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Doctor stood at the edge of the circus grounds, the night only filled with the sound of crickets and dew collecting on leaves under the starry sky. He glanced at the moon, wondering how much longer Harlequin was going to take before meeting with him. He would of much preferred staying in his personal tent for date nights. It was more for fun than anything needed for a courtship and the bite mark on his throat burned in faint memory of when they-
Doctor stilled as he heard the sound of far away engine get closer. He glanced back at the circus, wondering if he could hide away as the humans drove past before he heard the sound of a familiar radio station. He smiled as the sound of hyper beats got louder and a motorcycle burst from between the trees with a helmeted Harlequin on the back or makeshift helmet would describe what Harlequin currently had on his head. He must of cut holes for his horns to-
Doctor's mind went quiet as Harlequin flipped up the visor and beamed at him from inside the helmet.
"Sorry it took me a while. I had to triple check some things." Harlequin hummed, not turning off the engine as he walked the motorcycle to Doctor who let out a small hum.
"I see you've stolen someone's property- Not scratched yet. Color me impressed." He teased and Harlequin lightly hit his shoulder with one of his horns. He hummed happily and ran his hand over the motorcycle seat.
"I had to make sure I had the proper vehicle for what I had in mind for tonight and it just happened to be a motorcycle for reasons I cannot disclose here, so... Ready to go?" Harlequin asked, throwing his leg over to get back into the seat and Doctor was left with a choice. He could either say no and they both head back to their shared tent for date night instead or he got onto the back of the motorcycle, likely coming back damaged, but he gets to hold Harlequin as they-
Doctor got onto the back of the motorcycle without a second thought, ensuring his mask was on securely before his arms wrapped around Harlequin's form to hold him tight. Harlequin let out a loud wheeze as if Doctor was squeezing him too tightly, but chuckled as Doctor's covered beak brushed against the side of his helmet.
"We'll take a bit to get where I'm wanting us to go, so just enjoy the scenery till then." Harlequin shouted over the engine before he slid his visor back into place. Doctor ensured he was sitting on his cloak so it wouldn't fly back an expose his wings, but his arms wrapped around his Sweetie before the force of the wind against his form made his second eyelid slide over his eyes despite his mask protecting him from the breeze. Harlequin weaved between trees before he turned up his music and they hit the nearly empty road way. Doctor felt Harlequin's chest move like he was laughing before he turned his full attention to the road. Doctor's eyes looked to watch how the city moved past them in a rapid speed that he was only to train his eyes on one thing before it was suddenly at least a mile away in the next second. He hummed and moved his head to drag his beak over Harlequin's chest. One of Harlequin's hands let go of the handle and grabbed the end of Doctor's beak before pressing it to the side of his helmeted head.
"No distracting the driver unless you want to crash, birdy." Harlequin shouted over the engine and let go of Doctor's beak to hold onto the handle as the straight shot turned to into an easing curve. Doctor clacked his beak and moved to settle his mask against the little bit of space between the helmet and Harlequin's shoulder.
"The drive would be more enjoyable if this noise was turned down." Doctor shouted playfully, feeling how Harlequin took in a dramatic gasp that couldn't reach his ears over the roar of the motorcycle speeding up.
"Excuse you! This music is the best out there!" Harlequin called back and Doctor's remark was silenced as he felt Harlequin's tendrils brush over his front once they got off the main road and onto an empty backroad. Doctor scooted closer to Harlequin's back, feeling how the tendrils brushed over his body and wrapped around his thighs and abdomen. One slipped up to his head and wrapped around his mask to keep his head on Harlequin's shoulder. Harlequin hummed with the song playing as his tendrils held Doctor firmly to his back. Doctor let out a happy churr and closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of the wind blowing past him. The warmth of Harlequin's body and how his heart seemed to race only a few beats over his baseline left Doctor wishing for nothing more than to hold his dearest patient as close as he could in his nest at home.
Doctor found out why as Harlequin came to an almost skidding stop as they got to a road closed sign. Harlequin turned down his music as he walked around the blockade and turned back to Doctor while turning his visor back up.
"Welcome to what we are doing for tonight! I put these up before I came to get you to make sure the next few miles would be car free and there would be no cameras to catch us out there." Harlequin announced, almost chirping with happiness as his tendrils let Doctor go and he was allowed to look around. Doctor took in the forest on either side of him with a soft hum, the only light was the moonlight and bit of light that the stars allowed to pass through the atmosphere to highlight the leaves that danced in the wind.
"We are going to drive up and down a closed roadway on a motorcycle you have stolen for our date?" Doctor asked, wondering if there was more to it as he got off the motorcycle to stretch out his legs. He held back a groan as the aches in his joints eased slightly and Harlequin kicked out the stand of the motorcycle. He got off and kept the motorcycle on the side of the road before he took off his helmet, shaking his now crazed hair out with his hand while he faced Doctor. Doctor shamelessly looked Harlequin over and filed the mental image for another time, adoring how his curls were slightly frizzy from the helmet aside from his tight heart curl on the right side of his head. He placed his altered helmet on the motorcycle's seat and stretched. Doctor savored the sound of Harlequin's relieved grunt and popping joints.
"Yes and no." Harlequin stepped closer and grabbed one of Doctor's hands before he looked up at him with a soft look in his eyes. Doctor clacked his beak and tilted his head to the side, but Harlequin chuckled and tilted his head so their eyes would stay connected. The action made Doctor correct himself and Harlequin pressed a kiss against his knuckles.
"I know I can't do anything about your wings, but I thought I could do something so you could get as close to flying as possible. I know being driven by a motorcycle is not the same as truly flying but-" Harlequin started, looking away from Doctor as he explained his plan only for a hand to cup his face and Doctor's real beak brushed against his mask. Doctor's mask was in his other hand and he brushed his beak closely up Harlequin's shoulder to force goosebumps to the surface, the touch letting Harlequin know that the teasing drag would of been kisses if Doctor had lips to kiss with.
"I wonder if I should leave an extra claiming mark on you on a more visible area... I can't risk having someone attempting to steal away my sweet Harley." Doctor spoke aloud, a teasing tone in his words caused Harlequin to laugh and press a kiss against Doctor's beak.
"I don't think Jester would approve... Lets do it. Maybe one on the face?" Harlequin said, heart melting at Doctor's adoring churr. Doctor's beak beak moved to preen the frizzy curls that framed Harlequin's face before he heard fabric hit the floor and saw Harlequin's cloak pool at his boots before Harlequin moved to take off Doctor's cloak for him. Doctor bent down and thrilled as Harlequin took the chance to kiss over one of the glands at the base of his beak before stepping back from Doctor's lazy grab.
"Come on, Doctor. The night isn't getting any younger." Harlequin teased, putting the helmet back on with a bit of hesitation to his horns until the helmet was securely in place. He grabbed his cloak and folded it before opening the seat of the motorcycle to show a small compartment to place the folded piece inside right next to his hat. Doctor bent down and grabbed his own cloak from the ground to add next to Harlequin's clothes. With his mask and folded cloak tucked safely away, Harlequin put down the seat before climbing on. He kicked the stand back to the side and he looked back to Doctor who got on with what could be mistaken as love in his eyes.
Doctor could not recall a time he was so exposed to the outside world when off circus grounds. He would dare to say that he felt naked despite still wearing his clothes.
He opened his wings and let out a pained groan as his left wing ached in a way that was deeper than the muscles and very bones that made it up. Doctor stretched his arms and neck before he shook his head and turned his attention to Harlequin who was still watching him with a smile.
"Ready?"
"As one could be when put into a situation like this, I suppose- Are there any rules to this "flight" that I should know about, Sweetie?" Doctor asked, holding tightly onto Harlequin once more. Harlequin hummed behind his visor and leaned forward to the point he was only a few inches away from actively laying on the motorcycle, Doctor hold bringing him down with him.
"Nothing too serious, just that I would like to stay on the ground." He teased and Doctor playfully tsked. Harlequin's tendrils wrapped around his body aside from his wings and head, the firm grip keeping them pressed against one another tightly. Doctor stilled for a moment before dragging the tip of his beak lightly over Harlequin's shoulder.
"This position is familiar." He whispered, feeling Harlequin jolt slightly in his grasp before he huffed and turned the handle to make the engine roar.
"Sometimes you make me regret teaching you things, Doctor." Harlequin whispered back, the feign disappointment in his words caused Doctor to laugh before the wind began to press against his down while the motorcycle came to life. Doctor felt his second eyelids slip over his eyes instinctively, his wings pressed close to his body as he adjusted to the feel of the wind pushing against his face that was thankfully broken up by his beak. Doctor slowly pulled himself up to feel more of the wind, his wings hesitating slightly before he slowly stretched them out. He angled them to go with the wind to avoid resistance, but as the wing moved under his wings he felt something stir deep within his chest. It was a feeling of something pure and almost blissful and he felt like he was a chick once again as he flapped his wings and manipulated the air around them.
Harlequin bit back a laugh at the sounds of happy chirps and thrilled that Doctor was allowing to slip out. Maybe he couldn't hear himself? Either way, the sounds his dear one made caused his chest to grow warm and a smile grow on his face. He pressed himself lower and forced the engine to go faster, his ears straining to hear Doctor over the rumbling. Doctor perked up as he saw the road begin to wind, closing his wings slightly as he leaned with Harlequin in the curves. His wing was only an inch from the asphalt while sparks came from the metal of the motorcycle scraping against the road. Doctor felt his crop flip as he moved with Harlequin to correct the motorcycle and allowed his wings to fully spread out again.
"I thought we were going to fall off a moment ago-" Doctor called and Harlequin's laugh filled the air that rushed past his eardrums.
"I know, fun right?" Harlequin yelled back before Doctor felt his wings catch on wind as Harlequin went up a large hill. Doctor kept his wings close as his claws threatened to go through Harlequin's costume and press into his skin for a better hold.
When they got to the top of the hill, Harlequin slowed down, allowing Doctor to see the expanse of the forest with no city lights ruining the scene. Doctor allowed his mind to dilute himself to simple dreams and fantasies for a moment. For just a singular moment he was truly in the sky with the wind under his wings and Harlequin safely held within his arms.
And it was blissful.
The engine's angry roar broke the fantasy along with the impact of the wheels hitting the ground after becoming airborne from the high speeds. The sudden wind caused Doctor to flinch, his wings bending in as if he was diving while they drove down the mountain at speeds higher than Doctor would of liked if he knew speed by its specific velocity instead of from just the number on the dial.
Harlequin's laugh filled the air and Doctor couldn't help the light sound forcing him to chuckle along, knowing he would of been beaming if it weren't for the limits of his facial structure.
The road stretched on, allowing Doctor to savor the feeling of this "flight". A few more hills that did not hold a candle to the first one and a few turns allowed Doctor to move his wings in ways he hadn't since he was a chick. He nearly tsked as the blockage came into view and one of Harlequin's tendrils brushed against his cheek in acknowledgement. Harlequin came to a stop a turned his head back to look at Doctor over his shoulder.
"Want to go again?"
Doctor let out a thrill and tightened his hold.
"Yes."
Doctor let out a confused churr as Harlequin slowed the motorcycle to a stop and kicked the stand down. His tendrils loosened around Doctor's form, so Doctor let Harlequin go. He watched as his Sweetie got off the motorcycle and stretched before taking off his helmet. He looked back with an easy smile.
"We can still go a few more laps, but we'll have to refuel before then. I'm pretty sure I left a gas canister around nearby..." Harlequin's sharp grin replaced his previous smile and Doctor would of clacked his beak at the adoring sight if the impending joke was not pointed at him when he would of enjoyed continuing the drive. Doctor stretched out his wings and closed them slowly. He ignored the new pains as he got off the pleasant, constant movement of the motorcycle and onto solid ground.
"From your look, I presume that you've likely forgotten the placement of the canister and thus we have to go through the forest to look for it. Am I correct?" Doctor spoke evenly, though Harlequin did not react if he pick up the slight hints of disappointment. Instead he gave a happy hum and put the helmet to the bike into the compartment under the seat with the rest of their things.
"Not completely. I do know the general area, but I'm making you look for it. Someone has to watch over the motorcycle so it doesn't get stolen from us." Harlequin pointed to the treeline next to them, "I would walk about thirty feet that direction and hang a left. Good luck."
Doctor let out an amused huff before he started the walk as Harlequin's chuckles followed behind him. He kept an eye out for any signs of Harlequin's usual jokes or pranks, but found nothing even after he was certain he hit the thirty feet mark. The forest buzzed with little life as he walked, even the crickets around him hushed considerably. Doctor could not blame them. Without his mask, he likely looked like a predator to them, though he ruled that bugs were not a proper food source. Perhaps there was a time they could of been, but he only reason he ate them now a days was for the flavor or out of simple curiosity. He began to walk to the left as his dear patient had instructed while the memory of Harlequin catching him with a spider in his beak replayed in his mind.
His patient had gone for a kiss at the worse possible moment while the teeth of his second set of jaws crushed the arachnid. Harlequin had grabbed his beak and opened it to start the kiss, only to slowly close it and press a kiss to his cheek before walking away like nothing happened. Subsequently, a drawn "spider" was on Harlequin's shoulder when he returned home that night with a teasing glint in his eyes.
Doctor scanned the forest floor and the trees for the gas container, wondering if he may of overshot the spot until a clearing came into view. A clearing that had a red blanket and a small tent nearby. Perhaps small was not the correct term as it was only small for him.
"I wasn't sure if you would of liked being under cover again as we took a break so I made options." Harlequin walked past him, turning back as he motioned to them. Doctor stared at him before he stepped forward and wrapped a wing around Harlequin before heading for the blanket.
"I trust you ensured there would be no witnesses around, so why not stay under the stars for a little longer? I enjoy how the moonlight forces your pupils to constrict a few millimeters and your heart beat rises considerably when I am not forced to have you pressed against me via an enclosed space. I wonder if-"
"I did not ask for an analysis, Doctor." Harlequin spoke up, his voice tight while his eyes looked anywhere except for Doctor's reddened gaze. Docto blinked and the red vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Apologies. The adrenaline rush I have been receiving from the drive has left me more reckless than usual. I should return to true homeostasis within the next minute or so." Doctor explained as he attempted to retract his wing from around Harlequin's form only for sharp claws to hold it firmly in place. His wing was pulled down as Harlequin sat on the blanket and Doctor slowly followed with help from his Sweetie's tendrils.
Once settled, Doctor wraps his arm around Harlequin's form and pulled him close before his beak began to toy with the frizz of his patient's curls. His dear patient leaned into his touches and closed his eyes. Tendrils wrapped loosely around Doctor's upper body and his horn brushed against Doctor's beak lovingly. The comfortable silenced until careful words shattered it to tiny pieces.
"Thank you for this experience. I have never had the chance to experiment with the wind under my wings until mere hours ago. I could of never imagined the feeling would be this delightful." Doctor hummed, clacking his beak happily as he felt more content then could be properly put into words. Harlequin pulled away slightly to look at Doctor with a smug smile.
"Oh, so it wasn't just driving up a down a closed road on a motorcycle I've borrowed?" Harlequin teased and Doctor chuckled as his words he said hours ago were playfully thrown at him. He tilted his head at Harlequin as he couldn't help the smile apparent in his words.
"I recall saying "stolen" instead of "borrowed"." He clacked as Harlequin leaned his weight onto Doctor's side with his smile growing.
"Same thing if you think about it long enough." Harlequin hummed, rubbing his horns against Doctor's shoulder as he looked up at him. Doctor looked down at his Sweetie before his feathers ruffled out at the familiar glint in his green eyes. He glanced around, but a tendril wrapped around his beak and forced him to look at Harlequin again.
".. I do not wish to have-"
"We won't. I'm just imagining things, but I have to ask something that I've been curious about while setting all of this up. If you could really fly, what would you do? Me personally? I would of flown the coop a while ago, though that means we likely wouldn't of-"
"I would of tracked you down and courted you similar to what we have now. The place nor setting matters." Doctor said it with such confidence akin to his diagnoses that Harlequin believed him for a few seconds before he let out a scoff that ended with a few breathy, disbelieving laughs.
"Flattering... Now answer the question. I'll die if you don't."
"That is not medically-"
"Doctor."
Doctor clacked his beak happily before he thought about the question and let out a small hum.
"I would likely fly to get ingredients from high altitudes such as cliff sides and mountain tops. I also suppose our position will be similar to the one we've adopted while driving." Doctor explained, turning his attention to an intrigued Harlequin who stared up at him.
""Our" position? You're saying I would be in the air with you in these hypotheticals?" Harlequin was unable to hide his disbelief while Doctor gave a small nod.
"Of course. I am happy on the ground because you are here with me. I assume being the air would create no difference in that statement." Doctor explained, watching how Harlequin got a shocked look on his face before he turned his head away with a loud huff.
"Always so blunt." Harlequin muttered and Doctor let out a happy churr as he stared down at his dear patient who still looked away as a flush covered his cheeks. Doctor could not see it form how he turned away, but the speed in his heartrate was unmistakable.
"A fact said with hesitation is not a fact but a theory." Doctor's confidence caused him to puff out his chest in pride of continuing to leave his partner speechless even as their bites, or deep tissue wounds in Harlequin's case, became lasting scars. A tendril brushing from his throat to the tip of his beak brought him back to reality and he saw Harlequin look over at him once the flush on his cheeks faded to nothing. His forked tongue slipped out from between his teeth teasingly.
"Would you like to kiss or-"
"Yes."
"At least let me finish my question." Harlequin laughed before getting close once more. Doctor's beak clacked rapidly before he forced it open as Harlequin kissed along the side of his upper beak. Harlequin's tongue brushed over one of the holes left before he moved to press proper kisses to Doctor's tongue that pressed up to meet him half way. His hands moved to Doctor's shoulders before one clawed grip pulled out handful of neck feathers hiding Harlequin's mark. Doctor melted into Harlequin's touch and wrapped his arms around him to pull him closer, his wings hiding them from any lingering eyes. Tendrils moved over his body to find their hold on his limbs or simply lay against the feathers of his neck and back.
Even if the date ended here, Doctor would of labeled it as one of the best.
