The pain he felt was greater than anything he'd experienced before. Miyuki fell on the floor, rolling from his bed, in an attempt to reach his phone. No, he screamed to himself, he could do this. He couldn't even stand, the pain shooting through his back was so great. Tears pricked from his eyes as he clenched his hands into fists, trying to remain calm, trying to keep his mind from being over whelmed and think- think of what he could do. His body felt as though it were on fire, but even that couldn't compare to the stabbing pain, ripping through his back, like all his muscles were being shredded inch by inch.
I won't let this- With a cry he pushed himself onto his hands and knees. His phone lay on the desk just a few feet away. If only he could reach it, call for help, or something! What ever was happening to him, what ever he'd done to himself, he needed a doctor, something was very seriously wrong, and he couldn't begin to think of what. He'd gone to bed the night before feeling a bit feverish, his body was a little achy and he assumed he was coming down with something. That morning, he was sure he was indeed ill, and left a message with Kuramochi to tell the coach he'd be off today. As he was still supposed to be taking it easy from his abdominal injury, so no further questions were asked and he'd gone back to sleep, hoping it would run its course in a day, and he'd be fine for class on Monday.
His blurry eyes glanced to the clock; twelve fifty two it read. He'd managed to sleep six hours since then. Practice would have already broke for lunch and he wondered if anyone had stopped by to ask if he'd like anything brought to him. If they had, he'd have already missed them, they were likely all doing their individual practice now. Surely someone would answer their phone, if only he could reach it.
Pain lanced through him again, and Miyuki collapsed back to the floor. A whine of panic escaped from his mouth as his breaths became shorter and his eyes glassed over. This was too much, the pain was too much. Why was this happening to him, what was happening to him? It wasn't that far. He just had to reach! Why couldn't he do it? Why wasn't his body letting him? He could see his phone. It was so close. So, so close! and yet... Why? Just a little further.
He saw the phone, saw it just out of his reach, and new he couldn't do it, new what he needed to do, no matter how much it hurt his pride. Every inch of him hurt.
"Help," he yelled to the empty room. His voice was weak and strained. Miyuki doubted anyone not listening to his wall could have heard.
He banged his fist against the floor. Maybe the thumping would attract someone. He prayed, he hoped- But he couldn't bang hard. Too much movement and his shoulder would move, and when his shoulder moved, the pain once again ripped through him. His eyes met the clock again. Less than two minutes had passed. His breathing once again quickened. Tears began to flow freely from his eyes. The pain was burning, scorching every inch of him.
"Help!" he again cried.
Just let it end, make it stop. Let it end, let it end, let it end. Whatever was happening to him, he would never recover. How could he? This was the end for him. Please, just someone help.
He needed his phone. If he could just get his phone...
Miyuki once again made an effort to calm his breath. Steeling up all his will power, he forced his body to crawl forward. Oh god, the pain was unbearable, and his teeth ground together with his jaw clenching for dear life. But he had to, he couldn't stop. On the count of three, he pushed himself up- and screamed, falling back to his side.
He was dying. His body was eating its self from the inside. He was going to die alone in his room here, and no one would know for how long he tried, for how hard he struggled.
The phone was right there...
He was crying now. He tried his hardest not to, the shaking of his muffled sobs only made the pain worse, but he couldn't help it. The truth was, he was scared. Scared and alone.
Mom, his panicked mind called out. Dad- he was going to die- someone, please.
Anyone!
His stomach lurched and he vomited the contents from the side of his mouth. He couldn't even move his head away and just laid there, silently begging for release from this nightmare.
The floor began to vibrate with the quick steps of someone out side, on his floor. Miyuki's terrified eyes widened.
"Help!" His throat burned and his voice was weak, but he had to let them know. The steps stopped out side his door. "Help, please!"
Who ever it was...
Three loud bangs sounded like heaven to his ears. "Miyuki-senpai?"
It was Sawamura. Miyuki felt the tingles of relief ripple over him. He knew the idiot wouldn't just leave him there. It was Sawamura. Sawamura wouldn't leave. He would crash and bang and demand an answer. And he would cause such a noise that others would come as well. It was Sawamura, he would be alright.
"Miyuki Kazuya, open this door!" More banging, and the rattling of a door nob, followed by several kicks. "Miyuki!"
"I can't," Miyuki ground out, though he doubted the boy could hear him. He had to shout again, Sawamura needed to know he had to break the door in, or run and get the coach, but it was Sawamura, so he doubted that action would cross his mind. He opened his mouth to call out again, but another spasm took his back and instead a strangled scream left his mouth.
The banging intensified, and then a moment of silence, and a click.
Cool air and sunlight flooded the room but he couldn't move to look up. Had Sawamura picked the lock? The door slammed shut just as quickly. But the air... he needed the air.
"Miyuki? Oh shit!" The boy was suddenly kneeling beside him. "Miyuki Kazuya, can you hear me? Can you speak?" he practically yelled. His eyes were wide, sweeping over him again and again, confused and panicked, and not knowing what to do.
"Noisy," Miyuki choked out. The part of his brain that obviously wasn't paying attention to the debilitating pain he was in, and instead just felt relief at being found, brought about a half smirk to his lips. He blinked, trying to focus on the boy before him when another wave of pain made him groan and curl in on himself.
Sawamura leapt to his feet. "Shit Miyuki, your magic's going wild."
Miyuki tried to regain focus. He watched him pull a pendant from his neck, kiss it, then awkwardly tie it around his own. Miyuki moaned, unsure what was going on. "-wamura..."
"Don't worry, I brought my stuff," Sawamura said before moving quickly back to the door. He heard the rustling from a bag.
"Sawamura," he groaned out. "I need help." He gasped for breath. "Call a doctor. Anything- hurry."
"Your magic's going nuts! It's a witch, not a doctor you need. I gotta ward off your room first. I'm-"
"What the hell? Call the coach!" Miyuki coughed. Everything burned. What the hell was Sawamura saying? Was Miyuki even hearing right? Not even Sawamura could be that dense. Miyuki heard him muttering and as he moved into view, it looked like he was doing something to the walls, putting something against the floor every few feet. "Oi!" Another wave a pain and suddenly he was dry heaving.
Sawamura turned with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. He stopped what he was doing and ran back to the door, grabbing his bag, and sat next to him again.
Tears ran from Miyuki's eyes. "It hurts," he hissed, clutching in on himself. He needed help. Why wasn't Sawamura helping him?!
"Where does it hurt, Miyuki?" Sawamura's voice was uncharacteristically quiet. He was pulling various items from the large duffle bag he'd brought with him, including a large tome of a book. What the hell...?
"My back. Please, I need help. Call the coach, get somebody..." Please, just move. Why wasn't he moving? Why wasn't he getting anyone? Instead he was flipping through that damn book!
"I'm a fairy too, okay! If there were a witch here, they'd have come already. But I can help. I brought a lot of stuff with me. Where do you keep your dust?"
Sawamura was speaking but his words were nonsense. "What the hell are you talking about?!" he was just able to grind out.
"Your fairy dust! Where do you keep it?"
What the hell, why was it Sawamura looking at him like he had two heads. Had he lost his mind? Was he seriously that delusional?
Something must of shown on his face because Sawamura suddenly sat up.
"Miyuki Kazuya, I am from the Haven. I am a Seelie fairy. I promise I will only help you. Please, trust me."
"What the fuck..." Something must have broken in Miyuki's brain. He was having a fever dream or something. He had to get to his phone. Miyuki tried to push himself up, reaching to his desk. He couldn't help but yell as he did so.
"Miyuki!" Sawamura lunged to try to catch him but it was over too fast and he was back on the floor. "What's wrong? Why won't you tell me! What ever it is, I promise not to tell!"
He was shouting again. God, why did he aways have to be so loud. Miyuki giggled a little, his head feeling dizzy. This was it then. He was going to die, curled on the floor, next to this idiot.
Sawamura was once again shifting through his bag. "You said it was your back right?"
"Yeah." He giggled again. How couldn't he? Sawamura grabbed one of the pillows from the bed, dropping it on the opposite side of his head from where he'd been sick. He then none too gently grabbed Miyuki's limp body, causing him to cry out as the pain became overwhelming, and positioned him on his stomach, with his head on the pillow.
"Can't be helped," Sawamura apologized. "I hope you're not attached to this shirt."
Miyuki was barely registering what was going on. Cool air hit his naked back and he was shocked to realize Sawamura had cut the shirt from him.
"I liked that shirt," he mumbled. Miyuki breathed heavily, wondering if this really was the end; if maybe what he was seeing was completely warped from reality and someone else was actually here; if he'd been kidnapped and tortured, or someone injected him with some sort of experimental drug, or, or something... "If you're going to kill me. At least do it fast."
Sawamura glared at him. He'd pulled out a bowl and grabbed a bottled water from Miyuki's desk. He began mixing powders and liquids he'd drawn from his bag, looking like a kid who'd found his mothers baking stores for the first time.
"For the last time," he ground out, not looking up from his task. "I'm a fairy too. I have no reason to hurt you." He twisted the lid off with his teeth and poured some of water into the bowl. "And believe it or not, but I do know my magic." He reached into his bag and pulled out a bunch of necklaces. Sawamura waved them in front of Miyuki's face. The clacking of the pendants irritated his already sensitive ears. It probably really was Sawamura in front of him; Sawamura couldn't do anything quietly. "See, I even brought a bunch of pre-made amulets. I could stop the pain, but they-need-your-dust. That's how they work!"
Sawamura huffed, turning back to his task.
"Well, maybe," Miyuki began, deciding to play along. What did he have to lose, and Sawamura wasn't going to be talking sense anytime soon. "I'm-not-a-fairy."
That gave the boy pause, surprising Miyuki. That was all it took?
"Then, what are you?" he asked seriously, as though that were not plainly obvious.
Miyuki rolled his eyes as best he could. "I'm human," and then after a strained breath, "so are you."
Sawamura's mouth dropped, closed ,and then opened again. "Wha- No. You're serious?" Miyuki just gave him a blank stare. "You don't know the Haven?" Miyuki remained silent. "The Haven, have you heard of it?" Still no response but something must have clicked in Sawamura's head. He gasped, jumping to his feet, and pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Oh! Oh shit, I know what you are!"
Anger began to bubble under Miyuki's surface. The pain had eased a bit since Sawamura arrived, yet he still wasn't helping him. He wasn't making sense at all but Miyuki had to humour him because he had no other choice at all. If he lived through this, he'd be seriously tempted to punch him.
With renewed vigour, Sawamura dropped to his knees, adding a few more things to his mixture and then spooning a portion, lifting it towards Miyuki's mouth. "Here, this will help with the pain."
Miyuki jerked back. "Like hell I'm drinking that."
"Just do it! I'm trying to help you, okay?" Sawamura glared. "I know what's going on now. This will help, I swear. I'm going to explain everything to you, but it's going to get a lot worse soon. You could seriously hurt yourself."
At some point Sawamura had placed a hand on his bare arm. There was a seriousness to his eyes that Miyuki rarely saw out side the diamond. As their gaze met, Miyuki found himself drawn in. The colour just seemed off, as though there were layers peaking through. And his arm felt oddly warm, calming heat seemed to trail out from the touch, easing some of the tension from the burning pain.
Whatever, he thought to himself. It's not like it could be any worse than how he was now. Nodding, Miyuki lifted his head and let Sawamura feed three spoonfuls of the thick, murky liquid into his mouth. It tasted sweet but left an aftertaste of something charred. A tingly sensation spread from the trail it left down his throat. His nerves began to dull, and a clouded feeling began to spread over his skin. Finally it felt like he could breath calmly, that his heart would stop racing.
Sawamura smiled at him. "Better?" Miyuki frowned. How the hell had he done that? He began to push himself up from the floor but Sawamura stopped him. "Whoa, all that did was help with the pain, you still can't move."
"What did you do? You said you'd explain. What the hell is happening, and what's with all this stuff?"
"Let me just clean up a bit first." Sawamura had a large grin on his face. He grabbed some paper towel Miyuki had stashed under his desk, and wiped up the area he'd been sick. "Do you want your glasses?"
"Please," he nodded. Sawamura handed them to him, and he repositioned himself to better see what was going on, though Sawamura made sure he continued to lay on his front. He couldn't believe the relief his body was feeling all of a sudden after such agonizing pain. "Seriously, what did you give me?"
"Magic," the boy stated proudly. He was seriously way too pleased with himself.
"Sawamura-"
"I'm actually a fairy."
Miyuki stared and Sawamura broke out into a loud laugh.
"I know you don't believe me. I can prove it." He yanked his shirt off and turned around. "Okay, now don't freak out too much, but I really doubt you'd believe me any other way."
Miyuki was about to tell him just how big an idiot he was, when two giant wings suddenly sprung and unfurled from his back. All breath left his lungs. He tried to move away, but moving his back shot pain through him like an electric shock, and he fell to his stomach once more.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. How could he? Sawamura was standing there with two bright gold and yellow butterfly like wings protruding from his shoulder blades down. And they were so big, they took up most of the space in the room, reaching from floor to ceiling.
"Here, you can touch them," Sawamura said from over his shoulder. He awkwardly moved so the bottom tip was right in front of his face. Miyuki cautiously reached out; his mind gone blank and not knowing what else to do but follow his instructions, and lightly grazed his fingers over the shimmering surface. His fingers came away with a light golden dusting. "That's what I was talking about, with the dust and all." Miyuki swallowed, staring from his fingers to the wings, to Sawamura glowing eyes. Sawamura's face flushed. "Erm, is it okay if I put them away now? These rooms really aren't big enough."
Miyuki continued to stare at him as though he'd grown and second head, or sprouted a pair of wings, as it were. What the fuck? Miyuki nodded his head, and the wings just as suddenly disappeared. What the hell? What the fuck...
"Did I really just see that?" It came out as a whisper.
"I can show you again-"
"No!" Miyuki stopped him, finally getting his wits about him as he came out of his daze. He was going insane, or he'd been drugged, yet his head felt clear? "You need to start talking, fast, because I'm about to have a freak out."
Sawamura put his shirt back on and knelt back by his apothecary set up. "I'm a fairy, and so are you." Miyuki opened his mouth to speak but the boy continued on. "Well a halfling, actually. You're only half fairy, one of your parents must be one and never told you, I guess, which is really weird. I mean, it's not like they couldn't know you're not human. Halflings are, well... Anyways, you just come into your magic later than the rest of us. I got my baby wings when I was eight. It hurt like hell, so don't freak out about that, it's normal."
Normal? But Miyuki still couldn't get a word in as Sawamura continued to ramble nonsense to him.
"My mom says it's way worse than childbirth even. But we've got magic to help us along. Which is what I gave you. I've got another spell to do on your back, because when they actually come through, it'll get real bad. But I know how to help with baby wings, so it'll be fine." Sawamura laughed. "I'm actually really good at this. You're lucky I'm here, Miyuki-senpai. You don't need to worry about a thing. The great Sawamura will get you through this, and then you can repay me by catching for me for a week!"
"I've lost my mind."
Sawamura placed a hand on his shoulder. Soothing warmth once again blossomed from his touch. "I know it's a lot but just think of it this way. One day-" Sawamura brought his face in close; his eyes glittered- "You're going to be able to fly."
The boy was obviously brimming with excitement as he let this small piece of information sink in.
Fly?
A sudden bang on the door caused them both to jump. Sawamura sprung to his feet and looked nervously from Miyuki to the entrance. Miyuki opened his mouth to call for help. Now was his chance, even if what Sawamura had given him helped, it was probably also some sort of hallucinogen.
"Oi, it's me! Now let me in!"
Kuramochi. Oh thank god. Sawamura still looked unsure of what to do, but Miyuki wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. "Help!" he called out. "I need help!"
"No!" Sawamura screached, knocked out of his hesitation, and moved to block the door. "No, you can't come in."
"Let me the fuck in, Sawamura, before I break down this door!" Kuramochi growled back.
"Kuramochi!"
Sawamura shot him a dirty look, struggling for words. "You can't, I'm- I'm naked. Come back later."
Miyuki internally face palmed.
"Why are you naked?"
"He's lying! Come in."
"No!"
"I'm opening this door!"
"Come back later!"
"Did you just-"
Then there was silence. Sawamura had done something to the handle; he saw his fingers trace around it. They both stayed where they were, waiting as the seconds ticked by. What had happened to Kuramochi?
A small note slipped under the door. Sawamura frowned, picking it up.
"What does it say?"
Sawamura looked at him, then back to the note, his eyes going wide in surprise before reading aloud, "I'm from the Haven. Your magic's spiking bad."
"You mentioned that before, the Haven," Miyuki noted.
"Yeah, it's the blanket term for supernatural beings living with humans."
Miyuki readjusted his arms to better prop up his head. This dream was getting ever more complicated. "I'm still not believing any of this."
Sawamura scoffed. "You just saw my wings! What else do you need?"
For me to wake up.
Another banging on the door. "Are you going to let me in or what?"
Sawamura grumbled, opening the door only partway. He stood, blocking the entrance with one hand on the door, the other on the frame in a painful attempt at looking threatening.
He did realize that was Kuramochi, right?
"What are you?"
"Well hello to you too," Kuramochi answered before giving the boy a rough shove and moving in to the room, ignoring Sawamura's squawk of protest. His eyes swept over the dorm room scene, lingering on Sawamura's bag of supplies and Miyuki's ruined shirt. "Oi, I thought Sawamura was the naked one."
Miyuki tried to remain calm. Finally someone was here that could help him. Someone not crazy. "Can you take me to the hospital? I think Sawamura gave me drugs."
"The hell, Miyuki, I just showed you my wings!"
Kuramochi crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Could someone please explain what's going on? The magic was really bad, but then it calmed down, I'm guessing when you showed up?" He nodded to Sawamura. "But then it started spiking again. Something like that is not going to be ignored for long. Someone else is going to come looking. And if the magic's coming from you-" He gestured to Miyuki. "I really don't think a hospital is what you need right now."
"I warded the room, and put an amulet on him," Sawamura's hand went up to his neck and then froze. "Oh," he gave a sheepish laugh. "Heh, I gave him my amulet."
Kuramochi closed his eyes and took a deep breath in visible exasperation. "And then used your magic? Of course you did. You're a caster type?"
Sawamura was about to speak when it struck him. "Hey, you never told me what you were! How do I know you can be in here?"
Kuramochi's head snapped up and the glare he gave the other boy could melt ice. "The hell? You think I want to eat you?" He stepped towards him. "Gross. Not to mention; fuck you." He gave him a hard shove. Sawamura stumbled, his face momentarily alarmed. "What do you take me for? I'm a wolf, if you must know. A predator. That's what you wanted to know, isn't it? We don't eat bugs." At least he had the grace to look abashed. Kuramochi shook his head, backing off. "You casters thinking all predators just want to take a bite out of you. Do you have any idea the kind of indigestion that would give me?"
"Sorry, sorry..." Sawamura placated sheepishly. "But still... you never know?"
Kuramochi lunged.
Sawamura screeched.
Miyuki saw all hope of leaving this situation with his sanity intact, drift out the window.
Finally they righted themselves after a brief wrestling match which found Sawamura pinned in what had to be an unnatural and very uncomfortable position. "I mean, I know you would never do that, Kuramochi-senpai. Please except my apology for thinking you might want to, erm, eat me."
Kuramochi snorted. "Better, now what's wrong with him?"
Finally.
"Don't you want to know what I am?"
Or not.
"Some kind of bug, obviously. And him?"
Not anything.
"I'll have you know that I'm a fairy." He sounded much too proud stating that fact. "A fairy of the Seelie Summer Court. We-"
"Right, so a bug. Miyuki, what are you? What's going on here?"
They were finally paying attention to him, but what does one say to that? How is Kuramochi just acting so easy? "You can't be serious."
"He's a fairy halfling," Sawamura answered for him. There was a pout to his lip that made him look like someone had just eaten his last fry. "He just found out."
Kuramochi's mouth dropped. "A halfbreed?"
"Yeah, and he doesn't know anything. I even showed him my wings, and he still doesn't believe me. His baby wings are coming in. They come in later for halflings, so he's just coming into his power, which is why it's been spiking. Erm, the other spike was me showing my wings without my amulet. Eh-heh."
"Idiot," he muttered before kneeling down to get a better look at him. "How you doing? You know this is real, right."
Miyuki did his best to give him a sour look. While they were having their tussle, he lay unable to move and in serious need of medical attention. Or magic attention? What the hell, at this point he just wanted the pain gone and to forget this entire experience. "Pretty much in complete denial. Oh, and my back feels like it's being ripped open from the inside while I've been set on fire, but please continue your conversation."
Sawamura stiffened. "Right, right, the spell."
"You've got something that can help him?" Kuramochi moved out of the way so he could get back to his supplies.
"Of course-"
"Well, get on with it!" Kuramochi cut him off, gesturing to the space he'd made before settling himself on the bed, out of the way.
"Yes, right, on it." Sawamura pulled out a clean bowl and began flipping through the pages of a large book with writing in an unrecognizable language. He paused after a moment, glancing at Kuramochi with a frown. "No sharing fairy secrets."
Kuramochi flipped him off in reply. Turning his attention to Miyuki, he asked, "Any idea on how this happened?"
Miyuki laughed. "The world going insane, Sawamura sprouting wings, and you talking like this is all par for course in typical day? Not a clue."
"I meant, how you're a half blood. At least one of your parents has a lot of explaining to do. Half bloods aren't-" He gestured uncomfortably. "Well they're not-" He looked to Sawamura.
"Even among the fey, half bloods are taboo," Sawamura supplied, though he was far more focused on what ever he was reading. His finger was trailing along the text, occasionally rummaging through his bag and pulling small bottles and vials out, labeled in the same foreign writing. Just how was all that hidden in there?
"It's one of the rules that falls across all species that make up the Haven," Kuramochi continued to explain, though he was awkward as he did so. "There are 'problems' that come with interbreeding with humans. But you seem healthy, so um, go you. Many die in childhood. I heard interbred wolf pups rarely make it through their first shift. I don't know all the issues that come with fey half bloods."
"Well, making it past childhood is the big one, really." Sawamura looked up to give him a half smile. "I mean, genetic problems would have shown themselves by now. Um, they tend not to live as long, but I mean, fey already live longer than humans." He frowned. "So, honestly you'll still probably make it to triple digits."
Honestly, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to process this. Genetic problems; likely childhood death? He thought back to his mom before she passed. How she would always fuss over him, how she'd constantly praise him for being so healthy and strong. Could this be why? He shook his head. From what they were describing, with taboo and genetic complications... "So, I'm like an incest baby?"
Kuramochi's face flushed. He looked away before answering. "Er, well, in a sense, but like I said, you seem fine. Sawamura, what are you doing?"
Smooth, Miyuki thought but he didn't mind the change of subject.
Sawamura finished mixing whatever it was he was making, and grabbed amulet from his pile to replace the one he'd given him. The liquid was thick and black and if Sawamura thought he was going to drink that, he'd have another thing coming. "It's part of the spell. He needs extra power because he's so much older. Sorry, I've got to sit on you now because i've got to write on your back, okay? It's got to be precise, and being left handed doesn't help."
Miyuki's brows furrowed but before he could question, Sawamura had settled himself across his legs and placed one hand on his neck. He heard him mumble something and an odd sensation spilled down from his touch. Miyuki's eyes locked with Kuramochi in silent question. Kuramochi just shrugged back, but didn't look concerned.
Sawamura grabbed the bowl and the book and all of a sudden, it felt like he was finger painting on his back. Kuramochi leaned forward, tilting his head to the side as though it would help him make out the strange lettering being written across his bare skin. Despite the pain still lingering just below the surface, his touch did nothin to aggravate it.
"That looks really complex. Are you sure it's okay for you to be trying that? Isn't spell casting supposed to be really hard?"
"Hey!" Sawamura paused in his actions. "I do know what I'm doing," he huffed. Miyuki bit back a laugh. One comment and gone was the semi serious Sawamura. "My parents made me learn when I was little, okay? They were really strict about it. I've spent more time studying magic than I have math!"
Miyuki's seen his math scores. He absolutely believes him.
"Is that normal?" Kuramochi questioned.
"Somewhat. But I am a bit good at it too. I mean Wakana can't do this sort of thing, and we learned at the same time."
Oh, he knew what was coming now.
And three, two, one...
"Waka- Wakana!" Kuramochi sputtered.
"Uh, yeah, we're the same clan."
"Wakana's a fairy?" Kuramochi stood, bouncing slightly on the palls of his feet, like he didn't know whether he was going to strangle the boy or hug him.
"Yeah," Sawamura answered, bemused as though he hadn't just dropped yet another bomb on the lot of them.
"I knew she was your girlfriend!"
And here we go.
"She's not my girlfriend!"
Right on cue.
"Ow," Miyuki groaned. Okay, that was not light pressure. Did he forget what he was supposed to be doing?
"Sorry." Sawamura eased up. "She's practically family. Anyways, I need to concentrate."
"Please," Miyuki hissed through his teeth.
Kuramochi stretched, a grin still plastered across his face. "Anything I can do to help? I added an extra ward on the outside door by the way. Your welcome."
"Actually, yeah. We're going to need lots of water and cloths. Like a bucket? His wings will need a wipe down. Sometimes it's messy."
Great. That sounded just lovely. He did not need to hear this.
"Right. Be back in a minute."
After the door closed, Miyuki tilted his head, trying to catch a glimps at the boy still making himself comfortable on his back end. "So what happens now?"
Sawamura hummed in thought. "Once I'm done, we can induce your wings out. It's a lot easier this way. Less painful."
Miyuki gave a half hearted chuckle. "This is the less painful way?"
"Without help, getting your baby wings is like, a leading cause of death among children."
"Wonderful." Perhaps if these people believed in hospitals, there'd be a lot less dying all the time. So far, from what he could gather, which admittedly wasn't a lot, being a supernatural being, sucked.
"If it's any consolation, I really am sorry this is happening. It's really lucky- well, I mean, my being here. There's just not all that many fey in this part of the world, right?"
Miyuki was silent. What if this really was real. If this was really happening, then that would mean one of his parents- his mom- was actually this creature. That she'd kept this a secret, taken it to her grave, and left him alone, so very much more alone than he'd ever been before... It was a sobering line of thought, and he tried to push it aside. But this wasn't real. It couldn't be. Even after seeing Sawamura's wings, after Kuramochi speaking casually about magic, after the god awful pain still searing just below the surface of his skin whenever he made the slightest move; how could he believe this was real?
"But don't worry. This time, I can help you! Just keep that in mind next time we're in the bullpen."
Miyuki chuckled. "You're unbelievable." It could have been worse. If this was real, then it could have been a lot worse. If Sawamura hadn't found him... "What are you even doing?"
"Spell weaving. It combines multiple disciplines of casting in order to amplify a particular power." He was speaking lightly, almost a mumble, his concentration elsewhere. "It's kind of hard to explain. Don't worry, you won't need to learn anything advanced like this. Basic warding and simple charms to remain hidden is really what most learn."
"But not you." It wasn't a question.
"My family's pretty old, they have expectations. I don't really mind, but yeah, it kind of sucked as a kid. They'd hold baseball over my head until i finished my work."
"Ha, probably the only reason it worked."
"Probably." He could tell the boy was grinning above him.
Kuramochi reentered a few minutes later carry a basin of water and a pile of old towels. He set them beside Sawamura, who was just finishing up. The shortstop let out a low whistle.
"I checked, the wards are holding. That looks like some high level shit, are you sure you did it right? He's not going to turn into a frog or anything?"
"Yep. All ready to be induced. Best stay back, baby wings aren't small, they just can't carry our weight."
Kuramochi gave him a thumbs up, tucking himself into the lower bunk. Sawamura moved to the side and handed Miyuki a clean towel. "Bite on that."
"Wha-"
"Trust me. It'll be over fast."
He had no choice but to trust him. He'd been right about everything else so far. Sawamura rubbed his hands together for half a minute before placing them on Miyuki's shoulder blades.
"Alright," he said. "Here we go."
There was a flash of light, Kuramochi gasping, and pain. Oh god he was being ripped out. His teeth clenched down, but Miyuki suspected it was actually meant to muffle his scream. And then nothing. Spots of white clouded his vision, his entire body felt like it was floating. Was Kuramochi yelling? He closed his eyes, just for a moment.
Miyuki opened his eyes with sleepy clarity. He'd passed out, hadn't he? Kuramochi and Sawamura were both out of his field of vision, conversing lowly, but he could feel them.
His eyes snapped open. He could feel them, feel them touching something that wasn't his before, something that was never there. Damp cloths on nerves that didn't used exist. A gasp left his mouth, drawing their attention.
"Back with us, huh?" Kuramochi grinned down at him. "Well, you were only out for a few minutes."
Miyuki took heavy breaths, trying to catch his bearings. And the pain, thankfully, seemed to have ebbed away. It was gone. "That was," he swallowed, taking another breath, "the worst experience of my entire life."
He twitched the new feeling on his back. A couple of feet shuffled and he felt them brush against something, or someone rather.
"Watch it," Kuramochi grumbled. "You sure these are baby wings?"
"Yeah, mine too. Mine were, I mean." Sawamura stuttered, fidgeting with his figures. "Getting my wings. It was the worst."
He looked scared. If something was wrong..? His head was all floaty as it was, he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Wasn't sure he was taking this, as is.
"Can I see them?" Miyuki asked. He'd been laying on the floor for what felt like hours. Every part of him felt cramped and stiff. Not to mention, he had wings. His mind was not going to accept that until he saw them.
"It would be easier to wait till we've finished cleaning them off..." Sawamura hesitated.
"Here." Kuramochi gave him his hand to help him to his feet. He really needed it too. His balance felt completely off and when he twisted his body, he felt them hit the desk, or bed, or whatever. Wings were not made for dorm rooms, his mind supplied sarcastically.
He shuffled awkwardly, to look in the small mirror hanging on the far wall.
"I brought one of my shirts for you. It's got slits for your wings. I can help it on you once we've finished cleaning up... Miyuki?"
They're beautiful.
He twitched his shoulders. Tall, dark wings flapped, causing loose papers to rustle and a red sheen of dust caught the light and glittered. Deep purple and red stretched from ceiling to floor, jetting out far more roughly than Sawamura's had, the edges coming to harsh points. They reminded him of the last moments of dusk on the night of a storm, right before the last traces of sunlight disappeared from view.
"Whoa, try not to move them. This room is way too small. Miyuki? Hey?"
This was real. This was really happening. They were real. He could feel them. They were a part of him.
"Hey, Miyuki, Miyuki Kazuya, can you hear me?"
His breath quickened. All of a sudden there just wasn't enough air in the room.
This was real. This was happening. There were fairies. He was a fairy. He was one of them.
His chest hurt. He couldn't breath.
There were fairies. He was a fairy.
He gasped for breath.
"Sawamura, hey Sawamura, I think he's going into shock, or having a panic attack, or something."
It felt like his throat was closing up on him. His eyes darted down to his hands. They were shaking violently.
"Shit, what do we do?"
He was a fairy.
He clutched at his chest. He needed to breath. Were those tears running down his face?
"I don't know, you're the expert! Help him."
His head began to spin. Miyuki reached out and placed his other hand against the wall, gasping for breath. How was this real? This couldn't be real. He didn't want this!
"Not at this kind of thing! Miyuki-senpai, hey, snap out of it."
Was someone talking to him? There was a hand on his shoulder, coaxing him back.
"Crouch down, come on, with me." Kuramochi was taking his arm, urging him down. "It'll help you breath. Come on, like this." He crouched on his knees. With the things on his back, it was impossible to sit in any position but as a ball, as though he were taking cover.
He had things on his back. He had wings.
"We're gonna need to get a stool," Sawamura mumbled to himself, wide eyed and unsure how to help.
Kuramochi ignored him, all focus on Miyuki. "Just breath, in and out. It's okay, we've got you. You're fine, you hear me. There's nothing wrong with you."
Getting the idea, Sawamura sat at his other side, placing a hand on his shoulder. The gesture seemed to help. "Right, you're fine Miyuki Kazuya. You're a fairy, just like I am. We're the same thing, so it's going to be okay." He squeezed in encouragement and began drawing circles with his thumb. "I have wings too and I've been living a perfectly normal life at Seidou. Kuramochi's can turn into a wolf, and nobody ever knew. We're fine, this is normal. You'll be fine too."
Miyuki tried to focus on the heat of Sawamura's hand and the thumb trying to gently calm him.
"Just keep breathing." He slowed his breath, struggling to listen to what Kuramochi was saying. "Sawamura will teach you how to hide your wings. All you need is that amulet and no one will know what you are." It was hard to concentrate, but he swallowed his breath, willing himself to come back. "There aren't just some of us out there, there are millions of us, and nobody suspects a thing. All living perfectly normal lives, just like you will."
He felt cold all over. He sniffled his noes and Kuramochi hastily handed him a pile of tissues. Miyuki shakily cleaned off his face with the dawning realization that his eyes weren't just running, he'd been out right crying. He felt himself flush. Of course he'd have a breakdown in front of the two people he'd never want to see him like this.
This is real, his head told him dully. This is actually happening. He felt empty all of a sudden. Empty and tired. He knew the truth now, couldn't hide it. It hurt. How could you feel empty but also hurt?
"It was my mom." He started talking. Guess it was time to reassure them that he wasn't gonna lose it. Prove that he was fine.
He wasn't.
"It had to be. But she passed away." He got up and looked at their wide eyed expressions. It was comical. Sawamura looked like he'd just swallowed a bug. Miyuki felt his mouth twitch.
"What?" Kuramochi breathed. He had to have had some clue. Miyuki had never mentioned his mother in any way; only his dad when he talked of seeing family on the holidays. Kuramochi must have picked up on that and known better than to remark, just as he'd never commented on Kuramochi's lack of father when he mentioned going home.
Miyuki sighed. Sawamura was still acting odd. It wasn't that shocking. Lots of kids had dead parents. That was life, after all. "When I was young. So she never had the chance to tell me. Go figure."
Sawamura looked away, frowning with gritted teeth and clenched fists. Was he mad? What wasn't he saying?
"What?" Kuramochi asked, also confused by his reaction. Sawamura stiffened. "Out with it."
The boy hesitated, becoming ever more flustered. Something told him he wasn't going to like what ever he was about to say.
"He's from the Unseelie Fall Court. You can tell by the wings."
It had to be more than that. It was good to know, he guessed, but right now, it meant nothing to him.
"And?" Kuramochi prompted. Apparently that meant as much to him as it did Miyuki.
"Erm." He locked eyes with Miyuki's. "Well, they tend to be dicks..."
Miyuki gave a small smile while Kuramochi chuckled "That explains a lot. He'll fit right in."
Sawamura did not join their amusement.
"Maybe, if he weren't a halfbreed." He spat the last word like it was a particularly disgusting meal.
Kuramochi sobered. "Oh." Evidently that was something important. Halfing, half blood, halfbreed; yeah, he got the picture. They were probably not very common, and not particularly liked.
"Uh, how did your mom die? If you don't mind." Miyuki's eyes shot up, causing Sawamura to flinch back. What did that have to do with anything? It was not exactly a subject he liked to dwell on. "It's just... Never mind."
"Why?" This had to have something to do with why Sawamura was acting so cagey.
"Some clans-" He was nervous- "Well, I don't know for sure what they would do, but, halflings aren't allowed."
It was like a cup of cold water had been poured down his back. A sick feeling started to twist in his gut. Never would he have considered... "What are you suggesting?"
And he was angry.
Miyuki felt his entire body fill with cool rage. You don't ask how someone died and follow it with stating they were guilty of something- 'not allowed'. What was Sawamura playing at? Did he know what he was suggesting?
"Nothing, it's nothing, just me being stupid and thinking out loud," the boy backtracked.
No, go on, Miyuki thought bitterly. His life had already been ribbed apart. Might as well take the last shreds of an innocent past from him too. That he was the reason, that had he not been born...
"Well then, keep your mouth shut," Kuramochi snapped. "We know very little about what's going on, or what's even going to happen to him."
"It's fine, it'll be fine," Sawamura squeaked. "I'll take responsibility; my family will claim him."
Breathing out through his nose, Miyuki tried to push his suspicions aside. This wasn't the time to start digging up the past and jumping to conclusions. He had a pair for freaking fairy wings on his back. That needed to be his focus, that needed to be his priority. He couldn't let himself lose it again. "What do you mean, claim me?"
"Unseelie Fey are the assholes of our kind."
"Yeah, I'm getting that," he answered coldly.
"They have strict rules against humans," Sawamura explained. He'd figured that part out already. "They won't accept a halfling as one of their own. My clan, on the other hand, doesn't give a damn about that kind of thing." He grinned proudly. "We don't blame the kids for their parents, nor will we let a fellow fey be abandoned without protection."
Miyuki shook his head. "That doesn't answer my question."
"You'll basically be adopted into my family." What? "But only by fairy law. It won't affect your actual family."
"No." Was he being serious? "No way."
Sawamura startled. "It'll have no human world consequences," he clarified, as though that were the issue here. "You basically just have to sign a paper, and that's it."
Miyuki felt his anger return. "No."
"But-"
"I'm not joining your family, Sawamura," he hissed out. "Are you insane?"
"But it's totally cool. And you need a clan to represent you." He wasn't getting it, and looked so lost at Miyuki's harsh reaction.
"Didn't you just say that I could live a perfectly normal life and hide myself?"
"Yes, but-"
"Then let me. I don't want anything to do with this." There. Now let it rest.
"That's not how it works," the boy huffed.
Miyuki wasn't going to let those puppy dog eyes sway him. He could pout all he wanted. This was ridiculous. "Tough. I don't want this, and by the sounds of it, they don't want me. If I could cut off these wings, I would."
Sawamura gaped, horrified. "Don't even joke about that. It would kill you."
"Miyuki, you don't understand," Kuramochi cut in. He'd curled up on one of the beds but still looked at him with very serious eyes. "It's dangerous to not belong to a clan, or family, or pack, whatever. Hunters exist, they know what we are, and things like wings, and pelts, sell for fortunes on the black market. Threat of retribution is the only thing keeping us safe, human laws don't apply to us. The Haven will simply make our existence disappear in order to protect the knowledge of our kind."
Miyuki frowned. This just kept getting better and better. He didn't want any of this. "You said as long as I wear this amulet, and learn some simple spells, I can keep hidden and no one will know?" He couldn't believe he even said all that, fully serious.
"Yes, but that's no guarantee," Sawamura told him. "You never know who's watching. And you don't know what your mothers clan will do! They might have-"
"I know." And there it was, the real crux of the issue. "Which is exactly why I don't want anything to do with any of this! It's best I remain unknown." He was human, or was until an hour ago. And he still had his father to worry about. He didn't want this anywhere near him. And like hell was he going to be adopted by freaking Sawamura.
"But-"
"Hey, let's just drop it for now," Kuramochi interrupted. He was considering him carefully. "He needs time."
"I don't need time." Great, he was gonna stay on his case too. "I know what you're thinking. I'm not going to change my mind." He turned to Sawamura. "I'm not going to be your big brother, or what ever you're thinking."
"That's not-"
"If he wasn't here, I'd be offering you a spot in my pack," Kuramochi continued. "But trust me, his offer is better. You should be with your own kind. But we can put that aside for now."
The three of them silently fumed at each other. Well, Miyuki fumed, Kuramochi just looked annoyed at the idiocy around him, while Sawamura was somewhere between tears of rejection or about to challenge him to a duel over family honer. Miyuki was not going to relent because his kohai had the gift of being both astonishingly annoying and nauseatingly adorable at times.
Kuramochi grinned. "So what's next?"
Sawamura quickly explained through proper wing care and exercises he needed to practice. He fitted him in on of his fey shirts and had him practice retracting and releasing his wings. He wasn't to do any strenuous activity. Apparently new wings had a tendency to 'pop' if over excited; something that could be extremely painful under clothing, not to mention, revealing himself to everyone surrounding him. There was a whole process to collected his dust, which he would need for proper spell casting. Honestly, Sawamura seemed more excited at the prospect of having someone to help him with his own dust collection, than anything else.
"You have no idea how much it hurts your shoulders to try to just, shake it all off," Sawamura was explaining. Miyuki tried his best to pay attention but his eyes always drifted to the mirror on the wall. "So much easier when someone can just brush them down for you."
"Uh huh," he barely acknowledged. There wings were so different. Sawamura's fit him perfectly, bright and welcoming. His, while he wouldn't call them threatening, there was a certain warning behind them; like when you saw a colourful caterpillar and just knew it was likely poisonous. He guessed 'bug', was an appropriate colloquialism.
"It needs to be done roughly once a month, but I've pushed it to two. You really shouldn't though. It's bad to let your body absorb that much excess dust, it can start showing."
Miyuki's head turned. "What do you mean, showing?"
Sawamura sat on the floor, grinning like the idiot he was. Probably giddy that he now had a fairy 'playmate'. Miyuki shivered. "Well, it starts shedding other ways. Like through your skin. Eventually it'll be noticeable to others that you've kind of got glitter on you."
He stared. Unbelievable. "Your joking," he deadpanned. That was thoroughly a scenario he never wanted to experience.
"Nope. Actually I'm really surprised no body noticed my last one, heh." Sawamura scrunched up his face, trying to recall.
All this time, and the boy really did sparkle. Well damn. At least he wasn't seeing things.
"Huh, I just thought you were getting super sweaty all the time. You were just sweating fairy dust," Kuramochi commented, idly flipping though one of Miyuki's sports magazines. The catcher wondered if the day would come when he too, would find this all so blasé.
"Here I thought only vampires sparkled. Isn't that the new thing?" Miyuki couldn't help but sardonically mention. The whole thing was ridiculous. But then he remembered his back was also sporting a pair of giant ass wings.
Sawamura frowned. "I doubt a vampire would want to sparkle, would kind of ruin their nocturnal hunter thing going on if they were constantly being caught in the light."
Kuramochi tisked, looking up. "He wasn't- never mind. Not bothering." And he flipped a page.
"So, vampires are real then?" Because, of course they were.
"Of course! They've done some of the worst jobs at keeping secret over the years," Sawamura replied irritably. "Uppity, high maintenance, egotistical, nuisances is what Gramps likes to call them."
Miyuki's mouth twitched. Seriously unbelievable. "I guess I should ask what else is out there? I suppose ghosts and witches; anything I should be concerned about?"
Sawamura nodded enthusiastically. "Pretty much everything, though they mostly stick to their own kind. We take secrecy so seriously, it's really rare to reveal ones self to another creature without good reason." He nodded to Kuramochi who just grunted in affirmation, having gone back to his magazine. "And some things are more dangerous than others. You can't always trust them just because they're part of the Haven. Like a kitsune, never trust a kitsune, and kappa's, they can be pretty nasty at times."
Sawamura started listing off a string of creatures from legend and folklore, basically telling him to avoid all of them, and making a special emphasis on predators- Nasty creatures. Never trust em. Vicious killers. He could see Kuramochi's face grow increasingly red as the list went on, his brow ever furrowing.
"They'll steal your children and turn em to field mice!"
Finally he snapped, giving in to kicking Sawamura in the rear with a growl. "The hell, Sawamura, you fey afraid of everything? You're making it sound like we're all a bunch of bloodthirsty, thieving, assholes."
"They're not all bad!"- Kuramochi rolled his eyes.- "I mean some are really cool, too. Like, really cool," he exclaimed, face lighting up.
"Like what?" Miyuki asked, knowing the kid was dying for him to. But he did sort of wonder what predator could elicit such a reaction.
Sawamura grinned as though he were about to divulge a great secret. "Naga," he breathed reverently.
"Naga?" Kuramochi repeated, unimpressed.
"They're snakes with arms!" he cried, as though that explained everything.
The future ace of Seidou, ladies and gentlemen.
Miyuki closed his eyes. "Good to know where your bar sits, I suppose."
Kuramochi laughed, causing Sawamura to bluster up and turn red in indignation.
"No, but they really are! And they have some pretty powerful magic, but no ones even seen one in over a hundred years," he finished sadly.
"No ones seen a lot of things in modern times," exasperated Kuramochi. "We like to keep secret, remember."
"Someone should tell that to the vampires," Sawamura grumbled.
Miyuki snorted. "Right, I think I get the picture." They'd be there all night if this continued. And if he was being honest, he really just wanted to curl up in bed and hope this all turned out to be a dream, come morning. "Anything else I need to know?"
Sawamura shrugged. "Just the typical cultural stuff you should be aware of, festivals, and gentry, but we can go over that later. For now, we should just focus on wing maintenance and basic warding, and magic repression spells."
"Right," Miyuki nodded. How was this really happening? Kuramochi started snickering causing him to look over. "What?"
"It just hit me, wait till you learn about those fairy festivals." Kuramochi could barely contain his mirth. Sawamura frowned. "Hey, it's not just rumours, I've seen the art. I know what you guys wear."
Miyuki could see the exact moment Sawamura's scowl turned to comprehension, and he took on a deep shade of red.
"Those- those are traditional fey garments! They're perfectly respectable in fey society." He started sputtering and then pointed to Kuramochi accusingly. "Oi! Your kind like to hang around naked when ever you get together. Don't talk to me about modesty."
Kuramochi's smile never left his face. "Uh-huh. We changed into wolves, and redress as soon as we change back. Your comparing fairy orgy parties to us using the woods as a changing room."
Miyuki choked. Fairy what!?
"That's not what they are!" Sawamura fumed. "We don't- it's not like that!"
"Oh my god," Miyuki gaped. Sawamura wasn't out right denying it. Nope, checking a giant nope next to any fairy festivals Sawamura tries to drag him too. Respecting culture be damned.
Kuramochi slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Yep, you're part of a race that parties half naked in what is basically one big mating festival," he continued on, clearly enjoying imparting these special bits of information for him the maul over.
"That's just a stereotype! It's not like that at all." Sawamura was so red, it was a wonder there wasn't steam coming from his ears.
"Uh-huh," Kuramochi humored.
Stereotype or not, Miyuki was sure there was reason such a misconception would exist. And he never wanted to find out why. "Suddenly more and more glad I'm not part of a clan."
"He's exaggerating," Sawamura hushed. "So tradition fey formal wear is a little revealing, but it's not that bad. Like, I don't know, think roman toga's, they're kinda like that, though the material's really fine. It's just... Some of the the women's..." His voice quieted a bit and turned into a mumble while he blushed.
"What was that?" Kuramochi asked, holding a hand up to his ear. He was enjoying this way too much. "Didn't quite catch it."
"It's- it's a little see through, sometimes," he grumbled and then added something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like Europeans.
Miyuki smirked as a thought dawned on him. He looked over to Kuramochi. "So then is that the kind of thing Wakana wears?"
Kuramochi stilled. "What?"
It was hilarious, you could see every emotion play itself over his face; from shock, to horror, to jealously, and ultimately embarrassment.
Unfortunately Sawamura had to break the fun early. "Naw, we're still considered kids till our adult wings come in. We're not even allowed at the spring festival till then, but she wouldn't wear one of those anyways. Right now the summer festival is the only big one we can attend."
"See, I told you," Kuramochi recovered, now that Wakana's modesty had been preserved. "Orgies."
"That's not what it is!" the boy shouted. Too much more, and he was like to blow a gasket.
"You know, nothing you've said has really helped your case, Sawamura," Miyuki pointed out, unable to keep a straight face.
Sawamura huffed. "The spring festival can get a little-" He made a gesture -"out of hand. Or so I've heard. But it's nothing like Kuramochi's so indecently implying. So some people might get a little drunk on fairy wine, and it is a celebration for the young adults; it's kind of meant as a mixer, you know? All the young fairies get together to mingle."
Sounded like a collage party.
"Mingle. Is that what we're calling it these days?" Kuramochi smirked.
"You say- you call it that, and you make it sound like, well... It's not like that! If you happen to meet someone you like, why shouldn't you pursue them? Nothing indecent happens there." The boy was trying entirely too hard to justify his cause.
"Fairies are rather infamous for their promiscuity," Kuramochi informed him as an aside.
"Shut up!" Sawamura howled. "You make us sound like a bunch of hedonists!"
Wow, at this rate, he might actually make Sawamura combust. Miyuki didn't think he'd ever seen the boy so ready to absolutely strangle the life out of Kuramochi before.
Kuramochi only laughed. "I'm impressed you even know that word!"
"At least we value love and personal freedom! Our women are free to do as they like, unlike wolves. Don't your alpha's hoard them like personal harems? It's gross."
Miyuki blinked. That was new. He'd never seen Sawamura verbally go for the jugular before.
Kuramochi's expression soured. "I'm not about to explain pack dynamics to you."
While Miyuki enjoyed a good nettling, he knew when a line was coming close to being crossed, and he sensed shit was about to turn personal. "Okay, okay. So now that we've all had the introductory course to the importance of cultural relativism, maybe we should drop it."
Sawamura closed his mouth, cutting off what ever he was about to say to retaliate. Instead he scrunched up his nose and knelt to clean the remaining of his supplies, muttering, "they're not orgies," under his breath.
Kuramochi silently mouthed, "they are."
