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Subaru gasped, flailing on the ground.
"I wonder what kind of unsightly meat you'll become?"
He couldn't see Capella's distorted grin through the sharp pain drilling into his leg (the leg that was no longer there), spreading up his torso, reaching into his back-
He couldn't hear Capella's words as he awaited what would surely be his death.
"How pathetic. A sad, worthless meat like you trying to be something more? You couldn't even save the female meat. The day a pig like you flies, is the day it crashes to the ground. Even if you had wings..."
Subaru couldn't hear her. His leg hurt. His shoulders hurt. Everything hurt.
"You could never fly."
Subaru slowly awoke to the sound of arguing voices.
"Urngggh..." He moved an arm toward the wall to push himself up, but paused as a wave of pain overtook him. Everything hurt, and he focused on the three arguing figures in front of him as the world came back into focus.
"Yo, Captain, ya finally awake?"
Garfield appeared in the doorway, interrupting the argument between Felix, Julius, and Wilhelm.
Subaru didn't quite feel real through the fuzz of pain and exhaustion, but thankfully it was starting to drain away as Felix approached him.
"Do you know your name and place of birth?"
Subaru gave the four men a weak smile. "I'm Natsuki Subaru, from Japan."
"A country I've never heard of... I was born in Crusch-sama’s territories."
Felix stood up, but didn't leave yet. He instead made eye contact with Subaru.
"...Even with those, your health is still fine, so try not to think about them too much." Felix clenched a fist and his cat ears twitched as he glanced to the space over Subaru's shoulders, then walked out of the room. Wilhelm bowed to Subaru before following.
...Well that was weird. What did he mean by 'those'?
Subaru didn't have much time to ponder Felix' words as Garfield and Julius caught him up to the current state of the battle. Julius explained they were located, what happened to Capella's victims, and how Crush was faring after their battle.
At some point in the conversation, Julius hesitated for a moment. "Subaru, there is something that I must confirm."
"What is it?"
"Although it is rather difficult for me to point this out... it seems that you have yet to notice."
"...?" Did Julius really have to phrase that in such a confusing, ominous way?
Julius' eyes flicked down at the bed as if hesitating, before instead resting at the spaces around Subaru's neck. He held up a gloved hand, gesturing elegantly to Subaru's back.
Unsure what Julius was getting at, Subaru turned his head as far as he could to look over his shoulder.
Only to yelp in surprise as something behind him moved.
No, not 'something behind me'...
Dread filled up Subaru's stomach, disbelief crowding his mind until the only thing he could do was let out a terrified laugh.
Because connected to his back, between his shoulder blades, was a pair of bird wings.
They were black and bright orange, matching his (currently ripped and blood-stained) tracksuit. Small, fluffy feathers gave way to large, smooth feathers and the wings turned from black to orange. Fluffy, bony knobs melded into his back, ripping holes through his shirt and jacket before reaching up, curving slightly above head level, then turning back down into tapered ends long enough to reach his ankles. The wings were rested awkwardly on either side of his cot.
Of course, Subaru noticed very little of this as he yelped and flinched away from his own back. To no one's surprise, the wings followed him as he leaned forward in his cot, and Subaru had to resist the urge to lean away again.
"What the..."
Now that Subaru was fully awake and cognizant of the wings, he noticed the new nerves, bones, and muscles attached to his back. He could feel the wings on his back, the same way he felt his arms or legs, and it was both comforting and uncomfortable in a bizarre way. Like finding your favorite food in the fridge, but not knowing how it got there in the first place.
After a few trial wiggles, he found he could move and control the wings naturally (again, like his arms or legs). He slowly fluttered them out, holding them as wide as he could without hitting anything. There was a wall to his left, but his right wing was long enough to stretch out around seven feet long.
Julius, Garfield, and Subaru stared at the strange additions to Subaru's back, before Julius cleared his throat once more.
"Felix assured me they were perfectly healthy wings, and that they shouldn't cause you any pain. It seems like they're now... fully yours." Julius finished his thought lamely, as though unsure what to say.
Subaru moved his wings around a bit lounger before holding them in front of himself and running his hands over the feathers. The wings were smooth, soft, and beautiful, but all he could think of when he saw them was Capella's demented grin and the pain pain pain that accompanied it.
He instinctively curled his wings around himself, only to flinch and hold them away after noticing. They weren't 'his', they were a disgusting mutation forced upon him by an inhuman being.
"These things aren't mine, and never will be. Capella is a monster." He spoke resolutely, even as the wings hugged him warmly.
Subaru wanted to throw up, but he swallowed down his nausea and turned back to Julius and Garfield. The latter grimaced at Subaru, as if understanding the conflicted emotions, while the former closed his eyes and continued.
"Subaru, in addition to the wings..."
What else could there possibly be?!
Julius gestured to his mutated leg, and Subaru yelped again. His wings flickered out with his surprise, lightly smacking Julius in the face.
As Subaru gave his speech, the others in the room listened and watched with rapt attention.
His words were powerful and encouraging. No one in the room and very few in the city itself could ignore his heartfelt, motivational words. It had been right to entrust such an important task to Emilia's knight.
Yet for the select few in the room who could watch Subaru as he spoke into the mic, the speech was accompanied by vivid visuals. Subaru raised his voice or talked faster when necessary for his speech, which the citizens of Priestella could hear, but those who could see Subaru were privy to the physical gestures that further emphasized the man's genuine message.
In other words, Subaru's wings were flapping while he talked.
When he described the terror that the citizens were doubtlessly struggling with, his bright orange and black wings curled around himself, almost protectively, as if to emphasize the feeling of comfort needed to combat such emotions.
When he encouraged everyone to fight by staying strong, his wings flapped fluttered around himself, as if he was shaking them dry or preparing for a flight.
When he introduced himself as Natsuki Subaru, Emilia's knight and the man who killed Sloth, his wings were flung out wide, revealing a wingspan of ~15 feet, almost touching the walls of the room and narrowly missing its inhabitants.
Subaru finished his speech, stepping back slowly. He went to lean against a nearby workbench, only to startle forward again as his wings knocked into it.
"Haaaa, that was exhausting." Aside from being mentally drained and covered in nervous sweat, his wings were almost aching. Why were they aching? It's not like he could fly or anything.
And why was the room so silent? Anastasia had (thankfully!!) cut off the mic, so open conversation would be fine, now.
He unconsciously fluttered his wings in nervous tension and embarrassment, before realizing and forcing himself to stop. His poker face, which was bad on a good day, would be terrible now that the stupid fluffy things on his back were constantly broadcasting every emotion that passed through his brain.
Could everyone see how nervous he'd been? Was that why it was still so quiet? Had his speech been that bad??
"...Subaru."
"Uwaha! I’m sorry! I’ll do better next time!" Subaru's wings hunched over him protectively, their tips meeting softly in front of his shins.
Anastasia watched Subaru's reaction, trying and failing not to smile at the sight. "Why’re you apologizin’? Strange child." His wings parted slightly and seemed to try and hide behind his back (they failed) as he realized what he'd said.
Anastasia laughed, and even Julius couldn't help a small snort at the sight.
"Natsuki-kun, did you use to be a con-artist back in the day or somethin’?"
"Huh?!"
The room's inhabitants praised Subaru's speech, and Subaru's wings wrapped further and further in front of him as he grew more and more embarrassed. When Julius delivered his heartfelt praise, Subaru's wings straightened out in surprise for a moment before settling back to their embarrassed, hug-like position around Subaru.
"N' besides th' speech itself, them wings a'yours were awesome! You kept usin' 'em ta make everythin' more dramatic, n' then ya spread 'em out like this!" Ricardo, held out his arms as wide as they could go with a grin on his face, only for Subaru to flinch back slightly.
"What? I wasn't trying to..." His wings fluttered self-consciously, the ends flickering out before settling back in, only for Subaru to realize what he just did.
He grabbed them like they were unruly children running amok in the house, tugging them closer to himself. "These stupid things... They're like a giant mood ring, or a lie detector..." His hands roughly gripped the smooth, soft feathers, and he bit his lip in a grimace.
Julius and Garfield glanced at each other, and Ricardo coughed lightly. "M' sorry, I forgot 'bout... that."
Subaru waved a hand. "No, it's nothing." His wings backed away from him, showing he wasn't hurt but Ricardo's comment, only to creep closer when Subaru realized in embarrassment that they had, once again, refused to listen to him.
It wasn't really nothing, was it?
Emilia watched with a warm heart as the door to the church was destroyed and a familiar figure sprinted inside.
"Subaru!" But wait...
"Subaru? Your back..." She stared at her knight, but Subaru was too enamored with the beautiful Emilia-tan to notice.
"EMT... Of course I'm back! We're here to crash this wedding." Subaru gave Emilia a reassuring smile and unknowingly spread his wings confidently before glaring at Regulus.
Reinhard glanced at Subaru's expressive shoulder accessories before glancing at Emilia and Regulus. "The ceremony was already going awry, it seems. Though we will still be regarded as the intruders here."
Reinhard listened as Regulus began spouting nonsense and Subaru argued back, but Emilia stared at Subaru the entire time. Her eyes evaluated his face, his clothes, and his health, but every few seconds, without fail, they turned to gaze at the magnificent wings sprouting from his back.
His wings were raised sharply and stiffly, naturally making his body seem bigger as he argued with Regulus. The edges of his wings were glowing black and orange as the the soft moonlight shone through the feathers. His face was illuminated sharply, showing off his determined expression.
Emilia stared.
"...Beautiful."
Subaru glanced at Emilia, and his wings lowered as if he was no longer feeling aggressive or defense. "What did you say, Emilia-tan?"
Subaru stared longer, admiring his wings, before slapping her cheeks. "Umm, it's nothing, Subaru."
She had to focus. Even if Subaru flared and shook his beautiful wings, even if she had no idea when or how he'd gotten them, even if she wanted to reach out and pet the feathers-
Regulus shouted, taking one of his wives hostage, and Emilia had much more important things to worry about.
(She'd ask to pet his wings later).
Subaru chased after Julius, wings flapping him along to increase his speed. He wasn't flying, but something in him delighted at the similar feeling, even while another part of him recoiled in disgust at the thought of the wings themselves.
He finally met Julius at the street corner, wings flickering slightly in annoyance. "Oi, you jerk, why are you running around when everyone’s so busy? If you don’t show your face, I’ll be worried. No, people in general will." Another angry wing flap sent a small gust of wind at Julius.
Julius stopped. "My apologies. I was looking for someone, but it looks like that person was not inside. I would like to make my way to another shelter. Please excuse me."
When Julius talked to Subaru as if they'd never met before, Subaru's wings froze stiffly from confusion and tension. "Wait wait wait wait, what are you saying? Who you’re looking for surely has to be Anastasia-san, right? If so, she was in that shelter. You just didn’t realize it because you were impatient. It’s not like you." The wings flapped again, this time blowing wind at Julius on purpose. Hah, now his hair's messed up.
Julius froze as if the wind shocked his brain before spinning around in clear surprise.
Subaru's wings flinched, raising slightly at the desperate expression on Julius' face. "Eh, ehh? What’s up?"
"...Subaru, are you referring to me?"
Subaru, tired of the wings acting with a mind of their own, took the initiative for once. He purposefully moved his right wing forward, using its orange, feathery tip to gently whap Julius on the head. "What kind of question is that? You don’t have a personality unassertive enough to be forgotten in just a few hours. Finest of Knights, 'Julius Juukulius-san', what nonsense are you..."
His wings froze for a moment. The right wing, still extended toward Julius, reached further as if to pull him closer, while the left curled around Subaru himself.
As Emilia and Beatrice approached, Subaru slowly uncurled his left wing before wrapping it around the two. His right wing remained loosely curved around Julius' figure. "Emilia-tan. Beako, you too... I found Julius. So, I can take him to the conference, right?"
Subaru's wings were trembling.
Emilia gave Subaru a confused look.
"Subaru, is Julius-san an acquaintance of yours?"
--- --- ---
As Julius and Subaru discussed what led to Julius' fate, Subaru's wings continued wrapping around Beatrice and Emilia. Both girls seemed enamored with the actions of Subaru's left wing as it curled around them, and both were glad to migrate closer to Subaru's side. Subaru matched this by bringing the soft feathers closer and closer to the two figures he loved, allowing Beatrice to fiddle with the tip of his wing as they walked.
However, even as the left wing actively brought Emilia and Beako closer, he was fighting a battle against his unruly right wing.
Because for some reason, it seemed to want to curl around Julius.
Even though the man was walking slightly behind him, his right wing would constantly flicker back, draping over Julius' shoulders, before Subaru would realize, give a quick yelp of frustration, and bring his wing back to its normal resting position at his back.
From there it would slowly extend backwards before committing and lifting itself back onto Julius' shoulders.
"Gah!!!" Subaru brought his wing back for the 8th time, blushing heavily and refusing to make eye contact with anyone.
Emilia looked at Subaru with innocent, understanding eyes. "You and Julius-kun must be reaaaally close, if you keep draping your wing over him like that." Critical hit!
"No! Absolutely not! These stupid wings are driving me insane!" He'd never asked for this. Sure, flying sounded fun, but he'd never wanted wings that could do nothing but embarrass him!
"But Subaru," Emilia, to Subaru's surprise, gently grabbed Subaru's left wing and pulled it around herself like a blanket.
"E-E-E-Emilia-tan?!" Subaru yelped, blushing, as Emilia used one hand to hold the wing around her and used to other to softly stroke its feathers.
Forget lap pillows, this is...! Subaru resisted the urge to purr like a cat at the wonderful, soothing sensation of the warm hand running over his wing.
"Subaru, your wings are soooo pretty, and soft, and warm..." Emilia nuzzled into the feathers, and Subaru somehow turned even more red.
"I-Eh-E-Um-I...EMT." Subaru found himself incapable of forming words as his wing hugged Emilia. His face simply steamed as Emilia continued admiring the fluffy additions to his back.
After a few moments passed of this, just enough time for Subaru to recover some of his sanity, he felt something stroke his right wing.
He yelped, turning around, only to find that the right wing had somehow found its way over Julius' shoulders once more. Not only that, but the Finest of knights was now gently running his hand down the top, similar to what Emilia was doing.
"Emilia-sama is correct. Subaru, your wings are incredibly soft." Julius, a small smirk (smile) on his face, continued petting Subaru's wing.
"Ajkfaoweijoawiexdna;lsfjapdlkfjandk!!!!"
Coherent words were beyond Subaru. Sanity, dignity, and reason had all left his grasp, leaving him capable of doing nothing other than rapidly reclaiming his wings from a disappointed Emilia and an amused Julius in order to wrap the strange things around himself to hide his face as they continued toward their destination.
Subaru sighed as he prepared to go to sleep. He'd verified everyone's condition, the post-battle discussions had finally wrapped up, and he had finally been able to shower and change into a pair of comfortable, clean clothes.
...Almost.
See, most clothes were not designed to accommodate large, feathery mutations bugling out of one's back. Removing his all-but-shredded tracksuit hadn't been much of a problem with the help of a small knife, but putting on clothes would be a much more difficult problem.
Thankfully Subaru had some experience as a tailor. However, even though he was confident he'd be able to create an accommodation for his new wings, he didn't know exactly what to do.
He considered simply sleeping without a shirt on, but then he'd just have to tackle the problem as soon as he woke up. Better to do it while everyone was getting some much-needed rest than in the morning in case someone needed him.
All of which led him back to the problem of how, exactly, he should tailor his shirt. He thought about just putting two slits in the back where his wings were, but his wings were much smaller at the root than they were in the middle. Plus, they were around seven feet long and the feathers were angled opposite his back, so it be be difficult and highly irritating to slide them into slots.
He could just cut off the back of the shirt, leaving the arm and neck holes to secure it around his chest but leaving the back empty, but for some reason leaving only his back exposed almost seemed worse than just not wearing a shirt at all...
He sighed, studying the shirt again, when a knock was heard at his bedroom door. Suspecting it was Beako, who agreed to wait for Subaru to fix his shirt situation, Subaru opened the door without checking only to be caught by surprise.
"Reinhard?!" Surely enough, the red-haired night was patiently waiting outside Subaru's door, regarding his friend with a sad smile.
"Hello, Subaru. I'm sorry for approaching at such a late hour..."
"No worries, it's not a problem, Reinhard. I'm always glad to see you, but, uh, what's up?" Subaru stepped back, gesturing with his arm and wing for Reinhard to enter the room.
Reinhard regarded the wing for a moment before glancing at the shirt in Subaru's hands. "Well, Subaru, I was wondering if I could be of service in regards to you newfound clothing issues."
Reinhard pointedly glanced at Subaru's wings, and the fact that the black-haired knight was currently shirtless.
Subaru chuckled, tucking his wings behind his back and scratching the back of his head. "Well, I, ah, actually, I would really appreciate a second opinion. I have no idea how to make this," He waved his shirt around, "Work around these." He flapped his wings around.
Reinhard smiled, gesturing for Subaru to hand him the shirt. Subaru obliged, wings perking up, as Reinhard used a pair of scissors he'd brought to cut two lines in the back of the shirt from the bottom. After the cuts reached where Subaru's upper back would be, Reinhard glanced at the spot where Subaru's wings met his shoulder blades before cutting elliptical patches out of the area, making two patches that looked somewhat like round corn dogs or elongated lollipops, with a patch of fabric resting semi-separate from the rest of the shirt running down the center of the back.
He turned back to Subaru, showing off his work. "Here. Now you can pull your shirt on, and the center patch of fabric should fall between your wings while the rest covers your sides. Ideally, you'd have buttons to fasten the three parts of fabric to each other under your wings, at your lower back, but there's probably not a lot of time for that tonight, and it might be uncomfortable in pajamas, anyways, so you can just..."
Subaru's wings slowly raised up in interest as Reinhard cut four small holes in the back of the shirt, one on either side of the two long lines, and used the scraps from the oval cut-outs to make two crude ribbons. "After you pull on your shirt, you could thread this ribbon between these two holes," Reinhard demonstrated, pulling the fabric on either side of the 'lollipop stick' together and tying a knot, "In order to fasten your shirt at the bottom. Same on this side, just thread the ribbon through and tie it in a knot to secure the flaps of the shirt under your wings." Reinhard proudly held up his crude creation.
Subaru stared at Reinhard with stars in his eyes. "Reinhard."
"Yes, Subaru?"
"You're a genius!" Subaru didn't even bother hemming the fabric before he tried putting the shit on the way Reinhard explained. To his delight, the shirt fit under his wings comfortably, and he was easily able to tie down the back so that he wasn't exposed in an awkward way.
After finally putting on the shirt, Subaru beamed at Reinhard, wings flapping forward and reaching affectionately toward Reinhard. "Thanks, buddy, I definitely owe you one. I almost resigned myself to just pulling a shirt over my stupid wings... Reinhard?"
Subaru looked up in surprise to find Reinhard looking away as if ashamed. Not bashful in a good way, either. "What's up, Rein?" As Subaru became more worried, his wings wrapped closer to Reinhard, as if to pull him into a hug.
Reinhard glanced at Subaru before staring at the wings reaching toward him. He slowly, gently held a hand forward to brush one softly, before turning back to Subaru. "...I owe you an apology."
"Huh? What for?"
"Due to my inaction, you had to face the Sin Archbishop of Lust alone, and now..." Reinhard removed his hand from the wing, as if afraid to hurt it. "Even Sir Julius, whom I have also failed, must be weighing heavily on your mind, as the only one who can remember him. If I had been faster, or smarter, I could've-"
Smack!
Reinhard was startled out of his guilty confession when Subaru used his wing to smack the back of the knight's head.
"...Subaru?"
"Oi, Rein, what right do you have to talk like that? 'If only I was faster' or 'if only I was stronger'. What about me? What if I was strong enough to defeat Regulus the first time we met? Fast enough to stop Emilia from ever being taken? Smart enough to see through Capella? Anyone can say stupid garbage like that. What matters is that you helped save Emilia, and everyone else in Priestella. No one else could've defeated Regulus. So, thank you, Reinhard." Subaru smiled at Reinhard, and his wings fluttered happily as if to demonstrate his genuine gratitude and affection.
Reinhard paused, stunned, before sighing lightly and smiling back. "...Thank you, Subaru. But surely, you underestimate your own capabilities? I surely wouldn't have been able to defeat Regulus had you not discovered the secret behind his authority."
Subaru waved a hand and shook a wing, discarding the notion. "No, I'm sure you would've found a way. It was Emilia who made sure the wives didn't have to die... Or would they be 'widows', now? They were never truly 'married' in the first place, anyway, so just 'women'?"
Subaru's wings slowly flapped as he thought over the question, stirring a light breeze across the floor, and Reinhard smiled.
Reinhard left and Beako entered, meeting Subaru at their futon.
"I'm glad you're back, Beako~!" Subaru happily held out his arms, hoping to hug his spirit.
"Hmph. After such a long day, Betty doesn’t have enough energy to argue with her foolish contractor, I suppose.” She walked toward him and accepted the hug, allowing Subaru to mess with her hair as he held her tight.
He sighed with exhaustion, wings draped limply on the floor behind him as he sat on the futon.
“Beako, I’m glad you’re safe.” He murmured quietly, continuing to hug her.
“Betty is glad her foolish contractor is safe, too, I suppose.” She whispered back, hugging him tighter. After a moment she pulled away to look Subaru on the eye. “It’s time to sleep, I suppose.”
Subaru signed softly, lifting up the blankets to nestle into bed. “You’re right, Beako." He yawned dramatically, mostly for show. "G’night.”
He laid down.
At least, he tried to.
His wings his the ground before his back did.
He sat back up, trying to flatten out his wings, but the knobs on his back wouldn't flatten out enough to let him get comfortable.
With a sigh he rolled on his side, wings flattened out behind him. He nestled under the covers, reaching an arm out to Beako, but paused when he realized his wings were awkwardly pressed up against the far wall.
He brought them closer, so they looped around his back similar to the way they rested when he was standing, but he couldn't rest in that position for more than a minute before the edge of his wing, which was hitting the ground, began to ache.
He huffed, rolling over again to flop on his stomach. Hah! Now the stupid wings couldn't get in the way, and instead worked as a nice blanket. Except now he was incapable of hugging Beako, who patiently and knowingly watched him toss and turn. All he wanted to do was hug her...
He smiled weakly. "Sorry, Beako, I... I'm not... I..."
For some reason, Subaru found it difficult to finish his sentence. "Wha...?"
Beako simply watched him sadly as he pushed himself back to a sitting position, laying his wings to each side.
She sighed, pulling herself closer. "Subaru, you should never be embarrassed to cry in front of Betty, I suppose."
"I..." Subaru brought a hand up to his cheek; surely enough, it was damp with salty tears. "Bea-Beako, I..."
He whimpered once.
He snatched Beako into a hug.
Then he began to sob.
"I didn't- I- it hurt, so much, and I- I couldn't save Crush, or Julius, and- I couldn't beat Capella, and now I- my back, I- These, things..." He sobbed, interrupting himself, before continuing.
"I never wanted this, I never wanted these things that stop me from lying, and embarrass me. I can't control myself, can't hide anything anymore. I never- I don't want these, even if they're cool or pretty. They, I- Every, every time I see them, or remember they exist, I remember the pain, my leg and my back and Capella, and it hurts, and I never- I never wanted that. I don't want it to hurt. These stupid things are awesome, and beautiful, and Emilia-tan likes them, and I don't even care that I can't lie, but I hate them, 'cause I hate what they mean to me." He gripped his wings, fingers tugging at the feathers and scattering them across the floor.
"These wings mean pain, and failure. They mean Crush is getting tortured, and I'm dying, and there's nothing I can do because it hurts. They mean I have no control, not over the situation with Capella, not even over my own emotions. I can't do anything. I can't do anything right." He slowly, slowly, unhooked his fingers from his wings, losing the energy necessary to be mad.
"I just wanted to help." Subaru clutched Beako like a lifeline, sobbing quietly into the new silence.
He ignored his wings.
He focused on Beako, on his own breathing, on the futon beneath them.
Anything but his wings. He didn't know what they were doing, and didn't want to know. He never wanted to know.
After a few minutes of hugging, after Subaru's hitched breathing had evened out, Beako pulled back to meet Subaru's eyes.
"Subaru."
"...Yeah, Beako?"
"You hate my mother, don't you?"
Subaru startled. That was not at all what he'd been expecting to hear from his dear Beako after his grand confession. "...Yeah, I kinda do. Echidna hurt you badly, and she almost hurt me."
"...I can understand that, I suppose. But, Subaru, do you hate me?"
"What?! No! Never, Beako, I love you!" Subaru pulled her tight again, surprised once more by her question.
"I know that, already, I suppose. You make your love very clear. But Subaru, wasn't I made by my mother?"
"..."
"Don't memories of me, of my contract, make you remember my mother and why you hate her?" Beako stared at Subaru strongly, waiting a legitimate and honest answer to her question.
"...Not anymore, no. But, at first... Every other time I looked at you I remembered that cursed tomb instead." Subaru forced himself to meat Beako's eyes, even if he was embarrassed. Beatrice already knew; he'd confessed as much almost a year ago.
Beako nodded. "Then, Subaru, are your wings evil?"
"...?"
"You said your wings are beautiful. Beako is also adorable, I suppose. I came from a source that you hate, and I used to bring back terrible memories for you." Betty listed off facts while meeting Subaru in he eye.
"Betty is not a pair of wings, I suppose. But don't hate yourself because someone bad changed you. Don't let your bad memories ruin something beautiful. If you hadn't moved past those memories, Betty would be dead in a burning library, I suppose."
"Beako..."
"Besides. Anything this warm and soft can't be bad."
Subaru sobbed again, wiping his eyes in front of Beako, and he finally stopped ignoring his wings.
They were wrapped around him and Beako protectively, offering privacy and warmth.
I wasn't trying to...
The wings had wrapped around the two of them without Subaru noticing.
His heart, forevermore to be worn in his back, was telling Beako that Subaru loves you.
They told the citizens of Priestella to Fight.
They told Emilia You're mine.
They told Julius I'm here.
They told Reinhard Thank you.
They told Beako We'll always be together.
He held out the wings-- his wings-- and spread them wide. As wide as they could go.
His black, orange, long, feathery, soft, fluffy, warm wings.
His wings.
His eyes watered, his cheeks were damp, his hands trembled, but he smiled.
His wings soared.