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Jimmy is not an avian.
He’s just a human, that was all he was. A human with stupid wings plastered on his back and glued to his temples.
Jimmy sniffled, rubbing at the clock on his wrist as his legs dangled off the side of the mansion. He could hear Joel snoring lightly a few blocks away, but other than that the server was silent for the night. The sky had a purple haze that dimmed the stars, but the moon was high enough for Jimmy to almost be able to see all the way to the Clockers...was that what they were calling themselves? Jimmy couldn’t remember.
The start of a new season was always a bit jarring, being pulled out of wherever you were at the time (in his case Tumble Town) and being plopped into server you’d forgotten. He’d been told that outside the games the winners get to remember, and Jimmy thinks that’s hardly fair. Though nothing about the Life games is fair.
Jimmy wrapped his wings around his shoulders and fiddled with the feathers. During the day he’d keep them tied up, but Grian would shout at him if he didn’t let them out during breaks and let him preen them. Jimmy refused to do it himself, why take care of wings that aren’t his? He pulled a feather lose and dropped it off the edge of the building, watching it float until it was out of sight.
“Tim?” A voice said suddenly from beside him.
Jimmy startled and glanced up to find Grian standing beside him, red and black wings wrapped tightly around his body.
“It’s blummin’ freezing, what are you doing?”
Jimmy shrugged and looked off into the dark trees. “Couldn’t sleep.”
Grian hummed and sat down beside him, knees curled up to his chest so his wings could shield those too. They sat quietly for a few minutes before Grian spoke up.
“Do you think you’ll ever win?” He asked.
It was a genuine question, not condescending like Grian’s questions tended to be. Jimmy didn’t even need to think before he answered.
“No. Do you think you’ll ever win again?”
Grian sighed. “No but I'd like to.”
Jimmy turned his body to face Grian, who was already looking at him. He took in his friend for a moment: dirty blonde hair, black eyes, and a frayed red sweater that hid various scars from previous games. He seemed so grown compared to how he used to be...so worn out. Jimmy wondered what Grian saw when he looked at him.
“Don’t you want to win too?” Grian asked.
Jimmy swallowed before answering, “More than anything.”
Grian nodded before averting his gaze back to the trees. “I’m sorry about Last Life.”
Jimmy didn’t respond right away, letting the confession hang between them. Jimmy didn’t care about Last Life, and he’d surely hadn’t been angry at Grian because of it. Maybe the apology was more for Grian than it was for Jimmy.
“And I’m sorry about Evo,” Jimmy decided to respond.
Grian made a small, shocked sound and whipped his head back to look wide eyed at Jimmy. “What? Why?”
“I dunno. I guess it just wasn’t fair They took you and left us. I lived a long time thinking you were dead, so, y’know, felt a bit guilty.”
Grian scoffed. “Jimmy, that’s the stupidest apology ever. You had nothing to do with Them taking me. Besides, they didn’t exactly leave you alone.” Grian nudged Jimmy’s wing with his own.
“Well, your apology was stupid too. You killed me, so what? I had some fun spectating with Mumbo and then went home to war and forgot it all.”
“What?”
Jimmy shrugged. “The first Empires was much less fun and games. You’re lucky to have visited before the rapture.”
“Right,” Grian said as he stood and stretched his arms above his head. “C’mon, Tim. I’m going back to bed, and I need your body heat.”
Grian held out a hand to him and Jimmy took it, getting to his feet.
“Was this all a ploy to get me to cuddle you?” Jimmy snickered.
Grian dragged Jimmy behind him. “It’s really cold, and Joel rolls around too much! So... yes!”
Jimmy shakes his head fondly. At least there was something that made the games worth playing.