บท 9: I’m Here
It had been a few months since the whole "separation incident" and things had been going smoothly, for the most part. The training was as intense as ever, each boy coming back with at least one or two new bruises.
Kio's special training was going alright, learning to control his more aggressive instincts. They were also trying to get him to shift again like he did the day he got to see Keigo and Touya again. Every time he tried though, he would lose consciousness and collapse on the floor. Eventually, they tried giving him a more intense physical work out regimen, thinking that maybe his body just couldn't handle a transformation like that again. It had worked for the most part, he was able to grow taller and sharpen his fangs before giving out.
He used a lot of energy during these sessions, always coming back drained and on the verge of passing out. These days, Touya would wrap him in his arms, using his quirk to heat up his body so Kio could absorb the excess energy, often falling asleep in his arms.
Touya was also getting better at handling his flames. He could control the output, but the bigger the flame, the harder it was to control. He was always left with horrible burns, especially along his arms and neck which Kio and Keigo tended to on the daily. The commission pushed him the most since his quirk had a lot of potential. There would often be days where he would come back still smoking from an intense training session but a warm shower and some extra cuddles would fix him right up.
Keigo's training had him focusing more on his feathers each day. Trying to pick up vibrations and expand his range. He would often come back with sore wings, dragging them against the floor which would only pain him more but not having the strength to pick them up off the ground. On such days, Kio and Touya would bundle him up in blankets and massage his back and wings, watching him melt into a little puddle of contentment.
Their birthdays had come and gone, Kio and Touya turning 11 while Keigo had just turned 10. Their days were spent training and not having enough time to properly celebrate. Kio and Touya found out that not only was Keigo the shortest, he was also the youngest, almost by a full year. It only gave them another excuse to baby and tease the hell out of him. Keigo was horrified at first, being the baby of the group, but he was slowly warming up to the idea, especially since it got him extra cuddles and attention.
Their training schedules were diverging with each passing day, getting less and less time with each other during the day, but that only meant they were more touchy and cuddly when they were together.
Keigo had been taken out of physical training to work more on his feathers, Kio had his special training instead of social classes, and Touya didn't take part in co-operative training since he didn't have a good handle on his flames yet. The only time all three were together was during meals and quirk training at the end of the day.
Their lives were hectic but they were managing.
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Kio was walking down the empty corridor towards the cafeteria after co-operative training. He had been assigned a different partner today, someone with a snow-based quirk which he despised. He didn't like the snow at all, the energy it emitted was always so cold, it made his wings feel numb. He massively preferred heat energy, nice and warm.
He sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He naturally went to stroke at the feather that was usually there but paused as he remembered Keigo had to take them back for his training. He grumbled quietly, kicking at the floor as he went.
As he walked along, he began to hear small sniffles, as if someone was trying not to cry. He paused in front of a door leading to a training hall. Opening it a tiny bit, he peeked inside. It was dark, but he could just make out a small figure crouched in the corner. Stepping quietly into the room, he cautiously approached the figure. As he got closer, his eyes began to adjust to the dark and more features became visible. He squinted his eyes, mere feet away from the figure crouched in the corner with their head hung low.
"Touya?"
The figure snapped his head up, electric blue eyes meeting concerned red ones.
"K-Kio..."
Touya tried to wipe his tears away but hissed as the burns on his arms throbbed painfully. Kio immediately kneeled down next to him, hands gently taking hold of his arms. Touya inhaled sharply at the pain that travelled up his arms shaking softly in Kio's hold. He felt cool hands glide along the burns, sighing at the small relief it brought him. The hands slid up his arms and around the burns on his neck. He leaned into the soft touch, relishing the cold.
For once, Kio was glad that he had cold energy stored. He sat down on the floor and brought Touya into his lap, wrapping his arms and wings around him. He noted the smoke rising from his form and began expelling the cold energy from his wings and absorbing the excess heat rolling off of Touya in waves. It made his wings twitch with the sudden change in temperature but if it helped Touya cool down, he could bear it.
Touya melted in his arms, pressing into his cold form. He ran his hands along the exposed skin, wincing slightly at the horrible burns covering his forearms and neck. He ran his fingers through his red hair, feeling Touya's small hum of relief.
"They pushed you too far again didn't they?"
He felt Touya's small nod against his neck and took a deep breath. There was no use getting angry now.
"Why didn't you come to us? Why stay in here?"
Touya shrunk in on himself, curling up in Kio's arms. He spoke in a soft whisper, voice so small it clawed at Kio's heart.
"It was my own fault. I'm not strong enough. I didn't want to burden you."
Kio paused for a moment in surprise, Touya burying his face in his neck. He placed a kiss on the top of his head, hands continuing to stroke at his arms as he rocked them gently.
"You should know by now that we'll never think of you as a burden. We'll always be there for you, firefly."
Touya glanced up with a shaky smile, a small blush coating his cheeks.
"Firefly?"
"What? I call Keigo 'Prince'. I just thought you needed a little nickname too."
"But why firefly?"
"Cause you light up my world."
Kio watched with amusement as Touya's cheeks burned red, placing another kiss on his forehead. He felt Touya begin to tremble lightly and small tears land on his shoulder. Kio held him tighter, humming softly and swaying to a little song.
They sat there for who knows how long, with Kio cradling Touya in his arms until he stopped crying and lay against him, relaxed.
Eventually, his wings started to twitch, full of energy. He felt a small tingle of pain creep up his spine and along his wings. He shifted slightly in discomfort causing Touya to glance up curiously. Kio only smiled down at him and continued stroking his hair until Touya sat up in his lap and glanced toward the door.
"We should get going, Keigo's probably worried about us."
Kio nodded in agreement as Touya climbed out his lap and held a hand out for him. Touya pulled him up only for a sharp pain to travel up his spine, causing his knees to give out and a small yelp to escape his throat. Touya lunged forward, grabbing at his sides and steadying him.
"Are you ok? What happened?"
"I guess I absorbed more energy than I thought."
Kio rubbed at his sore shoulders, experimentally flexing his wings. He hissed as more pain erupted around the base of his wings, small sparks of purple lightning surrounding his form. Touya stepped back in surprise, hands raised to try and help but not knowing what to do. Kio saw the panic in his eyes and gave him a strained smile.
"You should head on over to Keigo, I'll catch up in a minute. Gotta get rid of some of this energy."
Touya hesitated but eventually made his way to the door, shooting one last glance over his shoulder before disappearing outside.
Kio sighed softly, sitting back down on the ground and spreading his wings out as far as they could go. Closing his eyes and concentrating on the buzzing in his wings, he began expelling the excess energy stored in them. Good thing these rooms were made for powerful quirks like his.
As Touya walked away from the room, he heard lightning crackling inside, followed by a loud clap of thunder. He chuckled quietly to himself. Of course Kio would have such a loud quirk, it suited him. Pretty from afar, but dangerous if you got too close.
Touya quietly made his way down the corridor, turning the corner for the cafeteria. He scanned the room, spotting Keigo in the corner slowly munching on his dinner, two more trays of food placed on either side of him.
Jogging his way over, he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and plopped down on a seat beside him.
Keigo released a small squeak, eyes snapping to Touya's grinning form. He sighed with relief, leaning against his side as he wrapped a wing around him. He glanced around, expecting Kio to sit on his other side, but frowned when the black-haired boy was nowhere in sight.
"Kio will be here soon. He took in too much energy so he's busy getting rid of it right now."
Humming softly, both boys turned back to their food as they waited. As they were waiting, another boy, 3 or 4 years older than them, approached their table with a small smirk. Keigo and Touya were immediately on guard since nobody ever really approached them.
"I see the little murderer isn't with you today."
Keigo's feathers bristled with anger as Touya clenched his fists. They both knew he was talking about Kio, almost everyone knew that he had killed someone and didn't dare approach them while he was around.
They stood up, ready to defend their friend when more people came up behind the other boy.
"We wanted to see what was so special about you guys. The commission obviously favours you, and you've got that killer wrapped around your little fingers."
More and more people approached them. Touya pushed Keigo behind him, reaching an arm up just in case he had to use his quirk, but the small tingle he could feel in his arms told him he couldn't use it quite yet. He needed a little more time to heal. They didn't know that though, so he raised his arm threateningly anyway, satisfied at the small stutter in their steps.
The main one, the one who had come up to them first, wasn't fazed in the slightest. He walked closer, forcing them to take steps back until their backs hit the wall. They were surrounded on all sides, no chance to escape. They were still sore from their previous training session because, as the boy said, the commission did favour them, but that also meant that they were pushed far harder than the other trainees.
Keigo's wings twitched at his back, the feathers shaking weakly as he tried to move them out in front of them, but he didn't have enough strength. Touya swung his arm, trying to summon his flames but only managed a small burst of fire before his arms seized up with pain. He hissed, falling back against Keigo who wrapped his wings around him. They looked up at the boy who stood over them, cracking his knuckles with a wide smirk.
"Let's see what makes you so special."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Oh yeah? Who's gonna stop m-!"
The boy whirled around with a sneer but froze upon seeing Kio towering over him. Pupils narrowed to slits, fangs and ears sharp as a black tail swished behind him. His posture was relaxed, hands resting in his pockets but the way his wings spread gave away how furious he was.
With a frightened yell, the boy scrambled back, shaking under Kio's piercing red eyes. Keigo and Touya looked up at him with relieved smiles as he slowly made his way over. He crouched down in front of them, Keigo opening his wings to let Kio properly examine them both. While he was checking them over, the boy from before took a hesitant step forward, voice shaking with fear.
"Y-you wouldn't do anything! You'll get k-kicked out the p-program!"
Kio rolled his head back, giving him a dark smirk.
"I killed someone, remember? I killed a commission member and they haven't gotten rid of me. You think they'll care if I kill you too?"
His voice dropped, ending on a low growl. He ignored the spluttering boy, scooping Keigo and Touya up into his arms who cuddled into him. He turned around, the crowd parting to make way for his tall form. As he neared the door, he glanced over his shoulder one last time, seeing the terrified faces of the other trainees.
"If any of you dare touch even a single hair on their heads, you'll be answering to me."
With that he sauntered out the door, tail swishing and wings spread. As he walked down the corridor, he passed a commission member who did a quick double-take and immediately moved to the side. He spread his wing out, stopping him in his tracks.
"We'll be late for the last training session. Will that be a problem?"
The worker furiously shook his head before scurrying down the hallway. Keigo and Touya giggled softly in his arms, watching him run away over Kio's shoulder. Kio smiled down at them, continuing on his way to their room.
He opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him with his tail and immediately plopping down in their nest. Keigo and Touya cuddled into him with small sighs. Keigo glanced up at him, worry shining softly in his eyes.
"You didn't have dinner, are you going to be ok?"
Kio smiled, running a hand through his hair.
"I'll be fine, you just sleep now ok? I know you're both tired."
At that, both yawned quietly, eyes fluttering shut. Touya's small hand came up to grasp his, fingers curling around three of Kio's.
"But won't you be sore in the morning? The transformation takes a lot outta you."
The words were slurred with sleep but still recognisable. Kio only shushed him, pulling them in closer. They curled into his warmth, eyes trying to stay open just a little longer but eventually falling shut. Kio purred softly, the sound lulling them to sleep as all three snuggled into the blankets for a little nap.
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