Camilo's Journey

Chapter 30:

Camilo boarded the plane with Spencer practically glued to his side. He remembered Spencer's fear of flying and wrapped his arm around his waist. Which actually helped as Spencer supported him without his crutches.

They were seated by an exit due to the extra leg room and Camilo stretched out his injured leg.
Spencer clung to his arm still.

"I'm right here the whole way." Camilo whispered to him. Spencer nodded but as the flight attendants explained emergency procedures, Spencer grabbed a sick bag just in time and vomited into it.
The other passengers stared, some with judgemental glares and others with looks of concerned. One girl came over to them.

Her long blonde hair was braided back into buns on top of her head and she wore contacts that were blue and sparkly. Camilo noticed a trans flag pin beside a she/her pronoun pin and smiled at her.

"I'm Billie." She said. "I had a terrible fear of flying when I was younger, but I used this." She said and pulled a cassette tape out of her pocket and handed it to Spencer. The case was orange and on it said "get relaxed, the flight edition." Then she pulled out a cassette player and some headphones and gave them to Spencer as well. Spencer smiled at her and as he often did he thanked her adorably, with a little hint of you're saving my life.

"You're more than welcome cutie." Then when she saw a warning look from Camilo she backtracked.
"And this is your boyfriend." She said. He'd made her feel bad after helping Spencer. He was an awful human being.
"Please if you are going to help Spencer, please feel free to fawn over him all you like, I'll share." Camilo knew was gravelling but Billie laughed. Spencer laughed too.

Billie kissed each of them on their foreheads.
"Stay safe you two, the world needs more striving queer kids." Then she pulled a card out of her pocket. "I run a youth centre for queer kids in London, would love it if you dropped in and said hi." Billie handed Camilo the card and went back to her seat.

"You're an idiot, but I love you." Spencer whispered before he made use of Billie's tape. Camilo didn't mind that Spencer didn't let go of his hand for what felt like the whole flight as long as he felt safe, Camilo also didn't mind Spencer's fingernails digging into his skin at times. All that mattered was that Billie's tape had helped and they got through the flight, panic attack count at only one. Which was a great number for Spencer, especially when he told Camilo he usually spent a whole flight having panic attack after panic attack.

They definitely owed Billie one.

***

Spencer's parents met with them at the airport under a big sign that said "London City Airport."
Spencer's mum greeted them both with hugs and helped Camilo onto his crutches while carrying his bag.
Spencer's dad eyed Camilo with a steely glare that unsettled him, but he did his best to ignore it.

Spencer's mum who Camilo quickly learned to call Cindy talked to him as she loaded their bags into the car.
"It's so wonderful to having you staying with us Camilo." Cindy said. "I can't believe the schools treatment of Spencer, I've been looking into other schools for him, Your mama said she'd send you wherever I send Spencer."

"Are you and my mama best friends now?" Camilo asked but his eyes wondered but he didn't listen to Cindy's answer because he heard but couldn't make out a tense argument between Spencer and his dad.

He felt powerless as he watched Spencer getting stressed. But then Spencer shouted.

"Camilo's my boyfriend and if you have a problem with that I'm sure mum will have no trouble kicking your ass to the curb!"

Oliver's face was priceless as Cindy fixed her own steely glare on him. Spencer seemed rattled though as they climbed into the back seat. Camilo rested his hand on top of Spencer's and he gave him a tight smile but didn't move.