« ... Momma. :( »

Ban Hammer had a habit of showing up at Windforce's place whenever he had nothing better to do.

He didn't always have a reason for it. Sometimes he simply wanted company, sometimes he was bored, and sometimes he just felt like bothering his Momma for a while.

Today seemed to be no different.

He wandered inside without much ceremony, his large wings folding loosely behind him as his tail dragged lazily along behind him.

“Momma?”

He looked around the room, expecting to find her somewhere nearby.

“Ya home?”

There was a brief silence before he sighed dramatically.

“Seriously, what am I even supposed to do around here? Banland's boring.”

He eventually found Windforce and made his way over, dropping himself down nearby without asking.

For a while, he was content to simply sit there.

Then he noticed something.

His four eyes shifted toward his Momma, studying her a little more carefully.

“...You look tired.”

His usual cocky expression softened slightly.

“You been doing too much again?”

Ban Hammer frowned.

He knew Windforce was more than capable of taking care of herself. He wasn't about to start treating her like she was fragile just because she was his Momma.

Still, that didn't mean he was going to ignore it.

“C'mon, Momma. Sit down.”

He shifted closer, one wing stretching out slightly behind him.

“I'll take care of whatever's left.”

He paused, then added with a small grin,

“Don't look at me like that. I can be useful sometimes.”

For once, he wasn't asking for anything in return.

He was simply staying there with her, stubbornly determined to make sure his Momma got a chance to rest.

Ban Hammer had been having a terrible day.

Nothing had gone the way he wanted. One thing after another had managed to get on his nerves, and by the time he finally got away from Banland, he was exhausted enough that even his usual confidence felt like too much effort to maintain.

He could've gone anywhere.

Instead, he found himself heading toward Windforce.

He didn't really think about it. He just knew that he wanted his Momma.

When he finally reached her, he didn't announce himself like he normally would. There was no loud complaint about how stupid his day had been, no dramatic rant about everyone getting on his nerves.

He simply walked over and sat down nearby.

His wings were hanging lower than usual, his tail resting loosely against the floor as he stared ahead in silence.

For a while, he said nothing.

Then he finally muttered,

“...Momma.”

His voice was quieter than usual.

Ban Hammer rubbed one of his eyes beneath the blindfold, letting out a tired sigh.

“Today sucked.”

That was all he managed at first.

He wasn't usually the type to admit when something had gotten to him. Pride made that difficult enough with everyone else, but around Windforce, he didn't feel the same need to keep pretending that everything was fine.

He leaned back slightly, allowing one of his wings to rest against the space beside him.

“I don't wanna talk about it.”

A moment passed.

“...Can I just stay here for a bit?”

There was no bravado in his voice this time. No teasing grin, no attempt to make the situation into a joke.

He just wanted to be around his Momma.

He didn't need her to fix anything. He didn't need some big speech about how everything would be alright.

He just needed somewhere he could finally stop pretending he wasn't tired.

“I'm fine,” he added automatically, before quietly correcting himself.

“...Well. Not really.”

Ban Hammer lowered his head, his horns casting a faint shadow across his face.

“Just... don't make me go back yet.”