Clipped Wings and Gilded Cages {Anatoni}

[Demetrius Wolfbane]

When Demetrius first discovered he was a meta, he thought it was going to be something amazing. He thought that he'd finally be able to experience a freedom that he'd never had before. No more answering the beck and call of doctors. No longer having to skip out on normal teenage activities just because he might get hurt. But instead... Instead he was grounded. In the literal sense of the word. The giant wings he thought would be lifting him past his responsibilities and confines were instead hampering him. They were putting even more weight upon him. Sure, he could draw the out and pull them in. But no one had let him fly.

"A dislocated shoulder," they said, "takes longer to heal when you don't remember to favor it."

Like he didn't already know that? Like he didn't already long to reach the stars, to finally feel the strain of something as he pushed himself too hard. Like he didn't already want to fly as far away as he could go? It didn't help that even the little bit of freedom he thought he would be able to grasp was taken away due to his young age. It didn't matter that he wanted to try and take care of himself- he had to show up to the Infirmary every single day. It didn't matter that he wanted to deliver his own documents- they had already done it. He could feel the chains tightening around him.

The last couple days the feeling of being caged had gotten worse, and eventually Demetrius was left with no real option but to break curfew. Rules be damned. At least he would stay on campus. So the boy shoved on a black knit cap, leaving on what he had worn to school that day, and slipped out of his dorm room. After that he headed outside and wandered through the courtyard to reach the pond, plopping down by the water's edge rather peacefully.

Crickets that were just beginning to stir from the winter sung nearby as the boy flopped out on his back, settling down so his newly released wings could spread out under him. Not exactly the most comfortable position, but he couldn't think of any other way to practice pulling them out whenever he please while still looking at the stars. Demetrius' flapped once to settle himself in the slightly damp grass before he tilted his head, green eyes reflecting the startling white glimmers of long dead stars.

((A/N:
It's probably midnight or something? Or... Whenever. I dunno. Pretty late, though.))

[Anatoni Ikaika]

Anatoni had come to a realization in the ten years he’d been at Hammel, whether or not his ‘realization’ was accurate or not was another story. He’d realized that kids didn't change. Yes, fads came and went and appearances changed. But for the most part, they stayed the same. Most followed the rules; the smart ones that got good grades and the jocks that hoped for scholarships. Some toed the lines; the art and drama kids. And just broke the rules. But it was easier to spot the ones who broke rules.

They were the ones sneaking around outside after curfew.

Like the kid he’d seen simply walk out of his dorm as if it were nothing. Anatoni had to hand it to him though, as the student seemed to be relatively unbothered by his own rule breaking and not nervous. His job had him following the boy, but curiosity had him falling back to see where it was he was going.

At least the student had made a good pick of where to go in his opinion. The pond was relaxing and so filled with life that he’d spent hours there when he was a student to. Hell, he’d still spend hours at the pond it he weren't usually working when he was on campus.

Being as big as he was, it was nearly impossible for Anatoni to ever hide his approach. So he didn't bother to try at that moment, he even turned on his flashlight and aimed it at the ground near the boy. “You know I can’t let you stay here, right?” He said when he was standing beside the kid’s head. “We’ll both get in trouble for that.”

[Demetrius Wolfbane]

The first warning Demetrius had of the bulky bodyguard wasn't the heavy footfalls, nor was it the flashlight he was swinging about. No, the first warning Demetrius had of the other was the crickets going silent in just one direction. Normally one would have attempted to run once they realized they were caught but Demetrius only sighed softly. It didn't surprise him someone had come to shove him in the cage so soon after finding refugee. His nonchalance was broken by the beam of the flashlight, and the winged boy flapped quickly, hard enough that he shoved his upper body off the ground. "FUCK!" The first word out of his mouth was, of course, profanity. Though, the glare he was currently shooting his freedom giving wings could confirm that it wasn't meant for the guard.

After a few moments, the silence broken only by the cricket's mating calls and the gentle sound of wings beating the air, Demetrius looked up from under his black hair to stare at the male with burning green eyes. "You ruined my view, mind turnin' off your damn flashlight?" His voice was slurred with exhaustion but still maintained his usual biting tone. He was working hard on seeming unfazed by the -frankly- far too large male standing over him, his only discomfort shown by the still beating wings that were further sapping his energy. God only knew what flying was going to be like when someone finally let him do it.

"You can always say you caught me later on or some shit like that." The small boy pointed out with a rather knowing smirk. After that he just flopped back on the ground as though he weren't headed to getting detention and tried to return to his earlier vision of dead stars. "Or join to make sure I don't run off."

[Anatoni Ikaika]

Surprise had Anatoni taking a big step backwards when part of his body sprung up. And that was when he got a really good, close look at the boy’s wings. The security guard was sure he hadn’t seen those walking the halls before. They’d drawn his attention so much so that the fact that the boy had sworn when unnoticed. At least the first one. The second swear to fall from the boy’s mouth had Anatoni looking at him with a look of surprise mixed with authority.

Even though his voice hadn’t been strong or hurtful, there was still a gruff tone to it that Anatoni didn’t appreciate. “If you think talking to me that way is gonna get you your way, you’re wrong.” Despite the fact that the student had been rude, Anatoni at least shined the light away from them and pointed it back towards the buildings of the school.

An easy man to persuade, the Hammel staff member turned off his flashlight and laid on the ground though a few feet away from the boy. “Only because I like the view too.” Anatoni looked up at the stars, an immediate sense of calm and ease falling over him. “Ten minutes, understand? Then I’m escorting you back to your room. And I’m still gonna have to give your name over to the big guys that run the show here.” He did, after all, still have a job to do and handing over the rule breakers was part of that.

[Demetrius Wolfbane]

Anatoni's reaction to his wings went unnoticed by Demetrius as he focused on try to still the almost automatic reaction his wings seemed to have to betray his emotions. It took a few deep breaths to calm down his wings and his heart. The glare he was shooting the offending appendages certainly wasn't helping the matter any.


Demetrius' eyebrow raised questioningly at the guard's conflicting words and actions. First the large male said he couldn't get his way, then he obliged the student what was requested in the same breath. Of course, he had no way of knowing his tone came off rude. Since he wasn't actively trying to insult the other, nor was he trying to be friendly, Demetrius just assumed his voice was in a neutral tonne. Obviously that wasn't the case, but the winged boy didn't pick up on that particular piece of the sentence.

A smirk pulled at the young boy's lips as he watched the large man lay down on the grass near him. Though not close enough that they were touching, thank god. Well... Except for the fact one of Demetrius' wings kept brushing against him as he tried to settle into his earlier position. "Y'know," He begun casually, as though he were conversing with Mathis and not a bulky security guard, "if you plan on turning me in by name, you probably need to know it." There was a quiet pause as the crickets began to return to their earlier mating calls. "It's Demetrius Wolfbane, in case you were wondering." His rather blatant statement was broken only by a loud yawn. "Now this is the part in the conversation where you share your name..." He provided casually, too tired to care about purposefully biting at anyone near him. Instead he was content to stare at the long dead stars, wishing he had the energy to go flying rather than barely having the energy to keep his wings out.