Take Care of You

The aftermath of their little "punishment" was not pretty.

Throughout the night, Keigo and Touya would jolt awake from nightmares filled with flames and heat. Minds cloudy and bodies sore, they would lay there, shaking with panic until Kio pulled them closer, soothed their aching limbs with cool hands and wiped their tears away. He would kiss their forehead, whispering promises of safety before gently coaxing them back to sleep.

Keigo woke up more often than Touya, the nubs on his back twitching with distress. Kio had to make sure he slept on his stomach so he didn't damage what was left of his wings. He would smooth a hand down his back, between the small nubs and rub gently at the sensitive area, feeling the tense muscles relax under his palm until gold eyes fluttered shut.

The few times Touya awoke, his body would heat up, quirk activating in response to his panic. Kio would pull him off the bed, so as not to disturb Keigo, and cradle him in his arms, rocking him gently. He would tremble softly, clutching at his shirt as Kio took the time to change his bandages. The beginnings of purple scars littered his arms, neck and the bottom of his jaw. He took extra care when tending to him, rubbing in the moisturiser and kissing at the small marks before finally setting his sleepy body back in their nest.

Kio himself stayed up most of the night, periodically changing their bandages and making sure their more severe wounds didn't get infected. His instincts were running wild, laser-focused on caring for his family and only letting him sleep for a few minutes at a time. He would just lay there, keeping them close and wrapped in his wings as they slept (somewhat) peacefully.

All in all, it was a horrible night for all of them.

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Touya startled awake once more, panic gripping at his mind as heat clawed under his skin. His blue eyes darted around the room wildly, the heat only getting stronger as his panic grew.

Cool hands wrapped around him, picking him up and cradling him against a strong chest. Soft purrs soothed his mind, the heat slowly receding as hands ran over his body, removing the bandages. He sighed with relief as dark wings curled around him, a different, more comforting warmth setting in. He stayed quiet, relaxed and content as gentle hands tended to his wounds.

Glancing up, his eyes managed to focus on a familiar face, twisted with concentration. Kio was still in his bigger form, Touya could see his tail swishing behind him. He reached a hand out, opening his mouth to call Kio's name, but his throat burned as he tried to speak. Raspy coughs shook his form, his body curling in with the pain. He could feel Kio's hands smooth down his back, holding him through his coughing fit.

When he finally calmed down, he was left trembling and gasping for air, throat burning even more afterwards. A bottle was pressed to his lips. He opened his mouth, gulping down the water and soothing his throat. He pulled away with a small sigh of relief, curling towards Kio as he felt the ache reside slowly.

Kio cradled him in his arms, rocking him back and forth as he purred softly. He finished changing his bandages, the wounds looked much better than they did yesterday.

Eventually, Touya stirred and opened his eyes. He raised his arms above his head, stretching out the muscles and blinking up at Kio. A sleepy but happy smile graced his lips before he carefully climbed out of his lap. He pointed towards the bathroom, not able to talk just yet due to his throat.

Kio nodded, watching as he stepped away. He sighed, moving to stretch his legs out a bit before a small scream had him scrambling towards the bed. Keigo had rolled onto his back, the sensitive nubs now squished against the sheets. He writhed in pain, arms and legs weakly flailing about. Kio quickly scooped him up, holding him against his shoulder and rubbing gently at the area just below the nubs.

Keigo squirmed, arms wrapping around Kio's neck as hot tears slid down his cheeks. His back ached , the small nubs twitching wildly as pain seared his nerves. Kio's hands were soothing, they helped ease the pain little by little.

Touya poked his head out of the bathroom, toothbrush hanging from his lips. He shot a concerned glance towards Keigo, looking to Kio with wide eyes. Kio gave him a reassuring smile and a small thumbs-up, turning to whisper softly in Keigo's ear. Touya lingered, watching with gentle eyes as Keigo giggled quietly at something Kio said. He stepped back into the bathroom, knowing Kio would take good care of Keigo.

It took a while, but eventually, the pain subsided, leaving Keigo limp and worn out in Kio's arms. His head lay on Kio's shoulder, small hand drawing shapes on his neck as Kio rocked him gently.

Touya stepped out of the bathroom, feeling nice and refreshed despite the bandages covering most of his body. He smiled up at Kio as he grabbed some clothes from the dresser, pointing from Keigo to the bathroom. Kio nods, reaching down to ruffle his hair and check over his bandages. Kio crouches, moving to put Keigo down so he could go to the bathroom. Keigo rubs at his puffy eyes, before pattering away to get cleaned up.

Seeing the other two awake and moving around did wonders for Kio's mind. His instincts stopped screaming at him, settling down and allowing the tension to fade from his body. He took a deep breath, finally able to shift back to normal. He felt his muscles contract, body shrinking down to his usual height. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he undid the transformation. His limbs immediately started to ache, the stretch was something he still wasn't used to and the fact that he had kept it up all night did not help.

Touya glanced over after pulling on some baggy clothes, just in time to see Kio's knees buckle. He lunged forward, catching him before he could hit the floor. He opened his mouth to speak, but could only manage a pathetic little croak as his throat constricted with pain. Wincing slightly, he instead decided to move Kio over to the bed, tucking him into the blankets.

Kio smiled up at him through bleary eyes, fatigue clinging to his form. He reached a hand out, pulling Touya down into the sheets with him and wrapping an arm around him. Touya smiled back, curling into his side and running his fingers through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Lifting his head, Kio called out for Keigo who quickly emerged from the bathroom. He waved his hand, motioning for him to climb onto the bed with them.

Keigo's little nubs twitched happily before he scrambled towards the bed, crawling up to Kio's other side. He snuggled down onto Kio's chest, remembering the pain from earlier and keeping his back off the sheets. Reaching a hand up, he continued drawing little shapes onto his neck and collarbone, feeling his pulse beat gently under his fingers.

Kio wrapped them up in his wings, pulling them closer and finally closing his eyes. Keigo's fingers tracing his neck and Touya's hand running through his hair quickly lulled him to sleep, a content sigh leaving his lips as he drifted away. Keigo and Touya stayed awake, Keigo chirping away happily as Touya relaxed and snuggled closer to Kio.

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He managed to sleep for a good two hours before loud banging at the door caused him to jolt awake. He immediately sat up, clutching Touya and Keigo close to him as the door swung open.

Two employees stood at the door, moving to step into the room but freezing at Kio's small growl. Instead, they decided to just speak from the doorway.

"You're late for training."

Keigo and Touya winced at the thought of training, they were still sore from the 'punishment' last night and couldn't possibly handle anything more. They clung to Kio, pressing in closer to him as he curled his wings around them protectively.

"They're not going anywhere."

"Not them. You."

"I'm not going either."

The men stepped forward. One of them raised his hand, snapping his fingers before flashes of fire and screams filled Kio's mind. It was a warning, a threat, telling him to behave and listen. Kio faltered, clutching desperately to Keigo and Touya as the men advanced. Maybe it would be better if he co-operated…?

Those thoughts flew out the window at Keigo's distressed chirp and Touya's small whimper. With renewed determination, he wrapped them completely in his wings, eyes set in a hard glare, but they could still see the fear hiding behind the anger.

Kio grit his teeth, spitting out a harsh "please!" , before taking a deep breath and speaking much more calmly.

"Please, they're still hurt. They still need me to look after them."

The men stopped at the foot of the bed, looking over the trio as they curled even tighter around each other. Seeing their hesitance, Kio spoke up once more, feeling slightly more confident.

"I'm sure you guys don't want your top trainees to miss too much training right? So if you let me look after them, they'll get better a lot faster."

The men looked at each other, one leaving the room to phone a higher up while the other stayed out to keep an eye on them.

Keigo glanced up at Kio, tears shining in his eyes as his nubs twitched with worry. Kio ran a hand through his hair, feeling how he leaned into the touch. His eyes never left the man standing above them, but he leaned down to whisper soothingly in their ears.

The other man came back in after a while, nodding to his co-worker before stepping out and walking away. The man turned to the three boys, who stiffened and waited with bated breaths.

"You have 2 weeks, if you can't heal them by then, they'll just have to do it by themselves."

With that, he walked out, closing and locking the door behind him. The three immediately collapsed in on themselves, breathing sighs of relief as they fell back onto the bed. With a small chuckle, Kio turned to kiss each of their foreheads.

"I told you I'd stay by your side, and I intend to keep it that way."

Keigo and Touya grinned, before reaching up to kiss his cheeks and giggling at the blush that formed on his skin. Kio smiled back before reluctantly getting up and making his way to the bathroom.

"It's about time to change your bandages anyway."

He peaked over his shoulder at the other two, who were watching him with trusting eyes. He smiled softly, heart swelling with love.

"I'll look after you guys. You don't have to worry about a thing."

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Of course, they healed well under Kio's constant care and attention, but 2 weeks wasn't quite enough and Kio was forced to attend his sessions while Keigo and Touya did their best to care for each other while he was gone. It only took a few extra days before they were deemed well enough to take part again.

Most of Keigo's feathers had grown back, which Kio and Touya were especially happy about, taking up preening his wings every night before bed. Touya had small scars littering his skin, which Keigo and Kio would kiss over whenever they had some time alone.

For months, the three of them were much more subdued, the threat of 'punishment' always looming over them. They threw themselves into their training, wanting to get stronger so they could protect each other next time.

The other trainees noticed, and although they didn't talk to the boys, their energy and confidence would always lift their spirits. They were the only ones full of life and hope, while the others just focused on getting through the day. So seeing them quiet and fearful upset the system very much. The other trainees became antsy and agitated, messing up more and more during their sessions.

Eventually, the commission noticed the strange behaviour and stopped with their threats.

Over time, the boys went back to normal now that they weren't constantly being reminded of that time. They remained almost glued together, and still worked hard during training, but now they were back to their lively selves.