Chapter Text
He’s not nervous.
He’s fiddling with the corner of their now-empty lunch box’s plastic cover by dragging his nails across it, shaking his knee in place, and doing his best to ignore the thoughts bouncing around in his brain, the many unique ways this trip of theirs can go wrong.
Okay, maybe Crow is nervous. A bit.
The late afternoon rays of the sun shine through the light frost accumulating on the window panes of the chugging train, the uneven pink-coloured shapes highlighting Altina’s hands pressed together on her lap beside him. Across from them, Rean places his empty lunch box onto the empty space on the cushion seat beside him. Above, their luggage rattles inside the overhead compartment, straps swaying with the movement of the train, jostling and knocking against the walls as their background noise.
They’re about an hour away from reaching Ymir by train, the famous Hot Springs Paradise, also known as Rean’s hometown.
This short trip’s been planned for a little over a month, it didn’t hit Crow until walking through the station at Roer for a train transfer that he’s going to meet Rean’s family for the first time. Rean isn’t making a big deal of it, so neither should Crow, but the memory of his Pop’s unwanted dating advice and explanations of expected hurdles makes it hard to keep his cool about it.
He’s meeting the Schwarzer family for the first time, in their territory, and he has no absolute idea what to do with himself.
The Schwarzer Barony consists of Rean, his younger sister, and his parents. His younger sister is kind and everything nice, and that’s the same for the rest of the family. His mother manages the mansion, his father takes care of the paperwork and the townspeople, and together they manage the town’s affairs.
That’s honestly about as much as he knows, from sticking together the bits and pieces that Rean tells them. Which is totally great, cool cool.
Rean stands up from his seat and cuts off his thoughts, stretching his arms and opening his multiple mouths to let out mighty yawns, somehow keeping his balance despite the tilting of the train. It spreads to Crow (doesn’t cover his mouth) and Altina (covers her mouth).
“I’m going to take a little walk,” he says as he blinks the red eye on his cheek and rubs at his lilac eyes. He’s definitely full, especially from eating the lively atmosphere of their meeting with some of Class VII in Heimdallr this morning. “Do you want to join me, Altina?”
Altina flinches and straightens in her seat. It takes her a moment to recover and shake her head.
“All right. Take good care of Crow for me, okay?” Rean says with a cheeky smile on his fanged mouth, sliding his ARCUS into his pocket.
“Understood,” she says with a stiff salute, her fingers shaky.
“I don’t need babysittin’.” Crow pouts as he crosses his arms, the empty lunch box forgotten to the side. He’s been behaving on their rides, the most mischief he gets to is the harmless bets they place on their Blade games.
“Whatever you say.” Rean shakes his head, his red eye fond as he rolls his lilac eyes.
With that, he turns and walks away from their seats, towards the end of the carriage and out the door. It leaves Crow alone with Altina, the other passengers dotted around paying them no heed.
Altina lets out a sigh bigger than her small body should handle. Crow can relate.
“You okay, li’l lady?” he asks, patting her shoulder to give her some comfort. From her fidgeting and tight lips to her leaning her whole weight onto the cushions behind them, she’s been ping-ponging between nervous and excited for most of this late stretch of their ride.
“I...” She hesitates, glancing at the door Rean disappeared out, then turns back. “I am nervous at the thought of meeting Rean’s family.”
“Ya ain’t the only one feeling that, for sure.” Crow leans forward and scratches the back of his neck. “Anything specific that’s got you this extra fidgety?”
“What if they don’t like me?” Altina asks, repeatedly pressing the power button on her ARCUS, turning it on and locking the screen in succession. “What if they see me as a burden to Rean? What if they don’t want me to see him ever again?”
“If ya ask me, they’re more likely to say that to me than you. You’re just a kid.” Crow nervously laughs as he pats her shoulder one last time before taking it back.
“A homunculus,” she corrects as she puts her ARCUS aside on the cushion to stop herself from fidgeting more.
“Still a kid.” Crow shrugs as he stands up, picking up their empty lunch boxes and stacking them onto Rean’s on the opposite seat to distract himself. The vibrations of the train make them wobble, thankfully not enough to topple the tower.
“They can still dislike me.” She isn’t letting this go, huh.
“If they dislike you, then I’m off the table.” Crow sits back down, turning to face her.
“You help Rean relax, I am a responsibility.” She presses her palms against her lap, rubbing the fabric of her long pants.
“A responsibility that Rean and I willingly chose. And pretty sure when ya start counting, I give him more headaches,” Crow says, crossing his arms. He forgets to do chores and lazes around and bugs Rean for attention, what’s her track record in comparison? “What was it you said last time? Being a burden to each other is what it means to be family or somethin’?”
She lets out a little ‘ah.’ Score. Crow–1, Altina–0.
“You’ll be fine, li’l lady. Don’t try to be extra polite or anythin’. Be yourself.” Crow literally waves her concerns away, shaking his head as he continues, “I, on the other hand, have no clue what I’m supposed to do with my dear partner’s family.”
Altina’s smile is small, still bigger than the smiles she used to give them a few months ago. She’s come far from when they started this whole fostering business.
“Did you search the Orbalnet?” she asks, reaching for her ARCUS.
He did, as they planned the trip. All he could find was general tips, like be polite and not a troublemaker, keep stuff on the shallow side, don’t drink too much, the sort. Rean said he didn’t need to do anything special, his family will love him regardless, which doesn’t reassure him much.
“Yep, no luck there, so we’re going in blind. Improv time.” Crow shoots an exaggerated finger gun at her, keeping the bulk of his anxiety hidden away.
And there her pretty smile goes, replaced by her usual deadpan as she puts her ARCUS back down. “That does not inspire confidence.”
“Either way, this is gonna be a learnin’ experience for both of us.” Crow shrugs, and holds up a fist to her. “Let’s check up on each other, yeah?”
She stares at his fist, breathes in deeply, and exhales. Her fist bump is light, not as shaky as how it looked moments ago, and warm despite the thick metal that makes up a homunculus, right underneath that layer of skin.
“I will be on my best behaviour, and I can only hope you do the same,” Altina says, squinting at him with doubt in her emerald eyes.
“I ain’t lookin’ to disappoint Rean, have some faith in your guardian,” Crow says, nudging her fist with his own, grinning.
“A tall order,” Altina mutters, nudging back.
Rean returns to them sometime later, in the middle of them playing a 2-player puzzle game on Crow’s ARCUS. He looks refreshed, the smile on him extra bright from this angle. Crow is content to look at him as much as he wants, till Altina invites Rean to play against her.
The train reaches the station by sunset, the sun a mix of orange and yellow as they haul their luggage towards the cable car station. A few other people are heading the same way, glancing at Rean as they walk. Luckily none of them have the guts to approach and ruin their vacation before before it started.
Rean opens the door to the cable car station and holds it, Crow enters with Altina close behind, taking in the well-maintained floors and the whirring of the large cable car mechanism nearby with the thick cable and the opening and closing of metal doors. The wood gives this sort of rustic feeling that he rarely gets the chance to experience living in big cities like Ordis or Jurai.
“Rean!” a girl’s voice shouts, pushing her long straight black hair aside as she stands up from a bench and makes her way towards them with graceful yet hurried steps.
Rean closes the door as the last person enters the station, the golden eye on the back of his neck widening as he spots her.
“Elise!” Rean exclaims as he turns around, a wide smile on all his mouths as he walks towards her.
They meet in the middle, wrapping each other up in a hug. The height difference ignored as Rean lifts her up, she chokes out a high-pitched giggle as she holds on for dear life. It only lasts for a short moment, he puts her down and she readjusts her clothing to recompose, a typical noble thing. His claw rests on her head as they turn towards them, her hand holding onto Rean’s side.
Crow blinks several times. They sure are casual with physical touch, huh. Then again, this is Rean, their dear eldritch monster that struggled to learn lots of human-related norms when he was tiny and the entire concept of intimacy only mere months ago, so this is pretty par for the course for his innocence.
Crow trades glances with Altina. They approach with careful steps to meet up with the two.
“Crow, Altina, this is Elise, my younger sister. Elise, this is Crow and Altina,” Rean says as he points at each of them, the smile on his cheek widening as he does.
Elise’s black hair is neat, straight strands held back by a hairpin by her ear. The folds of her casual dress make her look dignified, befitting of a noble. The dark purple scarf around her neck and similarly coloured gloves being the few winter wear on her.
She looks them over from head to toe, her hands held in front of her with a polite smile. It’s really polite, yeah, but her eyes are calculating, reminding Crow of Rean’s rare cold smiles when he gets angry.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Rean has told us much of you in his letters and messages,” Elise says with a quick curtsy.
“T-The pleasure is all ours,” Crow says, swallowing down a squeak. One of Rean’s eyes glances at him in concern.
“It is nice to meet you.” Altina nods and smiles, smaller than moments ago from nervousness.
Rean’s multiple eyes continue to look around the area as if trying to spot someone, stopping as he turns to Elise. “Are Mom and Dad busy?”
“Yes, they sent me in place of them to greet you,” Elise says, glancing at their luggage. “Are you sure you aren’t staying with us? We have plenty of space for you and Crow and Altina.”
Rean shakes his head. “They want to experience the full tourist package by staying at the Phoenix Wings, and it’s been a while since I’ve stayed there too.”
“What’s a visit to the Hot Springs Paradise without experiencing the full hot springs experience, y’know?” Crow shrugs playfully, careful not to drop the luggage in his arms.
That, and they (Altina and himself specifically) agreed that they wouldn’t be comfortable staying at the Schwarzer mansion. It’s their first visit. They should handle themselves, and imposing on the family wouldn’t be a great first impression.
“I am interested in the hot spring’s acclaimed health benefits,” Altina says, nodding as she takes one step closer to Crow.
That’s the truth, partially. Rean’s almost fanatic craze about it also got them curious enough to want to give it a try. The room package includes unlimited access to it for quite a nice price too, after Crow convinced Rean not to pay for everything himself.
“We’re planning to get a dip in after checking in and eating dinner.” Rean’s smile is extra excited, his red eye glancing at Crow and Altina.
“Well, considering the long trip you’ve made, it would be good to relax,” Elise says, still a little reluctant as she crosses her arms. She sighs, then shoots Rean an almost demanding look. “Father and Mother insist for you, Crow, and Altina to join us for lunch tomorrow.”
Rean looks to Crow and Altina with all his eyes this time, a little apologetic in the way he furrows his eyebrows and his smile.
Welp, what can they do when they’re expected by the parents? Crow looks at Altina, who gives him the smallest of nods, her lips a line from nervousness.
“We’ll be there.” Crow nods, shifting his hold on the luggage to make sure it doesn’t slip from his grip.
“Good, now let us be off.” Elise’s smile is genuine as she turns and gestures to the cable car.
Most of the other people are long gone, the cable car attendant standing by the platform and watching them with a smile. Rean greets the guy—named Luke, who practically lights up at seeing Rean. They chat a bit while waiting for the next cable car to stop.
The cable car ride is less tense than he expected. Altina is charmed by the scenery out the windows, taking out her signature polaroid camera to frame and take a few shots. Crow looks at the scenery with her, pointing out the interesting details he can see like animals grazing atop the mountains or the buildings they can see in the direction of Roer that are turning on their lights, white stars against a landscape of orange, yellow, and dark blue.
Rean takes the time to talk to Elise. Crow catches a bit of her telling him what’s been happening at the school she goes to, the everyday shenanigans you’d expect out of an all-girls school.
They reach the top, and the moment the station doors open, the cold air comes rushing back in, and they’re greeted by a cozy snowy paradise.
Crow and Altina stand still as they take it all in.
“Woah,” is all Altina manages, her mouth left open as she looks around.
Woah indeed. The wooden buildings covered in a layer of white snow, made off-white by the rays of the setting sun, the chilly wind blows past them and rustles the plenty of pine trees around, people dotted here and there, adding into the picturesque sight of a rural village high up in the mountains.
Crow whistles, impressed. “The pictures weren’t lyin’.”
Rean giggles, and gestures at the large sign above them. “Welcome to Ymir!”
Elise stands beside him, and curtsies again. “We hope you enjoy your stay.”
And with that, Elise bids them farewell and heads in the direction of the mansion on top of a small hill. Rean happily leads the rest of the way towards the Phoenix Wings in the opposite direction.
Altina stops and looks at the structure in the middle of the plaza, steam pouring out of the pool of water collected a few reges into the ground.
“What is this?” she asks, pointing to it as she tilts her head to one side.
“That’s the foot bath.” Rean walks over, dips a finger into the water, and nods. Testing the temperature, Crow assumes. “You take off your shoes and dip your feet in. The hot spring water helps with circulating blood and relaxes your muscles after they stiffen from walking.”
“Can we try now?” Altina asks, holding onto one of the wooden poles as she stares into the clear water.
“Maybe not,” Crow shifts the luggage in his hold again. His arms already protesting at being forced to handle the weight for too long. “We should check into the Phoenix Wings and get this luggage sorted while it’s still light out.”
“Crow’s right.” Rean looks reluctant as he tears his red eye away from the water, holding half of the luggage with his limbs. “We have plenty of time to try it in the next few days.”
Altina frowns as she nods. “Okay.”
They reach the Phoenix Wings, and after a happy chat with the manager, get the keys to their room. The second they get in, Altina jumps onto the big bed face down and sighs, relieved.
Their two rooms are connected with an open door, so Rean and Crow get on with taking out some of what they need and settling in. Altina helps after a few minutes, taking the stuff from their luggage and placing them wherever in the room that seems appropriate.
After that, it’s finally time for a short rest. Altina fiddles with her ARCUS in the other room, probably chatting with Millium about their safe trip here from the warm little smile he last saw on her and the distinct sounds of an on-screen keyboard being tapped.
Crow lies down on the bed and closes his eyes, the unfamiliar bed sheets and mattress bothering him enough that sleep doesn’t come easy. He forces his body to relax, trying his best not to think about meeting Rean’s parents tomorrow, about the possibility of them disapproving him and kicking him out of the mansion, demanding him to never talk to Rean ever again.
This isn’t working. Maybe he should give up on napping and go—
Limbs slither under the blanket and wrap around Crow’s torso, loosely holding him as someone buries their nose into his neck and nibbles on his shoulder. Their legs tangle into a mess, rubbing against patches of smooth steel, warm despite the cool air blowing in from the ajar window.
Crow quietly sighs, holding back the limbs that promise security and safety despite the claws and numerous sharp ends hidden in black wisps.
He doesn’t wake till dinner time.
The hospitality of the Phoenix Wings is no joke. They’re mostly left alone through their full-course dinner meal, only bothered once the next dish is ready to be served by a knock on the door to the private room. The food carefully placed on fancy little plates that highlight their colour, garnished with the perfect number of herbs that elevate the flavours.
Crow relishes in both the food that’s served and the time he gets with Rean and Altina.
It’s dark out the windows of the hallway by the time they finish, walking around and enjoying a tour on the various facilities available for them to use, lastly and most importantly the hot springs. They’re separated into indoor and outdoor sections, and the manager shows them the special private outdoor bath that he took the time to reserve for them. It’s smaller than the huge outdoor bath they saw, fits a smaller group of people with the added advantage of not having to share the water with other eager tourists.
Of course Rean gets special treatment. Though Crow’s not complaining when he and Altina benefit from it.
“Y-you didn’t need to do this!” Rean waves his claws around, embarrassed enough that the skin around his red eye and fanged mouth are flushed.
“Please, we insist. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to take care of Master Rean.” The manager bows, still smiling when he comes back up. “Other members of our staff agree this is the least we can do.”
Crow puts an arm across Rean’s shoulders. “C’mon, let’s take it! What’s the use of hospitality if you refuse it?”
“I agree. It is nice to not have to worry about the potential judgement we might attract otherwise.” Altina looks away, no doubt remembering the few looks they’ve already gotten while walking around.
What’s so surprising about a little family enjoying their time together? The whispers Crow can catch are mostly about Rean, being the noble that’s next in line to inherit the barony on top of the hill, those kinds of gossip. The extra attention is uncomfortable, so getting to avoid that would be nice.
Rean glances at Crow and Altina. “I... Okay.” He bows to the manager. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“The pleasure is all ours. Please enjoy yourselves.”
With that, they put the reserved outdoor bath right to use. Rean shows them the process, from cleaning themselves with the provided body wash and shampoo in the section before the bath, to keeping hair up and away from the water at all times. Crow lets Altina tie his hair up, helping her with her long silky hair in return.
Crow takes the small towel they provide to cover up his important parts against the chilly air, leaving it out of the water when he gets into the hot water as instructed.
Rean and Altina? Completely ignore the provided towel. Of course. What’s the use when the homunculus was built with no genitals, and the eldritch entity shifts his genitals away when there’s no need for them?
The water is hot, almost prickly? Probably the work of the minerals in the water or something. At first it’s a bit uncomfortable, but as the minutes pass, Crow starts to relax, letting the heat of the water seep into his skin.
He lets out this content sigh right at the same time Altina does. Rean giggles.
“I’m glad you two are enjoying it,” Rean says as he leans his back against the edge of the bath, smiling extra brightly at them.
“Enjoyin’ it? This is the most relaxed I’ve ever felt in my life!” Crow exclaims, scooting closer to Rean and pressing their sides together.
“I now understand completely why you like it so much.” Altina nods, playing with the water by sloshing it around with her hands. Pretty sure that’s usually not allowed, though it’s only them taking a dip, so it’s fine.
With it getting dark, the scenery of the mountains is unfortunately harder to enjoy. The lights around the bath illuminate the various decorations placed around as well as the snow that hasn’t been cleared, piercing through the steam that rises up from the water. Walls around their bath separate them from the public one nearby, whispered conversations and laughter carried by the wind providing a lively ambiance as they relax.
Rean closes all of his eyes, leaning his head onto Crow’s shoulder as he sighs contently. “It’s really been a while since I’ve had time to enjoy a soak like this.”
“When was the last time?” Altina asks, tilting her head in their direction from where she sits across them, leaning against a huge rock fixed into the side of the bath.
Rean opens his eyes, humming as he thinks. “Before we rescued you and Millium, I think. I came back here when the rest of Class VII forced me to take a break.”
Of course he needed the encouragement of his co-workers to take a vacation, typical Rean. Crow shakes his head, grasping Rean’s claw under the water. The water is warm, yet somehow his claw is still a bit chilly.
Wait, before Altina and Millium’s rescue? From what he remembers of the sequence of events, there was a brief time where Rean had trouble with Class VII, so...
“Was this after you told them ‘bout you bein’ a Great One, or before?” Crow asks.
Rean flinches, the subtle movement disturbing the calm surface of the water. Altina frowns, stopping her playing as she looks at him, worried.
“... It was after.” He lowers his gaze, looking at his steel-patched legs through the clear water. “I put myself into my work to avoid thinking about their reactions. I ended up getting so much done it made them worry a lot, haha. They went to our Principal and she informed me I had work off for the coming week, that’s when Mom and Dad asked me to come back.”
“Your foster parents were in it too?” Crow asks, squeezing Rean’s hand. Talk about a coordinated attack, jeez.
“Yeah, I think Mom practically pushed me into the hot springs when I got here.” Rean lets out a nervous laugh, pushing the side of his head against Crow’s cheek in reply.
Altina smiles. “Rean is very loved by the people around him.”
Rean blinks once, twice. He glances at Altina with his lilac eyes, and at Crow with his red eye. “... Yeah, I guess I am.”
Okay, too heavy a topic. No, Crow is not blushing. Time to sweep it away and proceed to something lighter for a change. They’re on vacation, damnit, they can leave the heavier topics back home!
“Wait, then you were a hot spring maniac even before that?” he asks, because none of them know exactly when his enthusiasm for hot springs came about.
“I... wouldn’t call myself that?” Rean tilts his head to the side. Altina stares at him deadpan. “But being in the hot springs was really calming. The water stops me from thinking too much, and it helps me keep my current form, I guess?”
“I think I can understand that.” Altina looks down at her legs through the clear water. “I am now aware that my height is... shorter than I would like it to be.”
Crow can’t help it, he laughs. “You should drink more milk, li’l lady.”
Altina directs her deadpan eyes at him. Ouch, what power! Crow leans back as if struck with a blow, bumping his back against the side of the bath.
“We can pay George a visit at headquarters to see if there’s any other way to help with that.” Rean’s smile is much more polite, the jaw on his collarbone grinning as if holding back a giggle.
“That would be nice.” Altina is very much satisfied, from the smile on her face.
“We’re in day one of our vacation, and you’re already plannin’ another one?” Crow asks, raising an eyebrow at her.
“I think that constitutes more as a day trip than a vacation.”
Rean giggles at their back and forth. This is the most he’s seen Rean genuinely smile and laugh in a day, truly the power of hot springs.
They sit in the bath and enjoy themselves until it’s too hot to stay any longer. Altina gets out first, probably due to how much of her parts under her skin are made of metal. Crow stays to try and beat Rean, to no avail. Rean is unfortunately much more used to the heat than he is.
After exiting the bath and hydrating themselves with a milk drink to honour Altina, they head straight back to their rooms. After such a relaxing bath, who wouldn’t laze around for a while? Even Rean isn’t immune, lying down on the bed in his bathrobe, the cut in the thin fabric exposing the smooth skin of his nice looking thighs.
If Crow wasn’t already flushed from the bath, he would at the sight.
“Hey, Rean...” Crow whispers as he gets closer, standing over Rean from the side of the bed. Rean hums and glances at him with his red eye. “Bathin’ in hot springs has health benefits, right? How ‘bout we have a taste of ‘em right now?”
Crow licks his lips and does his best rendition of bedroom eyes.
It takes a few seconds for Rean to understand. When he does, the blush takes over his face up till his ears, and he sits up in alarm.
“C-Crow!” Rean scolds as he scoots away, rustling the bedsheets and wrinkling them.
Crow puts a knee on the bed and advances, close enough to hover over Rean, his hands beside the sides of Rean’s head as his legs trap him. He wants to kiss every inch of his face and slide under that bathrobe already, barely holding himself back, waiting for Rean’s consent.
“W-wait, we can’t! Altina is right there!” Rean exclaims instead, and Crow blinks.
He comes back to himself, freezing as he turns to look at the door leading to the connected room, still wide open.
Altina definitely heard that, with how loud Rean was. Crow anticipates her exasperation and sass, usually par for the course when they mess around while she’s in the room.
A few seconds pass, silence.
Crow backs away as Rean gets up, following him as they peek into Altina’s room.
“Altina?”
She’s nowhere in the room.
They find her outside, sitting on the steps by the entrance, holding her knees with her arms as she stares up into the dark sky above them.
“Altina?” Rean calls out as they approach. She turns to look at them, then back to the sky.
Rean frowns in worry, looking to Crow with his red eye as his lilac eyes stay on her. Crow has no idea what’s going on, so he gives him his most reassuring smile as he pats his shoulder.
Crow sweeps the dust away from the snow on the spot beside her, lifting the ends of his coat as he sits down. “What’cha doing here, li’l lady?”
Rean follows his lead, sitting on Altina’s other side. She takes a look at Crow, then at Rean.
“I came out for some air,” Altina says, matter-of-fact as she glances at the other buildings that make up Ymir, yellow light from their windows the only indication that people live here, then stares back up to the skies. “It’s very quiet here, compared to back home.”
Crow looks up too, and what do you know? The stars are easier to see here, twinkling little lights against the black backdrop, despite the proximity to the development central that is Roer. No wonder she’s fascinated, Ordis is too busy and filled with human activity to see the stars this clearly.
“Yeah, it is. Real peaceful place,” he mutters, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat to protect his fingers from the cold air.
Rean enjoys the view too, keeping the black and yellow eye on his arm focused on Altina and Crow.
The only noise they can hear from here is inside the nearby tavern, sounds that would be drinks clinking and people making merry if they were any closer.
Altina frowns and holds her knees tighter, shivering a little. Welp, so much for getting heat from the hot springs. Crow sighs and takes off his coat to wrap it around her instead.
“Thank you...” Altina mumbles as she holds the coat and close the front.
Now Crow’s gonna be a bit cold. It’s fine, he’ll live. Rean disagrees, especially when he shapeshifts a few limbs from his arm and wraps them around Crow’s torso. He laughs a little, patting them in thanks as the warmth of the soft black limbs transfers to him.
They stay like that for a little while longer, quietly enjoying the luxury of the scenery of stars. Until Altina shifts again, fiddling with her fingers.
“I noticed that Elise is... cautious around us.” She pulls the coat tighter around herself.
So that’s what this is about. Crow noticed it pretty much right away, the way she glances at them when she thinks they aren’t paying attention. He’s had his fair share of passive aggressive people back at Thors, so this is nothing compared to that. To Altina though, this is probably a new experience.
“It’s not your fault,” Rean says gently, smiling a little despite the way his fanged mouth grinds its teeth together. “It’s... a few things, but I think it’s mostly because of me.”
“What’cha mean?” Crow asks with a raised eyebrow, tearing his eyes away from the dark sky to look at Rean, as his numerous eyes look away and stare at the snow underneath or anywhere that isn’t directly at them.
Because of Rean? Is that true, or is his ‘everything is my fault’ syndrome rearing its ugly head again?
Altina is watching Rean too, a question mark practically floating above her head.
Rean lets out a nervous laugh.
“I’m not sure if I’ve shared this before, but the Schwarzers are actually my second attempt at being fostered.” He fists and flexes his claws, the limbs wrapped around Crow’s torso shift and move a little too. “The first attempt didn’t end well. I had less handle on my human form, so my guardian at the time saw my true form and they...”
He shakes his head.
“It was my fault. After I was removed from them, Papa insisted on trying with the Schwarzers. Mom and Dad took good care of me despite my hesitation, but taking me in caused them to lose their place with the nobles.” He moves his leg, shifting the snow and leaving long marks thanks to the sole of the slippers. “Elise is probably worried about that reputation, and well, probably worried about me, too.
“So. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure she’ll understand once she has the chance to get to know you two better.” Rean smiles, patting Altina’s head.
Crow knows Rean means different people when he mentions ‘Mom and Dad’ versus ‘Mama and Papa’, and still has no idea who the latter two are beyond that they were the ones that looked after him immediately after he was rescued, but that’s beside the point. What happened to that first fosterer? He shakes his head. That’s a question for some other time. Right now, he’s grateful for the reassurance.
He pats the limb around his torso with one hand, and pats Altina’s back with the other.
“Ya hear that, li’l lady? She’s just worried about Rean. As long as we be ourselves, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Crow says, as confidently as he can despite his own nervousness. Altina raises an eyebrow in doubt. He’s not letting that making him falter. “Probably!”
“... Probably,” Altina repeats under her breath. Still doubtful, treating it like a mantra.
Goddess knows they need the magic of the witches to make sure they come out of this in one piece.
“It’ll be fine, I promise.” Rean nods, caressing the top of Altina’s head one last time before pulling away. “If they accepted me back then, then they’re sure to accept the two of you.”
Accepting a tiny monster child one chose to foster is much different than accepting extra family members outside of one’s control, in Crow’s humble opinion. Thou what does he know? His last proper family member left him behind years ago.
He’ll take his chances. Put his faith in Rean, this once.
(He’s been saying that before they got together, and will say that for the rest of eternity, he’s sure.)
“C’mon, it’s really startin’ to get chilly, let’s go back in before we freeze to death!” Crow whines as he stands up, rubbing at his arms and shivering for extra show.
Rean rolls his lilac eyes and retracts his limbs. “It’s not that cold.”
“Hard to believe when it comes from someone who is used to living here,” Altina says, shaking her head as she stands up too. She takes off the coat and wraps it back around Crow.
“Thanks!” Crow properly wears it and gives her a thumbs-up, she gives it back.
Rean giggles and gets off his butt too. “Fine, fine. Let’s get in.”
They return to their rooms, all three family members accounted for this time as they get ready for bed. Crow closes his eyes and has trouble falling asleep, on an unfamiliar mattress and in a mostly unknown place, so it takes a few tries.
Eventually, he does, surrounded by the peaceful breathing of his two favourite people in the world.