Fey

Part 3

Akemi groaned, collapsing on the bed and continuing to groan into his pillow. "I'm fat!" Kara pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're not fat, Aki; you're just trying on all the wrong clothes. These are too small." Akemi looked up. "Then what should I wear? What do people usually wear to parties?" Kara thought for a moment and rooted through his closet. "What about this?" It was a black shirt with a tie in the back and a large hole for his wings. On the front was a band name with a logo that looked largely like a pentagram. Akemi sat up, took the shirt, and slipped it over his head, tying it in the back. Next was a pair of light blue jeans with tears in the knees and along the thighs. "Here, next, we need to do something with that unruly mop you call hair." Akemi pouted. "I like it messy." He said, slipping on the jeans and sliding his feet into his shoes. "Am I ready?" Kara shrugged and closed the closet door, letting Akemi look at himself in the mirror. "I wish you could come with me..." Kara shrugged. "Nah, I'd just get in your way. Besides, I have to go watch my little brother while my mom is out on one of her infamous dates." She rolled her eyes, then became serious. "Are you sure about this? The whole football team will be there, and they're not exactly fans of yours." Akemi took a deep breath, shrugging. "Ben said they'd leave me alone as long as I was with him." Kara nodded. "Just be careful, okay?" Akemi nodded, leading Kara to the front door. "I'll see you tomorrow," Akemi said cheerily, making sure he had his wallet and phone in his pockets. "And you'll text me when you get home?" Akemi nodded, rolling his eyes. "Yes, mom." Kara laughed, pinching his cheeks. "That's a good boy, Aki."

Akemi checked the address and flapped his wings, lifting off the ground and flying forward. "224 Mississippi Avenue..." He banked left and right, looking for the right street. He finally found it and came to a stop, hovering over Mississippi Avenue. He used his satellite app to find the right house by its roof before making his way down. As he approached, he saw someone sitting on the roof outside an upstairs window. It was Ben. "Ben, hey!" He landed next to the young quarterback, who had a cigarette pinched between his lips. He looked up, and his gloomy expression turned bright. Silhouetted by the full moon, he thought Akemi was an angel. "Akemi, hi. I didn't think you were going to show up." Akemi landed and sat down next to Ben. "Neither did I, at first. What are you doing out here?" Ben took a drag off of his cigarette, looking out at the sky. "Artie started making fun of you again. I didn't feel like being around it. Besides, you're out here, so it's not all bad. I see you flying most nights, I don't understand why everyone has such a big problem with Fey. You seem so happy when you're out flying." Akemi blushed. "You've... seen me?" Ben shrugged. "Well, not much more than a silhouette, but those purple stripes in your wings are pretty distinctive. Why don't you fly during the day?" Akemi's face reddened further. "I usually... fly naked. Clothing just causes too much drag. And I like feeling the wind on my whole body. It's like I'm... flying away from my problems, leaving all the stress in the past." When he looked over, Ben was staring at him with a look of awe on his face. "S-sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Ben shook his head, putting out his cigarette. "No, no, it's okay. That actually sounds really nice." 

Akemi smiled, letting his wings relax. "What do you do to relieve stress?" Ben chuckled. "I mostly just sit out here, have a cigarette, and watch the stars. It's the closest I can get to being up there. Not all of us can fly." Akemi snickered. "You don't want wings. It's a lot of maintenance. You've gotta clean them, dry them. I have limited positions I can sleep in. And I can't wear normal clothes. Sometimes, I wish..." His words trailed off, replaced by a sigh. "No, that's not true. No matter how bad things are, or how much easier it would be if I was a Human... I'm proud of being a Fey. I have to be. That's how I win." Ben scooted closer. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was so difficult for you." Akemi smiled. "Difficult? Nah, life is life. And, like I said, I can handle people like Artie. Everyone has an Artie." Ben thought for a moment. "I could try to get him to leave you alone, make everything a bit easier." Akemi shook his head. "He'd just find someone else to bully. I'd rather him bully me, I can handle it. I don't want someone else getting hurt in my place." He leaned back, propping himself up with his hands out to either side of him. "It is beautiful out here." He felt something brush against his pinkie and glanced down just as Ben wrapped their pinkies together. He blushed, his wings fluttering slightly. "I'm... I'm happy you're here, Aki." Ben was blushing, keeping his eyes on the stars. "Me, too." Akemi felt his heart thumping in his chest. "We should do this again... Just you and me." Ben nodded. "Yeah. It's nice to have someone to stargaze with." 

As the noise inside subsided, Ben sat up. "Can I... feel your wings?" Akemi raised an eyebrow. "I mean... sure? No one has ever asked to feel them. They usually just do." Ben looked confused. "But they're part of you. Like an arm or a leg. Why would they invade your personal space like that?" Akemi didn't understand at first and pulled one of his wings over for Ben to feel. "They usually just don't care." His eyes sparkled as he gently slid his hands over his flight feathers. "They're so soft... and so smooth." He had a look of awe on his face as he felt the change between his covert feathers and the long, smooth flight feathers beneath them. "These are... amazing. And they're so big!" Akemi beamed with pride, sheepishly tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. "They're just wings, Ben..." Ben shook his head. "No, they aren't. They're part of you. And they're so strong, just like you." Akemi looked down. "I'm not strong. There's this guy I like, and I can't even bring myself to tell him how I feel." Ben shrugged, releasing Akemi's wing. "There's nothing weak about that. Telling someone that you like them is hard. But the sooner you tell him, the sooner you'll know if he likes you, too. And for what it's worth, I think you're great. So, he should think so, too." Akemi smiled and stood, cracking his back. "I should get home. Kara will have a field day if I don't let her know Artie and his goons didn't roast me like a rotisserie chicken." Ben chuckled. "Aight. I'll see you tomorrow?" Akemi nodded. "Absolutely. Have a good night." He readied his wings and jumped off the roof. He kicked off the ground and soared into the sky, performing a loop before flying away. "I love you, Ben..." Akemi whispered, his words lost in the wind as he blushed, his heart thundering so hard he could feel it in his wings.