Iggy was leaving. Max and Fang managed to find his parents. One simple look at a television screen revealed the parents of her beloved blind brother. The woman in which Max identifies had the same strawberry blond hair and blue eyes almost identical to Iggy himself. Immediate she told Fang, then told the others.
Unsure of whether or not to visit them, the flock slept on it. Iggy couldn't believe his ears. After so many desperate search attempts in finding their parents, Iggy finally found his. Joy flooded through him he was finally going to see his parents.
His parents!
Maybe God didn't hate him after all; maybe there was still a chance for him; to be well happy. When he lost his eyes he thought that was it, but he adapted to his surroundings and dealt with hit. Ignoring the pain it caused him on the surface, where on the inside he was always reminded that he never see every time he opened his eyes. He would either joke it off or wave it away, so what if he was blind. If everyone else thought he was fine with it, then he was obviously fine with it.
Usually sucking it up, then disregarding the remarks. Sometimes they forgot he was blind, but Iggy could never forget. Each night he remember the pain as the scalpel only got closer and closer to his face…then darkness, forever. As he dreams his foot would always slightly twitches in his sleep, from the nightmares that still haunt him; the laughing, the mocking, the pain, followed by more pain.
It still hurts and it always will his burden and his liability to the flock. He knew he was the weakest that's why he tried to make up for it by making bombs. He had to be useful at something, or he was simply a waste of time. It still pained him that he would never see again no matter how many times he tried to conceal it, it hurt.
But now, he was finally going to find his parents, meet them, and touch their skin. He would finally come home to place where he belonged, and maybe they could just look past his blindness, and wings. Accepting him with open arms, and finding a place where he finally belonged.
Although something was stirring in his chest, at the same time he felt elated but he also felt miserable In exchange for one family he would leave another. A family he's been with his whole life, that certainly know him better than his own parents. They accepted him of course, but now was the time to move on. He would miss them, and he would see them again.
Iggy closed his eyes, when he woke up he would be home
-+-
"Is this what you want, Iggy", Max asked. Iggy furrowed his brow, uncertain. This is what he's been waiting for his whole life; to the find his parents. "I, I guess" he answered her. "We'll stay in touch then", she said as she patted his arm.
One by one the flock wished him goodbye, Fang patted him on the back and while Nudge ran into him, sobbing into his shirt. "Oh, Iggy we'll miss you and don't forget about us, kay. We love you so much and don't disobey your parents, cause if we do we'll have to come back and-"Someone put a hand over her mouth, "yeah, we'll miss you Ig" Fang said, his voice sound strained. Angel cried taking his hand. Iggy could feel her arms reach high, wanting for him to pick her up. He bent down and gathered her in his arms, she took his face pressing a kiss to his nose, and Total licked his cheek. "Love you, Iggy", and then he set her back down.
Finally, Gassy came and gave him a big, firm hug around the waist, "it won't be the same without, you". "I know Gassy" Iggy whispered. It wouldn't be the same, not without his favorite partner in crime. Reluctantly, Iggy detached himself from Gassy's relenting arms. Fang manage to unhook Gassy's fingers from Iggy's shirt. He heard them flap their wings, one by one with last tap of their foot hitting the pavement, the flock was gone. He knew, and couldn't help the tears that were pooling in his eyes. He blinked them way, feeling the heavy pounding in his heart he ignored it and simply put on his happy, going-easy face, just like always.
He turned around facing his parents. His mother with her beautiful long hair tied in the back of her head, while his father with a somewhat dirty blond hair color and brown eyes looked tough yet the same time compassionate…and something else. Although he couldn't see them, Iggy felt their eyes on him. He cracked a smile to his beloved parents. He's finally found home in addition with two loving parents.
A caring, nurturing mother and a dependent supporting father, accepting him for who he was. It didn't matter if he was blind, tall, or even had a horn growing on the side of his head. They loved him, like parents should be.
When his mom realized Iggy wasn't going to move, she closed the space between them taking her son in a comforting embrace. "I love you, I love you". She sobbed in his shoulder; slowing Iggy put his arms around the woman who was called mom. "I-I love you too". He muttered, then he buried his head into her, letting the tears fall.
His father came to join them embracing his wife, along with his son. Iggy was content in this group hug, he never felt so happy in his entire life. Well, besides the time he escaped the school and made his first bomb with Gassy.
A new lump swell in his throat; he swallowed trying to suppress the new pain that was slowing eating away at his heart. He would see them again, he reassured himself. He just knew he would, and with that he let the pain crawl away from him, edging away from him till he simply went to ignoring it.
For now, he would have to make do with the here and now, one of the many things Max has taught him. This time the lump stayed down and his tear ducts stayed dry.
"Welcome home dear", his mother whispered in his ear, "welcome home". She lets go of her son, bringing him inside by gripping his arm. He realized he was inside as the air changed slightly; it was slightly cooler indoors rather than outside.
His father rubs the tall's boy back feeling the wings as he did so, "son" he said in a gentle voice. Iggy's head turned to his father's voice, raising an eyebrow. "Don't worry about your wings".
"Really"? Iggy asked, his mother nods then realizes her son can't see. The thought brings tears to her eyes, "umm, yeah honey. I mean I love as you are".
Iggy's face flushed, his head bend forward. "Thanks, that means a lot". Slowly the tall boy looked up at his mother with his clouded eyes and met her gaze. He knew that he accepted him, even before Max mentioned the wings. When she held him like that, Iggy knew that she would him accept blind or not, wingless or human.
His mother gripped his shoulder leading him the dinner table, shaped in a rectangular with chairs on either side. "Here" she said gently, Iggy felt with his fingers for the chair then sat down. His parents did the same, staring at their son who has now been mutilated and worked upon in the hands of evil. Although a flicker of knowledge passed through their eyes, as they exchanged a glance.
Their faces quickly returned to their kind caring ones, "Ummm, do you prefer to be called James or Iggy" she asks to change the subject. Iggy merely shrugged, "well your wings…."she starts say, and the winged boy tenses. Even though they haven't said it, Iggy still wanted to know whether they really accepted him as he was. He wanted to hear the words; I love you as you are wings and all.
"What about them"? He asks, going on the defensive.
"Well" his father says, "can you really fly"?
"Um…yeah".
"Can we see them" his Mother asks, "I mean if you don't mind". Iggy shake his head, maybe if they see him they won't be bothered as much by them.
Iggy pushes away from the table and stands. "Oh, yeah sure".
Gripping the table to steady himself he slowly lets his wings unfurl, hearing two gasps in the process.
"There beautifully" his mother murmurs. She comes around to feel them, reaching out with a trembling hand not from fear but awe.
"There somethin", his father adds, following the same movement as his wife.
"May I, touch them" his mother asks where her fingertips are just inches from skimming along his white, broad wings.
Iggy only nods, wondering whether or not they find it fearful or disgusting. He feels his mother brush her fingers along the tips then glides her hand to the base of the wing.
"Have you ever thought of showing this to the public" his mother whispers. Anger shoots through Iggy, his body feel like it's on fire and for once he can see red. The winged-boy takes a step back in astonished. He couldn't believe hid ears, "what"? He said through clench teeth.
"I mean you could stop those people from whoever did this to you…and you know save other kids like you". His mother says to convince him, not to discourage him.
But then his father says something that only shakes the winged boy more, by putting a restraining hand on his son's shoulder, squeezing a little too tightly.
Iggy's body began to tense. The hair on his back began to rise; something was wrong. Iggy shakes his head vehemently still not believing how quickly things just change. It's like something just shifted all of sudden, one second he felt like he belonged the next he felt more alone then ever. How could they even suggest that, to there own son?
"Why not, son" his father moves his body behind the boy, almost cornering him with his mother in front; "You could save others and think about the money you could make, at your age".
The blind, winged boy turned to the direction of his father's voice. He kept in the mind that his hand was squeezing his shoulder even more and his father was behind him.
"Is that what you want to do, make money off me"? He asked enraged. "Now son, don't get mad, just think of what you could do with the money, go to college for free, have nicer things, and have a bigger house. I'm only thinking financially son".
Iggy steps away realizing the situation is only getting worse. However, something takes a hold of his arm. Iggy is infuriated; he slaps the hand away when a strong hand grips his face.
"Hey" again, he tried to shrug it off but the grip squeezes into his jaw, he whips out a fist to crack his father's wrist when his father's hand whips out faster than a viper and catches his wrist and twists it. Iggy manages to hold back a scream, but says "No, you're not your thinking off of yourselves".
With his mother speaks softly, "no, honey we were not thinking of ourselves, we're thinking of you. Now you just got here and already you're acting like a teenager". She puts her hands on her hips, but her son continues to yell at her. Who gave damn if he's a teenager, they're thinking of using him just like the school used him.
"Your thinking of using me as an idol" the boy yelled her, but the father grows tired of this little boy yelling at mother like that, such disrespect. He grabs the front of his shirt, "now son you don't speak to your mother like that".
"No, you listen-".
Something hard hits him in the gut "now don't make me do it again, son, I don't feel like punishing you when I just met you".
Iggy falls to his knees clutching his stomach trying to get air back into his lungs. The boy's face displayed shock and disbelief with mouth gaping open, he gathers himself up slowly. Still holding one arm across his belly he stood gasping.
"What-", but his father grips him by the forearm gently, steadying him as he began sway, "now I think you should consider this, get some sleep".
"Hell, I ain't, I'm leaving", the winged boy tries to dash for the door when someone roughly grabs him by the shoulders, "your not leaving me again", his mother wails.
"How can you stand by and let my own father hit me like that" Iggy yells at her, she sighs, "hon, wherever you've been it's messed with your way of thinking, and now I think you should listen to your father".
"No" her son screams, with that he unfurl his wings and makes a run for it, but something hits him in the back of the head and he's falling.