A Big Reveal

The mood in the truck had been tense for the last hour.

Not only was Oto still reeling from the embarrassment of being wrong about street slang, but the vehicle he was trapped in also smelled of dust and oil. He felt as though simply existing in the passenger seat was going to give him hives and that at any moment the rumbling that vibrated his entire body would finally shake the teeth from his skull.

On top of that, every time he looked over at his driver, they wore a scowl on their pristine face. Their clothing, still a Jackson Wallock painting worth of blood, grass, and, now, oil, bothered him deeply. But every time he brought it up, they would get angry and quickly shush him. So, instead, he had decided to sit quietly with his hands resting over the folded coat atop his lap.

Then the vehicle began to sputter, rattling even worse than before.

Oto instinctively placed his hands against the passenger door and roof as his heart raced.

“Are we going to die?!” He cried out, looking to his saviour with terror in his eyes. “Is the truck going to explode?”

“No—god, calm down!” The figure in the driver's seat snapped.

Slowly, they pulled the car off to the side of the road as it coughed its last breath and came to a final rest.

“It’s just out of gas.” They continued, patting at the dashboard. “So, this is as far as we can go with it. We’ll have to hoof it until we can find something else.”

“Oh, no-no-no. I’m not an equestrian. In fact, I hate horses.”

“That’s not what I—” The figure sighed.

Lowering their head and resting it on the steering wheel, they sighed once more before asking, “Why do you hate horses?”

“It’s the teeth. They freak me out—eeegguh!”

That was when Oto heard something he had not expected. Laughter. A hearty chuckle that went on for several seconds before the saviour’s beautiful face, while still resting on the wheel, turned towards him.

He spotted the gentle creases of joy at the edges of their perfect eyes and, for the first time, a radiant smile. Whoever this person was, they were unlike any hoodlum he had ever expected to encounter. There were no scars or blemishes. No missing or chipped teeth. Their eyes were bright, not worn from a life of labour.

“That’s what freaks you out?” They asked, laughing again. “The teeth?”

“What?” He protested. “They’re just gross-looking and chompy. Nothing at all like your beautiful smile.”

The smile quickly faded from their face as a flush of colour splashed against their cheeks. With a cough, their look hardened before turning away from him and staring forward once more.

“I can see something, maybe a mile away; some trees and a sign.” The saviour had returned to their dour mood. “Let’s make our way there. With any luck, there’ll be another vehicle to boost—”

They quickly turned towards him, holding a finger up as he inhaled to speak.

“—and don’t. I don’t want—not a word, okay?”

“What?” He flinched, raising his hands. “I wasn’t going to say anything about that taboo.”

“What then?”

Oto motioned towards the saviour’s attire once more with a flick of his fingers.

“It’s just—I don’t know much about the ways of the streets, but won’t they be suspicious of the blood?”

They gave a glance over their body before sighing and motioning Oto to hand over his clothing.

“Good point, give me your coat to wear.”

“Absolutely not!” He protested. “This is Mulberry silk. Plus, it’s tailored to my body, not yours.”

“Yeah, and I’m wearing a blend of shut up and give me your coat. It doesn’t matter how it fits. It’ll work.”

Watching as the grey figure reached for their sweatshirt, Oto felt his heart begin to race. The first thing that appeared was the bare skin of an athletic physique. Even from the side, he could see a set of abs that rivalled his own emerging before the sweatshirt revealed the next surprise. A black, longline sports bra that fought to hold back the saviour’s sizable bosom. Lengthy, silver hair then rolled down their back and stopped at the edge of the bra.

Finally, as the figure slipped their arms free of the sweatshirt, a full sleeve of tattoos revealed itself. A white tiger crawled down their right arm, wreathed in chrysanthemums that transformed into a bed of spider lilies.

Releasing the firm grip on his coat, Oto touched his at racing heart. That feeling yet again overtook him. A passionate wave of warmth flushed his body, and he could taste his saviour’s lips once more. He watched as the figure haphazardly crumpled their sweatshirt, not wasting the opportunity to observe every movement of their beautiful body.

Throwing the bloodied rags out the window of the truck, the fine figure turned back to him. They suddenly cocked their head to the side.

“What?” They asked. “You’ve got that dumb look again. And you’re grabbing your chest. You sure you’re not going to keel over?”

Oto struggled to speak. The words stuck in his throat as he swallowed them down with the hopes of a second chance.

“Wait.” He finally managed. “You’re a woman?”

“Yeah?” She replied dispassionately. “Wait, did you think I was a guy or something?”

“Well, I didn’t know what your gender was.”

“And, what? When I kissed you, you were just okay with it being—whoever?”

“Yeah?” He candidly delivered. “That stuff doesn’t bother me. Guy or girl—I’m ambidextrous.”

His saviour's face went blank before she sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead.

“That—that—Jesus, dude, that’s not what that means. Jus-just give me your coat.”

No longer worried about how his jacket would fit his saviour’s physique, Oto handed the fabric over and watched as she stepped from the truck. Following her lead, he emerged from the vehicle and inspected himself.

Ugh—I look positively dowdy without the jacket. He glanced over the hood, admiring how his saviour filled out the fabric and the way her bra revealed itself between the lapels. His heart began to race once more.

At least she looks good in it. That look is somewhere between boho and streetwear chic—wait! That’s it!

Removing his red tie and slipping it into his pocket, Oto rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. Finally, after freeing three of the top buttons, he glanced over his more relaxed look with a smile.

Perfect. Now, if anyone sees me, at least I appear more smart casual than hodgepodge degenerate.

“Hey, pretty boy,” His saviour called out. “Less checking yourself out. More walking.”

“Yeah-yeah, I’m coming.” He replied, trotting after her. “I’m just glad we decided against the horses.”

“Shut up.”

Walking in a line, Oto followed behind his saviour for the better part of the predicted mile before they eventually reached an old-looking gas station. The closer they drew, the more it became apparent to Oto that the single-pump mom-and-pop shop-restaurant was where poor people liked to spend their days. Of the three cars parked, only one was in front of the pump, with the other two idling to the side of the establishment.

Good thing I fixed myself up. He thought to himself. One of these people may be a fan of—

“Hey, pretty boy,” His saviour spoke as she reached a hand back and placed it to his chest. “Why don’t you hang back. This place looks pretty dirty. I’ll go see if I can get us some gas, ‘kay?”

“Oh—umm, good idea,” Oto replied, thinking of the state the interior would be in with such a ramshackle exterior. “I’ll wait by the tree.”

They quickly went their separate ways. As Oto made his way to the large willow tree, his saviour entered the building with a faint, distant ding of a bell. Leaning against the trunk, he struck a casual pose in the event there were any hidden paparazzi around and adjusted his visage to one of being aloof.

That was when a familiar sound filled the air. In an instant, the glass at the front of the shop exploded out, following the form of his saviour as they tumbled across the asphalt.

Pushing up from the tree, Oto looked at the scene in horror, watching as his companion lay motionless on the ground. His heart began to race.

“My jacket!”