An Angel's Heart

Flying High

Yo smiled brightly at Pha as the two walked through the entrance to the carnival. Yo had never been to one, so Forth arranged for a whole group of them to go. Pha loved it. Loved watching Yo smile and look at things with laughter and wonder. He was like a kid, looking at things with wide, happy eyes. Pha wanted to watch Yo every minute, it was perfect. Except it wasn't. Because they were with a whole group of people and no matter how much Pha wanted, he couldn't seem to find a moment alone with Yo.

Since they'd gone to the movies together, there were plenty of opportunities to be together, but each moment alone was precious and quickly stolen away. It almost felt planned. Every time they got together, Pha would do his best to find some time with just Yo, but someone always ruined it. Pha would follow Yo to the bathroom, and after Yo came out he would tug on Yo's hand, pulling him outside or to a quiet corner. They'd have a minute to talk, or just look in each other's eyes, and those moments made Pha feel like he was flying. But then there was the crashing, which seemed somehow to be orchestrated by Forth. If Forth had been trying to find a way into Yo's heart though, Pha couldn't see it. He always seemed polite and friendly, but nothing more. But if Forth didn't want Yo for himself, Pha couldn't understand why his friend was always trying to get in the way.

When Pha was able to catch a moment with Yo, more often than not, Forth would find them and herd them back to the safety of the group. The group be damned, Pha just wanted to be with Yo, but of course, it never seemed to matter. He'd even made an attempt to meet Yo on several occasions without any of their friends, but when he went to their meeting place, he found Yo surrounded by other people who hung on no matter how hard Pha tried to shake them. Yo rolled his eyes and accepted it with good grace, but Pha was starting to get seriously annoyed.

This time, though, he had a plan and he'd even asked some friends for help. A group of Yo's friends from the Science Faculty were coming this time. They seemed to have a soft spot for Pha and when he told them he wanted to arrange some time alone with Yo, they seemed keen to help. This time, Forth would not win, in fact, he wouldn't even know what hit him.

"Forth, we're starving!" Chang shouted, reaching out an arm and pulling Forth close. Forth seemed surprised by the sudden closeness of a virtual stranger, but Chang was determined. "Let's find some food."

"But we said we were going to the ferris wheel first, remember?" Yo said, his voice showing his disappointment. "Didn't you eat less than an hour ago?"

"Do you know how much energy it takes to keep her going?" Zee said, giving Chang a look. "Why don't you go to the ferris wheel and we'll meet you afterward? Pha, you go too. We can't let Yo go alone."

"I'll go too," Forth started to move with them but he was stopped by a bruising grip on his arm.

"Oh no, you don't," Montri said, grabbing Forth's free arm while Chang held on to the other. "You wouldn't leave a group of defenseless girls all alone would you? Something might happen to us."

Forth took a look at the group of ladyboys that surrounded him, and gave a huff before attempting to follow Yo again. Unfortunately for him, his path was immediately blocked by the other three.

"Yes, we could be kidnapped to be the Emperor's concubines," Red said, joining in the group that was wrestling Forth toward the food stalls. "How would you face your guilt?"

Pha smiled, seeing that Forth was being outmaneuvered and decided now was a good time to make his getaway with Yo. He took Yo's hand and began to pull him away, he didn't stop, but simply called over his shoulder, "We'll find you after the ferris wheel! Enjoy your food!"

Still holding Yo's hand, he didn't slow down until they were standing in the line for the ferris wheel. Pha was no fool, he knew they wouldn't be safe until they were in their carriage, up in the sky. Time with Yo usually seemed to fly, but now it was crawling. Why was this line so long? Did those people really need to be so slow. Just move it already! Pha's mind was filled with annoyances, until Yo finally spoke.

"Is something wrong?" Yo asked, putting his free hand up to feel Pha's forehead. "Are you sick?"

"No," Pha replied, looking down at Yo's beautiful face. Pha was calm again, seeing the boy's smile. Feeling the smaller hand in his own and knowing they were together. He tried to focus on just Yo and trust the Fairy Angel Gang (their own name for themselves) to keep Forth busy. "I'm with you. I feel great."

Yo smiled, his eyes twinkling as he looked up into Pha's eyes. Pha leaned down, watching Yo's soft mouth. "Aren't we going to get on, Pha?"

The taller man looked around, seeing that the line had disappeared and everyone was waiting for them to get on. He nodded quickly and moved.

They showed their hand stamps and Pha guided Yo into the carriage. He was about to follow the boy inside when a black cat seemed to show up out of nowhere and was attempting to ride as well. But Pha wasn't about to spend the whole time with the creepy cat watching them. He didn't even know how the cat got here. Pha used his foot to gently edge her out as he entered the carriage, shutting the door behind him. The man who was helping them get in wasn't as polite, he threw a pebble at the cat as she moved away, still watching the carriage. Yo looked at Pha shyly as the man locked the door, and they slowly moved, just one carriage at a time, forward. Pha didn't care, they were on, just the two of them. And no one else could interrupt until the ride came to an end.

"Pha?" Yo looked at Pha as the man sat next to him and held his hands again. "Why were you so worried about getting on the ferris wheel?"

"I'm always happy to be with you," Pha said. "But I want to be alone with you sometimes. People are always surrounding us, so just once in awhile I want to be just the two of us. I thought this was the best way."

"Do you really like me that much?" Yo asked, feeling a strange pull in his heart. The little angel didn't know it, but his heart was reaching out for Pha, feeling for their connection and longing to make it stronger.

"I can't get enough of being with you," Pha admitted honestly, he didn't want to lie about his feelings, even if they were a little scary for both of them. "So, yes, I like you that much. I know I screwed up with your brother and you said you want to be friends first. I'm trying to have that be enough for now. I will take whatever time you need to make you feel safe and loved. And even if it takes forever, I'll try to get your brother to approve of me, but if he never does, I'm not going to give up. I don't think I could leave you anymore. I'm always thinking about you. Is that okay? Or am I scaring you?"

"It's okay, Pha," Yo said. "I want to be with you too. I like spending time with you and talking to you. I like when you hold my hand and I don't want you to let go."

Pha smiled down while Yo was smiling up and they were so close. They didn't see the beauty of the city, spreading out around them or hear the noise and laughter of the people below. They didn't smell the popcorn or the odor of so many bodies and machinery all crammed together into one space, for those short minutes, no one else existed in the world.

Pha held more tightly to Yo's hand, pulling him slightly forward, and putting his other hand under Yo's chin, to keep his face tilted upward. Moving slowly, and watching Yo's expression carefully, the tall man moved forward, their bodies touching and their breath mingling in the tiny space between them. Then he did what he'd been dreaming of doing since that day at orientation, he pressed their lips together. At first, they were both hesitant, lips soft and just pressing against each other, but as they began to feel accepted, the kiss deepened. Moving and opening, reaching and searching. Their arms pulling their bodies as closely together as the restriction of skin and clothing would allow.

Neither knew how long they stayed that way. Kissing and touching, both lost in the feelings they were sharing. They wanted hours, a forever of desire and happiness, but what they had was really just several minutes. They were stopped when the carriage door was suddenly opened wide and a black cat jumped on Yo's lap, expressing her outrage while Forth, who looked like he'd been through a war, smiled triumphantly from the door.

"Looks like your ride's over," Forth said, pulling Pha out of his seat and pushing him to stand with the Fairy Angels, who were grinning despite themselves. Forth waited for Yo to get up and then lead him over to the others, careful to stand between Yo and Pha. "Shall we try some different rides? How about a roller coaster?"