(no subject)

[gone_byebye]

The door opens onto an alley in New York City. It nearly always does.

"We go around the front and into the Firehouse," Ray says. "The door tends to lock behind me when I head to Milliways. Don't worry, the guys are all used to me bringing home strangers."

Comments

[creator_raven]

Raven pokes the boy in the arm.

"Possibly not. It is the problem of density, perhaps."

Blink.

"Though that, too, is easily changed."

[gone_byebye]

"Oooh, how do I do that?" says Alex immediately. He ignores Ray pinching the bridge of his nose. If his uncle is having visions of a density-altered Alex bobbing up against the ceiling he wants nothing to do with it.

[creator_raven]

"You do not. I do."

Raven grins, ruffling Alex's hair.

He might also be fiddling with his coatsleeve.

"That will do, perhaps. Best to watch for windows."

[gone_byebye]

"Okay!" Alex announces brightly. Ray just shakes his head and wanders over to one of the lockers; he returns a moment later with a blue nylon rope and a very large carabiner on one end, which he looks like he wants to hook through Alex's belt.

[creator_raven]

Raven makes an eloquent face at the sight of that.

"That, I think, will only make things very awkward. Also there is the problem of strangling."

He is so helpful, isn't he?

[gone_byebye]

"Okay, okay," Ray says, putting the rope back. "Just a thought. You know, I almost want to get my camera for this."

"OOoooohPICTURES!" The boys start shouting at the same time. "Take my picture, Uncle Ray!"

[creator_raven]

"Possibly he will explode if you do not."

Metaphorically, of course.

Right?

[gone_byebye]

Does it matter?

Don't answer that.

It's a good thing Ray has a darkroom on the premises, though. This would be a hard shot to explain to the Fotomat guy.

[creator_raven]

Maybe if it were closer to Halloween . . .

Nevermind.

Raven makes a face at Alex.

"Now, I think, it is mostly a matter of jumping and flapping."

And cheating.

Always cheating. Raven is good at it.

[gone_byebye]

Alex beams with a huge, shiny smile, and starts flapping his arms exactly the way Raven told him to. "Get a picture of this too, Uncle Ray!" he cries, and then jumps.

[creator_raven]

And it isn't quite that he can fly, half-feathered as he is.

Not on his own.

But Raven has his fingers tangled in a small snarl of thread, and maybe that will span the gap well enough.

Regardless, Alex goes up and . . .


Stays up.

[gone_byebye]

Joey's eyes are the size of pancakes at the sight. Ray's aren't far behind. At least he's got his wits about him enough to start furiously snapping photographs of his gleefully (if somewhat awkwardly) flying nephew.

Even if Catherine's gonna go ballistic over this.

[creator_raven]

As if Raven cannot undo what he's already . . .

Hush.

He's grinning up at Alex, black eyes bright with barely-hidden laughter.

Time passes.





"You are, perhaps, ready to come down?"

[gone_byebye]

"Yeah," says Alex. "I gotta pee."

Joey snortgiggles.

[creator_raven]

"Better to wait for that, yes."

And very carefully Alex begins to drift toward the ground.

Raven frowns a little, concentrating.

[gone_byebye]

Joey starts to draw breath for another laugh, or to call out to his brother, or something. Not that it matters; Ray claps one hand over his younger nephew's mouth without even looking.

Alex is doing his best to come down very, veeeeeeery carefully. Cooperating with Raven is good!

[creator_raven]

Raven casts a quick glance at Ray.

"It is the landing that is not so easy, often enough. Catching is not impossible?"

[gone_byebye]

"I can catch," Ray says quickly, setting the camera aside and darting over to an approximately acceptable position. "Okay, Alex? Try not to put your foot in my eye or up my nose or anything, okay?"

[creator_raven]

"I do not think he is that small, perhaps."

Raven wrinkles his nose, still watching Alex.

There we go, and a little to the left, and--

[gone_byebye]

"Raven, I have an amazing talent for catching totally unsuitable object with my-"

WHUMPH goes Alex.

"-well, this time it was arms instead of face," Ray finishes, setting his nephew carefully down on the ground. "Alex, what do we say?"

"THAT WAS REALLY REALLY COOL! THANK YOU, RAVEN!"

[creator_raven]

Raven grins brightly and ruffles Alex's hair.

"You are, I think, more than welcome. Flying is a thing not to be missed."

He grins at Ray, too.

"Now--there is the trouble with the feathers."

Hmm.

[gone_byebye]

"I kinda like them," protests Alex, but Ray gives him a Look. "I can't keep them?"

"Definitely not," Ray says. "I'm already going to have to buy your mother a whole bunch of bath stuff at that store she likes just to even out her temper."

"Okay," Alex says with a bit of a pout. "No more feathers."

[creator_raven]

And if Raven says, very quietly, 'Another time, perhaps' as he plucks off one particularly large and black feather, well, what of it?

And then Alex is back in his own skin, feather-free and safely on the ground.

It is a victory, perhaps. Of a sort.

"Bath stuff? Soap is not enough?"

[gone_byebye]

As far as Ray is concerned, there's nothing wrong with spending time in feathers. But his sisgter, well... she's normal, y'know?

"Not if you take your bathing seriously," Ray says as Alex grins. "This place has all kinds of bath bombs- they're the size of my fist. You drop them in the bath water and they fizz and hiss and turn the water colors and put all kinds of smells in the water and air. Some of 'em have glitter and stuff in them, too."

He looks at Raven thoughtfully.

"You know...."

[creator_raven]

Raven looks back, entirely unsuspicious.

"Glitter?"

This is innocence, right here.

Right.

Here.

. . . Right.