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Being promoted to nightwings was the last thing Eli and Sharon could’ve expected.
Maybe Team Xen suddenly went broke and didn't have any other members to promote? They’ve messed up almost every mission they were a crucial part in, with their only qualifying traits being able to raise a group of pokemon… like any other Xen member.
Alas, they were upgraded to nightwings. Maybe Katsu just thought they were cute together, but all Sharon really cared about was having more freedom in missions. I mean, she can fly around and do fuck all, right?
It's not like she really cares about Team Xen anyways. She never liked this place, with her saving grace being, of course, Eli. She’d probably kill herself again if it weren’t for that boy.
Sharon looked to her left and noticed Eli tapping his foot rather quickly. Eli turned out to be ten times more excited than Sharon, which to be fair isn't exactly a goal that’s hard to beat, but he sure got the spirit.
It made sense he was ecstatic, though. His ace is a Honchkrow, of course he’d love to fly around just as much as his partner does on the battlefield, but he seemed a little too excited to just get some shabby wings and armor that doesn't look as stylish as the normal xen uniform.
“I wonder how the wings even work…” Eli loved doing the thing where he thinks to himself out loud to catch Sharon's attention.
It’d be rude to not pry a little, so she responds. “Isn’t it just like… moving your arm up and down to flap your wings?”
It’s the most obvious answer, but of course Sharon wouldn’t care enough about Team Xen to really notice the intricacies behind the nightwings.
Eli perks his head up, clearly excited to spiel about whatever he's gonna rant about. “Perchance, but I noticed that some of the fellow nightwings have different ways to use their wings, For example: Sandra keeps her wings flapping even when she’s up in the air, but her movements don't exactly match how her wings are moving, but then Shawn's wings align perfectly with his movement, but he seems to be a little more… pained?”
…What a mouthful, Sharon thinks.
“Maybe Shawn just practices more?? Wait- no, then he wouldn't get hurt… Also you can’t just say percha-”
“ELI!!!!!!!!” Katsu yells through the broadcast across them. It seems their brief discussion had Eli far too distracted…
“Ah- Sorry Sharon, I'll go now… I’ll tell you all about the meeting though!” He beams, quickly scurrying off to the elevator to finally get upgraded to a real, indispensable member.
Sharon STILL doesn't understand the hype, but whatever, it’s not like he’d get much time anyways, their Xen ID’s are sort of close together so realistically they’d have back to back interviews.
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Eli prepared himself to enter Katsu's office. He was pretty giddy to be promoted, all things considered, but he also needed to be professional, so he relaxed his muscles and kept a straight face so Katsu wouldn't kick him out… or something.
It’s strange he feels so paranoid around Katsu, Eli thought to himself as he carefully passed through the automatic metal door. Katsu has been nothing but kind to him and Sharon, even offering them leeway in missions so they wouldn’t get massacred the moment they step foot in Reldin.
Whatever, he's too far gone into this act to back down now. He sits awkwardly in the reclined chair that has him facing the roof. He’s not sure if this is a promotion or a therapy session, but it’ll hopefully be short anyways. He just has to endure a few questions and he’ll be good to go.
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The actual questioning went by pretty smoothly. For some reason Katsu asked questions about Sharon.. His favorite color? Food? It’s weird because she's not really supposed to care about the Xen members individually, but whatever, at least it made it quicker.
Katsu dragged him to the “Operation room” after saying… Recentaur? He wished there were more options for non-galarian speakers like him to understand Aevium lingo more, but that’s realistically not a priority for a terrorist organization.
“Alright, Stand here. I need to weigh you to measure what your wings are gonna look like.” Katsu shifts Eli around, trying to get him on the scale. Aren't there just default wings to just.. try on? Eli thinks.
“Usually this isn’t really necessary, but for more… Plus-sized members like you, it's safer to get the exact measurements down.”
…Bitch?
“Alright. Is there any options?” 'That’s not how you say it, FUCK!' He should’ve practiced more before this interview, as he feels his face cringe realizing his mistake.
“...You COULD get wings that flap automatically based on your weight, or you can get a surgery for the wings to connect to your body. I suggest getting the first one, as it's easier to operate, but ultimately, it’s up to you.”
There was some sort of vague aggression behind that explanation, like she was doubting Eli’s ability to even wield the wings.. which wouldn’t be without reason, but you’re the one who promoted him, stop judging.
Anything after the second option's explanation became a blur to him, though. He zoned out after realizing the possibilities behind getting the wings connected to him.
It’d be easier to escape this hellhole. Maybe he could fly away as fast as he can with Sharon, long enough where his crystal on his chest wouldn't be able to trace back to him.
He was so eager to become a nightwing because he & Sharon won’t become garbage the Madame can throw to the side when she pleases anymore. They’re individuals now; indispensable.
They could live a longer life. A life without fearing being sacrificed in every other mission, where a slight slip-up could result in never seeing the love of his life ever again. Maybe that second chance the Madame promised him is within his rea-
“Eli.” Katsu snapped her fingers, raising her voice at him. He jolted back to consciousness, going back to his completely straight “professional” posture as Katsu raised an eyebrow at him.
“Ahem- I.. Uhm.. The surgery. Wings. I want the wing surgery.” He meant to sound more confident in his decision, but there's too much thoughts racing through his head for him to care anymore about professionalism, this is a TERRORIST ORGANIZATION for gods sake who even CARES.
“Perfect. Be aware that these wings are supposed to connect to you. I've seen cases where they can be a little sensitive, but they shouldn’t cause too much trouble if you’re careful. I can trust you with that, yes?” Katsu tilted her head, like she was doubting Eli.
…The thought of his wings being sensitive excited Eli a bit too much, maybe Sharon could touch it… squeeze it a little… bite- Nevermind. Now's not the time.
“T-That's fine. I'm okay with that. Thank you for the disclaimer, ma’am.”
Katsu nods her head as she sets up the table, directing Eli to lay on his front, which he does. He slowly fades into unconsciousness, with a smile on his face as he gets his “well-deserved” wings.
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“Alright, run off to your bitch now.” Katsu orders, writing down something on a clipboard.
“...Excuse me, My wh-” Sharon gets promptly cut off before a loud, demanding GO, making her roll her eyes and scurry off.
Per usual, Sharon was right. They went 3 hours without seeing each other, which was far too much time for her!
As it turns out, Nightwings have 2 options: Choose to get wings that flap automatically based on your body weight, or have a surgery to get the wings connected to your body.
It was something similar to a phantom arm, but she thought it was really freaky, so she decided to opt out. Eli might be disappointed but she would rather die than get a surgery with needles and spooky shit like that.
Arriving at her dorm, she finds her Eli watching the door extremely keenly, like he's waiting for something to pop out so he can pounce.
But of course, Eli would never pounce on Sharon. Instead he looks at Sharon with gleaming eyes akin to a puppy.
It always made her happy that someone was excited to see her everyday, waiting for the moment she pops out the door. She always had to be the one on the other side, so it's new, but very welcome.
“H-” She gets abruptly cut off before Eli starts ranting… again.
“HAHAHAHA SHARON YOU LOOK SO COOL!!! YOUR WINGS LOOK SO PERFECT ON YOU AND THIS NEWSUITLOOKSAMAZING!” Literally 7 months ago you didn't even know how to say these words.
It 's new. His affection feels so new. It’s so strange feeling someone's appreciation of you after not feeling true love for what feels like a millennium.
She loves it, everything about his love. Her ears warming up immediately, Her cheeks turning into his favorite shade of red, and Eli's look in his eyes as he admires his girlfriend.
“W-woah, calm down dude. I.. uh.. a-appreciate it, but..”
As much as she loves him, his affection is extremely overwhelming. She desperately needs to change the topic before she explodes, gotta keep up her nonchalant act or whatever.
“...Soooo, what wing-type did you get? I didn’t wanna get the freaky surgery, so I ended up taking the boring one. With the weights and stuff.”
Realistically, Eli would probably get the one where you get actual wings. He’d like that dorky stuff, she thinks to herself.
Eli slightly shudders, taking a few steps back as she notices her swift change of topic. “O-oh, i… uh…” He puts his index fingers together meekly, breaking eye contact.
‘Choosing which wings you want can NOT be this embarrassing’, Sharon snickers to herself.
“...Yeah, so did I.” He looked back at Sharon, his face turned down. Now he’s the one flushing.
“Dude, are you lying? I don’t really like… care if you took the surgery- Why would it even matter?” She cusps his face with one hand gently, tilting her head in confusion.
Quite frankly, she thinks Eli would rather use the automatic ones. She’s sneaked a few glances at him when they hit the showers, and he’s not exactly all that.. small. So maybe using the weighted ones would be safer for him. She doesn't know, she's not the nightwing expert here now is she?
Eli blinks once or twice before saying something. “I-Im not! I just… Thought you were gonna call me weird or something..?” Eli grins awkwardly, shaking his hands to ward off the evil spirit that is Sharon Hands.
...Sharon flicks his forehead, making Eli yelp a little. “You’re so stupid, Lol.” She enunciates the LOL out loud, which was a habit she just couldn't stop for some strange reason. Eli learned to like it though, those little internet abbreviations she pronounces. God he sounds like a boomer, he’s only 23teen…
“...Ugh, babe can we go take a nap? I know it’s only like 7pm, but I built my entire day around this meeting, so I don't have anything else to dooo…” Sharon pleads with Eli. The girl is tired, let her take a breather with her big beautiful boyfriend!
“A-Alright, that is okay with me. Haha.” She still doesn’t understand why he’s so nervous about this, but her brain is already rotted enough, she just wants to rejuvenate herself with sleep. She drags Eli to come to bed with her, and of course, Eli follows obediently.
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Looks like they picked up a gig at Team Xen HQ. Their next mission has them going to eclysia pyramid to do fuck all. They even got lucky and were allowed to go together, so that’s pretty exciting!
This pyramid admittedly sounds really fun to practice in. Their shift there is relatively boring, and if they’re lucky, they can sneak out and play! …What are they, elementary schoolers?
Whatever! Who cares!!! FUCK 12, Sharon thinks as she gestures for eli to follow her. …Wait doesnt 12 mean the cop- “S-Sharon...! This is dangerous, we just got promoted to nightwings!” Eli whispers to Sharon. He sounds really nervous, tripping over his words a few times.
“We didn’t even intend going on this mission to actually even work, shush!” Sharon giggles to herself, thinking about his nervousness about something they’ve done plenty of times cracks her up admittedly, It’s like he never really changed all that much from the… okay ol’ days.
…I guess they didn't change all that much, huh? I mean, they both knew their time here was gonna be short; why bother even changing?
It's whatever. Everything was always whatever to Sharon. Losing her family was whatever, even dying was whatever. Having such a nihilistic view on everything brought her back to life, and gave her something to look forward to everyday.
Now one of these days he’ll get ripped away cruelly. It's just life, she thinks. Her family got ripped away unfairly, at what point does it get ironic?
She sighs as she continues sneaking around the pyramid with Eli, trying to find a place without much security. ‘They’d assume we’re gonna go out and fuck in the bushes the way they’re so secretive’, she giggles to herself, much to Elis confusion.
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After battling and soaring the skies for a while, their wings eventually gave out and they needed a rest. They actually found a hidden grotto right outside the pyramid, how lucky for such a misfortunate duo!
Eli noticed that after becoming a nightwing they got way more lucky with their missions and all that jazz. Maybe they should become the Fortunate Wings… Sharon would hate that name, nevermind.
“Psst, dude, look. There's a chair over there. Do you think one of the members in this operation is a cuck? I don't see why there’d just be a chair lying around here, Lmao.”
“...What’s a cuck?” Eli tilts his head, like a curious little dog.
Sharon realizes her mistake in bringing this up and her face pales. She thought Eli magically learnt what a cuck is throughout his time in Team Xen for some god forsaken reason and now she's gonna have to deal with his nagging later.
“Uhhhhh… If any other lackeys look at us weird, just call them a cuck, kay?” She gives him an awkward thumbs up as she gestures for him to take a seat.
Eli, of course, b-lines it straight towards the chair. “I- you still haven’t tolden me what the word mea—” Eli gets cut off abruptly due to Sharon shushing him, getting revenge for his past shushing… Even though he was complimenting her- Whatever.
“ANYWAYS, how do your wings feel? I remember you… pfft— crashing into the tree trying to evade my mismagius’s curse.” Sharon tilted her head & stared at him for a second, with that smug look of hers whenever she thinks she checkmated someone.
Eli shifts slightly, sort of flushed. “S-stop…” Weirdly enough, his wings seemed to move in tandem with his embarrassment, covering his mouth and torso entirely. Which is… weird? because Sharon's wings sure as hell don't do all that?
Eli wouldn’t dare lie to her, right? But… “Woah, dude, your wings. They’re like… All fucked up. Like some of the feathers are sticking out.” She sounds actually worried to the point of condescension, which sort of bothers him.
“R-Really? Sorry, but can you fix it? There's no mirrors here, so…” He looks away bashfully, his wings tightening around him as Sharon places a finger on one of the ‘oh so horrible’ feathers.
Sharon nods. “Yeah, of course. Just open your wings” She tilts her head and lowers her voice so it's slightly more soothing. God, he’s not good at hiding how flustered he is when she does this, it’s cute. Eli nods as he fails to spit out a word, inching his wings ever so slightly open.
Sharon's plan is still not entirely set in motion, but she’s starting to notice how Eli has more control of his wings than her. Maybe the automatic wings have more expressions than just flapping, it’d make sense to make them be able to block hits by wrapping themselves around the user, but this doesn’t look like a situation where that’s required.
“Good, good.” She positions Eli’s wings to face towards her a little more so she could preen them better, reaching out to pluck off any feathers sticking out awkwardly.
“...Oh, Dude, look. I found a branch in your wings. ” She fiddles with the underwing area, with a smug look on her face.
“W-wait not ther— Hnngh..!”
…Huh.
“I-Im sorry..! I swear it- I didn’t do that on purpose—” Eli mutters out in shortened breaths, his face covered by the layers of his hands, gloves, and his rightmost wing covering his face.
He’s so desperate to not upset her. Sharon likes that. It’s a change of pace that she’s not used to, but she’ll gladly accept
“hAanngh—!” Sharon squeezes on his underwing, making Eli turn completely away so he doesn't face her as he squirms.
“...” Sharon stares at Eli for a few beats.
“...Did you lie to me? About the surgery thing?” She deepens her voice, making him shudder beneath her. Sharon rubs that same spot on him a little rougher now, getting Eli to whimper slightly.
Eli takes his hand off his mouth, slightly turning to her. “N-no..? P-Please, stop… being s-so… rough…” His voice twitches at the word ‘rough’, eyes squinching.
Sharon clicked her tongue, inching her face towards his neck.
“Y’know, bae… I think you’re lying—” Sharon feels the involuntary shiver rise up his spine as he lets her breathe down the crook of his neck. “—Like, for one, you keep shivering whenever I touch the base of your wing.” She presses down on the base of his wing as a sort of punishment.
Eli lets out a low moan as she squeezes on “the most sensitive part of the wing”, as Katsu put it. God damn it.
“Not only that, but you're completely covering your face with those totally-not-connected wings, dude.” She presses on him again, this time a little rougher, giggling to herself at him trying to muster out some sort of comeback.
“And lastly—” Sharon got even closer to his neck, biting down hard. The mark is left right above his collarbone, leaving Eli gasping for air. Just like she likes it.
“—Your wing just flinched after I bit you.” She stared right behind Eli, watching his eyes expand like he wasn't caught like 3 times already.
…God, He’s such a mess.
Eli keeps shivering after every single word she says that makes him feel like a small, helpless rabbit. Every step she takes makes him feel even more cornered, furthering himself down this path he decided to tread.
Sharon takes his hand off his mouth. “Anything you wanna say, big guy?” She teases the underside of his wings again, a little gentler to make sure he’s not TOO overwhelmed. He still needs to be able to talk, you know.
“I-Im… hnngh… P-please…” Eli meekly lets out, his limited vocabulary preventing him from saying anything that would prove useful to Sharon.
Sharon snickers to herself. “C’mooooon, use your big boy words! Just like we practiced.” She teases his wings, making sure it’d be physically harder for him to use his “Big Boy Words” without messing up.
Sharon’s full attention on him makes Eli feel beyond overwhelmed. All the attention to detail on his reactions, his tics, his behaviour and how Sharon simply stares at him makes his stomach twist and turn.
“...Sh..Sharee—” Sharon pinches his wing as punishment, making him yelp out of his seat.
“Sharon. We practiced this, C’mon.” She murmurs out disappointedly, making Eli whine in frustration; He can’t be disappointing his girlfriend like this, he has to make her proud.
“Sh-Sharon…! Pl-Please, Im…” He stops mid sentence, evaluating what to do next to impress her. She simply looks down at him in amusement, caressing his wings gentler so he has more of an opportunity.
“I-I’m sorry… for… l-lying, I promise… I wont… lie, uhm… again.” He glances over at Sharon with his big puppy eyes, wings fluttering slightly. Even if he didn’t do all that good at apologizing, she doesn't care, he’s too cute for her fragile, empathetic heart.
She moves her hand along his face, rubbing his cheek. “Good, good…” Eli softens to her touch, tilting his head as she traces circles on his cheekbones. “...You liked that?” She wonders if this all had been a ploy for her to get on him like this, but something tells her Eli doesn't have the brain capacity for those schemes.
Eli nods softly, seemingly too tired to murmur out grammatically correct responses. “Alright. I thought it was kinda fun, not gonna lie. You’re just so naturally flustered, it's fun.” His cheeks redden up slightly, glaring at her like she called him something derogatory.
“Woah, chill, geez…” She rolls her eyes, giggling to herself. “You wanna stay here, right? I'm not going back out after this, so if you go out you hate me a—” Eli bites her finger to get her to stop. “O-ow, okay, okay!” She snickers, leaning closer to him for comfortability.
And so, they lie down on the chair, awaiting the alarm to go back to HQ.
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Luckily for them, they came back to base with no real repercussions. The lackey that shared their shift seemed to cover for them, but the way Katsu glared at them made them both feel very uneasy,
Maybe it was just the glaring red mark on Eli's neck, but she thought he covered it well using his turtleneck, but Katsu seemed to notice the little things far too quickly, much to their dismay.
That was besides the point, not when she arrived at their dormitory to see Eli's wings completely ruffled up beyond repair.
“Sh-Sharon..? Sorry but… uhm… my wings, they’re…” He clings to his arm. He knows exactly what he’s doing, exactly what he’s requesting. The way his cheeks rosen up, the innocent look he gives her whilst knowing what this does to Sharon.
And who is she to deny her boyfriend?