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Mornings with Skeppy tend to be slow, not that Bad minds. He’s usually up before him, brewing a pot of coffee for both of them and sometimes cooks breakfast. Skeppy joins him eventually, with tired eyes and a halfhearted ‘Good morning’ before slowly gulping down a cup of coffee until he’s awake.
So, as Bad pours himself a cup and takes a long sip out of it, he nearly chokes hearing footsteps race down the stairs in a mad dash.
“BAD!” Skeppy screams at the top of his lungs from down the hall, and Bad hears him slide across the floor, right past the threshold to the kitchen, and slam into the wall just past it.
Bad flinches at the sound. “Skeppy?” He calls out, voice wavering slightly. “You okay?” He gets a muffled response that he can’t quite make out and Skeppy pokes his head from around the corner. His hair is sticking up wildly, which is mildly concerning considering that he usually fixes it before he comes downstairs.
“I have a problem,” Skeppy tells him, “A big fucking problem.”
Bad furrows his eyebrows, frowning. He nearly scolds him for his language but decides against it judging from the genuine panic in his voice. “What happened? I thought you just woke up?”
“Bad,” Skeppy hisses urgently. “I fucking grew wings.”
All of his thoughts come to a grinding halt and Bad stares at him. “...You’re joking.”
A pair of feathered, deep blue wings flare out from his back, no longer hiding behind him, and Skeppy stares back with a helpless and distressed expression. Bad’s mug slips out of his hand in shock and he barely blinks twice when it shatters on the kitchen floor, spilling his coffee all over the tiles.
“Oh. Oh my goodness...” Bad murmurs breathlessly, not taking his eyes off of them for a second.
“I know!” Skeppy runs a stressed hand through his hair and glances back at them. “I’m freaking out here, Bad! What the hell?”
“You have wings.” Bad repeats, still trying to grapple on what he’s seeing. He can’t take his eyes off of them, not even for a second. “Skeppy- you have wings.”
“I noticed! Seriously, what the fuck?” Skeppy steps into the kitchen and gestures wildly. His wings mimic his distress, fluffing out and making him look a little bigger. Bad spares no time stepping forward and putting a calming hand on his shoulder. He murmurs softly for Skeppy to take deep breaths. Skeppy audibly gulps but takes the advice, and as soon as he looks a little less pale in the face, Bad gets a better look at the wings.
They’re honestly beautiful, Bad can say that without a doubt. They’re deep blue in color but get the slightest bit lighter near the tips. They’re feathered, which is different from Bad’s more leathery bat wings, and surprisingly enough, look fully grown. Bad can’t help but reach out and softly stroke them, getting a quick reaction from Skeppy who whirls around to face him.
“That- that felt weird. Give me a warning before you do that again.” Skeppy sputtered, face burning up. Bad apologized but Skeppy waved him off, still reeling. “But- seriously, is this some sort of condition or- or curse? Like- am I a vampire bird or some shit? Should I be wary before I step out into the sunlight? What is this?”
Bad quickly dismissed the idea of a curse but frowned as he examined the wings closer. “They ripped the back of your shirt- that’s… Odd.” He raised his head, meeting Skeppy’s gaze. “I thought you were half golem?”
“I am!”
“And- you said your other half was human?”
“I thought it was but I’m starting to doubt that now!” Skeppy let out a low whine, panic starting to set in again. “What am I supposed to do? Wings don’t just- just sprout like this, do they?”
“Well…” Bad considered for a moment. “Mine finally came in after I went through metamorphosis and they were already in the adulthood stage once it was over. Maybe you went through metamorphosis too?”
“I don’t- I highly doubt I went through metamorphosis, Bad. I’m not a butterfly.” Skeppy deadpanned.
“I’m not a butterfly either- I’m a demon! Metamorphosis just means like- like a big change! Have you gone through a big change recently?”
“Yes. I grew fucking wings.”
Bad scowled at him. “I know that, I meant- look, we’re gonna figure this out, alright? Just work with me here! Did anything else change?”
“I- I don’t think so?” Skeppy pats himself down, checking his hands and teeth. “Other than the wings and the fact that I’m seriously freaking out right now, I feel normal?”
“Okay… Sit down for a second- let's get you off your feet.” Bad led him over to one of the chairs and gestured for him to sit down. Skeppy did, but immediately yelped and shot back up.
“Ow.” Skeppy groaned. “My- my feathers did not like that- why does that hurt so much?”
Bad winces once it hits him. “Oh yeah, sitting in chairs is hard with wings, should’ve warned you... Do you know if you can make them appear and disappear like I can?” Skeppy gave him a flat look. “...Right, first day with wings- baby steps! I’ll get you a stool, okay? It’ll be a lot comfier, promise.”
Skeppy takes his word for it and Bad retrieves a stool for him. Skeppy sits down more hesitantly but his entire body relaxes when no sting of pain comes and he slumps forward onto the table. Bad sits in front of him, smiling patiently, but then eyes the mess of coffee and shards of a broken mug on the floor. “Uh… Do you mind if I take care of that reallll quick?”
Skeppy shakes his head and Bad gets to work. It doesn’t take him long to sweep and mop it up but he can’t help but feel rushed with the look in Skeppy’s eyes the more time that passes. A miserable look that has no idea what to do, not that Bad can blame him.
“Okay.” Bad sits in front of him again, letting out a breath. “You have wings.”
“Mmhmm.” Skeppy hums, weakly gesturing again. “I knew I felt weird and heavy this morning but I didn’t realize what it was until I saw them… Is this- when we first bonded, you mentioned I might go through physical changes- is this one of them? Is this another bond thing?”
Bad opened and closed his mouth, contemplating the idea. “It’s… Possible? I’ve heard of tails and horns being grown- claws too sometimes- but I don’t think I’ve heard of wings before.”
“Is…” Skeppy pressed his mouth into a thin line. “Is there any possibility they’ll just go away? If it’s just a curse or something, they’re just gonna disappear, right?”
Bad softened. “They’re not a curse, Skeppy. They’re a part of you!”
“I don’t want them!” Skeppy sat up, throwing his arms up and letting them flop on the table. “They’re just here, I didn’t ask for them! Just because they’re attached to me doesn’t mean they’re me.”
Bad reached across the table and took Skeppy’s hands into his, squeezing gently. Tension melted out of his shoulders and Skeppy’s gaze fell. “I know this is… Strange and scary, but neither of us know how permanent this is. Could be a couple days, could be a month or a year, or maybe it’s forever- I really wish I knew but I don’t. But we’re gonna take this one step at a time, okay? Because if your wings are here to stay, you’re gonna need to know how to take care of them and learn to accept them. I’m right here with you.”
Skeppy gives a small nod and Bad sends a reassuring smile. “Okay, good. Now, my wings are a little different than yours- and they’re retractable- but I still know how avians clean their wings so I’ll show you how. That’s step one- the most important thing to know!”
“The most important?” Skeppy echoes skeptically. “I thought that would be like, flying or something.”
“Can’t fly with unkempt wings!” Bad stated as-a-matter-of-factly. He stood up and motioned for Skeppy to do the same. Skeppy followed, although did so uncertainly, and the pair moved to the living room. Bad adjusted the pillows on the couch for Skeppy to be able to lay down on his stomach and told him to relax. It took some soothing but Skeppy did in the end, his head still facing Bad but otherwise, he let himself go slack.
“Okay, I need to touch your wings to clean them, is that alright?” Bad asked slowly. Skeppy hesitated and didn’t respond, causing Bad to prompt him. “What’s wrong?”
“I- I don’t know… Can you tell me what you’re gonna do first? It felt weird when you touched them before.”
“Weird how?”
“Like- not bad but… Different.” Skeppy chewed on his lip. “Kinda like the feeling you get when somebody plays with your hair except, like, more intense. I think I’m just not used to how it feels- I don’t know,” He made a frustrated noise. “I'm still new to this.”
“That’s okay! That’s completely understandable!” Bad assured him gently. “I’m just going to run my fingers through your feathers a couple of times- make sure your feathers aren’t broken or crooked and get rid of any bugs or anything that shouldn’t be there. That sound okay?” Skeppy nodded slowly. “I’ll be careful, alright? Just relax, it’s okay.”
Bad waited for another nod before he began, starting out slow. Skeppy did his best to remain still but by the time Bad was going through a second time, his pupils were dilated and when Bad asked how he was, Skeppy responded with a noise of content. His eyes drooped and fluttered shut, which assured Bad he wasn’t hurting him and his movements became a little more fluid and relaxed as a result.
By the end of it, Bad announced he was finished only to see Skeppy was fast asleep. He suppressed a laugh and carefully draped a blanket over Skeppy, which he snuggled into, and decided to let him rest.
He deserved the rest- needed it in fact. When Bad had gotten his wings, he at least was expecting that they would come with time. For Skeppy, this was completely foreign and unexpected. He never even thought about the possibility of growing wings, and why would he? Bad himself never even considered it, even with the possibility that he might grow a tail from their demonic bond but wings was something he never expected.
If it was from their bond at all, that is. Bad doesn’t have the slightest idea but ‘How’ doesn’t matter as much as the fact that Skeppy apparently has wings now and Bad’s gonna walk him through it every step of the way.
Bad gently strokes Skeppy’s wings again. Skeppy doesn’t wake up but he makes a soft ‘Brr’ trilling noise in response. Bad’s hand flies to his mouth to muffle the squeak that would’ve almost certainly woken him up.
—
Skeppy didn’t even notice he fell asleep. For him, it was more like one minute, he was resting his eyes and feeling the calming, almost hypnotic movements of Bad’s hands checking his feathers and the next, he was waking up nearly two hours later.
Skeppy shifts himself to sit up, almost forgetting about the existence of his new wings until he feels the weight on his back and huffs. Still there. He thinks, partially bitter but another part of him accepts that they’re sticking around for a while. Not that he has to like it, but it’s not like he can just get rid of them.
He finds Bad washing the dishes, humming to announce his arrival as he stumbles into the kitchen. Bad perks up, greeting him with a grin but has enough sense to let Skeppy wake up before he starts hitting him with questions. Skeppy digs out and pours out a bowl of cereal, as well as a cup of coffee, and carries both over to the table. Half the chairs have been replaced with stools, Skeppy notices immediately as he takes a seat.
Bad hums as he works, a song that Skeppy doesn’t recognize but appreciates nonetheless. He takes his time with his meal and in waking up, even now still grappling with getting used to the weight on his back, but he’s adjusting. Skeppy has no idea how he’s gonna get his shirt off without ruining it or how he’s going to need to adjust his entire wardrobe but that’s a problem for future Skeppy.
He takes his bowl over to Bad once he’s finished, who thanks him before setting it to soak. “Feeling any better?” Bad asks, and Skeppy shrugs.
“Kinda. I think I’m getting numb to the fact that I have wings now but it’s still weird.” Skeppy rolls his shoulders, flexing and relaxing the wings experimentally. “Were you able to find any answers?”
“A little, not all of it is useful though.” Bad nods, drying off his hands and turning to Skeppy. “I was able to discover your wings are similar to a hyacinth macaw for one! And I did a little digging and while it is quite rare, there are some cases of people bonded to winged demons also growing wings... There’s a small issue with that theory though.”
“What kind of issue?”
“Well,” Bad frowned. “If you really did grow wings because of me, they should’ve been bat wings- demonic, like mine. Yours are feathered. It’s still technically a possibility but less likely.”
“So probably not a demon thing then.” Skeppy glances back at the wings, internally groaning. “It’s a start at least but- this is gonna be impossible to figure out, isn’t it?”
“Maybe.” Bad admits weakly. “You don’t have contact with any of your family so we can’t exactly trace back in the family tree. And- you brought it up before but I’ve never heard of a curse that gave you wings and nothing else so I think we can cross that off the list.”
Skeppy huffs, leaning back against the counter and wincing when he bumps against the wings oddly and has to adjust before he can relax. “Any good news?” He asks.
“Sorta! I think it’s good news at least!” Bad tells him.
“Hit me, I could use it.”
“Well, we know of two people on this SMP who have feathered wings who can help you figure this out and I know for a fact that one of them will say yes if I ask!” Bad grinned brightly.
Skeppy blinked. “Two people? Philza and… Oh. Right. Quackity.”
Bad rolled his eyes. “Don’t say it like that, Quackity is a good guy!”
“I don’t know him though. Or Philza for that matter.” Skeppy could feel the feathers ruffling and tried his best to smooth them out. “This- I don’t know how to feel telling other people about it.”
“Unless you can retract them like I can, I think it’ll be prettyyy hard to hide.” Bad reasoned, looking over the wings again. “You don’t have to go out and announce to the world that you have wings now right now- or even for tomorrow or the next day- but long term, I think it would be good to get some advice from people who have wings like yours so you know how to better control and care for them. Is that okay?”
Skeppy has no other answer than a nod of agreement but he still feels antsy about it. Bad just gives him a patient smile and assures him again that they’re going to figure this out and it’ll all be okay. Skeppy nods again and excuses himself to the bathroom.
He locks the door and stares at himself through the mirror, particularly how he looks with the wings on his back.
It feels more like he’s in a costume than anything- it doesn’t feel like him. Skeppy’s used to crystals growing on his skin sometimes and being able to communicate with other golems, not feathers on his back and the possibility of flying both terrifying him and not being able to think about anything else. This- wings- isn’t him.
And yet, there they are, very much attached to him and showing no signs of leaving anytime soon. Maybe he’s overreacting but Skeppy doesn’t feel like he is. Wings change everything- they’ve already started to alter his way of life with the fact that he needs to be careful on how he leans against things and how he’ll need to sleep on his stomach and regularly clean them, and it hasn’t even been a full day yet. Night has yet to fall and Skeppy’s grappling with wondering just how long these things are going to be sticking around.
He really wants it to be temporary but another part of him knows they aren’t. They’re going to stay and he’s gonna have to learn to deal with that.
Skeppy sucks in a deep breath and let’s it out.
“You’re not gonna ruin my life.” He tells the wings bluntly. “You might be throwing a fucking wrench in my life but you are not ruining it. You got that? We got an understanding?”
The wings don’t reply, obviously, but Skeppy glares at them all the same. “Good.” He says, then splashes some water in his face, dries off, and returns to where Bad is doing the dishes.
The rest of the day is spent with Bad and Skeppy both scouring every book they own for more information on feathered wings or anything that could tell them why Skeppy suddenly has them in the first place. Skeppy finds he has more limited sitting positions he can do without upsetting the wings but Bad helps him be as comfortable as he can.
And Skeppy may not be too fond of the wings but his breath hitches when Bad starts preening the wings again and he melts on the spot. The way Bad takes care of them is comforting in a way he can’t explain and if there’s one good thing about the wings so far, it’s that it feels like heaven to have someone he trusts with his life cleaning them.