we might fall across the sky
His head lolls forward, and the ends of the lace cloth tied around his eyes slide ever so lightly across the skin of his neck.
It disturbs the drops of sweat pooled in the dip above his collarbone. He feels the slow slide of his sweat drip down his body. One drop. Two drops. Three.
His hands shake, suspended in the air, and the clinking of chains echo around him until it, too, is swallowed by the sweltering heat.
–
It has been a long time since they last felt the rain.
Since they last felt Him.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Sunshine bares his teeth. “I’m flattered you think all of this,” he pauses to wave an arm, rotating his wrist in a gentle floreo as he points to the sky, “is my doing, but it’s not.” He grins. “Not this time.”
Black levels Sunshine with a pointed stare. “But you know where he is?”
Sunshine tucks his chin close to his body as he returns Black’s stare with one of his own. “I always know where all of us are.”
Black ignores the fluttering lashes. “Great. Then you can be the messenger.”
Sunshine hums for a moment, considering. And then Black can no longer ignore the lashes when they are fluttering against his own cheek followed by a sting on his bottom lip.
Sunshine pulls away, tongue gliding across the edge of his blood stained teeth, “I’ll be expecting the rest of my thanks later.”
–
Passion takes hold of Sunshine’s white-blond hair as they gasp into each other’s mouths. His fingernails scrape against Sunshine’s scalp when he feels fingers scrabble at the zipper of his leather pants.
He lets his pants pool at his ankles and doesn’t bother kicking them off when Sunshine pushes him down onto the banquet table. Passion watches, rapaciously, as Sunshine undresses. “Didn’t you say you had a message?”
Sunshine laughs as he crawls up onto the table and settles himself on top of Passion’s thighs. “A ritual,” he hums. “But it’s rude to talk business before the main course.”
Sunshine leans down for another bite.
–
Sunshine sits on the steps of the ruins of an old house swallowed by fire. He swirls his tongue around a red lollipop as he listens for a breeze.
He doesn’t have to wait for long to hear the tired words cradled by the wind.
“Why are you here?” the being asks.
Sunshine tilts his head and watches as the being lands next to him, gauzy cloak billowing gently in the air. Sunshine pats the spot next to him in invitation.
“Why are you here?” they ask again.
Sunshine rolls his eyes and languidly pulls himself up to his feet. He pulls the lollipop out of his mouth with a loud pop and leans in until he’s close enough to smell a lingering scent of smoke. “A favour for a favour,” Sunshine croons as he taps the silver feather earring dangling from the other’s ear.
The being jerks back and scowls at Sunshine. “He’s mine.”
“He’s ours.” Sunshine’s smile turns sharp. “But I’ll let you have him first — if you lend us a hand.”
“If you think I’m going to help you—”
“Not me. Rain.”
The being throws their head back in resignation, and Sunshine watches the line of their throat as they swallow back their arguments.
“Fine,” they say.
“Perfect. Now say ahh,” Sunshine taps his lollipop against the being’s lips. The lips remain stubbornly shut. Sunshine leans forward, eyes gleaming, and grasps the being’s lower face with his other hand. He squeezes until they’re forced to open their mouth.
Sunshine slips the red sugary treat inside and brushes his thumb soothingly across their bottom lip. “Don’t you want me to pass along your regards?”
He pushes his thumb inside next to the lollipop and pulls the mouth open wider. Sunshine closes the gap between them and thrusts his tongue inside the panting mouth. He pulls his thumb out and drags a sticky mess of sugary saliva across the other’s cheek as their tongues slide around the treat.
Sunshine steps back and eyes the way the being’s lips close around the stick of his lollipop. “You still taste weird.”
“And you still taste like blood,” they say.
–
“My dear, sweet, little bird,” Sunshine croons.
A ruffle of feathers and a rustle of leaves later, Icarus lands next to Sunshine. He can’t help but preen and sigh when fingers tangle into his hair and drag down, dipping past the nape of his neck to stroke him, just so , where skin and feathers meet.
A tongue curls against his own and Icarus wants to nestle into the heat of it, but Sunshine gently pushes him away with a chiding tsk. “Not yet, sweet bird. Do you remember Rain?”
Icarus thinks of the dark rumbling skies and the brilliant flashes of light. He thinks of the cool fingers that traced the trail of water that trickled through his hair and down his neck.
He nods.
“Will you help me set him free?” Sunshine whispers.
“Yes,” Icarus breathes.
Sunshine gently parts Icarus’ lips with a thumb and replaces it with a lollipop. “Good bird.”
–
Red narrowly manages to avoid Sunshine’s lips by gaining a bruise on his nose.
Sunshine frowns at him, though it lacks any derision. “You should have just let me kiss you.”
Red touches the bridge of his nose tentatively and tries to snort but ends up wincing. “I already know about the ritual. Leave me alone.”
Sunshine eyes the feathers on Red’s boots and frowns deeper. Before he can say anything, Red drawls, “I’m not Black’s messenger. I just like knowing things. I’m not some kind of errand boy.”
Sunshine doesn’t miss the heavily implied “unlike you.” Instead, he gives Red his coyest smile. “You just have to learn how to enjoy it. Let me—”
“Sunshine.”
Black gives Sunshine an unimpressed look, then gestures for Red to leave.
Sunshine waggles his eyebrows at Red as he follows Black’s… suggestion.
Red pretends to ignore him as he leaves.
“Is everything ready?” Black asks.
Sunshine grins.
–
There’s a steady drumming in the earth beneath his knees and a faint chime in the air. The humid air around him thrums like vibrating phin strings. He tilts his head back and listens.
He can hear it calling him home.
From the corner of his eye, a tear drops.
A second drops.
And a third.
High above him, the sky opens, and swallows him whole.
Music & sound credits: 'Black Tie' by Jeff Satur, 'Maeng Bhu Tom Dok' from Thai Northeast Native Melodies, Khim strings by stomachache, Ta Phon drums from the Thai Music channel, bells by Oleg Yastrebov, chimes by ren005, wind and rain by Sounds DayZ, Relaxing World, and Epidemic ASMR. Additional sound effects and field recordings from freesound.org.
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