Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“So,” Seible started with, his blue-tipped beige wings beating once to break his downward momentum. He lands lightly on his cloth-booted feet, his high-necked, snug-fitting tunic still somehow perfectly tidy. “It just occurred to me that today marks three months since you first arrived here.”

“Has it now?” Kaelix answered, amused. He straightened out the papers on his lap that had been dislodged by his friend’s surprise landing—a regular occurrence that barely fazes him, at this point.

Friend, he thought warmly. 

Before he arrived at Eldergrove City, he didn’t consider himself very well-traveled. Besides the sprawling woodlands surrounding the little hamlet where he grew up, he’s seen little of the outside world beyond the maps and books his parents had gotten for him in their travels, which he had scoured a little over a hundred times each.

When he first crested the bordering mountain range and flew into a verdant valley, catching sight of the city nestled perfectly at its centre—which, famously, is built into a gigantic tree, he felt about as daunted as when he faced down a wild Stonehide Rhinoceros for the first time. As he eyed the hundreds of winged figures flitting about the busy tree-city, he regretted brushing off his mother’s urging for him to travel, having been content in his rural-based profession of documenting local wildlife. 

To his immense relief, however, its denizens were nothing if not welcoming. Seible, most of all, had contributed greatly to helping him feel settled. In a professional respect, he was Kaelix’s primary liaison to the city’s Academy of Alchemy, showing him to his temporary accommodation the moment he arrived—a sturdy, spherical wooden hut situated on a high branch, made from magically shaping the tree’s very bark.  

(“I hope it’s not too modest. We’ve been dealing with budget cuts, lately…”

“Mod— what? This is beautiful! No, really!!”)

In a personal sense, he’d been the one to introduce Kaelix to many of the locals, taken him to see the best parts of the city (the bustling market was particularly overwhelming, probably more so without a guide), and dragged him along to many festivals and events. To put it simply, Kaelix has been having a wonderful time.

“It feels more like a year. So much has happened already,” he reminisced. “I guess I have you to thank for making me feel at home.”

“I didn’t do that much.” Seible smiled, blue-and-pink irises halved by the curve of his eyes. “Not yet, anyway. So! Back to my previous point—”

“Yet?”

“—Now! as you know, the nuptial flight is tonight—the night of the full moon. I feel like we should be using this occasion to celebrate this milestone of yours.”

He recalled Seible mentioning it about a week prior—an informal ceremony previously intended for courtship displays, in archaic terms. These days, however, it serves as more of a social gathering, an excuse for people to gather and connect, in any sense of the word. 

“So you’ve mentioned,” he nodded, familiar with the tradition. “Do you celebrate it any differently in the city?”

“Oh?” Seible tilted his head, eyes intrigued. “How does it usually go down, where you’re from?”

“Hmm…” Kaelix thought for a moment, a faint smile pulling at his lips. “Back at home, it’s more of a… simple little soiree. Everyone joins in, young and old.” He has a particularly dear memory of himself, his parents, and his little siblings all in a circle of linked hands, laughing as they danced in the air, all while trying not to crash into other groups.

“That sounds lovely. Not that far off from ours, either…” Seible answered, but his eyes shifted suspiciously to the side.

Kaelix’s eyes narrowed. “What are you not telling me?”

“Well…” Seible gave a nervous little laugh, adjusting his black velvet choker. “I won’t lie, people here can get a bit… overzealous.” 

“Really?” He arched a brow. “But that’s not unusual during nuptial flights… Is it?” Understandably, there would be the occasional one or two… enthusiastic individuals who put a lot of stock in meeting someone during this one meaningful night, then settling down together for the rest of their lives. In a remote locale like his, it seemed like the appropriate end goal for most in his age group. 

Seible hesitated. “Have you ever heard of the myth of soulmates?”

Kaelix hummed. “Vaguely. I’ve only ever read about it in passing… mostly, in fiction.” He enjoys reading all sorts of books, after all. There isn’t really much to do otherwise, where he’s from. 

“They say,” Seible began, taking on the whispered cadence of a storyteller. “That when two people who were meant for each other take flight in the light of the full moon… Their wings would always catch the same current.” It painted a lovely image—of two winged figures flying in intricate maneuvers around each other, completely in tandem. “That they’ll find themselves helplessly drawn to one another, no matter the distance.”

“Do you believe it?” Kaelix asked, studying him closely.

“I believe love is something you work towards, not something instantaneous.” There was something settled in his tone of voice. “Although…” His eyes shifted away, onto the large courtyard that the branch they sat on had been overlooking. “I won’t deny that there are some… who seem like they were made for one another. I can kind of understand those who believe it so wholeheartedly.”

Kaelix followed his gaze, catching sight of a familiar figure that hadn’t been standing there earlier. Even at a distance, he could recognize the emerald-tipped, black-feathered wings anywhere, large enough that their primaries would occasionally brush against the ground as their owner walked, even as they were tucked onto a grey-cloaked back.

Zeal Ginjoka—a leading alchemist at the academy. He had also been a fixture in Kaelix’s life for the past three months, ever since they met… in the very same courtyard, actually. He had accepted the academy’s request for assistance in animal-related research, which cited, among others, his particular expertise in the Gale-Hooved Pegasus—a species he had spent a good few years of his life patiently tracking, before documenting their diet and behavior from a safe distance. Even though he knew it would take him far away from home indefinitely, he couldn’t refuse the offer to help extensively with conservation efforts in the blight-plagued southern forests.

“I read your publications,” Zeal said after they had been introduced, as they immediately got to work on running physical examinations on a rescued mare. One of her wings was severely blackened, its feathers shrivelled as if they were rotting. “Your note on their preference for feathery grass really helped in looking for locations to relocate them to.”

“Really?” Kaelix asked, not managing to keep the delight from his tone. “I’m glad my… overly-thorough documentation helped at all. I know it’s a bit tedious to read through.”

“Not at all,” Zeal gave him a quick smile as he worked. “Your locale might be one of the few at the forefront of conservation efforts, probably thanks to your work.” Kaelix had nothing to say in response to that, helpless in the face of compliments. “Still… how you convinced her to climb the cart, I’ll never guess.” He referred to the wheeled carrier they used to move her up the winding, suspended roads spiraling up towards the academy at the very top of the city, admittedly a very intimidating contraption.

“They’re smarter than we’ll ever know, actually. I negotiated with her kind once or twice—apparently, they’re pretty familiar with the concept of barter.”

Zeam hummed, intrigued. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“As long as you don’t mention anything unpleasant within earshot. Like the E-word.”

“‘E-word’?”

“You know… E-X-P-E-R-I—”

The mare snorted in displeasure, rather pointedly.

“... Never mind.”

Since then, the alchemist would consult with him on all manner of wildlife, the current focus of his research. Curiously, he also had a habit of bringing Kaelix treats or delicacies as a way of saying thanks. Candied fruits from the market, in exchange for his opinion on using naturally occurring toxins as alchemical antidotes. A small jar of wildflower honey he had procured from a foreign merchant caravan, as thanks for advice on how to avoid introducing a possibly invasive species in a new locale.

A paper-wrapped parcel of salted nuts, in return for the story of Kaelix’s first encounter with a Stormraptor—terrifying, gigantic birds that relished in flying through violent hurricanes. This one instance seemed to be born more from Zeal’s acute curiosity in Kaelix’s personal anecdotes. Before he could wonder why, however, his throat began to prickle uncomfortably.

After extensive testing at the academy’s infirmary, having been dragged there by the arm by an increasingly concerned-looking Zeal, he discovered that he had an allergy to several types of nuts, and even one or two species of exotic fruit, for good measure. 

Zeal had been devastated at being the cause, and no amount of reassurance that Kaelix was, in fact, perfectly fine could console him. From that day on, Zeal would take care to keep him away from even the sight of any nuts (in case he ever gets tempted to test the limits of his physical well-being), which tickles him to no end.

As if sensing Kaelix’s thoughts being directed his way, the Zeal of the present turned his face up in their direction, noticing him and Seible seated on the branch. Almost immediately, he unfurled his wings—the span of them so startingly large, each time—before taking off. It only took him one or two flaps to reach their height easily, landing gracefully beside Kaelix (and messing up his papers for a second time that day).

“Up to no good, you two?” Zeal asked by way of a greeting.

“Not any more than you are,” Seible shot back with a grin, and Kaelix had the distinct feeling that he was missing out on some sort of context.

“Uh… Seible was just telling me about the nuptial flight,” Kaelix offered. 

“Oh?” Zeal’s brows ticked up, intrigued. “What about it?”

“You know, Gin-chan—apparently, where Kaelix is from, nuptial flights were closer to family events,” Seible imparted, sounding as if that particular kernel of knowledge was highly crucial. “I was suggesting he see how we celebrate here, for once.”

“... Wait.” A thought just occurred to Kaelix. “You weren’t trying to ask me out this entire time, were you?”

“Absolutely not,” Seible immediately says, almost too vehemently. At the same time, he thought he saw Zeal’s wings twitch out of the corner of his eye. “Um, what I meant was—I’ll be busy with work! And either way, it should probably be spent with the right company… don’t you think? ”

“I… I guess?” Kaelix grew even more confused. He turned to Zeal, catching the latter intently watching him. “Are you planning to join?”

Zeal’s expression shifted slightly into something… panicked. “I’ve only ever gone in my first year here, actually. Never again—” Zeal coughed. “I mean. I tend to avoid them now, for personal reasons.”

“Oh.” Kaelix felt himself wilting, for some reason. “Well. I guess joining in wouldn’t hurt.” He’d be out flying on the night of the full moon either way—it’d be a travesty not to.

“Really?” both his conversation partners asked in unison.

“Yes, really—what’s with you two today?” He finally asked, perplexed. 

“Nothing!” Seible exclaimed, eyes flicking back and forth between him and Zeal. “I just thought you might have needed more convincing…” He muttered, before getting up to stand. He then held out a hand for Kaelix. “Anyway, you’ll need something nice to wear. I know just the right person for the job.”

“You don’t think my clothes are nice??” Kaelix asked before being all but whisked away by the arm. It must be some sort of a habit between city folk.

“See you, Gin-chan!” Seible yelled as they took off, leaving Zeal standing alone on the branch, an unreadable look in his eyes as he watched them ascend higher.

--

Seible took him straight to the transmutation department, to the wing reserved for research on synthetic fabrics.

“And so you came here expecting me to work miracles?” Freo—the research team leader—asked wryly, right as Seible concluded his explanation. “It’s not as if I have ready-made clothes just lying around, you know.” The state of his workshop would indicate otherwise, with various wooden figures sporting robes or outfits in varying colours and stages of completion. Other stations held different prototypes for industrial use—tents, medical tools, water filtration sheets… Huh. Maybe he underestimated the importance of this division, just a tiny bit.

“Please, Furi-chan? We can’t let him fly out tonight in these,” Seible gestured at his current clothes—a white, backless singlet, with a short brown mantle to avoid the worst of sunburns while out flying. His canvas trousers and leather boots aren’t exactly high-end, but they weren’t shabby, either. 

“That’s the second time today that you critiqued my outfit, but I'll let it slide, out of the benevolence of my heart,” Kaelix pointed out mildly.

“Hm.” Freo scanned his attire from head to toe, and Kaelix shifted nervously. 

If there’s anyone whose opinion on aesthetics Kaelix might consider, it’d be Freo. Even now, the designer wore an intricately-woven black tunic with crimson embroidery that matched the color of his neatly manicured, gradient-burgundy wings, the high neckline of a white shirt peeking out from underneath. Even his pristine, white trousers looked tailored within an inch of their existence. 

In contrast, well… he’s beginning to see the sense in Seible’s judgement of his attire.

Freo sighs. He starts walking towards his personal office, beckoning them to come with. “I might have something. Come on.”

Nearly an hour and a light tussle later, he’s staring at a very different reflection in the tall mirror. The long-sleeved tunic he wore was midnight-blue, with silver thread embroidery across its shoulders and hems, its length cutting off a quarter of the way down his thighs. 

Folded-over slits hugged the base of his wings, but were barely abrasive. Complete with his own set of black, tailored trousers and lightweight leather boots, his outfit was clearly made to keep his silhouette tight and aerodynamic—no billowing sleeves that might cause drag, no loose fabric that could snag.

He imagined that the outfit would leave nothing visible of him against the night sky other than his head, hands, face, and his white-feathered, gold-tipped wings—and most of all, the silver thread that would shimmer like stars in the moonlight.

“Freo…” Kaelix was breathless. “I… these are my exact measurements. How?” 

Freo folded his arms, lifting his chin imperiously. “Seible gave me your numbers weeks ago. I don’t work with half-guessed measurements. Wastes too much precious fabric.”

Kaelix blinked. “You… made this for me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Freo replied airily, though his eyes glinted with amusement. “You happen to have a pretty striking silhouette, under all your poorly-fitted clothing.” He huffed out, though the disparagement didn’t quite land in the context of his immense generosity. “Naturally, I can’t waste inspiration when it comes knocking.”

Seible, lounging by the door as he regarded the outfit with appreciation, contributed in an exaggerated whisper, “That’s Furi-chan’s personal way of saying, ‘I consider you important to me; and here’s proof of my support!’”

Through the mirror, he spotted Freo glaring daggers sideways at Seible, who sank further into the wall he had been leaning against. Truly, Kaelix might be the luckiest person ever in terms of friends. 

“Thank you,” Kaelix said quietly. “I’ll put it to good use.”

--

The moment the sun had set completely, it was as if the city exploded with noise. A peek past the curtains on his circular windows told him that the festivities were well and truly in motion; lanterns hung from every branch, reminding him of swarms of fireflies alighting the forest at night.

He tied his hair back into a secure knot, to ensure it wouldn’t get in the way during flight. Admittedly, somewhere along the process of putting on his new clothing, he felt as if all of it might be a bit too much. But now, as he examined his reflection one last time, he had to admit… Freo’s work gave him a confidence he hadn’t expected to feel. 

He emerged from his house carrying none of his usual essentials—no bag, no cloak; nothing but the key to his door tucked into his buttoned pocket. He felt wholly unprepared, though for reasons unrelated to his lack of any belongings.

When the horn signalling the start of the flight sounded, he spread his wings upward. With a few hefty flaps, he leapt into the night, air rushing past his ears as he joined the crowd of flyers in the moonlit sky. 

He carefully weaved through the rabble of wings barely several feet apart, lifting himself a bit higher to gain a vantage point away from the worst of the crowd. He took the opportunity to observe everything—and everyone. Immediately, he understood why Seible insisted he get a new set of clothes specifically for this occasion. 

Despite being a distance away from the lights of the city, the sky was by no means devoid of color. Some wore robes with translucent shawls that trailed and fluttered lightly in the night breeze, while others gleamed in metallic accents much like his own, their patterns flashing in the moonlight as they banked or dove. Kaelix even spotted several bolder folk with brightly-painted wings, streaks of pigment causing their feathers to erupt in patterns with each flap. 

On a night that doesn’t involve extensive, sit-down conversations like this one, self-expression through clothing made perfect sense—as the quickest way to showcase oneself to others who might be interested in knowing them.

Surprisingly, he felt underdressed, all of a sudden.

Ah, well. Even if he doesn’t find anyone to bond with, the joviality of the crowd was plenty infectious on its own. He set his sights on his singular goal for the night—an enjoyable flight in the light of the full moon.

He began ascending steadily, clearing the crowd altogether. Without a moment’s hesitation, he sped off, cutting through the chilly air.

He flew wide arcs around the large tree’s perimeter, indulging in the occasional twist or flourish. It was easy to drown in the rush; to focus on nothing but the feeling of cool wind whipping against his cheeks and through his feathers. 

After just short of an indulgent length of time, he ended his flight, slowing to a leisurely speed almost in the exact spot he started off. As he banked leisurely, scanning the ever-growing crowd…

… He realized, all of a sudden, that more than a few pairs of eyes were fixated on him. 

He blinked once or twice, wings stuttering for the barest instant, but he didn’t slow his glide.

No—he wasn’t imagining things. Several gazes were very pointedly watching with interest as he moved through the air, some of them cautiously approaching, only to hover at a polite distance—clearly waiting for him to make the next move or invite them closer. His cheeks heated at the regard, even as the cool breeze bit at his skin. 

He was definitely not used to being watched this way. 

He slowed to a halt, flattening his wings to glide stationary in the steady breeze, at a loss on what to do next. Should he retreat back into the safety of his home?

In the midst of him seriously contemplating making a quick escape, he hadn’t noticed the large, imposing shadow cutting across the moonlight behind him.

“Anyone caught your eye yet?”

He nearly leapt out of his skin, wings lurching into a startled dip. He only barely managed to save himself from a graceless tumble by tucking into a tight flip, which conveniently, had him facing Zeal once he righted himself again.

He’ll call that one deliberate.

“You made it,” Kaelix exhaled, still slightly breathless—both from the earlier exertion, and from the audience. 

The sight of Zeal didn’t help him much in trying to regain his breath, either. Though there was no extravagance in his clothes—no flashing ornaments or trailing ribbons, the turtle-necked, sleeveless shirt he wore accentuated his sharp lines and broad shoulders. His form-fitting trousers looked streamlined for flying, much like Kaelix’s own. Due to being backlit by the brightness of the full moon, he can’t clearly see the expression Zeal wore, but his eyes… they seemed to glow almost red. 

“Of course I did,” Zeal said lightly. “I thought you could use some company. But then again, you looked like you were entertaining yourself just fine—I worried over nothing.”

“You saw that?” Also, he was worried?

“Impressive flying,” Zeal affirmed. His gaze flicked briefly toward the nearby onlookers, who had alarmingly increased in numbers immediately after Zeal’s arrival. People seemed genuinely startled at the alchemist’s presence, some of them outright circling, all but twitching at a chance to interact with him. 

Kaelix suddenly understood why he had avoided these occasions for so long—a star scholar at the academy like him would make for a very eligible bachelor.

Zeal seemed to notice them as well. “Though it looks like I’m not the only one who has eyes on you,” he observed, somehow pulling the wrong conclusion.

For some reason, Kaelix didn’t rush to correct him. “Don’t tease,” he grumbled, folding his arms to make himself smaller.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Zeal’s mouth curved, a smile just bordering on the edge of ‘sly’. He drifted nearer, deliberately slow, as though leaving room for Kaelix to pull away if he wished.

He didn’t. 

Instead, Kaelix found himself holding his ground (or rather, air? ) as the distance between them narrowed with each measured beat of Zeal’s wings. At this distance, he could easily compare the differences in their wing shapes—his are narrower, but span a bit further in length; while Zeal’s measure an impressive breadth, nearly eclipsing the moon from Kaelix’s view. 

“Fly with me.”

Kaelix paused, caught off guard. “Right now?”

Zeal tilted his head, almost challenging. “Well—unless you intend to keep floating here as strangers eye you like vultures… then, by all means.” He teased, warmth never leaving his tone. “Come on.”

Without warning, Zeal tipped into a sideways dive, aiming himself away from the crowd with a simple tilt of his wings. The sight of the retreating figure tugged at something within Kaelix, sending his pulse racing. Without a second thought, he tipped forward, and followed after him. 

Air roared in his ears as he rushed after Zeal, pushing harder to gain on him. Zeal deliberately increased his speed, not allowing the chase to end anytime soon.

He’s fast. Faster than anyone I’ve ever flown with.

Zeal glanced back once, his eyes bright, almost gleeful. Giving the crowd a wide berth, he dove sharply towards the base of the Eldergrove tree, with Kaelix following his lead.

The lamp-lit outer roots were tall, thick pillars that suspended the base of the tree from the marshy ground below. The moment they entered the system,  Zeal began weaving and dodging through them with great speed and dexterity. Kaelix found himself unable to keep up, his slender, longer wings evidently more suited for cutting through air in straight and steady paths.

He thought fast—banking sharply sideways, choosing to steer clear of the obstacles and employing a powerful burst forward, rounding the roots from the outside. As he flew at a near-breakneck speed, he caught sight of Zeal’s figure as he twisted and turned, lamp light glinting off the emerald in his feathers. 

It was fun. Exhilarating, even.

He couldn’t quite keep the giddiness contained, letting out a whooping laugh without any care for who might be around to hear.

He only barely managed to catch up as Zeal broke free of his obstacle course of roots, before the latter angled their next path sharply upward. They weaved past startled strangers, climbing as far as they could towards the massive moon before the altitude caused the air to thin. 

Zeal gradually slowed into a glide, Kaelix drawing level with him. For a heady moment, they flew wing to wing—emerald and gold-tipped feathers only barely brushing against one another as they sailed through translucent clouds. The vision of the crowd below is partially obscured, offering them a moment of privacy. 

“No one’s managed to keep up with me before,” Zeal admits, the breeze quiet enough for his voice to carry above it. “Maybe that’s why I avoid these things.”

“You kept away… because you were waiting for someone?” He felt a prick in his chest at the thought of Zeal, just a few years younger, flying alone as he looked forlornly at the crowd. “I never pegged you as a hopeless romantic,” he teased.

Zeal cast a dry look sidelong at him. 

Without warning, Zeal twisted all of a sudden, rolling beneath Kaelix. Their wings all but smacked into one another as Zeal caught him by both hands, sending him into a momentary panic as he had to utilize all the strength in his arms to hold Zeal’s entire weight up. “ Zeal! What are you—”

“Do you trust me?”

“What?”

Zeal, with surprising upper body strength, managed to pull himself up to grapple onto Kaelix’s shoulders, relieving his elbows from the strain. “I said, do you trust me?”

He had no idea what Zeal meant. But for some reason… not a single inch of his body felt compelled to pull away from him.

“... I do.”

“Tuck your wings in.” 

Once Kaelix complied hesitantly, Zeal pulled them both straight down into a dive.

He knew what this was. He’d seen it once before, a distant memory of his parents performing the maneuver on one spring evening. 

A ‘death spiral’, some would call it—a terrifying name, despite being a phenomenon that rarely ever led to someone’s demise. What he knew it as, however, was a test of two people’s utmost trust in one another.

The world fell away as their legs interlocked, arms winding around each other as gravity claimed them both. 

Distantly, he heard an eruption of surprised exclamations and shouts of warning. A glance below them (or rather, above?) showed the frantic movements of the crowd attempting to make space for what the two of them were about to do. 

As they spun faster, all Kaelix could feel was the press of Zeal’s hands against his back, the raw rush of anxiety that came with plummeting at a gradually faster speed… and the beating of their hearts against each other’s.

“Open your wings,” Zeal murmured against his ear, eliciting a shiver that had little to do with the cold air. Again, he complied without question, mirroring the way Zeal’s own wings stretched diagonally behind him. To anyone watching them directly from below, they must have resembled a multi-coloured pinwheel.

He can’t escape, this way. Not without the risk of striking Zeal in the process. The pounding of his heart grew louder as they drew closer to the ground, fear and exhilaration tangling in his chest until they were near-indistinguishable. 

Right when it seemed like they weren’t far away from crashing onto the canopy below, Zeal gently untangled them, letting the rush of wind between them slowly push them apart. Almost in unison, they snapped their wings wide against the updraft, arresting their fall with a force that rattled his bones. By the time they were both upright again, gliding on a wind current as they faced one another,  he was already out of breath.

Zeal himself had flushed cheeks, his expression triumphant, but fond. He burst out in a rare, throaty laugh. “I knew it.”

“Knew what?” Kaelix asked, the earlier exertion leaving him effectively unable to think. When Zeal offered his hand, having drifted closer once more, he compliantly took it—feeling the air still thrumming between them. 

“I felt it the first time I laid eyes on you,” Zeal said. His eyes twinkled, and to Kaelix, it seemed to outshine the light of the full moon. “It’s you I’ve been waiting for. ”

--

Dear Kaelix,

That’s wonderful news, dearest! Your father and I are so very proud. Don’t be in any rush to come home, darling—we’re all doing quite well!!

Do tell us more about this ‘Zeal’ in your next letter, however. In fact, bring him around to visit as soon as you can. 

Much love!

Mum

--

Kaelix chuckled at the uncharacteristically short letter from his mother, the fastest response he’d ever gotten in the year he’d lived away from home. He’d been anxious over his parents’ reaction to the news, at first, wondering if he’d have their blessing. In hindsight, he really had no good reason to worry—considering they’ve been pushing him to ‘broaden his horizons’ and potentially find someone, as soon as 3 months into him being in the city. 

In his musings, he failed to hear the sheets rustle on the bed behind him. 

An arm looped around his waist, startling a yelp out of him. He’s pulled from his seated position into lying against a bare chest, large wings closing around both of them, effectively forming his makeshift prison. Light snuffling brushed against his hair.

“You smell like the morning air,” rumbled a voice against his temple, rough and reverberating from sleep. Kaelix squirmed, placing the folded letter on the side table with much effort—an impressive feat, considering the light-swallowing feathers obscuring his vision. 

“Well, you… sound half asleep. Morning air doesn’t smell like anything, ” he sighed, exhausted by his efforts to escape the iron grip. “You could come out and fly with me, you know. It’d be good for you.” He referred to the endless nights Zeal spent indoors within his laboratory as of late, Kaelix having to drag him home each time just to have him sleep.

“Mm. Didn’t feel like it.” Zeal’s answer was muffled. Already, he was drifting back into a space between wakefulness and sleep, his breath evening out. Not having the heart to rouse him once more on his day off, Kaelix wound an arm over his mate’s waist, gently running his palm across his back—a habit of his, whenever they would lie together. As he reached the base of his wings, his fingers brushed against stiff, pin-like shapes protruding from the centre of his back, the material cracking as he pinched at them.

“Wait—you’re molting,” he breathed out.

“Mmmmf,” Zeal said, by way of a response. 

“Hold on, don’t fall back asleep yet,” he grunted, struggling to pull Zeal up into a seated position. “Let me preen them for you.”

Zeal cracked his eye open. “You’d do that?” He asked, tiredly.

“Of course I woul— what kind of inattentive partner do you take me for?” He asked, indignant.

Zeal chuckled, compliantly raising himself into a sitting position across from Kaelix. Their knees knocked against each other, making it difficult for Kaelix to reach behind him. 

“No, I meant…” Kaelix crossed his arms, sighing. “If I sat behind you, Ginjoka, I’d fall off the bed.”

“You don’t have to,” Zeal answered with a self-satisfied grin. He sat back, wings sliding against the sheets with the motion, before he patted at his thighs. 

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Why—” Kaelix huffed. “It’s too early for this!”

“Too early for what?” Zeal blinked, tilting his head in faux-innocence. 

Kaelix felt himself flush. “Don’t play coy with me—you know what I mean.”

“Alright, I’m sorry.” Zeal relented in his teasing. “I’ll keep my hands to myself. Promise.” He obediently placed his palms down on the sheets, but made no effort to move whatsoever.

Reluctantly, Kaelix inched forward, carefully lifting his legs over the offending limbs, only to plant his knees on either side of Zeal’s hips. Almost like he was reaching for a hug, he wound both arms around a— still bare— torso, deft fingers immediately working at the pinfeathers at the base of heavyset wings.

He felt the feathers flare under his touch, allowing him better access to the individual shafts. In an almost feline manner, Zeal let out a rumbling, content hum as he worked, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Kaelix’s collarbone.

“Why’d you let them be for so long?” Kaelix asked, leaning further forward to get a good view of the other’s back. He crushed a sheath between his fingers, before pulling it off to free a brand-new, glossy black feather. “These can’t have been comfortable.”

“I got busy,” Zeal muttered, the words vibrating against Kaelix’s skin. “And the ones near the base are always a pain to reach.”

He plucked off another stubborn sheath, its papery skin flaking between his fingers. He’ll have to clean the bedding after this. “You… don’t get anyone to help you out?”

“Not in years,” Zeal huffed. His head shifted higher up, nose brushing against the crook of Kaelix’s neck. His wings shifted slightly, a relieved stretch after being rid of a good amount of itching, if Kaelix were to bet. “Felt too… Intimate? I guess? To bother anyone else with.”

This precious man and his aversion to reaching out to others. Kaelix indulgently nuzzled into his mate’s shoulder, fighting the urge to squeeze him. “... Well. Now, you can trouble me. Anytime. For anything,” He said softly. 

He could almost feel the shape of Zeal’s smile against the crook of his neck. “You’re so good to me. What did I do in my last life to get this lucky?”

Kaelix huffed with exasperation, though the redness of his ears betrayed him. “Quit joking around.”

“I’m really not.” The mouth on his neck dipped lower, trailing reverent, open-mouthed kisses in its wake. “I’m the luckiest mate in the realm.” He went further, slipping an arm around Kaelix’s back to settle a hand between his wings, easily supporting him as his ministrations forced Kaelix to lie further and further back in an attempt to escape the barrage of kisses. “Who else would make me coffee before I wake up every morning?”

“Probably a lot of people, honestly… Hey, wait—I’m not done— Ginjoka!”

Chapter Text

“Stay still,” Zeal instructed, his voice pitched low. He straddled Kaelix’s thighs, easily pinning him down with the combined weight of his body and wings. His fingers lightly skimmed down Kaelix’s lower back, working at the ties there. 

Kaelix shivered. “Wait—” he gasped. “Right there’s a bit…”

“You’re too tense.” The weight on him shifted as Zeal leaned closer. His voice rumbled too close to his ear, “relax for me.”

“I am relaxed,” Kaelix protested, his voice pitching higher without him meaning to, partially swallowed by the pillow he buried his flushed face further into. As fingers trailed back up his spine, he lifted his head with a gasp.

He turned to glare over his shoulder. “You’re having too much fun with this.”

“Am I?” Zeal’s grin was far too self-satisfied as he unfastened Kaelix’s back-buttoned shirt, exposing the base of his wings to the cool air. He carefully pushed the obstructing fabric all the way off his back, leaving it to bunch at Kaelix’s upper arms. 

Zeal planted a kiss on his bare shoulder in reassurance. “You know—we’ve never tried this position before.”

That’s it. Kaelix might actually die of mortification, right here, on their bed. He covered his face with his hands, effectively unable to escape the current situation. “ Please don’t make this any more embarrassing than it already is.”

“I thought you said this isn’t the first time someone’s preened you here.” 

“That’s different!” The only ones he had ever trusted to do this for him were his immediate family, and no one else. Not to mention, the current mood in the room has him eager to push away any and every thought of them far away from his mind, right now. 

And besides… Casual preening doesn’t usually involve being pinned down on the bed he shares with his mate. 

Unable to adjust his position by much, Kaelix sighed, resigned to his fate. He doesn’t even bother pulling his shirt fully off, plopping his bound, outstretched arms onto the pillows in front of him before lying himself fully flat across the sheets. 

“Just… get it over with.”

“Yes, Sir,” Zeal chuckled. 

Immediately, he worked through the worst of the pinfeathers right underneath Kaelix’s wings, the gentle touch lighting up his nerve endings. Instinctively, the muscles in that region contracted, flaring his feathers to allow Zeal easier access. Occasionally, fingers would massage his skin underneath it all to get at each individual shaft, and the sensation caused his back to arch.

“Mm…” He let out a long, drawn-out sigh, the itchiness that came with growing new feathers already beginning to alleviate, leaving behind nothing but pure ecstasy. He felt Zeal shift his seat on Kaelix’s thighs, lifting a bit of the pressure on him.

“Your feathers are so soft, right here.” Zeal ran fingers through the newly-freed feathers absentmindedly, sending more tingles up his spine. “I could spend hours doing this.”

Kaelix gave a muffled laugh, cheek pressed against his shoulder in boneless contentment. “You say that like you haven’t already agreed to that burden.”

“Burden…? I think you’re fundamentally misunderstanding the situation here.” He pitched his voice lower again, his tone playful, “This is purely for my own enjoyment. You’re at my mercy.”

It shouldn’t have affected Kaelix as much as it did, seeing as Zeal was clearly messing with him… but his pulse quickened, nonetheless.

“Hm?” Zeal zeroed in when Kaelix let the silence stretch on for a moment too long. “You like the sound of that?” Coincidentally, as he asked the question, his ever-diligent fingers had been in the middle of working at a particularly stubborn quill right where Kaelix is most sensitive, his fingers firmly pressing at its base.

Even if Kaelix’s wings hadn’t twitched involuntarily at the sensation, a sharp intake of breath gave him away. 

“Hm… I’ll remember that, for future reference,” Zeal concluded ominously, voice still frustratingly composed. 

Kaelix’s blood rushed loudly in his own ears, heat rising all the way to his cheeks. “You’re going to drive me mad.”

“That’s the idea,” Zeal answered, fingers never ceasing their slow, careful work. He pressed a kiss into the juncture where Kaelix’s neck met his shoulder, lingering just long enough for Kaelix to arch faintly into the touch.

By the time they were done with it all, both of them were mostly unclothed, Kaelix safely caged within the all-encompassing coverage of Zeal’s wings, exhausted.

“This won’t happen again,” Kaelix grumbled, yet still leaning into Zeal’s ceaseless petting of the new, sensitive, and downy feathers at the centre of his back, reluctantly enjoying the touch like some prickly, grumpy cat. 

“Yes, it will,” Zeal countered, tightening the circle of his wings around them both. From the mumbled nature of his voice against Kaelix’s temple, he was already drifting off to sleep.

“Yes, it will,” Kaelix sighed obligingly, nuzzling in closer.