The Devil's Triangle

His ears were ringing again. They had been ringing off and on again for varying lengths of time per episode ever since he'd received that mind-numbing phone call.

Zee pressed his forehead against the hard edge the plane's oblong porthole by his seat, staring towards the sunlight leaking between the ocean of clouds as if he could burn out the memory through his corneas. Instead, that surreal conversation, if it could be called such, only replayed through his mind with vivid clarity once again.

"Hello. Am I speaking to Alexander Radmir?"

"Yes... who is this?"

"Mr. Radmir, I'm Detective Sanchez. I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you this... but I'm afraid I have some bad news.

He'd stood uselessly in the tiny apartment kitchen that day with his cellphone pressed against his ear like a posed manikin as the tinny feminine voice on the other side of the line had continued speaking. He'd remained frozen and uncomprehending throughout the mutters of professional sympathy until a part of his mind finally caught up with what was being said, and he'd cut off the mechanical voice.

"Wait. Hold on... What do you mean they're gone? Who is this?!"

"Just... that Mr. Radmir. I was hired to look into your parent's disappearance in Puerto Rico by their Airbnb host. If you can make it, we'll just need you to confirm a couple of things, and... if you'd like to pick up their personal property, everything is currently being held in a storage locker."

Zee hadn't been in contact with his parents for a long time. Hell, he'd only met his stepfather in person one time--at the wedding with his mother. The lack of interaction between he and them wasn't because they didn't get along with each other though; Zee was just always busy. Busy trying to get through college, his part-time job, and internship. His mom notoriously couldn't be relied on to reach out on her side either. While sweet, she'd always been an extremely flaky woman. She was always flitting from one thing, one project, one person to the next like a fidgety fairy with ADHD. Most of her relationships came and went so quickly that Zee had been shocked when someone finally managed to hold her attention long enough to marry her.

He'd been especially shocked when he'd met the small, shy man that had become his stepfather. The match between Leo and Zee's fluttery mother was definitely a balance in opposites. Although unexciting, the man had appeared to be decent one who was perfectly content to trail after Zee's mother like a devoted and endlessly patient puppy.

Until Zee had received Detective Sanchez's phone-call, he hadn't even known that Leo and his mother had gone to Puerto Rico. Then in an instant, he'd learned that they'd not only traveled across seas for their anniversary, but they'd apparently vanished immediately after checking into their Airbnb. They were supposed to have the little house reserved for a little over a week, but when the owner returned to prepare it for the next Airbnb renters, it was to find Leo's and his wife's things still there and the house practically untouched. Only the complimentary snorkeling gear and some towels were missing, leading the house-owner and the detectives to presume that the couple had gone into the Caribbean Sea... and never returned.

Breathing out sharply, Zee squeezed his eyes shut and butted his forehead against the plane window until someone hissed at him in annoyed alarm. At least the ringing in his ears had faded again.

Zee didn't have any other family and while he wasn't antisocial, he was too busy to have any relationships beyond work or school friends. It felt strange to purchase a last minute plane ticket without anyone to know or care that he was gone while he flew to another country. It made him realize how little he'd actually existed in the world, and how little he had left now with his already absentee parents missing.

"Sir? Would you like something to drink?"

Zee raised his head and squinted through the afterglow up at the stewardess leaning towards him with a large, professional smile that paired oddly with her blank eyes.

"Oh, no thanks," Zee replied, awkwardly shifting in his small space to face her over the seatmates squished into his row. He thought about asking for a snack instead, but the stewardess was already nodding and moving on before he'd finished speaking the last word.

Zee blinked after the stewardess's back, still sitting corkscrewed between the window and the drooling lady in the middle seat. His snoring seatmate wore a silky sleep-mask with open eyes disconcertingly embroidered on the outside, reminding him of moths and butterflies with eye-like patterns on the backs of their wings to discourage predators from bothering them. The man in the isle seat in their row clutched a bag of pretzels with his eyes glued the movie playing in front of him as if nothing outside his screen and earphones existed.

Zee settled back into his chair with an extra weight pressing over him like a cold, heavy blanket. He didn't expect strangers to act like he was the main character in their stories, but somehow he just felt even more inconsequential than he had before. Who was he to disturb anyone anyway? He wanted to minimize the chances of needing to go to the bathroom anyway, so that he wouldn't have to deal with the uncomfortable climb or shuffle required in order for him to get out of his chair.

This was going to be a long few hours.

He sighed, resting his head near the window again as the high ringing whine in his ears started up again. Another commercial plane he hadn't noticed before flew silently parallel to theirs. Zee tilted his head, watching it glide, and wondering if there was another person exactly like him on the other side.

He felt a slight shift then as the plane angled downwards on his side. The blanket of clouds thinned and broke apart to reveal the gray-blue ocean far below.

The barely coherent voice of the pilot crackled through the speakers, sounding abrupt in comparison to the previous white noise. "All right, folks. We're coming up on the Bermuda Triangle soon, but it is sunny day with mild weather today. While we're only expecting a bit of mild turbulence, I'd like you all to remain in your seats while the seat-belt light is on. Press the call button if you need a flight attendant to help you in the meantime..."

Zee frowned at the oddly still, shiny surface of the ocean winking back up at him. Were his mother and stepfather really lost somewhere within those fathomless depths? The water was so vast, stretching out as far as he could see in every direction, and it was easy to see how easily something as small as a plane or ship, let alone a couple of humans could be swallowed up never to be seen again.

His eyes burned and his brow furrowed as he attempted to stem the flow of hot liquid threatening flood his face as the past couple of days' events finally began to feel real. Zee breathed out harshly, brushing quickly at his eyes with the back of his hand as he glared out towards the sunlight and the other plane still flying nearby. He didn't want to fall apart now, alone and enclosed in space crowded with disconnected strangers to witness his raw vulnerability.

The piercing ring in his ears grew louder, drowning out even the roar of the plane as Zee hunched to press his face closer to the window. The high-pitched wail continued to grow even more, until something within himself seemed to snap and Zee disconnected from his body.

His eyelids fluttered, but for a moment he heard nothing and felt nothing. Only a strangely peaceful void surrounded him as another blanket of white clouds surrounded the planes. Everything seemed so white, offering him the sense of oblivion. Nothing but him and the other plane existed now...

Zee's nose touched the window, the pressure was they only sensation he felt now as he squinted out. Was that other plane way closer than it was before? Trepidation crept up his spine now. He didn't need to count the porthole windows of the other plane to confirm that it was indeed getting closer and closer.

A distant part of him thought that he should probably feel more alarmed. That he should do or say something to alert the flight attendants or even the other passengers behind him. Instead Zee remained still as a puppet with cut strings, and his eyes remained fastened on the other plane until the wings were nearly tip to tip.

Why wasn't anyone else reacting to this?!

Zee could see the faces of the passengers through the dark windows of the other plane, which confused him all the more. He shouldn't be able to see anyone, right? Weren't the windows tinted? And why were the planes colliding at this point? Surely they're overlapping now...

No sooner than that last thought had entered his mind, the shrieking ring in his ears suddenly returned, making Zee dizzy. He held his head between his hands, scrunching his eyes at the window parallel to him appeared to be only feet away.

This is impossible... had they already crashed and he was dead?

The passenger in the parallel plan had his head lifted and was looking back at him. When Zee shook his head, the passenger mirrored him. The planes were now literally, eerily window to window like a bad dream. With a disorienting jolt, Zee's eyes met wide blue eyes of the passenger on the other side. He saw... himself. The ringing in his ears was a deafening shriek as the planes melded, as he melded with the mirrored version of himself, and then for a blessed, stupefying second everything went black and quiet.

Zee shook himself softly, sight, sound, and feeling returning to him as wiggled his head gently. The other plan was gone, leaving nothing but fluffy clouds and a sinister ocean outside.

Taking a deep breath, he turned away from the window to check the other passengers. Everyone was quiet and consumed in their own tasks or thoughts, just as they had been before. The flight attendants went about the tasks quietly, and the plane's general white noise roar once again filled the air with a calming ambiance. Nobody had noticed a thing. Had Zee just been experiencing a nightmare with his eyes open?

His fingers scratch under his scruffy lightweight curls as he tried to reorient himself. He hadn't been able to get a lot or sleep lately, but while the idea seemed logical he couldn't quite believe it. He didn't feel like he'd fallen asleep and woken up again. He felt like he'd been awake and aware the throughout the entire, weird experience... so had he been hallucinating? Is that what hallucinations were like?

His forehead scrunched, and Zee decided he'd have to bother his seatmates after all. The seatbelt light was still on, but he needed to get to the bathroom and splash some water on his face.

Mentally rehearsing some "excuse me's," Zee unlatched his seatbelt and twisted around to face his row. Then froze.

The people were different. Squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again, Zee looked at the person sitting in the middle seat again. The snoring woman with the sleeping mask was gone, replaced by a man reading a book. He appeared to be around Zee's age, but the similarities ended there. Where Zee was light with curly hair and had a casual, rumpled look, the other man was dark, sleek, and stylish.

Zee still had his jaw hanging when the other man looked up suddenly, sensing the stare boring into the side of his face. A bright grin flashed on the man's face as his dark eyes met Zee's light ones.

"Oh, you're awake! The flight attendant already stopped by, but I grabbed you some water and snacks," the man said closing his book, but saved his spot with a finger as he gestured towards Zee's tray with his freehand.

"Wha-" Zee replied feebly, looking down at his tray. Sure enough, a small white paper cup of water perched there with some kind of packaged cookie. "Uh..." He couldn't seem to form words, still thoroughly confused by everything. Who was this guy? What happened to the lady?

The other man was chuckling and Zee started sharply, at the feeling of another person's hand trying ruffle his hair.

"Whoa, it's okay!" The man laughed again, raising both hands with the book placatingly. "You must've been sleeping really deep to be this disoriented still. Did you have a crazy dream or something?"

"Dream?" Zee repeated stupidly, pressing himself backwards a little, feeling like a trapped rabbit.

"Yah, you always konk out on these flights. I don't know how you do it though..." the other man explained dryly, but then his smile faded and concern growing on his face instead. "You okay, Zee? You really do seem... confused."

Zee's mouth worked soundlessly. Why did this man speak like he knew him? Like he'd traveled with him before?

Zee stood abruptly, dumping the cup of water and wincing as his head bumped the sharp knobs of the air conditioning on the plane ceiling above. He barely heard the other man's concerned 'hey!' over his own chaotic thoughts as he tried climb over him towards the isle.

"I need- I need to go-" he mumbling, his eyes trained on the lit bathroom sign. He ignored the flight attendant heading towards them as the book man and isle seat man (who Zee noticed was the same man with pretzels that had been watching a movie) both scrambled to get out of his way.

"Zee!" the young man called after him as he darted down the isle. He didn't look back though even as he threw himself into the tiny stall, struggling a moment to get the folded door closed and locked.

He leaned against the sliver of a counter and sink, breathing hard as he tried to quiet his brain and analyze the last few minutes. He definitely had never seen the dark haired man before, and he'd remember it if he had. He was too good looking for him to not remember, busy or not. However, Zee had also noticed that while the isle man was the same, as well as some of the other passengers he'd absently observed, everything else had changed. It was ludicrous, but it seemed as if he was suddenly on a completely different plane with a different life.

Zee splashed water onto his face, pressing the palms of his hands to his face. Had his shock and grief driven him crazy? He rubbed his face harder, then paused and looked at his left hand at the feeling of something unfamiliar there. A plain silver band with a little blue stone glinted back at him from his ring finger. He didn't recognize it.

With little tugging, he pulled the ring off and inspected the tiny Z&J inscription on the inside. Hands trembling, Zee slipped the ring back on, not sure why, but also not sure what else he should do with it. He thought back to his ringing ears and that insane moment when he'd seemed to merge with himself. When the entire plane had seemed to merge with a copy of itself... The captain had announced not that long ago that they were about to go over the Bermuda Triangle...

Zee scoffed at the direction his mind had taken. Now that was ridiculous. The fact that the Bermuda Triangle was chalk-full of urban legends didn't explain his experience at all. As far as he knew, all of the stories had been made up or debunked. Besides, the legends were all about alien abductions and vanishing ships and planes, not... whatever he experienced.

Despite himself, Zee felt for his cellphone and quickly swiped the screen with a thumb to unlock it. Before he could click on the internet app, he froze for the millionth time as his eye caught the home screen's background. An image of himself and the dark haired man smiled laughingly back at him. They looked really comfortable, close, and... happy. Reluctantly pushing aside conflicting thoughts and emotions over the image for now, it took Zee a couple minutes to connect to the plane's wifi and correctly type "Bermuda Triangle" into the search bar with his fumble fingers.

The results were immediate and mainly what he'd expected underneath the paranormal theories: stories about disappearances, aliens, storms, the fact that it was also known as the "Devil's Triangle." However, his pulse jumped with a fresh onslaught of nerves, but tinged with excitement as his eyes caught onto the last curious sentence, one he hadn't expected.

...some theorize that a parallel universe exists within the Bermuda Triangle region, which causes a warp to sucks the objects and people around it into a parallel universe.

"No." Zee startled himself. He hadn't meant to say the denial aloud, after reading the same line multiple times over. "No," he muttered again, but on the inside he couldn't bring himself to dismiss the words. They described what he'd experienced in a way that just felt too right and seemed to fit too well, even if it was ludicrous.

The fragile bathroom door rattled as someone knocked, startling Zee into momentarily juggling his phone.

"Zee! Are you okay? Are you sick?" The man's worried voice came through the door slightly muffled, but Zee recognized that it belonged to the dark haired man anyway.

"U-um, I'm okay," he replied shakily, although he wasn't. "I'll... be okay," he corrected himself uncertainly, meeting his own pale eyes in the small mirror's reflection. Besides the ring on his hand, he looked exactly the same as before. Same curly blond hair, same rumpled clothes, and same slightly coppery scruff on chin.

He'd spent way too long in the bathroom, and he didn't want upset the rest passengers by hogging the stall, but he also couldn't help but feel terrified. Terrified to leave the little space and face whatever and whoever was in this... possibly new universe outside.

"Ah, okay," the dark man's voice came again, sounding hesitant and a bit anxious. "Will you, um, can you come out soon? I-if you're all right."

Heart thudding against chest, Zee stared at the thin door between them for a moment. This man's name probably started with a J, based on the ring, but he still didn't know who he was, or how to figure it out without upsetting him... but he couldn't avoid him forever. Besides, if this was parallel universe... then what else could be different? What about his parents?

He reached over and flushed the toilet even though he hadn't used it, hoping to make it seem like he'd really had a bathroom emergency and not that he'd been hiding from "J." Taking more deep breath he made a show (that no one saw) of washing and drying his hands before finally, nervously, unlatching the door and pushing it open.

The worried "J" and a peeved looking flight attendant stared back at him from the tight space, barely leaving Zee feeling extremely awkward and barely enough room in the isle to slide out of the tiny bathroom.

"Hey," the dark haired man said, face full of concern as he wrapped a supportive arm around Zee. Zee tensed a little, but didn't move away. It felt really weird to be held by a stranger, but... he didn't hate it either. If "J" noticed Zee's stiffness, he didn't let it show. "You're shaking."

Zee was trembling, and he must've actually looked sick, because the flight attendant's expression had softened by the time he turned his attention back to her.

"Can you walk to your seat? We're going to be hitting some turbulence for a while, but I can get you a pillow and some pepto," she offered gently, her concern appeared genuine.

Zee nodded, though he started to shake even harder, and the dark haired man tightened his hold comfortingly. Focusing on his breathing, Zee allowed himself to lean on the dark-haired man for support, finding it as helpful as it was weird.

"I'm okay, but thanks," he replied, letting "J" help him get back to their seats.

The dark haired man insisted on taking the wet chair, so Zee flipped through the text messages on his phone while "J" was busy arranging the plane's complimentary blankets over the damp cushion. It didn't take him long to find an unfamiliar chain between himself and Jean Froste with a heart emoji. The name didn't help awaken any subconscious memories for Zee, but a brief skim of the conversations content was enough to convince Zee he'd found the name of his travel companion.

"J-jean?" Zee tested, just in case. He flicked a look at the dark haired man currently clicking his seat-belt back on out of the corners of his eyes, hoping that he didn't get it wrong and "parallel Zee" had more than one boyfriend.

"Hm?" Jean (thankfully) looked up at Zee immediately.

Zee nearly sank with relief, but wasn't sure what to say now that he had Jean's direct attention on him again.

He swallowed down a panicky feeling, but Jean must've seen something anyway because the dark haired man reached out to take Zee's hand. "Hey, what's going on, Zee?"

If only I really knew, Zee thought. He noticed the other man also wore a ring with a style matching the one Zee wore, but was gold with a red stone. He wondered if it had their initials inscribed on the inside as well. Zee tried strengthen his spine as he summoned the words to ask what he wanted, no needed to know.

"Where are my parents right now?"

Zee's heart sank like lead as Jean's face crinkled with sadness, confusion, and more than a bit of alarm.

"Zee... they're missing," Jean said gently and slowly. "You were called by a detective, and we're on our way to confirm some information and pick up their personal things."

Zee felt his face contort and burn as every word took the tiny bit of hope he'd found and destroyed it all over again.

"In Puerto Rico?" he rasped, his own question feeling like the final nail stabbing into the coffin even before Jean nodded.

It was like he was being punished for not appreciating what he'd had before. Even though the world had completely changed, his mother and her husband were still gone. Seeing the grief and sympathy reflected on Jean's face did nothing help Zee's control. He choked, giving up and giving in as the other shoved the armrest between them aside to pull Zee into hug.

He tried to keep sobs as quiet as possible. It wasn't that he cared about being manly or strong, he just didn't want to disturb anyone even now when he could barely think through the feeling of loss. He didn't know how much time he'd spent draining tears into Jean's once crisp button up shirt, but other man hadn't moved away or tried stop his crying even once. Rather, Zee found his senses returning the more he tired himself out, and he became aware of the other man's chin resting on top of his head as Jean patted his back like a child.

Zee did feel a little awkward and uncomfortable again, now that he was aware, but at the same time... it was nice to be cared for. He realized he'd never been in this kind of relationship before-at least in his universe. He shook his head a little at himself, still bewildered and a little skeptical of his own sanity.

"Hey."

Zee wiped his face, knowing it'd do nothing to erase the red blotchiness there, before shifting back a little to look at Jean in response. To his surprise and interest, he saw that the man's face was also a bit blotchy and swollen now (though he was still good looking.)

Jean offered Zee a small smile and brushed the light strands back from his face. "I'm with you, okay? I know it's shocking and it hurts, but I won't let you go through this alone."

Zee sucked in his bottom lip and bit it to keep his already raw emotions in check, touched by this man's genuine words.

"I know," he replied quietly after a long moment, shocked to realize even as he said it that he meant it. How should he know that? He was the wrong Zee, as far as he was concerned, he didn't really have the right to be doing this now with Jean. What happened to parallel Zee anyway? Was he all alone on that other plane now?

Zee sat back putting a hand over his face, wanting to hide from his own concern and guilt.

"Zee?"

He felt Jean's hand on his shoulder, warm and comforting. Zee couldn't understand what had happened. Perhaps this was the price of the Devil's Triangle: to feel double the shame in return for gaining something he'd never had before. It was true that while this parallel universe had different people and a different plane, everything had remained the same (and would remain the same) for Zee except for one thing.

What he was going to do now. He wasn't alone with Jean at his side, and he felt grateful and admittedly very interested in the other man despite it all. But even having Jean would change nothing for Zee, if Zee didn't take this chance to change himself and what he did from now on.

"I don't want to give up yet," he admitted softly.

Jean looked uncertain, but supportive as he smiled at Zee. "Then we won't," he said simply. Jean wouldn't be able to guess or understand the true depth and meaning behind Zee's words, but Zee started to smile back. He couldn't remember the last time he'd truly smiled.

The selfish side of him couldn't help but feel glad that he'd either crossed parallel universes or gone crazy, as long as it meant he'd gained a future he could actually look forward to. Whether other parallel Zee existed or not, he promised himself at least one thing: that he wouldn't squander his own life anymore.