Arch Your Wings [AU] 01

Inspired by: http://derangedartsyperson.deviantart.com/art/TFP-Wing-AU-Doodles-586132055 and given permission to post [go see their art!] I really like this AU Idea, my story is below the line [I finally found out how to do that!]

Jack was sprawled face down on the thick, purple bean-bag ‘chair,’ eyes rolling up and closed as his mother's fingers dug into the sore muscles on his back. His right arm twitched and the teen's left leg jerked up at the knee, waving in the air in surrender as his mother worked around the base of his left wing. The teen groaned in a mix of pain and relief as the cramps were being worked out. "Oooowwww....." Jack pretended he didn't hear the whine in his voice, not that one couldn't be excused for that when getting a back rub, "Sorry...thanks mom." "What did you do after work to get this bad?" Jack's mother asked, June's expression was a mix of bemusement and some worry for her nearly grown son. "Some- ow, some people where picking on a kid," Jack said, swallowing as he lifted his head out of his bean-bag just enough so his words weren't muffled by the purple false leather. "Pulling on his wings..." "What happened?" From her stop kneeling to the left of her son, June could see the teenager frown deeply as he rested his chin back down, and gripped the bag. The woman paused, her knowledgeable fingers still resting on Jack's back. "Jack?" "He was just a kid mom." Jack said, his voice reflecting anger and fear, "I mean, really a kid, he was this tall," Jack lifted his right wing so there was the height of a eleven or twelve year old. "His wings were still all fluffy and downie, he wouldn't even know how to start gliding yet, or know how to exercise wing muscles right- or know he has to start that yet!" Jack was sitting up more on his elbows, part of his own upbringing with a mother in the medical field showing, "A kid, and they dragged him around, pushing him..." June moved over to her own left, still sitting on her knees, frowning lightly but then smoothed her features to smile softly, "Jack, what happened?" she asked, reaching out to grasp her son's hands, staring at his face. Even before Jack started to talk, June felt pride starting to swell for her son, half guessing what might have happened, "From the start?”

"...I left work,” Jack started slowly, “Wanted to just stretch my wings and think about homework- I have another 'where do you see yourself in so many years' essays. I know you don't like me flying in the city, so I was down in the cement river bed to go out to the park," Jack took a breach from his ramble, catching the small smile from his mother, "There was a kid playing with some radio car before... well these people started picking on him- pulled his wings, I remember how much wings hurt growing and being pull... they wanted him to fly for them..." "And you stepped in?" June asked, arching an eyebrow as she watched Jack's expression, she knew most all of her son's tells when he was thinking or remembering something he knew might not be approved. "....I....kinda beaned them... with my wings..." Jack said slowly, looking down, his body language and even his wings scrunching then arching slowly in an unconscious response to the memory. Jack had learned early on that his off sized, almost too large wings could be intimidating, yet to his mother and grandmother's pride used that knowledge to not scare people. He was more inclined to volunteering in the children's ward of Jasper Star Hospital to let kids play with his wings, or surrendered molted feathers that had been painted on for them to play with. Jack ducked his head to rub at his short hair, wincing as he pulled at a taught and sore muscle, "...a few times... I got the kid away but I'm not used to that much weight. Not that anyone with wings weighs that much but..." "You're still growing." June finished, sighing and then shifted to lift her son's face up, hands under his chin and jaw line, smiling at him, "Is this boy okay?" "Yeah, I walked him home." Jack nodded against the warm hands, the smell of eucalyptus infused oil fulling his nose, "I think he's fine, I talked to his mom and sisters, where he got hurt by those guys and what would help- what?" Jack paused and blinked as he saw his mother grinning. "Jack you're so sweet," June hugged her son, getting a muffled protest in her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. You helped someone, and you’re fine... well mostly fine." June sat back and tweaked the leading edge of her son's left wing, smiling as it twitched back in response, "I don't mind giving you the backrub, but you're cleaning the gutters tomorrow morning before school." "Deal," Jack agreed promptly, wincing as he sprawled back down, then said into the false leather, "Thanks mom." as the older woman started working out the cramps in his wings and back again. He was happy to lay limp, even when a few times it hurt, knowing it would help him in the long run. "Did you get the dressing yesterday for dinner tonight?" June asked, getting some more oil, and making a note to sit her son down in a few days for a good grooming session of his wings where he couldn't reach, they looked more ruffled then normal, and he seemed to be missing a few more feathers then normal. Jack shifted just enough to toss a thumb’s up into the air with a grunt. "And the hummus?" Another thumbs up and a happy mumble. June chuckled, "Right, red pepper hummus... hmm, alright, we can make something good with that." the woman nodded, "I have an early meeting tomorrow morning, so I'll be gone by the time you get up." "Okay, was thinking of walking to school anyways," Jack said tilted his head to the side, eyes closed as he relaxed both into the back rub and knowing he wasn't in trouble. When the phone rang a half an hour later, the teen didn't budge, convinced he was boneless on his bean-bag even as his mom wiped off her hands on his wing, the natural oil was feather safe as everything in the house was since as far back as Jack could remember. He was dosing off on the spot as a familiar name, "Mr. Esquivel?" was spoken in his mother's voice, unaware of a dark blue motorcycle passed slowly in front of his house. If he was looking it wouldn't seem creepy, the woman driving the motorcycle was looking around, and then down at GPS, as if confused of why she was in this neighborhood. "Yes I'm Jack's mother," June was saying, glancing at her son, the picture of a lazy winged teenager being sprawled with limbs, feathered or not laying limply. Though his large wings were taking up most of the living room's space, she repressed the flicker of a longing pang, remembering seeing her son at six with overly fluffy wings and hiding in them giggling. The dark haired woman turned her full attention to the phone, "I just got home a little bit ago- oh? My son did what? He did?" June felt pride swelling again, "Is you're son alright? You should get someone to rub in some feather safe oil into the base of the joints. An electric heat pad on his back will help make him feel better, that always helped Jack when he was child and got picked on." June shifted the phone to the spot of her shoulder that would let her wash her hands, glancing out the window and had a flash of amusement as the motorcycle driver tossed her arms up in the air. GPS loved to send people down this dead end street, and one of the woman's next door neighbors was coming over to give directions. "Jack's fine now, thank you for asking. No it was just some cramping and sore muscles." June said into the phone, starting to get dinner ready as she spoke, moving so not to make too much noise over the phone. "That's alright if you're son wants to tank him, but maybe tomorrow? Jack's working on homework right now." she fibbed a little, wanting her son to have this chance to rest in his becoming busy scheduled. Between school, his job and starting to poke at possible collages she wondered when he had time to come visit her at work. The woman smiled, thanking the man on the phone again before hanging up and starting on dinner, "When is your essay due?" June asked a little while later as Jack started to get up, straightening out his wings in an arching movement, so not to knock anything over of put a dent in the dry wall. There were plenty of dents in his own room and the converted basement-den. "Next week, thanks for the rub mom." Jack said, working to close his wings fully, wincing at the twangs of pain from the process. It took him a few moments to work each of his wings closed as much as he could. "Have you thought of what you want to do?" June asked, taking the pan off the heat and dished up the stir-fry like meal onto plates, grabbing some crackers and the hummus next. "Not exactly," the teen shrugged, and made a face that had his mother smiling as he grumbled, wings having shrugged out of place in a secondary motion. He flopped into a backless chair, grabbing for the juice he blended for them earlier that morning as a part of his daily choirs. "Don't want to stay as a cashier, where people think it’s funny to throw fries at my feathers." "That's just one place," June pointed out yet she nodded in understanding, "I thought I wanted to run a cafe," "But you're the best nurse this side of everywhere," Jack added, smiling at his mother before digging into the stir-fry. "Mom, do you mind if I make fish tacos tomorrow? We've had tofu based things for about two weeks in a row." "If you want to make something with meat-protein, go ahead Jack, just no red meat for me." June nodded, "I'll eat fish you know, we just had so much from that bulk order to use up." "I don't eat red meat much anymore." Jack agreed, frowning at his mother for a moment, "Tomorrow's another ten hour day for you isn't it?" "Eleven with the meeting," June sighed deeply, "The kids are doing good though." "I'll bring you something to eat at my lunch hour." Jack said, still frowning. "Don't be late for your classes." the woman shook her finger at her son, who grinned back now. "I won't be," Jack promised, "It’s a fast guild to Jasper Star from school and I'll clear it with the school first thing in the morning before classes. Try not to let the place over work you okay mom?" June smiled, leaning over to clasp the hand of her winged son, noting how much he was looking like his father slowly over the years, "I won't. Don't roll over onto your wings tonight." Jack ducked his head, "I hope I don't either. That hurts- hey, did you put apple-pears in here? Cool mom."