Toro nodded at Krad as he passed him into the kitchen and instructed, "I'd like to prepare this morning's meal if you don't mind terribly." His butler ran a hand through his curly black hair, straightened his sharp black outfit and nodded."You did get the ingredients for bento?" Toro's eyebrows drew together. "Yes, but...For breakfast, sir?" The blonde nodded and began setting out all the ingredients- rice, octopus, radish…He hummed a little as he worked and his servant raised an eyebrow. "…sir?" Krad opened a cabinet and put his long ponytail over one shoulder. "Hmm?"
"You seem…in high spirits." The curse put the rice-cooker on the counter. "I am just happy my son is here. You'll understand when you have children."
Toro folded his hands in front of him, a few curls obscuring his eyes. "Actually, sir…just yesterday, I found out my wife is pregnant." Cat eyes flicked up. "Ah! Congratulations. I'm sorry to have called you away on such short notice." White Wings said sincerely, a pair of chopsticks between his ivory teeth. "You may see to her whenever you like, just ask." He paused and took the chopsticks from his mouth. "Was their anything else?" Toro flushed, "No, sorry sir." and left and Krad finished the bento in less than half an hour. He carried it upstairs and after knocking, opened the door to their shared bedroom quietly. "Aisoku?" The boy had fallen back to sleep after Krad left and one wing had curled like a blanket over his shoulder.
His father set down their meals on the dresser and out of curiosity, ran his fingers over the delicate appendage. The feathers were soft like Krad's and also sleek, like Dark's, but the roots were still caked with dried blood. He wondered what they would look like spread in flight, the black-and-white striped edges against soft grey. White Wings guessed that the wings were still growing, so he would need to clean them. Both he and Dark had learned long ago that soiled feathers meant chills, and chills meant sickness. He moved the wing back halfway and his son slowly blinked awake. "…huh?" Aisoku's plum colored eyes widened and he made to scramble away until Krad assured, "It's alright, it's me." He relaxed and his misty wings curled up to his back. Krad blinked again- was he seeing things, or was that the same way the thief folded his own wings? "Oh, sorry…I was having a bad dream." Krad reached to the dresser and passed him his share of the bento.
"I'm sorry for startling you. Here, breakfast usually helps." He yawned and took a few bites, then exclaimed, "Wow, this is really good." Krad smirked and his little black fox crawled up his shoulder. "It is an ability I have the phantom thief lacks." His son brought a piece of shrimp up to his mouth. "Really? Emiko only tells me all of the things he can do. She kinda…admires him." A huff from his father. "Worships would be a more appropriate word." Krad swallowed a chunk of rice.
"But no, he can't cook at all. He liquefied cookies once and nearly burned down the entire Niwa residence." Aisoku laughed a little, and Krad smiled fleetingly. Aisoku put his chopsticks down onto his plate and asked, "Are you going to finish that?"
"Oh- no, here. Your wings will need a lot of fuel, after all." Krad shoveled his leftover rice onto Aisoku's plate and he smiled happily. "Ah, thanks. You know, it's kind of strange…" He trailed off and dug into the food for a moment, then looked out the windows at the softly twirling snow. "You're a complete stranger to me, but I don't feel awkward around you at all. I wonder why that is."
The feral eyes across from him went soft, like powdered pollen and he murmured "Perhaps…some small part of you still remembers me." Aisoku turned back at the tone in the curse's voice but he seemed unchanged, and took Aisoku's empty plate gently, stacking it on top of his own. "When I get back I'll clean off your wings. We still have a few a few hours before the guests arrive."
"Couldn't I just take a shower?"
"I suppose…if you're very flexible." His son reached around to try and touch the roots of his wings but after a few moments, agreed "Your idea was better." Krad fetched some towels from the cabinet in the hallway then filled a bowl full of warm water. After he sat behind his son and soaked the towel he pointed out, "Aisoku. I can't clean them when they're tight against your spine." He flushed and his wings relaxed, spreading on either side of Krad. "Sorry, but…they still hurt." As Krad massaged the roots carefully Aisoku pulled his legs up and crossed his arms, leaning down into them. "These wings will be the most vulnerable part of you. If you happen to get attacked, keep them in until you can escape." His son lidded his amethyst eyes. Something about Krad's voice made him feel...warm and sleepy even when he was talking about such things.
"You'll teach me how to retract them?"
"Of course." His right wing twitched and leaned into Krad's body, effectively hugging him. "Ah- s-sorry!" The boy snapped his wing away, then back again.
"Um, they just…I can't really control them very well…Did something happen to your wings once?" Krad nodded, his towel stained pink with Aisoku's blood. "An artwork pinned me on my stomach and tore them off." Aisoku's wings snapped up so fast it sounded like a whip. "What?"
"Sorry, I shouldn't have told you-"
"D- but they grow back?"
"Of course. But I can't say the same for you, which is why I'm telling you this. Once you actually take flight you'll understand...it's something that would crush you, if they were taken away." Aisoku took a deep breath and Krad continued to clean the feathers, admiring their blue sheen. Once he was finished he dropped the wet towel into the bowl and started to dry off the spotless feathers. As he ran his hands along the underside of the limbs Aisoku suddenly felt like jelly and leaned one shoulder into Krad's chest. The older teen warned, "This is a soft spot for us, as well." and as his hands moved away Aisoku sat back up. "Okay…" As he did his wings slid out another inch from the two wounds in his back and he yelped. "Ouch!"
"Here…" The blonde waited before putting his fingers at the bottom of the tears in Aisoku's skin. Underneath each wing's tiny down feathers he could make out a strip of muscle. He closed his eyes and let a trickle of his magic bring the skin back together. "There." His son blinked and stretched his back a little. "How did you…?"
"Magic. Just like the blue flames you created." Aisoku glanced off and rubbed his wrists underneath the spell Krad had placed on each hand.
"I guess, everything in my room was destroyed." Krad nodded and Aisoku let out a soft dejected, "Oh." then reached down into the pocket of his jeans. "Well at least I still have this." He took out the necklace Dark had made slipped it over his head and it rested perfectly on his bare neck. Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Sir? A mister…Mousy to see both of you?" Toro sounded embarrassed and added, "And a clean set of clothes for Aisoku, when he wants them." The boy glanced at his father. "How does he know my sizes?" and Krad hummed, "Oh, just by looking at you he can get a very good estimate on clothing size. He is a Hikari butler." Krad went to the door and took the neatly-folded clothes from Toro, placing them on the foot of Aisoku's bed. "I'll leave you alone for a moment so you can change." "Okay." His son said a bit dejectedly and Krad followed his servant to the front door. He opened it- "Mousy-" and was pushed aside as Dark shoved his way into the warm mansion.
"Freezin' the family jewels off out there!" He announced. Krad shut the door a little too loudly and huffed anger out of his nose. Try not to kill him… remember that he should see Aisoku conscious… "Why yes of course you can come in, thanks for asking…" The blonde sneered as Dark shivered and dripped water in the hallway. "Eh? What did you just say?"The thief began but Krad simply gestured for him to follow the blonde upstairs. Krad knocked on Aisoku's door after Aisoku scrambled into the new clothes he answered, "Okay, come in." Dark glanced at Krad with an expression he wasn't familiar with- the thief almost looked nervous- then opened the door. For a moment Aisoku stared at Dark in surprise, then his eyes widened with fear.
"You!" Before he could think clearly his right hand came up and a pencil-thin fork of magi shot out towards Dark. "Oi!" The thief stood about an inch from a charred hole in the wallpaper, cradled a tiny tear in his black sweater and held his hands palm-up in surrender.
"Hell of a father-son reunion! What was that for?" Now it was Aisoku's turn to look confused. "What do you mean-wait- you seem different…" Krad walked around Dark and barked quickly "He won't harm you, Aisoku." Aisoku turned to Krad with his wings tight against his body. "How can you say that? He ate one of the artworks that was in my room yesterday! I saw him!" "Ooh…" White Wings said quietly and the phantom put a hand to his face, "Ah shit…" before dropping it and attempting,
"Well, that wasn't really me. I mean, it was, but…it's kinda hard to explain." Aisoku's eyes narrowed. "It'd be nice if I knew something about both of you considering I don't even know what you are." Krad sat down on the bed opposite Aisoku and Dark leaned against the wall, his belts jangling merrily. "Alright. That was my 'other self'. When Krad and I were created we were made with both good and evil sides. My good side is here, talking to you, and the other is…asleep." Aisoku noticed a black glaze over Dark's eyes as he spoke of it so he decided to change the subject. "I remember…Emiko told me that you're both half of Kokuyoku. But if that's true, why do you need human bodies?" Krad answered this time, stroking his familiar's black fur.
"Human bodies are hard to produce- near impossible. We couldn't just create something out of nothing. We were close to nothing at that time, and scared, and knew that within those bodies we would be safe- It was just a split-second decision." Aisoku seemed satisfied with this and stretched his arms, his eyes on Dark. The thief made him nervous. He knew he had the same eyes as his father but to actually see them flicking around and landing on him- it was unsettling.
"Sorry I zapped you." He murmured and the Kaitou seemed to perk up again.
"No harm no foul kid. You gotta be faster than that to nail me."
Aisoku snorted, twiddled his thumbs and finally blurted, "So, um…Can I ask about the whole two-dad's thing now?"