, though. In a high on pills kind of way, so Kate fussed over him, even if it was just a little. Still enough for him to wave his hands at her a little and say, "Oh, hey, honey, I'm fine, I'm not going to embarrass you at your... work place."
"Don't get your hopes up," Marshall muttered, darkly. Kate was a little surprised by that. "What?" she asked, glancing back to where their dad had veered off to look at departure times. "What's the matter with you?"
"It's Dad," Marshall said, frowning at her. "I know he's all freaked out about the plane and stuff, but why is it that in this family, the two of us always end up having to take care of our parents?"
"I don't know," Kate replied, and for a while there she had genuine sympathy in her voice, but then she was distracted by a familiar form sitting on one of the couches a little way away. "Not my problem right now. Hey, is that Evan?" And it totally was, so she tugged on Marshall's sleeve, already pulling him along. "Come on. Dad, come meet Evan!"
Evan was... surprised to see them, to say the least. "Hi," he said, immediately getting up, like a polite person. "Uh, Kate. And... ?"
"Oh, this is my dad, Max," Kate said, gesturing at her father. "Dad, this is Evan. You know, my favorite commuter?"
"Right, Evan the commuter," Max said, with a too wide smile as he stuck out his hand to be shaken. "Good afternoon, sir. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He evn did a little bow, which made Evan look a tad uncertain before Kate said, with a lowered voice, "He's taken the panic'n'pill approach to flying." Then she gestured at Marshall who was still sulking a bit, though she didn't know what for. "And this is my... fun and happy brother, Marshall."
Well, at least he shook Evan's hand civilly enough. "Uh, hello Gregsons," Evan said. "Welcome to St. Louis, gateway to the west. The Mound... Big Lou..." It was kind of hard to believe he worked with talking to people for a living. He chuckled a little, embarrassed. "I am working way too hard on behalf of St. Louis."
"Why are you here right now, anyway?" Kate wondered. "Not to be all stalkery or anything but didn't you say you didn't have to fly anywhere this week."
"Oh," he said, "I got, uh... A last minute thing in Kansas. And it's going to be interesting too, because my ex --"
He didn't get to finish that sentence, because suddenly someone yelled out "I'm a ninja!" and ran to them and... Tried to climb up Max's back. Yeah. Someone's kid was climbing up Max's back. "Oh! Fuck! My back!"
"Monty!" Evan snapped. "Get off of Mr. Gregson. Monty!"
... Annnd it was Evan's kid. Right.
-----
So, apparently, Evan's ex had had to switch kid weekends at the last minute, and now Monty was going to have to come along to Kansas with his dad. Which meant they were going to be on Kate's flight back. Considering the kid was running around, screaming, climbing up the stairs only to throw bits of paper down from the landing while his father yelled his name over and over again from down below? Yeah, that was going to be an absolute delight, she was sure.
It was a relief when she got to walk Max and Marshall to the elevators once it was time for them to catch their connecting flight. "Oh, God," Kate murmured to Max, once they were waiting for the elevator to come. "I like Evan just fine, but that kid."
Max shook his head and looked like he wanted to rub his back at the mere memory. "Oh, that kid's a handful," he said. Kate pouted at him. "I don't know if I want to deal with that on my plane." That got a wane smile from him. "What am I gonna tell you, Katie Kate?" he asked. "I can't even get on an airplane without kicking and screaming like a baby, and you already dealt with that. You're fearless. You get on airplanes all the time." He held up a hand, kept his thumb and index finger close to each other. "You were this close to living in Japan. You're all grown up, little girl. You don't need advice from me."
That was when the ding sounded and the elevator doors opened. "I love you," Kate sighed, smiling a little, and giving both father and brother a little wave as they got in and the doors started to close. "Have a great flight."
Max's face went serious at that well wishing, but he was someone else's problem now. Kate glanced back at the lounge. Evan was still yelling at Monty. So she was going to pretend to be busy with her phone for a while. She sent a few 'missing you' type texts to Bod, then went through her contact list until her gaze fell on a name she'd been meaning to check in on post spring break, anyway.
She pressed the call button and hoped Luke would save her from the boy monster for at least a moment.
[ooc: NFB, taken with major tweakage from USoT S03E08 'Chicken 'n' Corn'. Mainly for that guy she's calling, though other texts/calls are welcome too.]
Kate had to stride down to isle to where Marshall and Max were sitting. "Sir, calm down," she told her dad, in her best polite flight attendant voice, silently thankful she didn't need to watch over them on their connecting flight to New York for the film festival. Max looked a sweaty mess. "You're making the other passengers shit themselves."
"Okay, then you tell that fucking pilot to quit hot-doggin' it!" he snapped at her, gesturing wildly above his head, at the compartments there. "Honey, I need my pills. Please." Huh? Kate gave her brother a confused look for an explanation. "He stole a handful of Mom's wacky tablets," Marshall drawled. Sigh. Of course he had. Kate went to retrieve them from his bag. "Just don't OD on them on my flight, that would not look good."
Neither Gregson guy seemed to appreciate the joke.
-----
They made it to St. Louis in one piece, thankfully, and once they were there, Kate led her brother and father to the VIP Kloudklimbers' Klub lounge for a breather. One of the little perks of working at SkyKans. Max still looked a little bad, though. In a high on pills kind of way, so Kate fussed over him, even if it was just a little. Still enough for him to wave his hands at her a little and say, "Oh, hey, honey, I'm fine, I'm not going to embarrass you at your... work place."
"Don't get your hopes up," Marshall muttered, darkly. Kate was a little surprised by that. "What?" she asked, glancing back to where their dad had veered off to look at departure times. "What's the matter with you?"
"It's Dad," Marshall said, frowning at her. "I know he's all freaked out about the plane and stuff, but why is it that in this family, the two of us always end up having to take care of our parents?"
"I don't know," Kate replied, and for a while there she had genuine sympathy in her voice, but then she was distracted by a familiar form sitting on one of the couches a little way away. "Not my problem right now. Hey, is that Evan?" And it totally was, so she tugged on Marshall's sleeve, already pulling him along. "Come on. Dad, come meet Evan!"
Evan was... surprised to see them, to say the least. "Hi," he said, immediately getting up, like a polite person. "Uh, Kate. And... ?"
"Oh, this is my dad, Max," Kate said, gesturing at her father. "Dad, this is Evan. You know, my favorite commuter?"
"Right, Evan the commuter," Max said, with a too wide smile as he stuck out his hand to be shaken. "Good afternoon, sir. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He evn did a little bow, which made Evan look a tad uncertain before Kate said, with a lowered voice, "He's taken the panic'n'pill approach to flying." Then she gestured at Marshall who was still sulking a bit, though she didn't know what for. "And this is my... fun and happy brother, Marshall."
Well, at least he shook Evan's hand civilly enough. "Uh, hello Gregsons," Evan said. "Welcome to St. Louis, gateway to the west. The Mound... Big Lou..." It was kind of hard to believe he worked with talking to people for a living. He chuckled a little, embarrassed. "I am working way too hard on behalf of St. Louis."
"Why are you here right now, anyway?" Kate wondered. "Not to be all stalkery or anything but didn't you say you didn't have to fly anywhere this week."
"Oh," he said, "I got, uh... A last minute thing in Kansas. And it's going to be interesting too, because my ex --"
He didn't get to finish that sentence, because suddenly someone yelled out "I'm a ninja!" and ran to them and... Tried to climb up Max's back. Yeah. Someone's kid was climbing up Max's back. "Oh! Fuck! My back!"
"Monty!" Evan snapped. "Get off of Mr. Gregson. Monty!"
... Annnd it was Evan's kid. Right.
-----
So, apparently, Evan's ex had had to switch kid weekends at the last minute, and now Monty was going to have to come along to Kansas with his dad. Which meant they were going to be on Kate's flight back. Considering the kid was running around, screaming, climbing up the stairs only to throw bits of paper down from the landing while his father yelled his name over and over again from down below? Yeah, that was going to be an absolute delight, she was sure.
It was a relief when she got to walk Max and Marshall to the elevators once it was time for them to catch their connecting flight. "Oh, God," Kate murmured to Max, once they were waiting for the elevator to come. "I like Evan just fine, but that kid."
Max shook his head and looked like he wanted to rub his back at the mere memory. "Oh, that kid's a handful," he said. Kate pouted at him. "I don't know if I want to deal with that on my plane." That got a wane smile from him. "What am I gonna tell you, Katie Kate?" he asked. "I can't even get on an airplane without kicking and screaming like a baby, and you already dealt with that. You're fearless. You get on airplanes all the time." He held up a hand, kept his thumb and index finger close to each other. "You were this close to living in Japan. You're all grown up, little girl. You don't need advice from me."
That was when the ding sounded and the elevator doors opened. "I love you," Kate sighed, smiling a little, and giving both father and brother a little wave as they got in and the doors started to close. "Have a great flight."
Max's face went serious at that well wishing, but he was someone else's problem now. Kate glanced back at the lounge. Evan was still yelling at Monty. So she was going to pretend to be busy with her phone for a while. She sent a few 'missing you' type texts to Bod, then went through her contact list until her gaze fell on a name she'd been meaning to check in on post spring break, anyway.
She pressed the call button and hoped Luke would save her from the boy monster for at least a moment.
[ooc: NFB, taken with major tweakage from USoT S03E08 'Chicken 'n' Corn'. Mainly for that guy she's calling, though other texts/calls are welcome too.]