William sighed, splashing rose water on his face. It wasn't unlike Gabe to summon him in the middle of the night, but he hadn't for a while, and William had grown used to being able to sleep. He stretched, cracking vertebrae and fluttering his wings. Ugh. The wings. It wasn't that he didn't like having them, per se, but more he wasn't fond of the sheer femininity of them. They were a warm, honey color, with accents of pale turquoise and a dusty sort of lavender. They were lovely, but combined with his already rather feminine appearance, high cheekbones, long, wavy hair, feminine hips, he often felt ridiculous. And, as Gabe often said, his "mile-long-legs" didn't help the fact that he looked like “one of those Miss America supermodels”. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. It would be cool out, this late in October. He was tempted to stay home, but Gabe was still hollering across the wavelengths that connected their minds that William was needed in the middle of a forest right now. "Alright, alright. Let me get a jacket," he mumbled to himself. He grabed Gabe's hideous purple hoodie from the bedroom floor. He then plucked a small bag made of a red, velvet-like fabric with a gold drawstring, which held fairie dust from the shelf.
After sprinkling the powder in a circle on the floor around himself, he closed his eyes, imagining Gabe. There was a small lurch, and suddenly he was standing in the middle of a forest. "Bill! Over here!" He turned. Gabe stood next to the Head Of Fairie And Human Relations. What was his name? Harrold? Harvey? Something like that. "Might I ask why you felt the need to wake me up at midnight to come galavanting through the woods?" Gabe looked down. William followed his gaze to the small fairie at his feet. They wore ripped jeans and a too-big tank top that revealed bandages wrapped around their chest. Gabe had draped his jacket, the black one with the golden bats, over them. "This is your forté." "You found them here?" Gabe nodded. William sighed, kneeling down next to the small body, gently stroking the birdlike wings for a moment, before he pressed his hand to the child's forehead. Gabe and the Head Of Relations watched as he sorted through memories, unconscious to the world outside of the poor child's mind. He stumbled backwards, trembling when he was done. Gabe sat beside him, shielding William with his large, crow-like wings. "Well?" Gabe glared up at the Head Of Relations. "Give him a minute." William took a deep breath. "Their name is Wren. They, uh, their mother was killed." "They?" "Mhm. The bandages aren't to bind their wings, they're to bind their chest. Not really a safe way to bind for humans or fairies. But, I suppose, it explains why there aren't remains of a wing concealment charm." Gabe sighed. "Poor kid. Their mom was killed?" "They saw it happen. A hunter, I think, he seemed to know they were fairies." "Well. I'll have to report this. The kid's gonna need a place to stay for tonight, at least." Gabe looked at William with puppy dog eyes. "Gabe, we rea-" "But... But look at 'em!" He brushed the child's dark hair out of their face. "How can you say no to that face?" “Oh... Just for tonight. Well, until you have the situation figured out," William said, turning to the Head Of Relations. "Shouldn't take long. A week at most.”

“Alright. I suppose we can handle another set of wings for a week.”

Gabe smiled like a child who’d been promised candy. “We should get home. The poor thing’s probably freezing. Hank, it was good to see you.”

Hank. So that’s what his name was.

“Of course, Gabriel. I’ll drop by soon with what we find out.” With that, he nodded briskly, and muttered an incantation that presumably sent him home.

Gabe sighed, scooping up the small fairie, watching William set up a fairie ring on the ground.

“Ready?”

William nodded, gripping Gabe’s arm as they stepped into the ring. There was a familiar lurch, and then they stood in the living room of their small apartment.

“They’re a heavy sleeper.”

William hummed. “Let’s get them in bed. The couch pulls out into a bed, doesn’t it?”

“Yep. We’ve got some sheets for it around here somewhere.”

“Perfect. We’ll put them in the bedroom, and we can sleep on the couch.”

Gabe nodded, carrying Wren down the small hallway, leaving William to set up for the night.

Just as William finished fixing the sheets, Gabe plopped down on the bed.

“I think I almost woke them up, but they’re out like a log now.”

“That’s not ominous at all. Please tell me you didn’t punch a child.”

“Of course not.”

“Good,” William said, glaring at him out of the corner of his eye.

Gabe chuckled, crawling under the blankets.

“Goodnight, Guillermo.”

“G’night, Gabe.”