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Mack blinked against the bright light of his phone screen, but he made no moves to adjust it. Just blinked and blinked and blinked until his eyes adapted to it. A smattering of notifications greeted his vision but none of those are what really stole his attention. Instead, it was the clock. It blared 08:47 at him.
He was late.
With a sigh, Mack locked his phone and rolled over to one side, wedging the device under his pillow and blinking the spots of light from his vision. It was the fourth lecture in a row he was late for, and subsequently, the fourth lecture he wasn’t going to attend. He knew he’d probably be getting a visit from his friends soon, curious about his wellbeing, but he couldn’t muster up the energy to care about that.
Mack rolled onto his back before jolting upright. Something was glowing. In the corner of his room, just behind the thick, university dorm curtains, something was glowing. The curtains twitched and moved, and Mack slipped out of the bed, snatching his phone up as a makeshift weapon.
Creeping closer, he slowly pinched the curtain between two fingers before ripping it aside, phone slamming down before he could consider the implications of what he was doing. The phone froze in midair, however, the glow emanating from underneath it.
“What the fuck?” Mack squeaked out as he snatched his phone back, eyes wide. The glow unfurled itself, the shape of what seemed to Mack like a small human appearing from within it. The figure shook their tiny head and dusted their hands off before peering up at him.
“Hello,” the figure said. Mack screamed and scrambled backwards, hands protectively curled around his phone. The figure jumped from the windowsill, fluttering over on invisible wings. Mack’s heart thundered in his chest. What the fuck was actually happening?
“Who… what… what are you?” Mack got out between sharp breaths. Any previous complaints about lacking energy were long gone. Mack was positive he could run a marathon with the amount of adrenaline and fear keeping him upright in that moment.
“My name is William,” the figure said. It was still drifting closer, and Mack took a few more steps back, wincing when he smashed his hip off his chest of drawers. The figure – William – dashed forward, small body inches away from Mack’s face.
“What the fuck?” Mack muttered. William hummed in confusion before he let out a tiny ‘oh’, flying back before rapidly becoming bigger before Mack’s eyes. He couldn’t have been taller than two feet but considering mere moments ago he’d been about fifteen centimetres – nothing more than a speck of light, really – Mack was pretty sure he was allowed to freak out.
“Don’t freak out,” William said. Mack shot him an incredulous look, and William raised his hands in surrender. The move was almost too human, especially considering Mack didn’t actually know what this thing was. “I’m a sunshine fairy, and I’ve been sent to boost your mood.”
“Um… what?” Mack asked. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He half expected his friends to pop around the corner any minute, firmly declaring that their test had worked and Mack had finally gone insane. The fairy sighed.
“Sometimes, us fairies are sent to help people. I’m one of them. As I said, the name is William, but you can call me Will if you want,” William said. Mack slowly lowered his hands from where they’d been tucked against his chest. The fairy smiled and shifted closer. “I’m real, I promise.”
“I somehow doubt that,” Mack muttered. Will huffed and dove at Mack, giving him no time to react to the oncoming flap of wings. Seconds later, a much smaller Will was kneeling atop Mack’s head, fingers gripping onto strands of Mack’s greasy, unwashed hair as he peered down at him.
“Does this help?”
“I guess?” Mack said. He reached up, gently grabbing the fairy around the waist with careful hands before lowering it down until they were eye to eye once more. “Was that, um, was that the biggest you can grow?”
“No, but it’s the easiest size for me to maintain,” Will said. He squirmed about in Mack’s palm until it laid flat, allowing him to sit cross-legged. Mack stared at him, taking in what he was seeing.
The fairy had blonde hair, curly as it flicked around his ears. His eyes were almost alluringly blue, and his skin was a smooth, pale white. He wore clothing made from what seemed to be different types of leaves. His feet were bare and when Macklin flicked his gaze back up to Will’s face, he noticed the elongated length of his ears and the sharp prick of teeth in his mouth.
“So, um… how long do I gotta deal with you?” Mack asked. Will’s mouth dropped open in a glare. Mack frowned apologetically before quickly tipping Will from one palm to the other. The fairy squawked and leant down, biting small yet sharp holes into Mack’s skin. “Ow?!”
“Be careful with me then,” Will said with a huff. “And besides, if this first meeting has told me anything, it’s that I will be the one dealing with you.” Mack rolled his eyes. Will had no idea just how many people Mack was sure had to ‘deal with him’. He wasn’t exactly the easiest person to be around.
“Yeah, whatever. I need to go shower,” Mack said. He dropped Will onto his chest of drawers, ignoring the fairy’s protests. He went to strip off when he realised that Will was still very much watching him. “Uh… ever heard of privacy?”
“Nope,” Will said, popping the p. Mack huffed. He didn’t feel comfortable getting undressed in front of the strange fairy, even if he wasn’t as big as he was. The extra bulk of his weight just made him feel even worse. “I like studying humans, can you blame me?”
“Yes, I can. Now… turn around or some shit,” Mack muttered. Will grumbled before he fell onto his stomach, eyes hidden by his arm. Mack sighed and quickly undressed before darting off towards the shower.
As he waited for the water to warm, Mack assessed himself in the mirror. He was losing the last edge of his jawline, the definition being swallowed up by the fatness of his face. His stomach hadn’t gotten any smaller either, still pudgy and squishy. He sighed and turned away from the mirror before yelping and stumbling back with a jolt.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Mack cried out. Will had followed him, his blue eyes darting back and forth as he took in the small ensuite space Mack called his own. When those eyes settled on his face, however, Mack’s anger only worsened. “I asked for privacy!”
“But I’m not allowed to leave you alone!” Will said. Mack snatched him out of the air and dropped him into the sink, hand hovering threateningly over the tap. “Hey, wait, no! I promise, I do have to follow you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?” Mack cried out. The tap dripped and Will squeaked, fingers desperately scrabbling up the side of the porcelain as he tried to climb out.
“I forgot, I promise. You, um… your face distracted me,” Will said. Mack snatched his hand from the tap at that. It was like he’d been burnt. In a way, Will’s words had stung.
“Yeah, it’s fatter than most, I know it is,” Mack grumbled. He plucked Will from the sink and deposited him on the small shelf that sat underneath his mirror. The fairy frowned at him and Mack huffed. “What?”
“It’s not that. It’s just… you’re very pretty,” Will said. Mack ignored the heat that blossomed across his cheeks and stuck his hand into the water. When he’d confirmed that the temperature was perfect, he pulled his arm back, flicked a few droplets at the fairy, and entered the shower.
“Whatever you say,” Mack said as rivulets of water cascaded down his skin, falling to the ground in a sonorous rhythm of splats. He heard rather than saw the moment the fairy joined him, the creak of his shower head revealing the weight of Will sat atop it.
“I’ve never gotten used to this,” Will muttered. Mack stared up at him incredulously, blinking away stray streams of water that dripped into his eyes.
“Let me guess… you bath in puddles of rainwater?”
“Yes!” Will said. He smiled almost proudly and Mack ignored the way it made his head spin. He didn’t even know the age of the fairy before him, let alone if fairies aged differently to humans. It felt weird having Will in the shower with him and Mack knew he wouldn’t feel comfortable until he learnt the truth.
Even then, he knew the discomfort would probably continue to exist.
“How old even are you?” Mack asked. Will tipped his head to one side, an action that reminded Mack of a puppy more than anything else. “I’m serious. I don’t know how fairies age.”
“We age like you,” Will said. “I’m twenty.”
“Oh…” Mack said. That wasn’t so bad, he supposed. It wasn’t like he had the fairy equivalent of a child in his shower. “Well, um, can you leave the shower? Or at least get off the shower head?” Mack asked.
Will jumped off the shower head, instead floating over to land on Mack’s shelf of products. He was still peering at Mack with those big blue eyes, and it made Mack’s stomach churn weirdly. He flicked more water at Will, smirking when the fairy squeaked.
“Will you stop flicking me with water?” Will cried.
“Will you stop staring at me first then?” Mack responded. Will’s eyebrows pinched together, the smallest of contortions. Mack blinked at him, waiting for the fairy’s response. “Well?”
“I’ll try, but I do find you really intriguing to look at,” Will said. Mack huffed and crossed his arms, ignoring the way it heightened his chest, fat shifting across his torso. “See? Intriguing. And pretty, like I said earlier.” Mack scowled and went to flick more water at him, but the fairy darted away at the last second. “Hey, that’s not fair!”
“Stop lying to me then!”
“I’m not!” Will responded. His voice had gone high pitched and squeaky, and Macklin snorted with laughter as he watched Will cover his mouth, eyes wider than usual. “Eugh, that’s embarrassing…”
“Actually… I thought it was kinda cute,” Mack said. He grabbed his bottle of shampoo to try and hide his blush. Will muttered a small ‘oh’ before he disappeared behind the shower curtain. “Will?”
“G-give me a minute. Actually, I’ll give you a minute. More than one. F-finish your shower,” Will squeaked before he went silent. Mack frowned but didn’t push it any further. If Will wanted his space, and was giving Mack his own space in turn, it would be fine…
Right?
❅❅❅
Will had wedged his way through the shower door and entered out into Mack’s bedroom once more. He could feel the heat across his face, scorching hot like an afternoon summer sun. He looked for a place to hide, eventually settling on Mack’s t-shirt. It smothered him in shade and Mack’s scent. Will pressed his fingers to his cheeks, embarrassed at his reaction.
All Mack had done was call him cute, and Will was blushing like a spring-born fairy child. He didn’t want to know how red he was. He could feel it, which was embarrassing enough.
With a sigh, Will let his wings unfurl and thought about what had happened. Not only had Mack called him cute, but he was beautiful to look at. Will wanted nothing more than to stare at him for ages. To take in each and every dip and curve of his plush body. He wondered how soft Mack would be to sleep atop of.
Footsteps sounded closer and Will peeked his head out. Mack was entering the room, towel wrapped around his waist. “Will?” he called out. Will made a soft noise and tried to worm his way out from underneath the shirt, to no success. “Are you…?” Mack’s words trailed off as he lifted his shirt, exposing the fairy hidden underneath.
“Hi?” Will squeaked. Mack chuckled softly and plucked Will from the ground before depositing him on the side again. Will leant back and laid an arm over his eyes. “You can change now, I’m not looking.”
“Oh… thank you,” Mack said. His voice was sweeter than fresh dew drops, and Will wanted to squeal and giggle and roll about like a boy in love. That thought, however, made Will’s body tense. He was being especially stupid now. Mack was… he was just a human. A human who Will would never see again once his mission was complete.
That made Will’s head swim, and he quickly willed the thoughts away. He needed to focus on cheering Mack up, not making himself feel worse. Otherwise, what was the point of him being there? He sighed and rolled onto his side, facing away from Mack.
He was screwed, wasn’t he?
❅❅❅
Mack could only hope no one saw the little fairy perched on his shoulder. Will had insisted that Mack leave the house to buy groceries rather than order in, so here he was. Trolley being pushed before him as he tried to gather more cooking ingredients than snacks. Will’s confused mutterings about human items, accompanied by his occasional humming, was a nice background noise.
They didn’t speak to each other until Mack was safely loading all his bags into the boot of his car (another thing that Will desperately didn’t understand). Only then did Will finally speak louder than a mutter, the sharp, shrill tone of his voice startling Macklin.
“Man, you humans sure do need a lot of food to survive,” Will said. Mack knew it was just another offhand comment, but it struck him deep. Snow crunched under Mack’s shoes as he shuffled his feet, trying to subtly shake off the feeling that surged through him.
“Not really. I just… eat more than others,” Mack muttered. Will made a noise and quickly flew forward to cling to the front of Mack’s hoodie. When Mack looked down, Will was pouting at him. He looked like a puppy.
“I’ve upset you, haven’t I?” Will said. Mack sighed and plucked the fairy from his hoodie, holding Will in his hand as he slipped into the front of the car. He placed Will into the passenger seat, watching him grow until he was two foot tall again.
“It’s fine. Lots of people make comments like it,” Mack said. He turned the car on and started to drive, eyes fixed on the road before him.
“That doesn’t make it okay,” Will said. Mack hummed distractedly. The topic of his weight was not something Mack particularly enjoyed discussing with anybody, let alone a fairy who would abandon him the second he realised Mack was a lost cause.
“I’ve been wondering… what do your wings look like? Do you have wings?” Mack asked. It wasn’t a subtle attempt at changing the topic, but Will immediately stole into it, scoffing at Mack’s questions.
“Of course I have wings! I’ll show you when we get home,” Will said. He crossed his arms with a little ‘hmph’ that made Mack smile far more than it should’ve. That, coupled with Will calling Mack’s dingy little apartment ‘home’… his head was completely full of fluff.
“I can’t wait.”
❅❅❅
Will really hoped Mack had forgotten. He was shy about his wings. They’d gotten damaged during one of his prior missions and they’d never quite recovered. He was almost positive Mack would find them unattractive, and Will was sure it’d leave him unstable and shaken in a way that made no sense.
Mack finished stowing the items inside the fridge before he turned around and dusted his hands off. He fixed Will with a look that Will couldn’t decipher before he spread his arms wide. “Well?”
“Well… what?” Will asked. Maybe, just maybe…
“You gonna show me your wings or what?” Mack said. Will huffed, tiny fangs biting into his lower lip as he looked down at the floor. He really wasn’t sure how Mack would react. He seemed sweet, sweeter than any other human Will had worked with, but he knew some people could be… weird about certain attributes.
The may Mack talked about people’s thoughts on his body made that more than obvious to Will.
“They’re not, like, I mean… they’re ugly,” Will eventually settled on. Mack tilted his head to one side, a look of bafflement on his face.
“Okay? And? I’ll be the judge of that,” Mack said. Will huffed at Mack’s stubbornness before he quickly pulled his shirt off. He could see Mack blush, that daisy-pink hue crossing his cheeks. It made Will’s mouth salivate in a way that he couldn’t explain.
Will turned his back to Macklin and let his wings flicker into visibility, the soft yellow hue unfurling wide behind him. They flittered softly and Will could hear Mack’s soft intake of breath. Before Will could say anything, he felt gentle fingers brush along the tips of his wings and he hissed.
“Sorry!” Mack said, immediately retracting his hand. He didn’t step back, however, and Will could feel Mack’s gaze fixed on his wings. Or, most likely, the hole that was more than visible through his right wing. “What happened?”
“A dog attacked me. Bit right through the wing,” Will said. He heard the sad noise Mack made and had to suppress the shiver that shot through him. He wanted Mack’s fingers on his wings again, and he ruffled them lightly. “You can touch.”
“Are you sure?” Mack asked.
“Of course. You just… you startled me last time, that’s all,” Will said. Mack hummed before Will felt the soft brush of his fingertips along the edges of Will’s wings. “They, um, they’re sunflower petals. My sister’s wings are dahlia petals.”
“They’re beautiful, Will,” Mack said. He sounded almost breathless, like he was awestruck by the probably mangy state of Will’s wings. “If a little dirty.” There it was.
“Yeah… they haven’t been visible for ages, so I haven’t really remembered to wash them,” Will confessed. Mack hummed before he ducked under Will’s right wing and appeared in front of him, a soft smile on his face.
“I can wash them for you, if… if you want?” Mack suggested. Will blushed and ducked his head. It sounded nice but Will also knew he was a sucker for having his wings massaged and he wasn’t sure what cacophony of noises would come out of him if Mack got his big hands on them.
“M-maybe another time?” Will stuttered. Mack smiled and nodded before handing Will’s his shirt again. Will took it before frowning, a soft ‘oh’ slipping from his lips. He lifted the shirt up. “It’s torn.”
“Oh… I’m sorry,” Mack muttered. Will figured it probably wasn’t his fault, but he didn’t know how to say that without making Mack even more upset, all closed off and defensive. “Um… if I gave you one of my shirts, would it change size with you?”
“Probably!” Will chirped. Mack nodded before he spun on his heel. He entered the bedroom before returning with a shirt in his hand. It seemed slightly bigger than the rest of Mack’s clothes and Will tilted his head to one side. “Is it supposed to be bigger?”
“Yes. It’s, um, it’s a hockey jersey. My friend plays for the university’s hockey team so…” Mack trailed off. “I mean… it’s also like, b-big because it’s mine.” Will hummed before he giggled and tucked his wings against his back, shrugging the shirt over his head. It immediately shrunk to fit his smaller form.
“Whaddya think?” Will asked, doing a small spin once he’d gotten Mack’s eyes on him. Mack looked him up and down, mouth slightly parted as he took in Will’s appearance. Will felt something churn in his gut and he fought to tamp it down, embarrassed by the roiling want that burnt in his stomach.
“You look amazing,” Mack muttered. Will thanked him before he hummed and looked around. He had no idea what him and Mack were to do now. After Mack showered, and Will had dragged him out to get groceries, he really didn’t know what to do.
“So, uh, what now?”
❅❅❅
A week past by in a blur. Macklin spent every second with Will perched on his shoulder, or resting on his hands, or, when he had the energy, sat on the couch next to him. He was only a measly 4 foot tall in his biggest form, but Will was still excitable and somehow insanely good with a PS4 controller.
He was with Will when he got the knock on the door. He recognised the heavy thud and knew all at once that it was the student welfare team. After all, he hadn’t shown up to a single lecture all week, and whilst he planned on going back on Monday, he knew it wasn’t good enough.
“I need you to make yourself small, hide, and stay quiet, okay?” Mack hissed under his breath. Will shot him a confused look, but he shrunk down nonetheless, scrambling his way into Mack’s hoodie. Mack blushed softly before he crossed to the door.
“Hi. You’re Macklin Celebrini, right?” A woman with bouncy blonde hair said. Mack nodded and smiled at her. If he played the kind and friendly role, maybe he wouldn’t find himself being kicked out of his dorm or booted out of his degree entirely. “Great! I’m Dorothy, this is Robert. Is it okay if we come in? We just have a few things we need to run through.”
“Uh…” Mack looked over his shoulder. His place was a mess. “It’s a bit of mess in here.”
“That’s okay,” Dorothy said. Mack sighed before stepping to one side, allowing the two to enter. They crossed to Mack’s kitchen, sitting on the two bar stools he kept. Mindful of Will’s body still curled up in his hoodie, Mack hefted himself up to sit on the side. It only occurred to him too late that he was probably too heavy for it, but he didn’t want to slip off of it now and look like a weirdo.
“So, uh, what can I do for you?” Mack asked. Dorothy and Robert shared a look that made Mack’s stomach twist unpleasantly.
“We’ve received a few notices from your lecturers that you’ve not been showing up, and after chatting with some of your friends and classmates, it seems you’ve been ignoring their text messages as well. We’re not here to tell you off,” Robert said. “We just want to check that you’re okay.”
“Um, I mean… not really. I have depression. Should be on my file?” Mack questioned. Dorothy flicked through a few sheets before she nodded, a soft smile on her face. “It, um, it gets worse in the winter. It’s called like… SAD or something like that.”
“Ah, that explains it then. Well… if you need to skip lectures in the future, can we ask that you let both us and your lecturers know? Or at least try and get a friend to?” Robert said. Mack nodded, an apologetic smile crossing his face. He felt guilty. He knew people were probably deeply concerned about him, and he hadn’t even bothered to muster up the courage to try and communicate with them.
“You have a real good friend in that Connor boy, you know? We also got some comments from Sam, Collin, and William about you that seemed to show a pretty strong set of friendships,” Dorothy said. Mack felt the moment Will twitched in his pocket, his head knocking against the heel of Mack’s palm before his tiny teeth bit down seconds later.
“Right. I, um, I’ll try message them later, yeah,” Mack muttered. His hand was still being abused by Will’s tiny teeth, and he knew it was going to be riddled with little holes and blood stains when he pulled it out later.
“Brilliant. If you ever need us, don’t hesitate to ring or email, okay?” Dorothy said. Robert shot him a reassuring smile and Mack nodded, thanking them softly. He slipped off the counter and escorted them to the door.
When they were gone, Mack plucked Will from his pocket and shifted him around until he was holding the tiny fairy up by the hood of the hoodie Mack had leant him. He could see the faint blood stains on his hand, and he glared at the tiny fairy. “Why the fuck did you bite me?”
“N-no reason! Let me go,” Will kicked and thrashed. Mack held on resolutely. “Let me go!”
“No! Tell me why you bit me!” Mack said. Will hmphed, crossing his tiny arms over his chest like a child. Mack sighed. “Is it because you heard your name?”
“You have another friend called William and you didn’t tell me and that’s rude,” Will said. Mack sighed and gently lifted Will up until he could rest on his shoulder. Will settled but immediately started chewing on Mack’s hair.
“Hey, stop that,” Mack chided. “And besides, no one really calls him William, or even Will. We mostly just call him Eky.”
“Eggy?” Will asked.
“No, Eky. It’s short for his surname, Eklund,” Mack explained. Will hummed in understanding before he sighed, resting against Mack’s neck. Mack frowned. “You okay?”
“I’m sorry for biting you,” Will muttered.
“It’s okay!” Mack chirped. “I’ll just clean my hand up and it should recover soon. Your teeth are sharp, but they don’t really pierce the skin that well.” Will huffed and grazed his teeth along Mack’s neck.
“Don’t test me.”
❅❅❅
Will was lying, of course. He didn’t give too fucks about Mack having a friend with the same name as him. What he did care about was the tiny vital detail that Mack hadn’t mentioned when Will had outlined his plans to boost Mack’s mood – that he had depression.
Rule number one on these kinds of missions was no attempt at healing people with depression. Fairies could fix plenty of things, but mental health conditions were not one of them. And even if they could, he wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so. Will knew he had to abort mission, but some part of him – some vitally selfish instinct within him – made Will want to stay.
After all, Mack did seem happier, even if he still struggled in the mornings, motivation drier than a dead leaf. But Will was now questioning how much of that was his own work, and how much of it was just the natural flow of Mack’s depression.
Will sighed and looked up at Mack’s face from where he still lay curled up on his shoulder. He knew he had to let Mack go. It wasn’t fair for Will to tamper any further, but he was just so enamoured by the beautiful boy before him. He didn’t want to let go.
Giving himself a deadline of one week, Will started mentally preparing to leave.
❅❅❅
Mack was loading the dishwasher, convinced Will lounging about on the table behind him, when said fairy flew into his view. He had his wings out, their condition worse than the last time Mack had seen them. He frowned. “Your wings are getting worse.”
“Exactly. I can start to feel all the grime now. Will you…” Will trailed off with a blush. It was the sweetest hue of red that reminded Mack of unripe strawberries. Mack giggled and nodded. He knew what Will was asking without the fairy even finishing his statement.
“Let me finish with this, and then I’ll run you the greatest sink bath ever,” Mack said. Will hummed and flew over to the sink, settling inside the glistening silver pool before he made himself slightly bigger. His legs hung over one side and he turned to Macklin, a boyish smile on his face.
“It’s comfy in here,” Will said. Macklin huffed out a laugh and put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher before starting it. He dried his hands on a towel before he crossed to the sink. “Should I remove my clothes?”
“If you want. Should just need you to remove your top and hoodie, but it might be more comfortable for you to remove everything,” Mack said. Will hummed before he nodded.
“Okay, run the water first, get it all soapy,” Will said with a giggle. They were both blushing, Mack could see it on Will’s face and feel it on his own, but he didn’t care. They were having fun, and this was what Mack needed. He needed fun, he needed joy. He needed… Will.
That realisation made Mack’s face heat even hotter, and he quickly slammed both taps on full blast before pouring in some hand soap. It wasn’t proper stuff, but it’d do. Once he was satisfied with how high up the water up was and the soapiness of it all, he turned his back, giving Will his privacy.
Water sloshed behind him and butterflies flicked to life in Mack’s stomach as Will let out a soft sighing noise. When the sloshing stopped, Mack felt Will poke a finger into his back. “I’m all good.”
Mack turned around. Sure enough, the bubbles had done a good enough job of covering up Will’s body and his wings were flitting through the surface of the water, grime and dirt already melting off of them in eager waves. A small pile of his clothes sat to one side and Mack gently pushed them further away to avoid any potential splash damage.
“I’ll try and be gentle, but my hands are too big, so if I’m rough, tell me, okay?” Mack said. Will hummed before he nodded and smiled, the curls atop his head bouncing gleefully. He shifted closer to the edge of the sink Mack was at, a tender look on his face.
“I might make some weird noises because fairy wings are very sensitive, so don’t stop because of my noises. If I need you to stop, I’ll tell you,” Will said. His cheeks had gone unripe strawberry red again and he dunked himself under the water fully before he appeared once more, soapy bubbles dripping from his tiny curls.
“I’ll be gentle,” Mack promised. He laid a palm out, allowing Will to shift closer at his own choice. It took a few seconds of careful twitching before Will laid the first of his two sunflower petal wings into Mack’s palm.
Mack gently got to work. He massaged Will’s wings as carefully as he could, dirt and grime flaking off and falling to the water below. At some points, the dirt was harder to get off than with a simple rub, and almost immediately Mack felt bad.
“I think I might have to use something rougher here,” Mack said. Will sighed and looked up at Mack, his eyes half-lidded but his pupils blown wide. Mack flushed softly and looked around, spotting a never used bottle brush on the windowsill. He picked it up and show it to Will. “You wanna feel this and see what you think?”
“Sure,” Will acquiesced. Mack smiled and got to work. It was silent on his end. Will, on the other hand, was making all sorts of weird noises like he’d said he would. Little moans and squeaks, accompanied by pleased hums and groans. It was affecting Mack, his dick swelling in his sweats, but he ignored it.
Will was the priority, something Mack was quick to realise might be affecting him more than he thought it would.
❅❅❅
Will sighed as he stared at the sunflower seeds. All he had to do was blow them into the night sky and he would return home, back to his life of fairy food and friends, back to a life where all he did was hop from one mission to the next.
Back to a life without Mack.
Mack, who was asleep in his bed, the pudge of his tummy that Will never got to cuddle peeking out from under the risen hem of his sleep shirt. Mack, who had washed Will’s wings with so much reverence and care, never once hurting him.
Mack, who Will could confidently say he was in love with.
“I’m so sorry,” Will whispered. Tears beaded on his eyes, dewdrop cold as they tracked down his cheeks. “I’m so fucking sorry.” He pulled away from Mack’s bed and stole towards the window. He created a handful of sunflower petals and laid them on the windowsill before he wedged the window open and slipped out into the bitingly cold night.
Will looked back through the open window. Mack was still out like a light. Will smiled sadly to himself before he shoved the window shut. He waved his hand, ensuring the window was locked, before he fluttered further into the garden.
Sitting on a nearby fence, Will looked down at his handful of seeds. With a soft mutter of ‘home’, Will blew the seeds up into the sky. As they slowly became engulfed in sunlight, Will looked back towards Mack’s window. Just as the world went white, Will let a whisper loose.
“I love you, Macklin.”
❅❅❅
Mack felt worse than ever before. His head was pounding, his heart had been ripped from his chest by tiny, tender hands. He felt sick, perpetually nauseous and swaying on his feet.
So, of course, that was the moment someone decided to knock. Slowly dragging himself from the bedroom, Mack made his way to the front door. He didn’t bother looking through the peephole, just yanked his door open.
On the other side stood some of Mack’s friends – Connor, Eky, Collin and Sam. Mack broke and all but dove into their arms, tears flooding down his cheeks. He’d neglected them in the midst of meeting Will and battling his depression. He felt awful.
It took a good thirty minutes before Mack could be calmed down, his tears going silent as they slowly tracked down his dampened cheeks. He could hardly breathe, so choked up from crying. He was awful, truly, and that was why Will had left him. It had to be.
“Mack, what’s going on?” Connor asked. Mack had his head in Connor’s lap, hands covering his face. He didn’t know how to say it, but he knew he had to say something.
“I… I met this guy. He was staying over last night, and I woke up this morning to find out… he was gone. Just like that,” Mack said. It felt pathetic admitting it out loud. Like… was he actually crying and getting this depressed over a guy? Well, no, it was definitely more than that, but in the eyes of his friends…
“Name and address, lemme at him,” Collin said, voice deadpan. Mack laughed wetly and shook his head as he turned to look at the rest of his friends. Collin raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m being serious!”
“No, it’s fine. I… I just want to forget about him,” Mack sighed. Connor hummed thoughtfully above him, his fingers slinking through Mack’s hair. It was greasy again, no Will around to remind Mack to shower, but Connor never was too bothered when it came to the messier parts of Mack’s depression.
“So, what I’m hearing is… we order in a bunch of alcohol and takeout food and drown our respective sorrows?” Eky said. Sam snorted and smacked him on the shoulder but didn’t disagree. Mack hummed in agreement himself. He wanted to, he really did, but he also wanted Will there. He wanted to introduce his friends to Will.
“His name was Will,” Mack muttered. Sam, Eky and Collin didn’t hear him, too busy arguing about what to order, but Connor did. He smiled down at Mack, a wordless gesture for him to continue. “He had curly blonde hair and these big blue eyes. Made me feel like I was the centre of the universe whenever he looked at me,” Mack sighed. “’Spose that’s not too hard when you’re as fat as me.”
“Don’t say fat like it’s a bad thing. You’re handsome,” Connor said, “handsomely fat.” Mack huffed out a laugh and smiled up at Connor, the first genuine smile he’d mustered all day.
“Thank you.”
❅❅❅
Will was dying. He could feel it. The happiness had all but drained out of him. His hair had lost its shine, his wings had all but crumpled, and his heart was beating slower.
“Stop being so dramatic,” It was Grace, her wings fluttering gently behind her. Will could barely summon the energy to make his twitch. “Mother and father wish to see you.”
“Do I have to?” Will muttered. Grace huffed and bent lower, pushing her arms under Will’s body and lifting him up. Will sighed and let her carry him. “What do they want?”
“They want to talk about this.”
“This?” Will said.
“This funk you’re in.” Will sighed at that. He had only one answer – he was in love. With a human, at that. How could he tell his parents that? The only way he knew how was to say those exact words.
Grace carried him all the way to the throne room before she finally settled Will on his feet. Before his parents could even speak, Will was stepping forward and dropping to his knees in front of them, head bent low.
“Mother, father, I have fallen in love with a human. I ask that you release me from this form and allow me to be with him,” Will said. He could hear the hush that fell over the central hall, his parents’ breaths hitching in their throats.
“William…”
“Please,” Will begged. Tears pricked his eyes. “Please. I love him.”
“Are you certain?” His father asked. Before Will could respond, his sister stepped forward, light on his feet.
“I’ve never seen him like this. Have you? He’s in love, and I think… as much as we’ll miss him, I think we should let him be happy,” Grace said. Will sobbed at her words, head pressing against the soft flooring.
“William, rise,” his father commanded. Will sobbed once more and slowly rose to his feet, legs shaking underneath him. The look his father was giving him was soft and sweet and Will’s heart stuttered in his chest. “You will give up everything, just for one human?”
“Yes!” Will cried. His mother and father exchanged a look before they turned to him. They wore matching smiles and Will immediately felt his hope surge, fear melting in his heart. “Is… is this a yes?” His mother smiled, his father nodded. Will’s breath rushed from his lungs.
“Go and be happy, William.”
❅❅❅
Mack was running on fumes, all his energy spent on trying to get through each and every day. He wasn’t in his classes anymore, opting to resit his entire first year of university. It would suck, but he was determined, more than anyone, to push through. It was like some small spark of Will was still beating within him, reminding him that it’s okay to struggle as long as you try. The thought sent a pang through his heart.
A pang that was soon disrupted by the sound of something moving in his bedroom. Mack’s eyes widened and he turned his head towards the half open door. Standing on shaky legs, Mack crept closer, all too aware that his heaviness didn’t help muffle his approach. As he got closer, he could hear a familiar voice cursing softly.
Mack barged through the door, panting harshly as he stared at the figure before him. Standing at roughly Mack’s height, taller than Mack had ever seen him, with shiny, blonde curls, and wide, blue eyes, the intruder stole the breath from Macklin’s lungs.
“Will?”
“Hey Mack.”