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Ranboo’s eyes were impossibly wide as he watched Mr. Philza from behind the large pillar he had claimed as his own hiding spot, just barely peeking out from behind the column.
He peered into the room that had looked like a large studio, mats covering the ground as Mr. Philza worked away at fighting the dummy he had left in front of him. His hands were wrapped in bandages and he was wearing a black tank top in comparison to the large, silk-like shirts he had taken to wearing almost all the time. Ranboo was pretty sure that Mr. Techno had told him it was a key-no-mo, but he didn’t remember it properly and he didn’t want to embarrass himself with saying the wrong name.
He had been wearing the same pants, as usual, the ones that were baggy but tightened around the ankles, making him look a bit like Aladdin, which Ranboo liked. Ranboo liked most of the plays and storybooks that Mr. Bur had taken to showing him, besides the horror he had tried once. It only took one crying session about ten minutes into something as tame as a horror story for children before the man had snuggled him up in a blanket and let Ranboo lay down on his lap while he nibbled at a cookie and watched reruns of old plays he had on VHS tapes, instead.
Ranboo didn’t get some of the jokes, but Mr. Bur was warm and he put a hand on his head, rubbing at it despite the fact that his hair was covered by the blanket as well. Everything was covered, really, save for a small space made for his face and the bottom of his feet, though he had been wearing large, woollen socks that he was pretty sure were Mr. Bur’s at the time.
The point was… well there wasn’t really a point to most of his thoughts, not since he had moved in with them ages ago, the mix-up feeling even longer ago. It was just a bit strange- strange? Cool, to see Mr. Philza training with the dummy, not pulling his punches. Ranboo could hear the sold thud of the dummy, ensuring him that it wasn’t a human, as though his brain needed reminding.
A few months ago, this probably would have terrified him. Now, it was something cool that he wanted to spy on.
That and the fact that Mr. Philza had his wings out properly, not the way he had when he had worn his cloak over them all the time. Ranboo had seen them all the time when he had been put to bed or the man had been flying around, but around the castle in the halls, it was rarer. Ranboo thought it was a shame that he didn’t have them out all the time, wondering if they ever got tired from being underneath his cloak all the time.
Which was a bit silly to think, since Mr. Philza’s feathers were always clean and sleek and neat in nice rows, mostly gray with white primaries dotting the bottoms. Ranboo had been wanting to learn about bird wings, but he didn’t want to bother Mr. Philza, so he decided to look in the library that Mr. Techno had shown him a while ago. Ranboo was a big fan of it, to be fair, so he didn’t mind going to the library, it was just that sometimes he couldn’t reach the top shelves without stools and the stools were always inconvenient to get and hard to find. It was like it was a curse upon Ranboo, just a way to inconvenience him in a way that wasn’t noticeable until he needed a stool in the library specifically.
Mr. Philza had pushed the dummy away while he had been zoning out, Ranboo looking back at him to see him holding a twin pair of katanas after wrapping the handles. They looked new, unlike the old ones that he had seen on the man’s waist when he had been in meetings with important people. Ranboo wished he got the chance to have a better look, but he didn’t want to give himself away now.
Despite all the help he had had, the rule that he had to stay out of sight and out of mind was one that was engraved into his mind. Ranboo didn’t think he would forget it as easily as he hoped, but he didn’t think he would tell anyone else about the rules, either.
Mr. Philza made a large sweeping cut through the air with one of his swords, the two moving in harmony as they whirled like they weighed nothing in his hands. Ranboo found himself entrances, watching the way that the light glinted off of the metal and the clangs they would make when they occasionally hit against each other and finding something in them that made his eyes light up. Eventually, the man slowed down, after what had to have been half-an-hour, setting them to the side with a thump and lowering himself down to sit cross-legged on the mat.
He looked tired, but Ranboo had expended most of his patience already, so he slowly made his way close before picking up speed and sitting down next to Mr. Philza on the mat.
The man didn’t startle, panting slightly as he tilted his head back to face the ceiling. Ranboo didn’t curl directly into his side just yet, letting Mr. Philza take a sip from his water bottle. The child kicked his feet out a bit, looking down at them and reaching out to try and touch his toes with his fingers.
Ranboo was startled for a moment when he felt a hand on his back, straightening up to look back up at the man, who held a small smile on his face. The child smiled back, shuffling over to curl up into Mr. Philza’s side.
“Hey, Ranboo,” Mr. Philza greeted, rubbing his back gently. Ranboo trilled a bit under the comfort of his hand, tail waving a bit.
“Hi, Mr. Philza,” He greeted, his voice slightly soft but still louder than it had been when he had first come to the castle.
“Hiya, songbird. How’re you?” He greeted, his voice lilting up as he spoke in a soft tone that was reserved for baby animals, crows, and Ranboo. The child shrugged a bit, picking at nothing on the mat.
“I’m goods. Mr. Techo got busy so I went ‘sploring. Found you here,” He said matter-of-factly, looking up at Mr. Philza as he scooted closer to his side, a wing extended automatically to wrap around his shoulders. Ranboo found it incredibly comforting, like a sense of home was instilled within the feathers.
“Is that so?” Mr. Philza asked, a bit amused. Ranboo nodded again, blinking slowly as he reached a hand out after turning around so he could face them properly.
“Mhm mhm,” He answered absently, running his fingers through his feathers gently as he leaned forward to press his face into them. He giggled a bit at the feeling of them against his cheek, Mr. Philza seemed amused by him rather than angry, pulling him in a bit closer and leaving a hand in his hair, as though petting him.
“I see, I see,” He said, a smile in his voice. Ranboo turned back and leaned so he could rest his head on Mr. Philza’s leg, curling up closer to him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted the shiny swords and was reminded that he had noticed them earlier.
“What’sa- Is that a- that a- that a-” Ranboo stumbled over his words, getting a bit frustrated as he got stuck in a loop of repeating the two words. His face screwed up slightly as he spoke, Mr. Philza noticing.
“Give yourself a moment,” Mr. Philza reminded him, Ranboo nodding before closing his eyes and giving himself a chance to calm down before speaking again after taking a deep breath.
“Is that a new sword?” He enunciated, making sure that he wouldn’t ruin the words once more. Mr. Philza brightened up at that, grinning a bit as he answered.
“Yeah, did you notice how shiny they are? Much shinier than the last pair,” He commented, reaching for them to examine one of them. Ranboo watched as he tilted them to change the angle of the way that the light bounced off of the metal, finding it satisfying.
“Why’d you replace ‘em?” Ranboo asked, curiosity getting the best of him.
“Hmm. Well, the old ones got- well, old , so I decided I should get a new pair,” Mr. Philza answered, laughing a bit at the end of the sentence. Ranboo hummed a bit, looking over at the swords once more before an idea popped into his mind.
“Can I name one of them?” He asked, a bit eager as he sat up. Mr. Philza nodded, chuckling as Ranboo sat up properly and leaned back into his wings instead, which caught him gently.
“Go for it, mate,” He prompted. Ranboo sat for a moment, thinking to himself for a few minutes before he lit up, remembering something he heard Mr. Techno mutter under his breath once.
“Mm… Stabza!” Ranboo decided, grinning as it drew a bark of a laugh out of Mr. Philza. It was relieving, like a vote of confidence in the fact that he was able to make people feel things and that he wasn’t useless.
“Is that so? Stabza?” Mr. Philza question, tone tinged with amusement that made him laugh a little bit. Ranboo nodded furiously in response, gaining a soft smile from the man as a wing curled around him closer.
“Stabza it is, then.” Mr. Philza nodded sagely at the declaration, humming a bit as he pulled Ranboo closer to him and rocked the child alongside him. He didn’t move much in protest, only sniffing a bit before pressing himself into Mr. Philza’s side, one hand reaching out to the feathers that surrounded him before hesitating, being reminded of a question. He wanted to ignore it for a moment, but Mr. Philza was kind and he was braver than he had been in a while.
“Why do you always, um- why- why do you keep the wing covers on all of the time when we’re outside?”
Ranboo froze just as Mr. Philza did at the question, regret pulsing through him like a reminder that he couldn’t do anything right, that he had ruined the fragile trust between the two of them and he had forgotten that he wasn’t allowed to talk, wasn’t supposed to think or feel or cry or-
“Hey, hey hey hey, it’s okay, calm down,” Mr. Philza’s voice cut in, soft and gentle as a hand rubbed his back carefully. Ranboo sucked in a painful breath through his mouth, fighting not to cough before he shook his head again, burying it in Mr. Philza’s side. The man sighed, a bit relieved before he petted Ranboo’s head further, gentle as he did so.
“I’m not mad, it just took me by surprise,” Mr. Philza explained nicely. Ranboo didn’t know why he wasn’t punished, but he wasn’t going to complain, instead opting to burrow further into his side in a silent thanks for the man’s kindness. “It’s a bit of a complicated matter, you see.”
Ranboo hesitated, not wanting to confront the man further so soon after devolving into near-panic, but curiosity was a box and he had opened the lid without any qualms, so he made the move to ask to elaborate besides the fact that his heart was still thrumming.
“Whaddya mean?” There was a slight tremor to his voice that Ranboo tried to hide, though Mr. Philza didn’t comment on it. It was something small he was grateful for.
Mr. Philza hesitated before he spoke, “It’s grown-up stuff, bud. Maybe I’ll tell you later.”
“I won’t snitch if that’s what it is,” Ranboo muttered under his breath, not expecting the man to hear, though it was followed by a bark of laughter that ended up proving the opposite.
“Who taught you that word?” He asked, amused at the choice of words from the child. Ranboo opened his mouth before sitting back, pursing his lips as his tail thumped against the ground once.
“... I’m not telling. See, that means I really won’t!” Mr. Philza seemed to find his word convincing enough, simply snickering under his breath before he nodded, positioning himself to sit in front of Ranboo cross-legged. He was facing him head-on, comforting the child with the view of his face, unmarred with anger.
“If you’re sure, then,” He said simply, as though sealing their fate. Mr. Philza leaned forward to pull him a bit closer, encasing the two in a hug with his wings that made Ranboo giggle a bit as he was hoisted up. Mr. Philza didn’t seem to mind his feathers brushing the ground, though Ranboo was pretty sure that if it was anyone else they would have been at least a bit upset.
“Well, it was a while ago,” Mr. Philza started, grabbing Ranboo’s attention right away. “And I was new to the kingdom thing. To ruling, at least, because me and Techno only started doing this a few years ago, not forever.”
Ranboo’s eyes widened at this new knowledge, surprised. With how professional both Mr. Philza and Mr. Techno acted, he assumed they had been doing this forever, not just a few years. It just went to show how little he knew about the people he lived with, a small part of his mind whispered to him, which Ranboo promptly shoved down.
“We had been talking to this country about something, and at the time, I used to have my wings out all the time, right? Like, it was almost obnoxious, mate, with how much I would flaunt them, like they were little targets for people to see and go, ‘Ah, there’s that annoying Philza again,’” The man said, drawing a bit of a laugh out of Ranboo, though the child shook his head as well.
“I don’t think you’re annoying,” Ranboo informed Mr. Philza, gaining a smile from him.
“I appreciate that Ranboo, but a lot of people would disagree with you. Anyway, it had turned out that this country, in particular, was going to be extra… bad, you see,” Mr. Philza said, pausing before he had said the last part. Ranboo felt a bit of unease crawl up his spine despite the way that Mr. Philza was slowly rubbing his back.
“They thought Techno was the one in charge of everything since he’s big and scary, so they decided to take me to try and make him listen to them,” Mr. Philza said, a bit of a strained smile on his face as Ranboo frowned, his hands curling into the front of his black tank top in an attempt to occupy his hands.
“...But Mr. Techno’s not big and scary,” Ranboo said, his voice barely a breath as he danced around the new elephant in the room. Mr. Philza seemed to have noticed, though he didn’t say anything in particular.
“Not to you, but to a lot of people who try to hurt people who he cares about,” Mr. Philza hummed as an explanation, running his fingers through Ranboo’s hair as they twitched minutely. Ranboo didn’t draw attention to it, staying silent so Mr. Philza could finish his story.
“Well,” Mr. Philza continued after a minute too long of silence, “After they took me, they tried to hurt my wings a lot. Since I was dumb and showed them all over the place and made a big deal out of them. And they only had me for a few days, but it still hurt a lot, so I decided that to make sure it wouldn’t happen again, I would hide them a bit more, yeah?”
His voice was soft during the explanation but it still managed to pierce Ranboo’s heart in an odd way that he didn’t understand. The child stayed silent for a moment, trying to piece together his thoughts before he spoke, his words a bit wobbly.
“You said it was ‘cause you showed your wings a lot?” Mr. Philza paused as if realizing the wording of his story just now. He nodded slowly afterwards, fingers stuttering in Ranboo’s hair.
“A little bit,” Mr. Philza admitted, making Ranboo’s frown deepen. The child took a deep breath before he spoke, his words shaky as he did so.
“If it- If- When Mr- Mr. Master, he hurted me, and it- You said it wasn’t my fault then, then- It wasn’t, you can’t say- It’s not your fault they hurted your wings. ‘Cause you’re not supposed to hurt people like that. You said, you and Mr. Tech’o said,” Ranboo said, his voice quivering with unshed tears.
Mr. Philza paused before he nodded slowly, pulling Ranboo closer to rest his chin on top of the child’s head, taking in a slow, calming breath that Ranboo appreciated, copying it to stop himself from crying. He didn’t know what Mr. Philza was thinking, but with the small sniffle he heard, he didn’t say anything further on what he had commented.
“Thank you, Ranboo,” Mr. Philza said, his voice shaky as he pressed a kiss onto the child’s head. Ranboo hummed quietly, pressing his face into Mr. Philza’s shoulder as the two let themselves breathe in the middle of the exercise mat.
After a while, Ranboo heard a pair of footsteps and a conversation grow louder as they passed by before they paused in unison. There was confusion in the muffled words he heard before he heard Mr. Philza’s name be called by what sounded like Mr. Bur.
“Ranboo?” Came the man’s voice, Mr. Philza uncurling from around him, though he hid his face behind his forearms as Mr. Techno sat on his feet next to him, worried as he kept a hand on his shoulders. Ranboo turned to Mr. Bur, who was giving him a concerned look he didn’t quite understand.
“Is Mr. Philza okay?” Ranboo asked in lieu of a greeting, Mr. Bur looking behind him as if to find an answer. Ranboo was going to turn around before Mr. Bur offered him a hand and led him outside after he took it, leaned over a bit to account for Ranboo’s height.
“He’ll be fine, Boo,” Mr. Bur reassured him. Ranboo hummed quietly, looking over his shoulder to see Mr. Techno whispering to Mr. Philza as the two held hands tightly. Ranboo watched them for a minute before he continued onwards, simply reminiscing in the feeling of wings wrapped around him and the warmth of his hand in Mr. Bur’s.