Chapter 65: Sunset picnic
Felix Sythias’ POV (continued):
“So, how do you feel?” I asked, moving in to catch him should he make an unexpected movement.
Alex flexed his hands, then his arms, tail, and legs. Then he crouched down and jumped halfway up the wall, only to slam into it. I rushed forward to catch him, but he managed to grab hold, if only barely. Then seeing I was below him, he let go and I caught him. I put him down on the ground and he slowly, very slowly, sat up.
“I’ll need to get used to that,” he said. “I feel a lot stronger. Faster too. My mana pool also more than doubled. Two-hundred-and-sixty mana. It’s insane.”
I grinned at him. “That’s awesome,” I said, then looked at the clock. “But yeah, you’ll need to get used to your new strength. How about we start cooking while you do that? You should be acclimated to your new Attributes within the hour. And it’ll probably be even faster in the future.”
He nodded, and I helped him up. He took a step forward, completely overshooting his target, making him stumble. The second step went a lot better already, and by the time we got to the kitchen, he walked as confidently as ever. And as we grabbed ingredients, he rapidly got used to moving around and using his arms.
For the food, Alex decided to make himself some fresh bread while I prepared the meat. I decided to sous-vide it, so all I would need to do was broil it later. That way we could have it perfectly prepared while still having that nice char flavor to it. Having put the vacuum packed meat in the hot water bath, I went to help Alex prepare his veggies and bread, but not before giving him a hug—just because I could. I wanted to pay the kiss back with one of my own, but decided it could wait until after I asked him out. Though it was a difficult decision.
Alex was making boiled potatoes with some kind of leafy vegetable I didn’t recognize. The bread-dough was already done, but needed to rise. Luckily, I bought us some Skill enhanced yeast some time ago, so it would be done within ten minutes. While the bread rose and the veggies cooked, we packed some blankets and drinks into my saddle. Soon, the dough was ready, so we put it in the oven. It would be there for another twenty or so minutes.
The veggies were done now, though, so Alex put them in a container that would hopefully keep them warm long enough. And if not, I could probably heat them up again later.
While we waited for the bread, we talked about Rivers, since Alex was reaching the end. He liked it almost as much as I did, though I was sure he got a lot more out of reading it than I ever had. The book was partly about struggling with sexuality after all, and I never really had any problems with that. I was glad that reading it helped him understand himself better.
The part that helped him the most, according to him, was the part after the main character’s family found out he was gay and kicked him out. Reading how the character stabilized his life and was happy, even if his mother hated him, made Alex feel hopeful. It also made him sad the character wasn’t able to restore any connection to his mom.
Before we knew it, the twenty minutes were over. We took the bread out and let it cool for a time while we continued talking until the meat was done, too. We packed it all away, and then it was time to go.
“So, where are we going?” Alex asked once we were outside. We were walking to the edge of the island, though Alex probably thought we were heading towards the bridge.
“I hadn’t thought about it yet. I figured we could fly around for a while and look for a nice place.”
Alex looked confused for a moment before he facepalmed. “Right! You went to Elena. Stars, I feel stupid for forgetting that. So, she cleared you for flight?”
“She did. So, wanna hop on?”
He eagerly nodded, then literally hopped on. His improved Attributes were showing their use already. He strapped himself in—I checked it over as well—and laid down.
“Yip-yip!” he said, patting my shoulder.
“What?” I asked, confused.
Alex giggled. “Sorry, it’s just something I heard a wind-mage tell his flying mount. It was his command for taking off.”
I chuckled. “Well, my ‘command’ is ‘I’m ready, let’s fly!’”
“I’m ready, let’s fly!” he said, his tone making it clear he was rolling his eyes. “Please,” he added.
I chuckled again, then crouched down. “Alright, then. Keep in mind I haven’t flown in a while, so this might be a little rough.”
I took a small step backwards, then sprinted forwards with everything I had—which was quite a lot. Alex whooped, and I spread my wings to catch air. Then Alex noticed the edge of the island coming up fast and yelped. I felt him tense up on my back, but he kept steady in his seat. A moment later I leaped off the edge.
For a moment, we fell—well, more glided—downwards, and I felt my heart leaping to my throat. But my fear was quickly replaced with exhilaration as the air caught on my wings, sending shivers of joy running through me. It was truly too long ago that I’d flown. There really wasn’t anything else like this.
Alex clearly agreed. “Stars, I’d forgotten what this was like!” he yelled over the wind. “This is amazing!”
I smiled, though I couldn’t respond. Instead, I finally flapped my wings for the first time in a month, my earlier tests not included. Then I flapped them again, and again. It was easier than I remembered. Slowly, but steadily, we gained altitude and soon we were flying high above the islands. There, I slowed us down a bit so we could take in the sights and talk.
“I’ll fly us around campus, if you see a spot, tell me!” I yelled back to Alex.
He yelled his agreement back. It was still a little hard to hear, so I slowed down just a smidge further. We spent the next twenty minutes flying around campus. Occasionally one of us would point something pretty out. Whether it was me or him that did, I would tell him what I knew of the place. Like the various libraries, the arena, or any of the other large buildings.
Eventually, I spotted the perfect place. It was on one of the uninhabited islands near the edge of the campus. There were quite a few of those around. Not all islands were suitable for settling on and some were even protected, usually because some rare plant grew there. This one was one of the former. The island was a large, steeply sloping hill with a cliff on one side. There also flowed a small waterfall down it, though I couldn’t see where the water was coming from. Probably an enchantment or a natural formation.
The top of the hill was perfect for a picnic. A great view over the campus, fresh water, and no one to disturb us.
I slowed to a hover and pointed it out to Alex. He liked it too, so I glided down towards it. The closer we got, the more sure I got of my decision. The hillside was covered with small bush-like trees, but most importantly, squirrel-free trees. In fact, there didn’t seem to be a single animal on the island, except for birds. That was fine with me. Birds made much prettier noises, anyway.
I landed on the top of the cliff, on the only flat piece of ground around. It was a large enough space for all our stuff and then some. There would be no sparring or combat practice, though. Not without us rolling down the hill because we slipped or overshot a dodge.
Alex got off and looked over the cliff, down at the campus.
“The view sure is beautiful,” he said.
“Just you wait,” I told him. “See the sun? We’re going to get a perfect view of it setting later.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He smiled at me. “I can’t wait,” he said. “But first, let’s eat. I’m starving and the food is probably getting cold.”
He then started unloading all our stuff, and while he put down the blankets, I warmed the food, and broiled the meat, before putting it onto the plates we’d taken with us. The food smelled great. After that, I sat down next to Alex for dinner.
He took a plate from me and leaned against my side as we ate, all while we took in the view. The sun was getting low, and the buildings glittered in the sunlight. Especially the arena with its large domed roof made of glass and the various lakes and ponds spread throughout..
After dinner, Alex rested his head on my shoulder as we watched the tiny dots that were people go to and fro. I put my wing around him and he snuggled even deeper into my side. The various entertainment districts were the liveliest, and I could swear I heard the faint tunes of music. That was probably just my imagination, though.
We sat there for a while as our dinner settled. I considered asking him out now, but as much as I wanted that, I knew there was an even better moment coming up in less than an hour.
“Hey, Alex?” I asked. “Now that I’ve gotten used to my wings again, how about we really put them to the test?”
“Oh, what did you have in mind?”
I grinned at him. “Well, hop on and see.”
He did exactly that and jumped into my saddle. After making sure he was properly strapped in, he patted my side and with a few giggles said: “I’m ready, let’s fly!”
I chuckled and glanced over to check he was actually ready and safely secured to the saddle. He was, so I jumped off the edge of the cliff. Not leaped, nor glided, but jumped. Alex screamed as we rushed down the side of the cliff close enough that I could reach out and touch it with my tail if I wanted to. Then the cliff-side and the island were gone, leaving nothing but the forest rushing up beneath us. I angled us upwards and spread my wings, catching our fall seconds before we hit the ground way below the islands.
I weaved around the hills and giant trees. Behind me, I heard Alex laughing and whooping with joy. As we reached the end of the little valley, I tilted my wings slightly so we would gain altitude again. Then, as we got higher, I tilted them further and further, until we were going almost straight up. I leaned backwards as we went upside down, going in a full loop.
Back by the ground, I pulled us into a corkscrew, followed by several sharp turns. I noticed a few young gryphons giving us the stink-eye, though, so I pulled up and got us back to the island.
“That was amazing!” Alex said the moment I slowed down enough to talk. “But please, next time warn me.”
“Right, sorry. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Hah, you certainly succeeded with that!” he said, chuckling and breathing heavily. “But seriously, warn me next time. I almost pissed my pants when we plummeted down.”
I nodded and promised to warn him next time. Then I glanced at the sun. It wasn't really any closer to setting. “So, wanna go again? This time with you deciding what we do?”
He nodded and began listing ideas. I shot some of them down, but I could make most of them work. This was going to be fun.
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We spent almost an hour flying around, doing tricks and other cool things. Neither me nor Alex could get enough of it. He especially liked the loops I did. We even did a few loops around the island. That was fun, and not something I’d tried before.
After that trick, he wanted to inspect the underside of the island since he’d noticed something there during the loop, which I took as a break to rest my wings. Flying that fast was a little exhausting.
The islands were kept afloat by large buoyant plants. They grew in half-spheres under the islands and fed on the ambient wind mana that was so common this high up. Cool little buggers, those plants. The undersides of the islands were certainly interesting, but I’d gotten bored with them long ago.
Alex got bored with them, too, after a few minutes. I couldn’t really blame him, since the plants didn’t really do anything but cling to the underside. So we continued flying about for a while more.
Eventually, I started to get tired, and the sun was about to set, so I flew us back to the cliff. The wind had blown the blankets about, but the heavy stuff we’d put on them had mostly pinned them in place. We righted them out with little effort and sat down on them with Alex leaning into my side again. We watched as the sun started to set, casting the world into a beautiful golden light.
The golden light shone on Alex, too, making his scales shine with beauty.
“You were right,” he said. “This view really is much prettier with the sunset. Just look at all those islands! They look like they’re made of gold!”
I chuckled and wrapped my wing around him, pulling him in closer. “It’s beautiful, yeah,” I said, then looked at him, still partially enveloped by the golden light. “Just like you.”
Maybe it was the mood of the situation, or maybe it was just the sunset, but I felt more confident than usual. I didn’t think tonight would or even could go wrong.
Alex squirmed a little upon hearing my compliment, but he stayed right where he was. If anything, he pressed himself a little closer. He smiled sweetly but didn’t meet my eyes, instead fidgeting with his tail. It was adorable when he did that.
“Thanks,” he murmured. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but closed his mouth again. After a small moment, he spoke up anyway, though something told me it wasn’t what he had wanted to say just before. “Flying together was fun, wasn't it?” he asked.
“It really was,” I said. “I’m glad I can fly again. I really missed it.”
“I can imagine. Well, I don’t have to. I missed it, too,” he said with a chuckle. “Flying back from Elena must have been the best feeling ever. Finally having that freedom again after so long.”
I quirked my head. “Didn’t I tell you?” I asked, and he finally looked up from his tail. “When we flew here together was the first time. I waited so we could fly together. I wanted to celebrate it with you, because…” I took a deep breath and let the nerves building up in my chest settle. “Well, because I like you, Alex. I really like you.”
For a moment, neither of us said anything as we just looked into each other’s eyes. His eyes were beautiful. Large black pupils, with a yellow sclera. Around his eyes was a stunning ring of orangey red scales that matched the colour of the setting sun almost perfectly. And the way the sunset itself glittered in his eyes only made them prettier. There was no need for me to specify how I liked him, it was clear in his eyes he understood exactly what I meant.
“I really like you, too,” he said, finally.
I chuckled a little. “All that worry, all for nothing.”
He chuckled too. “Yeah.”
We sat there for a few more moments, giggling at the absurdity of the situation. I entwined my tail around his, and he leaned into the touch. Dopey, happy smiles were spread on both our faces as we just kept looking into each other’s eyes. Alex leaned forwards a bit before hesitating.
“Hey, Felix?” he asked. “I really, really want to kiss you. Can I?”
My heart thumped in my chest, harder than it ever had before, and I found it difficult to speak. So I just nodded.
Alex leaned forward, crossing the distance in a moment, and pressed his snout to mine. It was a sweet, gentle kiss. It felt like it lasted hours, though it was probably seconds at most. It felt like the world had stopped. I’d dreamed of this moment for weeks, and now it was finally here.
A few seconds later, he pulled back again, and I finally found my voice. “Now, that was a proper kiss,” I told him, referencing his earlier kiss.
Alex chuckled. “I’m glad you liked it. I really liked it, too.”
I leaned down and nuzzled his neck. “I did.”
I felt Alex grab my snout, and I let him lead me to his face. “How about some more, then?” he asked.
I felt a tingle go down my spine. I liked this confident Alex. I liked it a lot.
Instead of answering, I pushed my snout to his and kissed him. He gently rubbed my cheek, then pushed me backwards. Instead of letting go, though, he kept kissing me as I let him push me on my back. I let him guide me down and he climbed on top of me, straddling my stomach, all the while passionately kissing me. He even went as far as using his tongue. It was a little awkward as we both tried to figure out what worked for our muzzle shapes and how. There were some giggles and playful teasing as we both did things that just didn’t work, but we’d get there, eventually. Probably not today, though.
As we kissed, Alex explored my head and neck with his hands, rubbing and pulling at the various spikes I had, just really feeling me out. In return, I let my talons flow over his back, going under his shirt and rubbing at the ridges near his neck, making him moan slightly. He really leaned into the touch, so I rubbed at the ridges a little harder, causing an ever bigger moan, his kissing growing more passionate. Going slowly, I continued rubbing as I went down his back while Alex seemed content softly pulling on my horns, pulling me into his kisses—something I found turned me on more than I thought it would.
As things grew more heated and my talon finally reached the small of his back, Alex paused our kissing to pull off his shirt. But before we could continue, he blinked and looked down at himself and his exposed chest. Seemingly realizing the direction things were heading if we had continued like this, he pulled away, and I let him go.
“I, uh, sorry, Felix. I don’t think I’m ready for anything more than kissing,. Do you think we could maybe just cuddle for a bit, instead?” he asked, not meeting my eyes.
I grabbed him and pulled him into my chest, giving him our traditional hug, kissing the top of his head as I did. That he wasn’t ready for more was understandable. In fact, I wasn’t sure I was ready either. Fantasies were a lot different from reality. Then again, the only way to figure out the differences was to try it out. “That’s perfectly okay, Alex. We’ll go at your pace, alright?”
He nodded and pressed his head into my chest. Following his example, I put my wings around him and just held him close, feeling content. Maybe I didn’t have a System, but I was figuring out how to do magic, anyway. I had good friends, and now maybe even a boyfriend—we’d have to talk about that. I felt happy. And as we watched the sun go behind the horizon together, I hoped Alex felt happy, too.