7Another post I found on tumblr and had to write a short fic about. Oh god why am I doing this to myself D':
"Tetsu."
The blue haired avian looked up, a film of unshed tears glassing his eyes over.
"Please, don't-" Aomine choked on his words and his wings flared to life when he saw a single, strangled tear fall down his partner's cheek.
Instantly, he crouched down and tenderly hugged the smaller body to his chest.
"You don't need to cry. Your wings will grow. I know it."
His throat was constricted, felt too tight to get out any words, almost trying to suffocate the truth he knew was on his tongue.
There was no sniffle, no heart breaking sobs, no immediate response. Aomine knew before it happened that the only answer he would get was silence and a small nod.
Aomine slowly let go when he felt the wetness on his shirt dry, and sat down beside his partner, stretching his legs out in front of him.
It had already been well past his changing, but Tetsu's soft down was still lingering even after a month, making up the most of his small, soft wings that sprouted from his back.
Aomine brushed his fingers over the fluffy feathers and stretched his hand, measuring it to the length of a single wing. It was roughly about the same size. Aomine felt a pang of sadness.
Why?
Why, when he worked so hard, when he reached the furthest; dreamed the highest? Why was it that fate gave him these small wings, inhibiting to fly freely?
"Tets-" Aomine abruptly stilled when he felt small hands running over the tips of his flight feathers, slowly making their way under the coarse layer to tickle the down underneath.
"Aomine-kun's wings are so large. Look, even my arms can't reach to the end of it."
Tetsu reached out his arm, stretching it so far it looked painful. But still he couldn't touch the tip of Aomine's wingspan.
As if mocking him, Aomine's wings twitched involuntarily and spread out wide, lengthening to their full span. They were so large.
And ugly. Aomine thought with disgust. What the hell was he going to do with these hulking things? Hit someone with them? Ok, that would work, but what was the use of having them if they couldn't make the person he cared for most, fly?
Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance at his frustration, grasping his partner's hand in his.
"Tetsu. I'll carry you as long as I need to, I promise. Until your flight feathers grow out, I'll be your wings."
The small boy looked up with large round eyes, seemingly startled. A warm smile spread across his face, breaking the gloom, though not penetrating deep enough to get the last of it, the tanned male noted.
There was still a flickering flame of sadness in those sky blue orbs, and Aomine was determined to extinguish it and set off a different kind of fire. He was set.
"Hai," came the almost monotone response.
Aomine smiled, ruffling Tetsu's hair fondly while bringing his wings around to encircle them and shut out the world.
"I promise you," he whispered, moving his hand to the back of Tetsu's head, gently going through the soft locks.
Using his other hand, he placed it on the small of Tetsu's back, in between the other's small wings, and pulled him in for a searing kiss, resolving to do whatever needed to be done for his friend to fly; even if it meant letting him go.
He was going to get this chick out of the nest and into the air.
A year before, when Kuroko had disappeared from their flock, the GOM had split up to look for something better; something else.
Only Aomine bothered to remember the small blue haired avian, but when he finally got to see his partner again, he knew that he wasn't his anymore.
One look at Tetsu's back and he knew he was better off without him. He heard, and hated the words said to the pale avian in front of him:
"I'll help you grow your wings!" The flaming redhead grinned confidently.
"And I will take you to see the world." The slim boy replied.
That was the exact promise said to him. To see the world, travel to every continent on the planet, stretching their wings to fly wherever their hearts pleased.
Betrayal stung his heart, while simultaneously burning his gut with guilt; wrenching him inside out. A sudden realization hit him and he knew.
Growing his wings. That was what Aomine failed to do. He did the one thing that stopped his partner from ever growing: he carried him.
He didn't let him fly as he wanted, but kept him close, not letting him go, afraid to see him fall out of the air, away from his grasp and gone forever.
He didn't want Tetsu to fly away. But he already did.
Dropping to a dive, Aomine veered to the opposite direction of where he spotted the two avians of the Seirin flock. Regret was something that he never- refused- to accept.
A pained sigh escaped his lips. Looked like the chick really did fly out of the nest after all.
This is an AU where they live in a civilization where people have avian blood.
The society measures their worth with the size of their wings and their flight performance. The GOM have the largest wings ever recorded for their age (and somewhat above), and Akashi is the lead bird of their flock. He saw something in Tetsuya, and made special arrangements for Kuroko to be in their group. A flock can be however big, though the standard is usually made up of about 6-7 people (GOM + Momoi).
The changing is when wings start to grow from out of your back. Usually, this will take about a week, and at times can be painful when the bones break the skin. After anywhere from a week to a month or so, their flight feathers should start to grow and fully form. The size of the wings depend on your talent instead of things like genes.
All wings are white in colour when the avians are young. When they grow into adulthood, their wings will start to take on the colours of either the mom or dad, or a mixture of both.