Jackdaw (The World of A Charm of Magpies)

“Running,” Ben repeated, and launched himself forward and up again.

It wasn’t that hard, in fact. He had played scrum half for a tough team and was well used to throwing himself forward without flinching from inevitable impacts. So he ran, and the air held him up, and he ran faster, and turned, because he could, with the wind howling in his ears and whipping away Jonah’s calls of encouragement. He climbed, recklessly higher, keeping his eyes on the great expanse of swelling sea, until he was panting, gasping in the wind, and suddenly aware that it seemed a lot more natural to run up through the air than down.

“How do I get to the ground?” he yelled.

“Run down a hill,” Jonah called back. “Or drop and swing.” He raised his arms in illustration, as if swinging from an overhead bar, and Ben thought, with dizzy lightness, Sod it, and did just that.

He dropped. Grabbed with his hands, was held for a second, dropped again, closed his hands on empty air that held him, dropped a third time and fell with jolting shock into Jonah’s open arms, tipping him over so that they were sprawled on the turf together, laughing and gasping.

“God,” Ben said finally. “God. That was incredible.” He couldn’t stop grinning. It didn’t look as though Jonah could either.

“Did you like it?” That must have been obvious, but Jonah’s face was radiating eagerness and the innocent vanity of knowing he’d pleased Ben, and Ben didn’t even consider his answer. He simply pulled Jonah over and kissed him.

Jonah’s mouth met his, still curved in that unstoppable smile. A memory flashed into Ben’s mind, a ridiculous play-fight from long ago—Stop laughing when I kiss you!—that had ended with them both so weak with laughter that they’d given up on the attempt to fuck. A bubble of remembered hilarity rose in his chest at the thought. Jonah pulled his mouth away to look at him, eyes wide with delight, fisted both hands in Ben’s jacket and yanked him down again.

After a few frantic moments that somehow got Ben’s hand trapped under Jonah’s back, and Jonah’s hands up inside Ben’s shirt, Jonah jerked his head sideways so they broke apart, gasping for breath.

“Ben.” Jonah’s eyes were on his, with immense satisfaction. “Listen, I want…can I try something? Will you come with me?”

“Yes. What? Where? We’re in a field.”

“We are now.” Jonah squirmed out from under him, in what Ben felt was an unnecessarily provocative way, rose and pulled him up, not letting go of his hand as they stood. They went over to stand at the cliff edge together. A gust of wind whipped at Ben’s jacket, and he took a half step back.

“You stay there a moment,” Jonah said. “Let me see.”

“See?” Ben asked.

“Over the cliff,” Jonah explained, and dived off.

It hit Ben right in the heart for a fraction of a shocked second. He remembered to exhale, couldn’t quite do it. The wind was too strong here to lean over safely, and he couldn’t fly alone, so he knelt at the ridge where gorse tumbled over the edge, inhaling the too-sweet scent, and looked down with caution.

It was an extremely long way. Black rock jagged through the white foam of waves many, many yards below. There was no sign of Jonah.

“Hello?” he called. God, he couldn’t have fallen, could he? “Hello? Jonah!”

“Here!” came Jonah’s cry from somewhere beneath him. “Hold on… All right, want to come down?”

“Where?”

There was no reply for a second, then Jonah came leaping out into Ben’s field of vision as though he’d pushed himself away from the cliff face. He scrabbled up, lurched sideways at a gust of wind, and landed on hands and knees on the turf.

“Whew.” He grinned up at Ben. “There’s a ridge down there, set back. Plenty of room. Perfect. Come and sit with me.”

“Uh…” Ben looked out at the sea, the drop.

“It’s windy, but jump out as far as you can.” Jonah’s eyes were the deep shade of the sunlit sea. “Trust me.”

This was actually insane. We could just sit on the ground! part of Ben’s mind cried.

But Jonah made him fly. Jonah danced with the wind. Jonah was looking at him with an expectation that he would join the dance, and Ben might be on a terrifying edge but with Jonah’s eyes on him it was impossible to step back.

“Now?” he asked, and it was worth it to see the grin on Jonah’s face.

“Let me go first. I’ll call.” Jonah straightened, took two paces and hurtled off the edge. Ben noted how he did it—jump out, pretend there’s something to land on right there, turn…

“All right,” Jonah’s voice came faintly from below.