Human Rain (Gustholomule- Gus x Matt)

An Untold Curse

Mattholomule POV~

I woke up feeling fuzzy.

When did I fall asleep?

Wait fuzzy?

I opened my eyes, I could see everything I don't know, clearer? I saw Gus looking at me in wonder.

"What?" I asked.

"Matty, go look in the mirror." He said, voice still reflecting his awe.

I got up abandoning any prospects of returning to my slumber.

In the mirror, I saw something, no, someone who looked familiar. Hold on, that was me. 

My eyes were gold with flecks of red, almost glowing. I had two imp horns but no longer had the one on my forehead that was there before. I still had a dusting of freckles but they were now more prominent. I had a large, black pair of wings coming from my back with some of the feathers around the edge fading crimson.

I also had a long almost dragon-esque tail that was thicker at the base, getting narrower until the end where there was a fan of more crimson feathers.

I knew this creature from a book but I couldn't quite recall. 

Suddenly it hit me, I was at least half harpy-shifter. I knew there were different varieties but I only knew of two. The siren type that would lure in a lover with song and then betray them by death and another I had seen was the basilisk type. Descending from actual basilisk DNA it was possible for them to gain magic by taking others but unlike a basilisk, this would not harm people. These types would generally stick together because crossbreeds could be insanely dangerous.

"Whoa," I said, in awe of my appearance.

"Do you... know what you are?" Gus asked

"Mhmm" I replied

"Mind telling me?"

I started to explain, also mentioning that neither of the pictures in the book looked anything like me.

We decided to head to the library. Unfortunately, we ran into a sleepy Boshca who was snapped out of her stupor by the sight.

"WHAT?!?!" Boshca exclaimed

I clamped a hand over her mouth, shutting her up before she could drag attention to us.

Dashing into the library with her in our custody I left Gus to fill her in while I scanned the royal stash for books hidden from the public.

After finding a book that may help I quickly scanned through the pages.

Bingo.

I found a chapter explaining exactly what a harpy-shifter was and their varieties.

Here's the run-down:

Harpy-shifters are known for their angelic appearance most having white downy feathers, no horns, and thin tails. However, there are some extremely rare breeds that have unique abilities and traits.

Seeing as I was one of those that is what I looked for.

There is also the curse Eda has and while this is different they are still similar.

The curse made Eda turn into a beast at first and the beast looked nothing like her.

Most shifters figure out their ability at a young age from a trigger or with training. While they can lose control of our magic they also choose when to shift back. If you were to take this as a curse and separate the trait from the person you would see a shadowy figure just like a shifted you, which before you shift for the first time is a physical thing that people can see. It often stays hidden like the hide-behind though.

While looking through the page I found what I was looking for.

I was a cross between a cupid type and a siren type. The siren in this case had to have been my mother. Steve was unaffected by the 'curse' because he was a half-witch. All he inherited was a single horn.

The cupid abilities made others fall in love with it almost immediately with its glamour magic and sweet smell.

Making me, deadly. 

In short, many could fall for me at an older age when I learn to control it but I can only fall for one person and I would protect them with my life.

When this person and I kiss it seals a bond letting me be able to transform for the first time. This meaning he would never be able to fall for anybody else. I was supposed to be fate but I thought it was cruel.

What if he only liked me because of the stupid magic? Without it would I even have had a chance?

As all of this dawned on me I realized that I unknowingly made a magical seal with Gus without his permission.

What if he hates me?

Then I hear a gasp and I realize he read the whole thing over my shoulder.

At that point, I did the only thing I could do. 

I ran.