"I'm collecting the things for your sleeping potion." Ilya sighed softly, nuzzling the top of Nathaniel's head. "I've got most of what I need now. I just have to go barter with the mermaids for some of their hair and it'll be ready to make."
"Why do you need mermaid hair and angel tears for a sleeping potion? It's quite unusual to find angels down here, much less get them to give you their tears… no one would reasonably be able to make one of these potions."
"My spellbook is older, so it relies more on magic than medicine which means, like, 80% of the spells in there are unusable. Sleeping potions are more on the reasonable side, actually. Most need demon claws and dragon scales and the wings of fairies and stuff." Ilya shuddered reflexively at the last one.
"Mm…" Nathaniel tried to hug Ilya tighter, but ended up just hissing in pain and relaxing his grip again. "What all do you have to do to fix my wings?"
Ilya frowned at Nathaniel's pain, petting his wings softly. "Well, that's closer to actual medicine. Basically: I'm going to rebreak the bones that healed incorrectly and then splint them together so that they heal in the right place."
Nathaniel shuddered a bit at the thought, but nodded anyways. "Okay… at least I'll be asleep. How long do sleeping potions last?"
Ilya continued to pet Nathaniel's wings, humming thoughtfully. "This one lasts about 3 hours, I think. It's definitely enough time for me to finish up on your wings, you don't need to worry about waking up halfway through."
"Alrighty…" Nathaniel's wings quivered as Ilya pet them, and he relaxed more. He sighed softly, pressing himself up against Ilya.
Ilya smiled, running his hands through Nathaniel's feathers more deliberately. "Y'know, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. These are your wings, not mine."
"Well, it'll help them to not hurt when I move them anymore… will I be able to fly again or no?" Nathaniel looked up at Ilya.
"I'm not really sure," Ilya replied quietly. "There's definitely a chance that you'll be able to fly again, but… there's no guarantee."
Nathaniel nodded. "Obviously some of the muscles still work, but they'd need a lot of physical therapy or whatever to actually hold my weight again."
"Oh, definitely. And even if everything goes perfectly you won't be able to use your wings while they heal, so we won't really be able to test them for weeks."
"Yeah… just throw me off a building or something and see if I fly." Nathaniel laughed a bit, clutching his ribs.
Ilya snorted, wrapping his arm around Nathaniel's waist to steady him. "You know that's not what I meant."
"Yeah I'd probably panic." Nathaniel melted into Ilya's touch, putty in the fairy's hands.
"Probably?" Ilya asked, raising an eyebrow. He pulled Nathaniel a little closer as he settled into a more comfortable positions. "I'd definitely start freaking out. Of course, you're way braver than I am."
Nathaniel shrugged. "If I remembered how to fly, I'd probably be okay. No guarantees, though…"
"We'll find a nice safe place for you to practice, then. I'm not going to let you get all beat up again." Ilya pulled him closer protectively, tucking his head on top of Nathaniel's.
"Okay…" Nathaniel let Ilya do whatever he wanted, but he did wince a bit if the fairy held him too tight or anything.
Ilya loosened his hold a bit, frowning when he accidentally hurt Nathaniel. "Hey, how fast does it usually take you to heal broken bones?"
"Fully? Probably about two weeks. Why?" He asked curiously. "For the wing thing?"
Ilya shook his head. "Not really. I just… I keep hurting your ribs and I wanted to figure out how long it would take for them to get better. Plus, I don't want to mess with your wings until your ribs are healed."
"Oh… that makes sense I guess. I heal faster than humans, so I should be okay soon."
Ilya laughed. "It's only been a few days, there's no rush. We can work on your wings after you can breathe without hurting."
Nathaniel nodded, burying his face in Ilya's chest. "Yeah, that'd be nice…"
Ilya played with his hair absently. "Hey Nathaniel, can you tell me about yourself? I wanna get to know you better."
"Um… okay… I'm around 21, I'm 5'4, I'm an angel… well that's obvious. I got kicked out of heaven for being gay and also physically useless. I like to make weapons in my spare time and I start a lot of fights… I had an older brother named Lloyd who was seven years older, and I think my parents are alive… uh… what else…?"
Ilya frowned. "You're not physically useless, you can still throw a punch or wield a sword. And… I was wondering about more surface-level things. Likes and dislikes and favorite colors and stuff. Of course, getting the big things out of the way is nice too. Um… what did you mean when you said you think your parents are still alive."
"Well, I haven't been up there for over a decade. It's not unlikely they've died. Likes and dislikes, hmm…" Nathaniel thought for a moment. "Well, mostly weapon making and fighting, but I, um… I like singing too…" He finished quietly, looking down as though embarrassed.