Title: Learning to Fly
Author: Pysali
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor am I trying to make money off of them in any way.
Rating: K +
Pairing: Charlie/Emma
Summary: Emma doesn't like to transform in front of people, but she's willing to make an exception for him.
Spoilers: You'd have to have read the first Charlie Bone book or else you won't know who they are, otherwise, I don't believe there are spoilers.
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Learning to Fly
One night, years after I first met her, Emma asked me to sneak out of my dorm after curfew and meet her in the art room. She wouldn't tell me why, but she had a, not quite urgency, tone to her voice. Almost like she was an inch away from telling me to forget about it and go get some sleep.
I've never been afraid of breaking the rules here, though I hate getting half my weekend taken up with detention, but for Emma it was worth the risk and I agreed to meet her. I knew if my Aunt, the Matron of the school caught me, she wouldn't be lenient, hell she'd probably give me extra detention.
The moon was high in the sky that night, the hallways dark, shadows moving around the light of my flashlight like they were alive. I felt like something important was going to happen and that I should hold my breath or offer up a quick prayer. All I really knew was that Emma wanted to see me.
I'm a guy, so I'm not ashamed to admit part of me was hoping she'd tell me that she likes me or something along those lines and I'd get to kiss her, hold her, maybe a little bit more. Like I said, I'm a guy, and I'm always hopeful. Plus it's Emma, I know her, known her for years, like with Livvy, and if there's anyone I'm comfortable being myself around it's her.
All of this was causing me to dawdle and not be as cautious as I should have been and I could hear Matron walking around, not far behind me, but far enough that my light hadn't been noticed. So I had a choice, run for it and be nosier than I was already being, or turn my light off and hope I'd manage to get to the art room without blundering into something.
I didn't particularly like either option to tell you the truth, so I was relieved when I shined my flashlight on the nearest door and discovered I was only a few rooms away from where I wanted to be. Shutting the light off, I paused a few precious seconds, to wait for my eyes to adjust to the moonlight filtering in on the opposite ends of the halls.
All I could think in those few seconds, while I heard Matrons footsteps getting closer was, 'Emma I hope this is really necessary.'
Finally I was able to see well enough again, and had screwed up my courage enough if you want to know the truth, and I was able to walk the three doors down to the art room. I opened the door as quietly as possible, but my aunts light still paused and as I passed through the door and closed it behind me I could hear her footsteps growing rapid.
Emma was by an open window, a piece of paper fluttering nervously in her hands and I hurried towards her, trying to tell her with flapping hands that Matron was coming and we needed to get out of here.
Emma nodded, which surprised me, I didn't think I did that great a job of miming, and held the picture up to the light. I didn't quite understand what was going on, as I've never been allowed to see her transform before, Emma doesn't want anyone to see her turn into birds, but I was caught up in the moment and could only stare as her body slowly shimmered in the light, her pajamas seeming to flow into her skin, her neck elongating, the paper disappearing somewhere in the rush of feathers that appeared to replace her arms and then Emma, my Emma hopped on the ledge and jumped out the window, not fully formed as either a bird or a girl.
I ran to the ledge panic making me clumsy and my mind not caring if my aunt gave me a thousand suspensions, but I was being a fool. Emma flapped her wings, the breadth of them leaving me speechless and she rose high enough that her giant feet were within touching distance. Maybe it was instinct, maybe desperation as I heard the doorknob start to turn behind me, but I climbed onto the ledge and I grabbed onto her giant feet and I trusted Emma, not to let me fall.
We rose to the top of the building and beyond, nearly touching the clouds as she glided away from the school grounds, her strong wings pushing us further and further away. We took a turn around a few city blocks and then returned. I was grateful, both for the quick escape from sure detention and because my arms were getting tired. She didn't go far, only to the ruins by the garden and then she let me down gently and I let go of her feet, rubbing my shoulders and arms as she flowed back into the girl I know.
"Emma? What? Why?" words tumbled out of my mouth.
"Oh Charlie, I was hoping I could show you in a less than dire situation," Emma said, her smile small and shy.
"You wanted me to see? Really?" I was flabbergasted and couldn't get my tongue to work right, but I was surprised and happy and proud and happy and all I wanted to do was reach over, grab her and kiss her. So I did, though Emma met me halfway and her lips were soft, softer than my own, softer than anything I'd ever felt and she felt good, wonderful, terrific in my arms.
"I've wanted you to do that for a long time, Charlie Bone," she whispered into my ear after we'd finished.
"I like you," I blurted out and then cursed myself, "what I mean is, I really like you and I uh, I want us to, that is if you're willing I want…"
And Emma, sweet, adorable, wonderful Emma, didn't say a damn word and let me blunder my way into asking her to be my girlfriend.
The important thing is that she said yes to me.
The next important thing after we finished kissing again was trying to figure out how to get back into the school with the locked front door.
Emma laughed and I laughed with her as we engineered a way to get us back inside without either or both of us landing detention. As I rose into the air once more clutching Emma's feet I couldn't help but feel like Emma had shared one of her most important secrets with me, that she must really like me, maybe even love me to have shared her transformations and that I was a very lucky guy to have a girl like her.