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Hisoka could tell he was being watched but no matter where he looked there was nothing.
The sky was dark and cloudy leading to poor visibility, especially for the taller trees that surrounded him. Not wanting to alert his watcher that he could sense them he kept his movements lazy and carefree. Internally though he was running through his options. At this point running probably wasn't an option, although he may be the fastest swimmer, on land he was one of the slowest. The ground here was too uneven so he couldn't even try tobogganing. He's only option was to stand and fight.
He slowed his movements ensuring that he simply looked like he had decided to rest a moment but he kept alert, eyes darting around under his hood for any movement.
!!
He heard the slight shifting of air from behind, it was barely noticeable and he would have missed it if not for his high alert. A bird? As quiet as it was, an owl most likely, but it was too late whatever was coming would be on top of him before he could even turn around, instead he braced himself for the attack.
Nothing came, instead
"Hisoka-kun!"
An owl.
Of course.
Hisoka forced himself to relax before turning around.
There right behind him stood the maroon snowy owl feathers puffed up bits of snow still falling off. His yellow and red eyes were filled with joy but there was something wild barely contained under that.
"Arisu"
It was hard to remember sometimes that despite the friendly attitude Homare carried with him and the warmth his presence seemed to exude, he was still first and foremost a predator. One specialised in silent ambush. It was ironic, Hisoka thought, that one of the loudest people he knew was also simultaneously one of the quietest. Still, he didn't very much appreciate experiencing it first hand.
He shot the other with an annoyed look causing the owl to visibly wither, wings tucking closer to his body, as he realised what he'd done.
"Aah yes of course you told me before not to come up from behind you, I apologise"
"Hmmm, I want marshmallows"
Homare chuckled lightly at that.
"As expected of you Hisoka-kun," he said in a fond tone before his smile dropped slightly, "I'm afraid however I do not have any on me"
So he was hunting then. Hisoka knew that he brought a bag of marshmallows everywhere, or at least it seemed that way, the only exception being when he was hunting. It made sense, the plastic crinkle of the bag would give away his presence, removing his main method of attack.
Hunting was an essential part of their life, with a country stuck in near eternal winter, easily accessible food was hard to come by, and so for most that lived in this harsh environment, meat was the main food source here. Not every animal that lived here was sentient the way they were and not every humanoid wanted to play nice. They were all still wild animals deep down.
"I have some marshmallows back at home though if you wish for them"
The penguin nodded
"Wonderful! I shall regal us with my newest poems on our journey"
He continued watching as Homare turned around to begin leading the way to his home.
He fell in step behind the owl staring at the way his wings followed his every movement as the other threw out his arms in grand gestures in time with his poetry.
It wouldn't be hard to reach out and break them. A passing thought. The bones that made up the grand feathered structure were hollow and it wouldn't take much force to snap them, certainly not enough that it couldn't be done before retaliation.
Living a life in such a harsh environment as theirs did little to breed trust. During harsh snowstorms, Hisoka had watched as two supposedly sworn partners had ripped each other apart over a rotting carcass, in desperation. Hisoka had learned growing up that trust was not worth putting into others, that the only one you could truly trust was yourself.
Reaching out he placed a hand on one of the marron wings. Under his touch it stilled and distantly he could hear a voice calling his name in confusion. It didn't register to him, lost in his thoughts as he slowly dragged his hand further across the wing settling near the top where one of the major joints lay. It was soft, the feathers there mostly insulating down, he could feel the shift of the bones underneath at every slight movement. Delicate.
He thought back to earlier how Homare had managed to sneak up on him, how if he'd come at him with any malicious intent he might not be standing here now. He remembered how he had relaxed the moment he saw who it was. Did he trust Homare? He feared the answer.
It was dangerous, the owl had already proven to be a potential threat. He should eliminate them before he could be harmed further down the line. Before he could finish answering his own question.
Slowly he applied a bit more pressure to the wing in his hold, any more and it would break and the owl would be grounded. He heard a whine of pain from above him but there was no struggle, the wing continued to stay frozen in his grasp, and not even the slightest hint of a talon coming his way.
"Hisoka-kun, I'm afraid that if you squeeze any tighter my wings may break. As wonderful as they are, they are not built for rough handling."
Hisoka didn't listen, instead remaining stock still. Just a bit more pressure and it would snap, and yet he couldn't seem to bring himself to.
Do it , his thought whispered to him, strike first before the next ambush is your last .
He flinched as a taloned hand came close to his face, but he couldn't move. He was frozen in place watching as those sharp claws reach towards him.
Rather than piercing his skin however they instead came to rest on his cheek.
It was warm.
A thumb came up to swipe something away just below his eye.
"Hisoka-kun, you're crying"
He was?
He brought his free hand up to his face and confirmed that he was crying. Why?
"Hisoka-kun"
The penguin eye flicked upwards to the owl's meeting his gaze for the first time since they'd stopped walking.
"I do not know what ails you nor why you seem to have such a grip on my wing, but..."
Homare continued to softly caress his cheek, eyes filled with affection, and Hisoka found himself nuzzling into the warmth, his grip on the other loosened slightly.
"I trust you"
Hisoka stared deep into the other's crimson eyes, and within them he could see nothing but complete honesty.
It was like a dam broke, he felt his tears welling up even more as they streamed down his face and he let go of the other completely. Homare reached out, pulling him into his embrace wrapping him in his arms, wings coming around to cover him, shutting them off from the outside world. It was just the two of them encased in a shelter of feathers.
At this point he knew what the answer to his question of trust would be, no matter how much he could try and deny it.
Homare stroked his head lightly, running his fingers through the other's white hair as he cried into his chest.
Eventually, the sobbing slowed down until it was replaced entirely with soft breaths of one who had fallen asleep. Smiling down at the smaller bird in his arms he shifted him into a bridal carry keeping his wings position to shield him from the wilderness. Before starting to make his way down the path to home, warmth and most importantly marshmallows.