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The blond teenager kneeling in the bathtub of the upstairs bathroom wanted to cry in frustration as he felt his back knitting together for the sixth time that day. His forehead was pressed to the bloodied bathtub floor, hands making fists in the old shorts he wore just so he could get rid of them when it was all over. Unfortunately, the healing factor he had since he was a child was making the task impossible. Every time his back split open to free the new appendages, the splits were healed almost immediately. Focusing on keeping the ability at bay and trying to force them out was a nearly impossible task when he was in so much pain. Not to mention the pressure that was there because they wanted to be free. Not trapped.
This had all started on Monday morning when he noticed a slight pinkness to his back after a shower. As if the skin there was irritated by something. He hadn't dwelled on it too long as he brushed it off as being from the warm water. However, as the week progressed pain had developed as the spots became redder and angrier. And when he felt the spots, he had felt lumps of what he could only assume to be wings. Initially feeling them had almost made him sick to his stomach. So alien and painful to the touch. Last night, the pain had grown worse. There was also a sort of pressure there as if something was about to happen. Then that morning, his back had split open to try and free the new appendages. Of course, his healing factor healed the wounds quickly. Resulting in his current position in the bathtub to keep himself from bleeding everywhere.
The opening of the front door alerted him. Since the house had been so quiet without his siblings there, the blond teen was immediately aware that someone was home. Who? He didn't know and he couldn't go and look. Not with how bloody he likely was and there was no telling when the next attempt at freeing his wings would occur.
"Marco! I'm home!" Shouted Thatch. Of course, it was Thatch. He didn't have any after school activities on Fridays, unlike his other siblings. And he knew Marco was home since he had practically begged for their pops to call him out that day. No way in hell was he going through this during his classes. Of course, his family was worried. He never wanted to be called out even when he was sick which was a rarity.
"Marco?" He heard Thatch call again, likely wondering where his big brother was. And Marco had to debate on if he wanted Thatch to see him like this. The time they were playing together and Marco broke his leg came to mind. Screwing around like little kids were bound to do. Remembered his brunette brother's horrified expression as his leg repaired itself, the first time he even became aware of his healing. But Thatch was older now. And... maybe he could help Marco with his problem.
With his mind made up and a deep breath, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. Gritting his teeth at the pain it caused him. Once it passed, Marco called out to Thatch. "Up here, yoi! In the bathroom!" He called. God. The bathtub looked like someone had been murdered in it.
Marco tensed as the handle to the door turned and it was pushed open, prepared himself to see Thatches horrified expression once more. And as expected, his little brother's smile slipped off his face as he took in the sight of the bathroom. The silence seemed to stretch on forever.
Thankfully, Thatch would be the one to break the silence. "Marco..? What's going on?" There was a silent question there. Why is there so much blood?
"Its... another mutation" Marco started to explain. "I have wings. They've been trying to get free all day and... I just keep healing, yoi"
The blond was surprised at how quickly Thatches horrified expression turned into one of amazement. "You have wings?!" He exclaimed, quickly coming forward to look at Marcos back. Which he was sure was covered in blood. "They're stuck?" He asked, an almost child-like wonder in his voice. Thatch looked like he wanted to reach out and touch but he seemed worried that he would cause Marco pain.
"They are, yoi" He informed. A moment of hesitation. Was he really about to ask that of his little brother? Yes. Yes, he was. He was the only one he would trust with a knife considering his skills in the kitchen. Thatch may be young but he showed talent when it came to cooking. And he was always eager to try something new or to help their pops or any of their other siblings with meal prep. And at the end of the day, he wanted this whole thing to be over. "Do... You think you could help me?"
"Help?" Asked Thatch, an uncertainty entering his tone as he started to fiddle with the ponytail he wore. He had insisted on growing his hair out so he had taken to pulling it back until he learned to do something else with it.
"Yes, yoi. I can't focus on keeping my healing from doing its job and getting the wings out. So, I need someone to..." He trailed off, hesitating to suggest what he was about to. Sure they were family but he felt like he would be asking too much of Thatch.
A sort of determination entered his little brother's eyes. "What do you need?"
"I need someone to slice open my back and pull the wings out. While I focus on keeping my healing suppressed, yoi" He explained. Marco knew he could do that since he learned how to do it young so he wasn't singled out as a mutant. Thatch looked like he regretted offering his help but then he shook his head and nodded before leaving the room.
"I'll be right back!" He called over his shoulder before he was out the door.
Marco eventually returned to the position he had been in for much of the day. This tub would need a good scrub down when this was all over. Within the time frame that Thatch was gone, the blond was sure that his back would split open again and he would have to feel the skin knitting together all over again. Fortunately, he was spared from that and soon heard his little brother return.
Marco pushed himself into a sitting position slowly to get a look at Thatch. He was carrying an old towel and some rags from the kitchen along with what looked like a rather sharp knife. The blond soon realized that it was the brunettes' favorite knife. He was going to use that on him?
"Thatch-"
"You said you needed help, right? You help me all the time so I'm going to help you" The biggest grin stretched out on Thatches face even though he was about to cut open Marco to pull out his wings. He then plopped the towels and rags down on the floor. "Am I allowed to touch?" He asked as he sat himself down on the floor next to the bathtub.
All it took was a nod from Marco and Thatch was feeling for where the first wing started and where it ended so he didn't cut unnecessarily. "I can't believe I'm going to cut you open without any medical training" He tried to joke to ease his worries. "Great way to start off the weekend"
Marco shook his head at Thatch then moved into his previously hunched over position, no drips to clean up in this position. "Horrible, yoi. Those are horrible"
He didn't have to look at Thatch to know he was sticking his tongue out at him. "Hey! Cut me some slack" Thatch said before setting to work on the task he had agreed to, trying to keep his hand steady as he did so. His brown eyes picked up the clench of Marco's jaw as he focused on just keeping himself from healing. With the incision done, Thatch hesitated. He was about to reach in and pull something out of his brother. The brunette wasn't squeamish but doing that to someone he was close to made his stomach turn. With a swallow, he reached in and grabbed. Thank god it wasn't in deep. He pulled out the naked wing
"Okay! I got one" Informed Thatch was he let it go. It stayed in the position he left it in as Marco relaxed and allowed himself to heal. That was half of the pressure relieved. It took the blond a moment to fold the wing against his healed back. It felt weird, to say the least. "You look like a lopsided bird" Joked Thatch, earning himself a half-hearted glare. Now he was going to get bird jokes on top of the pineapple jokes. Great.
Marco adjusted which way he was facing so that Thatch would have better access to the second wing. Much like the first, he felt where it started and ended then set to cutting. Marco clenched his jaw again, focusing on suppressing his healing until he got the okay from Thatch. The pressure was finally, finally relieved. It almost made Marco want to cry. All it took was several hours then one of his family members coming home. He accepted the towel he was offered and set to wiping down the new wings. Soft downy feathers of an azure blue were already started to grow in, no doubt hurried along by his healing factor.
"Thank you, yoi" Said Marco, genuinely appreciative of his little brother. He accepted the rags he was offered and set to cleaning up the mess he had made.
"Don't mention it" Thatch grinned at him in a manner that suggested that he wanted something from the blond. Marco could see it out of the corner of his eye.
"What is it?" He asked, looking up from his task. His shorts would have to be thrown away which was fine. Marco was planning on getting rid of them anyway.
"You don't have to buy me a new knife. But I want to make one stupid joke without getting hit or you know, punished in some way" Thatch said, grin still present on his face.
"Fine, yoi" Marco sighed then returned to what he was doing now that he had an answer to his question.
"Whos the baby brother now?” He asked. The blond had to suppress the urge to smack him for that one.