Vices and Maces

Chapter 55: Demus Seems to be Doing Well Too

CW: descriptive healing of bones

"Ugh, I feel like a baby bird," Remus complained, standing on a chair. It was a good thing the backyard was fenced off with wood. That way no one from Wolfsbane could see them if they happened to be in the area, though there was doubt that they would be. And Remus didn't have an audience in case these wings failed.

He could feel the tips of them now, and they seemed completely attached. There were no gaps, it had been all glued down. So of course the next step was physical therapy, though it would be pretty quick considering they were the same shape as his old wings just... different. Still not his, but he was learning to accept that it's not a bad thing.

However he didn't appreciate that everyone felt like they needed to be there when he tries to fly. Roman, Kayden, and Janus were all outside with him, waiting to make sure everything went okay. Quite frankly, it was a bit annoying. At least Sidney thought it was boring and stayed inside.

"Baby birds usually jump," Roman told him.

"Would you rather we try this on a super tall building?" Janus asked. "Maybe the one where you taught me how to fly with fae wings?"

"Ooh that would make this all the more exciting!" Remus said.

"We're not going on a super tall building, especially since you're still not jumping," Kayden said, leaning on his cane. "What are you waiting for?"

"Ugh, fine." Remus stepped on the back of the chair and pushed himself up, jumping into the air and flying as the chair tipped over. He turned around with a smile, dipping for a bit before regaining his balance. "See! I still got it!"

"How does it feel?" Roman asked. He hugged himself, before moving his arms to fold them instead.

"It... feels fine. A bit weird but... I can get used to them." They felt different from his old wings, but Remus couldn't place it. Were they thinner? Thicker? Are they bigger or smaller? It's just... the wind felt different around his wings. Unfamiliar.

"Maybe it's been too long since you've flown," Kayden said. "The muscles must be different, or... I don't know."

"Yeah... like I said, I'll get used to them. They're not completely different." Remus lowered himself to the ground.

"Well you should be careful when you fly," Roman advised. "Don't do it too much, and remember, don't fly in rain."

"We can hardly fly in the rain anyway. Quit worrying about me, I'm fine. I can fly now!"

"You're relearning how to fly," Kayden reminded him. "It's going to take time to do all the tricks you used to. Don't overdo it, this is like physical therapy."

"Well with all of you coddling me like this, it'll be hard to do anything behind your backs."

"That's the point," Roman said.

"We just don't want you to hurt your wings again," Janus added.

Remus bit back a remark about how these aren't his wings. "I'm not going to do that. I'd rather not go back to the hospital."

Kayden sighed, "I'm glad you can fly again. It would be... lame if you couldn't. But I'm going to go inside, my leg is starting to ache from standing too long."

"Alright, go rest your nubby."

"I told you not to call it that!"

Remus shrugged as Kayden closed the door. "It's what it is."

Roman picked up the chair. "How is your son more mature than you?"

"He was raised by four other parents before me. Well, maybe less, I don't know who his birth parents were and if they stayed before he was put into foster care."

"You guys have to be the weirdest family ever," Janus commented. "I think I'm going to go inside too. Be careful with your new wings, I'd rather not make new ones for you."

~~~

Janus stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The bathroom was connected to their room... A private bathroom! Was a two story four room house not enough? These people were rich...

They carefully took off their shirt, leaning on the counter more than their injured leg. The crutches were set aside the wall, and he grabbed one to lean on their bad side. Looking into the mirror almost made him sick.

There were nasty purple and black bruises on their side. They have adjusted to breathing more shallowly, but looking at it made his sides ache again. But they're standing here to heal it, to experiment.

The bruises are just broken blood vessels, that'll heal on its own and isn't the most worrying thing. Taking a deep breath, Janus pressed some fingers against his ribs. They held back a whine as the ache deepened at their touch. He closed their eyes and felt where the pain came from, where the fractures were.

It hurt, honestly it did. But it'll be better in a moment. The doctor said there were three fractures, two on his left and one on his right. He felt a slight bump, it must be swollen there, and the pain poured from that area like hot lava in their skin.

Carefully he felt for the bone moving his fingers away as they imagined it. They looked at pictures of the inside of bones earlier, trying to study it. It won't be perfect, but it didn't need to be. It just had to be healed.

He took another deep breath as the pain started to eb away. Bone formed in the fracture, connected one end to another. It was easier to breathe... it must have worked.

There was a knock at their door. "Janny," Remus called. "Dinner's done."

"Oh shit," Janus cursed, grabbing their shirt. "Hold on!"

He heard the door open as they slipped the shirt back on, grabbing the other crutch and opening the bathroom door. Remus was still in the doorway, waiting for Janus.

"Come on, we're doing taco's tonight!"

Janus made their way over. "It's hard to rush with a broken leg."

"That's fair. Oh, uh but before we go downstairs I was wondering..." Remus's face turned dark green as he seemed to think of how to phrase something. "So there's a new restaurant downtown, I was wondering if... I don't know..."

The shifter smiled. "Are you asking me on a date, baby bird?"

"Hey! I'm not a baby bird!" the halfling squeaked. "Do you wanna go with me or not? I was thinking about tomorrow... but..."

"Let me think, am I busy tomorrow... Hm..." They pretended to think before a smile filled his face. "I would love to go with you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now let's go get some tacos before they get cold." Janus started to make his way to the stairway.

"Yes!" Remus cheered, pumping a fist before following.