Chapter Text
His wings had been beautiful. The perfect shape for his kind, feathers of pure white. He had been bought for a high price to be an accessory to determine the wealth of his owner. That was all their race was for, to be pets for those who could afford them.
His young master had been cruel, chaining him down in the large room with tight and heavy shackles unless he was to accompany his master to an event. Bruises on his pale skin from them were covered with high collars and long sleeves. He was to be seen and not heard, so any noise he uttered would be dealt with punishment.
But he could tell his master had a deep kindness in his heart just waiting for the right moment to blossom. That’s why he had vowed to keep his master safe upon the warning of him being attacked due to a grudge with another of the wealthy aristocrats.
It had happened days later. A dark beast had been unleashed on his master, intending on ripping his master to shreds. He could still see the look of horror on his master’s face as he stood between the beast and the young man, still feel the sharp claws as they ripped into his wings, could still hear his master’s sobs and screams that had mixed with his own.
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Token hadn’t left Clyde’s bedside in days, only getting up to take care of basic needs. He had requested the staff bring his meals to the room where he would gently feed the boy when he would wake up to keep his strength up.
Tight bandages were wrapped around the boy’s upper torso and Token made a note that they needed to be changed in the next day or two and to check on the healing process.
Clyde whimpered and Token reached out, running his fingers through the brown locks. He closed his eyes briefly, already expecting the image of bloody feathers to invade his vision like it had done so many times before.
Clyde had saved his life. Clyde had jumped between him and the beast, letting the creature destroy the beautiful wings that grew from his back. Token could still see the look of pain on his face, the blood stained feathers as they were ripped away, Clyde’s sobs and screams. Clyde could have flown away, leaving him to die. He had risked his life instead. Risked his life for someone that had treated him with nothing but cruelty.
The servants had bandaged what was left, dumping the boy in the servant sick room. Token had sneaked away to the room, guilt eating away at him as he looked into Clyde’s pain filled face.
He had to hide when he heard the voice of his father and another man. His eyes widened in horror as he heard what was to be done with Clyde.
Jumping out of his hiding spot, he wedged himself between Clyde and his father. It would never be near the risk and danger, but Token was determined to save Clyde’s life just as Clyde had done for him.
“No! He’s not going!”
“Token, I can buy you another one.”
“I don’t WANT another one! I want Clyde! He saved my life! Shouldn’t that count for something!?”
“He’s ruined Token. What’s left of his wings will be cut off and he’ll be sent to the breeding farms. That’s what happens to-”
“He’s NOT going! I still want him, ruined or not!”
“Fine. But you’re stuck with him. I will not buy you another. You don’t get to change your mind later when you tire of him.”
Token hadn’t seen Clyde for days afterward, the boy taken away to remove what was left of his wings before infection set in. Upon his return to the mansion, Token ordered him brought to his chambers to rest and recover in Token’s large bed.
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He found Clyde standing next to the window by the time he got back from taking his nightly bath. The moon was full and had illuminated Clyde’s pale skin, made the boy’s green eyes seem to shine, as the boy stared out the window.
“Clyde?”
The boy turned, his eyes wide, before kneeling down like Token had wanted each time he came for him. Token saw Clyde wince and his eyes start to water from the sudden movement.
He walked across the room quickly and gently pulled Clyde up, leading him to the bed to sit.
“You…you don’t have to do that anymore Clyde. What I did or said, it no longer applies anymore. ”
Clyde looked at Token and nodded before resuming looking at the floor, his arms wrapped around himself. Token knew if Clyde still had his wings, they’d be wrapped around the boy’s body as well.
“A-Are you okay master?”
Token’s heart clenched as Clyde reflexively closed his eyes and tensed his body, waiting for the strike for speaking. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he remembered all the times he had struck the winged boy for even the slightest noise that came out of his mouth.
“I’m fine Clyde. And…you can speak freely. I will not punish you for it. I promise. Never again Clyde.”
Clyde shakily nodded. “Were you hurt?”
“No. Not even a scratch. You saved my life. You didn’t have to but you did.”
“I saw kindness waiting to blossom. You couldn’t do that if you were hurt or dead.”
“Still…you could have escaped. Flown away. Flown away and they’d never find you. You didn’t have-”
“We can’t fly. The wings are just for show.”
Token’s eyes widened as stared in shock at Clyde. “What? What do you mean? You can’t…you couldn’t fly? But…but I thought-”
Clyde shivered and shook his head. “None of us can fly master. Once we’re born and our wings start developing, our breeders make cuts in them to keep us from using them to fly. We can spread them out, but it hurts to do it and they’re too weak to maintain flight. They’re useless to us. The only value they have is to the wealthy.”
“But… They tell us to give you a large room. That it’s rare you fly in the presence of humans. Keep you tethered tight so you don’t fly away and escape. It’s all a lie?”
Clyde nodded.
“All of you? Every winged one?”
Clyde nodded again.
None of them. All that Token had seen in the large room when he picked out Clyde. All the winged ones his friends had. Stan, Craig, Kenny, Wendy, Heidi. None of them could fly. Eric had boasted that he had seen his Heidi fly and had the attack not happened, Token would have done anything to Clyde to make him fly for him.
“What about Heidi? Eric said-”
“He lied. He was trying to see if any of you would take his bait. He’s the one that called the attack on you.”
Token stared at the boy on the bed, Clyde looking so small, so human. He had never given it much thought that, besides their wings, the winged ones would pass as human. They’d probably have to do that with Clyde since it was a disgrace to own an imperfect creature.
“Do you miss them? Your wings?”
Clyde shook his head. “I hated them master. I hated my wings so much. Most of us do. They cause us so much pain. Why…why have them when we couldn’t even fly? We should be able to take to the sky, not be trapped in a cage. Why were we reduced to be mass-bred pets?”
Token felt like he was going to be sick. Clyde still had healing bruises from the now destroyed shackles, would always have the scars from the whip marks when he didn’t kneel fast enough, Token’s finger marks were still visible on his neck from where he choked him not hours before the attack.
The wings were a source of suffering, had been since the day Clyde was born.
“Clyde…now that they’re gone…what do you feel?”
Clyde looked up, staring through the window at the full moon. “Freedom.”
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Token lightly traced the jagged scars that ran across Clyde’s back as the man slept. It had been so long since that fateful day. Most of the creature’s slashes had faded to thin lines, but where Clyde’s wings had been ended up with deep scarring. On most days, Clyde was fine, but he would have days where his back would ache due to where they didn’t fully remove what had been left.
Clyde shifted slightly and whimpered. “Press harder Token. Please?”
Token rubbed a small bump along one of the scars causing Clyde to sigh in relief. He sat up and placed a kiss on Clyde’s shoulder. “Would you like a full massage? With the warming oils? Afterwards we can cuddle all day in bed.”
“Don’t you have a meeting today?”
“I don’t have to go. It’s just about another breeding facility that’s being shut down. Kyle and Tweek can handle the details since I handled the last one by myself.”
Clyde winced as he sat up. “You don’t need to drop everything on days I hurt. I’ll be fine you know.”
“You come first Clyde. You’ll always come first.”
Ever since that day, no matter what, Clyde came first. Token made sure of it. Guilt had consumed him, still consumed him. Token knew Clyde was glad his wings were gone, could pass as human, but each time he saw a winged one in accompany with their master, he was reminded of the past. Of what he did. He would never feel like he would ever make it up to Clyde for how he had suffered.
“Token…”
“We can feed each other fruit and take turns reading that book we need to finish.”
Clyde sighed and shook his head. “You’re going to your meeting and then we can cuddle. I had planned on sleeping until you got back from it anyway. As long as it’s not all day.”
“Two hours tops.”
“Then go so you can get back and I can take advantage of having this huge bed to myself. Tell the servants not to disturb me. Last time, they insisted they had to dust.”
Token leaned over and kissed Clyde on the lips. “Anything for you my love.”