Chapter Text
The house buzzed with activity, the same as every morning. People rushed around getting ready for the day; wings brushed doorways, tails knocked against chair backs. Impulse and Skizz had already left, their universities demanding earlier wake-ups than the rest of them.
“Grian, don’t forget your toast,” Scar called as a brown, red, and grey blur shot through the kitchen.
“I know,” he called back, hastily shoving books into his bag.
“Grian, slow down. We’ve got a whole hour before we have to leave.” Pearl strolled in far more calmly than her twin, Gem trailing just behind her. “Why are you always like this?” she sighed, exasperated.
Grian only flashed her his infuriating smile before darting into the kitchen, nearly colliding with Tango on the way.
“Calm down for once, Grian,” Etho chuckled from his seat at the table, his tail neatly tucked around himself. “You’ll hurt yourself otherwise.”
Grian huffed but did slow; a little. “You know me, guys. I can’t help it. Going fast—feeling the wind in my ears, you know?”
“Oooh, feeling poetic today, are we?” Tango joked, stirring his coffee with one finger, his hot skin keeping it warm.
“I’ll never get used to seeing you do that,” Gem commented, tugging a new jersey over her head.
“Oh—oh, Gem!” Scar exclaimed just as her antlers caught in the fabric. She tugged uselessly, the jersey stuck halfway down. A few seconds passed in silence.
“Uh… a little help, please?”
Scar was at her side immediately, carefully pulling the garment free. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” Gem said, reaching up to check her antlers. “Stupid jersey.”
That earned a few quiet laughs, and breakfast settled into its usual rhythm. They talked about strict teachers, half-heard rumours, who was dating who.
“I heard Lizzie and Joel are together,” Pearl said at one point.
“Really? I thought she was with Martyn,” Etho replied.
“They broke up a couple weeks ago,” Grian said with a shrug. “On good terms I think.”
Everyone nodded—except Gem, who found herself staring at the table, the word broke up echoing a little longer than it should have.
The moment passed. Soon breakfast became a scatter of crumbs as the family gathered their bags and left for school together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A cacophony of noise blanketed the corridor. Stomping feet and loud voices echoed down the hall as students filtered out toward the quad. Lizzie and Gem walked in tandem through the corridor, cracking jokes and arguing like siblings.
“Harry Potter is not a Christmas movie,” Gem said, the justification clear in her voice.
“But it has a Christmas scene in it,” Lizzie shot back.
“Yeah, a Christmas scene. It’s like two minutes of screen time. A Christmas movie should be Christmas throu—”
Gem cut herself off abruptly and ducked behind Lizzie.
Lizzie stopped short, looking down at her in bewilderment. “What are you—”
“Shh,” Gem whispered, peering past her shoulder. “Just—hide me.”
Lizzie followed her gaze to the other side of the corridor, where a blond-haired boy was walking past. His ear-wings fluttered faintly as he moved. The expression on his face was a clear warning: don’t approach.
Without comment, Lizzie shifted, blocking Gem from view as the boy passed. He turned a corner and disappeared.
Only then did Lizzie turn back.
She found Joel crouched beside Gem, eyebrows raised. “Who are we hiding from?” he asked in a loud whisper.
Gem jumped. “Jeez—you scared me. Don’t do that.”
“Well?” Lizzie prompted gently, noticing Gem’s eyes flick back down the corridor.
“That was Jimmy,” Gem said finally. “My ex.”
Both of them stared at her.
“Really? You’re that surprised?” Gem added dryly.
Joel recovered first. “So… I’m guessing not a good breakup?”
Gem shook her head, gaze fixed on the empty hallway. “He didn’t like losing control,” she said quietly. “And he didn’t like me leaving.”
The three of them stood there for a moment, the noise of the corridor washing around them again.
Joel cleared his throat. “Well,” he said, a grin appearing on his face, “on that cheerful note—who wants lunch?”
Gem huffed a laugh despite herself, and the tension loosened just enough as they headed off together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Mrs Graves tapped her ruler against the whiteboard. “Remember everybody. Write down ALL the instructions before beginning the experiment.” The sound of pens and pencils on paper filled the room, bouncing off the metal benches lining three of the four walls.
Slowly, pairs of students stood and made their way to their assigned spots. Grian and Pearl rose with everyone else, wings tucked tightly against their backs lest they knock into something. Science class was uncomfortable for many hybrids — extra features turned into potential safety hazards that had to be kept in check at all times. This was especially true for the avian twins, whose wings ached by the end of every class from being held so rigidly in place.
Despite that, they both enjoyed the controlled chaos of the lesson.
They watched as the container in front of them filled with water from the tap. Once full, Pearl carefully shifted it farther along the bench, making sure none spilled over the edge. When every pair was ready, Mrs Graves came around, blowing hydrogen gas into each container and leaving a thick layer of bubbles shimmering across the surface.
Taking the utmost care, Grian cupped his hands and scooped up a mound of the hydrogen-filled bubbles, wiping the backs of his hands on his sleeves to keep them dry. Pearl picked up a match from beside the container, struck it, and held the small flame steady in front of him.
“Ready?” she asked.
Grian nodded, excitement clear on his face. Pearl raised the match and slowly brought it toward the bubbles.
Bang! Woosh! Fire flared up from the bubbles, disappearing as quickly as it had come.
Grian flinched away from the sound.
The class sharpened around him — noises that hadn’t registered moments ago now jumped out like shouts in his ears. His breathing sped up though he fought to slow it, wings rigid and heavy against his back.
Beside him, Pearl froze. Her gaze went distant as she gripped the edge of the bench, knuckles whitening while she drew in a shaky breath.
“Grian, Pearl, keep your wings tucked in, please,” Mrs Graves called from the front of the room.
The sound of her voice cut through the haze. Grian blinked, grounding himself as his breathing steadied. Pearl’s eyes cleared as well, and she looked up at the teacher.
“Sorry, Mrs Graves,” she called back.
Mrs Graves smiled in response before moving on to help another group.
“You okay?” Grian asked after a moment, hesitation lingering in his voice.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay,” Pearl replied quietly, though her voice still trembled.
He shifted a little closer, their shoulders nearly touching — close enough. Together, they matched their breathing until the tightness eased.
All around them, the class continued. Voices, movement, normalcy.
No one had noticed a thing.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“UNO!” Gem cried, slapping a +4 on the stack of cards and looking around in triumph.
“I’m not picking that up,” Scar claimed from his spot to her left, also laying down a +4. It was game night, and the family had kept their tradition alive — blankets spread across the floor, snacks within reach, and plenty of games lined up for the evening. One after another, each of them added a +4 until it returned to Gem, who stared in astonishment at the massive pile of cards she now had to pick up. The circle erupted in laughter at her dumbfounded expression, and Gem joined in after a few seconds.
“Well, that backfired,” Impulse cackled beside her. On the other side of the circle, Grian and Pearl laughed together, their voices quieter and more controlled than the others. Gem reluctantly picked up her 32 cards and tried in vain to stop the others. However, Etho had slipped under everyone’s radar and managed to play his final card, ending the game. Gem threw her cards into the middle.
“I still had twenty cards left,” she sighed, watching as Skizz grabbed another game.
~ ~ ~
“So… How was everyone’s day?” Scar asked conversationally.
“Scar, stop stalling — it’s your turn,” Grian said.
“Alright, alright,” Scar replied, giving in. He rolled the dice across the board, hoping they wouldn’t land on a 4. Fate, however, was not on his side. The dice came up 3 and 1.
“4!” Pearl exclaimed in delight as Scar reluctantly moved his piece onto Boardwalk.
“There’s no way I can pay that,” Scar groaned. “I think I’m out.”
“Pearl wins!” Tango cheered, and the rest of the circle joined in.
“I don’t know how you always manage to get Boardwalk,” Etho said.
“Neither do I,” Pearl admitted. “But I always do.”
“I think you cheat,” Grian joked from behind her, preening her feathers.
“Grian,” she sighed, glancing back at him.
“What?” He said innocently.
“Alright, I’m off to bed,” Impulse yawned. “Early start and all that.”
“I’m with you, buddy,” Skizz agreed, and they both bid everyone goodnight.
Grian shifted slightly in his seat, and Pearl’s eyes flicked to him for the briefest moment before returning to the blankets on the floor.
Slowly, the family peeled off to their rooms, leaving a puddle of blankets in their wake.