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"You didn't tell me it could talk, Green!"
Green froze. They all froze actually, staring at the pair of wings still wrapped around Second's back.
"What... what do you mean?" Red asked, just a bit too wary to be unnoticeable, but not wary enough for Second to catch. Not wary enough to keep Second from saying,
"Well, not talk I guess, but, like, it can say yes or no! And maybe! One flap for yes, two flaps for no! And three flaps for maybe. It made that one up itself.”
Green shared a glance with Labby. Then Red. Then focused back on Second, grin just a bit too tight to be real. "Second, it can't..."
"No, see, watch! Raise your… left wing up to say hi!"
The wings remain still. Stiller than they usually were, on Green. That was odd, though. Green had had the cloak for the longest time, should it be super reactive with him? Second had thought that the cloak was a part of Green up until now, and its little motions and gestures only helped with that theory. It was only when Second tried it on himself that he realized just how separate it was. How expressive. How easy it was to read, and how fun it was to talk to. No wonder Green loved it—it was like having a friend on your back at all times.
Well, it was like that. At the moment, it was pretty lackluster. Second grew more confused, as the wings stayed more frozen than ice. Maybe it needed something easier?
"Uh... one flap for hi?"
Nothing. Labby breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, at the lack of proof.
A pout. "Are you shy? C'mon, it's ok, the gems are ok!"
Second grinned as he felt the wings flutter ever so gently, so clearly not his own doing. Going up and down twice in a motion as graceful as a piece of clothing could give. Now they'd have to believe him! The cloak had said hi.
No, wait, it gave Second two flaps, not one. Two flaps for no.
Second looked up at the rest of the group. Labby’s hand was covering her mouth, beyond concerned, horrified . Green was clenching the edge of his shirt. Red’s eyes were wide open, like if he blinked they would disappear.
“Uh, guys? What, um, what's up?”
The gems were all so good at reading each other, they didn't need words to communicate. They were in tune, almost always on the same beat of a song Second could never hear. He thought it was the coolest at times.
Second held the edge of one of the wings. He didn't think it was very cool now, especially as they started stepping forward.
"I need you to return that to me, Second." Green never used his full name. "I, uh, just want to make sure it's... undamaged."
"Like it can even be fixed if it is," Red muttered lowly, before Green kicked him in the back of the leg. "Ow!"
Second swallowed. "What's going on?"
"Red's joking! And you know how bad his jokes are." Green grinned, and it was so fake Second took a step back, especially as the others suddenly felt crowding. Trapping. Getting a little closer, moment by moment. "Just, ah, give it back."
The wings were shaking. The finest little tremors that were so clear against Second's back, against the tips of his fingers. He swiped a thumb against the thin material. "I don't know... It feels scared. I don't think it wants this.”
"It's just a cloak, Second. It can't want anything." Labby crouched down, "Give it back to us."
Second gripped the wing a little tighter, shaking his head. The fabric was warm. The tremors were sharper, now, getting worse as Labby got close.. Far, far too clear.
"N...no! no, it doesn't want to, I don't want to."
"I want my cloak back, Second." Green's voice was just a little dangerous. "Now."
Labby nodded, "It's for the best, cmon, listen to Green."
They reached out, Green stepping closer, Red closing in, and, and–
“It said no!”
He smacked whatever was reaching for him, catching whatever else was in the way. Fast and hard, no doubt stinging just a little.
Whatever else was Labby. He'd slapped Labby hard enough to move her hair out of the way. Second could see the gem that Labby kept hidden under her hair was yellow and sharp. The eye underneath, inverted colors and sharper.
“...Second?” She fixed her hair, “You have one more chance. Give it to us.”
Second, shakily, raised his fists. Slid into a stance for fighting, lowered himself just a little. “It doesn't want to go with you.”
Labby straightened. “Green? Red?”
“Y…yeah, Labradorite?” Green asked.
“Get the cloak.”
Second shouted, as the three slammed into him, into the floor and bruising hard. The cloak was almost torn, from the way that Red grabbed at it, tugging hard enough to nearly choke Second with the clasp, only stopping when Second managed to kick Red back, sending him across the floor. It got the others to pause.
“It's for your own good, Second! And its own good!” Green shouted, and started to reach for Second’s shoulders. He took that as his sign to run. To pick himself up and push off the ground and throw the door open to escape.
He stumbled, and scraped his knees as he fell onto the sand right at the end of the stairs. He'd grown up on the beach, and the sand had always been his friend, but now it felt heavy, hurtful, kicking up and tripping him as he ran. It was always so hard to run on the beach.
“ Second! Get back here right now, or—" Second clamped their hands over their ears before he could hear the rest of Labby's threat. He couldn't falter, not with this, not right now. Not when the cloak was flapping frantically, almost carrying him into the air.
Not when Green had looked so scared back when Second had told them, or Red swallowed and glanced to the rest of the gems, unsure. Not when there was genuine panic in Labby’s voice when she chased Second down. Panic, and maybe even anger. Second had never heard Labby angry.
(He’d never hit any of them before either. Not for anything but a spar).
Second ducked behind a rock, panting. They couldn't run forever. Couldn't hide forever. He gasped, coughing al little, pressing fingers into where the clasp had choked him. One wing came up to lightly press against his hand. Worried.
"Hey, cloak? I... They're going to catch up."
If a piece of clothing could be hysteric, then it would be this one, from the way it started to shudder. Second took it off and hugged it close to try and calm it down. He could feel it in his arms, fluttering frantically, shivering, before finally wrapping around Second too. They didn't get it until they realized the way it started slipping off a little, like it was tired. No, like it was resigned.
Like it had accepted its fate. What that fate was, Second didn’t know.
“They're going to find us,” Second repeated, "So you need to tell me what I can do to help."
For a moment, the fabric didn't move. Then, after a twitch, one came up. Then the other, gently pushing his arms up. The tips reached his hands, and positioned them right at the gem right at the base of the wings, keeping them together.
"Wh—what?"
The wings fell. Red shouted, somewhere behind him.
Second's fingers curled around the gem.
Ah. He knew what he had to do.