The A Team

Chapter Six

Day 25

"Iskall"
Iskall turned away from his breakfast and saw X standing behind him grinning.
"What?"
"They're here"
"They- wait really?"
"Mm hmm. Big white box"
Iskall stood up so quickly he knocked over his chair. He ignored Stress's giggles as he ran into the main room pushing past Doc and Ren.
"Iskall my dude! What's the rush?" Ren asked jogging to catch up with him.
"The elytra are here!" Iskall yelled over his shoulder.
He blundered through the oak doors to the mail room, stopping to catch his breath.
He threw open chest after chest, looking for- there it is!
Iskall struggled to pull the large white box out of the double chest in the corner. He heard the door open and Ren and Doc strolled through looking amused.
"Need help?"
"Yes please" Iskall puffed. The box was far heavier than he thought it would be.
Doc helped him lift the box and bring it back to the kitchen, where the rest of the team watched as they placed it on the table.
Iskall looked at X expectantly. He smiled.
"I got a message this morning" X began, "that we received our elytra last night"
Instant chaos broke out as everyone except for Grian rushed to rip open the parcel and extract a pair of purple-grey wings strapped to a harness.
Iskall looked adoringly down at his. They weren't as big as Grian's, and not nearly as beautiful, but they belonged to him, and him alone. He had always wanted to fly, and watching Grian flutter around the camp the way he did always made Iskall a little jealous. Now he could join in on the races Ren and Grian often enjoyed.
"Grian" X said breaking up the excited chatter. "You know the mechanics of these right?"
Grian nodded.
"I've flown with them before"
Doc knitted his eyebrows together.
"You already have wings. How did you even get them on?"
"Ren help me" Grian said gesturing for the elytra.
Ren nodded and moved behind the small avian. Grian folded his wings as tightly behind him as he could, and with Ren's help, slid the harness over the top of his head, strapping it tightly to his body, crushing his feathers against his back.
Doc nodded.
"Ok. Do you want to show us how to use these then?"
Grian smiled, refusing to wince at the pain from the harness pulling on his wings.
"Of course! Let's go outside"
________________________________________________
Grian had them line up.
"Ok" he said, rubbing his hands together. "So to take off you need handheld rockets. Doc, Mumbo, You've been working on some right?"
Doc nodded while Mumbo chewed on his nail and mumbled something about gun powder.
The two engineers pulled forth a large box full of small rockets.
"Everyone take some" Grian said, grabbing several for himself.
"Now-"
He stood on top of a chest.
"To activate the elytra, you need to jump in a way that allows air to pass through the wings and make them open. When you are starting out, it's helpful to jump off of something. Once you're airborne, fire rockets to move yourself through the air"
He took a breath and jumped off the box. Had he not been wearing the elytra, he would have belly flopped on the ground. However, as predicted. The sudden rush of air opened the artificial wings, and made Grian glide a foot above the grass.
"Now the rocket" he yelled behind his shoulder, sparking the rope hanging off of the red and white striped cylinder. A small swishing sound and Grian was propelled upwards.
"Now landing takes some getting used to!" He spoke over the wind rushing through his curly hair.
"Do NOT try and rocket yourself to the ground, or you'll crash. You need to glide as slowly as possible. When your feet touch the ground, it helps to run a few paces after landing"
He holstered his remaining rockets and straightened out his body, making his descent slower. When he was a couple feet from the ground, he reverted to a vertical position, and let his toes skim the grass before forcing the elytra to close by sinking his soles into the soft dirt. He turned dramatically, and put his hands on his hips.
"Got it?"
"Yes" Iskall and Doc echoed confidently while the remaining five muttered an uneasy approval.
"You'll be fine!" Grian said encouragingly. "It's hard at first, but with enough practice you'll be a pro"
The team began stuffing their pockets with rockets and tightening the straps on their harnesses.
"Mumbo"
Mumbo turned and saw Grian standing with a strained expression.
"Can you help me take off this harness? It really hurts"
"Of course!" Mumbo said, louder than he meant to.
Grian turned his back to him and began unbuckling the straps in the front.
Mumbo very carefully began to loosen the straps encircling Grian's shoulders, taking extra care not to touch the gold feathers crushed underneath the leather. He paused. The last strap was pulled tight around Grian's waist. Mumbo felt his face grow hot as his shaking hands wrapped around Grian to undo the buckle. He unconsciously let his hands linger on Grian's hips before quickly pulling away.
"Thanks!" Grian said flashing his infectious smile at Mumbo and pulling the elytra over his head.
He let out a gust of air as he felt his wings unfold and extend out.
"That's so much better" he murmured rolling out his neck and stretching his shoulders.
"Is...is that all you need?" Mumbo said pulling on his collar to loosen his tie a little.
"Yeah thank you so much" Grian said gratefully, pushing his hair out of his eyes to look up at his friend.
They stood in silence for a moment.
"Um, you should probably start practicing with the elytra" Grian said with a gentle smile.
"Oh. Right." Mumbo mumbled absentmindedly, struggling to break eye contact with the avian.
His large eyes were a beautiful mix of blue and grey, shadowed slightly by his uneven blond fringe.
Grian's cheeks turned slightly pink from the unwavering attention.
"Um Mumbo? Is everything ok?"
He waved his hand in front of Mumbo's face.
"Huh?"
Mumbo blinked.
Did I... was I staring?
He stepped away quickly, his heart beating so hard he worried Grian may hear it.
"I, um, I, I'll go now, practice and... and such, um, elytra and... bye!" He stammered, turning on his heel and speed walking away, leaving a bewildered Grian to wonder what he had done wrong.
______________________________________________
"I... I thought his would be easier" Iskall said breathing heavily after falling to the ground for the sixth time.
"You're doing better than me" Mumbo griped. So far he had been unable to even make it more than a couple feet off the ground. His long legs kept dragging him down.
"I think it helps to be short" Stress said giggling as she flew above them, making an unsteady landing beside False.
"Well good for you then" Iskall muttered under his breath.
He loved Stress, he really did. She was his closest friend, but sometimes her unwavering optimism got on his nerves.
A shadow passed over him and he looked up to see Grian flying effortlessly above him. A pang of jealously shot through him. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the bitter feeling, and stood up.
He managed to take off once more and shakily fly around the clearing. It was the landing that was difficult.
He squinted his eyes and spread out his arms slightly to try and balance himself out.
"Good job!" Grian said flying up next to him. "Now just make sure to let your legs down at the right time. That's the key to-"
CRASH
Iskall flew directly into Doc. Their elytra's closed and they tumbled to the ground, landing in a heap.
"Iskall what the hell!" Doc said angrily, attempting to detangle himself from the soldier.
"It's not my fault!" Iskall exclaimed. He looked up at Grian, who was slowly floating to the ground, unable to keep the amusement off his face.
Iskall glared at him.
"You distracted me" he snarled.
Grian let a blurt of laughter pass between his lips, making Iskall's face redden with anger.
"I'm sorry" Grian said. "I was just trying to help"
"Well don't" Iskall said, pulling himself up and brushing dirt off of his clothes. "I don't need your help"
The smile on Grian's face wavered as he realized Iskall was actually upset.
He flew to catch up with him.
"Iskall it was an accident" he said sincerely.
"Yeah well, it's always an accident, isn't it Grian" Iskall said harshly, speeding up.
Grian followed suit.
"Iskall what's wrong? I know it's hard at first, but you'll get better with practice. I can help-"
"No!" Iskall yelled, stopping abruptly, causing Grian to run straight into his back and fall on the ground.
Iskall turned and look down at the small avian, frustration burning in his chest.
"I don't want your help Grian!" he continued loudly, making all eyes turn to him. "If I wanted an annoying, mouthy, little rat to distract me then I would call for you immediately, but I don't! No one does!"
He turned and began to walk away, before quickly turning back.
"And you don't need to fly everywhere you know! It's not cute or impressive, it's exasperating! You may think people want to look at your massive wings all day, but trust me, they don't, and I don't either, so do us a favor and put them away for once!"
With that, Iskall turned and strode inside the bunker.
He heard the door open and slam behind him as Ren and Doc ran to catch up.
"What the hell is your problem?!" Ren shouted grabbing Iskall's shoulder roughly and forcing them face to face.
"Can Grian be a little annoying sometimes? Of course! We all can! But none of us, least of all him, deserve to be yelled at the way you just did!"
Iskall's tongue stuck in his throat. His face burned and he could feel the guilt rising in his chest.
"Say something!" Doc yelled.
Tears rolled out of Iskall's eyes and he covered his face.
"I know! Ok? I know"
His shoulders shook, and Ren's grip on him loosened.
"Then why did you say it?" Doc growled.
Iskall took a minute to gulp down air and wipe his face before answering.
"I was jealous ok? I've wanted to fly and have my own elytra since I was a little kid. It was my dream to be able to fly in the air, and soar above everyone and be-"
He stopped himself from saying the hero.
"But Grian... he was born with wings! He can fly whenever he wants and do everything I always wanted to do. I thought with an elytra I could be the same, but it's so much harder than I thought! And Grian was trying to be so helpful and optimistic, I just snapped! Oh god"
He sat down and covered his face with his hands. "I can't believe I said what I said"
Doc and Ren glanced at each other and sat down on either side of him.
"Dude I get it" Ren said, his voice serious, but gentler than before. "But Grian's life isn't what you think it is. He grew up in isolation, and wasn't allowed to go outside until he was 15 for his own protection. He was malnourished, left alone, and his growth was stunted because of it"
He took a breath.
"You want to know why he flies everywhere? It's because this is the first time ever he's been allowed to do what he wants. Flying makes him feel big and special. He doesn't act like it, but he's incredibly insecure. A person who grew up like that could have turned out horrible and bitter, but he chose to be optimistic and kind. Sure he pulls some stupid pranks sometimes, and doesn't always read other peoples feelings very well, but he's doing his best, and I love him for it. He's like a little brother to me, and if you ever do something like this again, I promise you won't like the consequences"
He stood up, and Doc followed, his eyes wide with shock. The wolf hybrid was usually so jovial and calm.
Ren crossed his arms.
"Now go do what you need to do to fix this"
_______________________________________________
Iskall ran up to Mumbo and Stress who were whispering to each other.
"Which way did he go?"
Stress turned to him with a sad expression while Mumbo glowered and turned his back.
"He went that way" Stress said quietly, pointing into the thicket of trees.
"Thanks Stress" Iskall said, giving her the best smile he could muster. "I'm going to make this right"
He ran to the edge of the forest and pushed himself into the trees.
"Grian?" He yelled, encircling his mouth with his hands.
All he got in response was a loud squawk from a group of crows in a nearby tree. 
"Grian please" he pleaded, wincing as a sharp branch scratched his cheek. "I'm so sorry"
There was silence for a moment.
"You were right" came a small voice from somewhere above him.
Iskall felt his heart ache.
"No! No no no I wasn't!" He begged, beginning to climb.
"I was wrong! I was an idiot! I was frustrated and I let anger take control, but I didn't mean any of it I promise"
"Then why did you say it?"
The voice was getting closer and Iskall increased his pace, pulling himself in between branches of dark oak.
"Because-" Iskall bit his tongue. "I was jealous"
"Jeal- of me? Why?"
"Because"
Iskall could see glimpses of gold feathers between the leaves.
"You are what I always wanted to be"
Grian turned away as Iskall's head popped through a gap in the branches, and he slowly and shakily made his way to sit next to him.
"I don't understand"
"I just- I always-" Iskall faltered. He balled up his fists. "Your wings are amazing"
Grian turned to look at him in surprise.
"They're beautiful! Stunning! And the things you can do in the air are breathtaking" Iskall continued, his face turning red. "When I was little, I always wanted to be able to fly. Having an elytra was a dream I never thought I would get, but it's so much harder than I thought. You make flying look so easy, and I just felt like such... a failure"
The silence between them felt like an eternity. Finally Grian spoke up.
"Iskall, do you know how long it took me to learn to fly?"
"I... no"
The question took Iskall by surprise.
"Are you talking about elytra or your real wings?"
"Either or" Grian said with a small shrug. "They were both impossibly difficult to learn to control"
He held up his left hand.
"Do you see how these three fingers are bent slightly to the right?"
Iskall squinted in the dim light.
"Yeah"
"When I was 10, and learning to actually use my wings, I crashed into a wall and then landed on another kid"
Iskall snorted and clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Sorry"
"It's ok" Grian said with a small smile. "It's funny now, but at the time I was mortified. I broke my hand including these three fingers, and made someone else get a mouthful of sand"
He giggled.
"Ren was fine of course, but-"
"It was Ren?" Iskall cackled.
Grian joined in on the laughter.
"Yep! That's how we met"
"Wow. That's amazing"
Grian nodded and let the laughter die down before continuing.
"But it made me so angry, I wanted to cut off my wings. I had expected it to be easy and it was not at all. If Ren hadn't been so forgiving, and become such a good friend, I would probably never have flown again, and then I wouldn't be where I am now"
He smiled wistfully.
"Flying gives me purpose" he said. "It makes me feel important, and tall, and I wouldn't give it up for anything"
Iskall looked down at his hands.
"Grian I'm so sorry" he whispered. "I didn't understand what flying meant to you, and I took out my frustration on you even though you were trying to help"
He looked over at the blond avian.
"If you're willing to give me another chance, I would really appreciate your help, and I would be so grateful to continue being your friend"
Grian was quiet for a minute before turning to meet Iskall's eyes.
"If I can't forgive you for your mistakes, how can I expect to be forgiven for mine?"
He smiled and held out his hand.
Iskall took it with both hands and squeezed it, letting tears brim in his eyes from gratitude.
"Friends?"
"Of course you dummy" Grian said slapping Iskall on the back, making the branch shake. Iskall wobbled on his unsteady perch and slipped, falling to the ground and landing on his backside.
Grian cackled above him.
"Yeah! We're definitely good"
Iskall felt laughter bubble in his chest and before long he and Grian were roaring into the darkness.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was really fun to write.
As always, if you did enjoyed it, please leave a like, and if you have any feedback or opinions, please feel free to comment.