You were always special ~ A Grian fanfic

Still Watching

{ time skip: 2 years }

It's been years since Grian had seen his family... Well, technically he had seen them, but given the circumstances, they went about their day, not knowing a godlike parrot boy was looking over them... Watching. When he first disappeared, they did everything to find him, they called in police, got help from their neighbours, but soon after... people agreed it was for the better. They stopped searching, his mother mourned and his sister wept. Grian should have been hurt by the fact that they gave up on him, but what hurt him the most was his sister. She would spend days in her room crying rivers deep enough to hydrate the desert weeds. He had begged the Watchers to allow him to see her, to let her know he was ok. They refused of course, they weren't so bad, they were just a bit strict and stuck up at times. Sure, they threatened him, but they just didn't want another Xelqua on their hands.

although it didn't help when he would say literally anything resembling a joke and one of them would always mutter something like 'the spitting image' or 'next thing you'll know you'll be scampering off to those humans and hybrids, giving them gifts and knowledge. Then we'll have to exile you for years and make you watch as we hurt all your friends and family.' sure it sounded bad but... I don't think there is a but. To be frank, his life really sucked.

Before he knew it, his training was nearly over. He had no way to track time given the void is pretty much just... black. But he had spent nearly half of his training sitting and doing nothing. Or at least it seemed like nothing. He was watching, watching his friends, watching Pearl, secretly pulling strings, making sure they were safe.

If the Watchers knew, he would definitely be in trouble. They had often threatened to cut off his wings had he ever gone down to the human world. They took every moment they were around Grian to tell him that he was only meant to watch. He wasn't to ever intervene with fate, for 'he had not learned of its true power yet' all that sounded pretty lame, so of course he didn't listen. After all, he wasn't allowed to forget how much like Xelqua he was. Just thinking that made him roll his eyes, it was like he could hear their voices pounding in his head. Maybe because they were. They could talk to him telepathically (being Gods and all.) Grian never cared much for those kinds of spells, he chose to learn how to protect, how to return emotions safely, portal summoning, how to create an anti watcher shield over an entire country (you know, everything the Watchers didn't want him to learn)

____________________

"Grian? What on Xelqua's name are you doing?"

Grian was right in the middle of watching Pearl on her way to school. It was important because this was the first time in about a year that she had decided to go back. She had spent so much time emotionally exhausting herself that she became too weak to go to school. She was frequently visited with headaches and spontaneous fainting. She still suffered from these things, the school just had a plan for it now.

"I'm... watching? Are you here to judge how wide my eyes are or if my brain is processing the information being downloaded from my eyes?"

"Don't get snarky on me. Why are you watching that pathetic human!?"

Xavion had to bend nearly half over in order to bring his face close to his own. Grian could feel the scowl radiating off of his mask. He wouldn't give out though.

"It's what I'm trained to do. But more importantly..."

Grian tilted his head, his voice softening

"I want to see her happy."

This time, the scowl emanating from Xavion seemed to be laced with a flicker of something Grian couldn't quite decipher. There was a lingering hint of grudging disappointment, not that he could see. He could feel it though. (Watcher and all) he didn't care about the consequences, he just wanted to be with his family.

A tense silence followed. Grian could practically hear Xavion internally debating what to say next.

"Humans are fragile things, Grian. They are weak, cruel and sensitive. This one seems especially so. You were warned to not play with fate!"

He raised his voice,making Grian wince in return, his smirk, though unseen, remained unwavering.

"Perhaps. But even fragile things can hold immense strength within them. We just need to know where to look."

He pointed at himself, priding in the fact that he had come up with it himself.

"Where did you read that? An inspirational cat poster on the wall of a customs office?"

It wasn't even funny, although Xavion certainly wasn't laughing either. If he wanted to play this game then Grian would meet snark, with snarkier.

"Customs office, huh? Sounds like your idea of excitement is watching paint dry. Maybe if you loosened up that boring rulebook of yours, full of spells that say: how to ruin lives, you'd see humans are more than just ticking time bombs of chaos and weakness."

Grian pulsed with power, bringing himself upward as he talked until his eyes locked with Xavion's. The Watcher remained motionless, a statue carved from shadow, his mind an echo of unspoken thoughts. The tension hung in the air, then abruptly snapped. Grian felt the familiar tug of his magic disappearing from under him. His spell had been severed by Xavion's will alone as veins of dark purple energy wound around his wrists, binding him tight. Xavion marched forward with a speed that forced Grian to stumble in his wake, Grian now being forced to trail behind by the skin cutting cuffs. They dug into his skin until he felt like he would bleed.

"Where are you taking me!?

"I'll make sure you'll never fly again"

Fury sparked in Grian's chest, an unfamiliar feeling against the usual snarky and bubbly Person he always was. Never fly again? The very thought was a prison, a violation of his very being. He was Grian, the wings of resistance, a defiance against limitations. He'd find a way. He always did, But for now he was trapped at the mercy of this... this uptight shadow tyrant!

"You can't do that!"

"Enjoy the ground, little bird. It's all you'll be touching from now on. I'll be back. stay here."

Grian let out a slow sob as his chains, woven from magic, were now attached to the cold marble floor. This was the only place he had ever been able to fly, and by god was he good at it.

Xavion turned to look at him before exiting the room

"Don't think that this is the only time the sky will reject you."