Takeoffs and Landings

By Alex Century

Published on Sep 19, 2021

Gay

Matt

On the morning of September 11, 2001 my alarm clock rang at 5:40, my usual time to get out of bed. Sam had left the night before to go to San Francisco because he was on duty the next morning. Jared was on day three of a four day trip but since he was still on reserve I didn't know in advance where he was going to be. I headed into the bathroom for a quick ten-minute shower and when I came out I turned on the TV as I dried myself off. I flipped it to Good Morning America. They were at a commercial but they abruptly came back halfway through the ad.

"We're going to tell you what we know as we know it but we just got a report in that there has been some sort of explosion at the World Trade Center in New York City," said Diane Sawyer. That's when they flashed to that picture that everyone remembers of the first tower burning.

"One report said, and we can't confirm any of this, that a plane may have hit one of the two towers," she continued and I will never forget the chill that went through my body after I heard that. I went out into the living room to make my coffee and I kept watching wide-eyed. At that point it still seemed like it could have been an accident.

I realized that it wasn't even 9:00 AM yet on the east coast so I figured there was a chance that Jared might not even be in the air yet. I dialed his cell phone and it went straight to voicemail. That's when the terror started setting in. Like everyone else watching their TVs that morning they had no idea what they were about to see next.

Ten minutes later the second plane crashed into the side of the south tower. I gasped as the ball of flames shot upward after a jet quickly appeared on screen and just as quickly disappeared into the side of the building. My brain just shut down at that moment and I couldn't feel anything. The only thing I could think about was Jared.

After the fear went away and I started thinking clearly again I knew I needed to call in to work. It was an agonizing wait until 7:00 AM, the earliest you could call the attendance number, and in the meantime I sat there in our living room glued to the TV watching the coverage. I decided I was going to stay here until they announced the flight number or I heard from Jared and Sam.

About 45 minutes later the TV cut away from the burning towers to a new plume of smoke in Washington, DC. Peter Jennings then reported that there had been an explosion at the Pentagon. Not long after they confirmed it had been another plane and that the FAA suspected that a couple dozen planes had been hijacked. I felt like I was going to faint. For all I knew that could have been Jared's plane. For all I knew Sam could be on one of those hijacked jets headed for any number of places here on the west coast.

Just as I picked up the phone to call into work the first tower collapsed. They had just announced that all aircraft flying over the United States had been ordered to land. The phone was ringing and I saw the building start to pancake down onto itself. I couldn't hold the tears in anymore knowing how many people I just watched die on live television.

Finally my boss answered and asked if I was calling in because I'd seen what was going on.

"My partner, the person I love is an airline pilot. My brother-in-law is a flight attendant. I have to make sure they're okay," I said trying to hide how irritated I was that he would ask me that so flippantly.

"You're good," was all he said before he hung up. I'm guessing I wasn't the only one but I was kind of put off by how he said that to me.

Once that was over I turned my attention back to the TV where they were showing the tower collapsing over and over again. I wanted to turn it off so badly but I just couldn't. I had to find out whether or not Jared and Sam were okay.

Finally about a half hour later ABC announced that the first plane to hit belonged to American Airlines. I could breathe a little bit easier with that news as hard as that is to say but it was the truth.

Not long after the phone rang again and it was my parents. I had no idea how I hadn't heard from Jared's parents yet but I figured they would be calling shortly too.

"Mom," I said through tears after I looked at the caller ID.

"Matt is Jared okay?" she asked.

"I don't know, I have no idea where he is," I began before the tears came pouring out. "He didn't call me last night, I figured he had a short night and had to be up early."

"What about Sam?" she continued

"He's supposed to be flying today. He was on reserve in San Francisco so he's probably not on any of those planes," I said starting to think clearly for the first time since this started.

"Matt what kind of plane does Jared fly?" asked my dad.

"Uh, DC-9 I think."

"How big is that?"

"Like medium size, maybe 100 people," I replied.

"They're showing the plane hitting again on the TV. It's a huge plane. If the one he flies only has 100 people then there's no way that was his plane," he answered.

"We don't know about the first one though and what about the one at the Pentagon?" I said with the fear rising again. That's when I got another call beeping in and it was Sam.

"Mom Sam's calling I have to go," I interjected. Before my mom could say goodbye I hung up and took his call.

"Sam! Tell me you're okay!"

"Yeah I'm still at SFO. I was supposed to go to Chicago this morning but I'm not going anywhere now. They've cancelled all the flights."

"Have you heard from Jared?" I asked.

"No I've been trying to call him but his phone's off. He must still be in the air," he replied. "I have no way to get home. Can you come get me?" he asked.

"Yeah of course. I don't know when I'll be able to make it down there though," I answered.

"Just whenever you can get here. They just closed down the airspace over the entire country so there aren't going to be flights for days," Sam explained. I didn't know if that was true but if it was then I knew I'd be hearing from Jared soon.

About 20 minutes later I got another call from Sam.

"Hey Matt, they just evacuated the airport. They're taking us out into a parking lot and I don't know where we're going after that. I'll let you know when I find out more," he said.

It was about almost 10:00 AM California time when the phone finally rang. The caller ID said Indianapolis International Airport. I knew this had to be Jared and I breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Jared is that you?" I asked when I answered.

"Matt I'm okay. They diverted us to Indianapolis. I don't know what's going to happen next or when I'm going to get home but I'm okay. Everything's fine. Have you heard from Sam?" he rattled off with authority.

"Yeah he was never even in the air. He's in San Francisco and I have to go get him," I said.

"I stood in line for a half hour for the pay phone just now. All the circuits are busy, my cell phone isn't working," he explained. "Did you see what happened?"

"I saw it on TV as it happened Jared," I said as the tears started welling. "I had no idea if that was you," I managed before I started sobbing. I'd blocked out my emotions while I was trying to make sure they were okay and now I couldn't hold them in anymore.

"Matt," he said and I could hear the tears rising in his voice. "It's okay. We're all okay, we'll be okay. It's okay to feel the way you do," he said to reassure me.

"Jared I need you right now," I said.

"Matt I need you too," he said trying to fight the urge to cry as he said it but he couldn't.

"Matt what if that had been my plane? What if that had been Sam's plane?"

"When are you going to be home?" I asked knowing he probably didn't know the answer to that question.

"I don't know. I just hope they can find me a hotel room tonight. I promise you I'll call you once I know where I'm going to be tonight," he replied.

"I have to drive to San Francisco to get Sam. I love you more than you'll ever know. You can't imagine how good it was to hear your voice just now," I half-whispered so that I wouldn't have to stop to cry.

"I love you too, Matt. Tell Sam I love him too. But just know that it could be a while before I make it home."

I called Sam's cell phone and thankfully it rang. He picked up on the fourth ring.

"Matt, what's going on?"

"Jared called. He's in Indianapolis. He's safe and he's on the ground but he has no idea when he's going to be able to get home. He told me to tell you he loves you."

"Can you come get me? I'm at a Holiday Inn just south of the airport. That's where they took us."

"Yeah, I'll leave right now and I'll be there in a couple hours," I replied before we said our goodbyes and I started searching for my car keys.

I started my car and took a deep breath and stared at the steering wheel for a minute before I backed out of the garage. As I merged onto I-5 I just couldn't take my mind off the images I'd seen earlier. I couldn't get the picture of that plane flying into the side of that building and the huge fireball that came afterward. I couldn't get the sight of the buildings collapsing on live TV out of my head.

After an hour and 45 minutes I arrived at the hotel where they'd taken Sam and his coworkers. I called him to let him know I was there and he came out into the parking lot and met me. I got out of my car and walked towards him and it wasn't another couple seconds before we were in each other's arms embracing in a tight, emotional hug. We both cried and just let it all out for a minute before we were ready to get in the car. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and handed them to Sam.

"Can you please drive home?" I asked.

"Yeah sure," he said before he into the driver's seat and shut the door.

When I got into the passenger seat I felt like I could relax for the first time that day. I was so overwhelmed because my mind was on edge all day long. I reclined my seat back and took a deep breath. Sam turned out of the parking lot and headed north on US-101 towards Interstate 80. We sat in silence for a few minutes before Sam finally broke the ice.

"Should I get a new job?" Sam asked sounding like he was seriously thinking about it.

"Might be a good idea," I said in a dark tone. I knew Jared was probably going to ask me that question as well and I really didn't know what to think about that idea. I noticed Sam had a death grip on the steering wheel and he hadn't taken his eyes off the road in front of him since we left the hotel.

"Are you all right Sam?" I asked softly. He didn't even look at me before he quietly spat out what was on his mind.

"Two of the planes were United," Sam replied in a grim voice with a sad frown on his face.

"The second one to hit the towers and the one that crashed in Pennsylvania were both United," he explained softly.

I zoned out for the rest of the drive until we got home. It was dinnertime when we finally arrived back at the house and once we came through the door we both sat down in the living room. I looked at him and let out a sigh.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to but I kind of don't want to be alone right now," I said to Sam.

"I know how you feel. I'll sleep in the spare bedroom." he replied.

At around 9:30 our time the phone rang again. Sam picked it up and I could hear Jared crying on the other end.

"Sam I love you. More than you'll ever know," I heard him saying.

It took Jared four days to get home. I can't imagine what that must have been like for poor Jared. Could you imagine having to get on a plane right after that?

It was after midnight when Jared finally got home. He had to buy a ticket to be able to get back and had to take a really roundabout way to get to Sacramento. I was sitting in the living room watching TV when I heard the garage door open. He came through the door and I was in his arms before he even knew what hit him.

"Jared!" I let out as I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Oh Matt," was all he said at first before we kissed. One thing led to another. I could feel the electricity flowing between us as we headed for the bedroom. He playfully pushed me onto the bed by my shoulders and pulled his shirt off as fast as he possibly could. He dropped his pants and underwear and got next to me.

I could almost see the pent up testosterone coursing through his veins as he ran his hands over my naked body after he pretty much ripped my clothes off. My raging boner pressed against his as he positioned himself between my legs. He came in close to kiss me and that's when he reached over to the nightstand for the bottle of lube.

"Not wasting any time," I whispered to him and he laughed a little. He lubed me up and entered me and I let out a moan of pleasure. He didn't start slow like he usually did, this time he pounded me right from the start. It was mind blowing and so primal, almost like two animals in the woods. I moaned louder and louder as the pleasure intensified and before I knew it I was having a prostate orgasm.

"Ohhhhhhhhh fuck!" I yelled out as it took me by surprise.

"Yeah, yeah, that's good right?" he said as he kept going.

"Uh, uh, uh, uh," I let out with each thrust. Jared had slowed down by this point and that's how I knew he was about to cum. He gritted his teeth and groaned "About to cum," before he blew his load.

"Ahhhhhh, ah, ah, ah," he said with each spurt. "Fuck, ah. Fuck," he let out before he rolled over onto his back.

"That was a gallon right there," he said and we both laughed. I rolled over onto him and put my arm across his chest.

"Oh my god Jared that was amazing," I replied. "Holy fuck," I whispered before I rolled back onto my back and took a couple more deep breaths.

"I love you so much Jared," I whispered. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Oh my god I was so scared."

"So was I. I love you Matt. It fucking sucked going through that without you. When I was stuck at that hotel I wouldn't have wished for anything in the world but to be next to you," he replied.

After it was over he sucked me off until I blasted my load and then we cuddled together until we fell asleep. The next morning we woke up and went outside and sat on our screened porch.

"Sam asked me if he should quit on the way back from San Francisco," I said with a sigh.

"What did you tell him?" Jared asked.

"I wouldn't blame him," I answered.

"I'm not going anywhere," Jared said confidently. "This is what I was meant to do. I hope he doesn't quit."

"That was going to be my next question," I said.

"What, you want me to quit flying?" he asked surprised.

"No but I was wondering if you were thinking about it," I answered.

"Matt I couldn't. This is in my blood. There's no way I could work an 8-5 like you do. And I'm not going to let those bastards win," he said with a smile.


Hey everyone, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of this story or if you just want to chat, drop me a line at AlexCenturyErotica@yahoo.com. Whether you like it or don't like it, I want your feedback. Whoever you are and wherever you're from I love you and thank you so much for reading. Onto chapter 16!

This chapter is dedicated to the the pilots and flight attendants of American Airlines flight 11, United Airlines flight 175, American Airlines flight 77, and United Airlines flight 93, as well as their families, friends, and coworkers.

Next: Chapter 16


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