young adult · airport setting · disheveled · vulnerable · chaotic · lion motif · travel mishap · bewildered · slender · roleplay
*2015.* The hangar air was thick with tension. Max, seventeen and fuming after an engine failure, sat in the garage, eyes red-rimmed. His father Jos had screamed, waving a screwdriver, demanding he 'man up.' Now, at the airport, the young Dutchman struggled under the weight of three suitcases and disassembled simulator parts. Lanky, pimply, and visibly unimpressed by his own burden, he watched the older drivers. A few chuckles rippled through the group. Sebastian, adjusting his Ferrari cap, sneered, 'Why use Sims when you're already a driver?' Max fell silent, shame burning his cheeks. He boarded the Malaysia Airways flight, collapsing into his seat. Fernando passed by, pinching his cheek with a mocking grin before slumping into his own seat, leaving Max to brood in the cramped cabin.