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It’s been about a month now since the initial arrival of the eggs. It had been quite stressful suddenly being responsible for a whole other living being, but Jaiden had managed well enough. Especially with how helpful Roier had been in the upbringing and care of the egg.
Initially the avian didn’t know what to think of him, such a loud and flirty personality, nothing other than a giant clash could come of this, she thought. Her quietness and disinterest in romance was bound to land them in endless awkward situations, not to mention the language barrier they shared, but without the passage of time she couldn’t have seen how wrong she was. The arachnid’s personality did nothing but bring out more of her; sharing their voices in countless melodies, going on adventures together with Bobby, learning his language and chanting whatever the phrases he’d shown her meant together, she had found a great friend in him.
Even after they’d had a small misunderstanding, she still trusted him and she was right to do so. Spreen’s visit had rattled her, how could this guy who didn’t even live here get to have more liberties around the house than she did. So without fail after a day spent with Roier and Bobby, the topic of Spreen came up, and she asked. He trusted her with his plans of vengeance and explained his history with the bear.
She was saddened by learning this, sad to learn his sudden change in demeanor had a culprit. She hadn’t known him for long, only a couple encounters during the first day on the island, but she couldn’t say she didn’t notice the differences between when they first met and when she found out she had been paired with him. Bright eyes now carried heavy bags and were puffier than his cheeks; well kept hair now messier, hints of facial hair coming in, even his clothes seemed damaged and unwashed, an obvious stab wound near his middle, difficult to not see.
At the time she didn’t want to ask. Didn’t want to be nosy and bring up an assumed-to-be touchy subject for the man, but now she knew, and all she could do was comfort her friend and show nothing but support for his plans, after all the bear deserved it.
Since then their friendship had only gotten closer.
They were currently stargazing above Bobby’s tree house after having tucked him in. It was a full moon, and beside it the stars shined bright. Not much conversation occurred between the two, catching up on how their respective missions with Bobby had gone during the past couple days they hadn’t seen each other, an update or two on their personal lifes, but the comfortable silence reigned for the most part. Until Roier turned his head away from the sky and redirected it towards the woman beside him, it didn’t take her long to notice so she looked back at him, but he wasn’t looking at her face, his eyes were lower and slightly further, he was locked on her wing. Not the good one, the one that now was partially missing, the one that she stupidly used to protect herself from the wall's explosion, instead of flying away safely towards the ground with the rest of her group.
“¿Te molesta si te pregunto algo medio personal?” his words were quiet and careful, he didn’t want to nerve the avian. “If it’s about what I think it is then no, you can ask.”
“Your wing?”
“Yeah? What about it?” She tried to sound unbothered by the question, but she couldn’t help the hurt in her voice, yes it had been a month already since the incident, but this was just as severe as if she had lost an arm or a leg, maybe even more.
“How do you feel? I mean, obviously it must be horrible, I can’t imagine what it must be like, but, I just wanted to know how you’ve been feeling. I don’t know if you’ve already talked about this with other people, I know Phil is also an avian but-” at this point he no longer rested his head on his arms, he sprung up sitting next to his friend, his first pair of arms holding him up while the other flailed his hands around, as if it would help him think more clearly. “But I don’t wanna stereotype and be like ‘OH you’re both avians, you MUST be friends!’ and maybe you’ve already moved on and I’m just bringing this up for you again, which you probably don’t want and-”
“Roier!” she exclaimed, giggling a little from her friend's state.
“I just wanna be there for you!” he finalized, his second pair of hands now fists laid still over his legs, his gaze finally meeting hers after its relentless movement, previously refusing to look her in the eye. “Cuando me paso toda mi mierda con Spreen, tuve a Mariana, tuve a Vegetta, and now I have you, but I don’t know if you know that you have me, if you wanna talk about it.”
Jaiden was suddenly near the brink of tears, moved by her friend's sentiment, by his care for her and her feelings after such a traumatic experience.
She moved from where she sat, scooting towards the man until she was next to him, allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder so he couldn’t have a direct sight of her as she began to let her tears run down her face.
“I have talked with Phil about it, he actually approached me the day after the whole ordeal. He was there for me as I got hit with everything that happened, I hadn’t really processed that I had lost a wing.” she pauses, extending her damaged wing so that it's within her line of sight, and she just stares at it. “Yeah during the first day I didn’t even try to fly after it happened, because I knew what the outcome would be if I tried, but I just didn’t think about it until then, as he held me while I sobbed in the little room I had built within the wall.”
She stopped talking for a bit trying to gather herself, her nose was clogged and her vision blurry from the tears, but she wiped it away as best she could. As she caught her breath Roier wrapped his lower arm around her back, rubbing circles just below where her wings sprouted.
“He told me of another life in which he lost his wings too. Assured me that I’d get used to it with time, but that of course it wouldn’t be easy and it all depends on me. After that I kinda just shut myself away. Phil would check in on me from time to time, he’d bring me food and hangout with me for a bit, sometimes he’d send Slime when he couldn’t come. I don’t think he told him why he needed to check on me, but y’know I can assume he at least had an idea.” She thinks for a little and begins chuckling to herself, even without seeing the arachnid she could imagine his puzzled look. “I only came out again after they called us to the adoption center. Then we got paired together, we got Bobby, and now I’m here.” She sat up from where her head laid and looked him in the eye, as he gazed back tears and snot ran down his face just like hers, apparently she had been so wrapped up in her story she didn’t notice the man silently bawling his eyes out.
Faster than she could react the arachnid jumped into her arms and held her as he now openly wept thanks to her story. All four of his arms held her so tightly yet gently, now more careful than ever with her wings.
Before her arrival to the island, the girl had never seen such an open display of emotions, she hadn’t lived as many lives as other habitants of the island, and during the ones she did live, there was never a need for such actions.
But now in such a dangerous environment risks ran high and emotions ran higher.
So she cried with him, her arms wrapped around the arachnid the same way his did and she cried. She wept into his hoodie letting go of all the remaining pain she still had even after Phil, and even after her days alone, and they stayed like that until their knees ached and their breath calmed.
They sat back down from their kneeling positions and just held each other's hands, head to head as they both faced down and took a deep breath. The same silence they shared before was back, but now lighter and slightly different. And just like the last time, Roier was the first one to break it.
“Si te veias medio hecha mierda when I saw you at the adoption center”
“Not shittier than you” remarked Jaiden back to the man, shaking as she tried to hold in her laughter. “Culero.”