I'll Share With You My Heartbeat

twelve

"I know." Autumn did a full three-eighty to take in their earthy surroundings and smiled. "You'd think that we can't smell but we can." They nudged Kieran forward with an elbow. "C'mon. We're almost there."

"You know," Kieran began as they continued their hike uphill, "You could've just floated us up here." He kicked a pebble across the path and watched it skip down the slope.

"Oh please. I can carry you up a building. But an entire mountain? No way. You can't even float."

A pause was followed by a throaty noise from Kieran.

"I floated last week actually," the ravenhead admitted quietly as if he half-hoped the breeze would carry his confession far away from Autumn's ears.

They halted in their footsteps, a short huff escaping their open mouth. "You floated and you didn't tell me?" Autumn cried, circling their friend, "That's incredible! Finally! How'd you do it?"

Kieran exhaled deeply, his fingers sprawling out against his hips. "Le— Lennon."

He expected the baffled eyebrow Autumn cocked at him.

"Lennon made me..."

"He made you float?"

"I didn't know what happened really." That was the truth.

Autumn ran their fingers through their hair, licking lips as if in deep thought. A pinecone scrunched under their foot.

"Are you gonna tell me off again?" Kieran asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"No," they replied, challenging him to a dead stare, "But I'll tell you this— you sink when you're burdened or negatively overwhelmed. You're a spirit, Kieran. Your spirit carries emotions the way your body used to carry physical weight. You float when you're lighthearted, stress-free, and— dare I say— happy."

The ravenhead grimaced at the word— that word that was so often thrown around like a useless bandaid on a salted wound.

Bandaid.

He wondered if Lennon's cut was healing. He wondered if he looked after himself properly since the last time he saw him.

Autumn caught his attention again. "Now, the only time you've floated is when you were with that boy," they continued, "Other than that, all you've done is sink into oblivion. I'll let you figure out what that means." They flicked dismissively at the ravenhead and carried on up the trail.

"That I'm a depressed piece of trash," Kieran deadpanned.

Autumn audibly groaned. "Sure. Yes. Absolutely."

The pair fell into silence for the rest of the journey, reaching the peak of the mountain that overlooked the city landscape. They weren't here without a mission.

"Ready?" Autumn asked just above a whisper, lifting their arm limply for Kieran to hook his around.

He did. "Are you scared?"

Autumn shrugged, lips jutting out. "It's not like we can fall to our deaths."

"Doesn't make it any less terrifying."

His friend's hold on him tightened. Kieran turned to face the fierce, steady look on Autumn's face.

"I got you," they said, each word lathered up with determination, "I got you, okay?"

Kieran nodded slowly. "Okay."

And they were off.

From an aerial view, the city seem flattened. The pavements and roads acted as arteries, hosting the blood flow of noisy vehicles. It was the dreamscape of those who believed in dreams, those whose dreams unveil under subway stations and kitchen florescence.