This very short one-shot was inspired by an absolutely lovely picture I found while browsing through Deviant-ART. It's titled "APH-Ready to Fly" and drawn by the talented *TheLostHype. I highly recommend checking out their work.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters Alfred, Matthew, or Arthur; they belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. "APH-Ready to Fly" by *TheLostHype is the inspiration behind this piece. I, therefore, own nothing. I hope you enjoy!

"Come on, bro, there's nothing to it!"

"I don't know, Al; we shouldn't be up here."

"Don't tell me you're scared."

"I'm not scared. But…shouldn't we reconsider first?"

Alfred looked impatiently at his brother. "We went through all the trouble to get up here and now you're having second thoughts? Lame!"

Matthew blushed slightly as he peeked over the edge. The ground looked very far away from the top of the building. And what if it didn't work? They could get in very serious trouble with Arthur if they got caught. Perhaps what they were about to do wasn't technically illegal, but there was the potential for unnecessary consequences if…

Matthew shook his head. "You know Arthur was supposed to give us proper training before we attempted this, right?"

"Pssh! Dude, ever heard of having to leave the nest?"

"Very funny, Alfred."

"But seriously, I think we can do this. It'll be easy." A look of complete solemnity flashed within his bright blue eyes. "I'm ready to fly. It's time I take control of my own life. I want the freedom to choose my own destiny. And I can't do that when Arthur's holding me down. So what if I get hurt; I'll just climb back up here and try again until I get it right." Alfred looked at the ground, possibly judging the distance below him. "So…are you with me?"

Matthew felt inspired by his brother's words, and his nerves slowly melted away. Though he was still hesitant, he had increasing faith in his sibling. He nodded once.

"Okay."

Alfred grinned that radiant smile of his. "Then wish me luck!" And he took the plunge off the roof. "GERANIMO!" Beautiful cloud white wings spread wide. Alfred fell only one floor before catching himself in that rare summer breeze. He flapped forward, turning around in his excitement only long enough to yell over his shoulder, "Hurry up, Mattie!"

Not wishing to be left behind, Matthew stood. With bated breath, he jumped. Fear no longer clouded his mind as the updrafts lifted him upward and away from the building. Exhilaration flowed through every vein in his body as he pumped his angelic wings to catch up with the shrinking form of his brother so far ahead of him.

The two had no idea where the end of their flight was to be. But until they reached their destination, they were going to enjoy every moment their newfound freedom granted them.

I hope you enjoyed the very short story (and if you haven't already done so, go check out *TheLostHype's work). And Happy Canada Day and (soon-to-be) Independence Day!