Title: . Fly Too High and You'll Fall

Category: Air Gear

Rating: M

Pairing: implied (mutual) Ikki/OC

Written by: Juno Tartini

"Flying without feathers is not easy; my wings have no feathers."

—Titus Maccius Plautus

\ \ S T A R T .

Riding Kogarasumaru was the shit. No lie.

You ain't known about a Road until you ride Ikki's Road.

You literally ride on his wings, taking you to heights you never thought imaginable. And the view of the city! Breathtakin'!

I thought I knew all there was to the AT world and I didn't even have a Road yet. I was proved wrong. So fucking wrong.

I busted my ass, training with my ATs. I wiped my own ass on the ground, tryna find my own Road, my own to share with others.

AND I DID IT! But at what cost? Let's put it this way.

Icarus shoulda listen to his father, Daedalus.

I flew too high, not caring what would happen to me if I had fell.

I was on a high. I couldn't help myself. And that cost me nearly my life.

Here I am, in this fucking hospital that smells like cleaning agents, with the whole team of Kogarasumaru surrounding me.

Agito's got that signature on his face. His arms are crossed, the straps of his orange jackets glare at me dangerously in the light. NO doubt that he's cursing me out in his brain. Poor Akito.

Buccha and Onigiri look so sad. Kazu-kun . . . he just look downright depressed.

. . . And Ikki? He calm. But his eyes that hold so much emotions. Sadness, anger, disappointment, frustration . . . and fear.

I rub at my thighs for no reason. I can't feel anything below my waist anyway. Just like Sora-nii-san.

"Guys . . . I'm so sorry." My voice starts to crack. "So fucking sorry . . . I let everybody the fuck down."

I hear the squeak of leather. Someone's clenching they fist. Must be Ikki.

The left side of my hospital bed sank and I lift my blurry eyes. Even though it was blurry, I knew it was Ikki.

He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Yoshino . . . Don't say that you're sorry. It won't make you feel better, I can tell." He lifted his other hand and brushed some of my hair back. "Just get better, get that surgery done, and you'll be back to kicking some bitch-ass teams' asses!"

I smiled before tears welled up in my eyes, his words somehow getting to me. Tears slid down my cheeks as I felt that everyone else agreed.

"Fuck! Just hurry up with the goddamned pussy-ass shit!" That was Agito's way of showing that he cares.

"Love you too Agito."

"Shut up, bitch!" That made me laugh.

I laughed so hard that my stomach and sides hurted.

It made me forget about how impossible the surgery would be. But I won't say nothing to them about it.

I can't make them even more depressed than they are now.

But, maybe, just maybe, these guys can make some miracle fucking happen.

And Ikki never left my side, nor did he let go of my hand. For that, I am so grateful for him.

Yep, a first person point of view for a change. I purposely wrote this the way it is. My OC, Yoshino Jun, dropped out of middle school. Why she sounds so "ghetto" is beyond me. It's just how the words flowed.