Fey

Part 6

"What were you going to say earlier?" Ben asked, absentmindedly sliding his hand along the smooth, hard inner flight feathers of Akemi's wing. "Huh?" Ben looked up from the flowers in the front yard, raising an eyebrow. "Before I kissed you. You said something about your eyes." Akemi nodded. "Oh, yeah. Fey eyes don't look like human eyes. It's a protective coating that prevents wind and dust damage. At night, my irises shine. It's almost like a glow." Ben smiled. "I know. I love your eyeshine. Dad's is this gray-blue color. And for the record, I see sparkles in your eyes all the time." Akemi blushed, looking down. "How do you do that?" Ben smirked. "Do what?" Akemi looked over, his eyes catching the sun. "Make me blush." Ben chuckled. "It's not hard, you know. All I have to do is tell the truth, and you turn as red as a tomato." Akemi playfully punched him in the arm. "I do not." Ben pushed Akemi back, climbing on top of him and straddling his hips with his hands on Akemi's chest. The Fey blushed, audibly gulping. Ben smirked and raised an eyebrow, leaning down and capturing Akemi's lips in a tender kiss. When he sat back up, Akemi was staring blankly, stars in his eyes. "Let's go for a ride." Akemi snapped out of his trance, blinking several times. "On your bicycle?" Ben snorted. "I ride a bike, not a Peloton on wheels."

They climbed back inside, and Ben grabbed a set of keys from his desk next to his laptop and a bottle of water. Trevor and Glenn were talking about different hotels they could stay in for the week they'd be gone. "We're heading out, taking the bike for a spin." Glenn's head snapped up. "Wear your helmet. I mean it. I will sell that bike of yours for scrap if I see you riding without your helmet again." Ben nodded and led Akemi out to the garage. As the door slid upward, three vehicles were revealed. The first was a silver squad car with flack decals and the words TO SERVE AND PROTECT written on the rear quarter panels. The second was a station wagon that was easily twenty years old. It was a faded blue-green with silver accents that rounded the bottom half of the car. Between them was a motorcycle with sparkly red paint. "Woah..." Ben winked at him, walking the bike out and getting on before patting the seat behind him. "Hop on." Akemi got on, slowly sliding his hands around Ben's waist. "You know your dad is just worried about you, right? He wants you to be safe." Ben rolled his eyes, and Akemi kissed the back of his neck. "I do, too..." Ben sighed and put his helmet on, pulling down the sun visor. He handed an identical helmet to Akemi, who also put it on, leaving his sunshade open. "Where are we going?" Ben chuckled. "You'll see."

They rode for a while, leaving the city. When they stopped, they were at an old dirt track. "What is this place?" Ben looked around. "Back in the day, back when our parents were our age, they used to do these little rally races. It's been abandoned for years, though." As Akemi was looking around the track, Ben turned to him, taking off his helmet. "Do you trust me?" Akemi nodded confusion in his eyes. "Stand on the seat, and keep a tight hold on my shoulders." Akemi nodded, hiking himself up so that he was squatting on the seat, the shoulders of Ben's shirt clutched in his hands. Ben smiled and pulled a length of rope from one of the two cargo compartments over the back wheel. He tied one end to the bike and the other to Akemi's belt. He started forward, turning on the stereo, classic rock drilling their helmets through the built-in Bluetooth speakers. They circled the track, and Ben looked down at the speedometer. "Alright, put out your wings." Akemi looked down, concerned. "Why?" Ben looked over his shoulder. "Do you trust me?" Akemi thought for a moment, then let go, unfurling his wings. He expected to catch wind and soar away, but that didn't happen. He was tethered to the bike, close enough to keep his hands on Ben's shoulders. He reached up and turned off the helmet's mic, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Whoo-hoo! I love you!" Ben looked back, revving the engine faster as they hit the straightaway. "What was that? I couldn't hear you over the helmet." Akemi turned his mic back on before wrapping his arms around Ben's neck. "Nothing, it's not important." He let go of Ben's shoulders soared like a kite, his wings and arms outstretched. "What do you think?" Ben asked, rounding one end of the track. "This is amazing, Ben! Hey, let's race!" 

He untied the rope around his belt and took off his helmet before tying it to the back seat. He flew up next to Ben and nodded before flapping his wings as hard as he could. He banked hard, taking one of the corners. Ben had him in the straightaways, but like Trevor had said, Fey were much better at cornering than just about any ground vehicle. He was on the last lap and had only pulled slightly ahead of the metallic red motorcycle. At the last moment, just as he was about to cross the faded concrete finish line, he glanced back. Just this once, and only for him. He shifted his wings slightly, slowing down just enough for Ben to cross at the same time as him. He slammed the brakes, the rear wheel skidding and kicking up a cloud of dust as it swung in an arc. Akemi landed and walked over to the bike as Ben shut the engine off. "Looks like it was a tie," Akemi said. "We'll have to have a rematch." Ben smiled, kissing the back of Akemi's hand. "You and I both know you let me win. You slowed down at the last second." Akemi frowned, shaking his head. "I am Fey. I would never throw a race." 

Ben smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Did you mean it? When you were tethered to the bike, you hollered out real loud and said you love me." Akemi stepped around the handlebars and gently pressed his forehead to Ben's. "You don't have to say it back. But I've never felt this way about anyone... You make my heart hammer in my chest. You're my last thought every night, and I spend every morning in a tired daze until I get a message from you. The highlight of every day is sitting with you, watching the stars." Ben got off of the bike and put down the kickstand, taking Akemi's hands in his own. "I love you, Ben." Ben leaned in and kissed Akemi, closing his eyes. "I... I'm not ready..." He whispered as if he were afraid of the words. Akemi gently shook the dust out of his wings before wrapping them around him and Ben. "I could stay here forever," Ben nuzzled his neck, placing soft kisses along his neck and shoulder. "Me, too."