You were just minding your own business. Existing, or something close to it. The kind of day where surviving felt like a full-time job and you weren’t looking to do anything more intense than breathing. The quiet was nice, uneventful.
And then Telamon appeared out of thin air like some kind of shadow trick, right behind you with zero warning.
“Holy—?!” you coughed, stumbling back a step. “Dude, you can’t just- appear like that!”
Telamon, ever so casual, tilted his head and offered a slight wave, like he hadn’t just scared the absolute hell out of you. You waved back instinctively, trying to pretend your heart wasn’t still doing Olympic-level gymnastics in your chest.
.. Did smt just move??
It was subtle at first. Just a faint rustle behind him, the back of his robe shifting unnaturally, like something underneath it was trying to move. Your eyes narrowed, body tensing. Was it… was he evolving or something..??
Telamon didn’t seem to notice at first, still smiling that calm, detached smile he always wore. But you weren’t smiling. Your first thought? Monster. Evolving into a beast. Definitely about to sprout tentacles or spines or some other horror-flick nonsense.
Like you just wanna FREAKING RUN and then A wing. Lifted A literal, actual wing.
Telamon blinked, then turned slowly to glance behind him. The moment his gaze landed on the half-unfurled wing poking out of his robe, his expression shifted from surprise to resignation.
“Ah… crap,” he muttered.
“Oh, come on. Let me see them!”
“No.”
“I’ll stop asking after five minutes!”
“You say that now.” he muttered, avoiding your gaze and trying to subtly pull his robe back over the wing.
“Telamon.”
Telamon sighed heavily, His shoulder slumped. “You’re not going to stop until I give in, are you?”
“Correct.”
Another long pause. His eye twitched. And finally, with a resigned groan, he turned slightly, It stretched out gracefully, the feathers gleaming in the light, long and elegant and way more majestic than you had expected.