Eliatrope's Wings

Chapter 1: a big mistake

Word Count: 2154

Yugo never wanted to take his hat off infront of his friends. He would have been perfectly happy living life without ever showing his friends what he had kept hidden from them all these years. He made sure to dodge questions about it, passing it off as an accessory or a comfort object since he had been found by his dad in it. He never got many questions further, since it would be rude to pry further.
However, it became more suspicious when Yugo would keep it on while bathing or kept it on while it was soaking wet. Even for a comfort object it seemed a little odd that Yugo would tell his friends to cover their eyes whenever he was forced to take it off, or flinching away when someone tugged on it too much.

Yugo knew his friends were wondering about it, they weren't taking many steps to hide it. Dally had even tried to pull it off once, but stopped once he saw how uncomfortable Yugo looked. Even a Iop-brain with no sense of boundaries like him knew when to quit. Amalia and Ruel also gave him small glances and raised their eyebrows whenever it was mentioned, but they made no further advances. Evangeline and Adamaii were the quietest of the suspicious, never bringing it up but never swaying away the conversation whenever it shifted to Yugo's ear-like appendages at the top of his hat that moved ever so often with his mood. Adamaii had to know though. He knew more about Eliatropes than Yugo himself did.

Yugo felt bad, of course. They were his friends, and he felt like he was betraying them by not telling them his big secret. What's the worst they could do anyways? Kick him out? Ghost him? Tell the world? Never talk to him ever again? He'd rather not think about that.

Sometimes he would make himself cry and shake by thinking too much. It was a bad habit, but his dad Alibert would usually be there to calm him down and assure him that everything is alright. Lately, Yugo had felt weak and childlike whenever he started crying, and was determined to keep it to himself. He was big and mature, and big mature people don't cry like that. Alibert would of course tell him that crying was natural and a part of life, but Yugo already knew that and decided he didn't want to listen. He'd rather hide it forever, especially since to explain what was wrong, Yugo would have to tell someone about his... feature.

He hated thinking about it. Just saying the real word brought his mind back into a dark place. He felt so alone. Nothing could prevent him from spiraling again, no matter how much he squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears.

They would hate you.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid. Very afraid. It was pathetic, really. Yugo the King of the Eliatropes: 3-time savior of the World of Twelve, 2-time Gobbowl champion, a legend to remember. A godly hero who was currently silently crying into fists of balled up blanket.

It wasn't logical thinking and he knew that. It was just so easy to imagine his closest friends leaving him behind.

Yugo looked across his bedroom at the mirror over his dresser. Minus the puffy eyes and runny nose, he looked the same has he had been all day during the brotherhood's outing around Emelka. Yugo was happy that they would be staying the whole week, but if he was going to cry like a baby the whole night he'd rather be alone.

He poked at the bandage on his cheek from when he had jumped out of a portal too fast. Yugo smiled a little remembering Amalia's little lecture on slowing down as she cleaned the cut and placed a bandage on his face with a little "hmph!". His stomach knotted again when he wondered if she would have still took the time to help him up if she knew.