Swooped | ✓

Chapter 11: A Few Ruffled Feathers

"Sho goosh," I cried, almost blubbering into the succulent beef I was shovelling into my mouth. Swallowing, I turned to Ada, who was watching me devour her cooking with glee. "So good. Seriously, so good."

"Danke," Ada laughed, nudging Milo's elbow to get me another serving. My best friend rolled his eyes, but didn't hesitate to fill my plate once again. Felix was watching me with disgust as I drooled over the food, but I didn't care. No one gets between me and my Rouladen.

"Why is he here?" Felix asked Milo, who was seated between the two of us. "This is our family dinner."

"Felix!" Ada whispered under her breath, giving me an apologetic glance. I gave a minute nod, but otherwise focused on enjoying my meal. Rouladen, Rouladen, love of my life, Rouladen.

"Felix, sei nicht unhöflich," Milo said lowly, Felix clamping his mouth shut as his brother stared at him. Ooookay, not English. Cool, cool. Milo could be saying that I'm wearing Darth Vader underwear right now, or telling him that I once plaster-casted my dick because I wanked so hard I thought it was broken, or that I have wings. Guess I'll never know.

"What? You're never home any more because he probably dragged you into some weird shit, and now when we're supposed to have family time he tags along?!" Felix said, his voice a very, very loud whisper. Ooookay, English. I understood all of that. Cool, cool. He definitely still hates me. Sorr-ee for dragging your darling brother into the depths of Hell.

Ugh, I am totally intruding on family time, though.

Felix wasn't completely wrong - rude, yes, but not wrong. Milo had been spending a lot of time at my place because of the winged incident, and I did feel a little guilty about hogging all of his time, but his support was nice. If he hadn't been there when I was sick, or when the wings had started growing out of my back like little buffalo wings, who knows what I would've done. Someone who plastered their dick would have done some weird shit, right?

But hey, now I had gotten used to the wings, to the point that I often forgot that they were out. Apart from when I woke up in the morning, I wasn't knocking things over with my avian appendages, and getting them in and out was as easy as breathing. It's not like I actually needed him to be with me all the time now. Plus, he had been neglecting his studies a lot more than usual because of me, and he should spend more time with his actual family. I shouldn't ask too much of him - I'm needy, but I'm not a dick.

I had zoned out from the shoddily hidden conversation between the three Schultz members, and by the time I came too I had finished my food, but they hadn't finished their conversation. 

Standing up, I gathered my plate and cutlery, the Schultzs turning to me in eery synchronisation. Milo frowned at me as I threw my used napkin onto my plate. 

"Uh, sorry. It was so good I kinda inhaled the food," I said, flashing Ada my empty plate. The woman gave me a soft smile, a little chagrined. "I, um, should probably head home first, though. I, uh, have to study. For my midsems. You know, mammal... reproduction. I'll wash my dishes first, though."

Ada opened her mouth to say something, but I quickly darted into the kitchen. Rolling up the sleeves of my hoodie, I rinsed the plate off with hot water, my fingers smarting a little bit when I scrubbed at the food remnants on its surface. It was when I was rinsing the plate that I felt Milo walk up to me cautiously, hand nudging my back.

"Hey, you don't have to leave, you know," Milo said, voice thick with guilt. I didn't see a reason for it, though - it's not his fault his brother loves him so damn much. And it's certainly not his fault that I'm not exactly the recipe for the ideal friend. "Felix is just..."