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da3dm · 2 years ago

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Night Light 1.1

Never written a g/t story before, but here's my try on it! Lemme know if I should add some tags or warnings!

Lots of thanks to @dingbatnix for helping me proofread it!

Word Count: 3.6k

Chapter 1: Disappointments

In a seemingly empty forest, a breeze was the only disturbance to the area. Birds were calling, animals caused rustlings in the bushes, and the sun shone softly on the plants, casting a golden glow over every surface. Hidden behind this faux peace, a small group of friends were hiding among the leaves in the branches of a tree, watching the small clearing curiously as they waited in…somewhat silence. Their hushed whispers hardly carried down from the tree. “Get off of me!”

The four of them were finding it somewhat difficult to coexist on the same branch��and two in particular wouldn’t stop arguing. “I wasn't even touching you?” The accused blonde shoved their brown haired friend away, teardrop shaped wings fluttering in annoyance. “Just stay over there and leave me alone.”

The blonde yelped, nearly falling off the branch. For someone who was only three inches tall, a fall like that would be rather dangerous. “Now you're shoving me!”

A third interjected, pushing the pair apart. “Will you two just stop? You've been arguing for hours now! If you keep going, we're never going to see it! They'll notice us!” The red head was trying their best to be threatening, hoping to get them to finally knock it off. “Besides, if you two keep arguing we’re going to lose track of him again!”

The fourth one was on the very end of the branch, out in the open and hanging out in the wind, only held by the stem of a leaf he gripped. He’d been ignoring them until that last comment, but didn't even look their way as he stated, “I am fully capable of taking care of myself. You three are the real chaos material. I wasn't the one arguing with someone for brushing against me.” The blackete was grinning anyway, excited to see if coming to the edge of their borders would finally let them see a real human.

The red head glanced over, only to be struck by panic upon seeing just how startlingly visible his friend was, fully out in the open and vulnerable. “Axel!” He launched himself over there and dragged his friend back onto the branch. “You can’t just hang out in the open like that! You’ll be seen! You’re not even supposed to be out here, don't add being seen to that list of broken rules!”

Axel smirked at them and kept staring out there. “Oh come on! You wanna see them just as much as I do!” Since all four of them were fairies, they had been raised inside a hollowed out tree with the rest of their colony. There were strict rules set in place that never allowed any fairy near their borders, where humans resided. The only things they ever knew about humans was what they'd been told, most of which villainized them. Axel, who remained leaning out in the open, was one of the few that refused to believe those stories. Humans being titans, killing their kind, only showing cruelty to everything around them…none of it made sense to him. Nothing was that big for one thing, but it also didn’t sound right. They made these creatures sound like true monsters, and yet described their appearances as being strikingly similar to their own.

Spark, the red fairy, disagreed greatly with Axel. “No! I’m only out here to keep you out of trouble! For all I know you're going to march right up to one of those giants and completely expose yourself with your lack of self preservation! On top of all that, it’s almost high noon! We’re going to be late for the ceremony!”

Axel squirmed in the tightening grip, attempting to escape. "We'll be fine, we can make it! I know what I'm doing, just be quiet so nothing will notice us." He managed to pull himself free and danced away to keep out of reach.

The blonde fairy walked up to them and pointed out at the forest ahead. "Sorry to interrupt, but isn't that what you're looking for?" Out in that direction, there was unnatural motion and faint voices carrying to them.

Axel spun around immediately, his wings buzzing with excitement when he saw it. "Yes! Let's go look!" He launched off the branch, already speeding away before any of them could even attempt to follow.

Spark turned a glare on the blonde. "Oh yes, brilliant idea Sett, just tell the maniac you see something without someone holding him down! Clay, go after him." He looked at the brown haired fairy as he'd said that before shoving off to chase after Axel.

Sett and Clay looked at each other before they just followed after the other two boys, rushing through the cover of the forest on their way over to the group of camping humans. Axel momentarily almost went above the trees, but Spark caught up to him on time and grabbed hold of his leg, yanking him back down.

"Get back down! You're going to get picked off by a bird!" He lost the dark haired fairy only moments later, but at least he didn't go higher again and merely zoomed towards the campsite.

He knew not to just burst out there but he was getting way too close to be flying out in the open like he was. "You worry too much!" The one to stop him this time was Sett, the only one in their friend group that flew faster than Axel.

The blonde spread his arms out after stopping in front of Axel and pointed to a cluster of branches higher up, where they'd be able to see the open space. "Hide there before you make Spark explode." The two dove into that bundle of branches and leaves almost immediately after, waiting for the rest to show up.

Axel was already clambering forward, trying to get a peek at these creatures. When he saw them his wings buzzed excitedly, but he was also shocked into silence. It was a group of friends or maybe a family, he wasn't sure. That wasn't the shocking part though. What truly got him, was their size. This wasn't like the stories, they were bigger, not smaller like he'd originally thought.

Just as the other two showed up, Sett had pushed himself over to take a look as well, his whole body going rigid as he watched these pure giants move about, doing actions that would otherwise be impossible for the fairies while being way too fast for their size. It was terrifying and they weren't even close enough to feel their movements. One other notable thing…was that their language made no sense—it was completely different from their own.

Spark and Clay had similar reactions, but the red fairy could only look for a few seconds before he had to pull away, his hands covering his mouth as fear coursed through his entire body. It hadn't helped that when he'd looked, it was to see one of them crushing something bigger than they were like it was nothing. He shuddered and moved on to hugging himself instead, refusing to turn back around as he was gripped by a cold sweat.

Clay was just frozen in place, his usual rowdy self gone completely as he watched the wingless titans move about. He hesitated greatly, taking a step back as he looked at the other two still watching the humans. "Hey, uh…I think we should go. It doesn't feel safe here." He frowned at the humans before he went back to being wild, reaching down and grabbing Axel by the back of his shirt. "Sett, move it! We're going!" He was half snarling as he just dragged the curious fairy away.

Spark gave a heavy sigh when he saw Clay dragging Axel away, the tense muscles relaxing as he realized they were leaving now. He didn't hesitate to take off, his wings buzzing madly as he tried to fly off as fast as possible. The humans hadn't shown up in the clearing they'd chosen to watch, and he was glad they hadn't. They'd have been way too close to Hometree…that was just begging for trouble. He did falter for a moment to check that his friends were following, but settled right back down when he saw them right behind him. Even Axel was leaving on his own.

Axel, however, had way too curious thoughts spinning through his mind. He'd felt a sort of natural fear towards a being so large that he was hardly the size of their smallest finger…but he wanted to know everything about them! Why did they look just like fairies but had no wings and were so giant? It was spinning him for a loop and he was sectioning his fear off as just from their size, ignoring the warning bells telling him to never investigate them. Rather, he was somewhat eager to find out what all they had. They were using some very strange things!

Regardless of how unaware his friends were of his thoughts, all four of them headed straight for home tree. They were already really pushing it for their time limit, the ceremony a lot more important than they'd been making it out to be so far. As the large, hollowed out tree came into sight, so did tons of fairies flying in and out in preparation for the celebration. The magic barrier hiding the tree from sight allowed the fairies to see through it, only blocking the contents from other creatures. All four of them went to one of the many entrances, choosing one that was less populated and rushing through on their way to the main hall.

Once inside you had to land and fight your way through the crowds of other fairies. There honestly wasn't all that many of them, but when there was some sort of gathering everyone was moving around so much that it made the numbers seem higher. In reality, you would pass the same person ten or so times on your way to anywhere. The adults in the tree had assigned jobs after all, so they couldn't sit still like everyone else was. The group of friends got separated a few times on their way through the tunnels, but eventually met back up in the wide open space of the main hall. This space was in one of the highest spots in the tree, allowing the sunlight to shine through from openings directly above them.

Axel…had never liked so many people gathering together. Colors, so many colors, kept swarming around him in every direction. It was almost too many and always hit him as dizzying. For one thing, he never once saw another fairy with black hair. He was the only one in this entire colony, and as far as anyone knew, the first to exist. Their records were damaged and it was unclear what the coloring meant for Axel. After all, the color of their hair and wings always determined their magic pathways. Sometimes the eyes would even grant the fairy another power, but those were very special cases.

Reds, and sometimes a rare orange, all belong to fire. Yellow stretching to a pale blonde typically controlled wind and sometimes light magic, which was exceptionally rare. Browns were connected to the earth, green attached to the plants, blue with several different areas…mostly water, sometimes ice. A fairy with purple hair was just as rare as a blonde getting light magic, and they controlled the darkness. So where did that leave Axel? This entire celebration was to find out, and it was leaving him unnerved—one major reason he'd risked being seen merely ten or so minutes ago. He'd rather face horror stories turned real than find out the result of this test.

He followed his friends to the area all of the graduating teenagers were waiting. Everyone gathered here was turning 20 this season, leaving the teenage years behind and about to be considered adults, where they'd be granted a job rather than an apprenticeship. But he was nervous. He stood beside his friends for some time, watching as every fairy in the tree congregated in this hall, the area getting steadily louder until the dooming hush fell over the huge crowd.

The monarch was here. She strode down the platform to the edge, Axel shivering as he felt her cold gaze sweep over the crowd, demanding absolute silence. This development made him take a step back, hiding behind his friends instead of staying next to them. It was too much for him to handle, especially since she was actually…his aunt. He knew it was coming, but it still sent a cold shudder down his spine when her eyes locked onto him momentarily. It wasn't hard for him to know what she was thinking and he was already wishing he could just flee the area.

She smiled only once everyone was still and not making sound, setting her hands on the podium before she projected her voice, "Thank you for taking time off your busy tasks to gather here today!" She kept watching everyone as she continued, "Today we will identify the power of each new adult fairy so that they might join the rest of us in maintaining our survival here in the Hometree." She swept a hand in the direction of the group of new adults, her bronze wings flaring for dramatic effect. "Now, come up in alphabetical order, as is tradition. First…" She glanced at her list. "Ala."

A blue haired fairy fluttered up to the stage, gave a bow, then turned to grant access to his wings. Axel watched in trepidation, aware he'd be dragged up there way too soon for his liking. Even so, he watched the exchange closely. It was easier to activate magic with the help of another fairy, but you could also do so on your own. The monarch reached over and delicately traced her hands over the pale blue wings. White lines spread from his back towards the end of the wings like veins, forming a shape in the center of his wings as the color faded into becoming a near white blue, the shape revealing the symbol of ice.

Of course this had her smiling again as she gestured for the new ice fairy to go wait in a certain area. They would designate everyone by element before telling them what their actual jobs were. He tensed when she looked at the list again, but she called up someone called Amber instead. His nerves were firing off all over the place, his wings buzzing every now and then with discomfort. In the end he couldn't truly watch what happened with the girl up there, only knowing she was hard to help unlock and that it had become something along the lines of earth and minerals.

She called yet another name, his gaze casting to the floor to lock into his feet, his hands feeling sweaty even as she called someone who wasn't him. Despite what all he'd actually been through, this was by far one of the worst days of his life and he had yet to be called on. After only seconds of this building stress, he shoved his hands behind his back in an attempt to slow it down, gripping his arms tightly to force his head back up. Even as he did, his eyes closed and he let out a shaky breath, refocusing on the present.

A hand touched his shoulder and he flinched, only for another to touch the other shoulder. Slight panic made his eyes snap open to see who was grabbing him. Spark and Sett. A wave of relief washed over him thickly, soothing coldness spreading through his body. He could see in their expressions that they understood what was wrong, so he gave them a thankful nod, glancing at Clay who was looking at him like the guy was ready to beat up whatever was stressing his friend out like this.

It made him smile. Axel was finally getting the beginning of a panic attack to settle, at least to a manageable amount. He took a few deep breaths and waited, now a tad more confident knowing his friends were still with him. Even so, with his name called only moment later, he still jolted, feeling that rush of fear run through his body. He let it run. Using it, he made his legs move, taking a few steps forward before he used his shaky wings, knowing his legs felt too weak to take him the whole way. He landed on the raised platform right in front of his aunt, locking eyes with her before immediately looking away.

He couldn't stand being looked at so worriedly, even if it was only a split second. In the end he turned his back to her so she could get to his wings, looking at the wall to keep himself grounded. But then her voice echoed out to the room, "We're treated this season to a new color, possibly bringing in a new fairy element! Let us hold hope for our new friend and greet them among us no matter the result!" It was a traditional saying that had been said only a few times before, but her tone and the fact that it was him she was talking about, felt like someone was stabbing him from behind.

He choked on a breath, but just closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists, gritting his teeth. He would find out what sort of abomination he was today, and…he desperately hoped that maybe he was just an earth fairy, or had something actually useful. The problem…was that there weren't any elements left. When her hands touched his wings he flinched, the touch feeling cold, too cold. When she pulled his magic from his core and into his wings, it was like someone was pulling on strings attached to his organs. At the same time, it wasn't exactly painful, just exceedingly strange.

He peeked his eyes open and watched the glow from the wall, tensing as it started to dim out. When it finally stopped, there was a sort of shocked air among the crowds. A bit scared, especially after hearing his aunt mutter under her breath, he looked over his shoulder at his wings. They were…not showing any element at all. There were some jagged lines, zig zags, loops, and most prominently a sideways eight right where an element should be. Or at least it resembled one, but it was more like two rings looped through each other.

Even so, it still did not show an element. He watched as she silently motioned for an examination, a sort of pressure building up in his chest. His hands tightened even further as fists, his nails digging into his skin as his eyelids flittered just a bit faster. He narrowed his eyes after a few seconds, slowing down his blinking as he waited, fully on edge along with the entire tree full of fairies. He couldn't even watch as they brought a magic stone polished into a ball shape, wishing to measure his element with it and tell if he had usable magic at all.

The cold stone was pressed against the skin between his frail wings. The air was tense, every last person holding their breath and staring at the stone he couldn't see. After some time passed, there were murmurs spreading, a few of them sending spikes of anxiety through his body. The stone was removed and the fairy who'd been trying to measure it was half frozen, stuttering out, "I-it doesn't show anything! He has no element at all! His magic…it can't be used!"

Everyone feel deathly silent, but Axel felt some entirely different. Icy talons wrapped around his heart, a weight settling in his chest as tears fought their way to his blank face. Then all at once it struck, shock creating fear in everyone present. It took a few seconds of panic before some began shouting, asking if fairies were about to lose their magic, that he was cursed, some actually begging their own relatives would have magic and not end up like him. The last was quieter than the rest, but still present.

With the power only she had, the monarch commanded silence with a single glare, silencing the entire room with that on look. She faced them all. "Stop the dramatics! Keep the peace! There is still a symbol, it will mean something somewhere in our archives. We will be investigating this incident, and as of yet, I believe this is particular for only black haired fairies, of which Axel is the only one. Now, go stand over there and let's continue." She had a pained expression for a moment before it was buried under her usual iciness.

Axel couldn't respond. He was numb as he was led to a different spot, standing separate from everyone by quite a bit. His hands found the edge of his half jacket and clutched it like his life depended on it, becoming empty and blank as he zoned out entirely. After all of this time…there is no 'searching the archives', or they would have already done it. No. That stone never lied. And after all that stress, all of that heart stopping fear that his life would end and he could never explore again, he…had nothing.

It was almost laughable. It's hard to say if this outcome was better or worse. In the end, he didn't know what he'd been expecting at all. He actually nearly laughed, just standing there with his gaze cast downwards, only uncertainty blooming inside him. What job…does a fairy without magic even do? Would he remain an apprentice forever? He couldn't tell if that was good or not, knowing he'd be able to keep that freedom to explore, but also knowing he was now a true outcast. After all of that judgement growing up…nothing was going to compare to the aftermath of this discovery.

—

End chapter of the first g/t story I've done!

(will add links to the next chapters at the end of this once I get those uploaded)

/Mistake/ ->

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da3dm · 2 years ago

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Night Light 1.5

Soooooo I’ve had this done for over a week but kept forgetting to upload it! Sorry! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Thanks to @beckyu for proofreading!!

TW: Fear, dehumanization (calling someone ‘it’)

Word Count: 6.2k

Chapter 5: Human

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The low rumbling of a storm not yet over served as a backdrop to his nightmares. He was thrown about a maelstrom of fears and pain, repeating the suffering he'd thought was finally over when he'd passed out. In his dreams, he found himself being chased by a giant fox with wings and talons. When it flew it was silent and the teeth were taller than his entire body twice over. His world was filled with the sound of the jaws clicking shut behind him and the steps like earthquakes shaking him to his core. He couldn't fly, weighed down by water and unable to move from his aching leg. He found himself tangled in vine-like branches out of nowhere, the fox-like beast being driven away by a massive shadow. His mind imaged a maw opening wide as whatever the giant beast had been came at him, the teeth snapping around him loudly and sealing him in icy cold darkness—

Axel awoke with a start, a hand immediately clutching over his heart as he curled into himself, light making his eyes squeeze shut again. He shuddered along with the agony coursing through his entire body. His heart raced as he could hardly even take a proper breath, his other hand stretched out and searching for something to grab or fix this feeling. His back throbbed, a sort of scorching burn came from one of his legs, and his clothes didn't even feel right. He gasped a few times before finally beginning to uncurl, the free hand choosing to clutch at the unusually plush surfaces around him. In no way was he calm yet, still shivering more from pain than from cold. Actually…he was warm. Almost too warm.

A bit confused, he steadily attempted to open his eyes again, giving himself time to adjust to the faint sunlight that seemed almost aimed at him. He groaned quietly and rubbed his eyes before looking at what he was actually touching. Huh? He paused and stared at the strange fabric, running a hand over the surface almost dumbly as he tried to filter past the pain, fear, and sleep fog filling his head. The main thing he registered was how colorful and soft it was, hardly even noticing it was the source of the warmth around him and almost too heavy to be properly comfortable…if anything it kinda pinned him down.

Taking a shaky deep breath, he pushed at the surface as he struggled to get himself out of it. What even was this? Did his friends do this? He wasn't sure how much of what happened to him was real anymore. What startled him though was part of the surface suddenly just sorta fell off, making it much lighter. He was…inside the other one? That let him know what his position was better and he pushed at the fabric to get himself out, managing to scoot back out of it. The motion triggered several painful responses from his body that he decided to ignore for now.

Rather, his attention snapped to his surroundings when he thought he heard something. This only made him freeze up, eyes going wide at the unfamiliar landscape around him. No…he definitely wasn't outside. There were things here that looked like absolutely gargantuan versions of their own items—and from a glance, it seemed he was on a giant table. The implications hadn't fully hit him yet as he scanned the place, his curiosity spiking and causing his wings to flick up with interest…which was a mistake as a sharp stab of pain ran down one side of his back.

He gasped lightly and glanced back at his wings, only now noticing one of them was…broken. It was broken. A whole new level of fear filled his body as he glanced around the room, finally beginning to be awake enough to recognize something was wrong. Other than his surroundings being massive, he could hear something moving in another room, a constant tapping accompanied by the occasional faintest vibration. Where was he? Was he…? Was this…?! It was! He was in a human's domain!

Panic gripped him and he started scrambling to get to his feet, his wings opening quickly. The consequences of flying with a damaged wing didn't bother him as much as that thing finding him awake and active. So he took off, wanting to fly up and look for a way out, only to be tugged back down by something around his waist. He gave a yelp, his wings giving up on him and dropping him back onto the fabric. Worried, he spun around and touched his middle, wings fluttering in fear when he noticed some sort of red rope wrapped around him.

He started pushing and pulling it, hoping to slip it off only for it to be too small of a gap. This wasn't helping his first impression at all, especially not when he went back and tried to feel for a knot to undo and find…something incredibly strange keeping it held there. That didn't even include the weird rattling noise that kept going off behind him as he struggled with it. He only gave it attention when he violently tugged the rope and something came down with a loud bang that made his ears ring and forced him to his knees as he covered his ears.

Axel was too busy whispering curses to notice the vibrations at first, only for the increasing force to rattle the table ever so slightly. His head snapped up towards the source of the sound, noticing another thing abnormally large in the form of a door. Chills brought back his earlier shuddering, the quakes underneath him steadily becoming strong enough to easily recognize. Now they were in the clear pattern of footsteps rather than just motion. He began to struggle again and searched for his bag—only just then noticing he was missing so much.

Despite his efforts, he was still stuck on his knees and shaking by the time the thuds came to a stop just outside that door. Then it swung open at a normal speed, but nevertheless more startling at such a huge scale. There, in the doorway, was a human standing much taller than the one he'd seen at that campsite. Their body was still half shrouded by shoulders, obscuring the face and only adding onto his original fear. A human. Was right in front of him. And although he couldn't see it, he knew those eyes were directly on him…and yet it was just standing there?

Then it took a step closer. A sort of primal terror ripped through his body, gripping his throat and limbs. He was pinned in place by his own body, mind racing wildly the closer the human got. It was only made worse when this absolute titan of a being stopped in front of him and raised its hand, reaching out towards him. Axel wanted desperately to cover his head with his arms, to quell his shaking, to be anywhere but here. If this is what happens when he disobeys his aunt and flees unjust punishment, he would have just let them have at him.

But the hand went past him entirely, grabbing something else with a soft click that filled the darkened room with light. The human's face was washed with that light and Axel's bright blue eyes met blue and hazel ones. He was suddenly trapped by those eyes instead, staring up into the orbs that made it way too clear he’d been captured. While part of him only kept shaking like a leaf, the part that usually got him in trouble found himself searching this giant person, hoping that the non-aggressive look was the truth and not just some new cruel joke meant to break him more…he’d been broken plenty of times already.

It became a staring contest, broken only when the human moved that hand again, pulling it back towards Axel. This drew a violent flinch out of him that made his wounds throb, but the huge digits merely grabbed that strange thing he’d knocked down and put it back up, their expression remaining so blank…way too blank for any sort of comfort in his opinion. It was difficult to tell what it might be thinking, which only made such big movements disconcerting regardless of what it was actually doing with them. He wanted to watch the hand, but he also really didn’t want to take his eyes off the enlarged face in front of him, the eyes never even remaining on Axel and instead whatever it was doing.

Then the human looked at him once more and he jolted back slightly, body tense and wishing he could get away…but he couldn't even stand, let alone run, not with his leg throwing such a fit. He didn't know what to think about the twitch of a response it got from the giant, but he leaned back when it decided to lower itself, probably crouching. Even so, they still towered over him, but…it wasn’t surprising considering a finger dwarfed him right now. He watched the careful and deliberate movement, trying not to dwell on how the air had moved with them and how easily he could feel the warmth from them breathing.

He didn’t have to ignore it for too long though, as the human brought both hands below the table and spoke to him. The sheer volume made him cringe and curl into himself, his hands immediately slapping over his ears until it abruptly cut off. That had been disturbing, not to mention he didn’t understand a single word. It wasn’t how loud it was said, it was their languages. Fairies and humans didn’t have the same language…it was a well known source of their fear since even if humans wouldn't hurt them if they knew fairies were intelligent, how do you prove it when you can’t talk?

It was silent for long enough that he hesitantly lowered his hands and looked up at the human again nervously, immediately noticing the rather troubled expression they held, even biting their lip when looking at the fairy. What did that mean? He found himself flinching at pretty much anything the human did, including them leaning away a bit and lowering their voice to ask him something else. Axel just kinda stared at this weird giant. For one thing, he’d never seen someone with two different eye colors. For another…weren't they being way too passive? If any of their knowledge on humans was accurate, he should have already been in a crushing grip being examined.

Why was it just trying to talk to him? Hadn’t touched him at all? Was it a trick? He couldn't stay distracted by his confusion for long though, realizing the human might not know he couldn't understand and…unsure if he wanted to admit he could talk at all? Still, he shakily tried to stand up while nervously voicing, “I…I uhm…I don't understand you…at all…” He was worried about the consequences of revealing he could talk and was still moving to stand up, forgetting about his leg entirely. That made it difficult when the human reacted to his actions without any explanation.

Their hand raised up swiftly, almost like they'd been startled as they stammered something at him. There was a split second Axel thought he’d be grabbed, but he instead found himself putting weight on a leg that screamed bloody murder the moment it felt pressure, dropping him back to his knees. He grit his teeth and momentarily had his eyes off the human as he caught himself. The instant he noticed that problem his head flung back up so fast he got a head rush, gazing up at the human worriedly, assuming that he’d be targeted if he took his eyes off them, but…the human hadn’t moved from how he last saw them.

This was only getting more and more strange to him. He considered possibly trying to communicate for a few seconds, wondering if there was a little more to this than he’d actually been able to notice as of yet. Then they moved again. Axel was just about ready to fling himself backwards, hurt leg or not, but they simply set something down in front of him. It looked like some miniature bowl of some kind, looking absolutely ridiculous in the human’s fingers but way too big to be super practical as some sort of cup or bowl for him. Was that…water? Was the human offering him water?

His wings flicked with interest, despite that only earning him pain again, and glanced back up at the human with less fear, but more suspicion. He took a risk and looked away from the giant in front of him again to study the offered water. It was…really strange to say the least. With tension, he took a chance and shuffled just a little closer to the water, aware he was extremely parched but still unable to actually walk at all. The human moved in response and he instantly flinched away from the motion to watch what they did with trepidation. Had it just lowered his guard to torment him?? That wasn’t a new experience to Axel so it wouldn’t be at all surprising.

But again, the human made no move against him. Rather, they had merely pulled one hand up while muttering under their breath to push the water closer to him. Axel still didn't understand them at all but tried not to let that bother him, instead focusing on the water again, now within perfect reach as the hand disappeared under the table again. He stared at this weird human for a long few moments before he actually moved, lightly grabbing the edge after leaning and dragging it closer to him. Was it actually possible he wasn't going to be attacked somehow? He wasn’t going to let down his guard, but it weighed on his mind, challenging his Hometree’s knowledge.

With them still not making a move, he finally grabbed the pretty big bowl of water and attempted to drink it. Some of it got in his mouth, but most of what he poured out ended up all over him and the table instead. It was disappointing he’d failed, but he was more focused on this much needed supply of water. The human said something else again, the tone a bit…strange? He wasn't sure if they sounded startled, worried, or annoyed right now. It made him nervous so he finished quickly in order to get rid of the bowl, not wanting anything to do with a tone he didn’t understand.

He was good at reading people, but that didn’t mean he trusted what he was reading off of this human right now. Absolutely nothing about the body language was saying he’d be harmed but more like…the human was worried. That didn't seem right at all, but it’s what he was getting off them. He really didn’t like it. Not because he didn’t know if he believed it, but because it made him feel like they thought he was weak. It almost made him want to start shouting at the behemoth or display his blade threateningly…if only he hadn’t lost his bag and didn’t have a fear of death. Maybe then he’d be able to do that.

It felt uncomfortable to simply be watched like this so he shuffled a tad awkwardly under that stare with a frown before he gave up and decided to try being bold. Being timid only worked for so long—it was only when you angered someone or tested their limits that you get a good idea of who they are. He crossed his arms and splayed his wings, again ignoring the spike of agony it sent down his spine, and watched the human. Right now he was trying his hardest to return the stare, maybe make this human feel just as awkward and back off…it wasn’t a very solid plan, but he was tired of this.

In the end, it somehow worked as the human steadily started to display discomfort before being the first to look away. It hadn't even taken as long as it should’ve…maybe this human wasn't as open of a person? No—he can’t think like that. This thing might not think he’s a person and could be treating him like a pet for all he knew. That would be better than pest treatment, but he didn’t like the idea of being something marveled at. It was already bad enough that he didn’t have his jacket hiding his body anymore, he didn’t need that worsened further than it already had been.

Hold on. Why didn’t he have any of that? He glanced down at his leg for a second to see that it had been wrapped up, signs of things being clumsily moved about evident all over that leg. Did the human actually save him? The last thing he remembered was passing out with a shadow over him and a fox underneath him. What happened after that, though? All he could recall was waking up wrapped in weird fabric leading to where he was now. What exactly did that mean? An uneasy feeling built up in his gut as he examined what had been done…that was visible. What happened while he was out?

His thoughts were interrupted by the human saying something else. This time, a sort of blaring sensation went off in his head and his hand soared to his forehead, holding it as his head pounded and his magic coursed through his body strangely. What was that? The human was still muttering while his head was screaming and he was about to just curl into himself to block it out, but then he heard something very strange. “ ———you—————sorry———.” He didn’t catch everything, but those two words clearly rang out to him as something he could understand. He was baffled by this discovery, but it didn’t happen again.

Whatever else the human was saying faded out along with his sudden headache, as unintelligible as before. He was immediately concerned. What was that? Either way, the human rambling on and on while he was just sorta trapped there and forced to listen eventually made him snap, “Look! I don’t understand a single word you're saying! Would you just shut up! I’m hungry, I’m tired, my entire body feels like I got hit by an earth fairy!” It had come out involuntarily and his hands slapped over his mouth as he started shaking, his eyes shut in fear over what he’d just done. Sure, they didn’t understand, but he’d still shouted with an angry tone.

Still…nothing came after him. To his surprise the human had been silenced, but somehow wasn’t trying to punish him for it. Instead, when he looked up it was to be met with an extremely concerned mismatched gaze that really didn’t feel at all threatening. What caught him off guard next was the human moving away a little to give him space, but that could not have been comfortable for the human. Wouldn't spacing make Axel harder to see? He wasn’t complaining, just that every part of this was unsettling. If it had at least been somewhere near the rumors it wouldn't be as bad.

After moving away and giving him a few seconds, the human very slowly went to gesture at Axel’s leg like they were asking a question. The fairy hesitated, looking this giant up and down for any dark intention before ever addressing his leg. He looked at the thing, still finding it incredibly strange and not really sure how to respond. Eventually he just sighed and moved to show the human his leg, figuring that could be better than attempting to talk wordlessly. At least this seemed to be maybe…partial for what the human wanted? They leaned in just a tad, eyes squinting in an attempt to look at it without getting too much closer.

He appreciated how much they were keeping their distance, but enough was enough sometimes. If they wanted to check the injury this definitely wasn’t an efficient way of doing it. Although…the better ways didn’t sound very appealing either. He’d have to let this human touch him again and no part of that sat right with him. Axel was caught off guard when they suddenly nodded and stood up in one smooth motion, once again reminded that he sat before a behemoth, wounded and way too vulnerable to be thinking he even had a choice in what happened to him.

A shiver ran down his spine as he awaited whatever they were going to do to him, but they just turned away and left the room. They just outright left? He knew he should be feeling relieved, safe, or even try to run while he could, but a huge part of him was screaming indignation at being brushed aside like he was nothing. He already felt less than this being and everything they could do, he didn’t need them rubbing it in! It felt insulting, rude, and terrifying. It wasn’t like he fully believed that’s what the human thought they were doing, just the fact that they could treat him less than was haunting.

When he realized those thundering steps were beginning to grow louder again however, he nearly sprung to his feet—good thing he stopped himself or his leg would have just protested it again. Even so, the thought of being in the room with a possible threat watching his every move all over again had him scrambling for some cover. He slipped a little where he’d spilled water earlier, but managed to grab one of those giant pieces of fabric and hide behind it. Oh how painfully aware he was that the red rope led right to him and the trembling of the cloth could be seen a mile away. This wasn’t his best hiding spot, but it made him feel safer.

He continued to cower behind it, almost wishing he could shrink himself down even smaller when that door opened again and the steps shook the table. He closed his eyes with a shudder when he felt the air displacement of some big movement, but nothing came for him, again. No reaching, groping fingers trying to scoop him up or punish him. The human’s voice came out as another whisper, the tone gentle and concerned like every other time…except he heard that again. “—I—you? —sorry——, I——————...” It would have been interesting if not for that single new word making his head feel like it was going to burst right then and there.

Under the light it wasn't as noticeable, but his wings were starting to glow and filter magic energy whenever the human spoke. Axel could feel his magic moving, but had no clue what it was doing right now…he was much more concerned with the human still trying to talk to him. He held his head with some light gasps, trying to quell the headache akin to as if his brain was rattling around his skull. Although with no new move from the human, he slowly took a chance at glancing back at the giant. Only to be met with those separately colored eyes trailing down the red rope absently before they landed right on his face.

He missed the human offering a nervous smile to the contact, too busy ducking back under and wishing everyone would disappear. Not too long after, the table quivered ever so slightly when they tried to reach over for something, the impact not at all comforting. But the small amount of food he was offered where the hand retreated from did catch his attention. In fact, before he could even form a full thought, his hunger had him diving out of cover to grab what had been left for him. It seemed like some normal nuts, but not ones he really recognized. Either way, he dug into it desperately.

Just like his friends at this point, he hadn’t eaten since the morning of the day he ran away. He didn’t know how long that was, but it had to be at least two days, right? While his injured wing stayed still to prevent more damage, his healthy one buzzed contentedly when he finally started slowing down. A soft sound from behind made him jolt, but more out of surprise this time. He looked over his shoulder, only just now realizing he’d turned his back on the human. Right as all that fear was trying to come rushing back in, his eyes latched onto the faint smile and almost…glittery look in that human’s eyes.

It took him a few seconds of blankly staring before the sound and expression lined up better. Immediately, he stiffened as his face reddened slightly. He was being laughed at! Unfair! Axel frowned over this development, bitterly looking away again to glare at the food he’d been given as he steamed in silence. At this point, wasn't it fairly safe to say that if he was going to be harmed, he would have by now? Using that thought as fuel, he gathered all the nuts as he worked on getting himself turned back around. Just because he was doubting being harmed didn’t mean he’d trust them.

Now he stared up at the human, who still had a fond expression, mainly focused in their eyes, but also seemed a tad unnerved. He considered this giant again and honestly…they really were just another person, weren't they? If you could ignore the horrifying difference in size, that is. With some frustration building, he spread his arms out to be sure he had their attention…which wasn't pleasant but he couldn't exactly talk it out. He brushed a hand down his arms to the length of his jacket, touching the base of his pants where there should have been wrapping, and tried to make motions suggesting his missing bag.

This earned him an extremely entertaining look, this massive being instantly puzzled and trying to focus in on what he was doing. The joy of it faded under those huge eyes, though. He stomped his good foot in frustration before repeating it more aggressively and with bigger motions. Maybe the human just couldn't see what he was doing. That was fair…the guy was crouched like earlier, but still keep that bit too far distance to be comfortable. Pushing limits was Axel's specialty, but right now he just really wanted his bag and jacket. He didn’t even need the wraps, just those two.

He watched as the human started to say something, cut themselves off, then made a very small and slow placating gesture before glancing around. Not too long after, recognition flashed across their face and they leaned closer…a little too close for Axel to approve but at least the focus wasn't on him. A moment later, the human raised what looked like some sort of dish and set it on the table, his missing items all messily gathered in the center of it. Honestly he still wasn’t over the fact that this meant the human had definitely touched him while he was unconscious, but he chose to focus on finally getting them back instead.

Except…the human didn’t push the dish quite as close, more halfway between them to force Axel to come closer. All this did was make him scowl and cross his arms with an unhappy flick of his wing. For one thing he was wounded, and another…he really didn’t want to go towards the human. It was all fun and games until he’s snatched up in a painful, thoughtless grip. It seemed to take a few moments but the human almost seemed surprised out of nowhere and pushed the dish closer like it was stressing them out. Now he just sorta…let his arms start to fall as he watched this strange behavior.

Still maintaining that hushed whisper, he heard, “——sorry…” It was hard to say if he was just reading too much into the body language and assuming he was hearing actual words, or if he was truthfully beginning to understand some of their words. Delving into that a tad further, he questioned if this human was their male or female, but…considering the books always said they were the same other than wings and size as well as that deep voice, wouldn't this one be a guy just like him? Well those books were wrong about his initial treatment from a human, so they could be wrong here too, but…he didn’t want to say that since some things had to be true.

When the human looked at him again, he decided to once more hold off on trying to identify anything about this creature. Using general terms was fine. It was already hard enough to think when he was being stared at like this, he didn’t need to make it worse. Instead, he pushed himself forward a little so he could reach his items, hurriedly snatching them. Without hesitating, he tugged the jacket on and slung the bag over his shoulder, immediately being comforted by the familiar weight of it. He let out a sigh he didn’t know he’d been holding in. Everything about him began to untense, his shoulders lowering.

Axel gave it a few seconds and looked at the human as he started to wrap the bottom of his pants again, being careful of his wound. From the weight of his bag, everything was still there. Nothing had been taken from him? Well it was too small to be useful to someone like this, but it still didn’t sound the same as what he’d known, just like everything else. He wasn’t exactly comfortable with being looked at, but they did something else. The human’s lips thinned before they reached for the massive chair and somehow slid it over the ground easier than it should've been.

Once the chair was closer, they partially stood up and sat in the chair. The motion was a little nerve wracking and brought the giant to be higher than a moment ago. It wasn't as much as when they were standing, but it had Axel leaning away from them, his eyes wider and wings tensed to fly regardless of the injury to them. Why did they do that?? Well, it probably hurt to crouch for so long, so he probably shouldn’t complain. With the fact he was unharmed, had been treated, got water, food, and wasn't being treated badly, was all enough reason to not complain about this change.

They watched him a bit longer then rested their hands on the table and scooted over slightly to some sort of black rectangle. A hand raised to the bigger, standing up and shiny rectangle to click something. A few seconds later the shinier part lit up brightly, glowing shapes and symbols stealing his entire attention. He hadn't even realized he’d been focusing on the strange items the human was using until he heard something sliding and found the hand a bit closer to him, resting on top of some sort of half circle. When he glanced up, it was to find the human watching him again, a sort of curious look about them.

He was going to move away from the too close hand, but the giant used that circle to make a clicking sound and the symbols changed all over again. Axel’s interest was piqued. He watched closely, slowly no longer paying attention to how close that hand was. Then the sound came. Music of a kind he’d never heard fully stole him away and he nearly tried to stand up, turning to stare at the glowing thing and trying to figure out what that was. He’d heard music before, but there was a lot more to what he was hearing here. Music wasn’t even one of his favorite things, and yet he couldn't get over how amazing this sounded!

His wing buzzed excitedly against his will and he wondered if this was some sort of human magic that fairies didn’t know they had. As far as he knew, they shouldn't have any magic, much less something that looked so intricate! He couldn't understand a single thing he was seeing on that glowing window thing, or the words that were in the song, but it still flattened his worries until he fully forgot about them. The magic window flashed through so many different things he started to lose track. The music even began to fade before it was cut off and the fairy was made aware of his surroundings again.

He was quickly made aware of being watched when he heard that same soft sound of a laugh and quiet shuffling. Axel flinched and turned his head to the giant again, scanning them for whatever they were doing only to…find them smiling at him? And fiddling with something almost as tall as he was. It looked like some kind of stick but he couldn't be sure right now. At least the human still wasn't doing anything to him. Their attention was drifting in and out from him too much for there to be any intention to either. Was that a good or bad thing? His thoughts were once again interrupted by the human before they got too far.

A hand came closer to him and he immediately scrambled back. The limb halted instantly, instead choosing to just move the fingers in order to offer what looked like a poorly made crutch. He didn’t recognize what it was made out of at all, but when it sunk in that he was being offered a way to walk, he stopped trying to get away and paused instead. Taking a few breaths, he edged forward ever so slightly and reached for what he was being given. He watched the muscles relax in the hand when he grabbed it, allowing him to pull it out. Honestly? It was a little heavy and awkward.

He frowned at the long clear stick in his lap before glancing at the human’s face. Well, he certainly hadn’t been expecting worry. They tried to smile when they noticed the fairy looking at them, but Axel was…intrigued. Sure, he’d thought the same thing earlier many times, but this wasn’t like what he’d been told. The only thing he’d been given was kindness, not torture. Maybe the misunderstandings all came from the language barrier? He hummed to himself about it before shifting around to get on his feet, leaning heavily on the makeshift crutch. Oh, he would definitely need something else, but this worked for now.

Seeing him standing seemed to interest the human and gain him a hint of excitement. Were they glad their tool had worked? The hand near him very slowly began to move as an offer to the fairy, resting palm up on the table. Now, that was something he wasn’t a hundred percent on, but decided to try it anyway. If the human was going to do something to Axel, then it would happen eventually and he wouldn't be able to avoid it. Willingly going to the human instead of being grabbed just sounded much more appealing to him, especially with all his new injuries. How did the giant even treat them anyway?

When he managed to get to the hand, he stumbled the last step and fell onto it, freezing up and staring down at the skin. He let the dash of fear fade before he started studying all of the amazing lines in the skin, then pulled himself further on to sit in the center of the palm, facing the human. He left the crutch in his lap and stayed tense, glancing at the rope around his waist when the hand underneath him began to rise. It only stopped about halfway to the human’s face, curiosity and nervousness both playing equal parts in those massive two-toned eyes. Then their voice came to him again.

Softly, just as done before, they uttered, “I——. ———you?” Axel felt another rush through his mind over being spoken to, an anomaly that still didn’t make sense. But he considered the sounds he’d been given and what he might have understood. Was he being given a name? When he stared blankly, the human calmly said it differently, putting their free hand to their chest. “I———. You?” The rush came again and he frowned slightly as the human made a motion towards him along with the ‘you’. He was a little lost, his head throbbing from trying to interpret what he was being told.

After a few more moments of waiting though, the human nodded a small amount and put a hand back on their chest yet again, but only said a single work that now rang clearly to him. “Marik.” Oh. Oh. He was being given a name.

This time when the hand gestured at Axel and the human didn’t speak, the fairy looked up at them and softly said, “Axel.”

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