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watcheraurora · 1 month

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First Flight

New installment of the Unintentionally-Adopted-a-Kid AU! Direct continuation of "But For This? Absolutely" 5.2k words (almost exactly!)

—

Jimmy woke up to a cold bed. Which was weird because Tango's Blaze blood kept the bed almost uncomfortably warm all night. He rubbed his eyes. There was gold light beyond his closed eyelids, but it wasn't the weak gold of dawn—at least, he didn't think it was. He hadn't felt like he'd had a whole night sleep.

He peeled his eyes open after rubbing the sleep out of them.

Through the windows and balcony door, the light flickered chaotically.

Jimmy bolted up, flung the covers off, ignored Revenge's yowl of protest, and leapt toward the balcony with half-extended wings to keep him slightly aloft. If the ranch was on fire he'd have to grab Skye and Revenge and get out. Tango could walk through fire without getting burnt but he'd need to find him too—

He froze when he saw the source of the flame.

The outpost. Across the wheat fields and animal pens. Across the gorge. The pillar of cobblestone and dark oak inhabited by Illagers.

The whole thing was on fire. Jimmy could feel its heat from the balcony.

He stared with a dropped jaw.

The outpost was far enough away that the burning Illagers running around were tiny, barely visible.

Something bright and blazing swooped in circles around the outpost, little meteors of light shooting from it and hitting the outpost, expanding the flames.

"Tango..." Jimmy breathed.

He climbed up onto the balcony railing, just in his pyjama shorts and no shirt. His wings loosened behind him, tilting like he was going to takeoff. He glanced back over his shoulder into the master bedroom. Revenge was pouting on Tango's side of the bed, grumpy that he'd been woken up by Jimmy's movement.

For the first night in a while, they'd left their bedroom door slightly open to listen for Skye.

He crept back inside, tiptoeing to Skye's new room. He peered in through the tiny gap in the slightly-ajar door.

She was asleep, her ravager plushie clutched in one arm. Lying on her side to keep her wing from further injury. The other side from the one she'd been lying on when Jimmy tucked her in, but she seemed to still be tucked into the blankets.

Tango.

Jimmy's heart melted.

He snuck back, away from the door, and back into the master bedroom. "Keep an eye on her for me, Rev," he whispered to Revenge. Who Mrrped grumpily in response.

Jimmy went back to the balcony, hopping the railing, and hurled himself into the air. His wings beat at the smokey atmosphere and carried him high up until he could dive straight for the outpost, wings tucked in like a bird of prey hunting a target.

"Tango!" he shouted as he plummeted.

His soulmate pulled up short, hovering in the air, Blaze Rods orbiting his head rapidly.

Jimmy twisted and flared his wings, braking. Canary wings couldn't hover like hummingbird wings. He wasn't built for it. So he flapped as slow as he could in a circle around Tango, reaching out and resting his hands on Tango's burning hot shoulders. Tango rotated in place, synced with Jimmy's moving.

"Tango," Jimmy pleaded. "Tango, you have to stop."

Tango's breathing was heavy and his red eyes were glowing, not just reflecting the flames. His jaw was set and his teeth were bared. Illagers were screaming. Jimmy tried to ignore it.

"Tango, look at me. Please," Jimmy pleaded. He waited, flying in slow circles until Tango's gaze fixed on him. "You have to focus. We need to leave. Come on." He slid one hand down from Tango's shoulder to take his hand. His skin was even hotter without his shirt to block the heat—but something in their SoulBond helped Jimmy not get burned from it.

He twisted and shot back toward the ranch house with a beat of his wings. Tango kept up easily, leaving a trail of firelight in their wake.

Instead of landing on the balcony, Jimmy touched down on the rooftop and sat down. He tugged on Tango's hand until the latter sat too. But Jimmy kept tugging.

Tango shook his head. "If I sit in your lap, I'll burn you," he protested softly, reaching a hand up to run it through his hair. It was still flickering bright and fast. A bonfire trying to turn into a wild forest fire.

Jimmy tugged again, insistently.

Until Tango relented and crawled onto Jimmy's lap. "What happened, Tango?" he asked gently, rubbing Tango's arm.

"I... I woke up because Skye was crying. Her grief hit her, I think. I hugged her until she cried herself to sleep. I barely even said anything. I didn't know what to say. And it just hit me how wrong it was for the Illagers to keep a child in a cage and... and I saw red. You know how I am. I had to... I had to..." His red eyes flared with light. "She didn't deserve that. And they didn't deserve to get away with it."

Jimmy took a breath and sighed. "I can't condone what you did. But I do agree with why you did it." He ran one hand up and down Tango's arm.

Tango's hair simmered down to a manageable level and he snuggled himself under Jimmy's chin, closing his eyes. Jimmy held him close, resting his chin in Tango's warm hair. The soft flames licked at his jaw and cheeks, but wouldn't burn him anymore.

They stayed like that as they watched the outpost burn. The cobblestone left behind and the wood absolutely gutted. Dawn was minutes away by the time the biggest flames were truly dying down.

"Grian and Scar are going to be furious," Jimmy mused. "They rather liked the outpost."

"They can deal," Tango growled.

"Whatever happened to rebuilding the ward around the ranch so they couldn't disturb us?"

"This required less magic."

The sun broke over the horizon, just the first peak of its shape. Jimmy sighed again. "Come on. Go catch a little nap while I get breakfast started. We've got a big day of work ahead of us and a new mouth to feed. We better make sure we're prepared."

Tango burrowed deeper into Jimmy's chest. "No nap. Just cuddles."

Jimmy snickered. "I need to go get breakfast started. At least for the little one."

Tango groaned in complaint. "Fiiiiine."

Jimmy laughed softly, scooped Tango up, and fluttered them both down onto the balcony.

Revenge was still asleep on Tango's side of the bed, so Jimmy set Tango down on his own side and slipped out of the master bedroom. He checked on Skye—also still asleep—and headed downstairs.

—

Weeks passed. The Illagers moved on, finding another place somewhere far away to build a new outpost. Ranch work never really stopped, but Jimmy and Tango always took time out of every day to make sure Skye was well cared for. Jimmy worked her up to strengthening the muscles in her broken wing as it healed. Tango taught her how to read and do tiny magic tricks like sparks—with the rule that she wasn't allowed to practice fire magic in the house or the wheat field.

They didn't go into the nearest town often, but supplies sometimes needed to be fetched when they were running low. Every time Jimmy went into town, he took Skye. Just to acclimate her to being around people again. She seemed to handle it well. He bought her a handful of toys so she wouldn't be so bored at the ranch, and took time to whisper to other grownups about whether they knew anything about her parents or guardians. White hair and wings like hers were distinct and genetic. But no one ever seemed to know. Not even Grian, who seemed to always have his fingers in every pie in town.

Usually on the long walk back to the ranch, Jimmy would have her practice her wing strengthening exercises, helping her build up. Often he'd carry her and whatever they'd bought that day most of the way. But he always managed.

Before any of them knew it, Skye had been living on the ranch for six weeks. And according to Tango and his magic, her wing was fully healed and ready to remove the splint for more than just cleaning and preening the feathers. He'd been using his tiny healing spells to assist her natural healing along, since he couldn't do it all in one go.

"Hold still, kiddo," Jimmy said soothingly as he circled around to her back. But he knew better. In typical Avian fashion, she was twitchy and fidgety. He was too. He could remove the splint even with her movements as long as he was careful and gentle.

They both did their best. Skye to stay still, Jimmy to undo the string and sticks that made up the splint. Tango did his best to distract Skye so she held still by doing magic tricks—having discovered Skye was particularly partial to the way he made little candle flames change colors.

As the splint fell away, Jimmy felt his heart twist a little. The wing was atrophied, despite him helping her with exercises to build its strength back up. He sighed.

"Is it bad?" Skye asked quietly.

"Oh, sweetheart. No," he replied warmly.

"Why'd you make that noise then?"

"Just because the muscles still need a lot of work before you'll be able to fly. I'm just sad because I wanted to teach you to fly once the splint came off, but your wing isn't ready yet. And that's fine! We'll keep working on it, yeah?"

"Okay." Skye nodded, small and timid.

Tango tripped forward and crouched down to be on her eye level. "Don't worry, Skye," he said. "Jimmy's good at this. He'll have your wing ready to fly in no time. And he's gonna be the best teacher ever."

"Really?"

Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck, ready to try to set more realistic expectations, but Tango cut him off. "Really-really. I've never seen someone fly as pretty as he does. And he's really sweet and nice and paaatient. Especially with me. So he's gonna be a great flying teacher! And you're such a smart girl—you're gonna learn how to fly so fast." He ruffled her hair.

Skye giggled.

"Are you ready to start making your wing stronger, sweetheart?" Jimmy asked, kneeling beside Tango in front of her.

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yay! Just follow after me, okay?" Jimmy asked.

Tango got to his feet as Jimmy stretched his wings, moving out of the way. Despite Skye's youth and small size, her wings were big too. Avian wings tended to take up a lot of room when they were unfurled. And Jimmy was so tall that his wings were enormous. So Tango figured it was best to just stay out of their way.

—

Every single day, Skye and Jimmy practiced the exercises. Every day, Skye could do them a little bit longer. Jimmy would even hold her back lightly against his chest and take off flying so that her wings could get stronger from the pressure of wind beneath them. They spent an hour or two every single day building her strength. And when Jimmy needed a rest or a break but Skye was still energetic, Tango would take over with magic lessons.

As time went on, it was hard to remember or even imagine life without her at the ranch. She chased Revenge and played in the wheat and really loved Tango using magic for little fireworks. She smiled big and hugged bigger. A lot of her fears and grief slowly ebbed away.

A few months of exercise every day after her splint came off, Jimmy deemed her ready to fly on her own.

The day before that, he sent for Grian.

Tango could fly as well, of course, but he didn't have wings. And Jimmy insisted that two adult Avians teaching a child to fly was probably for the best. Tango would fly below in case she started to fall so he could catch her, but Jimmy and Grian would be her primary instructors.

Or rather, Jimmy would. Grian's reply to Jimmy's request more or less said if Jimmy would teach, Grian would be there for support.

Which was fine with both Jimmy and Tango.

Jimmy woke bright and early. Moments before dawn. He slipped out of bed—Tango was still asleep—and changed from pyjamas to everyday clothes. He chose a T-shirt instead of a tank top so he could fly without an overshirt on without burning his shoulders. His jeans slid on next.

Tango groaned from the bed.

Jimmy turned.

Tango had rolled to be able to see Jimmy, one arm behind his head, propping it up.

"What?" Jimmy asked, voice shaking in a laugh on the word.

"It's always criminal for you to cover up," Tango said, voice slurred from sleep.

"You couldn't even see anythin'. My wings were in the way."

Tango shrugged. "Still criminal," he said.

Jimmy chuckled, shaking his head to tame his hair and then raking his fingers through it. Tango's red eyes tracked the movements as his tongue poked between his sharp teeth. "Careful," he said. "She's got really keen ears."

"She's young and wouldn't pay that much attention." Tango shrugged. He swung out of bed and approached, folding himself into Jimmy's arms. His skin was unbelievably, comfortably warm. "Why are you dreeeeessed?" Tango complained into Jimmy's chest.

"Because today's the day I teach our girl how to fly."

His wings went stiff as he straightened his spine.

"What is it?" Tango muttered, face still buried in the soft fabric of Jimmy's shirt.

"Nothing, it's just... She is, isn't she?"

"She's what?"

"She's our girl. Not just a... guest."

Tango finally leaned back, a thoughtful quirk to his brow. "Yeah. I guess she is, at this point. No one in town knows anything about her parents. And by her story, it's more likely that they're dead. I doubt they escaped."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?!" The thoughtful look on Tango's face vanished, turning confused and shocked.

"You said you didn't want kids. And we've gone and taken in a six-year-old orphaned Avian."

Tango sighed and rested his cheek against Jimmy's shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry for, rancher," he said softly. "Life has twists and turns that we never see coming. I didn't want kids. I was happy to just spend my life with you and our friends. But now that she's been here for so long and we've made space in our life and our home for her, she's just part of it. This place wouldn't be complete without her anymore." He sighed as Jimmy ran his hand through Tango's hair. "And I'm happy with that. Gosh—I can't even put into words how much I love watching you interact with her. You're such a good dad."

Jimmy's wings twitched. He hadn't even thought of himself as a dad. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Tango sucked in a deep, reluctant breath. "Time to get ready so the lessons can commence?"

"Time to get ready to get chores done before lessons can commence," Jimmy replied.

"Oh, right. Silly of me." Tango backed up toward the bed, away from the wardrobe. Before catching Jimmy by the shoulders and pulling him back down onto the bed. Jimmy managed to suppress a startled squawk. He always forgot how strong Tango's slight frame was.

"Wait—Tango—I just got dressed—" Jimmy protested as Tango crawled up the bed so their heads were even.

Tango smirked, teeth glinting in the light of his fire hair. "And you can get dressed again in a little bit," he whispered. "When I built her room, I double-lined the walls so we could make noise without disturbing her."

The door to their bedroom clicked shut quietly with Tango's red magic swirling around it. A sound dampening spell.

Jimmy smiled. "If you insist," he said.

Tango hesitated. "If you really don't want to, we don't have to. I just—"

"No, no. I've changed my mind. Get down here and kiss me."

Tango's lopsided grin grew wider. "Don't have to tell me twice," he said lowly.

—

"Right. Are we getting started?" Grian asked, looking a bit impatient. He stood on the front path with his hands on his hips and his parrot wings fluffed up behind him.

Tango looked normal as he exited the ranch house with Skye on his shoulders, but Jimmy was rapidly trying to straighten out his shirt and jeans. Grian's dark eyes flicked between the two of them, bounced an eyebrow, and looked toward the sky while Jimmy fought off a blush.

"Yep-yep," Tango said, hauling Skye off his shoulders while she giggled. He set her down on the ground.

Grian knelt to be at her eye-level. "You're Skye, right?" he asked.

She nodded, her white hair in its pigtail braids taking on a warm gold sheen in the sunlight.

"I'm Grian." He smiled gently. "I'm Jimmy's, er, brother." He wasn't, but it was easier for her to understand that. "I'm going to help him teach you how to fly." He ruffled his own wings. Skye peeked at them and gave him a timid smile.

"Alright!" Jimmy exclaimed, clapping and rubbing his hands together. "Shall we get this going?" He smiled at Skye and knelt down. "Ready to fly, sweetheart?"

She nodded.

"Tim, our wings are too long. We can't hold her hands for this," Grian said.

"I know. I'm going to hold her to my chest. And slowly loosen up. You and Tango will keep an eye on her from below in case she starts to fall. I'll hold onto her from above."

"Better than how Jimmy learned," Tango muttered under his breath sarcastically.

Grian had essentially pushed Jimmy off a cliff to teach him how to fly.

Jimmy held Skye's hand. It was shaking a little. "Okay, kiddo. We're going to teach you how to fly first, then how to land, and then how to take off. And it's not going to be easy. And it might take a while. But you're such a strong, smart girl that I know you're going to be okay."

Skye nodded.

"You wanna hand Mr. Snuffles to Tango?" Jimmy asked.

Skye looked down at the ravager plushie in her arm, up at Tango, back at the plushie, and then held it out.

"I'll keep him nice and safe for you, Skye," Tango reassured her. She nodded.

"Okay." Jimmy stood up. "Come stand on my feet and spread your wings like we've been doing for the last couple months."

Skye went over and did as instructed. Jimmy bent down and put his arms around her middle, minding her wings to not crush the feathers but holding her tight.

"Grian?" Jimmy invited.

Grian turned around, bent his knees, snapped out his wings, and flapped them down, hurling himself into the sky.

Skye's deep blue eyes widened as she watched. "Wooow!"

"You'll get there too, Skye. I promise," Jimmy said. "Now hold on tight."

She grabbed onto his arms with her little hands. He hoisted her up against his chest and ran down the path, his wings and hers gathering air beneath them.

Jimmy swept his wings down. The downdraft sent wheat in the field rolling away as he launched.

Skye squealed. Usually on takeoff, her wings were furled and Jimmy held her protectively. This was the first time her wings had been extended for takeoff. Jimmy smiled. She seemed okay—excited, even—which was good.

"See how my wings are moving?" Jimmy called over the wind. She nodded. "Try to move yours the same way!"

Grian swooped around the two of them. Tango flew along below, a soft trail of fire left behind him.

Skye moved her wings, face scrunched as she tried to copy how Jimmy flapped. Grian angled and came to rest in formation just below one of Jimmy's wings. Which prevented Jimmy from flapping if he didn't want to smack Grian, but he could glide for a bit. "You can't just move your wings up and down," Grian instructed. "You have to push the air with them."

Jimmy peered around Skye to check her facial expression. She looked confused.

He squeezed her around the middle. "Remember when you climbed onto the kitchen counter yesterday? And you beat your wings down to help boost you up?"

She nodded.

"That's what he's talking about. We've got instincts for flying—for how to flap our wings. You gotta listen to those too."

She nodded again. This time when she flapped, there was real intention behind the power of the movement.

"Yes! That's it!" Jimmy praised.

She squealed. "I felt something!"

"That's the wind in your feathers, for real!"

She beamed at Grian, then twisted to look at Jimmy. "Am I flying?"

"Not yet! You have to keep doing that in order to stay in the air."

"But you're not?"

"No. I'm gliding. And that takes just as much strength to hold your wings against the wind like this. But if Grian would move—" the comment was directed in Grian's direction, "—I'd be able to flap and get higher up."

Grian twisted his head and stuck his tongue out. Jimmy did the same. Skye laughed.

But Grian took the hint and dipped one wing, sweeping away from the path of Jimmy's wings and then churning the air hard and shooting higher.

Jimmy flapped much softer, gaining altitude slowly. "Follow what I do, Skye," he instructed. "Feel the wind beneath your feathers!"

She flapped in sync with him, gasping each time the wind filled her wings like sails. They climbed higher, nearing the clouds.

"Alright. I'm going to loosen my hold around you. But I won't let go. I just want you to feel what it's like to keep yourself aloft on your own," Jimmy said. Skye's eyes widened. "You'll be okay. I won't let you fall. I'll still hold on to you."

He adjusted his grip so he was no longer using his arms to keep her against his chest. Instead, he wrapped his hands around her ribs and extended his arms a little so her wings were no longer touching him.

Skye screamed.

Tango's fire burned brighter and he shot up to them. "What's going on?" he called.

"She's flying on her own, sorta!" Jimmy shouted back. "I'm holding on so she doesn't fall, but she's keeping herself up!"

Tango nodded and slowly lowered to be about halfway between the trio of Avians and the ground.

Skye had stopped screaming and started concentrating. Jimmy could feel in the way she frantically flapped that she actually was keeping herself aloft. His grip was loose enough that he wasn't actually maintaining her, more meant to tighten if she started to fall. He kept his own flapping minimal. The size and power of his wings compared to hers meant one wingbeat from him would send him another ten feet up in the air while she only gained maybe two. And he didn't want to drag her around. So he did barely enough to keep himself consistent above her.

Grian noticed. He swooped and came to a glide directly above Jimmy. "Pass her to me," Grian called. "My wings are smaller."

Jimmy's face blanched.

"Tim, I won't let her fall. I promise," Grian said.

Jimmy sucked in a sharp breath. "Skye!" he called, gathering her close to him again. "Tuck in your wings. I'm passing you to Grian."

Her wings furled closer to her back. Grian held his arms out, hands splayed to take her.

Jimmy hated lateral passing of anything in the air, but given it was Skye—he was terrified. He kissed her hair, snapped his wings inward, and rolled so his back was facing the ground. Immediately he started to plummet. Skye's braids dangling above them. She screamed again.

Grian swooped and snatched her out of Jimmy's arms, tucking her against his soft red jumper.

Jimmy flipped back around and snapped his wings out, letting them fill with air and stop his descent. With a whoop, he rocketed skyward, tucking his wings halfway in a spin.

Grian assumed the same position with Skye that Jimmy had done once she got her wings sorted out, holding her by the ribs.

"Watch how he flies," Grian said to her, his own dark eyes tracking Jimmy as his smaller parrot wings swept through the air in perfect sync with Skye's. "See how he doesn't think about it too much? We have to let the wind take us. Tango can fly in a different way. The wind doesn't really affect him. But for us, the wind is everything. We have to ride it. Let it guide us."

"Tango said Jimmy flies pretty," Skye said to Grian. Her voice was quiet over the wind, but Grian could hear her.

That made him actually smile. "He does," Grian agreed. "See how big his wings are?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded.

"That's because he's tall. Big and strong. His wings have to be really big to get him off the ground. And despite that, he's still really good at moving in the air. Look at the way he spins. He doesn't need to, he just likes the feeling." Grian's grip on Skye loosened a little more. "Close your eyes, Skye. Just for a few seconds. I've got you. Feel the wind in your wings. Feel how it moves through your hair and flutters your shirt. Focus on just the wind. Hold your wings nice and strong. Flap up and down. That's it. You're doing great. Breathe, kiddo."

Grian let her go, but kept his hands hovering inches from her to snatch her if she started to dip.

"Open your eyes, Skye," Grian said.

She opened them again, not seeming to notice he wasn't holding onto her anymore. Far, far below, the ranch had been left far, far behind. The burnt husk of the outpost was a speck on the horizon behind them.

And Skye was flying on her own. Completely.

Grian knew Jimmy. His heart was so full of love and care—and fear of losing those he cared about. He never would have released his hold on Skye.

But Grian knew she had to spread her wings and fly on her own. It was the only way to really learn for an Avian child. So he'd had to take over. And give Jimmy just enough time to see him holding onto her that he'd trust Grian enough to look away long enough to show off. Tango was also correct: Jimmy did fly pretty. Enormous gold-yellow feathers shimmery in the sunlight—he flew like a dance.

Jimmy's flight feathers had matured late. He hadn't learned to fly until he was maybe twice as old as Skye. He hadn't learned how to fly the traditional way, since he'd been strong enough to do everything on his own from the get-go. And he still flew like he'd never learned to take it for granted.

But Grian had been young. And he remembered learning with his dad letting go of him midair. His own flying was far more practical and less pretty.

Still, watching Jimmy fly was always fun. He took such joy in it.

Grian's eyes snapped to Skye's wings the moment he saw their flapping weaken. He scooped her ribs back into his hands and brought her a little closer to him. "Getting tired?"

She nodded.

"Alright," he said. "I'll teach you how to land. You're going to want to hit the ground running, okay? It'll hurt your knees less until you learn more advanced techniques."

She nodded.

Grian held her tighter, but still let her glide, as he beat the air and pulled up alongside Jimmy. "Tim! Landing time!"

Jimmy looked at Skye's glittering white wings, then Grian's eyes, then nodded. "I'll tell Tango." He twisted into a sharp dive, wings held close.

Grian talked Skye through angling her wings to start descending. The loose hairs that had escaped her pigtail braids were snapping with the wind as they turned back toward the ranch and started a long, slow descent. Tango stayed below them, but Jimmy shot up to brush wingtips with Grian the whole way down.

They took the descent angle so shallow that they were nearly over the gorge between the ranch and the outpost when the ground seemed near enough to touch.

Grian helped Skye slow down by angling her wings upward to fill with air and brake before gently running into their landing together. Jimmy dropped out of the sky and landed before just running after them down the path.

Tango swooped overhead and dropped to the ground in front of Grian and Skye. She squealed and ran at Tango, Grian letting her go, and threw her arms around him. "I did it! Did you see me? I did it! I flew!" she exclaimed, her wings fluttering behind her, half-furled, as Tango held onto her.

"I saw, I saw! You did so good!" Tango replied.

Jimmy stopped right next to Grian, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Thank you," he said softly.

Grian smiled. "Of course."

Jimmy's hold tightened. "If you ever let go of her again—"

Grian laughed, not surprised that Jimmy had noticed after all. "You'll what?" he challenged. "She needed it, and she was fine. She was safe. I'd never let her fall." His own wings twitched. "You learnt late, Tim. I learnt when I was her age. I knew she'd be fine. Avian children all have to learn to fly on their own eventually. Our parents aren't always there to hold onto us."

Jimmy glowered, but there was a softness to his eyes. "I know. She's just... she's so precious."

"And because she is, I'd never let her fall."

Jimmy gave Grian a proper hug. "Thank you."

"Sure. Now I've got to get back before Scar burns down the Keep." Grian hugged Jimmy back, and broke out of the embrace. "Skye? I'm going to go. Can I have a hug goodbye? It's okay if no."

But Skye let go of Tango and ran at Grian, her wings flaring out to give her a little boost to jump into his arms. He laughed and held her tight.

"You did so good today," he said softly into her hair. "Tango and Jimmy are very proud of you. And so am I."

She smiled. "Thank you!"

He ruffled her hair. "Get some rest so you can keep learning tomorrow." He let her go and backed up a few paces. "Don't have too much fun without me!" His wings snapped out and he launched skyward, disappearing over the horizon.

Jimmy scooped Skye up, cradling her to his chest. "You did it!" he said. She squealed. "You flew! You're such a big girl!"

She giggled. "Did I do good?"

"You did great!"

Tango laughed. "Shall we head inside and get something to eat to celebrate? I might make a cake."

Skye gasped. "Cake? Please? Please? Pretty pleeease?"

Tango kissed Skye's hair. "Yep!"

"Yay!"

The three of them went inside the ranch house, laughing the whole way.

#trafficshipping #solidaritek #jimmy solidarity #Tango Tek #TangoTek #Team Ranchers #Team Rancher #Rancher Duo #Aurora Writes #Rory Writes #it's funny because in my other big fandom I'm known for an AU where I gave all the main characters kids #and yet i don't actually really get baby fever #like my husband and i don't know if we want kids but I keep giving fictional characters children lol

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