Specially requested chapter done for kxrahxna, who was a runner up in my 300 followers contest on my ikkayumi ask blog on tumblr. This story is still completed and won't be continued

. . .

Months had gone by and there wasn't a grey feather left on Yumichika, all of it having been pushed out and then picked off as it shed to make way for the sleek black new growth. With his fresh feathers, Yumichika wanted to fly more than ever, and obviously since flying in the forest wasn't really possible, and flying above the cover of the trees without being touched by the sun wasn't either, Yumichika was otherwise confined to the ground at all hours of the day. All of which meant that they didn't cover very much ground, since on foot, Yumichika was rather slow and extremely whiny.

For one, his wings dragged. They were so large that if he folded them, they dragged, and if he didn't fold them, they dragged more; both options ended in Yumichika becoming very cranky at the amount of dirt picked up and carried with him as they walked along. For two, Yumichika just wasn't used to walking and apparently hadn't had calluses on the soles of his feet, so the tender flesh was being poked and prodded by every twig, every rock, ever rough patch of ground. His aching feet and wings made for one very unhappy camper, and although Yumichika couldn't talk or verbalize his distress, he made do with screeching just fine.

There was a very clear solution, but Ikkaku had been hesitant up until now. That night though, Yumichika had had quite enough. They weren't moving quickly enough for his tastes, and he was fed up with Ikkaku's reluctance.

"You ain't carryin' me, Yumichika," Ikkaku insisted, "and that's flat. I've seen your talon-leggie-things when you change. You ain't puttin' those things anywhere near my arms." Yumichika picked up a foot and looked at it almost curiously, violet eyes glancing up to Ikkaku slowly as if to assess what he meant.

"Don't gimme' that innocent look like you don't know what I mean. You're not foolin' me for a second, birdbrain. You can't act like you're smarter than me all the time and then try to play dumb."

'I don't understand your concern. My feet are as harmless as any other bird's are. You'd let a hawk perch on your arm, wouldn't you?'

"A hawk couldn't pick up my weight, so it wouldn't have a reason to dig its claws in that hard!"

'Honestly, you humans are so ridiculous. You frustrate me so much, sometimes I just want to-to-!'

"Oh yeah, real nice! End every argument with 'Ikkaku, you make me so mad I could just tear you limb from limb and eat you alive!' Y'know the shock value on that one is pretty much gone for me!"

'I've never said I'd carry you with my feet, you silly stupid man. You could just tell me that you're afraid, that's enough of a reason for me, you know.'

"Not wantin' my flesh gouged out with claws and bein' afraid are two different things."

'For Hell's sake, just rest between my shoulders and put your arms around my neck. I will fly, and you may sleep, since you get lazy in the night for some odd reason.'

"What? No. No way," Ikkaku protested, switching gears with a wrinkled nose.

'Oh, what is it now?' Yumichika replied with a frustrated expression.

"I'll be too heavy, won't I? I'll hurt your back."

Yumichika sighed and closed his eyes, a hand over them, and wow, Ikkaku had never seen Yumichika express exasperation, but there it was. 'I've carried you before, fool, when you got yourself tangled up with that wildcat. I've placed you in my nests, haven't I?'

"That's not the same. That took like two seconds. I'll wear you out if you fly with me on your back all night."

'That sounds suspiciously like an excuse.'

"Well fine then!" Ikkaku finally conceded, "Just don't come cryin' ta' me about how heavy I am." Yumichika smiled toothily and spread his wings apart, settling them to the ground as he knelt down. Ikkaku had to walk around him in a wide arc to avoid crunching his longer feathers, and then stood behind him, looking warily at his slender and completely bare back.

It took him a couple tries to properly wrap himself onto Yumichika's smaller body since he was hesitant and unsure about where to rest his weight. He was sure Yumichika wouldn't even be able to stand with him on a piggyback, but to his surprise, he rose seemingly effortlessly, arms securely wrapped beneath his knees. He wasted no time at all, flashing a grin and giving a quick warning of 'are you holding on?' before he flapped his wings hard and then a few more times to lift off the ground, which disappeared alarmingly quickly. Ikkaku clung on tighter when the beating motion of Yumichika's wings and shoulderblades bumped against his arms.

He clenched his eyes shut and squeezed Yumichika's torso with his legs, not even daring to take a peek to see how high up they were. He didn't know how long they flew for, how long the wind rushed past his ears and over his face before they stilled, but it had been at least long enough for the gentle rocking motion to become relaxing, for his heart to slow, and for the fresh air to completely cool his tepid lungs. Yumichika seemed to have lit upon something, and when he opened an eye, he shouted in surprise and a bit of panic when he saw they were perched on a dead branch that had grown out of an outcrop of rock in the side of a sheer cliff-face.

When the immediate adrenaline died and he reassured himself that Yumichika had him quite securely and could even catch him if he somehow fell, Ikkaku took in the vista. It stretched for miles, miles of green forest that looked like little more than fuzzy moss from this height, miles of hills of crops and grasslands, all plunged in purple darkness and lit silver from the moon.

"Got tired, huh?" he laughed breathlessly, rubbing his face against Yumichika's neck, clenching his eyes back shut as the natural human reaction of being afraid to be up so high began to get to him again.

'No,' Yumichika answered after a moment, expression serene and peaceful, hair being blown gently on the wind as he squatted on the branch and looked out over the world as though he belonged up here, overseeing everything.

Yumichika reached an arm out over his shoulder to bring Ikkaku's face towards his. He didn't usually move to kiss him back when their mouths touched, but he often guided Ikkaku's lips onto his for seemingly no reason, which led Ikkaku to suspect that he enjoyed it even if he probably didn't understand the significance of it as a human did.

He cracked his eyes open just enough to be able to see Yumichika's face and not the ten thousand foot drop to his death, letting his nose brush against Yumichika's and then their lips seal together.

Yumichika seized him and yanked him around and for a second Ikkaku had the gut-wrenching sensation that he was falling, and in his panic, he grabbed onto Yumichika hard, latching on in a desperate attempt to save his own life, but Yumichika already had him, holding him to his front, wings wrapping around him and arms locking him against his chest. Through Ikkaku's mind-blanking panic and surprise, he registered that Yumichika was tilting his head and responding to his kiss, even deepening it by opening his mouth wider.

'No, you aren't heavy at all.'

Ikkaku sighed, eyes slipping closed, holding on helplessly as Yumichika sucked on his tongue, sharp teeth scraping against it but never pricking or drawing blood. He was hanging over the very precipice of his own doom, his back to the edge, only held there by Yumichika's arms and his own trust in their strength. He could let go if he wanted, and he wouldn't budge an inch in this embrace.

'You're as light as a feather.'