Chapter Text
It was harder to hide it here in the fog, prying eyes everywhere they went, by they David meant himself. The Brit had wandered away from the warm comforting light of the campfire, strolling cautiously through the trees, occasionally making sure he was alone, or well, as alone as possible. A relieved sigh slipped from him as he came to a relatively secluded clearing with a pond sitting alone in the center. ‘ell, this’ll work, for now, David thought as he searched around the clearing, double-check that he was in fact alone.
He didn’t want anyone else to know, a secret between just him and the Entity.
David peeled his heavy coat from his back and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Scars littered his gently tanned skin, many from his time here in the Fog others from his time in fight rings, some older than he could ever explain.
A yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles out, rolling his shoulders to try and relieve the tenseness from his neck. The Manc sighed as he stretched out his arms, reaching around to his back to touch the ragged twin scars on his shoulder blades. It had been a long time since he had done this and he was starting to feel the repercussions of it.
David rested his palms against the rough bark of a tree as he finished stretching himself out. Alright, it was now or never while he was in the clear for being alone. He pushed himself off the trees and went to sit crouch by the pond, his reflection staring back at him in the still black water. With a deep breath, the Brit tensed his back and rolled his shoulders, he could feel the skin tearing before the pain was overcome by the feeling of relief.
Beautiful white wings had burst from the Manc’s back. Radiant light hummed from them, illuminating the area around David gently. A smile tugged at his lips as he wrapped the large wings around him, his fingers lightly running through and straightening some of his feathers. Specks of gold were hinted on the tips of each feather, shimmering within the pure white light. He missed flying, but that wasn’t exactly something he could do here.
Golden tattoos glistened on his body, two gold rings around each bicep and decorative lines flowing around the roots of his wings. He remembered how he felt getting them done, the warmth of pride bloomed in his chest as he remembered the occasion. But enough reminiscing on the past, he had limited time to do what he needed to.
He spent a few minutes peacefully grooming his wings, having long trapped them within him to hide them away. They would only make him a larger target than he already was...as for the survivors, he didn’t want to give them false hope. He couldn’t do anything about their situation, he was just as stuck as they were. David shook his head, forcing the depressing thoughts from his head as he continued to groom himself.
David stood up, shaking the remaining drops of water from his wings.
Crack. Feck, someone was near. David’s heart stuttered as quickly folded the large wings behind him, diving for his coat for better cover, but it was too late.
“D-David?” Of course, it had to be Dwight.
The Brit inhaled deeply and sat crouched over his shirt and coat, staying dead still. Perhaps if he ignored the American he would simply leave...but, that did not guarantee what he needed. He needed for people not to know. Frowning, David slowly twisted his head to face his friend. Muscles tensed, and wings spreading, David could feel energy pulse through him as he pushed off, light a spear of pure light rocketing towards the other.
Dwight didn’t know how to process what was happening. Was David okay? Was the Entity turning him into a killer? But he had no chance to ask as soon a streak of hot white light rushed towards him.
The collision was softer than he had expected it to be, within no time the Brit had pinned him to a nearby tree, towering over him with blind white wings trapping him. A single hand kept Dwight pinned to the trunk of the tree as David’s eyes glowed a similar white to his wings. “Dwight, you’ll nothin’ of this to no one, got it? I can’t ‘ave ya runnin’ yer mouth ‘bout this.”
With a shaky nod, Dwight agreed, “Al-alright, I understand. Are-are you okay, David? This isn’t the Entity’s doing, right?”
The other simply sighed and shook their head, the wings contracting and folded back against the Manc’s back. “Ain’t gonna talk about it, cock. It’s none’ya business and the story is too long. Maybe another time, but not right now.” David ruffled Dwight’s hair before striding back over to his clothing, the once brilliant wings dimming as they receded into the scars once more. It only took a second for David to get dressed, leaving his shirt unbuttoned for the most part.
David rested his hand gently on Dwight’s shoulder as he led them back towards the general direction of the fire. “Like I said, keep it ‘tween us, aight? Puttin’ lotta trust in ya’, Dwight. Ya gotta keep this quiet.”