The Sum of Our Parts

Epilogue

"You ready?" Shoyo grinned.

"Absolutely not." Tobio knew he was frowning hard. His hands were clammy from where they gripped the metal beams to either side of him.

"Don't be a chicken!" Shoyo laughed.

"Easy for you to say," Tobio grumbled as he tried to swallow his stomach back down.

"If anything goes wrong, I'll catch you!"

"Not helpful."

Tobio took a deep breath and shifted his feet on the dry earth under him before checking the straps for the hundredth time. The sun was high in the sky and it made the drop off before him all the more stark. The hard packed earth and scruffy grass spread out in the distance below.

He was literally about to jump off a cliff.

"I'm gonna go on ahead if you wait any longer!" Shoyo challenged.

"I said I'd do it, I'm doing it!" Tobio snapped. He looked up at the colorful canopy above him. He knew it could support his weight. He had practiced with it a lot. It would be fine. Totally fine.

There was a snap of sound and Tobio looked over to see Shoyo had called his wings. They stretched high above him and quivered, seemingly happy to be out in the open once more. The look on Shoyo's face was full of barely contained excitement.

"Let's go!" Deciding not to wait any longer on Tobio, Shoyo ran full force and jumped into the air. His wings spread out and easily caught him, sending him gliding into the sky.

"Oi! That was a false start!" Gritting his teeth, Tobio shoved his nerves aside, picked up the frame of the hang glider, and ran.

That first moment when the straps around his waist pulled taught and his feet no longer supported him was a rush. A few seconds later, the ground below him fell away. He was officially flying, high above the earth, the warm air rushing through his hair. He sucked in a few breaths through an overly tight throat before his body finally relaxed.

The contraption held. He wasn't plummeting to the earth. It was fine.

"Woohoooooo!" Shoyo tucked his wings in and spun before spreading them again to catch his weight.

Watching Shoyo so free and happy wiped away any worries lingering in Tobio's mind. It was all worth it to see him like that. Tobio grinned and carefully pulled himself around to keep Shoyo in sight as the man dove, gained height, spun, and darted through the air. His hair practically glittered in the bright sunlight.

It had been four years since they arrived in Australia. It had taken quite some time to move Shoyo's family out of Japan, but they had finally reunited last year. Everyone had mundane jobs and lived a simple life. Tobio and Shoyo had joined a local volleyball club. Everything was peaceful.

They sometimes received updates from Kenma who was still fighting for the rights of those oppressed. Tobio respected the cause, but he had no head for such politics. He was happy just living his life with his husband and helping out when requested to do so. After all, he owed the activist groups a lot.

A hawk darted in and swiped at Shoyo's head. The man just laughed and dodged the next attack. The birds over the desert tended to be very territorial. Shoyo always found it amusing and had a bad habit of teasing them. Tobio was surprised the man hadn't been clawed yet for it.

"Leave them alone and focus on flying!" Tobio shouted.

"They're cute, though!" Shoyo chuckled and ducked out of the way of the new attack.

"Don't come crying to me if you get hurt!"

"I won't get hurt!"

"Wanna bet?"

Shoyo gave a hard grin. "Sure! If I get injured, you can be on top!"

"Why you little..." Tobio glared, but Shoyo just laughed at that and banked around to fly closer to Tobio.

"How does it feel to fly this high up?" Shoyo asked.

"Like we're crazy." Tobio looked out over the expanse of shifting landscapes and the dots of the city starting in the distance. Tiny specks of animals ran around far below him. The sight of an endless sky took up the majority of his view. "And amazing."

"Right? I knew you'd love it!"

Suspended in the air, far away from anyone who could touch them, with the world spread out in all it's potential in front of them... It felt like freedom.

Shoyo grinned wide, his smile nearly splitting his face. Tobio couldn't help but return a smile of his own.

They were happy.

AN: 

Shoyo can call his wings at will. When not in use, they disappear. He has clothes special made to allow his wings to spread without ripping his shirt apart. He wears them when he knows he'll be flying.

Shoyo met the conditions of a burst because he felt deep inside that a necessity to his survival was Tobio's freedom. Shoyo had a deep connection to flying and the Talent was relevant to the situation in which the burst happened. That Shoyo had a burst of Talent in order to save Tobio shows just how deeply they care for each other. It's one of the reasons I was so excited to write about that part. Hehe

I would like to believe that Tobio swore off his Talent, but despite that, he ended up using it in the future. Mostly because Shoyo helped Tobio overcome his fear of his own Talent and start using it in smarter ways. Like when Shoyo was having a hard time getting to sleep, or a friend was trying to break a bad habit. Tobio could help with that and have full consent from the person beforehand.