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Jon clutched himself tightly as another gust of freezing air threatened to throw him over. His hands buried in the soft green silk of his big sleeves as his feet shifted to a wider stance on the window sill. It was raining. Heavily pouring down. Jon looked over his shoulder to confirm it would be impossible to navigate through without being hit by a single drop. They stung a bit if they landed on him, which he could ignore, but his wings couldn't. Not that it mattered much. That bird did a good enough number on his wings that he couldn't even try to fly. Just like fairies, birds would seek shelter from the rain and hide, but he couldn't help the tightness that grew in his chest that it could find him again any moment.
Another gust of wind chilled Jon to his bones. He yelped and held onto the window frame. The light inside was a comforting warmth, a stark contrast to the deep black of the night, and with the curtains just enough withdrawn Jon could see inside. Bookshelves covered the wooden walls. A neat desk sat in the middle. It must be a study. What parts of the walls weren't covered with knowledge were filled with picture frames and cork boards exhibiting various insects, those who possessed wings had them spread out and held in place by pins. Jon gulped. The human, currently hunched over their desk with a book, looked terribly large. They wore a dark suit and the fairy hoped their personality would be softer than their features. Jon wanted to believe that they would help him in such a dire state. It was a stupid idea, but he was desperate.
He knocked on the window. The human didn't give an indication that they noticed, the noise perhaps drowned out by the rain, so he knocked again, banging his fist against the glass until it hurt. That made them stir and look up, a confused expression as they searched for the source of the noise. They still missed Jon at the window. He knocked again, having to switch hands to combat the pain. That seemed to do the trick as Jon watched the human get up from their chair and walk towards the window. When their eyes fell on him, their confused expression immediately grew to surprise and wonder. Jon wanted to back off, but yet another puff of cold wind came and Jon instead clung to the window panel. Eagerly the human quickly reached for the window handle and let the panel swing inwards. The huge eyes behind metal frames didn't leave Jon for a second. The human was still, frozen and staring with a hand on the open window.
Jon hugged himself and shook from head to toe, but he somehow managed to find the courage to raise his voice. "I-I need help! Please!"
The human kept up the stare before they blinked, mouth hung open, but apparently unaware of what to say. "Come in..." They said plainly, taking their hand from the handle to gesture to a wooden surface right under the window sill.
Jon eyed the surface, then the human, before he stepped over the threshold and safely slid down. His feet hit the wood and as the human reached back up to close the window they kept their eyes on Jon. He actually had to duck out of the way of the window, but the human’s slower movements gave him plenty of time. His mind was blank from the staring contest and he only now realised that he was trapped. He whipped his head back at the sound of the window being sealed shut. The human shifted and Jon’s eyes went back to them. Their hands gripped the edge of the wood as they kneeled down, one knee at a time, each one sending a small earthquake that shook all the way down to Jon’s core. Jon took a few small steps back, barely able to lift his frozen legs off of the ground as the human leaned closer, far less looming above him but still awfully gigantic.
"You're gorgeous…" Their voice was gentle and their eyes quickly took in every tiny part of Jon, sending the man blushing in embarrassment.
"I uh… I'm very sorry to disturb you this late into the night, but I-…" Jon trailed off and his breath hitched as he saw one of the hands approaching him.
The index finger, one digit of it bigger than his head, extended towards him. Jon found himself frozen in place. It nudged his side and he recoiled from the touch, taking a quick step back. The finger luckily didn't follow him.
"Your wing…" Their eyes were fixed on something just behind him and Jon looked over his shoulder, realising they were eyeing his broken wing.
"Y-yes. A bird attacked me and now I can't fly anymore," Jon couldn't hide the trembling in his voice. The human only continued with their intense gaze so he continued. "Could I rest here for a while? It will just be until the rain stops."
"Of course." They ever so slightly tilted their head. It didn't sound like they were listening.
"Can you turn around," They said. Their finger reached out for Jon again, this time pushing Jon so that he was forced to turn on his heel. "I’d like a better look.”
He went along with the guiding motion, as resisting threatened to knock him over, but took another step away to get away from the touch. Jon held his folded hands to his chest, feeling his heart pounding against them, only hoping that the curious hands wouldn't try to grab his wings. Just in case they were, he made sure to lift them up so they could get a better look. The human hummed in thought and when Jon looked over his shoulder he could see them resting their hand against their chin.
"Hmmm… I might be able to do something about this."
Jon gasped lightly and turned back around. "R-really?"
"Oh yes, I've had to fix a few of my pieces before, though I've never fixed one that was supposed to fly afterwards…"
He looked upwards to eye the many insects, dead and pinned to be gauged at. He swallowed.
"Are you going to pin me to a wall?"
"No, of course not." They looked offended. "That would be a waste of a beautiful specimen such as you. You're much more valuable if you can still fly."
The statement didn't sit right with Jon, but at least it meant they weren't going to hurt him, perhaps they would even help him. He cleared his throat. "H-how would you fix them?"
"Well, they seem to resemble moth wings so I could find a pair that looks similar enough and… fill in the gaps." They frowned, eyeing the wings. "What a shame about the condition."
"Yes..." Jon looked down.
'Filling in the gaps' was harsh but also the truth, his fragile wing was missing chunks where the bird thought to take a bite. Anxiety and fear still filled Jon. He held his hands, which helped a bit. At least they weren't occupied with hugging himself to keep out the cold, the warmth of the study reduced his shivers to merely psychological. The human sounded nice enough, though it was regrettable their curiosity extended to physical touch.
"We’d better do this on my desk."
That was the only warning Jon got before the fingers reached for him once more. He clumsily backtracked and yelped, but a finger was placed on either side of his abdomen, taking firm hold of him. His quivering jaw shut tight at the horrible sensation and his hands tried to push the giant digits away, but when he was lifted into the air he quickly changed his mind and instead gripped them with force. His Legs desperately kicked the air, as he felt his stomach drop from the sudden elevation. A fall from this height might not be lethal, but it would surely hurt. Jon was more focused on the fingers squeezing him though, his instinct telling him to get away. His wings fluttered around, though even if he could free himself from the grip they would be useless. He nor his hands could make up their mind and he switched between clawing at the thick skin to holding onto it so hard his knuckles turned white. Not wanting to look down he instead faced the human, who he was now eye-to-eye with. The wide eyes behind the glasses squinted slightly in what Jon, to his horror, realised was a smile.
"Oh, you look so adorable struggling like that." They said with a calm yet disturbingly condescending tone.
Jon grimaced at the human enjoying his suffering. The human's free hand gripped the wooden surface as they pushed themselves up to their feet. Jon felt the air rush past him, breath held as he gripped the fingers and pulled his legs in close. The grip from the human adjusted, getting tighter, and Jon whimpered at the painful pressure. Meanwhile the human calmly walked across the room.
He managed to look up at them with pleading eyes. "Please put me down! I-I don't like being touched."
"Didn't you say you couldn't fly? How else am I supposed to move you around?" They raised an eyebrow and looked slightly annoyed.
"I-I… I suppose." Jon squirmed in the grip a bit. They didn't need to be so rough about it.
Jon felt slight relief when the view under him changed from the long drop to the floor to the desk. He was lowered and the fingers carelessly released him to stumble onto a leathery mat. His legs felt weak and wobbly from the ride so he quickly fell to his knees. Wanting to keep an eye on the human Jon turned around and crawled back on his hands and feet to gain some distance. The human pulled their chair back, its legs loudly scraping on the floor, and sat down. Before scooting to the desk they opened a drawer located right under the desk's work area and pulled out a small bound book, afterwards slamming the drawer shut in a terribly loud noise that shook under Jon and made him flinch. They reached over and past Jon to grab a pen, which they submerged into an open jar of ink as they turned the book to an empty page.
"Alright… we’ll start with the basics…" They wrote the word down as they slowly spoke out loud: "Species."
It wasn't worded like a question but Jon answered anyway. "I'm a fairy."
The human snorted and chuckled darkly. Jon felt very confused.
"Perhaps, but…that's rather... unscientific." They emphasised the last part, surely mocking him.
"I-I don't understand…" Jon hesitantly admitted.
"Perhaps…" Their eyes trailed off and they let out a long exhale. "Homo Lepidoptera." Their eyes lit up. "Yes. I do think that would work. Unless my studies of you reveal something else."
The human started noting down words and Jon's eyes glanced between the neat writing and the human.
"Oh! Do you have a name?" They briefly looked back to the fairy, pen hovering over the page.
"Y-yes. Jon, J-Jonathan."
"Really, Jonathan? It is pretty. You can keep that one."
Jon’s heart sank.
“You can call me Elias.” Elias said, making no eye contact as they continued writing. "There is so much more to ask, like diet or anatomy, but I am having a hard time not skipping to your wings, so… let's start with them." They sat the pen down gently.
"Will learning about them help you fix them?"
"Of course, if I can't study them well you're never taking off the ground again."
Jon felt his heart drop at the thought and he sighed. "Okay. But you can't tell others about me."
Elias’ eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"It might be for the better if you didn't write anything down as well." Jon noted.
“I’m a man of science, Jonathan, I simply wish to document you. You’re too extraordinary to not share.”
"No, you-you can't, I have to stay a secret! People can't know about-"
"I'm not arguing with an insect ." Elias cut Jon off, looking very annoyed by now. Their fingers drummed on the table surface. "Turn around so I can study your wings."
"No, please you can't-"
This time the fairy got interrupted when a hand reached out with the click of a tongue. The fingers wasted no time grabbing his sides again and flipped him over to his stomach as he yelped. At least they quickly let go.
"Just stay still like that, spread your wings a bit."
Jon did not, instead he pushed himself up enough that he could look over his shoulder back at the human. "You have to listen, Please don't-"
"I said-" Not intending on letting him finish Jon felt a finger on the small of his back that pushed him back down hard. Too hard, knocking the air out of his lungs and making Jon's eyes go wide in panic at the terror of being crushed. " Stay. Still . " The human spat, annoyance turned to anger.
As soon as the finger left Jon took a few desperate breaths. He was too scared to move, instead staying frozen in place as his whole body shook in horror and he couldn't help himself but pull his limbs slightly closer.
"Hm, no... I can't work with you squirming like that." They sighed and opened up the drawer again, the movement rattling the ground under Jon.
He was still afraid to move but when he heard a weird sound he turned his head back cautiously, confusion painting his face. The human was holding a roll of some sort, a long semi-transparent strip on it that made a ripping sound as the human pulled it off. Reaching into the drawer yet again Elias pulled out a pair of scissors and cut the last bit off.
"This tape should be easy enough to get off. I would like your clothing in a good condition as well."
This time Jon felt a finger on his shoulder before he saw it and flinched. The finger pressed him to the desk again, not allowing him to move. He thought of asking what they were going to do, but was too scared to make a sound. He tensed up when he felt the strip placed upon his lower back, a finger gliding over it a few times, followed by some taps along the desk. When the fingers were done he didn't waste any time trying to turn around, but he found himself stuck to the table, hips not budging. Jon just about managed to turn his head and see the tape was seemingly stuck to him and the table, keeping him in place, and when he reached down to the small space where the tape wasn’t stuck to anything he found the underside of it sticky. He started thrashing around. His back arched, as much as it could, as his arms and legs tried to free him. His breath quickened as his struggle yielded no results..
"Calm down, it's just there to make things easier,” Elias calmly explained. “Now, can you hold your legs still?"
"I-I…" He couldn't. He tried to calm himself but the act of being held in place sent him into a state of panic and his legs kept kicking.
"Fine." They muttered in response with an audible eye roll.
There were more ripping sounds and Jon opened his mouth to plead, but apparently he didn't notice his tears until now, because all that came out was a scared sob. Another snip of the scissors and they were placed on the desk before Jon felt fingers on his legs. They ran down until they rested on his ankles, immobilising them so they could stick the tape across his calves. Jon was shaking and pulled his arms closer, resting his head on them and staining his sleeves with tears. The terrible touch left and despite himself he wriggled again and found himself fully stuck to the table. He could only barely lift his torso, but it wouldn't amount to anything.
"There we go."
Clattering sounds came from behind and the drawer was shut under him.
"Now stay still this time, or I'll have to do your arms as well. Just keep your wings like that and don't move."
Jon cried into his arms as the human calmly hummed. There was some rustling as they moved around and then a lot of strokes from the pen against the paper. Writing most likely, perhaps even drawing. Why was he so stupid as to trust a human, he should have seen it coming. Such gigantic hands could wield nothing but pain.
Elias sighed in admiration. "Even broken they look gorgeous , I don't think I've ever seen a prettier specimen."
Jon sniffed in return. "Please- Please don't hurt me."
"Oh, you poor thing…"
There was a long exhale from them before Jon felt a finger on his head, making him flinch hard. The tip of it travelled down to his neck and the sensation made him recoil and cringe. Once down to the nape of his neck the finger would lift, only to repeat the motion, effectively petting him in an uncannily gentle way. Jon wanted to reach back and push it away, but feared that the action would cost tape across his arms as well so he kept them to himself.
"I don't plan on doing that, I want to fix your wings, remember? Of course you are very tiny and fragile so I can't promise anything." The human calmly explained.
Luckily the finger left and scribbling on the paper resumed. A few more sobs and Jon managed to quell his tears slightly. Sniffling he slowly turned his head and saw the concentrated expression on Elias’ face and Jon felt slightly glad that this human knew enough about bugs that they should not be touching his wings. He wondered if his wings had been intact perhaps they would have already torn them off to add them to their collection. His sight wandered lower, beneath his wings, where he could see the tape stuck to the desk. Just then, Jon got an idea.
He gave the human a weary look and concluded they were too focused on their work. Biting his lip he kept his wings still as he lowered one of his arms down to his side, the wing big enough to hide his action from above. His fingers found the tape quickly and Jon nudged his fingers under it and pushed, trying to lift it off of the desk. It was very sticky and for a moment he feared he might get his hand stuck, but he managed to push under it and lift some of the tape off. He forced himself to keep a straight face to not show his surprise.
He flinched when Elias let out a loud sigh. "While your wings are beautiful I worry they might be one of a kind. I was planning to fill in the gaps of yours to make them seem whole again with any of the dead wings I've collected, but I don't think I have any that will be close enough." They tapped their pen on the desk. "I might have to create something artificial though… that would take a while."
Jon didn't want to stay any second longer and kept trying to push his fingers under the tape. Elias was still writing until the scribbling stopped abruptly and Jon flinched as something touched his shoulder. It wasn't warm so it might have been the end of the pen, but his wings fluttered in shock anyway. He tried to tug his arm back up but it took a few tries to free his fingers and the human must have noticed because they softly gasped above him.
"Aren't you a clever little thing?" They scoffed. "I didn't see that."
With a huff they pulled the chair back and got to their feet, looming over Jon. "I guess I can't leave you like this out of sight. But oh well, I can make your enclosure now." Then they pointed down at him and put on a harsh tone. "Stay put."
The human walked out of the room and with their presence gone it suddenly feels like Jon can take a longer breath. Their warning echoed in his mind and he found himself too scared to try the tape again, though he still wriggled around. Helplessly pinned to the table he felt ready to cry again, but felt too exhausted for it. Way too quick, Elias was back with the enclosure in hands to set it down next to Jon, making the ground under him shake. It was a metal frame, mimicking the shape of a human house with glass planes between the steel, ensuring that anything stuck inside could not get out and that a curious human could stare at it from every angle.
A hand came for the fairy again and he wanted to flinch away, but he was still stuck in place so he could only cover his head with his arms in a poor attempt to shield himself. There was a ripping sound, and Jon looked down to see the tape being taken off. His legs came free first, then his torso and Jon tried to push himself up, but his arms gave out and let him fall back down. He felt absolutely miserable. Jon was only allowed a few breaths of freedom before there was a finger on his sides again and Jon couldn't not notice how well the human tried to be mindful of his wings. He tried to grip the leather mat, but it was smooth and yielded nothing to hold onto, so Jon was yet again hoisted into the air against his will. His tired legs kicked again, but the manhandling was fairly short as the human quickly opened a door of the glass house and dropped him inside.
Jon landed on soft moss and dirt and before he could turn around he already heard the door being locked behind him. He got on his back and faced Elias, who was staring down at him.
"You're very lucky I just sold the specimen that was in here before, it's one of my prettier terrariums."
He wasn't sure if he could appreciate the beauty of his cage. Looking around he saw the floor covered in dirt and broken leaves, some spots covered by moss. There was a branch stuck into the dirt that leaned up into a corner and next to it sat a ceramic dish. Species-appropriate for a bug he supposed. All of the glass seemed flush with the metal, but maybe he could find one that's loose and slip away.
Elias tapped on the glass, getting Jon's attention and making him flinch. "What do you think? Is it to your liking?"
Jon was unsure if he could be heard, too tired to raise his voice. He simply shook his head with a deep frown.
"Hm. Oh well, we can always make it better for your species. When you can fly again you'll love the larger ones I have for my butterflies." They smiled in anticipation, then looked around the room. "Now, where to put you… Ah!"
Both of their hands gripped the fairy prison on each side and Jon's hands gripped the moss beneath him as he shrank in on himself. It was lifted up and carried a short way to the window he came in from, now seeing the wooden surface beneath it was that of a dresser, his prison set on top of it.
"That should do for now. At least you have a pretty view." They smiled, looking proud of themself and sounding sickeningly sweet. "We'll have to handle your diet later, but for now: do you eat fruit?"
Jon didn't want to tell them anything about him, but guessed he would need energy to escape, so he nodded.
"Wonderful, I'll be right back." Turning heel they quickly left the room.
It didn't take Jon long to crawl into a corner, hiding himself as much as he could. When Elias came back they opened the door, but they immediately stuck their hand inside, making Jon not even attempt running towards it. They placed various cuts of fruit on the dish and then set a smaller bowl next to it. It was filled with water, some spilling onto the dirt. The only exit was locked behind the retreating hand.
Elias eyed the door of the glass house, then tapped the lock. "I might have to add a proper lock on here, just so you and your tiny hands don't get any ideas."
Jon pulled his legs closer, hugging them to his chest and put his head on top of his knees. He didn't want to look at them. He wanted to be anywhere else. He regretted ever knocking on this window. Tears started to prickle in his eyes once again.
There was a sigh from the human before their footsteps got further away. They must have sat down at their desk when he heard the scraping of the chair's legs. "Enjoy the fruit, I've got some letters to send out."