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Sometimes Noah wished he could shut himself up.
It wasn’t his fault when a cheeky wisecrack was let loose. They simply slipped out, words firing off his tongue before he could even think about the consequences. It was his nature, the way he interacted with the world much to others displeasure. It wasn’t his fault they couldn’t see things for how they really were. Talking up glamorized versions of things annoyed Noah, he liked things blunt, if other people found that comical then that wasn’t on him.
That was the case when he was caught doing imitations.
Noah wouldn’t pretend to like his role as the comic relief but, it was how the dice were rolled. He was funny to people without even trying, without ever moving his face from its neutral positioning.
He hadn’t started off thinking he would do it, he played off the others, watching until words popped into his head in a spur of genius. It was his specialty, sarcasm.
It just so happened that the situation in question called for an imitation, one that served as a grave contrast to his normal monotone expression and poise.
They were all stuck in economy class, the rattling of metal keeping Noah on edge; the thought that the plane may crash at any moment was a fun backdrop for the chaos currently occurring.
Izzy was hiding in the vents, like some creature in a horror movie. Her movements were slow and meticulously as she crawled through the grate and out into the open, barring her sharp fangs. She had been missing for several hours, Noah counting every second of peace. For what it was worth it was quieter in the cabin, Owen’s anxious whimpering was tolerable in comparison to the resident crack addict deciding to pretend she was in a James Bond movie.
In predictable fashion Owen was the first to startle, jumping up and hitting his head on the luggage compartment above him. Noah only watched as various pieces of clothing and personal items fell like rain onto Owen’s head. He bit back a smile at the sight, remaining alert.
Izzy was unpredictable and she hadn’t even said anything yet.
Tyler was next on the list of easily startled people. He hadn’t initially noticed her due to his cluelessness but, that quickly changed when she spoke.
“Boo!”she giggled, Tyler scrambling to get away only to find that he was already pressed against the wall. He was truly the spitting image of courage. Noah couldn’t hide his smile seeing Tyler’s face. He simply turned his head, mocking interest in the particles of dust that had blown free upon Owen’s freak out.
Izzy wasn’t satisfied with unnerving only two people, no she wanted to make it a third. Noah watched out of the corner of his eyes as she tiptoed on her flat footed shoes. They were surprisingly airy, allowing an impressive array of movement (perfect for Izzy).
Her next unsuspecting victim was set to be DJ. He was cradling a fish bowl in his hands, Irene sitting softly near the bottom of the bowl with a shoddy Egyptian symbol painted on her. DJ hadn’t left the fish alone since they left Newfoundland. Noah felt bad for it, sharing its same dead look.
It was clear that DJ wasn’t meant to be next on Izzy’s list but, one glance at Noah was all it took to send her packing. Perks of a resting bitch face he supposed. Izzy had lost the element of surprise, she had nothing left to throw at him that he hadn’t seen before.
Izzy’s tactic of approach appeared to be the slow and meandering variety. DJ saw her, eyes trained on hers like a gazelle facing down a lioness. It was the noticeable look in his eyes that made him a target, he lost the second he even regarded Izzy.
“Hey uh..easy there..don’t be scared Irene it’s just Izzy, it’s just Izzy,” DJ said, more to himself than his fish. Noah and the fish seemed to share a look of understanding, Irene releasing bubbles like she was as tired of Izzy as Noah was.
He normally would have been interested in Izzy terrorizing his fellow teammates, and DJ, but he was bored of the charade. There was only so much Izzy he could take before her routine because normal. Noah could practically mirror her movements to a T if he was asked.
Apparently he wasn’t just thinking about the ability to do so as he slowly stood up, mouth moving from neutral to a smirk like a gear shift. He couldn’t hide the expression as he slowly rose on the balls of his feet. It was difficult with the rather stern rubber soles of his tennis shoes but, he managed. It was like he said earlier, before he could think he was mocking her, suave smirk telling of what he aimed to do.
Noah watched her, noted the way her hands slowly stretched out like a lizard unveiling a folded flap of skin. She was trying to appear intimidating. No matter how hard he tried he doubted he could understand exactly what went through Izzy’s head when she thought of plans such as the one that was currently unfolding.
In sync with Izzy Noah raised his arms up, posing behind her in a stupidly exaggerated position. His feet were hiked up so that he was in danger of falling, his arms were raised like he was trying to grasp something just out of reach. He looked stupid but, that was the point. It was a small repercussion in the grand scheme of things seeing as his stupidness would only contrast Izzy’s own actions.
The first chuckle gave Noah a hit of dopamine. He didn’t do it to get a laugh out of the others around him but, even he couldn’t avoid the need to feel validated. Making people laugh was something he enjoyed, albeit in a round about sort of way. He could never see himself as a comedian. People liked him in small doses, Noah knew what happened when he dialed up the sass too far. People turned from happy to irate all in the span of a millisecond.
He had learned from experience how to not overstay his welcome.
DJ’s eyes grew dodgy, Izzy closing in the gap between them. The entire cabin watched, Owen especially hanging on the scene.
Izzy pulled her arms out to her sides forming small snakes with her hands. Noah observed the way she stuck her tongue out, looking truly maniac. Izzy wasn’t exactly someone Noah felt comfortable encountering outside of the competition. She all but ignored the realm of morals and outpaced the most sound logic by doing things spontaneously. Unpredictable but, fun to chaff.
Acting like he didn’t have a care in the world, Noah did the same, sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes to really sell the bit. He even perched up on one leg like a flamingo, in danger of falling over had Chef decided to grace them with some poorly timed turbulence.
Owen’s poorly stifled giggles reached their climax as Izzy launched her assault, grabbing DJ’s shoulders with impressive speed.
“Got you! Haha!” she said, completing her mission to terrorizing the ever living crap out of most of economy class.
Noah finished the show as well, lunging for the air because well…he hadn’t thought things out that far in advance.
It was typical when Alejandro walked into the cabin, arriving just in time to watch Noah trip and fall face first onto the ground. In hindsight balancing on one leg while on a moving plane was poor decision making.
To Owen’s defense his pent up giggles stilled, Alejandro taking center stage in the laughing department.
Noah groaned, pushing himself up as his face stung; it was both from the embarrassment and the physical pain of using metal as a landing pad. Izzy barely even acknowledged the thud, humming as she skipped out of the cabin. Noah didn’t have words for her, more concerned with the laughing at his expense.
“Wow thanks for the concern, I can really feel the team spirit, what if I got hurt?” Noah quipped, sitting up to nurse his face. It stung vaguely, his knees taking the brunt of the impact out of jerk reaction. He really needed to control himself in regards to his taunts. It came so naturally Noah wasn’t sure he could stop with the ranch remarks.
“I’m positive that a small tumble to the ground will not put you out of the running for the next challenge,” Alejandro said, continuing his movement back towards his seat. Noah wasn’t exactly sure where he had been for the latter half of the hour but, he appeared unchanged. He was still an annoying bastard with a very punchable face.
“How do you know, I could have twisted my ankle?” Noah asked, from the ground, being dramatic for the sake of it. Alejandro was as petty as he was, and there was no getting Noah to back down. He knew that someone in their right mind should be weary of Alejandro but, he wasn’t afraid of him. He was vulnerable just like the rest of them and Noah wasn’t going to waste his time worrying about what he could do.
“I doubt that you injured yourself seeing as you are clearly not in any pain,” Alejandro said, looking up at the compartment above his seat. It was perturbed after Owen’s freak out, the belongings scattered across the floor were Alejandro’s. Noah was suddenly less annoyed with Izzy’s visit.
Alejandro didn’t make his annoyance at the sight known, he simply let out a small huff, reaching down to pick up his belongings with a certain grace Alejandro simply had. Noah wasn’t sure how someone with his build managed to move in such a way but, it was hard to look away from, not that Noah would ever admit it.
He simply shook his head at Alejandro’s prissy movements, eyes connecting with Owen who sat to the side of him. He had recovered from Izzy’s scare and was watching the scene unfold hesitantly.
Noah made a slow move to stand up, acting as graceful as possible. He stood up tall, sticking his nose up like he had seen Alejandro do a million times. He was already doing impressions he might as well keep going; until he got bored of course.
Noah adjusted the collar of his shirt, breaking away a couple buttons to reveal his white long sleeve shirt underneath. He fanned himself slowly, flinging his hand over his shoulder like he had longer hair than he actually did.
Owen snorted, looking between Noah and Alejandro, the latter of which who had not yet noticed Noah’s blatant mockery.
It was easy to keep going, to keep Alejandro-ing for lack of an actual word to describe it. Noah had spent time observing Alejandro, watching as he weaseled his way into people’s heads to get ahead. He was charismatic but, also incredibly vain. Noah summoned his inner Justin for the next part of his act.
It was just his luck that a compact happened to fall at his feet due to Izzy’s earlier scuffle.
Noah slyly reached for the mirror, flipping it open and mustering up his best ‘I’m hot and everyone knows it’ grin. Looking at himself in the mirror only fueled the fire, Noah puffing out his lips like he was about to kiss somebody. He tossed his imaginary hair again, going the extra mile by holding out his free hand and flexing his non existent muscle.
He raised his eyebrow up, winking towards Owen.
Owen couldn’t hold his laughter back anymore, breaking down in near tears.
Alejandro quickly took note of the sight, turning to Noah for an explanation. Noah quickly shut the compact, appearing almost startled when Alejandro made eyes at him, daggers to be exact.
“Amigo…” he began, pursing his lips carefully.
“Are you mocking me?” he asked incredulously.
His expression quickly changed when he scanned Noah, eyes lingering on each aspect of his look that appeared altered. His slightly ruffled hair, his unbuttoned shirt, his raised face.
“You are.” He stated it like fact.
No duh.
Noah scoffed, playing coy because he could.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s hot in here, it’s not like I’m stripping for the camera or something,” Noah said, a subtle jab at Alejandro’s habit to take his shirt of to make things go his way.
Alejandro gave him a playful look, scowl turning to a small smile.
“Hmm, your wit is…adorable,” Alejandro said, toothy smile rising to his face. The words were breathy, tone condescending. Had Noah not already slammed the compact shut He would have done so in that moment, if only for dramatic effect.
Alejandro hummed to himself, reaching up to his shaped chest and threading each button through its assigned hole. Noah only watched him, unsure what his angle was. Maybe messing with Alejandro was a bad idea. He was an overachiever and anything short of an absolute win was a failure to him. Noah couldn’t hope to beat someone like that.
As soon as he finished weaving the buttons through his shirt he stopped, adjusting his collar for a moment to complete a surprisingly modest look (for Alejandro anyways).
That was only the beginning, he wasn’t done.
A picture formed in Noah’s head when he tied his hair back, combing it with his hand until his part matched Noah’s near identically.
That eel.
That absolute eel.
He was trying to mimic him, and doing an annoyingly good job in the looks department. Noah supposed it wasn’t a surprise seeing as he knew for a fact that Alejandro had a twenty step skin care routine to look as good as he always did.
Alejandro wasn’t backing down from the challenge, no matter how badly Noah felt like retracting his previous mockery. The whole idea was stupid, maybe he should have shut up and sat down instead. Economy class was boring but, at least he wasn’t staring down Ale-freaking-jandro who only trusted him as far as he could throw him.
Alejandro pressed his face into a neutral look, crossing his arms lazily.
“Wow great imitation, totally realistic,” Alejandro said, voice monotone, the perfect pitch to be exact.
“Woah Al, that’s really good,” Owen said, laughing awkwardly. He was able to read the room, the tense atmosphere Noah had created.
“Whatever,” Alejandro said, the only hint of life on his face coming from a raised eyebrow leveled at Noah, almost like an invitation to continue.
He was really leaning into the joke. Noah vaguely wondered why he cared so much after the first glance. Wasn’t it more in character for him to storm away, let a few curse words fly at the camera?
It almost looked to Noah like he was having fun. Maybe even manipulative jerks like Alejandro needed to unwind every once in a while.
Noah followed Alejandro’s lead, combing his hand through his hair until it was combed back instead of parted. It wasn’t Alejandro’s normal style but, Noah figured that didn’t matter. What mattered were his words as he spoke.
“Hola amor,” Noah said seductively, summoning his Spanish 1 skills in his pronunciation. He batt his eyelashes, really buying into the whole ‘I am a hot Spanish guy’ charade. It was more fun than Noah let on. Mimicking Alejandro was strangely satisfying given that his dramatic and perfectly poised mannerisms irked Noah to no end. Alejandro was unbearably pretentious. So what if he was talented, he wasn’t the only one and frankly no one cared (at least Noah didn’t).
“I do not sound like that,” Alejandro said, breaking character for a split second.
Noah smiled as pretentiously as he did.
“I mean you kind of do—“Owen tried to interject, Alejandro shutting him down before he could begin.
“I am much more graceful than that, if you are going to mimic me you must do it correctly,” Alejandro demanded, feathers clearly ruffled. Noah found it funnier than the actual imitations that Alejandro appeared more annoyed at the incorrect portrayal than the portrayal in itself.
Noah quickly ate his words when Alejandro started touching his chest.
Okay that was taken a bit out of context, Noah was after all in Alejandro’s shoes so being petty and dramatic was a given.
Alejandro was really messing with the buttons on his shirt… maybe that didn’t sound any better either.
He was primping him, adjusting his appearance so it suited his apparent vision of what an imitation of him should look like.
“Come on amigo, you do not have nearly enough grace, and your hair looks dreadful, mine is nothing like that mop you have on your head,” Alejandro said, sounding offended.
Noah started to speak when the words— for once— died in his throat. He wasn’t sure why they quelled the second Alejandro’s fingers brushed against his scalp, combing the hair back.
The awkward moment didn’t only extend to him, Owen watched with confusion written on his face, DJ and Tyler probably following. Noah could only gape, mouth hung open like a fish.
It took a moment for Alejandro to catch up, his airy smile folding into a frown. He cleared his throat, hand currently running through Noah’s hair retracting quickly.
“You must do it correctly if you are to mock me,” Alejandro said, words heavy. Noah stared at him, pupils wide. He caught the ghost of a blush peppering his cheeks, it was fading as quickly as it arose.
“Right..” Noah said, voice cracking as he failed to hide his dumbstruck-ness. He was eating his words. He should have let Izzy trapeze around the room, shake the crazy out of her, before she left. It would have been so incredibly easy. But, Noah liked to do things the hard way, he had to.
Alejandro’s hand slowly raised to his chest, his hand moved down the break in his shirt to undo the buttons. It was slow, the steady pop of each one sounding deafening in the near silence. Satisfied, Alejandro reached behind him, hair falling back down to his shoulders in a flowing motion. He had really nice hair, as silky as he bragged to everyone who would listen.
“Excuse me..I have somewhere to be,” Alejandro said. The words were said confidentially but, Noah could tell Alejandro was really tucking his tail in between his legs and running. His eyebrows were creased, neutral expression brought about by pressing his lips together to prevent any dissent from his facial muscles. Not to mention that some of his belongings were still scattered across the ground.
Noah still found himself nodding, eyes shinning on him like a spotlight as he turned on his heel, walking out of the cabin briskly. Alejandro always walked with a purpose, arms at his sides moving in sync with his body.
It was another moment before Noah found words to speak again.
He chose not to vocalize them, keeping the thoughts to himself; like how weird the encounter was, how his heart was suddenly racing, and how much he wanted Alejandro’s hand back in his hair weaving through with delicate fingers.
That thought wasn’t constructive to his normal thoughts so he ignored it, walking back to his seat and crossing his arms. His position was reminiscence of himself when Izzy entered the cabin, setting off a line of dominos around her.
The cabin was silent.
Noah was silent.
And things were at peace.
Comfortable, boring, peace.