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“I can't do this. What was I thinking. Nope.” Jimmy ranted, his wings so tense that Scott was surprised that he was managing to pace as violently as he was, especially with his balance already shot from growing the damn things. “I can't do this.”
“Yes you can,” Grian said for the fourth time, not even looking up from his communicator screen. He was lounging on the sofa, lying propped up on his front with one wing folded against the cushions while the other one spilled across the floor.
Scott didn't even bother assuring Jimmy that it would be okay, he just grabbed Jimmy's shoulders and pushed until he took the hint and sat on the floor, crossing his legs and burying his face into his hands.
“You want to tell them, don't you?” Scott started, waiting patiently for Jimmy to come to the conclusion that his answer to that question was the same as it was ten minutes ago.
“Yes, I do.”
“Then tell them.” He was aware that it wasn't as simple as that, but all the overthinking Jimmy was doing wasn't helping anyone.
“And say what?” Jimmy asked, wincing when it was much closer to a yell than he seemed to have expected. “Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I have wings now. Hope that doesn't terrify you!”
“If that's what it takes, then yes.”
Jimmy had grown in his new wings yesterday, and he was now feeling well enough that it was time to start breaking the news to everyone else. Scott and Grian had suggested that they could do it, but Jimmy had insisted that they were his wings, which meant it was his job to let everyone else know that they existed. He'd decided to start with Lizzie and Joel, which had seemed like a good idea from everyone's perspective until Jimmy started panicking.
“That's so unhelpful,” Jimmy complained, looking up for just long enough to send Scott a glare before he returned to his previous curled up position.
“He's got a point.” Again, Grian didn't bother looking up from his communicator screen, though Scott could tell that it was an act. He was watching Jimmy as closely as Scott was, even if he was pretending he wasn't. “You'll feel better after you've told them. If sending a message like that is what gets it done then so be it. It's not like they're going to care much about the wording when they're heading over here to check you're okay.”
There were a few long moments of silence, other than the sound of Jimmy's thumbs against his communicator screen, and then he was placing it face down on the floor next to him and wrapping his wings around himself like a cocoon.
“Done.” Jimmy muttered. “I've told them to message you if they have any questions. Hope that was okay.”
“Of course it was,” Scott said. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to deal with any protective rage, but he would deal with it if it was what Jimmy needed. Joel and Lizzie were flock too, anyway. If Scott had been given the job of looking after them, so to speak, then he would do it to the best of his abilities just like he did any time he was given a job for the flock.
Sure enough, it was just a moment before Scott's communicator vibrated.
Smallishbeans: why did Jimmy just send me and Lizzie a message that says he's grown wings
Smajor1995: because he's grown wings
That got him about three seconds of silence before the next message came through.
Smallishbeans: what do you mean
Smallishbeans: where are you?
“Hey Jimmy,” Scott said, waiting until Jimmy peaked out from his wings before he continued talking. “How would you feel about Joel and Lizzie coming here? It’s okay if you don't want to see them yet.”
“No, I… I want to see them. Can you sort that? I don't want them to have a million questions when they get here.”
“Can do,” Scott promised. “Hey, you look tired. Do you and Grian want to go back to the nest? You're probably going to be recovering from yesterday for a while.
It said a lot about how tired Jimmy really was that he didn't try to argue. He just slowly stood up and started heading towards Grian's bedroom. Grian only hesitated a moment to share a look with Scott, promising that he'd look after Jimmy if he looked after the other part of their flock involved in this, before following.
Smajor1995: We're at Grian's. Don't leave yet though. Let me explain what happened before you come bursting in here.
Smallishbeans: alright.
That was surprisingly compliant compared to what Joel was normally like. That either meant that he was already on the way over here, and was just lying, or he'd picked up on the seriousness of the situation.
It took a while to explain everything to Joel and Lizzie, but once he was sure they knew everything they needed to – and they were under strict instructions to not ask questions once they arrived and to be as normal as possible – Scott told them to head over.
He waited for them to arrive, regardless of how much he really wanted to join Grian and Jimmy upstairs in the nest. He was going to have some worried flock members arriving any moment now, and he needed to be prepared to look after them and Jimmy.
Scott heard footsteps approaching the door and had it open before Lizzie and Joel had time to knock. They were holding hands tightly enough that their knuckles were going a little white, but that was all the visible evidence of their worry. As promised they were doing their best to act like everything normal, and like this wasn't a horrifying situation.
“Hey Scott,” Joel said, his voice softer than normal. It reminded Scott of the weeks following every single game, when everyone was walking on eggshells, haunted by the memories of everything that had happened.
“He's upstairs with Grian,” Scott told them, letting them in before closing the door. He had been planning to take them upstairs straight away, but without any conscious thought he found himself wrapping his wings around his friends, pulling them into a tight and hopefully reassuring hug.
“He'll be okay,” Scott promised, a few quiet coos mixed in with the words that he didn't even think to hold back. “He's got all of us.”
“Yeah. Has he really not…” Lizzie didn't finish her sentence, but Scott knew what she was asking.
“Yeah. He says that he doesn't think he's fully registered it all yet. We're not exactly going to try and force him to have a breakdown over it right now.”
“And you and Grian are doing okay?” Joel checked. “I know how you two can get.”
“We're looking after each other.” Scott shrugged. “Are you guys ready to go upstairs?”
“Yes, we just want to see him. See that he's doing okay with our own eyes, you know?”
“I get it. Are you two ready to be dragged into a nest and cuddled for the rest of the afternoon because there is no way you're going into Grian's bedroom and not ending up dragged into the nest.”
“That's fine,” Joel laughed. “We are more than used to that from both of you.”
“Off we go then.” Scott started leading them both upstairs. Part of him wanted to keep them downstairs for a bit, make sure that they were completely okay first, but he knew that the only way they would start to feel better is once they'd seen Jimmy for themselves. Maybe it would make things worse for a bit, seeing the wings for the first time was sure to be a shock regardless of how prepared they were for it, but it would get better from there.
None of them entered Grian's bedroom after the door was opened. Joel and Lizzie were both staring at the golden wings which were just visible under the blanket Jimmy had wrapped himself in – the blanket Scott had brought from his place, he noticed happily – twitching slowly in a way that told Scott that meant he was completely relaxed but not exactly asleep yet. Scott on the other hand was waiting for Grian to acknowledge him and invite him in, his instincts not allowing him to approach another avian’s nest – even if that avian was Grian – without being given explicit permission first.
“You can enter, Scott,” Grian called from the nest, amusement clear in his voice. “You know you can.”
“And you know that my instincts refuse to accept a standing invite.” Scott took a slow step into the room, making sure that Lizzie and Joel were following him.
“Get in here,” Grian grumbled, his wings shuffling to create space behind him. “Timmy, pull your wings in a bit."
“Where do you want us?” Joel asked. They'd all been dragged into nests enough times to wait until they'd been told where to go before they tried to enter. Avians were very specific about the correct places for everything in their nest. Honestly, Scott was just thankful that his instincts understood that this was Grian's nest, so it was Grian who got to decide what went where. Their friendship would be a lot more complicated if their instincts were constantly arguing about the correct arrangements of nests.
“Scott, you go on Timmy's other side. Joel you can come behind me, and Lizzie behind Scott.”
“So bossy,” Scott teased, even though they both knew that Scott would be exactly the same if they were in his nest. He climbed into the nest, careful not to knock the walls. Grian's nest was very plush, filled with fabrics from all the members of their flock. Scott breathed out slowly, feeling himself melt as he did so. This might not be his nest, but it was a member of his flock’s nest, which was the next best thing. It was impossible to be tense while in a place which felt like safety and care and family and flock. One of his wings stretched out, covering Jimmy completely, with the wingtips just covering Grian’s shoulder. The other one tucked comfortably against his back, leaving space for Lizzie to carefully climb in behind him. She didn’t lay down like he had, sitting instead with her elbows resting on her knees as she watched them all fondly.
“It doesn't matter how many times I see you guys cuddled up in a nest, it never gets any less adorable,” she cooed. Scott would wack her with his wing for a comment like that, but he was way too comfortable to move, so she’d have to get away with it for now.
“I’ve got to say, I get why they get like this,” Jimmy spoke up for the first time, contentment clear in a way that made both Grian and Scott’s wings ruffle happily. “It’s seriously comfortable in here. Like, it was comfortable last time too, but when you have wings of your own. Next level.”
“He’s not wrong,” Joel agreed, stepping into the nest on Grian’s other side. He’d shifted his form to include wings at some time during the conversation, large things which had a mismatch of Scott and Grian’s colouring. Despite always being able to, Joel rarely shifted himself to have feathered wings when he needed to fly. He preferred a pair of moss green moth wings, claiming that feathered wings were too heavy and threw off his centre of gravity too much.
Sometimes though, mostly when he wanted to bother Scott and Grian, he’d pull out this pair – he got to choose what they looked like, they didn’t need to be a mashup of colouring, but Scott couldn’t pretend that he didn’t like it. Joel was claiming himself as part of their flock, albeit in a slightly odd way.
“Cuddle time,” Joel whooped, settling in place and stretching his own wing on top of Scott’s. It was probably just as well that Jimmy tended to run cold, or else he would have probably been boiled alive with the amount of warm feathers covering him.
For a few minutes the room was silent as they all soaked in the contentment that was filling the room. Scott found himself almost forgetting what had led to this moment. All the pain and worry seemed so far away compared to the foggy happiness that was filling his head and convincing him to let go of everything. He was practically boneless, all of his senses focused on his flock around him.
He hissed, and didn't feel embarrassed about it either, when Jimmy broke the quiet with an uncomfortable sounding throat clearing.
“Sorry,” Jimmy murmured, a hand reaching back to lightly pat Scott's arm. “Um, I haven't told anyone else about… these,” he ruffled his wings, though it didn't do much when he was so buried under so many other wings and blankets that the movement was scarcely notable. “I wanted to tell you two first. But… I'm going to have to figure out how to tell everyone else at sometime soon.”
“Are you worried about how they're going to react?” Lizzie asked, leaning forward over Scott to try and see Jimmy better.
“I'm worried that everyone is going to be completely terrified,” Jimmy said flatly. “That or they're not going to be able to figure out how to interact with me, because they’re going to be too busy focusing on these lovely new gifts of mine.”
“They're our friends. They might need to get used to it, but they love you. If there are now some golden wings as part of you, then they'll love them too.” Joel told him, being uncharacteristically serious for a moment. He liked making fun of Jimmy as much as the others did, but he knew when Jimmy needed some actual encouragement and when cracking a joke was what was needed.
“Thanks, Joel,” Jimmy whispered. “What do you think of them?”
“Well they were definitely a shock.” Joel shrugged as well as he could while lying down, pushing himself up on one elbow so that he could see over Grian for a moment. “Honestly, they suit you. They look better than these feathery things ever have on me.”
“They have a really pretty shine,” Lizzie added. “They’re probably going to look like literal gold under the sunlight.”
“Oooh, that could be dangerous!” Joel laughed, lying back down and shifting around until he was comfortable again. “The amount of our friends who go insane over shiny things. Fists might fly.”
“Don’t even say it!” Jimmy groaned. “You’ve seen how some of them get! They’re terrifying when you’re trying to keep shiny things away from them!”
“They won’t steal you,” Grian grumbled, a slight warble in his voice, clearly speaking more from his instincts than from logic. “They know better than to mess with any part of flock. Even if they’re also flock, we will protect you.”
“Aww, now you’ve set him off,” Scott laughed, peeking over Jimmy to see Grian, his pupils blown slightly larger than normal and the feathers on his wings puffed up. They were both on edge after watching Jimmy go through so much pain, so it wasn’t really a surprise that the thought of Jimmy having any more problems any time soon had sent his protective instincts into overdrive. “None of us are getting out of this nest any time soon now that Grian’s got protecting our flock on his mind.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t love it, Scott.” Joel’s wing tip twitched, managing to hit Scott in the face. “You’re no better than he is when it comes to trying to keep people in your blummin’ nest.”
“I never claimed that I wasn't,” Scott replied, completely unrepentant. “It just so happens that today this isn't my nest and I'm stuck here too. Whether I'm happy about that or not doesn't play a part in things.”
“Seeing as we're not going anywhere any time soon, I'm going to have a nap,” Lizzie announced, lying down and shuffling closer to Scott's back. “I recommend the rest of you do the same.” Even without being able to see her, Scott could feel her eyes boring into his back. “As I assume some of you didn't get a full night's rest last night.”
Scott had napped earlier in the day, but being surrounded by happy flock was making him sleepy again, and Lizzie was right, it wasn't like there was much else they could get done right now.
Surrounded by the feelings of happy, safe, cozy, flock, Scott drifted off to sleep.
He wasn't sure what woke him when Scott next blinked his eyes open. It was still light, it had probably only been an hour or two. A moment later Jimmy shifted again, slowly pushing himself up so that he was sitting with all the wings now spread across his lap.
“Hey Joel,” Jimmy whispered, slightly hesitantly.
“Yeah?” Joel didn't sound groggy, so Scott assumed that he hadn't gone to sleep like the rest of them had.
“You know how to fly, right? Using those wings?”
Scott had the feeling he knew where this was going, but he kept quiet. He wasn't a part of this conversation. He closed his eyes, settling back in with the sound of his flock around him.
“Yeah I can. Scott and Grian taught me how. I assume they'll be teaching you too, once you get your strength back up.”
“Yeah, they said they were going to. It's just… could you come too? Help out?”
“You'd like me to be there?” Joel asked, sounding confused and a little surprised.
“You don't have to,” Jimmy said quickly. “I just thought… yeah.”
“Hey, don't get me wrong, if you'd like me there then I'll be there,” Joel promised, his wing withdrawing from Scott – he just about managed to hold back a displeased chirp – to gently hit Jimmy's face. “I was just wondering why.”
“You know what it's like to learn how to fly later in life. I'm sure Scott and Grian are great teachers, but they've been doing it for so long that they don't remember which bits are difficult to learn. I could do with someone there who wasn't pretty much born in the sky.”
Scott hadn't even considered that, and he was impressed that Jimmy had not only thought about it already, but also come up with a solution for it. They wouldn't be teaching Jimmy to fly for at least a month, maybe two, depending on how long it took for him to get used to the muscles and movements from having wings, but clearly Jimmy already had an idea for how it would go.
“Oh I see,” Joel complained playfully. “I'm the local ground based idiot. And here I was thinking you were asking for my help because you appreciated my abilities!”
“Shut up,” Jimmy giggled, delight so clear in his voice that Scott almost wanted to purr. “But you'll help?”
“Of course I will. Let me know when a date and time is decided and I'll be there.” His voice had gone soft again, all playfulness melting away and leaving love and care behind.
That was the last thing Scott heard before he drifted back off to sleep, secure in the knowledge that his flock was safe. Both the ones who were curled up in Grian's nest with him, and the various other members spread across the servers. They all had each other's backs, and it would take more than a pair of wings to knock them back more than a step.
There were more people to tell about Jimmy's wings, when he was comfortable, and an entire physical list of things that they needed to teach him for him to be able to live comfortably with his new appendages. There were plans to be made, and probably things to catch up on once they finished sequestering themselves at Grian's house. Those were all problems for later Scott though. Present Scott only had two things to focus on, and those were sleeping and the feeling of members of his flock safely tucked under his wing.