[u]Air Above Frankfort, Kentucky December 1st, 2019[/u] [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] Shawn's eyes were wide with Joy as they flew hundreds of feet above the ground. He'd never flown anywhere before, because the thought of hurtling hundreds of miles an hour in a giant metal shell had always, for some reason, terrified him. However here, with Harris, he felt safer than he often did on the ground. The view was incredible, however Shawn found himself preffering the view above him, rather than below. When Shawn first met Harris, he called him breathtaking, but now that word couldn't do him justice, and Shawn wasn't sure there were any that could. Smiling sheepishly beneath his beard, Shawn turned his head so he could watch Harris as they flew, and couldn't help but feel a warmth in his chest. Harris looked so free up here, so happy, and so absolutely powerful. Shawn had known for some time about how he felt for Harris, that he wanted to be more than just his friend, but he also didn't want to push his boundaries or make Harris uncomfortable, he couldn't risk their relationship as it is now. As Shawn continued to watch Harris, and continued to feel the warmth building in his chest, he thought of a fair word for him. [i]Lovely.[/i] [h3]Harris[/h3] [hr] Harris stared into the horizon, he was glad that it hadn't been near the end of the day, or else he'd be staring right into the sun. Even then he didn't think he'd be able to avert his eyes, he was afraid to do so. Something was happening that he didn't understand, there was a pit in his stomach, almost as if he was afraid, but he felt the opposite of afraid, all he knew was that he couldn't look at Shawn, his body wouldn't let him. This was more than what he thought it was, he had never felt this before. Harris had always tried to find someone, but he never found anyone who he felt attraction to, male or female, but this must be it, the feeling he was searching for all this time. He had never thought he'd find it here. Harris took a deep breath and finally worked up the courage to speak, then yelled over the rushing wind. "How's the view down there?" God that sounded stupid. Why was he so worried about what Shawn thought all of a sudden? He was new to all of this. It was so strange, but it brought a warmth to his chest, the same as that which he got when he absorbed the sun's rays, only stronger and more continuous. Harris swallowed air and blew it out in greater amounts, again and again. What was he going to do? [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] Shawn smiled coyly, knowing that although Harris was referring to the view below them, Shawn was much more interested in the one above him. Smiling warmly, he called up to Harris over the wind. "It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen." A soft shade of red began to spread over his face, even if there was no way that Harris could know what or rather, who he was referring to, saying it outloud brought him the tiniest smidgen of anxiety, but was quickly melted away by the happiness Harris grew in him. [h3]Harris[/h3] [hr] Harris chuckled at Shawn's response, but as he began to think about it, the more he began to hyperventilate. Shawn had called him breathtaking once, perhaps this was a compliment? No, he was just talking about the view, but what if he wasn't? Would Harris miss his chance? Wait where'd this line of thinking come from? It had just snuck up on him, like a great many things in the days past. He had to make sure, no matter how idiotically naive it seemed to assume that everything Shawn said was directed at him, self-centered even. Despite all of this, Harris found himself hoping that he was right. Oh god what happened to him, he had promised his mother she'd have grandkids, but now not only did he not have genitals he was in love with a man. His father would roll in his grave. Meekly, Harris turned his head downwards, he was up high enough that he didn't need to worry about where he was going, so he spent that thought on worrying. His eyes widened as he was proven right, Shawn was looking right at him. His mind froze for an instant like an old computer, and even the plants seemed to be screaming in their frenzied whispering. His jaw limply fell open, and he found himself unable to move. What was he to do? What [i]could[/i] he do, what should he say? Harris' mind rebooted, and his head became even more frenzied than ever. [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] Shawn's eyes widened massively, and cheeks flushed a deep beat red that looked like he had acquired a sunburn within seconds. He spun his head back down so quickly he was in Danger of whiplash, and he began to silently curse himself thousands upon thousands of times. [i]Fucking shit Shawn what is wrong with you, you just completely destroyed any and every possible chance of something with him. Please just drop me Harris,I swear to god it's ok.[/i] The anxiety he felt a smidge of earlier returned to him in full force and he felt his heart begin pumping in overdrive as he began to hyperventilate. He couldn't believe he had fucked up that royaly, there was no way he could even try to play that off. He had literally just stared at Harris and called him the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. [i]Please just drop me now.[/i] [h3]Harris[/h3] [hr] Harris noticed Shawn's eyes turning the size of saucers and his face turning a lovely shade of dark pink, it was almost pleasing, though also [i]absolutely terrifying[/i]. Harris finally recovered from his trance, averting his eyes swiftly. Harris felt almost relieved, Shawn felt the same! Oh god Shawn felt the same. What the hell did that mean? What did he do now? Did he screw it up? Oh god he screwed it up, or did he? Why was this so confusing? He had to do something. Finally his mind settled on the one thing he could do. He turned his head back down in an instant. He took one last deep breath, closed his eyes, and spoke. “Shawn, I've never felt what I feel right now before today. I know you feel it too, or at least I think so and really hope so.” Oh god what was he doing? This was the dumbest idea he'd ever had, but he couldn't stop himself, he had to finish. Though he was terrified to hear Shawn's response. “Shawn, I think I…” He stumbled over his words and blabbered jibberish for a moment before he recovered. “I think you're a wonderful person, I think you saved me from myself. I want to feel what you make me feel forever.” Oh god he was coming on too strong, he was screwing it up he had to stop, but he couldn't force himself to, he kept going. “I don't feel like a monster when you're with me, I feel better than I ever used to when you're here. I think I want to be something... different than what we are right now. I would wait for a hundred years if there was ever any chance of us being together, so please tell me there's a chance, please tell me both of our voices can be on our answering machine, please tell me there's a chance of me finding your possessions in my tree,” he spoke haltingly, worried. “I don't know what I am or what I will become, but when I'm with you, I'm not worried about that, about any of it. I feel human again.” Despite everything wrong with what he had just said, Harris felt his heart beat faster, not out of fear anymore, but something different entirely. [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] At first, Shawn was too petrified to do anything but stare a hole into the Earth below them, and at the rate they were moving he could have very well created a new fault line. Shawn waited anxiously for Harris to laugh, or say that it wasn’t funny, or if he was truly lucky, drop him. However, it seemed that there was a different path set for them, and as Harris spoke, Shawn felt tears well in his eyes as his face formed the most honest smile of his life. Shawn turned himself around in Harris’s vines, so his entire body was facing him. With a shaking hand, Shawn reached up to gently touch Harris’s face, and spoke. “I don’t think I’m patient enough for a hundred years, so perhaps we could just start now?” Then, Shawn nervously pulled himself upwards, and planted a soft kiss on Harris’ cheek. [h3]Harris[/h3] [hr] Harris felt his heart thump in his chest as he saw Shawn smile, a wider smile than he'd ever seen the man make. Did he do it right? That was a good sign but maybe he was just about to laugh at him. That was totally it, no-one could love a monster like he… His thought process was interrupted by Shawn's response, which made his heart move at speeds not thought possible, and then the kiss, which compromised every little insecurity and self-consciousness that he had left. Harris’ eyes widened, before they fell to an almost tired position as he grew content, truly blissfully happy, but something was still missing. Harris frowned at Shawn and sighed frustratedly. “Is that really your best?” he asked, before grabbing him and pulling him into the most satisfying kiss he thought he'd ever experience.