Learning to Fly

"W-what am I supposed to do?!" Gene exclaimed as he stumbled onto the stage next to Miya.
     "Dance!" She replied with a smile that made his heart shake.
     The crowd seethed with rage, disbelief, and hundreds of other emotions as Gene tried to dance. The guards would've tried to stop him, but they were too busy keeping the crowd off the stage.
     The backup dancers tried to force him offstage; however, as they grabbed him, so did Miya. Suddenly, one of the backup dancers with brown hair let go of Gene's arm. He seized the opportunity, pulled his arm out of their grasp, and began dancing with Miya.
     The crowd was going insane; some hated what was happening; others were confused; still more thought it was all for publicity.
     Miya and Gene couldn't care less. 
     She performed her kicks and twirls while stepping around Gene with finesse. Her long blue hair made a trail he could follow as she practically flew around him; a whirlwind of beauty. He watched her move and smile in the stage lights, and started tapping his foot. 
     Miya was having fun; the lights, the music, the outfit. It was like she was twelve again; just a child performing for her grandparents. She looked at Gene.
     Except now, she had a partner.
     She grabbed his hands and started pulling him with her into her spinning twirls. His hands were strong and firm, and she could imagine being held by them; but in the moment, all she wanted was for him to dance.
     Gene laughed as she danced with him as he stumbled. The part of him that was embarrassed, ashamed, and reluctant died when he laughed.
     Miya's eyes sparkled when Gene let go of her hands and started headbanging to the music. She laughed and joined him. When she did, she felt something fly off her forehead and clatter onto the stage, but she didn't care.
     They jumped randomly, waltzed occasionally, and at one point they did something vaguely resembling flamenco. The whole time, they couldn't stop laughing and smiling. Their hands would brush against each other and clasp, and every time they tried to waltz, it was hard to stop because when they were close together everything felt right; however, for the dance to keep going, they had to separate briefly. 
     From an outside perspective, it was like watching children play.
     The song neared its end, and Miya approached Gene. He had no idea when the song would end; though when Miya started running towards him, he did the same. 
     They embraced two seconds after the song ended; out of sync with everyone but each other. Miya looked up at Gene as their breathing began to even out. His strong hands were wrapped around her back. Her bangs fell naturally to the sides of her face and Gene gasped as he saw her eyes.
     Miya realized the thing which had fallen off her face had been the wire frame keeping her bangs in place. She blushed up at Gene as he looked at her with his kind brown eyes. 
     They made eye contact.
     When he saw her eyes, he knew exactly what color they were; they were amber like the sky at twilight, when the clouds were purple and the sun was dimming. 
     Her body didn't fit perfectly against his; he was a bit too bulky and she was a little too lithe; her forehead was at the same level as his chin; nothing about them looked like it belonged together.
     Except their lips.
     The crowd fell silent as the idol kissed the pilot.
     Some of the guards were shocked as well. 
     Hundreds of cameras recorded the moment, including the people in the recording booth at the back of the venue, who were currently speed-dialing Miya's manager in an attempt to get some information about what to do next, but none of their calls were answered.
     Gene could've kept kissing her forever; he held her tight, pulling her body against him.
     Miya felt like she was melting, exploding, and crying.
     Only one of those was actually happening.
     Gene tasted saltwater as he kept kissing her with his eyes closed. He pulled away from the kiss and opened his eyes to look into hers. They were watering. 
     "It's okay." He whispered. "You can cry."
     Miya's eyes widened and her breath disappeared, but instead of taking another one, she kissed him again. Gene stumbled back as she did so, barely managing to hold onto her. 
     The crowd was in an uproar, and every member of security was doing his best to keep the crowd from going ballistic. 
     Miya realized her microphone was on. She blushed at Gene.
     "E-everyone heard you say that." 
     "Did you hear it?" He replied.
     Miya nodded.
     "That's all that matters." He smiled at her warmly and looked out over the clamoring crowd. "Wow they... really don't like me, huh?"
     "N-not at all." She chuckled, then spoke into her microphone loudly. The crowd stopped as soon as they realized she was speaking.
     "Miracle Miya here everybody! I'm so sorry, but I won't be able to make it to the next show. A lot of things have happened recently, and I think I'm going to take a break for a while. Thank you all so much for coming, and as always, you should pray," she clapped her hands together and brought them down, "for a miracle!"
     Her speech only made the crowd more confused and upset. She ran back to Gene, who still didn't understand what she'd said. Before he could ask, she pulled him backstage with her.
     "Where are we going?!" He shouted as they ran past stage hands, machine operators, and other backup dancers.
     "My manager!" She exclaimed.
     "What?! Why?!" His grip on her hand tightened protectively.
     "Because he can help me quit working for Zygeist!"
     "Quit?!" Gene didn't understand anything.
     The two of them reached the door to the backstage office and Miya's hand gripped the doorknob eagerly. It didn't open. 
     "W-what?" She exclaimed. 
     "What's wrong?" 
     "The door's locked." Her bangs had settled over her face again, so that all he could see was her consternated mouth.
     Miya knocked on the door again and both of them leaned against it, listening closely.
     They heard the sound of someone choking.
     Behind them, footsteps were fast approaching. They looked back to see several security guards running towards them. Gene looked at Miya, then the door, then the guards, and grit his teeth.
~~~
     He dangled from the ceiling like a chandelier.
     His chest did not rise.
     His eyes didn't blink.
     His thoughts slowed.
     The door to the room slammed open. Gene fell to the ground clutching his shoulder and Miya raced past him. 
     She ran on top of the desk and saw that she was too short to undo the knot that was strangling Mukashi. 
     "Gene!" She shrieked, her eyes watering. 
     "Coming!" He stumbled up and jumped onto the desk too. 
     The security guards rushed in and stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing Mukashi.
     Gene couldn't undo the knot; his hands were too big. 
     Miya was crying, but she felt Gene's hands wrap around her waist as he picked her up and held her unsteadily. 
     "W-what are you-"
     "I can't untie him!" Gene interrupted. "M-maybe you can!"
     Miya looked at the knot that was holding Mukashi aloft through tears. She remembered making one exactly like it. 
     Her small graceful hands were able to coax the fabric of his necktie into giving way a little bit. She worked harder and faster as Gene struggled to keep her up. The guards had already called an ambulance and were preparing to catch Mukashi when he fell.
     A horrible thought entered Miya's mind; perhaps she could leave him.
     She slammed her eyes shut and killed the thought.
     The last knot in the tie fell out, and Mukashi dropped into the arms of the guards. Gene set Miya down onto the desk next to him; when she started following Mukashi as they took him to the ambulance, Gene was right beside her.
~~~
     The lawsuits were intense.
     Zygeist Media accused Miya of breaking their contract multiple times over. Her defense accused Zygeist Media of having unsafe working conditions, supported by the fact that both Miya and Mukashi had attempted suicide. Gene's foreign status only complicated matters.
     The court would've ruled in support of Zygeist Media if Mukashi hadn't testified in her favor.
     Journalists had a field day.
     In the end, Miya Min-Hee lost her status as an idol, and most of the money she'd made disappeared because of legal fees. After three years as a miracle, she'd lost everything. 
     But she didn't care.
~~~
     "Where do you wanna sit?" 
     "C-can I have the window seat?"
     "Of course."
     Miya sat down. Her hair was half blue, half black, and her bangs were gone. He sat beside her.
     The plane rumbled as it took off towards Houston.
     Gene touched her.
     "I love you."
     "I-I love you, too."
     And so, they flew.