"Sho goosh," I cried, almost blubbering into the succulent beef I was shovelling into my mouth. Swallowing, I turned to Ada, who was watching me devour her cooking with glee. "So good. Seriously, so good."

"Danke," Ada laughed, nudging Milo's elbow to get me another serving. My best friend rolled his eyes, but didn't hesitate to fill my plate once again. Felix was watching me with disgust as I drooled over the food, but I didn't care. No one gets between me and my Rouladen.

"Why is he here?" Felix asked Milo, who was seated between the two of us. "This is our family dinner."

"Felix!" Ada whispered under her breath, giving me an apologetic glance. I gave a minute nod, but otherwise focused on enjoying my meal. Rouladen, Rouladen, love of my life, Rouladen.

"Felix, sei nicht unhöflich," Milo said lowly, Felix clamping his mouth shut as his brother stared at him. Ooookay, not English. Cool, cool. Milo could be saying that I'm wearing Darth Vader underwear right now, or telling him that I once plaster-casted my dick because I wanked so hard I thought it was broken, or that I have wings. Guess I'll never know.

"What? You're never home any more because he probably dragged you into some weird shit, and now when we're supposed to have family time he tags along?!" Felix said, his voice a very, very loud whisper. Ooookay, English. I understood all of that. Cool, cool. He definitely still hates me. Sorr-ee for dragging your darling brother into the depths of Hell.

Ugh, I am totally intruding on family time, though.

Felix wasn't completely wrong - rude, yes, but not wrong. Milo had been spending a lot of time at my place because of the winged incident, and I did feel a little guilty about hogging all of his time, but his support was nice. If he hadn't been there when I was sick, or when the wings had started growing out of my back like little buffalo wings, who knows what I would've done. Someone who plastered their dick would have done some weird shit, right?

But hey, now I had gotten used to the wings, to the point that I often forgot that they were out. Apart from when I woke up in the morning, I wasn't knocking things over with my avian appendages, and getting them in and out was as easy as breathing. It's not like I actually needed him to be with me all the time now. Plus, he had been neglecting his studies a lot more than usual because of me, and he should spend more time with his actual family. I shouldn't ask too much of him - I'm needy, but I'm not a dick.

I had zoned out from the shoddily hidden conversation between the three Schultz members, and by the time I came too I had finished my food, but they hadn't finished their conversation. 

Standing up, I gathered my plate and cutlery, the Schultzs turning to me in eery synchronisation. Milo frowned at me as I threw my used napkin onto my plate. 

"Uh, sorry. It was so good I kinda inhaled the food," I said, flashing Ada my empty plate. The woman gave me a soft smile, a little chagrined. "I, um, should probably head home first, though. I, uh, have to study. For my midsems. You know, mammal... reproduction. I'll wash my dishes first, though."

Ada opened her mouth to say something, but I quickly darted into the kitchen. Rolling up the sleeves of my hoodie, I rinsed the plate off with hot water, my fingers smarting a little bit when I scrubbed at the food remnants on its surface. It was when I was rinsing the plate that I felt Milo walk up to me cautiously, hand nudging my back.

"Hey, you don't have to leave, you know," Milo said, voice thick with guilt. I didn't see a reason for it, though - it's not his fault his brother loves him so damn much. And it's certainly not his fault that I'm not exactly the recipe for the ideal friend. "Felix is just..."

"Missing his older brother?" I finished, laughing to myself. "I mean, I don't have siblings, so I can't really relate, but I get it. You've been spending way too much time at my place, dude. Plus, we have exams, and you need to study."

"I don't agree," Milo huffed, and I gave him a closed-lipped smile, bumping his hip with mine. 

"Yeah, well that's because you're a doomcough," I said, not even bothering to pretend that my accent was even remotely accurate. "Seriously though, Milo. You should probably stay at home more."

"But-"

"You've basically been living at mine for the past few weeks. Without rent," I added, wiggling my brow. "I'm a spoiled rich princeling, not a generous spoiled rich princeling. I'm not gonna tolerate a mooch living off my savings."

"Savings," Milo said, exhaling loudly. "Right, Mr Unemployed."

"I'm a full time student, excuse you," I said, placing the plate on the drying wrack, before rubbing my hands dry on a towel hanging off the oven handle. "Anyway, I'm gonna head. Gotta say bye to your Mama first. Oh, and um, with the-" I lowered my voice, leaning in to Milo, whose breath hitched, "-Black Dove thing. I'm gonna get geared up after exams finish and, you know, start saving a few people. You're tagging along, right?"

"A week?" Milo asked, surprised. His face looked pained like it had earlier that night, but he shook it off. "Of course." Milo sighed then, and the slight tickle of his breath across my cheek startled me a little. Wait, when did we start standing so close to each other?

Gravity is weird.

"Right," I said, stepping back, looking at Milo to see his face a little dazed, but otherwise very neutral. "Oh, I forgot, you left some of your books at mine, hey. You can come pick them up whenever. Now, I'll grab my car keys, give Ada a hug and then go home and smoke a little."

"I thought you were studying," Milo said, shaking his head slightly, as if he were trying to shake out an uncomfortable thought.

"Yeah, I'll study while smoking. I have the best epiphanies while high," I grinned, Milo rolling his eyes. 

"Again, I don't know how the hell you pass your exams," Milo said, and I just gave him a prolonged wink, before heading back to the dining area to say goodbye to Ada. Felix wasn't anywhere to be seen, and Ada apologised profusely for her son's behaviour, but I waved it away and kissed her on the cheek, soon driving home.

The drive home was quiet, a little too quiet, so I turned up the radio a little too loud and sang even louder. At red lights, I planned what I was going to do when I got home; smoke a little, shower, maybe have a wank in the shower, maybe have a wank after my shower. Good plan. 

When I got home, I walked through the dark, not needing to see too much since I was so familiar with the layout. Like the car, the house was quiet as I walked by Milo's books that he would have to pick up sometime, and walked up the stairs and into my room. Flopping onto my bed and unfurling my wings, illuminated by the moonlight, I listlessly gazed out the window.

I suddenly didn't feel like smoking, or wanking, or doing anything much at all. All I could do was think about the night, and wonder -

Has it always been this quiet?

***

"Please, I'm going insane," I whined as I stared into my phone, my legs kicking up and down as I lay on the carpet in my living room. "I can't possibly study any more. I need to go out. I need to, for my wellbeing. For my sanity."

"Culver, it's literally been a day since you told me you started revising. A day."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed, looking at my screen. "It's been a day too long, Lark!"

Lark, my most recent ex-girlfriend, just gave me a knowing look as she sat on the single bed in her room on campus. Her long strawberry-blonde, borderline copper hair was tied loosely at the base of her neck, a few stray locks framing her pretty face as she tugged her phone closer to her from where it rested on her thighs. Closer up, her green eyes were amused and gentle as she rubbed her button nose. 

"And how many breaks have you had today?" Lark asked, doe-eyes looking at the corner of her phone to check the time. 12:42pm.

"Two," I said, Lark raising an eyebrow.

"And what time did you wake up?" Lark asked, the cheeky curve to her mouth telling me that she already knew.

"Sometime after 10," I said, Lark laughing, a soft, bell-like sound. Lark tucked her knees towards her, resting her chin on them as she tilted her head to the side. 

"Yeah? And why did you vid call me? It's been a while," Lark said, "You're not gonna pull the whole 'I miss you, I need you, I crave you' crap, right?"

"Did you want me to?" I asked, wiggling my brow, Lark snorting.

"I think we can both agree that we're better as friends," Lark said, and I nodded in agreement, flipping over to lie on my back. "I adore you, but it was a bit much."

"Far too much," I agreed, the two of us grinning. "And I adore you too."

"Aw, you got me blushing," Lark said, though there was no evidence of any redness to her cheeks at all. Lark's wide smile grew smaller, though her eyes still warm. "But hey, if you're calling, you need something, yeah?"

"Yeah, something," I said, Lark nodding in understanding. 

"I got you. And I'm hungry. So pick me up?" 

"Aye, aye," I said, Lark blowing me a kiss before exiting the call. Already changed, I quickly left my house to go to Lark's university. 

Lark and I had gotten together towards the end of Year 12, and had broken up just under a year later. She had gone to my sister school, and we had bumped into each other at joint school functions and events. She was pretty, and it was pretty often that boys from my school would stare at her as she walked past. Sometimes our eyes met, but other than that, we were just two people who happened to walk past each other, just standing in a certain place, at a certain time.

We only really talked for the first time by chance at a joint music recital. I had dashed outside to the secluded balcony to have a smoke, not a big fan of compulsory choir singing. Lark had escaped there due to her nerves of singing the solo part in the large group set. She had sat there with me on the balcony, a small bundle of nerves that tried to act calm. I had offered her my joint and she smiled, much like she was now. 

"I'll have a little," the girl said, kneeling in front of me, her knees brushing my crossed legs. "I know it's not good for my lungs and I have to sing, but I don't think I can even get a note out if I'm so nervous." The girl gave me a small smile, pushing a stray strand of hair that didn't want to stay in her plait behind her ear.

"You seem to be talking pretty well for someone so nervous," I said, the autumn-haired girl letting out a short laugh.

"Singing in front of a hall of people isn't quite the same as talking to one boy," she said, tapping my hand that held the joint gingerly. "Share?"

"Sure," I said, taking a deep drag and leaning forward. The girl's green eyes fluttered closed, plush pink lips parted, waiting. Smiling, I leaned forward, brushing our lips together before blowing out. The girl's breath stilled, before her lungs filled, and she opened her eyes. She had a gentle curve to her mouth as she leaned back on her knees, exhaling, a thin plume of smoke wafting off into the evening.

"Still nervous?" I asked, taking a full drag myself, the girl thinking.

"A little," she said, standing up, brushing her knees off and smoothing her neatly pressed school skirt. "But not because of the recital."

"Really?" I asked, letting out a laugh that echoed off the walls of the hall. "What's making you nervous now, then?" 

"One boy," she said, holding out her dainty hand. "Lark."

Ah, a bird name. Like me.

"Culver," I replied, the girl giggling.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Culver."

We're birds of a feather, you and I.

A/N: I think I'm going to try and start updating this story more frequently (i.e. almost daily), since I only have about 10 chapters or so left to write - so, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy what is to come! :)