Butterflies (boyxboy)

Chapter 33: Born of love

"Everyone can see us!"

☆

Before Blake even has the chance to think, he is feeling himself being lifted off the ground as the wings of Tamesh flutter and lift them both into the air and out of the window.

"Tam, what are you doing?" Blake says panicked, as he tightens his grasp on Tamesh.

"I'm taking you to St Ives Blake. I'm taking you home."

Blake would protest, but the overwhelming sensation of being lifted way up high over the rooftops was dominating his thoughts. "Everyone can see us!" He shouts a little loud over the noise of the buzzing wings.

Tamesh doesn't lose focus, he just carries on, assuring that it doesn't matter. "All that matters is you."

Blake dares to look down again. The city grows smaller below him as the clouds grow near. Tamesh was making light work of this. Was it instinct? Blake didn't know, but it was getting them closer to home and he knew they would be there sooner than expected.

The sky begins to glow a deep shade of orange as the sun slowly begins to set, then in the distance, Blake can see the sparkle of diamonds on the horizon and knows he is near the sea.

As Tamesh makes a steady descent, they finally touch the ground again on a small secluded beach, where for the first time in a couple of hours, Tamesh finally lets go of Blake's hand.

Tamesh falls back to sitting on the sand. His wings opening and closing slowly before folding down a little. Blake sits down on the soft sand alongside Tamesh, strangely also out of breath, though he hadn't done anything to be so. "Tamesh, are you ok?" Blake looks at the artist's profile which is gazing out to sea, a content smile on his face.

"It's beautiful isn't it? The sea."

Blake looks at Tamesh in confusion noticing his avoidance of answering the question. He instinctively follows Tamesh's eyeline leading out to the water.
"Yeah it is but..."

"I'm dying."

"What?" Blake instantly looks back at Tamesh in complete shock, but his expression stays just as it is. Content as if he had not a care in the world.

He now looks at Blake, taking a hand and cupping his cheek. "It's ok. I'm meant to die. It's in my dna. I've fulfilled my destiny.

Blake covers the hand resting on his cheek with his own and pulls it down. "What bullshit are you telling me Tam, in what world it ok for you to die, tell me."

Tamesh looks at Blake's sorrowful eyes and tries to explain. "My father was born out of love, he died because of the love for my mother, because of me. I was born out of love and my destiny is to fall in love, create life and to do the same. It's what we do. We fall in love, we create life, we die."

Blake doesn't understand. "Tam, I'm a guy, yeah. I can't grow children inside of me. You do know how the biology of people work right?"

"Sonny."

"Sonny, what about Sonny?"

Tamesh takes Blake's hand, sandwiching it between his own. "You have a son, and no, what we did won't make you have butterfly babies."

"Caterpillars"

"What?"

"Butterfly babies are called caterpillars!" Blake corrects curtly, still angry with the words he was hearing. It didn't matter. None of it mattered.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is, the desire to love is blind...I heard a story from your lips. How you felt about Hannah, how Sonny was also created out of love." Tamesh tries his best to portray a comforting smile.

Blake looks down at the hands wrapped around his own. He lays his other hand to rest on top. "I did love her, but I love you too." He looks up at Tamesh, who in that moment looked more beautiful than Blake had ever seen him. "I don't want you to die. You're dying because of me."

"I'm dying because I found love. How can I be bitter about that? What is a lifetime without love? It's nothing!" Tamesh now cups Blake's face. "These past few weeks have been the happiest of my life. I wouldn't change my time. But it will all be for nothing if you don't do this one thing for me."

"What do I need to do? I'll do anything!" Blake now matches Tamesh's hold on his warm cheek.

"You have a chance with Sonny. A chance to know your son and for him to know you. The real you! It could be as a big brother, it could be a father. Do with Sonny what my father never got to do with me."

Blake now begins to cry, their foreheads presseing together. "Will I remember this? Will I remember you?" He utters, trying to hold back the tears.

"We are bound by love, so yes you will always remember me, but no one else will." Tamesh thinks fondly of his friends he was going to leave behind. Nam, Jojo, Alfie, Dale and new acquaintance, Henry. They will all forget his existence. His memory lost!

Tamesh closes his eyes and feels for those lips of Blake's. Warm, soft. He was home.

Blake holds onto Tamesh so firmly as if he may slip through his fingers. The feeling of the closeness so overwhelming, tears now fall down his cheeks. Then the kiss begins to fade, Blake feels like he is losing his grip. He opens his eyes to see Tamesh looking back at him smiling, but he is fading away. Turning into a kaleidoscope of butterflies, purples, pinks, blues, and reds. They flutter around Blake before making their way out to the sea, leaving Blake alone.

Blake feels numb, watching the kaleidoscope disappear into the distance before he can see them no more. Then he breaks down, his head nestles between his raised legs. He cries and cries.

He then thinks of the words Tamesh left him with. Why he was here in the first place. He was finally home and he was going to see Sonny.

He drags his tshirt over his face in a lame attempt to clean up his tears before heading away from the horizon, not wanting to look back. He makes his way up the familiar stone streets, seemingly unchanged, although time had passed and then he was there. His family home. He can see through the high sided hedge, the old swing he used to play on, but now sees someone else sitting on it. Someone who looks just like him.

The child is happily swinging away in just a pair of blue shorts before he sees a lady hurry out to him with a long sleeved top. "Put this on Sonny, it's getting cold."

"I'm fine!" The child protests, trying to wriggle at the intrusion of clothes, making Blake smile to himself. He takes a step closer towards the gate, lifts the latch and slowly opens it. The iron creaks, making both the lady and the child look over. Both eyes stare in surprise and wonder.

"Blake?" The lady says, standing routed to the spot.

"Hello mum." he says, with a small smile.

The child just looks with interest at the man who looked oddly familiar.

"What are you doing here?" She says a little apprehensivly.

"I'm home." He says.

So we are nearly at the end, but not quite...