Keith had always been good at hiding his wings. He had to be, among a society of "normal" human beings. They outlawed anything new.
The only time he displayed his wings was when he was home alone. He loved his wings dearly, and was careful to take good care of them. He usually didn't show them off when he was outside, but it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was a cold breeze blowing gently. Keith's land was vast, and there wouldn't be anyone around. So he unfurled his wings and felt the sun's warmth on his feathers.
He walked around the small farm, tending to his tasks as he always did after he got home from work. It was already getting dark, but Keith had noticed one of the barbed wire fences on the upper part of the property was damaged. Taking the necessary tools and a fresh spool of wire with him, he set to work repairing the fence. The damage was worse than he had originally thought, and he would have to replace a good portion of the wire. He began to clip the old, rusted wire from the damaged fence, planning to replace it all at once. He didn't notice one of his cows approaching until she was nearly on top of him, sticking her big brown head in his face.
He turned quickly in surprise, startled by the cow's sudden arrival. She was too close to the open fence, and would escape if he wasn't careful. He tried to gently push her away from the fence, talking softly at her. But she was more interested in what was beyond him, beyond the pasture. She plowed right into him, her relative bulk pushing him into the rusted barbs. Wincing in pain, he struggled to get to his feet, realizing quickly that he would need to retrieve the cow before she ran off and got herself hurt. The barbed wire cut into the soft tissue of his wings as he tried to stand, causing him to cry out in pain. He tried to turn, assess the damage and untangle his wings from the sharp metal, but the movement only served to entangle him more. He reached for his tools, but they were too far out of his reach.
He whimpered in pain as he stretched his arm as far as he could, pulling against the wire. It was no use, the tools were too far away. He tried again to turn to at least see what he was up against, but the result was no different.
The sound of a familiar voice made his blood run cold. "Keith?"
Oh no! Not Lance! Anyone but Lance! Keith began to struggle harder, trying to keep quiet despite the pain. If Lance saw him like this...
Lance had seen him as a rival for so long. He hated Keith. But despite this, Keith had found himself falling for the other boy. He had tried so hard to hide his secret crush on Lance, just knowing that Lance could never feel the same. And now, Lance would hate him even more.
Keith's desperate desire did nothing to stop Lance's inevitable approach. And when the beam of a flashlight hit Keith square in the face, he couldn't help the involuntary whimper that escaped his lips.
With tears streaming down his cheeks and blood staining his hands, he desperately tried to free his tangled wings, frantic motions only serving to damage the grand things further. Keith's feathers were red with blood, shimmering in the beam of the flashlight. He had no doubt in his mind that he looked like a mess after everything.
Hearing Lance's sharp gasp, Keith's heart sank, face turning away in shame as he choked back a sob.
"Oh my--! Keith!" Lance fell to his knees in front of Keith.
Keith was shaking, scared of how Lance would react. He was surprised when Lance gently touched his face, his blue eyes gentle.
Lance picked up the tools, beginning to cut the wire away from Keith's bloody wings. Once he was free, Lance pulled him to his feet, supporting him as he walked towards the house.
"It's going to be okay," Lance cooed softly. "I've got you. You're going to be okay."
"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" Keith questioned.
Lance didn't answer, just got him inside. He settled him on the couch, "Do you have a first aid kit somewhere?"
"In the bathroom cabinet, top shelf," Keith winced, moving his wings forward to inspect them. They throbbed in pain, blood still seeping from the multiple punctures in the sensitive flesh.
Lance quickly left to get the kit, coming back a moment later and settling next to the couch. His gentleness surprised Keith, but he efficiently began to tend to his wounds.
"Thank you," Keith murmured as Lance finished up.
Lance's eyes flashed to Keith's, "You're lucky I came along."
Keith hung his head, clenching his fists. He hated being helpless, and he was dreading Lance's reaction to all of this. When would the ball drop?
"Well, I'll get out of your way," Lance said. "You need to rest, recover."
"Why did you come here?" Keith asked. "I didn't even know you knew where I lived."
Lance grinned sheepishly, "I looked up your address in the work database. Sorry for coming over unannounced."
He turned to leave, but Keith grabbed his hand, "Wait! Tell me why you came."
The two boys stared at each other for a few minutes. A gentle blush had spread over Lance's features, and he broke his gaze away. "I-I had something I wanted to tell you. It can wait until you feel better though."
"What is it?" Keith asked softly.
Lance looked down at their hands, which were still joined. Keith started to pull away, realizing he had held on for too long, but Lance grabbed his wrist, enveloping Keith's hand in both of his own. "I realized something, a few weeks ago. I finally worked up the courage to tell you, but..."
"But things are different now that you know what I am?" Keith guessed, a bitterness beginning to fill him. He pulled his hand away, already feeling the sting of tears in his eyes.
"No, not at all!" Lance responded.
Keith squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head.
"Keith, I-" Lance sighed heavily, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. This doesn't change anything. Look at me." Lance put his hands on either side of Keith's face, gently cradling it. Keith looked up into Lance's eyes. "I realized that I-I really like you."
Keith blinked in surprise, "Like me?"
"Yeah," Lance's face was red now.
Keith didn't know where it came from. Perhaps it was all this time hating himself for having a crush on someone he thought would never like him back. He couldn't help it, he burst into tears.
"Keith! Keith, don't cry!" Lance pulled him close, his arms coming around his skinny, feathered friend.
"I-I like you too," Keith finally managed. "I like you too."
