Chapter Text
From then on he was busy. Between defeating the morons who dared to steal from the Frontera Barony, running an upstart business, and tackling new problems as they arose Lloyd was busy. So busy that he may or may not have neglected to take care of himself. Just a tiny bit. He didn't mean to get sick really, there was too much to do to waste time focusing on not being sick. He had figured he'd just power through it like he had back home. They'd just returned from Cremo, so he had assumed it was the cold weather. Yet when Javier and him returned to the estate he found himself bogged down with a fever.
Javier in particular seemed a little… off.
“What's with you hovering? Don't you have training or something?” He bit out.
Their relationship had improved leaps and bounds now. Javier seemed to even, dare he say it, not hate his presence.
“Master Lloyd, you've just recovered from a comatose state after a near-death experience. Forgive me for my hovering.” Javier said in a way Lloyd couldn't seem to place.
He hummed from his spot in his bed. Marabella had insisted he lay down and try to ditch the fever and he found it terribly hard to say no to the woman. Javier sat at the edge of his bed, a position he'd been in often as of late. Between the monster ant incident and then Cremo, and now this little cold situation. Except… Now he felt sore and nauseous.
“Master Lloyd?” Javier asked in that tone again.
Instead of answering Lloyd groaned.
He leaned forward and heaved though nothing came up. He couldn't tell if he was grateful for that or not.
Meanwhile his knight had leaned forward to inspect his charge, to see if there was something to be done about his state. His hands, worn from sword use, ghosted over Lloyd's back. They brushed against his shoulders and Lloyd all but yelped at the touch. Javier pulled his hand back like he'd been burned. Then, tentatively he reached back out and very slowly lifted the blouse his master wore. Javier sucked in a sharp breath.
Lloyd choked on the feeling of pain, “Wh- what is it?”
Javier lowered the shirt and stood abruptly, “Nothing, I'll be back.”
Lloyd tried to be mad, he really did.
“It's not nothing you liar- hey come back!”
Javier didn't head him, instead beelining out the door. Lloyd was forced to accept that he was alone. Feverish, nauseous, and aching. The whole trifecta. Clearly he'd caught the world's equivalent of the flu. He laid on his side, gritting his teeth at the sharp pain that flashed through him at the motion. Maybe if he slept it off he'd be fine?
Footsteps returned to his room.
“Oh Lloyd…” a warm voice consoled.
“Gently sit him up, Javier.” a calm voice asked.
Javier mumbled apologies for the first time as he carefully maneuvered Lloyd back into an upright position, leaning him forward. Lloyd groaned, uncomfortable not encompassing his current state. What was wrong with him? Why had Javier involved the Baron and Baroness?
[You're not sick.]
He hissed as hands removed his shirt.
A soft gasp, a troubled hum.
“I'll go get some boiled water and fresh rags.” Marabella said softly, mindful of her son.
Arcos nodded, “Thank you, my love.”
“So it's true then?” Javier asked hesitantly.
Arcos nodded, “Yes, it seems he's a late bloomer. It's… not unheard of.”
“But not at this age.” Javier finished.
“Yes.” Arcos said solemnly.
Lloyd at that point didn't really process what was being said, his fever hitting a peak and his pain becoming increasingly unbearable.
From that point onwards things were a bit of a blur. One big painful blur. Firm hands carefully laid him back in the bed, stomach down. Voices quietly talked as he laid there. No one seemed to be doing anything to help him and it had him making a stressed noise in the back of his throat. He was obviously in pain yet they ignored it? Warm hands found him and carded through his hair, matted with sweat. It didn't stop the pain, not even close but at least he had something else to focus on.
Time passed both fast and slow. It was like he was stuck in that state for hours. Pain, heat, nausea. In a vicious cycle. At some point he had expelled his stomach contents, the pain causing the reaction. Then, like a dam breaking, the pain became piercing. Like a knife carving him open. He was still on his front, back exposed. He had tried to move, the searing pain demanding he make it stop, but firm hands held him still. It felt like someone had dumped warm water all over him. The way he was wet and sticky almost. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He was sure that he had cried out. Though his mind wasn't focused on maintaining his pride. Instead he wished for relief.
As the dam broke, so too did the water eventually run dry. The pain ebbed like waves. Coming and waning. Exhaustion hit him like a truck and he fought it to stay conscious. Distantly he could feel gentle hands cleaning him, why he didn't know, but it was soothing to the dull ache in his bones. The thin hands returned to his hair, pulling him into sleep. Soft spoken words comforting him.
When Lloyd woke up, it was to the setting sun. It wasn't often that he slept on his stomach, though he didn't really mind. His memory was fuzzy, but he noted happily that his fever had broken at some point in the day. A quick glance around revealed nothing except for Javier sitting in the chair next to his bed, wings carefully tucked back. The second the knight realized he was awake, he rose.
“Master Lloyd, it's good to see you awake.” Javier said smoothly.
Lloyd hummed, “How long was I asleep? It felt like forever” he said jokingly.
“About a day or so.” His knight replied.
Lloyd jerked up, “Woah what! I missed a whole day?”
Javier was at his side in a second, “Do not move, you need to heal.”
Lloyd huffed but dropped back down nonetheless, “It's just a cold, relax.”
The silver haired knight paused for a moment before retreating to his prior seat.
“Master Lloyd… do you not remember?” Javier asked tentatively.
Confusion laced his voice, “Remember what?”
Javier frowned, “You did not have a sickness.”
Lloyd made a confused noise, “I had a fever right?”
A nod, “Yes, but it was not a symptom of being ill. Master Lloyd you… you're a late bloomer.”
[Hah. Late bloomer.]
Lloyd huffed, “Javier what does that even mean?”
“Your wings came in.” Javier said bluntly, not mincing words.
For the second time since Lloyd had woken up, he shot up in bed. Then promptly yelped as a sharp pain filled his back. Javier, slower to react this time which may or may not have been intentional, eased Lloyd back down. Lloyd felt his breathing pick up speed as he tried to take stock of himself. The fever was gone but that left him with acute sensitivity and it made the new weight on his back even more prominent. It itched and ached and he couldn't see it and-
“Master Lloyd. Calm down.” Javier instructed.
Lloyd inhaled gulps of air. The things on his back involuntarily twitched and it took all his power not to claw himself out of his own skin. He… he had wings. Javier had said wings. Lloyd didn't know what to think. He didn't… couldn't process it.
“I- they're sore.” He said, voice not really present.
Javier hummed, “That's normal. Somewhat. It was quite an ordeal. The Baron and Baroness were worried for a while.”
Lloyd focused on the details Javier was providing, “You were there? The Baron and Baroness too?”
“You really don't remember do you?” Javier said mostly to himself, “Yes, they asked that I help. Normally the process happens with children but you're grown, so my… services were required. As for your parents, it is common for parents to assist in the process.”
“Process?” Lloyd asked hesitantly.
Javier winced, “Yes, it's not a pretty process. Or maybe it was just yours that was ugly. There… There was a lot of blood.”
Lloyd breathed out heavily. That explained some of the sensations he vaguely recalled. Feeling wet and sticky. Being cleaned of the sensation. There was something unsaid there. The cause of the blood. Morbidly, he wondered what it looked like. If it was quick or if it was slow. Despite knowing that it had been out of his control he felt a semblance of guilt for the Baron and Baroness having to see such a gruesome sight. Javier too, he mused.
“What is in that head of yours?” Javier probed.
Lloyd looked away, “I could've handled it on my own, without you.”
[...]
Javier said nothing at first.
Then, “You could have died trying to handle it on your own. Besides, both the Baron and the Missus have already went through this before with Master Julian.”
Ah so Lloyd had been the misfit from the beginning huh? He would have huffed a laugh had he not been sure that it would jostled his sore back. Wings? Whichever was sore. Possibly both. They were sore and itchy. A terrible combination.
“Is itching normal?” Lloyd questioned, unsure.
The knight made a noise of confirmation, “The feathers are covered in a sheath, as it dries it'll flake off. Its likely the cause of the discomfort. Preening helps.”
Lloyd took in the new information, “How do I preen it?”
Javier didn't seem to mind his questions, “Family usually helps till you can on your own, however both Baron Frontera and Baroness Frontera left to rest, they stayed up with you throughout the night into the morning.”
“Oh.” Lloyd was unsure of how to react to that. Guilt ate at him, knowing he had stolen their real son from them. That something this important was taken from them.
His wings itched.
“Can't you preen them, Javier?” Lloyd practically whined.
Javier said nothing, a cough the only sign that the knight had heard Lloyd's request. Lloyd turned his head and noted curiously that Javier seemed flushed.
“Please?” Lloyd tacked on for good measure.
Javier caved and moved closer. His hands hovered over Lloyd's back and he shifted impatiently. Slender fingers barely touched his wings and Lloyd was hissing. It didn't hurt but it was definitely sensitive. Still, he tried to hold still for Javier. Carefully, the slender fingers entangled themselves in new feathers. Tremors wracked his new wings and Javier moved slowly and methodically through the baby feathers. The itch faded as he worked and Lloyd found himself drowsy.
By the time Javier finished, Lloyd was asleep. Javier leaned back, admiring his handiwork. Various browns, grey, black, and even some white popped against Lloyd's tanned back. House finch colors complimented his brown hair and auburn eyes. The wings were laid out beautifully, showcasing all the feathers and colors they had to offer. Javier's own snowy wings ruffled in pleasure at the sight.
[Preening is a familial practice. Done only with immediate family and significant others.]