#aimo

While he was tied to a chair, Nigel was more worried about the other two, who were probably still knocked out somewhere.

"You aren't exactly in a position to make demands, Crowboy."

Nigel tried to open his wings, as an intimidation tactic if nothing else, but found he couldn't feel them. "1, I'm not a crow. 2, my name is Nigel, which I am sure you know, creepy stalker."

"You will call me the Game Master. If you don't, I will harm your friends."

Nigel barely held back his usual snide remarks as he looked at the Game Master. "Okay, what do you want, Game Master?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to try a little something."

Nigel looked around. It looked like a hospital room. His eyes widened in realization.

"I'm sure you've noticed a little something about your wings by now."

"You cut them off, didn't you?" Nigel couldn't understand what the motive was, but he got the idea. He was thankful that they grew back. Aimo was skilled in healing magic, so he'd have them back in a month at most.

The Game Master laughed. "Oh, no, no, I didn't cut them off. I did something you probably couldn't guess."

He took his sweet time rolling over a covered mirror. With a tug, the sheet was taken off.

Instead of the navy blue hair and cyan eyes Nigel was used to, the mirror showed yellow hair and golden eyes. Aimo, he realized.

Nigel slowly blinked, watching the reflection do the same. "What the hell?"

"Ah, you magic users are strange folk." The Game Master stepped in front of Nigel. "Your magic is said to be attached to your very soul and conscious, and—"

"Okay, you like theories," Nigel interrupted. "What does that have to do with this?"

The Game Master huffed. "As I was saying, your magic is connected to everything but your physical body. If, hypothetically, someone were to, say, swap two magic users' brains, they would switch bodies."

Nigel leaned around him and studied himself in the mirror. He couldn't see any wounds or feel any pain that would suggest that was what happened.

"Okay," Nigel said, "I still have no clue what that has to do with anything."

"Well, a surgery would be... unsuitable. So, I had a friend of mine place your magic in your friend's body while another placed his in yours."

"That's..." Nigel couldn't find the right words to express the feelings he had. Repulsive, intrusive, disrespectful came to mind, but didn't quite describe it.

The Game Master grinned. "Brilliant, right?"

"No, it's fucking horrible," Nigel snapped. "Do you know how many magic rules you've broken? I'll give you a hint, it's in the double digits."

His anger got him a slap to his? Aimo's? face. "Look at the science side," the Game Master said. "Imagine what this could do!"

"Mages have known about this for centuries. Millennia, even. It isn't done because of the potential side effects, especially the ones that happen if either more people than the two switching are involved or the two swapping don't want to."

The Game Master hummed and walked out of Nigel's view.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Nigel gripped the rope on his wrists and used his magic. The rope burned away quickly, leaving burn marks on his wrists and fingertips. He'd have to apologize to Aimo for that later.

Nigel grabbed a scalpel from the table next to his chair and walked out the door.

The hospital hallway smelled heavily of cleaning products. Nigel's room was the last on the hall. He pressed an ear to the door next to his.

"So... what's your name again?" Brooklyn asked.

Nigel silently sighed. The Game Master would be stuck dealing with Brooklyn for a long time, at least.

He entered the third door on the hall.

"Aimo?" Nigel whispered.

Aimo, in Nigel's body, looked over from trying to pull his hands free.

"Another me?"

Nigel shook his head. "Keep your voice down. Some madman swapped our bodies."

"What?"

Nigel walked behind Aimo. "Like I said, madman. Brookie's got him distracted, though."

Nigel cut off the ropes around Aimo's arms.

"Well, Blondie," Nigel said while examining his hands. "I found out why half-bloods usually do healing magic. Fire magic burns."

"Does... does it not burn mages?" Aimo asked.

"Not if it's your magic."

"Oh. How do we unswap our bodies?"

"Just give me your hands," Nigel directed, "and try to imagine pushing yourself back into your body."

Aimo held out his hands, joining them with Nigel's. He closed his eyes and did as Nigel said.

"There we go," Nigel said from his own body. "Now we can focus on the whole problem of being stuck here."

"Wait..." Aimo's eyes widened. "You said Brooke is distracting the guy who put us here?! And you left them alone?!"

"Just for the time I've been with you. She'll be alright."

"Brooklyn?"

"Oh, shit, you're right."

Nigel led Aimo to Brooklyn's door, where they both pressed their ears to the door.

"So, Brooklyn, would you like to see your friends again or keep talking?"

Nigel was through the door before Aimo could blink. The Game Master was quickly knocked out and thrown to the side as Nigel rushed over to Brooklyn.

Aimo rushed over once he came out of shock. "Are you okay, Brooke?! Did he do anything?!"

"No? Why would he have?" Brooklyn asked.

Nigel and Aimo looked at each other.

"Don't worry about it, Brookie."

Prompt by: @givethispromptatry

"Crystal, what did you do?" Aimo asked, abandoning his cooking. Nigel hardly looked up from his phone.

"Promise you won't be angry?" Crystal asked. Aimo looked exasperated.

"I'm not promising anything." Nigel said as he took another bite of toast.

"I might've... uh..." Her eyes darted to the living room's entrance.

"Does this have to do with the fact there is hair all over the living room?" Aimo asked. He'd noticed the previous night, but was too tired to ask about it.

"Maaaybe..."

"You got a dog, didn't you?" Nigel asked.

"Uh, about that..." she whistled.

A German Shepard nearly knocked Crystal over, wagging his tail excitedly. Crystal pet him with an equal amount of excitement.

A Golden Retriever calmly trotted into the kitchen and up to Aimo, who gave him a slice of bacon from the pan.

A Black Labrador Retriever followed slowly, opting to sit next to Nigel. They briefly looked at the other before ignoring each other.

"You got three dogs, or are there more in the living room?" Nigel half joked as he snuck the black dog half a strip of bacon.

"Just the three. I got them because they reminded me of us. That and maybe if you guys have dogs, you'll be able to chat with other dog owners and make some friends!"

"I appreciate the gesture, but-" Aimo was cut off.

"Crystal, if I wanted friends, I would have friends. I don't like humans." Nigel said, tired of the repeated attempts to get him to socialize with humans.

"Nigel..." The dark haired boy gritted his teeth.

"What, Blondie?! You want me to lie and say I want to hang out with the descendents of the people who massacred my ancestors and the kind of people who killed my grandparents?! I'll pass!" Nigel snapped, his navy blue wings bristling in anger. Aimo winced a bit at his raised voice, not quite yelling, but the closest Nigel got.

Crystal looked away, feeling a bit guilty. She always did when Nigel expressed his, very valid, discomfort with humans, especially when she accidentally brought it to light again. Crystal didn't know if she counted in that or not.

Each dog tried to calm their respective owner down. Crystal's nuzzled her leg, distracting her from the tears in her eyes. Aimo's just looked up at him reassuringly. Nigel's rested his head on the mage's leg.

Each dog's attempt worked quickly, earning the dogs head rubs and calming everyone down. Nigel looked between Aimo and Crystal before lowering his head and pulling his wings over his shoulders, a show of guilt.

"Sorry for getting loud," the mage's wings closed around him tighter.

"No, I'm sorry. I should've thought about what I said first," Crystal insisted.

"It's not your fault. You meant well, I should know that... and I shouldn't have yelled at you regardless."

"Maybe, but I shouldn't have said what I said without thinking."

"It's fine, Crystal. I'll forgive you if you forgive me." Crystal just smiled and nodded. Aimo awkwardly handed Crystal a plate before shuffling into the living room.

She joined Nigel at the table. "It's alright. We can work on it, right? Try and get better together?"

"Of course, dork."

Credit to @givethispromptatry

シェリルのアイモ (Sheriru no aimo) - “Sheryl’s Aimo” May’n as  Sheryl Nome

おまえはやさし　みどりの子